As for me, I think his inclusion in PA is long overdue.

 

 

"Wild Eyed Doy from Freecloud" off Space Oddity (the whole album has strong progressive elements)

The album "The Man who sold the world"

The album "Hunky Dory"

The album "Low" and "Heroes"

The Soundtrack to "Christiane F"

The newest album "Reality" also has strong prog elements.

 

Sorry, but not including him in (at least Prog Related) is absurd IMHO.

 

I'd rather think of Kraftwerk as the major New Wave influence, but it's all the same.

 

Even if some of Bowie's works can be prog-related, it is best he is not entered in the Archives even as prog-related. Because of him we may get also asks for Mott The Hoople, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground (thru Lou Reed) etc....

 

 

 

 

Too controversial and clearly out of focus of this site, imho.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  His frequent collaboration with prog artists, such as Rick Wakeman, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, particularly Eno where his involvement in those albums really merits an equal billing, in my opinion.

 

2.  Prog elements/songs in early albums, such as Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold the World and Hunky Dory.

 

3.  Full-blown concept albums in the form of Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs, Outside... you COULD argue that non-prog artists have sometimes indulged in concept albums, but at least FOUR?  I highly doubt it...

 

4.  Pretty much every single website out there refers to him as Art-Rock and Prog-Related except for this one...

 

5.  Scary Monsters, the album, is definately Art Rock, with experiments, genre-shifting, and a summary of all of his styles in the 70s.  You could argue that everything he did afterwards is not really progressive (although certain albums have elements of prog, such as Outside), but then again how many artists here have cut-off points.  You could make a case for every single one of his 70s albums being art-rock with the possible exception of Pinups (a cover album, doesn't really count) and Young Americans (R&B one-off which, when thought about in the right context, supports the idea of Bowie as progressing artist).

 

Simply put, the cliche of David Bowie as a musical cameleon is adequate, and the very fact that he was recording albums (prolifically) during the 70s, a decade where progressive music was at the forefront of pop culture, it is only fitting that his music soaks up a lot of this type of music.

But say you want to make the argument of Bowie as a soulless replicant of music, and therefore he's not TRULY prog because he's only copying what's popular... Fair enough, except that punk music hit the scene in the late 70s... that was when Bowie as recording his most PROGRESSIVE albums!  That, to me, is a testament to his contribution to progressive rock... that when everyone else was attempting to go "back to the basics," Bowie was into his Berlin-trilogy and, even after he finished with Eno, went on to record another prog album in Scary Monsters.

 

His absence to the archives is a big mistake, prog traditionalists and snobs be damned.

Even Teaflax (a hardcore prog purist) would agree.

 

 

 

I agree about the geniune prog bands, it´s just that we seem to be having the same topics in the Proto Prog/Related Lounge, just talking about Queen and Purple.

It would be great to include some more, especially those artists who have strong prog elements.

 

I would actually consider Bowie, almost as progressive as Rush(of all the cheek and nerve)

 

 

The only reason I can think of that he is not there is

People haven´t heard all his albums or some people might be homophobic.

Really doesn´t make any sense at all.

 

I honestly don't see why he'd be here. I have had pretty much everything he's ever recorded, and I couldn't think of THAT many songs he's done I'd call prog. Let me think...'Width Of A Circle', 'Supermen', 'Cygnus Committee', some of the Berlin trilogy instrumentals, 'Big Brother', 'Quicksand'....and that's it. IMO, not really that much to be here. Granted, there are bands here that I doubt the merit of- Triumph and Fairport Convention, say- but to have a 'two wrongs make a right' attitude just won't do, imo. If you were really going to push it you could say Bowie has a right to be here due to the input of Fripp and Eno on his late 70s albums. But even then, by that same token, we would have Phil Collins' solo albums here because he was once in a prog band- a truly heinous sin to any self respecting prog site!! It's just wrong, imo.

 

I could be wrong here but I'm sure Bowie was rejected as an inclusion by some margin a while back too.

"The Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" and "Sense of doubt"

"Cygnett Comittee" as you mentioned too.

 

I just feel that Bowie is more deserving to be put in Prog Related than bands like Zep and Sabbath.

Also, in every Bowie poll the majority of voters vote yes.

 

Personally, I don't think he fits, even as prog related.

 

I don't remember any final decision to reject him ever being made though. Even if there was, such discussions seem to come around again, never say never...

 

I have followed David Bowie for many years and not once would I consider his music anything but great Art Rock.

 

As much as I love his music, I do not see a place for him here in PA.

Why is he ignored time and time again?

 

Why?

 

 Frank Sinatra made lots of concept albums and he's not "prog".... so the concept album term is a very vague link to progressive music.... I'll admit I haven't listened much of his early work, but what I heard so far was fine rock, but no art rock whatsoever.... however, when I have the chance I'll give him some more listenings...

 

 

Well you may be right in the art rock bit.. since GG has nothing to do with KC... but they are mainly progressive.... I'm not going to make rushed judgement on Bowie and say he's not progressive, but I haven't yet heard a single tune from him that resembles "prog"... perhaps some other songs will clear my mind.. but I might agree about him being maybe prog-related (at least in the meantime, based on opinions here mostly)

 

Try listening to Bowies, album Low and Heroes, thats pretty proggy, also I do believeve Station to Station is has proggy elements to that album. But his Ziggy Stardust-Aladdin Sane stuff is pure pop rock.

 

 Yeah, perhaps I based my opinion on Ziggy, being a concept album and all.... I thought it was good pop rock but nothing more... maybe his other material are proggy... I'll find out

 

Progressive Rock is a sub genre of Art Rock - always has been, always will be.

 

Bowie, but not Decemberists? Well, Bowie's music was artsy, I give you that... But so are many other musical manifestations that just AREN"T prog. Prog = art, but art not always = prog.

 

No, it isn't a democracy, even if you'd like to think of it as one. Sorry.