New member - looking for recommendations!

I think most people here have diverse tastes. In my case, I very much enjoy seeing how other genres tie into prog. Prog can actually be a gateway into classical music (baroque, romantic, etc.), jazz of many forms, electronic genres, folk, new age, thrash metal, etc etc etc. My interest in prog led me to study Elizabethan lute music like Dowland, for example. But, it was clearly a retrospective. It was only in going through these kinds of experiences that I came to realize just how much new music is derived from old progressions and cadences. Recently there was the Stairway (LZ) versus Taurus (Spirit) debacle, but the fact is that the progression can be found in the music of the Beatles, 50s music, jazz, etc, even dating back to Bach's Bourree. One can almost certainly extrapolate back further in time. My point is that nowadays I listen with a better understanding of where new music is coming from and I find it interesting when I hear clear connections between new original music (insert your favorite band here) and chord progressions and cadences from the past. I'm not so cynical as to say new music isn't original, but music is not created in a vacuum and connectedness is an aspect worthy of contemplation.

[I think most people here have diverse tastes. In my case, I very much enjoy seeing how other genres tie into prog. Prog can actually be a gateway into classical music (baroque, romantic, etc.), jazz of many forms, electronic genres, folk, new age, thrash metal, etc etc etc.] 

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - June 15 2019 at 11:44

I love great lyrics!  And love hearing singing in other languages than my own, as well.  But I also love purely instrumental music, for just the reason that it allows me to let the music take me where it does, without the guidance.  The worst offender, I think, of something getting in the way of the spirit of music was the advent of music videos.  Yes, I understand they are sort of mini-films, but I really still preferred the live performance videos over the staged sorts.  

moshkito wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: [I think most people here have diverse tastes. In my case, I very much enjoy seeing how other genres tie into prog. Prog can actually be a gateway into classical music (baroque, romantic, etc.), jazz of many forms, electronic genres, folk, new age, thrash metal, etc etc etc.]  ... I think many are ... however, it's really hard to see how they "use" and "apply" their diversity into their comments here when the next post is just about his/her favorite ... and the comments show nothing of an interest and knowledge to explain their "fave".  This part is hard for me ... because it takes away from the rest of the music in that person's mind, even if that person might not understand ... same thing with one friend of ours, 20 years ago, when I played OZRIC TENTACLES (Strangeitude -- the opener), and he loved the beat and was into it ... and 3 minutes into it, he looks at me ... "where's the lyrics?"... and his attention disappeared just like that! The music was not "telling him" what to think and how to feel, let's say. Thus, my concern for a lot of music, and recommendations here, is for music that is overly heavy in its lyrics in terms of "telling you" what they are about, and this is my only comment on the Neal Morse Band, and how good/interesting it can be ... only to lose it when it tries to tell me something about the light ... and I am a heavy meditation person and know/understand "the light" very well, and have written a lot of poetry and stories about it ... I have no illusions, or ideas about it, and neither do I need to "quote a book" to prove my ability, which some folks would think is not possible because no one is taking me seriously ... again, I know what I see, and I know how it helps me write ... the rest, is pearls before swine ... if you will. I guess that I would like to see that the new generation of listeners, be more attentive to the music and work itself, and composer ... than any suggestions or comments we make it here .... c'mon ... not a single person here is suggesting Beethoven, or Stravinsky ... and explaining them ... so why would any of us take seriously any other comments about any band? To me, that's important ... even before I can formulate any thought about what I might think about this band or that ... and the bands I like most are not even "lyric induced" as much as they are musically different that gives you that extra little jolt to make you feel it and think about what it might mean ... and this is one thing that made me love and appreciate the early AMON DUUL 2 and their work ... it was such a treat of unreality and unconventional design, that it made it very difficult to understand and figure out ... and it is probably the main reason why so many folks today would never vote for YETI, or WOLF CITY, because CLOSE TO THE EDGE is a much easier listen and the lyrics kinda point out to an idea of something that appears to have some spirit ideals in it. Yeah, there are however many diverse tastes as you want and we can identify ... but remember one thing ... there is only one truth ... the artist and his/her tree, since they created, even if Jon Anderson these days likes to make it look like our observations are also good ... for him, it's just pure PR now to help sell the next disk ... has nothing to do with the music anymore! He's still nice, but not as interesting and as honest as he used to be, for me. If the truth is "limited" to the original and originator, it follows that we listeners would have to UNLEARN anything we know, in order to find something truthful in that piece of work in music, art or literature ... and this is the only important comment about "recommendations" ... you can't find anything through us (another filter!) ... you really have to learn to find this on your own inner vision for it to make better sense and help you more. (I hope the guy reads this far ... I am not sure he understands all this ... hopefully ... hopefully ... when he is 55 he might come across these words and go ... wow ... that's something!

Music vids could also be career killers back in the day. Owner of a Lonely Heart got a thrashing by critics for their inability to dance, while Billy Squier tried to dance on Rock Me Tonight, which sunk him because the rockers fled. What a business!

And nowadays, its a totally different ballgame but unless you are really savvy, it's tough to make it as a musician. New artists have to play games on social media to get their music out there. And, it is difficult to establish long lasting connections with fans. YouTube plays net fractions of pennies if the listeners click the ads. Lots of starving artists. Better to be a hobbyist methinks.

One early one that comes to mind is this one which would I guess would qualify as performance style. 

The video for "don't kill the whale" is cool too even though it's a bit silly. I think I read that the videos were used in a promotional way and then MTV came along they took that idea to a whole other level. 

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - June 16 2019 at 17:45

Also, my apologies for veering off the original subject, no offense meant by myself (and others, I am pretty darned sure).  Now back to recommendations for this inquiring person.  

Another vote for Mirthrandir.