Why isn't prog popular?

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

 boo boo wrote:

 AllP0werToSlaves wrote:

 rogerthat wrote:

 ThaNuke wrote:

I just want to point out that you can't really force people to like prog; most don't even care if there's a 45/23 time signature. It just doesn't work that way. But the people that do appreciate prog are the special ones.

Honestly, neither do I.  I mean, so freaking what if you can play 45/23 or whatever exotic time sig?  I don't usually bother to find out exactly what time sig is being played and am much more interested in whether the time sig change is natural and intuitive or deliberate and forced.  If prog is much more of a left brained pursuit for most prog fans (and I should hope it is not), it should not surprise anyone that it is not popular because making music in pursuit of nerdy fantasies rather than for emotions does not seem to be such a good idea to me. And I am not saying that the very use of an odd time sig is nerdy, no, I am simply saying that I can't like a piece of music just for that bit of detail, that is so insignificant in the larger scheme of things.

As long as the music is intuitive and the complexity is a byproduct of the initial creativity, there shouldn't really be an argument because that's all music should be IMHO. Someone adding complexity just for the sake of it is the same thing as someone curbing something for being too complex our of fear of rejection from listeners. Both involve the snuffing of creativity in a pre-meditaded state. All the best prog sounds intuitive and flows well because it's the voice of the soul that we all connect to! Again, Gentle Giant is a great example. Now, whether people perceive the music as such is another story.

 boo boo wrote:

Though I'd go back further than that, I love Atari and golden age arcade games. Galaga/Ms. Pac Man machines are everywhere in my town, and I have to play it every time I see it. 

Oh I hear you on that; my girlfriend has amassed a massive Atari 5200 collection; I think she got something like 30+ games WITH original manuals and stickers in great quality for something ridiculous like $30 at a yard sale; and that included the Atari! I'm just personally drawn to the mid/late 80's/early 90's era of gaming when 2D was in it's prime both at the arcades and on home consoles. I must own something like two dozen + classic gaming shirts/apparel/etc; I'm sporting a BATTLETOADS t-shirt as I type this! Ah, gaming geeks lol. 

5200? What kind of controller does she use? Because dont the controllers it comes with have a reputation of being very crappy? Though I know it's compatable with Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis controllers, as are other consoles from that era. Too bad you can't do that nowadays.

Yes the controllers are miserable, and the Atari itself is pretty beat. She plans on getting a re-furbished one for displaying and playing all the games she got. They do have third party controllers available now that look nearly identical but have much better response than the originals. 

Considering most of the music from the 16-bit generation of games (Mega Man X, Castlevania IV, Super Metroid, Streets of Rage, Sonic 1,2,3, S&K etc) all have a prog feel to their soundtracks, I feel the two go hand in hand! MIDI prog at it's finest!