British Prog is the best??

Garion81 wrote: I would put up the recordings of Happy the Man against any band from Europe in the 70's as well.  They may well have the most Euro sounding of all the American groups.

Garion81 wrote: I am so tired of the USA getting crapped on in threads like this.  I grew up in Orange County, California in the 70's graduating High School in 1974.  We had 5 bands playing symphonic progressive rock from 1972-1978 never getting signed. (ask Micky I gave him samples of some of the bands practice tapes) I remember a concert where all 5 played at and it drew 5000 kids and none of these groups had a deal.   That was 5 bands in one small part of the country.  I contend most American prog died on the vine and was never signed because the music industry was already consolidating the avenues of styles.  (The only real experimental music in the US came out of the 67-70 Psychedelic bands and other The Doors, The Byrds and Touch but even still much of this music was still processed for hit radio) The only reason we had Kansas was because they had drawn Don Kirshner's notice BEFORE Kerry Livgren joined the band.  It was Livgren that added the symphonic elements to the group.  It was a total fluke. Before people criticize this band I have heard more people in the US say their first introduction to prog, several dozen in the last year or so,  was through Kansas. Maybe they were not influential on an international level but here they certainly were.    (For all of you who say they were a copy cat band I suggest you pick up an album called Proto-Kaw Early Recordings From Kansas 1971-3 and see how much earlier some of the songs the famous Kansas recorded were actually written and hear how Livgren was using more experimental music with no synths or mellotrons)     I would put up the recordings of Happy the Man against any band from Europe in the 70's as well.  They may well have the most Euro sounding of all the American groups.    No we were not well represented in the 70's on record but the current wave of bands are as good or better than anything out there now. I put IZZ, Echolyn, Helmet of Gnats, Frogg Cafe, Umphreys McGee up as more of progressive band than PT.  The Tanget is an international band with a terrible singer so don't try to get British ownership there.  As for cheese there is nothing cheesier than Neo in my mind.  Galahad (British) anyone?    That said it was the Britsih who popularized the sound.  Whether or not it is the best is entirely subjective.    I am not trying cause a war but at I am least trying to defend and educate what was going on in the US in the 70's

Kansas wasn't  that  called  AOR  Adult Orientated Rock   along with the likes of Journey and Styx 
Sorry but Kansas where never in the same league as any the Prog Bands from the UK and Europe ,
Funny enough i just bought  Leftouerture  on Vinyl (in Bargain bucket 4 bucks)  and i would say is a very week
sounding  album , sounds like a band trying to be Prog but just not getting it (what ever it is ?)  what lets it down the most is the very poor Vocals the Vocals  just have no  Character  to them  and lyrically its poor to
Just not  in the Same League as the Prog from the UK and Europe

Garion81 wrote: I am so tired of the USA getting crapped on in threads like this.

I'm tired of brits and americans crapping on the rest of the world.  

...failing that, we Prog them back to the Stone Age.

Hawkwise wrote: Garion81 wrote: I am so tired of the USA getting crapped on in threads like this.  I grew up in Orange County, California in the 70's graduating High School in 1974.  We had 5 bands playing symphonic progressive rock from 1972-1978 never getting signed. (ask Micky I gave him samples of some of the bands practice tapes) I remember a concert where all 5 played at and it drew 5000 kids and none of these groups had a deal.   That was 5 bands in one small part of the country.  I contend most American prog died on the vine and was never signed because the music industry was already consolidating the avenues of styles.  (The only real experimental music in the US came out of the 67-70 Psychedelic bands and other The Doors, The Byrds and Touch but even still much of this music was still processed for hit radio) The only reason we had Kansas was because they had drawn Don Kirshner's notice BEFORE Kerry Livgren joined the band.  It was Livgren that added the symphonic elements to the group.  It was a total fluke. Before people criticize this band I have heard more people in the US say their first introduction to prog, several dozen in the last year or so,  was through Kansas. Maybe they were not influential on an international level but here they certainly were.    (For all of you who say they were a copy cat band I suggest you pick up an album called Proto-Kaw Early Recordings From Kansas 1971-3 and see how much earlier some of the songs the famous Kansas recorded were actually written and hear how Livgren was using more experimental music with no synths or mellotrons)     I would put up the recordings of Happy the Man against any band from Europe in the 70's as well.  They may well have the most Euro sounding of all the American groups.    No we were not well represented in the 70's on record but the current wave of bands are as good or better than anything out there now. I put IZZ, Echolyn, Helmet of Gnats, Frogg Cafe, Umphreys McGee up as more of progressive band than PT.  The Tanget is an international band with a terrible singer so don't try to get British ownership there.  As for cheese there is nothing cheesier than Neo in my mind.  Galahad (British) anyone?    That said it was the Britsih who popularized the sound.  Whether or not it is the best is entirely subjective.    I am not trying cause a war but at I am least trying to defend and educate what was going on in the US in the 70's     Kansas wasn't  that  called  AOR  Adult Orientated Rock   along with the likes of Journey and Styx  Sorry but Kansas where never in the same league as any the Prog Bands from the UK and Europe , Funny enough i just bought  Leftouerture  on Vinyl (in Bargain bucket 4 bucks)  and i would say is a very week sounding  album , sounds like a band trying to be Prog but just not getting it (what ever it is ?)  what lets it down the most is the very poor Vocals the Vocals  just have no  Character  to them  and lyrically its poor to Just not  in the Same League as the Prog from the UK and Europe

Edited by Garion81 - June 15 2008 at 16:55

How do you know i know nothing about Them ?   and do you have to know about a band ? to Like or not Like there Music ?  I Listen if i like, i like if i don't i don't  , may not need to Know the History or who played what or who came from where  , ether you like it or you don't ,  Kansas  nope not for me, AOR rubbish


Edited by Hawkwise - June 15 2008 at 16:54

Hawkwise wrote: How do you know i know nothing about Them ?   and do you have to know about a band ? to Like or not Like there Music ?  I Listen if i like, i like if i don't i don't  , may not need to Know the History or who played what or who came from where  , ether you like it or you don't ,  Kansas  nope not for me, AOR rubbish

No doubt about the British hegemony in symphonic prog and prog folk: Genesis, Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Traffic and afterwards Iona.

Hawkwise wrote: Garion81 wrote: Hawkwise wrote: How do you know i know nothing about Them ?   and do you have to know about a band ? to Like or not Like there Music ?  I Listen if i like, i like if i don't i don't  , may not need to Know the History or who played what or who came from where  , ether you like it or you don't ,  Kansas  nope not for me, AOR rubbish   You don't need to insult either   To bad maybe check this out if that doesn't convince you nothing will:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCYIiHAhIdo  Wasn't  to bad until he started Singing ,  then it just gets Cheesier  and Cheesier  Would been much better without the Vocals  , yeah they can play no denying that , but just doesn't do it for me No Edge to it

Edited by Garion81 - June 15 2008 at 17:28

^  Truer words never better spoken.