stop the "Neo" prog label ?

Gerinski wrote: If anything he should be happy to be recognized as one of the founders of a new sub-genre of Prog, nothing can take that away from him.

That is a really good point! He should be proud that his band is one of the founders of that sub-genre, and one of the first names people think of (hmmm, for better I worse, depending on their opinion, I guess??) when that description is given!

I don't really share his opinion about the term Neo, but I share his opinion that there is no reason for calling Anglagard any more "genuine" Prog than IQ is.

Dean wrote: Snow Dog wrote: I'm yet to hear Suppers Ready on Dark Matter. I don't understand the connection Oh, I think Harvest of Souls is a clear musical and structural nod towards Supper's Ready.

Snow Dog wrote: I'm yet to hear Suppers Ready on Dark Matter. I don't understand the connection

Oh, I think Harvest of Souls is a clear musical and structural nod towards Supper's Ready.

I honestly wish some bands would stop looking at the term `Neo Prog' as being something negative, that it somehow belittles them and makes them less worthy.

I certainly never considered Pendragon, IQ, Marillion, Jadis etc to be `fake 80's prog', rather `new prog in the grand tradtion of the establishing 70's bands', that takes elements from those bands and gives them a modern makeover, as they incorporate those elements into their own original and distinctive ideas.

I think some people use the term `Neo' in a derogative and dismissive way, as in `Neo means rip-off/clones of better bands'. While some of the Neo bands have similarities to the golden age bands, I've always found they had more than enough unique personalities, arrangements and genre-pushing ideas to stand on their own, and there's endless Neo bands I love very each.

I also find the tag an easy way to suggest these bands to a new listener, in that `If you like early 70's Genesis, you might enjoy what X band is doing' etc.

Have to say, I don't think IQ/Orford/Nicholls helped their case by essentially REMAKING `Suppers Ready' on `Dark Matter', as much as I dearly love that album!

Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - January 17 2013 at 04:51

As you may know, Martin Orford of IQ is very unhappy of the tag allocated to the music he plays with IQ or Jadis, and in general to the prog rock scene that arose in the early eighties. He would prefer his music to be labeled "New Wave of Progressive Rock" as he feels offended when the press qualified the bands of the late nineties as "genuine" progressive rock (beacause of the use of vintage keyboards) as opposed to the "neo" progressive rock scene (due to the use of modern keyboards or electronic drums).

Here are Martin orford's views on the "neo" label :
http://www.dprp.net/vision/index.php?id=13

I find funny the way he considers the return of vintage keys and mellotrons in modern prog bands (maybe the "old" sounding keys on 'dark matter' was a way to get more respect from the press and be considered as a "genuine" prog band).

Do you share his views about the use of the "neo" label (fake 80's prog vs today's genuine prog) ? and do you also consider that old-sounding keys don't really have their place anymore in the "2nd" New Wave of Progressive Rock (mid nineties onward) ?