Why do prog artists peak out?

Take into consideration the film director Stanley Kubrick. He never really 'peaked out' but he only made a movie every 5-7 years or so. 

I think some artists have remained consistent.   Some artists have remained
at top form (Magma, Hammill, Hawkwind).  I may be in the minority, but I'm not
too embarrassed by late Yes.  They have the spiritual thing down, as do I think
Magma, Hammill and Hawkwind.  When you lose that, you lose the source
of great music.  You can't make objects of great beauty unless you are feeling
beauty.  You can't feel beauty and live in a ratty attitude.

Edited by tamijo - December 16 2010 at 08:52

I think 'Peaking out ' happens when the band or artist moves on but the audience doesn't...Usually a composer or band  will say to themselves " Right, Ive done, that whats next?"   The audience thinks to themselves " Right, that was briliant! I want more of the same only better."  Pretty often the audience gets what they want, but if they dont then  "The band have peaked already"  All musicians and composers  hope that their audience will go with them on their musical journey, often though the audience have other ideas! and thats cool. Over the last forty years of LP buying I have to say though, I have caught up with LP's that I thought disappointing back in the day. Time can often heal the disparagement's in each ones perceptions. OUCH!  where did that one come from ? I need a beer!

Edited by Greenbubbleman - December 16 2010 at 11:32

I think that if prog will ever have it's own Beethoven, he will not peak up,bottom line it is a matter of genius

Okay, I see this thread as being mainly about   "wouldnt your compositional skill improve with age?".

Edited by Baggra - December 18 2010 at 21:56

Baggra wrote: Okay, I see this thread as being mainly about   "wouldnt your compositional skill improve with age?".   Getting past 50, technical skill may start going downhill and become unable to run side-by-side with creative competence (which ,as you say, may have even become BETTER with the passage of time.)

John McLaughlin..........the only guitarist that makes me want to put my guitar down and walk away. 

You also have to take into account that fact that classical compositions have had the luxury of passed time, and each piece can be judged individually based on its own merit. However, this is inapplicable to modern bands, and generally every band has a fanbase which has come to appreciate certain aspects of a bands sound, and, through the natural progression of time, this sound begins to evolve, mutate, and meld with other styles of music.  In its own right, and compared solely to its predecessors, this music may in the end have just as much compositional value as what came before.  But this change in sound will inevitable alienate many of a band's principle fans, who have come to expect a certain sound.  When this expectation goes unmet, it is inevitable that certain people will look down on what has been made.  This problem is furthered in a genre that holds bands that generally go unnoticed by the majority of the music listening community, and most of  a band's fans will have already come to appreciate the sound that is regarded as the band's forte.  Which is why, new fans to a band will generally love the first album they hear, because they were able to enjoy the sound without previous sentiments on what it should be, and are therefore able to listen without bias.

Edited by Porcupinetheater - February 27 2011 at 00:22

How can a progressive rock band continue to progress when the fans almost always want them to return to their "original" sound?


Edited by Valentino - March 01 2011 at 17:21