The Album That Killed Prog?

I have a burning question: if Prog was killed, why are we here? Are we holding a wake or what?

hehehe probably, Never Mind The Bollocks by Sex Pistols hhehehe

The more I think about it, I have to side with those that say prog isn't really a genre anyway, but an approach to a given genre. It is no more a musical style than forward or reverse are automobile styles.

Hate to hark back to the whole "definition of Progressive" thing. But check the dictionary.

Seems to me that the those guilty of :

NOT moving forward, developing, changing their ideas and methods.

In other words being 'PROGRESSIVE" were some of the fans. Some things never change it would seem.

Peter wrote:   Many classic rock and prog (a sub-genre of classic rock) "dinosaur" acts went extinct, while others adapted, "walked right out of the machinery" and evolved, finding new ways to be "prog." (See Gabriel's groundbreaking and commercially-sucessful third solo effort, and Bowie's constant reinvention of himself, especially in his "Berlin" trilogy of albums, and even Let's Dance.) Times change -- and change they did. Another prog album that helped to turn the tide against prog was of course Yes's messy, fatally-flawed Topographic Oceans. The pretension levels and mystic, druggy "obtuseness" of it all were leaving even many longterm fans of the band behind, and shaking their heads in perplexed bemusement. ( Genesis had a similar, fan-polarizing album with The Lamb Lies Down.)

Indeed, most progressive rock bands evolved (Yes, Genesis), and found new ways to be progressive. Genesis had "Duke", which was like progreessive pop, and an EXPERIMENTAL ROCK album called "Abacab", which many mistake for pop. None of that album except the song "Man on the Corner" can be classified as pure pop. Yes during the Rabin-era were just pop rock, which is why I didn't bother to listen to them past "90125", it didn't exactly kill PROG, but it killed YES. After Trevor Rabin left I took an interest in them again. Also, another Genesis album that was semi-progressive was "Genesis", AKA the Shapes album. While it wasn't experimental or true prog pop like "Duke", it did feature "Home by the Sea" and "Second Home by the Sea", which is prog pop. It is most likely an art rock album, but it isn't as progressive as Duke or Abacab, and after that, Genesis would be pure pop.



I'm afraid I disagree about Tales from Topographic Oceans. It was a lovely album (but not better than what I consider to be their magnum opus, "Relayer"), and it was a modern day symphony. Unfortunately, it was too progressive for casual listeners, and especially some UK critics. On the subject of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, I liked it, and it had some classic moments (none of which include "The Carpet Crawlers" for me), but in my opinion, it pales in comparison to "Foxtrot" and "Selling England by the Pound", both of which were magnificent albums, more so than The Lamb. I am probably one of those polarized fans, I guess. I much prefer its follow-up, "A Trick of the Tail".


Edited by Teh_Slippermenz - September 18 2007 at 21:17

Teh_Slippermenz wrote: Anyway, I vote for "90125" by Yes. That....is a desecration of Yes.

Edited by Time Signature - September 14 2007 at 17:58

Teh_Slippermenz wrote: Progressive rock is not dead. (Marillion, Porcupine Tree, or Dream Theater anybody?) But the album that had to have killed prog commercially was ELP's "Love Beach"...so not prog. Anyway, I vote for "90125" by Yes. That....is a desecration of Yes.

Not disagreeing with you so much as having a bit of fun with my response.

1. They couldn't even give Prog a decent burial.  Such revivalism kind of makes me wish Prog was dead and buried (rather than on life-support).

I'm glad that good progressive music never died; the progressive spirit not only lived,  but prospered with so-called avant-proggish bands.

2. Point well-taken, but I don't blame Love Beach, it was an indication of the weariness of the Prog movement (and of ELP). I think it's the excessiveness and pretentiousness of music such as earlier ELP that was the harbinger of Prog doom.  Sure ELP was very commercially successful, but it was just a  matter of time before the public turned away from such overblown, bombastic, pompous w**kery (in my opinion of course).  Though a live album, Pictures at an Exhibition might be a good reference point.  Fans of Mussorgsky would largely be unimpressed, think it showed gall and is overly ambitious, and most fans of rock would not enjoy it overmuch.  Rather like it myself. 

As for Yes, well sure, yes.  A sign of the times.  I'd choose the earlier Tormato, though.  *throws rotten tormatos*

Oh darn, I meant this to be a pithy opinion post.


Edited by Logan - September 14 2007 at 17:34

Seeing ELP during their Works tour got me off prog for a long long time. Later I saw the cover for Love Beach much much much later I bought a used copy of Love Beach to see how bad it was and it still had an insert advertising sexy running shorts and tight T-shirts with the Love Beach logo!!!

No other music killed prog, it was the end of an era and a change in people that caused it's end.

You can't say Prog killed late 60's psychedelic or that alternative rock "killed" the 80's hair bands, it's musical evolution.

If would make no sense to say that if punk & disco never came along or if prog bands didn't start doing pop that prog would have lived on strong for another 6 years as strong as ever.

No pop music style really lasts all that long- ie there is a constant evolution in music that will never change.
Even when new and different bands come and become more popular and fresh than the bands we might love, we can't blame them for destroying that music.

BTW, the Sex Pistol's singer was a huge Peter Hammill fan, and if we told him he caused the end of Peter Hammill's small ammount of popularity, he would call us crazy.

I agree with this.  By the time NMtB came out, prog's work here was done after a brief but incredibly brilliant life.  Plenty of prog has been written since, of course, but I'm content with what was already there by 1976.