Why isn't prog popular?

Slaughternalia wrote: Alitare wrote: colorofmoney91 wrote: I think the elaborate nature of prog is too "out-there" compared to what most people usually grow up listening to. Most people seem to want to listen to quick, catchy tunes that are for the sake of fun rather than interesting and elaborate artworks.  Fortunately, some of the modern bands like Coheed & Cambria and Porcupine Tree blend the elaborate songwriting with the modern pop sensibilities and it doesn't sound bad.  Why do 'interesting and elaborate artworks' have to not be quick, catchy, or fun? I want to make two minute prog epics. I want sweeping, overblown, monolithic, expansive, complex, technical, intricate, but catchy, melodic, and beautiful songs, none over two minutes. I'm sure you do

Yes it is, if you open your mind to it. I want massive shifts and dynamics and epic feelings and deep swayings...in two minutes.

^^^ Not TWO minutes, but if we stretch it to four minutes - the average length of a pop/rock song since about the 70s - we get Boys in the Band, Trees, Sat in Your Lap, Clocks, Supertwister, In this Quiet Earth to name a few.  These may not tick all of Alitaire's boxes - as if those are that important anyway - but if the point is to compress prog intrigue into pop 'lengths', it's definitely possible.  Oh, come to think of it, even ABBA's Intermezzo No.1 (and hear it PROPERLY before you go ABBA LOLZZ).  That is, there is no reason why every prog rock song has to be 15-20 minute sprawl, which I guess is his point.

Edited by rogerthat - June 16 2011 at 00:56

frippism wrote: Alitare wrote: Yes it is, if you open your mind to it. I want massive shifts and dynamics and epic feelings and deep swayings...in two minutes. That is more or less your average Cardiacs song... no joke

Haha. Good joke.

I still think it's for a huge part that it is not catchy. On my party I played on of my prog cd's. (dumpest thing you can do on a party) Right away a few people walked to my and asked if I had some REAL music. I said listen to de music, feel the music, try to understand it. "we don't have time for that' they anweserd, 'it sound more like a orchestra then a band'! Just becaus songs are longer then 4 minutes they are not a band? I didn't get it!

DaniMoon wrote: Prog music is a culture, a musical genre for the open mind.  Prog lyrics tell a story.  It's like watching a live play and getting involved with the characters.  Some of my friends would never sit through a play with me, they think plays are boring and nerdy.  They think I'm weird cos I listen to "Nursery Cryme" by Genesis.  I think they're weird cos they listen to gangster rap like, "yo let's rape us some biatches and shoot some homies, yo"

While I agree with Alitaire's sentiments, I do not see the point in sh*tting on people who are enthusiastic about prog, provided that they do not think that the lyrics are the deepest thing evar, and that prog stands above all other forms of music.

I say this in part because while I recognize that the vast majority of prog is plagued by lyrics that range from bad to meh, there is great value in the music and I do think that from a strictly musical perspective prog as a whole is among the more interesting forms of music.

For a non-lyrically concerned listener, while Oldham's music, for instance, has an immediate beauty that beauty plays a more cathartic or therapeutic role that allows the listener to lose oneself in. Whereas a good chunk of prog cannot play this role, because of its musical structure, and thus must be appreciated not simply as a means of catharsis but as something that requires active listening, rather than passive therapeutic listening.

I think that one reason for prog's lack of popularity is its inability to be used as a means towards immediate catharsis.

If I am stressed and just want a release I am going to put on some Sparklehorse, Nick Drake, Red House Painters, or Dead Can Dance rather than Henry Cow or Magma......

Of course there is some prog that can play that cathartic role but it seems that it is the minority rather than the majority.


Edited by QuestionableScum - June 22 2011 at 11:11

Well record companies have a hard time marketing progressive bands because most people today don't have the patience to listen to lengthier pieces. Most people, especially young people, want just short, quick songs that also are heavy. Most progressive bands are melodic and are for listening to not just backround noise at a party. Most of popular music these days has to be either over-produced or overtly heavy to get over these days which is not the case with most progressive bands. 

How about "Jugband Blues" by Pink Floyd? It's not two minutes (it about 2:59 in length) but it's a good starting point.

is not popular because is not fast food music is very complicated and most people dont find it simply apeticing they mostly go for repetitive good for the ear simple sound that it will go forgotten the next day,,it's better this ways that only true lovers get to listen to it