DT... already a prog legend?

I've read all of the past 9 pages (though there will probably be more between starting this post and posting it), and rather than pick individual posts and comment on them, please indulge me while I make some broad observations.

 

Why did Google Translate translate one of the Spanish words into Japanese?

 

a-hem... anyway...

 

There is no formal definition of "Legend" when applied to the arts (or sports for that matter). In general terms (when applied to a person or group of people) it means "of extraordinary accomplishment" or it can mean "a hero" - in practical terms it means something that will be remembered.

 

We use it as a colloquialism - a slang term to describe something that has achieved some level of status, or has influenced or changed something. It is completely subjective.

 

You cannot apply mathematics, logic, argument or pollstering to determine whether something is a "Legend" - it is just an appellation (honorary name) given in recognition of achievement.

 

 

I have been a "fan" of Progressive Rock since the late 1960s - I know the legends of my youth because I grew up with them. I also lived through the birth and rise of Metal and adopted that genre of music because it fires me more than any other genre. For me the marriage of Prog and Metal was the perfect combination - more so than with any other Genre because both were formed from the same root and both were part of the musical landscape of my youth that helped form my musical vocabulary.

 

In the 80s Neo prog was derided for copying the style of music from a mere 5 years earlier, something that it still gets slammed for today even though when looking back down the tunnel (vision) of the last 30 years both Neo prog and Prog Rock are ancient and practically contemporary. Yet many people behave like they are separated by decades, like the 80s are recent times and the 70s were part of some legendary mythological era. To some people Metal suffers that same stigma when compared to Rock - their birth and development were not that far apart (years not decades) - the only difference is that metal has continued to develop where as rock has become ingrained and intractable - everything in modern rock references back in time, metal is reaching forward while still looking back (in my opinion). If I want innovation and experimentation I'll turn to Metal for that whereas 30 years ago I would have been looking to Rock - we don't have a subgenres called Extreme/Technical Rock or Experimental Rock (more's the pity).

 

To be blunt - the 70s were not that great, most of the music was as bad then as it is now and a few pillars of light shone through then as they do now - we remember them as legends and quietly forget those that did not shine. Aside from a very select few, most of the Prog bands of the 70s we know and revere today were not that popular at the time, they were never legends in their own lifetimes - In their day so-called 2nd tier bands like Gentle Giant were not that well known, not that well liked and not widely respected, their current legendary status is anecdotal, a modern mythology. 

 

Some people like to divide a band into separate eras to isolate the ones they like from the ones they do not, but they were all the same band - Barrett-era, Waters/Gilmour-era, Gilmour-era; Phillips-era, Hackett-era, Mayhew-era, Gabriel-era, Collins-era, Wilson-era; Kaye-era, Howe-era, Wakeman-era, Moraz-era, Bruford-era, White-era, Buggles-era, Rabin-era; Fish-era, Hogarth-era; Collins-era, Dommici-era, LaBrie-era, Moore-era, Sherinian-era, Rudess-era... Some of those line-ups were indeed Legendary and some undeniably forgettable, but the bands themselves are Legend regardless of line-up because at some point in their careers' they did something that was memorable, something that changed the musical landscape, they did something that other bands could not do and they all did it within a broad genre known as Prog. For some brief moments in very long careers each of those bands lead where others followed. And each of them touched and inspired a whole generation of fans and other musicians. They all made a mark. For that reason we call them "Legend"

 

 

Possibly the best post of the entire thread.

Cheers!

 

Not many years have pass by and even the music of composers of the 18 and 19 century are still vital and fresh.

 

Completely agree! Also this reminds me of a certain blues guitar player called Blind Blake and he' s a legend because his guitar playing style was so complex that many guitar player can figure out how to play his music.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Blake 

 

 

 

Before Iván comes and tell you to read previous posts before, I'll tell you:

 

Iván says that Mike Portnoy and Rudess have proven to be excellent Prog musicians due to their relation with projects like Transatlantic and Dixie Dregs(I suppose that's the one he means by Rudess).

You should take it as a compliment.  Anyone who says band X sucks can be ignored without problem, but when a respected collaborator says something they believe then it is seen as a statement of "fact" and must be challenged or the world will stop turning on its axis.