When prog was dangerous

The evening I came home from school with a copy of Jethro Tull's Aqualung tucked underneath my arm, I wrote to my sister at her university to tell her I'd bought it and what a great album it was. Her reply: "Don't let Mum catch you with it!"

I think my sister was referring to the album's bitter take on religion. Or perhaps of Aqualung "eyeing little girls with bad intent."

What prog have you enjoyed which is mad, bad, and dangerous to own?

I'd say some of the more extremely noisy avant garde stuff I have is the closest I come to having prog music that would offend anybody. Maybe some of Yoko Ono's stuff.  Not on a morality basis, of course, but I can imagine someone getting angry if I subjected certain Faust or Yoko songs to them.   It's a strange question actually, because for quite a long time now, my progressive music listening has been a very solitary affair, so there's no one to offend.  I have a family now, but if they're in the room, I'll play something more easily digestible for them.  No need to torture their ear drums.   Although sometimes I'll play Yoko Ono in the car to drown out my daughter if she's being too whiny and ornery.  the purpose is twofold:  a) to drown her out, b) to show her what she sounds like.


Edited by HolyMoly - March 08 2013 at 13:26

Once I was banned for dedicating to someone this song:

I don't think prog was too dangerous. But as singers-songwriters and good rock music in general (when it became mature enough to talk about serious things) it has rebellion spirit and nonconformism - things always dangerous to the powers that be.

Oddly enough, it wasn't the heavier stuff that bothered my mum so much, she was a big fan of early Santana and had no issues with 70's prog. It was the industrial stuff I listened to that unnerved her, particularly Skinny Puppy. I remember playing Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse in the car and she thought it was the voice of "the devil".

As for my two toddlers, they definitely have issues with Opeth when, as the older one refers to as "Monster Mike", he growls. Heritage is fine, but look out when I put on Blackwater Park...it's almost become my 'punishment album', although I really don't wish to traumatize my kids through music. It freaks them out, which I suppose isn't a surprise since their favorite group is Jpop trio Perfume.