Popular Prog Bands that you just can't get into

I can't get into Rush: the various songs from their first albums I heard made me think of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and even Queen, but in an irritating way to me.
I had 1 CD from Marillion - "Fugazi"; I listened "Thieving Magpie" and songs from various albums: I get a little bored. Same thing with Pendragon.
And I get über-bored with Anekdoten and Kayo Dot. Really. Oh, and Radiohead, too.

listen wrote: BaldFriede wrote: Rush. I never understood all the fuss about them.* Good musicians, though not as exceptional as their fans try to make them, but the music is nothing special at all. for you, that is.

It is probably special for many people from the North American continent, simply because the first prog band they ever come in contact with is Rush, and first loves are always special. But that's not the way it happened with me.
I grew up with the music my brother, who is ten years older than I am, listened to, and after a short period, during which he was a big Genesis fan, he started discovering new bands on his own. At first he bought albums by bands he had heard the names of by friends, then he simply bought any album of which he liked the cover, which made him discover Hawkwind and Gong. Some of his friends were big into Krautrock, and for the stoned-out brain he had at that time it was just the right thing. I am responsible for his discovery of VdGG, since I bought him "Godbluff" for his 17th birthday; I liked the Escher-inspired band logo.
My parents are not interested in music at all (strange but true), so he was my first and only source of music when I was a little kid. And I was fascinated by all these strange sounds; I had never thought such sounds could be possible. That bit of music I heard on the radio which was played during short breaks while my father listened to the live commentating of the saturday football matches had nothing at all to do with the stuff my brother heard. It was like music from another planet for me.
The first time I heard Rush was years later, and while I acknowledged their advanced musicianship I did not see anything special in them at all, not after all the things I had already heard.
That is how I grew up. I fully understand that for people who first came in contact with prog through Rush they must mean a lot more to them; it just is not the case with me.


Edited by BaldFriede - June 12 2009 at 17:09

Dream Theater
Marillion - any neo prog
The Flower Kings
Translantic - very cheesy! - really anyting DT related
Pain of Salvation - all the typical Prog Metal Bands

• ELP
• Dream Theater
• Änglagård
• Pain of Salvation
• Bacamarte
• Ayreon
• Marillion + most neo-prog
• The Flower Kings
• The Moody Blues
• Devin Townsend
• The Decemberists
• Kansas
• Oceansize
• Koenjihyakkei
• Le Orme

Need I say more? Most of these bands are not awful by any means, I'm just relatively indifferent to their particular brand of progressive rock.

The two main ones that obviously have very devoted fans that I just can't see the "special" in are VDGG and IQ.

I've tried really really hard with VDGG, I own Pawn Hearts, Godbluff, and H to He, and I will bring one out every few months to try again, hoping that the lightbulb will click on...so far, no such luck. I mean, I do like them, but only in a "yeah, that was ok" kind of way, certainly not in the same way others seem to.

With IQ, I've always found them to be a poor man's Marillion; very melodic, and I can't fault the musicians...but their songs always seem to lack that special "hook" that makes me want to hum along. Once again, I do enjoy them from time to time, and I keep trying (the new one, Frequency, I actually like more than the others I've heard), but so far I haven't heard anything that would explain in my head the rabid fan base they have. To be fair, I guess I'm not much of a neo-prog fan as I've always found Pendragon over-rated as well (but I absolutely adore the Fish-led Marillion...go figure).

One name for all: Dream Theater - and I own seven of their albums. Tried and tried, but just don't get them. I am equally indifferent to most of the 'traditional' prog-metal bands I have heard so far (with the notable exception of Queensryche), while I find the other two PM subgenres much more interesting.


Edited by Raff - June 12 2009 at 18:43

Roland113 wrote: There are a few that I can understand why I don't like them, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Van der Graaff Generator to name a few of the classics.  They're either too folksy or eclectic for my tastes. The one that I truly don't understand is Yes.  I don't care for Yes and I don't know why.  I absolutely love Genesis and most symphonic music, but I've tried time and time again to appreciate Yes but it just doesn't happen.

What albums have you heard from Yes? I'm sure you've heard their classics, but I'm really curious, since you pretty much adore The Flower Kings, both do share stuff.

Well, I was going to add another witty comment, but I can't get into this thread. 

StyLaZyn wrote: BaldFriede wrote:   It is probably special for many people from the North American continent, simply because the first prog band they ever come in contact with is Rush, and first loves are always special. But that's not the way it happened with me. For me it was Queen, Yes, ELP, and Genesis in the mid-70s. And I'm almost on the USA/Canada border. I didn't hear Rush until I was 15. It was an instant love. Geddy's vox didn't even bug me.

Well, but I was already in love with all the weirdo stuff (Magma, Gong, RIO), and if Rush are anything, weird they are not.

hmm.. Spock's Beard, Focus, Umphreys McGee, Cynic, Robert Wyatt