Was prog actually popular in the 70s??

Rando wrote: Ya, there were also these great independently owned record shops that catered to prog.  Greg Stone either owned - or worked at - one in downtown Los Gatos called "The Galactic Zoo" (where I bought "Pawn Hearts").  In West San Jose you had "The Dedicated Record Collector".  Downtown near San Jose State University was "Underground Records" (where I bought all my King Crimson bootlegs).  And in Sunnyvale near my house was "Phonograph Records".  I rode my 10 speed down one early September Saturday in 1977 and told the guy behind the counter I'd seen some really cool album covers from some band called King Crimson, and asked if he could tell me anything about them.  He get's this evil smile and says, "I'll put something on so you can hear them for yourself"  He then dropped the needle on Fracture and changed my life     Wow! This is crazy!  In '94 I moved to San Jose and taught HS there in Campbell steps away from Los Gatos. I lived off Blossom Hill Rd. Sad to say but  by the time I moved there it was a little too late to catch The Galactic Zoo and most of those other stores. All I could do was sit there and listen to great stories from friends about the late 70's and how these record stores had the best Prog. By mid-90's the only stores left for me were Streetlight Records, Big Al's Record Barn, and Rasputin, all on Bascom Ave. Well, there was one other one, Rowes Rare Records which was ok. Maybe we crossed paths at some point! Even if it was the mid-90's when I got there!

I lived in Campbell and went to Jr High (82-84) in Los Gatos (Rolling Hills).  Wasn't in to prog at the time, though.

Hey Kati if you're from Mozambique then I'm from Planet Kepler 62. I actually saw ELP at the Saddledome in Calgary Alberta Canada. The promoter had to comp more than half of the tickets in order to make it look like there was an audience. This was '97 or '98 I believe. Shortly thereafter he had to cancel a Yes show because he was afraid that he would lose his shirt. Anybody like Terry Clark, Garth Brooks or KD Lang sell out the Saddledome in less than 20 minutes. I think that Celine   sold it out online in a matter of seconds in the early 2000s. just depends what part of the world and what decade you are in.

Edited by Vibrationbaby - August 05 2013 at 23:38

infocat wrote: The.Crimson.King wrote: The coolest thing CD Warehouse ever did was when Marillion came through town on the "Seasons End" tour.  They played a small club in Santa Clara called The Cabaret on a Thur night, then Fri at 11am Hogarth, Rothery and Trewavis played an acoustic set on this tiny stage in the store.  A few years ago the store changed focus from prog & metal to hip hop & rap for a short time then went out of business.  That's what they get for turning their backs on prog fans  CD Warehouse!  I frequented that from 89-91.  I remember that Marillion show (at the Caberet; didn't know about the other) as well, mostly because I was not yet 21 and could not attend!! Did you listen to Stone Trek at the time?  That's what got me in to prog.

Edited by The.Crimson.King - August 06 2013 at 00:38

Prog will always be popular

Rando wrote: infocat wrote: Rando wrote: [QUOTE] I lived in Campbell and went to Jr High (82-84) in Los Gatos (Rolling Hills).  Wasn't in to prog at the time, though. Amazing. I started out teaching at Prospect then ended up at Leigh HS. (Now we're talking late '93, way after your Jr High years). Originally I was living in the Aptos/Santa Cruz area doing these insane M-F commutes via Hwy 17. Eventually moved into Los Gatos/Campbell area and I loved it. I loved Vasona Park! There was a great coffee-house at a place called The PruneYard. Meantime as a transplant I was doing my best to catch up with the scene with the help from a few friends. It was a crazy first year there what with work and settling in. One of my co-worker/teacher friends was also a  big Prog fanatic and he had this big bag filled with loads of cassette recordings of The Stone Trek Sunday night show! That was my introduction to Stone Trek Hour via cassette recordings!

Do you guys that collected prog in the seventies ever remember seeing in a store or hearing on the radio Helmut Koellen's solo album You Won't See Me?

[/QUOTE]Remember Tower Records across the street from The Pruneyard?  It was the place to go for vinyl in the 70's and CD's in the mid 80's to mid 90's.  In fact, Tower was always so insanely busy the residential neighborhood behind them had the Campbell police setup and enforce no parking zones.  Tower always had an outstanding import section with plenty of hard to find prog and shirts and eventually video...they also had a Ticketmaster booth too.  Same with their Mt View store.  Then Rasputin Records opened up a massive storefront just a half block away and did something Tower hadn't tried yet, used CD's.  Tower eventually tried to compete in the used CD biz, but the locals knew you got the best trade in prices from Rasputin, and they eventually crushed Tower out of business.  To add insult to injury, Rasputin then took over the Tower Store in Mt View too [/QUOTE]

Yes, I loved the place. The routine was Pruneyard coffee first...then off to Tower Records w/coffee in hand. I always kept forgetting the 'no food or drinks allowed!' which they always reminded me! lol! Yes, you're right, it was always packed every time I went there. I remember more than a few times Campbell police were inside the store trying to escort some 'crazy person' out of there screaming he was son of 'Jimi Hendrix!. So there was drama inside the store as well!

Absolutely, Tower had a fantastic import section. It was the best Tower Records I'd ever been to. I never made it to the Mt. View store, but anything prog-related, electronic, or obscure, and I would find it there on CD. I even discovered new stuff by what they were playing over the store speakers as well, like '808 State,' 'Single Gun Theory,' to name a few. Great video selection. It sort of became my one-stop shopping place for gifts like shirts. So when i first heard about "Tower Records going of business," really took me by surprise. To me Tower had always been king since the 70's! It was the end of an era. And the beginning of the used CD phenomena
Yes, Rasputin Records, named after Russia's 'evil monk!' carried out it's evil by crushing Tower Records! And in a big way! I wonder who'll be next!

Rando wrote: Absolutely, Tower had a fantastic import section. It was the best Tower Records I'd ever been to. I never made it to the Mt. View store, but anything prog-related, electronic, or obscure, and I would find it there on CD. I even discovered new stuff by what they were playing over the store speakers as well, like '808 State,' 'Single Gun Theory,' to name a few. Great video selection. It sort of became my one-stop shopping place for gifts like shirts. So when i first heard about "Tower Records going of business," really took me by surprise. To me Tower had always been king since the 70's! It was the end of an era. And the beginning of the used CD phenomena

Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. was legendary. They actually had a (gasp) electronic music section (not "Depeche Mode" electronic). Really sad to see that chain go. I made it to one store and the blowout prices they had were pretty mindblowing. The lines at the registers were looong!

verslibre wrote: Rando wrote: Absolutely, Tower had a fantastic import section. It was the best Tower Records I'd ever been to. I never made it to the Mt. View store, but anything prog-related, electronic, or obscure, and I would find it there on CD. I even discovered new stuff by what they were playing over the store speakers as well, like '808 State,' 'Single Gun Theory,' to name a few. Great video selection. It sort of became my one-stop shopping place for gifts like shirts. So when i first heard about "Tower Records going of business," really took me by surprise. To me Tower had always been king since the 70's! It was the end of an era. And the beginning of the used CD phenomena Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. was legendary. They actually had a (gasp) electronic music section (not "Depeche Mode" electronic). Really sad to see that chain go. I made it to one store and the blowout prices they had were pretty mindblowing. The lines at the registers were looong!

Ya, in SF the big Tower Records was on "Columbus and Bay" which I think is near Fisherman's Wharf.  Took a drive up there once and it was really great.

Rando wrote:

Remember Tower Records across the street from The Pruneyard?  It was the place to go for vinyl in the 70's and CD's in the mid 80's to mid 90's.  In fact, Tower was always so insanely busy the residential neighborhood behind them had the Campbell police setup and enforce no parking zones.  Tower always had an outstanding import section with plenty of hard to find prog and shirts and eventually video...they also had a Ticketmaster booth too.  Same with their Mt View store.  Then Rasputin Records opened up a massive storefront just a half block away and did something Tower hadn't tried yet, used CD's.  Tower eventually tried to compete in the used CD biz, but the locals knew you got the best trade in prices from Rasputin, and they eventually crushed Tower out of business.  To add insult to injury, Rasputin then took over the Tower Store in Mt View too [/QUOTE]

Yes, I loved the place. The routine was Pruneyard coffee first...then off to Tower Records w/coffee in hand. I always kept forgetting the 'no food or drinks allowed!' which they always reminded me! lol! Yes, you're right, it was always packed every time I went there. I remember more than a few times Campbell police were inside the store trying to escort some 'crazy person' out of there screaming he was son of 'Jimi Hendrix!. So there was drama inside the store as well!

Absolutely, Tower had a fantastic import section. It was the best Tower Records I'd ever been to. I never made it to the Mt. View store, but anything prog-related, electronic, or obscure, and I would find it there on CD. I even discovered new stuff by what they were playing over the store speakers as well, like '808 State,' 'Single Gun Theory,' to name a few. Great video selection. It sort of became my one-stop shopping place for gifts like shirts. So when i first heard about "Tower Records going of business," really took me by surprise. To me Tower had always been king since the 70's! It was the end of an era. And the beginning of the used CD phenomena
Yes, Rasputin Records, named after Russia's 'evil monk!' carried out it's evil by crushing Tower Records! And in a big way! I wonder who'll be next!

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