Stevie Wonder for Progressive Motown

I just wanted to share this excellent vid that the Pessimist posted in the Stevie Wonder Appreciation thread:

Rabid wrote: He's not from a 'strictly progressive' background. The others are.   Ask yourself, tho .......how many reviews of his albums could/would be 'positive', on Prog Archives?   While he's an excellent musician, he's still 'just a dabbler' in the prog department.

Alitare wrote: Speaking of the folks who say motown is not rock, and thus, barred form inclusion, I ask: What makes motown closer to rock than ambient? We do have progressive electronic, and electronic music seems farther away from rock than motown does.

Yup. And Philippe will not add pure electronic, electronica, electroaccoustic or new age artists into Progressive Electronic. But since you are suggesting Stevie Wonder for Crossover not Prog Electronic it isn't relevant what the additions criteria for Prog Electronic are with regard to "rock".

Rabid wrote: Snow Dog wrote: Rabid wrote: Put it this way..........I've never heard Nine Inch Nails do a Motown song.   So.....as far as I believe, then Yes.  So let me understand this. Because NIN, Radiohead and who was it? Nightwish? Din't have a motown background it means they have a progressive background? So every artist is progressive who doesn't have a motown background.   That's not what I said. I was referring to the specific bands in question.   Listen up !!

Edited by Snow Dog - July 10 2010 at 13:28

Snow Dog wrote: Rabid wrote: Put it this way..........I've never heard Nine Inch Nails do a Motown song.   So.....as far as I believe, then Yes.  So let me understand this. Because NIN, Radiohead and who was it? Nightwish? Din't have a motown background it means they have a progressive background? So every artist is progressive who doesn't have a motown background.

Dean wrote: Alitare wrote: What makes him less prog than Nine Inch Nails, Nightwish, Radiohead, etc? Out of idle curiosity, do you approve of NIN and Radiohead being in Crossover? (I don't care what you think of Nightwish in PM)

Fundamentally, I can accept any movement, anywhere, for any band. Rush for RIO/avante? Sure thing!

I feel that, based on Crossover's ideal, and the substance of Radiohead's work (mainly for OK Computer/Kid A/Amnesiac), they definitely belong there. NIN, not as much, but still, the fusion between ambient and rock is fairly progressive in my feelings, so I see the relevance of both. But, Eno has been doing that sort of thing since before Before and After Science. Stevie Wonder was fusing tons of styles together, some with motown, and he was doing all sorts of sonic exploration (albeit hardly at the same capacity as sir Eno) at the same time as he was.

Rabid wrote: Put it this way..........I've never heard Nine Inch Nails do a Motown song.   So.....as far as I believe, then Yes.

Edited by Snow Dog - July 10 2010 at 11:19

Truly Madly deeply

Alitare wrote: AtomicCrimsonRush wrote: Micky, lighten up, this was never supposed to be a serious discussion in any stretch of the imagination. But we who care about this site enough will voice our opinions at the risk of being flamed. I will continue to post reviews here and haunt the sites forum as long as I care about the site. Flaming respective members here is not going to win any favours from anyone. We are entitled to our opinion. I likek what Dean said here that it is really impossible to add every suggestion, this would be simply not feasible and it will never happen. As a case inpoint Stevie W is an OUTLANDISH SUGGESTION - furthermore if a prog website were adding ridiculous suggestions as this, it would lose any credibility. And who are these so-called bands who are waiting months to get on here? Name one! Prove to me that Stevie Wonder is such an outlandish suggestion. What makes it so outlandish and crazy? What makes him less prog than Nine Inch Nails, Nightwish, Radiohead, etc?

actually no, hes not that outlandish when it comes to it... now, how about my suggestion that we have Blondie here.. I mean, come on she has proggy elements - what about Rapture, Atomic, and Heart of Glass? While we're at it what about The Sweet? They are proggy, just listen to the long version of "Love is Like Oxygen" that piano solo is wonderful, and "Sweet FA" has heaps of time sig changes, as does "The Six Teens".... come on admins - let's put everybody up here with a whiff of prog....see what I mean?  

jammun wrote: As always, let me tell a little story that might provide some perspective here.   'Round about 1972, my roommates and I were about as rabid progressive listeners as it could get.  ELP, Yes, Arthur Brown, KC, etc.  That's what was playing in the house.  When those weren't on the stereo, well the guitar player was practicing Bach.  When Bach, after time, was too tame, we dragged out Rite of Spring.   So one roomie shows up one day with Music of My Mind.  We nearly laugh him out of the house.  Stevie Wonder?  Ya gotta be kidding.  But no, he insists we listen, sez it ain't that Motown crap anymore.  (Tangent, I have since come to appreciate that Motown crap, but that's another thread.)  In any case, the album comes to grow on us.  I've been a Stevie Wonder fan ever since.  Said roomie later worked with Stevie extensively, doing synth programming for him.   Said roomie also showed up one day with an album by Chick Corea, Light As a Feather.  We laughed at that one too, at first.    I'll not argue whether or not Stevie belongs here.  Obviously, we can find pure jazz fusion on most of his albums.  But hell, I can find pure psychedelic prog on a Joe Walsh album.   Whatever.  Stevie, Elton.  Realistically these were some of the most successful and influential musicians of the '70s, who, whether we'll admit it or not publically, were making some of the most 'progressive' music of the time.  Note that I did not say 'progressive rock'.

Edited by Rabid - July 10 2010 at 11:08