Was prog actually popular in the 70s??

dr wu23 wrote: The Dark Elf wrote: dr wu23 wrote: cstack3 wrote: dr wu23 wrote: Someone mentioned above if prog was popular these days and CStack said , a few posts down, that..... "Prog was extremely popular in Chicago, and still is. "    I think some prog  (the more mainstream bands) was certainly popular back then in many areas of the US ....but extremely?.. I'm not so sure about that. The masses at large listened to radio pop/rock more than prog imo. Well....what this forum calls "prog" WAS radio pop/rock in the1970's!   Notable examples included Yes' "Roundabout," Flash's "Small Beginnings," and Focus's "Hocus Pocus."   All those songs, and more, were in constant rotation on AM radio.   I guess you actually had to live through those times to appreciate it.  I'm really glad that I did. And I agree that some prog that crossed over into the mainstream was popular (usually singles culled from the LP's) but for the most part prog was not what most people listened to. And I did live through those times. Then you didn't live in the Chicago or Detroit areas. Were you living in Indiana at the time? Were you listening to John Cougar Mellencamp or something? I saw Tull, Yes, Genesis and Floyd while still in high school in the mid-70s. My friends went to see them. Their friends went to see them. The shows were sold out. They were events, not just concerts. People talked about the shows for months. When you say "prog was not what most people listened to", I believe that is a very subjective statement. I also saw Deep Purple, Sabbath, Robin Trower, David Bowie and Alice Cooper, and "most people" didn't listen to them either in the strictest sense of Fleetwood Mac or The Carpenters or Elton John or KISS or whatever pop band sold the most albums. Yet each of the bands I referred to had gold or platinum albums in that period and each received extensive airplay.  And you'd get your ass kicked playing a Carpenter's Album where I lived. Lived just south of Chicago and still live in the same general area in northwest Indiana  Saw Mellencamp at IU for a $2.00 cover charge  when he was still Cougar and was just a local bar act. Never was a big fan  when he became somebody. Saw the same bands you did and a few more...and they were generally sold out but that leaves a lot of people who didn't attend those shows. A lot of 'stoners' and long hairs (myself included) listened to prog in the old days but the straights usually did not and many of the people I knew did not listen to what we consider prog today but preferred classic rock and pop rock, etc. Never said some 'prog bands' weren't popular with a certain crowd but they weren't as popular as the mainstream bands.

Has the original question been satisfactorily answered yet?

bhikkhu wrote: ^^Must be something about Michigan. WLAV in Grand Rapids regularly played Gabriel era Genesis, Tull, Rush, Yes ELP, etc. into the '80s

 

In the early 70's..a massive amount of teenagers on the American east coast who were skilled musicians were forming Prog cover bands. Hundreds of musicians all over the road were playing Prog. Philadelphia, P.A., N.Y., N.J., Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, come to mind..but it was very huge in the South. It was totally insane to witness that amount of musicians playing prog. They were performing covers of Prog and writing their own music to work their way into the circuit for original acts. That was the basic method of accomplishment. It was possible to make over 500 hundred dollars a week and eventually a thousand. You could invest in your career along the way and still land a record contract and promotion. It was a vast Prog scene that inspired skilled musicians on the east coast to endlessly thrive on mastering all aspects of it. This went on for years until the industry dropped the Prog bands a level down to theatre bookings. Eventually by the early 80's..most Prog had the popularity of Univers Zero and everything remained underground from that point on with the exception of what is attributed to the Prog fests assembled in recent years. However..I find Prog bands performing at picnics to be unjust. Why not gamble and at least attempt to support Prog making life easier for people to digest it. Thousands were dropped into Prog years ago and the idea presents itself today as being farce and the past has no value because of that alone. No one with money at hand will gamble on a re-birth of it. Maybe a wealthy society will.

Edited by TODDLER - March 05 2014 at 11:33

No.
And in the 80's, there was no Hair Metal.
In the seventies, There was no Hard Rock.
In the sixties, there was no Rock N' Roll.
In the fifties, there was no Jazz.
In the fourties, there was no Swing (or was that fifties?)
In the 30s, whatever there was then, that was even slightly rockin', it didn't happen.
DON'T YOU GET IT?!
THE ONLY MUSIC THAT EVER EXISTED WAS DAVID AND THE HARP!!
EVER!!

My other drastic opinion would be that no music existed before 1980, considering the large quantity of lame hard rock bands in the 70s, and the lack thereof of any music of the "Heavy" nature before 1970, however, that opinion is one that gets you the WRONG PLACES in a forum, especially a Prog Forum, so that was not the opinion I elected to joking state, mostly because it's surprisingly accurate, and just may get mistaken for my actual attitude.

These two would be my drastic opinions.
My actual opinion?
Well, lets just say before 1980, it gets pretty sparse in the territory of me liking it.
However, that, of course, does not mean music created before 1980 is not "Real", but it does mean that it is UNBEARABLE and probably should be eradicated from the earth. At least, to me

In retrospect: Close to the Edge would be the sole exception that comes to mind for my "1980" rule of thumb, coming in at a measly 1972!
I mean, it is Prog and all, but that doesn't mean it can't still be good!
However, lets face it, in all honestly, even Judas Priest's 1978 Hell Bent For Leather was, at times, pretty lame.
I mean, sure, maybe it's actually pretty good, if you ignore the fact that "Delivering The Goods" is the best track, and that it seems like a early, lamer version of "Breaking the Law", with an annoying sexual theme, but lets face it, anything that came out before 1980 just didn't really have the quality standards that things did by at least 1984.

Consider the quantities of awesome things coming out by 1985!
Stryper's "Soldiers Under Command" (1985), Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force's "Marching Out" (1985), even Tony Carey's "Some Tough City" (1984), even if it was a little on the softer side.
Try to think of that many awesome albums before 1980.
For me, it's impossible.
As much as I want to say they aren't there, I'm sure there are some ultra-awesome Prog masterpieces, at least in some opinions, that came out before 1980.

But I guess what I'm saying is, for me, right now, thinking of anything all that great before 1980 (before 1981, really), is impossible.

Feel free to slam me with a bucketload of Prog albums that go over my head.

StaaVi



Edited by StaaViinsZ - March 05 2014 at 18:59

Wow.......

StaaViinsZ wrote: No. And in the 80's, there was no Hair Metal. In the seventies, There was no Hard Rock. In the sixties, there was no Rock N' Roll. In the fifties, there was no Jazz. In the fourties, there was no Swing (or was that fifties?) In the 30s, whatever there was then, that was even slightly rockin', it didn't happen. DON'T YOU GET IT?! THE ONLY MUSIC THAT EVER EXISTED WAS DAVID AND THE HARP!! EVER!! My other drastic opinion would be that no music existed before 1980, considering the large quantity of lame hard rock bands in the 70s, and the lack thereof of any music of the "Heavy" nature before 1970, however, that opinion is one that gets you the WRONG PLACES in a forum, especially a Prog Forum, so that was not the opinion I elected to joking state, mostly because it's surprisingly accurate, and just may get mistaken for my actual attitude. These two would be my drastic opinions. My actual opinion? Well, lets just say before 1980, it gets pretty sparse in the territory of me liking it. However, that, of course, does not mean music created before 1980 is not "Real", but it does mean that it is UNBEARABLE and probably should be eradicated from the earth. At least, to me In retrospect: Close to the Edge would be the sole exception that comes to mind for my "1980" rule of thumb, coming in at a measly 1972! I mean, it is Prog and all, but that doesn't mean it can't still be good! However, lets face it, in all honestly, even Judas Priest's 1978 Hell Bent For Leather was, at times, pretty lame. I mean, sure, maybe it's actually pretty good, if you ignore the fact that "Delivering The Goods" is the best track, and that it seems like a early, lamer version of "Breaking the Law", with an annoying sexual theme, but lets face it, anything that came out before 1980 just didn't really have the quality standards that things did by at least 1984. Consider the quantities of awesome things coming out by 1985! Stryper's "Soldiers Under Command" (1985), Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force's "Marching Out" (1985), even Tony Carey's "Some Tough City" (1984), even if it was a little on the softer side. Try to think of that many awesome albums before 1980. For me, it's impossible. As much as I want to say they aren't there, I'm sure there are some ultra-awesome Prog masterpieces, at least in some opinions, that came out before 1980. But I guess what I'm saying is, for me, right now, thinking of anything all that great before 1980 (before 1981, really), is impossible. Feel free to slam me with a bucketload of Prog albums that go over my head. StaaVi

This post is a piping hot cup of win.

Padraic wrote: This post is a piping hot cup of win.

Excuse my cluelessness, but what does that mean exactly?

The Dark Elf wrote: No sense in doing  that. You are amusing just the way you are.

And that comment right there shows that this forum is composed of people over 40.
Any other forum would've whopped me over the head with joyous disdain.
This forum? Wow, the people are so... nice here.




Edited by StaaViinsZ - March 06 2014 at 00:11

 let's see.... Gamma Ray are not Prog and never will be, and they certainly were not popular in the 70s.