Why classic prog faded?

progbethyname wrote: Snow Dog wrote: ^No. That is from Union Thank you friend. Some other notable popper YES songs that are great. RHYTHM OF LOVE, IT CAN HAPPEN, LEAVE IT( huge guilty pleasure) and Show me. Should I be taken out back and shot in the head for having an appreciation for these tracks?

Dean wrote: Aquiring the Taste wrote: The songs were getting simpler in an attempt to grab a wider audience - though, as John Weathers admits, 'the died-in -the wool fans seemed to like if as intricate as possible.' It was a gamble that failed to pay off here as Genesis - the band so often racked alongside them in the shops - got the vote. 'It was going to be them or us - we were pulling the same size crowds in America and Britain, the same people were buying our records as theirs, and they cracked it because the went commercial about two years earlier.' Of the five Giant members featured here, only Weathers - who replaced Dire Straits-bound Terry Williams on the drum stool for Man - is still on the road. Yet 'The Power and the Glory', a more rounded and consistent album than its predecessor if a degree or two less intricate, stands proudly in its own right as a rewarding piece of progressive rock from one of the genre's master groups. - Michael Heatley. Many thanks for their assistance to John Weathers and Alan Kinsman. I either don't get this or I have misunderstood... The Power & The Glory was 1974 - which would make Foxtrot Genesis's "commercial" album - neither band went "pop" until much later.

I think he(John Weathers) was referring to a little later on in the decade. I'm not sure exactly when he thinks Genesis "went commercial" but I would guess around "trick of the tail" or "Wind and Wuthering." I think he's referring more to a band's sound than commercial success by itself. Free Hand from 1975 was number 48 on the charts while Selling England from about a year and a half earlier was number 70 so that would rule chart success out. However, by 77/78 GG were becoming more commercial sounding while sales started to plummet while Genesis were gradually becoming bigger with increasing sales and a more commercial sound. Maybe around 71-75 they both had approximately the same popularity but by the time Phil Collins became Genesis' lead singer they were clearly the winners with big arenas and gold albums right around the corner.


Edited by Prog_Traveller - November 28 2012 at 17:10

silveraindrop75 wrote: all movements fade and morph. nothing stays the same. it never faded, it just changed, and so did the mediums used to present it. you could just as easily stay that it's still here to some degree, and argue that it never faded completely.

cstack3 wrote: progbethyname wrote: Snow Dog wrote: ^No. That is from Union Thank you friend. Some other notable popper YES songs that are great. RHYTHM OF LOVE, IT CAN HAPPEN, LEAVE IT( huge guilty pleasure) and Show me. Should I be taken out back and shot in the head for having an appreciation for these tracks? Not a bit, I also love those tracks!  "It Can Happen" is my favorite Yes song from the Rabin era.   Maybe we make too much of the "classic prog faded" phenomenon...disco faded, punk faded, rap is now fading etc.  All music seems to ebb & flow, but really strong composition seems to last.   Look at the interest in the 40th anniversary of CTTE for example.  This is a brilliant interview with Yes (excluding Squire for some reason) that I posted elsewhere.  http://www.inthestudio.net/redbeards-blog/yes-close-edge-40th-anniversary/ If marijuana becomes widely legalized in the US, I'll bet we will see a rebirth of classic prog!

Great. I get to save my head then!? Lol. Alright. Also, thank you for the interview link. I like band drama sometimes. :)

Atavachron wrote: cstack3 wrote: Look at the interest in the 40th anniversary of CTTE for example.  This is a brilliant interview with Yes (excluding Squire for some reason) that I posted elsewhere.  http://www.inthestudio.net/redbeards-blog/yes-close-edge-40th-anniversary/ Very good, though I'm reminded what a pompous ass Bruford is.

twosteves wrote: Atavachron wrote: cstack3 wrote: Look at the interest in the 40th anniversary of CTTE for example.  This is a brilliant interview with Yes (excluding Squire for some reason) that I posted elsewhere.  http://www.inthestudio.net/redbeards-blog/yes-close-edge-40th-anniversary/ Very good, though I'm reminded what a pompous ass Bruford is. Love Bruford--Yes were all full of themselves back in the day with big giant egos--somehow I think Bill had his more in perspective---- all the Yes guys have said similar things to say about Jon (that he would come in with a little vague idea and the other four turned it into something) and the way he worked being the dictator of the group---suffice it to say that Yes was not a disciplined group---and I guess pompous ass Fripp ran a more disciplined ship that suited Bill.

Nothing suited Bill, that's why he's been mostly solo for as long as he has.  Have you heard the live Bruford recordings?  He goes on and on about how wonderful and intriguing he is.   Arrogant fop.

Prog_Traveller wrote: I met Bill briefly in person and can't really disagree with that comment. I don't know him well enough to say he's full of himself but to call him arrogant wouldn't be a stretch. He's also a bit of a hot head and snapped at me when I asked him when he might record new material. Apparently a new lineup of his band Earthworks had just formed. He probably mentioned it but I missed it and he got kind of agitated and said "Jesus Christ man, we just put this band together........." I got his autograph just before asking him that and almost regret standing in line and getting it. Oh well. Fripp and Fish were even weirder but also not very friendly. At least BB spoke to me. LOL.

Well sorry to hear that. Hey, maybe classic rock fade because the artists became cynical a****les! ,

Anyway, I thought Fish would have been a cool guy. Guess not.

silverpot wrote: progbethyname wrote: Prog_Traveller wrote: I met Bill briefly in person and can't really disagree with that comment. I don't know him well enough to say he's full of himself but to call him arrogant wouldn't be a stretch. He's also a bit of a hot head and snapped at me when I asked him when he might record new material. Apparently a new lineup of his band Earthworks had just formed. He probably mentioned it but I missed it and he got kind of agitated and said "Jesus Christ man, we just put this band together........." I got his autograph just before asking him that and almost regret standing in line and getting it. Oh well. Fripp and Fish were even weirder but also not very friendly. At least BB spoke to me. LOL.  Well sorry to hear that. Hey, maybe classic rock fade because the artists became cynical a****les! , Anyway, I thought Fish would have been a cool guy. Guess not. Well, I guess this goes for most successful artists, if you don't have a 110% faith in yourself and your abilities, you'd not have the courage to put your work on display. And when you do get lots of acclaim, your ego grows even larger. I find Bill Bruford to be rather entertaining to listen to, he really is a rather cynical guy, but I appreciate his integrity. After a whole life in the music business, I think he has a healthy distance to it all.

Do you think when meeting your heroes you could have the most original questions for them, or would you ask the same questions they'd been asked a million times before by all the other fans who thought they'd ask the most original questions in the whole world?