About your native progressive rock bands

I'm not sure of too many Progressive bands in Ohio. The closest I know of is the Ohio Players. Lol

I replied some months ago to this post; I named a few Québecois bands but I forgot Rouge Ciel (I haven't discovered it yet). It is a fantastic RIO band.

I see Gulliman already posted a bit about Estonian prog.

(Tere kaasmaalane, muide! )

But we have such a rich history of it actually, that I feel like adding a bit.

Estonian rock in general follows quite an unique tale, because it was largely discouraged (sometimes to say lightly) by the soviet authorities. Anything western was bad. And creativity was strongly restricted because of censorship. So it's actually quite surprising that the first Estonian prog band already started it's 1971 - pretty much only some 2 years behind from the rest of the world? Proves that SOME things leaked through the iron curtain. Also - getting the instruments was a problem. Since much of the innovative technology that prog was built on, wasn't available here.
The band that is considered The Beatles and Rolling Stones AND Pink Floyd of Estonia is definitely Ruja. They paved the way for Estonian rock and prog rock. With the classically trained virtuoso pianist Rein Rannap as the leading force they started off with Beatle'esque, yet surpirising technical and intellectual rock music. Their career later took them to more pure prog rock, when Rannap dispatched for a short while and the guitarist Nõgisto took over.

- Some examples of the early Ruja. Very patriotic music. It's actually quite surprising that they werent completely banned, as the lyrics were often quite blatantly againgst the soviet occupation. It's hard to find the prog rock Ruja, as it wasn't so popular.
Heres one of the only examples from the Nõgisto era Ruja I could find -

Later When Rannap came back, he took the band over again... and they moved straight to pop under his leading. They composed punk rock, rockabillies - even. And became a classic act of immense popularity in Estonia.

About the same time the other legendary composer - Sven Grünberg - started his band Mess, which was the first purely progressive band in Estonia. Pure symphonic prog.
They came together for a brief performance on a TV show recently.




Some other bands that worked during the 70s in Estonia were Noor Eesti (also led by Rein Rannap), Meie and others.
Then ofc came punk and by the end of the 70s prog was in a bit of a decline. But it didn't die here. In fact, I have been able to find more prog rock in Estonia from the 80s than from the 70s.
In the 80s came In Spe. The prog band led by the now famous classical composer Erkki-Sven Tüür.
They did "chamber-rock" music heavy with synths and flutes. Brilliant compositions. My favorite prog rock pieces at the moment.


Then there was fusion, the likes of Radar.



And Kaseke.



Pantokraator has already been mentioned.


But there were many, many others. Synopsis, Psycho, Data, Linnu Tee and others.

A great site for reading more is this -
http://home.uninet.ee/~mel/estprog/
A lot of text on the bands and of Estonian prog history in general.













Edited by Hyardacil - August 16 2009 at 08:25

Canada... need I say RUSH

Well, Plastic's (I still wonder if  they took their name from Frank Zappa) were mostly protest band. Their biggest audiences could have been counted in tens of people. But all of them were devoted fans.

Heh, if you have a chance, try to read book by Jan Pelc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Pelc), it's about late 70ties in Czech Republic, in other words - the worst era after 1939-1945 (Hitler's Germany protectariat). It's kinda raw material, full of alcohol, drugs and overwhelming feeling of desperacy, nowhere to run from oppresing. 

Mejla Hlavsa, frontman was awarded, posthumously, with some musical prize (I saw it a long time ago on TV). After 89' he was collaborating on project called Fiction. They released eponymous album. 

Prague's Selection, or if you wish Prazsky Vyber (or, to the extreme - Pražský Výběr, because in my language we write band names with capital first letters, but when concerning songs, there's only first letter capital), so - Yeah, they're eclectit in way that they play various styles. It's prog for sure, but as I can fully understand these lyrics (they're not so hard when you're native), they play psychedelic rock.

For example they're probably most well known song - Prazakum tem je tu hej (Prague peoples are fine here [in Prague]) is about how everyone is lost in Prague. Literally or methaporicaly - you know, feeling of biggest city here in CR is strong. Next song - Hrabě X (Count X) is about weird looking and behaving man with very strange habits, probably vampire - like ("why everyone garlic awaits me?") or song Zubatá (Death) - "yesterday morning came Death, she (in my language Death is her) told me to take my trousers". I know, no rhyme, but zubata-katata (Death-trousers). And then fine rock solo.

But probably most psychedelic creeps gave me "Na vaclavskym Vaclavaku" (Prague's most well known square, something like Wenceslaw's square - you know, this one with statue of man on horse, next to museum), is about boy who is lost in "big" city of Prague. Psychedelic feeling is promiment also due to Vilem Čok vocals, he's quite a furious when singing, capable of high tones. Even their live version after twenty years is still good.

So psych. are mostly lyrics and something from music. This is why they can be for foreigners (more than 99% of you) not so psychedelic. So ECLECTIC is good deal I think. 

And for other things, Iva Bittova, Stromboli (oh how they're good, try to get them if you can) with Bara Basikova (remember our names for woman - when someone has surname Zednik [Mason], his wife will be Zednik+ova, it's some kind of adjacent (addition perhaps) to woman's surname. 99% of surnames are like that. The rest are exceptions of male surnames which ends on vowels). Or BSP - band of few good artist - Balaz (drums), Pavlicek (guitar) and Strihavka (vocals). Michal Pavlicek (Michael if you want) is among our best guitarists and Strihavka's vocal range is undoubtable.

Now I'm listening to Prazsky Vyber's song "Proc jen ja" which is in blues tone. And also English language.

Heh, in 80's they were marked as "disturbing" band and banned for audiences. These bands are the best ;-)

clarke2001 wrote: CPicard wrote: MartyMcFly89 wrote: Anybody familiar with Czech rock bands ?  Anybody wants to talk with me about them ? Bands like Prazsky vyber, Synkopy and for example Framus has a lot to offer. If you have the right ears. Alas, I'm only aware of the Plastic People of the Universe, DG307 and Uz Jsme Doma (moreover, I only know them by the few mp3 each band put on their internet sites). What genre do Prazsky wyber and the other play? Eclectic Prog I like Iva Bittova a lot. It's a pity she's not yet on ProgArchives. What is DG307?

I went to Prague recently and bought some CDs by Aku Aku, BBP, Plastic People of the Universe, Progres 2 and Uz Jsme Doma. My wife got Iva Bittova's Bile Inferno that is just amazing!!

CPicard wrote: MartyMcFly89 wrote: Anybody familiar with Czech rock bands ?  Anybody wants to talk with me about them ? Bands like Prazsky vyber, Synkopy and for example Framus has a lot to offer. If you have the right ears. Alas, I'm only aware of the Plastic People of the Universe, DG307 and Uz Jsme Doma (moreover, I only know them by the few mp3 each band put on their internet sites). What genre do Prazsky wyber and the other play?

Eclectic Prog
I like Iva Bittova a lot. It's a pity she's not yet on ProgArchives.


What is DG307?

Cynips wrote: tamijo wrote: Finland hold one of my favorite Jazz/Rock Guitarists too. Jukka Tolonen   Seen him many times back in late 70's early 80's in Copenhagen Actually, my dad, who plays the piano, has done a couple of gigs with him when they both lived in Björkfors, Sweden.

The most known band is off course SBB (a shortcut, translated to english: Find, Destroy and Build).
But I want to mention about the polish band ANAWA, created by Jan Kanty Pawluskiewicz, and Marek Grechuta. This band recorded in 1973 year an album titled the same: ANAWA, but as a singer instead of Grechuta starred Andrzej Zaucha. This album is totally other than the most known piece titled KOROWOD.
"Anawa" album presents many influences from early King Crimson, from the "In a Court Times...", and sad. but real ambitions lyrics (like in KC), singing in Polish.

I am surprised that this album didn't find a place on Archives. I hope that it will be added, because it is very enjoyable part of Polish prog scene and recommended for any King Crimson fan.

In our country I know 2 progrock bands... Eternal Now and Fuseboxx.