Prog clichés

I don't really agree with some people here who have posted the use of various instruments as a cliché. For example the minimoog has been used in practically every type of music imaginable, so I don't see how that can be a prog cliché. It's just an instrument that a lot of people like. It's like saying a cliché in Jazz is playing the saxophone, it just doesn't make sense. To me a musical cliché is more about what you play, not the particular instrument you are using. 

A MiniMoog can't be a prog cliché because then the electric guitar would have to be a rock cliché — and we know that ain't never gonna happen!

WeepingElf wrote: The.Crimson.King wrote: "Definition of rock journalism:  People who can't write, doing interviews with people who can't think, in order to prepare articles for people who can't read." - Frank Zappa Zappa pretty much hit the nail on its head. Face it: rock journalism is not about music.  It is about sex, drugs and rock'n'roll: sexual escapades of rock stars, drug problems of rock stars, and violence at concerts, from musicians smashing their guitars to riots in the audience.  And that's why rock journalists hate prog: it doesn't give them stories - the "boring old farts" syndrome.  Progressive rock musicians and fans are simply too disciplined - they must be in order to write, play and enjoy music of this kind of complexity ;)  Of course, that means that there would be enough to write about the music, but most rock journalists just don't really care about that.  A rock star ODing on heroin (preferably at age 27) gives them a story; a band doing a 20-minuter in sonata form doesn't.

I think you'll find critics are faddish creatures, always jumping to the next thing. I'm sure they probably did like prog at one point, until it went out of fashion.

Do you think there are token, overused chord progressions in prog just like in popular music? Either I haven't developed an ear for picking them out yet, or they simply don't bother me as they otherwise might do. I can hear recycled progressions in some bands across their albums, but I attribute that more to their individual sound and songwriting quirks rather than some genre-wide cliché.

Stool Man wrote: verslibre wrote: A MiniMoog can't be a prog cliché because then the electric guitar would have to be a rock cliché — and we know that ain't never gonna happen! "Guitar groups are on the way out" (1962 quote)

Which is one of the most famous mispredictions in history.  The quote is, AFAIK, from a Decca A&R man who rejected the Beatles in these words.

Nick Bailey wrote: I don't know if any of you ever go on Cracked.com but this is a pretty funny article (in my opinion) that covers a lot of cliches. http://www.cracked.com/funny-2359-progressive-rock/

Hilarious.

WeepingElf wrote: Stool Man wrote: verslibre wrote: A MiniMoog can't be a prog cliché because then the electric guitar would have to be a rock cliché — and we know that ain't never gonna happen! "Guitar groups are on the way out" (1962 quote) Which is one of the most famous mispredictions in history.  The quote is, AFAIK, from a Decca A&R man who rejected the Beatles in these words.

L.A. Times music critic calling prog bands "pretentious."

Rednight wrote: 1. The falling out of a key player (hah, hah) after a mushy gatefold LP. 2. The unceremonious sacking of his brilliant and enjoyable replacement    after the following milestone album and backing tour. 3. The ditching of a long-time co-founder after a health scare. 4. Hiring a tribute band wannabe to replace him while still trying to       pass itself off as the original product.    Wait a minute! I just described Yes!

Wait a minute--The Yes Album is "mushy"? How so?!

You've also described Journey, on #4 anyway, which they embraced to the extent that he was featured on a recent PBS pledge about how Journey "returned".

Bitterblogger wrote: Rednight wrote: 1. The falling out of a key player (hah, hah) after a mushy gatefold LP. 2. The unceremonious sacking of his brilliant and enjoyable replacement    after the following milestone album and backing tour. 3. The ditching of a long-time co-founder after a health scare. 4. Hiring a tribute band wannabe to replace him while still trying to       pass itself off as the original product.    Wait a minute! I just described Yes! Wait a minute--The Yes Album is "mushy"? How so?! You've also described Journey, on #4 anyway, which they embraced to the extent that he was featured on a recent PBS pledge about how Journey "returned". I was talking about 'Topographic Oceans.