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SteveG 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
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 Topic: Help me with my paper on prog
Posted: November 18 2014 at 18:58 |
 cstack3 wrote:
tweber92 wrote:
Hey guys, first post in quite some
time. I’m writing a paper for my Non-Fiction Writing class. We’re allowed to
write about any medium in arts and entertainment. I've decided to write mine on
the cultural reception and influence of progressive rock. I have the majority
of the paper written but I’d love to post some brief thoughts from several
music aficionados (fans or otherwise) to give my readers a cheeky sense of the divisiveness that comes with this genre. I already have all the disparaging comments I need, but I’m
asking you guys for a concise sentence or two on why you love prog rock. Be as
flashy as you’d like. Humor is encouraged. Oh, and be aware that I’ll be using
these comments anonymously for copyright purposes and such.
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I did a paper as an undergrad about Queen's "Night at the Opera" show in Chicago, which was brilliant!
My instructor gave me a "C" for the paper and class.
End of lesson. |
You should have wrote something on Chopin, Charles.
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Raff
Special Collaborator
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Joined: July 29 2005
Location: None
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Points: 24429
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Posted: November 18 2014 at 17:37 |
Smurph wrote:
If you want to write about cultural influence check out the history of the Italian scene. Oh man. So interesting :-)
But for me prog rock is my life. I make a point to make endless amounts of music that attempts to do something different. |
Indeed  ! I am Italian (though I have been living in the US for six years), and my first experiences with prog were with Italian bands. Prog was huge in the early Seventies, and even now the genre has many fans.
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Smurph
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 11 2012
Location: Columbus&NYC
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Points: 3167
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Posted: November 18 2014 at 16:59 |
If you want to write about cultural influence check out the history of the Italian scene. Oh man. So interesting :-)
But for me prog rock is my life. I make a point to make endless amounts of music that attempts to do something different.
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uduwudu
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 17 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 2601
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Posted: October 20 2014 at 03:34 |
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Prog rock - non-pop popular music. Classical depth with rock immediacy; not intended for disposability. The crossroads of modern Stravinsky, Miles Davis and Chuck Berry. Or Dvorak and Deep Purple for alternative alliterations. Value added rock, based on music for originality and even preference. Utterly useless in pub quizzes. Discussed with more furtive secrecy than spies or shared perversions (with which it is unfavourably compared and undoubtedly less popular which says so much for the human race). Likely to excite the imaginations or intellect or reveal the absence thereof. People would use it against you if it were not for the fact they have no idea what prog is, even less (sic) than the oft snobby proponents of highest common denominator pop music even such a lowly one is me.
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Kati
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 10 2010
Location: Earth
Status: Offline
Points: 6253
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Posted: October 20 2014 at 03:17 |
tweber92 wrote:
Hey guys, first post in quite some
time. I’m writing a paper for my Non-Fiction Writing class. We’re allowed to
write about any medium in arts and entertainment. I've decided to write mine on
the cultural reception and influence of progressive rock. I have the majority
of the paper written but I’d love to post some brief thoughts from several
music aficionados (fans or otherwise) to give my readers a cheeky sense of the divisiveness that comes with this genre. I already have all the disparaging comments I need, but I’m
asking you guys for a concise sentence or two on why you love prog rock. Be as
flashy as you’d like. Humor is encouraged. Oh, and be aware that I’ll be using
these comments anonymously for copyright purposes and such.
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Hello tweber  I rather not state the obvious as to what entitles Prog music, this is boring plus presumptuous. I love great moozik and funny noises too  P.S. To me great prog moozik has to do with listening experience on it's own, a thrill much like going on a fanfare ride, it's the best natural euphoric Prozac because even when you are alone you forget your surroundings, all goes away, dragging you in, making you happy and enjoy the moment plus this moozik also has a great sense of humour, i.e. as stated above, I love the very silly funny noises , the fact that there are no rules while listening to great musicianship , very little can beat this experience. One never gets tired of listening to a good album, just gets better on every listen, a good investment in my opinion and at the cost of just one Frappuccino at Starbucks, surely one cannot beat this! hugs 
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AtomicCrimsonRush
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Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
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Posted: October 20 2014 at 01:46 |
I would say from my prog experience that there are 7 wonders of the prog world in the way of songs: Van Der Graaf Generator's 'A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers', Yes' 'Close To The Edge', ELP's 'Karn Evil 9', King Crimson's '21st Century Schizoid Man', Pink Floyd's 'Shine On', Rush's '2112', and Genesis' 'Supper's Ready'.The seven wonders of the prog world in the way of albums are similar as far as I am concerned: Van Der Graaf Generator's "Pawn Hearts", Yes' "Close To The Edge", ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery", King Crimson's "In The Court of The Crimson King", Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of The Moon", Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick", and Genesis' "Foxtrot".
Prog is the greatest music on the planet
Prog is the opposite of commercial radio sugaryness.
Prog is uncontested in the music industry as the most complex, diverse, inventive, misunderstood and maligned genre. That's why I love it.
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Polymorphia
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 06 2012
Location: here
Status: Offline
Points: 8856
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Posted: October 19 2014 at 23:12 |
cstack3 wrote:
I did a paper as an undergrad about Queen's "Night at the Opera" show in Chicago, which was brilliant!
My instructor gave me a "C" for the paper and class.
End of lesson. |
That C has remained in your username ever since.
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cstack3
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 7411
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Posted: October 19 2014 at 23:07 |
tweber92 wrote:
Hey guys, first post in quite some
time. I’m writing a paper for my Non-Fiction Writing class. We’re allowed to
write about any medium in arts and entertainment. I've decided to write mine on
the cultural reception and influence of progressive rock. I have the majority
of the paper written but I’d love to post some brief thoughts from several
music aficionados (fans or otherwise) to give my readers a cheeky sense of the divisiveness that comes with this genre. I already have all the disparaging comments I need, but I’m
asking you guys for a concise sentence or two on why you love prog rock. Be as
flashy as you’d like. Humor is encouraged. Oh, and be aware that I’ll be using
these comments anonymously for copyright purposes and such.
|
I did a paper as an undergrad about Queen's "Night at the Opera" show in Chicago, which was brilliant!
My instructor gave me a "C" for the paper and class.
End of lesson.
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moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 18025
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Posted: October 19 2014 at 22:18 |
Hi,
My opinion, still is, that "progressive" is a result of everything else that was happening in the arts and in the social environs. You can look at the 60's and you can see the movie business take off, then you can see theater doing some imaginable things, which had started in the 50's and continued into the 70's and then you can look at art/painting, and it also exploded with the multi media abilities that became better known and more popular. Literature was also not asleep during that time, and many books were very famous in the late 60's during the time that it is given (more or less) as the beginning of "progressive music".
Writing a paper on that will be difficult, since many of the scenes were also tied to the arts and not many as many folks are capable of mixing and matching things. The Canterbury scene, is a perfect example, of a scene that took its inspiration from a literary perspective, and all you have to listen to is Robert Wyatt's last album, and find that the free form style that was originally created then, in several different "styles" of music, is still alive and well, and while you and I can sit here and go ...what the heck ... in the end, making the connections is really hard. It makes more sense to even say that Robert Wyatt did his 1, 2 and 3 to make fun of jazz and the upper class folks walking around thinking they were better than the rock folks. One of the best examples of the lack of fear to go out on a limb and be totally free form, but still have the ability to make it work within the context of what they were doing, albeit, I think that this was not as accidental as we think. I really believe that it was quite intentional however, not well defined musically. This is the case in a lot of progressive bands all the way through the rest of the century, as a lot of their material also feels like filler on an album, and not necessarily "progressive" in any way, shape or form.
You, probably, have to make a decision, as to the value of some specific scenes, since "progressive" is way too generic, and while California was more influenced by Kesey and Kerouac in the early days, London was much more literary than that, and in many ways way more classically minded, in the sense that the work had "form", which some of the early California stuff did not!
At this point you will also come across Paris, Munich/Berlin and Tokyo, all three of which were (and still are) massively involved in their own artistic scenes and work. The Germans, even ended up creating a whole literary scene, to go along with the theater and film, which went along with the progressive scene that is known as "krautrock".
All in all, to discuss the scene generically, will make it harder all around to create something more complete that will help you learn about the music and its designs, and ideas, that folks went on with.
I suppose that one could also define the ideas with a music staff and its definitions, although for my tastes taking the music that clinically, takes out the emotion involved. As an example, the idea of the "ragas" is for the musician to get past the mechanics of the music, and take it into a personal level that is "beyond music", and its definition. Jazz, also can do this, but in America, tends to be too formulaic and tied to the notes themselves, as folks consider themselves better musicians than rock folks, which is, of course, highly unfair, as there are just as many folks that well defined and versed in rock music!
I would not write a paper on "progressive music".
For a little "guidance", or probably a suggestion as to how the California scene grew up, take a look at the film "The Trip" about Ken Kesey. There is a line towards the end, that will say it all about the scene and it has to do with people getting into the trip and what it means to them. It is a very important part of it all, in the end, as "drugs" tend to be mentioned as important to all the music in those days, although I seriously believe that those words were more media fear deliverance, than otherwise.
Also remember at the time, that one jerk was going around saying "the medium is the message", which is a serious issue, because it is another social design to make sure you follow the society instead of being different, which normally is not accepted. The medium is NOT the message, or your soul is worthless and stupid! But you have to make up your mind and see that.
Also see the "krautrock" special from the BBC, specially the first 2 segments, because the words in there from Edgar Froese and others are very telling as to what that scene meant, and in general, what the whole "progressive" scene was all about.
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
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Prog_Traveller
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 29 2005
Location: Bucks county PA
Status: Offline
Points: 1474
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Posted: October 19 2014 at 18:33 |
Prog has lasting value and it isn't susceptible to changing trends. It's sort of like classical and jazz that way. Because it's not in the mainstream it doesn't have to follow the rules of pop music or try to be popular. Also, it's music that hits you on an intellectual level and an emotional level at the same time. How's that? Please feel free to paraphrase that. ;)
Edited by Prog_Traveller - October 19 2014 at 18:34
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BrufordFreak
Collaborator
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Joined: January 25 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline
Points: 8400
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Posted: October 19 2014 at 15:30 |
ScorchedFirth wrote:
Prog will always beat any other genre for me. If a better one comes along, prog just eats it, and finds a way to mix it in with everything else available in the best way.
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What he said, . . . in essence.
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Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/
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terramystic
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 02 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 781
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 15:38 |
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Why prog? Because I love music because of music and I like prog's unique quallity - it's creative, skillful and it rocks. Apollonian and Dyonisian aspect of art in perfect harmony.
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rogerthat
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2006
Location: .
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Points: 9869
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 10:44 |
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Answer in the non prog thread.
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20617
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 10:42 |
rogerthat wrote:
Because I get bored with cookie cutter pop/rock and prog quenches my thirst for variety, adventure and ambition. Can't really think of any other reason. It's the same reason why of those popular artists I liked as a child - Beatles, ABBA, Boney M, Celine Dion (why! why!  ) - I only feel like listening to the first two nowadays. I know what kind of market typical pop music is intended for but I don't need to listen to the same bloody formula a thousand times, that's boring for me.
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I still dig ABBA, RT (I love great melodies). I set up a Non Prog Music Forum under General Music Discussions. What are your favorite songs and albums by them?
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rogerthat
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2006
Location: .
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 10:34 |
Because I get bored with cookie cutter pop/rock and prog quenches my thirst for variety, adventure and ambition. Can't really think of any other reason. It's the same reason why of those popular artists I liked as a child - Beatles, ABBA, Boney M, Celine Dion (why! why! ) - I only feel like listening to the first two nowadays. I know what kind of market typical pop music is intended for but I don't need to listen to the same bloody formula a thousand times, that's boring for me.
Edited by rogerthat - October 18 2014 at 10:35
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 10:21 |
^Sorry for missing the joke, Nog. I was in too serious a mood today and that helped snap me out of it.
Of course, your right. There's plenty of ZIO/avant that rocks. (thanks to Mr. Zappa)
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Nogbad_The_Bad
Forum & Site Admin Group
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl & Eclectic Team
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 10:07 |
SteveG wrote:
Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:
When I listen to the prog I love I wonder about what I have in common with the neo loving symph weenies who are looking for bombastic keyboards with meaningful lyrics where I'm looking for dissonant noise with vocals in a made up language.
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Fortunately for me Nog, you are in the minority. I can appreciate someone who loves avant noise but I don't feel that is the basis for Progressive Rock music. The key word being Rock. |
Oh my quote was mostly in fun as requested by the OP, I have loads of symphonic prog in my collection (though hardly any neo). I recognize that a lot of what I love is in the edgier darker niche within a niche. I will take issue with any claim that it doesn't rock. There's plenty of other influences but most of the RIO/Avant sub genre certainly rocks.
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Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 09:22 |
Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:
When I listen to the prog I love I wonder about what I have in common with the neo loving symph weenies who are looking for bombastic keyboards with meaningful lyrics where I'm looking for dissonant noise with vocals in a made up language.
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Fortunately for me Nog, you are in the minority. I can appreciate someone who loves avant noise but I don't feel that is the basis for Progressive Rock music. The key word being Rock.
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friso
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 24 2007
Location: Netherlands
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 05:50 |
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Progressive rock appriciation requires more investment of the listener, in return you get a more sustainable form of entertainment. It takes a while to get into, but it remain fascinating even after years of listening to it.
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tamijo
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Location: Denmark
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Posted: October 18 2014 at 02:23 |
I have used this explanation elsewhere, but i thought maby you could just it, is not excatly about prog, more about complex music in general. : Recently I have been thinking about why that is, why would you want to dig into difficult music, that may at first seem like just noise or even worse, that may at first could stress you up a bit. When you could just pick a simple tune, pleasant and easy to dig out and like. I have come up with some answers to that. Some answers that I believe could explain to others, why they should do the same, turn of FM radio, and start listen to complex Classic music, Jazz, Progressive Rock, and avant-garde experimental music in general. The first answer that I thought about, was the analog to other things you want to do as a hobby. If you should play golf, would you prefer the easy par 3 courses, or would you prefer to play the difficult 18 holes courses, if you should go skiing, would you prefer the easy hill, or would you want to try the Alpes. All of us I guess, would allways have more fun, with the harder task, because it is more rewarding to complete a task, if it was hard to do, why would that be any different with music. Digging into a difficult genre of music, that you don’t know, is a hard task, the rewards found there so much more satisfying. Another reason is from an art point of view, listening to FM radio hits, in that perspective is like looking at paintings mass produces for tourists, its only made to please the receiver so that it is easy to sell, with little or no artistic ambition. Only the music expanding adding or commenting, on the culture of its time, will ever become great music. Just as it will be and have always been in the other arts. All this said,there is nothing wrong with pop music, mainstream rock, or other music that just continues an already established genre, but if you want music to blow your minds off, you should try to explore the edge of music, if you get it, its amassing. |
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Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
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Help me with my paper on prog
