The 80s..the worst era for prog.

Colin Newman released a really great album in 1986, called Commercial Suicide, and was
very much a "progressive" rock album, but more from a Brian Eno angle. 

The embed isn't working for me so hopefully these links will do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jR3_RhgM8A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOMvJt2CVj8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PofN0N30CvA

Yes, I think what's called "post punk" really sucked up the mental energy in the 80's.
Coming from a solid prog background, I followed Eno, Gabriel and Fripp in interviews
to the Heads, Devo, then went into bands like Teardrop Explodes, Joy Division, early Cure,
Echo and the Bunnymen, The Stranglers, and I did like the first polyrock album when it came out.


Check out the first part of this one by Newman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai242oPDOQc&playnext=1&list=PL23A48C82D321CFAC

Some of Newman's better stuff isn't on youtube, but here are a few more of interest to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt3jASQyKeA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltOjOxgj96Y&feature=related

topographicbroadways wrote: rogerthat wrote: topographicbroadways wrote: The Block wrote: Iron Maiden anyone? Though some say it isn't "prog enough"  People say that? ...Just wow. the stupidity of some peoples prejudices is baffling. If Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son was released in 1976 it would have 5 stars and people reviewing it every day. Prog is Prog whatever the decade  Seventh Son is not all that much more prog than Sabotage or Rising and I don't think those too are considered pure prog albums, more like prog related.  It's the same argument that can be brought up with Floyd albums but I think in terms of the music and the way it is presented it is a very progressive album. Iron Maiden aren't a pure prog band but this album to me definitely goes down as Prog Metal

Floyd's The Wall was the best thing that came from the 80s... and also, me.

But there's also a lot of great stuff from Zappa, various Miles Davis live recordings, John Scofield, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Cardiacs, KC, ZZ Top, Dire Straits, Bill Frisell, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Motorhead, and some stuff from Pat Metheny.

And hellooo?? Bon Jovi?


Edited by EchidnasArf - July 18 2011 at 19:49

Some true advances for Prog in the 1980s:

Final Cut
Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking

Talk Talk

the song Echoes by Camel (Sweet Quetzalcoatl!)

ELO's Time

Yes, Genesis in the 1980s, but it is contradictory

Marrillion, Clutching at Straws, etc.

Peter Gabriel Melt, yes

.... so there is some, plus 90125 and Momentary Lapse which fuse the best of the bad 80s with Prog sensibilities (rather like Genesis).

May I say that I also find it rather sad that people are again and again attacking the 80s, like they were expecting bands to create the same stuff that they created in the 70s. There was great stuff in the 70s, and there was great stuff in the 80s, and sometimes it just came from different places. You can't just think that Yes sold out and PF sold out and there was just neo-prog... I think most proggers tag the 80s as bad without really thinking of the piles and piles of crap produced every decade and the respectable amount of great stuff in every decade. Do most proggers deny that disco and Kiss were in the 70s???

Rock music prob. declined some in quality (in general but not allways) in the 80's, but POP on the other hand improved quite a bit, compares to the 70's

^ and some of the best...

^ apart from Captain Beefheart and Residents the bands I frequently listen to are post 70s

Reading through this thread has been painful. Oh, the joys of internet arguments...