Really a Prog fan?

I'm sure some are just irritating little w*****s who have never heard the albums and just want to show off their own utter stupidity to a wider audience.

However, there are a few albums which are controversial and are rated masterpieces by most, but whose genius is not unchallengable. A classic example is The Snow Goose; if you don't know the story and its context the album might sound a bit "soft," but if you understand the scenario it's trying to paint, it couldn't do it more perfectly.

altaeria wrote: ...   Do you ever read a posted review from somebody who completely trashes a classic Prog masterpiece album ... and think to yourself : "Is this person really a Prog fan?  Do they realize this is a Prog site?" ??   Just wondering.    ...

In my review of Close to the Edge I made it clear that it was lucky to get 3 stars, so were/would you ask(ing) that qustion of me?

Everyone has different opinions, for instence I am not a fan of Yes, Gentle Giant and Rush, and I would appreciate it if people didint question whether I was a prog fan because of it.

sleeper wrote: altaeria wrote: ...   Do you ever read a posted review from somebody who completely trashes a classic Prog masterpiece album ... and think to yourself : "Is this person really a Prog fan?  Do they realize this is a Prog site?" ??   Just wondering.    ...   In my review of Close to the Edge I made it clear that it was lucky to get 3 stars, so were/would you ask(ing) that qustion of me? Everyone has different opinions, for instence I am not a fan of Yes, Gentle Giant and Rush, and I would appreciate it if people didint question whether I was a prog fan because of it.

You know, I really hate to be the one to tell you , but...

I think we have accept the fact that some younger (and perhaps older) folks are just simply not going to enjoy the 70's "greats", but will be big fans of more modern prog.  I had a hard time getting into modern prog because it sounded TOO polished and "modern" to me (I felt prog could only be played on 70's instruments recorded in the 70's..........otherwise it just wasn't prog).  Of course, I've overcome that narrow minded viewpoint.  But I can understand how people might feel that way. 

An awful lot of people give Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" a far higher stars than I'd give it (a possible 0.5), tis no more than a pop masterpeice but a prog classic?

infandous wrote: I think we have accept the fact that some younger (and perhaps older) folks are just simply not going to enjoy the 70's "greats", but will be big fans of more modern prog.  I had a hard time getting into modern prog because it sounded TOO polished and "modern" to me (I felt prog could only be played on 70's instruments recorded in the 70's..........otherwise it just wasn't prog).  Of course, I've overcome that narrow minded viewpoint.  But I can understand how people might feel that way.

There is that, but then there's the older, or in my case somewhat older, Prog fan who grew up listening to the "Prog greats," and because of those discovered a much larger progressive world of music.  Then those bands that he/she once loved, didn't seem so great by comparison.  That's how it is with me.  I was once a major Yes, Genesis, Rush, Pink Floyd, ELP and Tull afficinado, but when I discovered more music under the progressive umbrella, they ceased to interest me so much.  I recognise how important they were in my Prog journey, and their general significance, but I don't personally rate (not that I formally rate them) them as high as other bands that I've more recently discovered... Then those will be replaced with others that I hold in higher regard.  Redisovering Prog was, in part, an exercise in nostalgia, but as my horizons have expanded greatly, my tastes have shifted to an extent.

I don't consider myself a Prog fan anymore, now I'm an appreciator of progressive music.

Only if they were giving 4s and 5s to prog related and proto-prog while giving 1s and 2s to prog masterpieces would I question their prog allegiance! Otherwise, as others have said, progressive music is so diverse that one could like only certain kinds of prog and still get nothing from albums many consider masterpieces.

It's all taste. As long as there is valid reasoning behind someone's rating, I don't care if it's 1 or 5 stars. Sure, I, and very many others, may hold e.g. Thick as a Brick very very dearly, but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve any ratings other than 4s or 5s. We're all different people with different tastes - anything else would simply be boring, and we would have no need for a discussion forum.

Edited by magnus - December 21 2007 at 19:38

laplace wrote: If everyone had to rate albums according to their importance to other people, then what would be the point? I welcome one star reviews of Hemispheres and Octopus because they're a nice change of pace. ;P

I learned a long time ago that what I consider "mind-blowing" is often considered garbage by other people, so I learned to not really care what people think of an album as they can back up their opinions with valid points, and not the classic "So and so stopped being prog in the eighties, everything they made after whatever album is trash".