The Future of Prog looking forward, Grim?

Neapolitan · 01-03-2016, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tributary Records

The older generation that grew up on big band and classical music thought all rock music was silly and lacked serious musicianship. Bringing in trained musicians into rock did give the genre a new sense of validity to the older folks who wrote it off an just nonsense.

I thought I give you a fair warning to you The Batlord is trolling and probably said that to get a rise.

What he said about the inferiority complex is totally rubbish. Chris Squire was a fan of the Pop band, Fifth Dimension, and their session bass player was Joe Osborn, who Chris cites as a favorite. And he imagine Yes to be a cross between 5th Dimension and (say) Iron Butterfly, when the band first started out.

Choosing underground music over Pop is no more a inferiority complex as than choosing Pop over underground music. Whatever the choice, people are generally confident in the music they like, with not much thought of what else is out there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tributary Records

I think 70's style prog is far from being exhausted in originality. If you look at what you had then, the blending of styles, all of those styles could be explored in much more detail.

Complex Latin Rock: Santana
Classical Rock: YES, Renaissance.
Complex Folk Rock: Jethro Tull
Jazz Rock: Mahavishnu Orchestra
Complex Surrealism Rock: Gabriel era Genesis
Complex Metal Rock: Scorpions, UFO
Psychedelic Rock: Pink Floyd
Synth Rock: Tangerine Dream
Funk Rock: Stevie Wonder
Complex Blues Rock: Led Zeppelin
Complex Comedy Rock: Frank Zappa
Complex Acid Jazz Rock: King Crimson, Gentle Giant

I think there could be another 10 bands that explore each of those sub genres with slight variations that would not necessarily sound overly derivative. A different vocalist, unique soloists, composers etc. There is still a lot of room. There is no reason we could not have had another 30 or 40 years of really interesting rock music that would fall under the style of 70's progressive rock.

Actually each band drew from more directions musically. When Keith Relf and Jim McCarty left the Yardbirds and formed Renaissance they wanted a band to explore more Classical, Folk and Jazz elements.

Yes only drew directly from Classical (Art music) for so long. They always evolved as a band. Then they switched to a more Jazz oriented style in Relayer. Which coincided with the rise of Jazz fushion bands in the mid 70s. Even Joni Mitchell moved away from Folk and explored more Jazzy stuff. Yes drew inspiration from the time. The Prog band change with time, explored new territory. Thrakattak is different 21st Schizoid Man.

I think what is different from today's Prog than the 70s is that today they go after having a signature sound of Prog, instead of blending a variety of musical sounds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tributary Records

For example, I don't think there ever was a band that really did complex Indian Rock, or took that where it could have gone. You certainly had artists dabbling there, but there could have been a band that really nailed it in a way Santana did with Latin rock.

There were probably some, maybe not that well known. Take for instance the nephew of Ravi...
Ananda Shankar-Streets Of Calcutta

I don't know about Indian Prog Rock but there is indie Indian Rock
elephant stone - don't you know

I listen to indie mostly. And every other genre like Acid Folk, Stoner Rock, Space Rock, Psychedelia, post-Punk, Surf, minimal Wave psych folk are being explored. I think cause of Youtube and all that is available that was once obscure there could be a new era of Prog waiting around the corner.