Has the flame finally gone out?

Genesis diluted the prog out of their music over the years... Pink Floyd drifted away from their experimental sensibility as they explored art rock during the 70's and then abandoned it altogether after "The Final Cut" IMO.  (They still offer up some tasty smooth jams, but they settled in and quit trying to push the envelope...) 

I can honestly say I really enjoyed "A Grounding in Numbers" by Van Der Graaf Generator in 2011. 

I loved much of Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With by King Crimson.

 

I love classic Yes.  I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Fly From Here.  Heaven and Earth, on the other hand, sounds tepid to me.  Magnification had some good moments for me.   

 

Even Keith Emerson has rebounded back and now manages to do some cool stuff every now and again don't you think?

 

So I'll say the prog giants are 'hit and miss' these days, which is quite understandable.  

 

Truth be told, most of them were hit and miss all along.  The didn't bat a thousand even in their prime.

 

Has their slugging percentage slumped down toward the end of their careers?  Sure.  But so did Hank Aaron's.  He hit 40 HR's in 1973, 20 in '74, 12 in '75, 10 in '76, and that was the end.  But he had 755 over the course of his career.  That's incredible.  And each one of these final 10 HR's in '76 was a great opportunity for fans to remember and cheer the entire body of work.

 

That's the way I feel about these proggers who are brave enough to try their hand at another album after the age 55 or 60.   

 

Oh - btw - Focus came out with a relatively recent album of new material which I really liked... "X" was the name of it I think...  

 

Sorry for turning this post into a baseball analogy... I really wandered into left field I guess.  ;-)

 

Prog On!

 

If you do 1457 overdubs, i guess it would sound a bit messy

Edited by tamijo - February 09 2015 at 08:47

I was just about to bring up the same point.

..............

Another great "re-formation" cd - STRAWBS "pROGTASTICAL" (or something like that).
But I guess it doesn't really count in the context of this thread cos Strawbs never really went away (many resurfacings) and the cd - however fine - is mainly re-workings.

Skullhead wrote: When I listen to most of the new prog, it sounds much more complex than a lot of the stuff in the past, but I just picture a kid on a computer spending months cutting and pasting sound files.

Edited by tamijo - February 09 2015 at 05:33

yes it has, stay narrow-mindedly focused on the 1970's - only this will ever make you happy...

Sorry if im repeating anything, but Im not about to read the 15 pages in this thread:


Here are a few cornerstone bands that have returned with a vengance and true to form (in say the last two years) after making two decades worth sharn:

DEEP PURPLE - NOW WHAT?? ( actually just heard this first time yesterday. Holy fox! "Rapture of the Deep" cd was quite good, but THIS! True, most of the origional band is gone - only Gillian & Glover - but its amazing how much Morse can sound like Ritchie and Airey like Jon. Not a bad track. Simply amazing. More room given to Airey's solos on this one. Much, much recommended.)


BLACK SABBATH after TONS of sh*t, return to form on two cds


SCHULTZE    out of his doldrums finally


HAWKWIND


There were more - I did a thread on this on another forum a month or so back, but forgot now.....




And at least 10 remarkable Ital prog reunions: Latte Mielle,RDM,Ossana.....and I just heard the new Maxophone "Live Tokyo". Simply stunning - using the synth to get the orig French horn.< id="WebWizRTE" ="http://www.progarchives.com/forum/RTE_.asp?mode=reply&ID=0&CACHE=349" style="border: 1px solid rgb165, 172, 178;" ="initialiseWebWizRTE;" ="20" height="300" width="650">Alphataurus

Skullhead wrote: It's sad to think these acts like King Crimson will not be around much longer.  Ian Anderson, Yes, are still going... but how much longer?  As much as I like some of the second generation prog like Spock's or Flower Kings, that stuff sounds basically derivative of the 70's stuff. I miss the uniqueness and innovation of the great 70's prog acts.

 

cstack3 wrote: TODDLER wrote: cstack3 wrote: Guldbamsen wrote: It's a backwards way of looking at things. Before promoters and festivals are willing to support young prog bands, they need to know there is a crowd for it. Simple as. You don't put up a program of music, if it only attracts 7 people. I disagree.  I lived in Tulsa, OK which had a very underground prog music scene.  Lon Jones, one of Bob Fripp's first Guitar Craft students, had a little band called CAVU ("ceiling and visibility unlimited"), and he played some very tiny little crowds.  I joined as bassist, and we ended up playing some huge festivals. This is awesome! From road experience, my observation is that these are isolated events that occur in certain cities/places in the United States. That meaning of course..that it leaves a very huge portion of our country empty and distant from Prog socially. So...for me, I was more personally offended as a young 20 year old when that social break materialized. I obviously witnessed many Prog bands in the late 70's breaking up over this change of direction in business.   The first prog bands had notoriously difficult beginnings, including Genesis, Yes and King Crimson.  It's up to the musicians to persist with their artistic vision.  I'm not sure that today's youth have this drive, but I'm willing to bet there are still some examples out there.   You must be a "do it yourself" Progger. I've done the same , but sometimes it's hard to invest and lose everything in the end. When you take it that seriously and lose thousands over it...you become very discouraged and may run off and join a working Jazz trio. It's a crazy business ...some Prog musicians I know gave up and became farmers. Very strange indeed. I suppose they just couldn't take touring anymore. Thanks, Toddler!  I'm strictly a hobby musician, although plenty good enough to have hit the tour circuit.  If I had applied myself in my early 20's, I would have given Chris Squire a run for it!   I find that 70's style prog is notoriously easy to play, compared to be-bop jazz etc.  Stick a fuzz tone & volume pedal on a Les Paul, play a bunch of pentatonics & Devils Chords and VOILA!  Instant Fripp!

I'd love to hear you play one day. Let me know if there are vids of you.

It's easy to find the right musicians for your Prog band ..if they hear your demo and are simply interested. However..lack of funds will discourage those musicians..so you must go to them with a plan ready to be active. I disregard using a digital studio at home and instead, I look up some sound tech who mixed for Prog bands in the 70's and 80's. We already respect each other...but...now I must find something to offer this sound tech. Maybe a separate session I could do for him/her and in the end our session might cost less. Then comes the task of getting the band to perform live on a bill with other progressive bands. This usually takes place in the larger cities of my area and it's basically all the independent original Prog bands playing these little "hole in the wall" type joints and hardly getting paid enough for the gas money that takes them over the bridge. Some "rat holes" provide a house lightshow and soundman. This is very ideal because you get to keep your 20 dollars and buy a hot turkey sandwich at WAWA on the way home. In any event, you have to eat something because your driving over the bridge and the sun is shooting it's rays into your windshield and your face. Your ears are ringing because you just got off stage.


If you have to pay for a soundman..you'll be lucky to find one that works for a hundred dollars a night. This is taken into account if you own the P.A. and lights, but another problem presents itself and that is understanding the venues policies. They may demand for someone to arrive 3 hours prior to show time and set the P.A. and lights up. Someway, somehow,...you have to rise above "rat holes" and get on the theater circuit, playing your original Prog and taking chances. I've always managed to make contact with the most professional and sincere people who help me to accomplish this. I don't require a day job because I am in demand on different circuits and constantly working weddings, clubs, bars, and casinos. It's cool to run across someone I knew in the 70's from a once internationally known band and chat. This is more fun than the music we play and we are all very aware of that. I miss playing Prog in a live situation and hope 1 day to cross paths with a Prog band that is somewhat established, but if some entertainer that plays theaters asks me to travel to Holland..I must take that opportunity over the choice of Prog for the sake of my children. It's a scary... sometimes depressing business. If you are working with the right musicians, they will keep you positive...although you are always working/living in a world that is very separate from the norm that keeps Amercia's soft machine running.

Skullhead wrote: Svetonio wrote: Skullhead wrote: It's sad to think these acts like King Crimson will not be around much longer.  Ian Anderson, Yes, are still going... but how much longer?  As much as I like some of the second generation prog like Spock's or Flower Kings, that stuff sounds basically derivative of the 70's stuff. I miss the uniqueness and innovation of the great 70's prog acts.  You have to have a "new ears" for new prog. That would make sense... what are you focusing on?

I am always focused on a band that I'm currently listening; such band is often completely unknown to me as a new band that brought a new sensibility to me and then I listen with "new ears" which "grow" again with every new prog bands that I listen to.