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Raff View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Progressive vs Prog
    Posted: October 01 2007 at 14:40
I've been meaning to tackle this issue for some time -  hopefully the discussion will be of some use for the development of the site.

Whenever the topic of the addition of some controversial artist crops up, a particular phrase seems to be recurring in those threads: "X is progressive, but not prog". While I am obviously familiar with the definition of 'progressive', after years and years of listening to music I am still at a loss to understand the difference in conceptual terms.

If 'prog' means something that harks back to the great musical movement of the Seventies, then subgenres like Prog-Metal and Post-Rock shouldn't be considered prog, and only unashamedly retro bands should be included in the definition. I know many people equate prog with 10-minute-plus tracks, concept albums, outlandish lyrics, intriguing cover art and such - then again, there are many acts included in our database who don't really fit this description.  As a matter of fact, the 'prog quotient' of numerous acts has been the basis for many an animated discussion on the forums, sometimes even descending into a full-scale flame war.

I have often been known to say that what is prog to me may not be so to someone else. For this reason, I'm quite interested in hearing what forum members have to say about the issue, especially as regards the problem of distinguishing between 'progressive' and 'prog' whenever certain bands or artists are suggested.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 14:54

Progressive and prog have always been interchangeable for me.  Art Rock as well. 

I see you still haven't crossed over to Crossover Specialist.  Tongue
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 14:59
I am a Heavy Prog specialist... My other half is the Xover man!LOL
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:08
I don't think there is one answer to your question, Raffaella. People (including myself) use this ambiguity (theoretically prog and progressive should be the same thing, but they aren't, at least not when being used in conversation) to develop the subtleties they each feel they couldn't express otherwise. And each of us has another idea to express, therefore...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:09
The term 'prog' is perhaps synonomous with a type/s of 'rock' but 'progressive' can be applied to any music that is experimental. Both have a place in the archives in my humble opinion.

Basically, anything from King Crimson to Radiohead is 'prog rock' and anything from Brian Eno to Aphex Twin is progressive. Thats my humble nerdy take on it anyway..

That said, pedancy can bring me out in hives, so if someone says 'hey, it's all just prog man' I can live with that..

Edited by Blacksword - October 01 2007 at 15:11
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:13
progressive and Prog are obviously not the same, but maybe youngers and some other people will disagree, nice thread by the way. Clap

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:13
As far as I'm concerned there is Progressive Rock (with a capital P) and this is a particular genre of music which is mainly the "classic" bands of the 70s (we all know who the main ones are) and also extends to a number of current bands such as Spock's Beard. There is also progressive music (small P) which applies to any band who are pushing out the boundaries.  This would include such bands as GYBE, Thinking Plague, who I wouldn't personally call "prog".
I usually think of it like this - if a major record shop such as HMV had such a thing as (God forbid) a progressive rock section, which bands would they include? Yes, Genesis, ELP, Marillion - yes. Jazz-fusion bands - no. Post-rock - probably not.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:19
Would I say that my Sony DVD is "Prog" only because it has "progressive scan"?

Well, no...LOLLOL

That's when you see the difference between Prog and progressive, this last one is just an adjective. Wink
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:27
Originally posted by Ghost Rider Ghost Rider wrote:

I am a Heavy Prog specialist... My other half is the Xover man!LOL
 
I am eagerly awaiting the coming of the cross-dresser prog sub genre.  David Bowie perhaps?
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:29
for a band to aspire to be progressive is very good thing and for a band to aspire to be 'prog' is a very bad thing, and extremely un-progressive. its that simple
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 15:39
Originally posted by Slartibartfast Slartibartfast wrote:

Progressive and prog have always been interchangeable for me.  Art Rock as well. 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 16:01
Originally posted by chopper chopper wrote:

As far as I'm concerned there is Progressive Rock (with a capital P) and this is a particular genre of music which is mainly the "classic" bands of the 70s (we all know who the main ones are) and also extends to a number of current bands such as Spock's Beard. There is also progressive music (small P) which applies to any band who are pushing out the boundaries.  This would include such bands as GYBE, Thinking Plague, who I wouldn't personally call "prog".
I usually think of it like this - if a major record shop such as HMV had such a thing as (God forbid) a progressive rock section, which bands would they include? Yes, Genesis, ELP, Marillion - yes. Jazz-fusion bands - no. Post-rock - probably not.

This would work, except for the fact that I find Neal Morse, Transatlantic and Frost* in the metal sections of HMV, and Threshold in pop/rock, there the last people I would trust!LOL
Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 16:02
Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:


That said, pedancy can bring me out in hives


That's pedantry
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 16:03
Originally posted by Forgotten Son Forgotten Son wrote:

Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:


That said, pedancy can bring me out in hives


That's pedantry


Very good well spotted..
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 16:19
Is there a difference? I interchange them .
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 16:37
Originally posted by ProgBagel ProgBagel wrote:

Is there a difference? I interchange them .


You mean between 'pedancy' and 'pedantry?' If so, Yes.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 16:45
Prog is what fits the definition of progressive rock as a genre... progressive is any good(doesn't even have to be good) band that progressed their sound over the years... I know plenty of metal, rock and even hip-hop that's progressive but by no means prog.
Something that's not progressive doesn't have to suck either, for example Dire Straits hardly changed their sound but a they're a great band nonetheless.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 16:46
There's no difference, prog is just short for progressive. Both words are used FAR too often to talk about the bands on this site (being called prog archives, that's expected). It's a shame, though, that we pigeonhole all these bands that are vibrantly different from each other as "progressive". To me it seems like a tool used by teenagers who only know genres, and who want to be able to judge each other on what music they listen to.

We have to realize that progressive rock isn't a genre, it's a movement. It WAS a movement, now it's a revivalist movement. There was never a genre called "prog", contrary to every music snob college student's belief.

Why do I say this? Why does the word "prog" bother me so much? A few reasons. Firstly, people who use it don't really care what they're talking about. All this talk about people wanting to write prog songs and go to prog shows and laugh at prog clothing, it shows a superficial understanding of the music and that's not at ALL what we have this website for.

The bigger reason, though, is the bands themselves tell themselves, "let's become a prog band" and instead of being a band that is truly progressive and pushing music's boundaries, they pick and choose a band from the 1970s and blatantly rip them off. I'm looking at you, Galahad, Dream Theater, and basically every band in Progressive Metal who sounds like each other.

It's a destructive word to use habitually, I don't use it at all.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 17:14
'Prog' is exactly the same as 'progressive', but originally it had a derogatory ring to it.

Before I landed on Progarchives, "Prog(ressive) Rock" seemed more or less the same to me as (what this site calls) "Symphonic Prog".

I first started listening to the Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North, Gong and Robert Wyatt in the 1970s but I never called them Prog. They were "Canterbury Scene" to me, i.e. one kind of avant-garde.

Same with Can, Neu and several other (first-rate) Krautrock bands. In fact they've got just as much in common with Yes or ELP as the Simple Minds or Public Image Limited! If you want to call them "prog", that's fine with me, but you know: IT's JUST A LABEL!

In any case, I'm happy to see such a wide range of bands here (although I really don't care for Metal): most of the rock artists I happen to like are on this site, and it's great to hear such a lot of people enthuse about them.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 01 2007 at 17:19
I think we're missing the whole point here. " Progressive vs Prog" If progressive and prog were to take on each other in a grudge match, who would win?  Tongue
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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