Round 1 Rome Bracket: Dream Theater v. Caravan

Just for the record, Caravan headlined this year's edition of ROSfest (Gettysburg, PA), and a lot of people came expressly to see them. They have a lot of fans among the older generation, and also quite a few younger prog fans dig them. Moreover, the next installment of the Romantic Warriors documentary series (whose makers are good friends of ours) will be entirely dedicated to the Canterbury scene. Quite a few US bands have been influenced by Caravan and the Canterbury sound - for instance, The Muffins and, in more modern times, Ut Gret.

That is not to say that DT have not been enormously influential as well. Unfortunately, the fact is that a lot of people seem to grow out of them when they get acquainted with other styles of prog.

Caravan are a significant if lesser known band in the development of progressive rock in the 70's. My personal view is that there are few DT fanboys here than previously. That and DT being crap. 

Ah Yes.  One Direction...another thing that we have to thank the UK for.   

Don't get me wrong.  I appreciate that on a Prog site there are going to be a number of people that like a band like Caravan and prefer them over a band like DT, who are those damn Americans who b*****dized the prog genre by adding it to metal.  It has been my experience within PA that there seems to be more people who hate DT than there are those who love Caravan, which is the reason behind my comment on the votes against DT vs votes for Caravan. 

I also have no interest in disparaging Caravan or people who like them and prefer them over DT.  I like them well enough myself.  It is more an observation that it seems odd that a smaller, lesser known act from the 70's would be so completely destroying a behemoth band from the 90's.

akamaisondufromage wrote: rushfan4 wrote: akamaisondufromage wrote: rushfan4 wrote: I am quite shocked that this is such a blowout.  I am led to wonder how many of the votes are as much a vote against DT as they are for Caravan.  Caravan had so little impact in the USA.  I'm pretty certain I have never heard them mentioned anywhere outside of PA.  Their box set Canterbury Tales was my gateway to this band.  I had read about them back in the day, but their music was not available in local stores until this box set came about.  what has their impact on MickyMouse Land got to do with things? First off:  Excuse me but what is with the insults.  We are a pleasant enough country to except your sorry ass royals for a visit.  And secondly, the world revolves around what goes on here in the USA.  Everyone knows that.  It was a friendly dig at your seemingly US Centric post. Please take the Royals off our hands! But are you not the Land Of MickyMouse?  Rather than GreyandPink?

We are as much the land of Micky D's as we are of Mickey Mouse.  That being said, I am probably making your argument for you.   My post is US Centric, because I am US Centric, but moreso probably just Michigan-centric since that is all that I can really speak for.  And from my point of view, Dream Theater have had a bigger impact than Caravan.  And people may complain about DT's last two or three albums, but when is the last time Caravan released anything worthwhile?  1976?  I can't speak for their 2014 release because they have failed to release it in the US.

akamaisondufromage wrote: rushfan4 wrote: I am quite shocked that this is such a blowout.  I am led to wonder how many of the votes are as much a vote against DT as they are for Caravan.  Caravan had so little impact in the USA.  I'm pretty certain I have never heard them mentioned anywhere outside of PA.  Their box set Canterbury Tales was my gateway to this band.  I had read about them back in the day, but their music was not available in local stores until this box set came about.  what has their impact on MickyMouse Land got to do with things?

First off:  Excuse me but what is with the insults.  We are a pleasant enough country to except your sorry ass royals for a visit.  And secondly, the world revolves around what goes on here in the USA.  Everyone knows that. 

rushfan4 wrote: I am quite shocked that this is such a blowout.  I am led to wonder how many of the votes are as much a vote against DT as they are for Caravan.  Caravan had so little impact in the USA.  I'm pretty certain I have never heard them mentioned anywhere outside of PA.  Their box set Canterbury Tales was my gateway to this band.  I had read about them back in the day, but their music was not available in local stores until this box set came about.

what has their impact on MickyMouse Land got to do with things?

^I think the big problem is that most of the serious Prog Metal fans; people like Jared, DTguitarfan, Avestin, TricksterF, Brian, Tristan, Jody, Mike etc, either don't post much or are long gone laving a forum of retro fans and a small group of avant-heads.

I like both, but have to go with DT.  Not that it helps though.

Caravan always

Raff wrote: This place is truly unrecognizable these days . When we first joined, over 9 years ago, the forum was positively teeming with rabid DT fans. I wonder where they are now...