America's love of prog rock

Not just America...most countries besides Britain embrace most forms of modern music.

seems British audiences were wanting US-style roots rock and Americans were wanting the high end stuff, the grass is always greener I guess .. I'm still amazed Prog did as well as it did (anywhere), taking over the world for a few years during a tiny window of time when people didn't need to dance to the music they listened to

Phil Collins also made an interesting comment once, about the singles market in the US. He said in the UK you could be a successful album band, without having much success in the singles charts, but in the US you needed a hit or two, BUT you were more likely to have a hit single with something that was truly representative of what sort of group you were. In other words it didn't need to be the most 'commercial' track from your album.

I seem to recall the Beatles and others regarded as the "British Invasion".  In a way UK prog artists were a second invasion.  Didn't quite take us by a storm like the first one, but if pressed to name the early greats of prog the UK prog artists come to mind first.  I think Rick does have valid point.

Blacksword wrote: On the BBC's Prog Rock Britania program, Rick Wakemen makes a comment about how US audiences took to British prog when it came to their shores. He says there was a more broad acceptance of prog rock in the US music mainstream, because (and I paraphrase..) Americans are 'less embarassed and more impressed by by displays of skill' than the Brits. In the UK, alhtough the big prog bands of the day were shifting thousands of records and doing very well, their audiences were just spotty six form and college boys, and prog was never really part of the mainstream. Does anyone agree/disagree with Wakemans comments?

- On your first paragraph: it's probably true that "Americans are 'less embarassed and more impressed by by displays of skill' than the Brits". That's why there's a much larger amount of first-rate jazz soloists in the U.S., I believe. (Even if you take into account the relative size of the country.)

- On your second paragraph: what exactly do you suppose was "the mainstream" in the U.K. during the years 1973-1976, when prog rock reached the height of its popularity there? My guess is "the mainstream" consisted of teenybopper bands (Mud, the Rubettes), melodious rock (Elton John, Wings), crooners (Demis Roussos, Johnny Mathis or whatshisname etc.), glam rock (Bowie, Roxy, the Sweet) and commercial soul (Barry White). In other words, virtually none of what we now call "classic rock" (i.e. Led Zep, Deep Purple, Neil Young, the Who etc.) could strictly be called "the mainstream". Such acts were either too loud or too serious for the average listener. On the other hand, I clearly remember when I first went to London in 1975 (from Belgium, where I grew up), all the boutiques aimed at older teenagers (and Carnaby Street in particular) sold oodles of posters, T-shirts and memorabilia devoted to Led Zep, Pink Floyd and Yes. (It actually shocked me, as I'd always believed Yes was a minority interest.) Roger Dean posters were all over the place as well. So there must have been far more spotty kids than you'd imagine!"

Edited by fuxi - September 01 2010 at 10:44

lazland wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: I seem to recall the Beatles and others regarded as the "British Invasion".   And in return, you sent us The Monkees

And for that we are deeply sorry.   Actually I was rather fond of the Monkees as a kid.  And the movie they did called Head isn't too bad.

lazland wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: lazland wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: I seem to recall the Beatles and others regarded as the "British Invasion".   And in return, you sent us The Monkees And for that we are deeply sorry.   Actually I was rather fond of the Monkees as a kid.  And the movie they did called Head isn't too bad. I used to love the show as a kid - it was essential family viewing. I don't remember the movie.

Blacksword wrote: On the BBC's Prog Rock Britania program, Rick Wakemen makes a comment about how US audiences took to British prog when it came to their shores. He says there was a more broad acceptance of prog rock in the US music mainstream, because (and I paraphrase..) Americans are 'less embarassed and more impressed by by displays of skill' than the Brits. In the UK, alhtough the big prog bands of the day were shifting thousands of records and doing very well, their audiences were just spotty six form and college boys, and prog was never really part of the mainstream. Does anyone agree/disagree with Wakemans comments?

Edited by moshkito - September 01 2010 at 14:56

richardh wrote: The UK did have a proper appreciation of the music amongst music papers/critics and those who had a clue but the problem with this country has been the grip that radio has on deciding what is good or not in commercial terms.

moshkito wrote: Snow Dog wrote: Do you live in a fantasy world where everything you say is truth?   You obviously do, since you can't do/say anything except think that no one is right and you are the boss and a turkey!   Go ahead ... ban me ... I'm not the problem! And you're troll'ing! At least I am adding information material if anyone wants to check it out. And yes, I was in America and I lived through that time and had the albums ... and it may not be important to you to help LA bands fight for their rights, but it was to me, and many other smaller bands that never get a chance!   What would you care? You think "prog" is not music that means anything anyway except what?