The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds for PA inclusion ?

Easy Money wrote: I don't know if you guys get into exotic lounge music as much as I do. If you did you would recognize the artists on this record. I like this record (Zodiac) but it isn't prog-rock or proto-prog. This album has an all-star cast of extremely talented and creative session musicians who were good enough to help out on various exotica records and early synth novelty records when they weren't working on more standard easy listening fare. Many of these musicians also did more serious work, but this record is typical LA styled 60s psuedo psychedelia dressed up to take advantage of a brand new and naive Southern California psuedo-psychedelic culture.

You'll have to excuse me for qouting myself, but I know a lot of people don't bother looking at the previous page.

If you want some real voyueristic fun, check out what Paul Beaver thinks of George Harrison. Paul rained on many a George eulogy in the papers in the SF bay area.

Well there's an interesting coincidence, cos the kitschy 'poet' on Zodiac sounds like a cross between Jim Morrison and Rod McKuen, it doesn't get more SoCal than that.

Dean wrote: akin wrote: Dean wrote: Definitely the first - Lack of infuence/historical impact.     I´m not criticizing the decision, but I can´t see more than 10 bands in proto-prog who were really influential to prog or had any historical impact. then that's no reason or justification for adding another - quite the opposite.   Regardless of the situation in Proto Prog prior to the setting up of the Genre Teams, current policy (and the one that the current Proto Prog team adheres to), is to only add band that meet the following:   "The common elements in all these bands is that they developed one or more elements of Prog, and even when not completely defined as part of the genre, they are without any doubt, an important stage in the evolution of Progressive Rock."

Sorry Akin, but this record has nothing to do with prog-rock in any form.

Do you realize how many early synth exotica records we would have to add if this one gets in.

When it comes to early synth exotica, far more of an influence on prog-rock would be Dick Hyman's 'Moog' which contains 'Minataur', one of the first synth songs to be played on commercial radio.

Dick Hyman's use of the synth was a big influence on Keith Emerson who quotes from The Minataur during his synth break on ELP live.

Before I added this kitschy record I would add Hyman, Les Baxter, Martin Denny and Tartaglia first for being far more truly progressive and more of an influence on the development of prog-rock.

Edited by Easy Money - July 19 2009 at 12:05

^ I never said it wasn't progressive. We are discussing whether or not this album fits the progarchives definition of proto-prog. If it does, then I know quite a few albums that should be added way ahead of this one, read the above posts for more related info.

   ^ I disagree --  when I began rediscovering Prog, the 'proto-prog' thing seemed quite right and shined a little light on history, how prog had not spontaneously mutated (except on a few key albums, some considered protoprog), and that in fact the whole notion of certain prototypes for what came later might be of some interest to a fan.. it certainly was for me.

Protoprog doesn't exist as a sovereign genre, it is an idea, a way to connect the musical, historical and cultural dots and to determine how those things began vining outward in multiple directions.  In fact real proto-progressive rock music is a far larger arena, as evidenced in this thread--  i.e. the Beach Boys would be an excellent addition, in fact IMO they are criminally under-acknowledged for their contributions to the Art Rock scenes. 

As for Jefferson Airplane, there is little doubt as to the influence their sound, textures, artistry, and compositions had on popular music at the time.  It was huge, bigger than it seems now, but if you watch some of the old footage of them in concert round about '66/'67, you see how new that was and how attractive and large sound they'd achieved.  The Dead were also progressive and I wouldn't mind seeing them here either.  Part of the issue is that it was such a creative period it's challenging to separate the early art rock from simply inventive pop music - in fact some protoprog was exactly that, which is why it can't be seen as a genre but rather music of that era most important to prog.





Edited by Atavachron - July 19 2009 at 22:27

Easy Money wrote: ^ I never said it wasn't progressive. We are discussing whether or not this album fits the progarchives definition of proto-prog. If it does, then I know quite a few albums that should be added way ahead of this one, read the above posts for more related info.

Ok then. Any suggestions as to who I should contact to get The Zodiac evaluated for VA: Concept albums?

UMUR wrote: Ok then. Any suggestions as to who I should contact to get The Zodiac evaluated for VA: Concept albums?