Is classical influence essential to prog rock?

Polymorphia wrote: Not a whole lot of countries had their own form of classical music before the introduction of Western classical music. (And I don't know if the term "classical" has any relevance to gamelan music).

cstack3 wrote: Here's some classical Andean prog-music for ya!  I love these guys, they show up all over the place!  ........

Edited by Rick Robson - March 02 2014 at 21:08

cstack3 wrote: Rick Robson wrote: cstack3 wrote: Here's some classical Andean prog-music for ya!  I love these guys, they show up all over the place!  ........   If you really love these guys then you should recommend them to take off the drums from the band, at least from this song btw superb!, for the sake of the music they play, in which i didn't felt ANY prog element at all. Agua Clara is for me another typical example of andean "root" folklore suited let's say to "pop", which such kind of "adaptation" you can see further more explored in the bolivian andean folkloric group Los Kjarkas. But i always loved when Los Kjarkas played the pure andean "root" folklore, it is MUCH more beautiful and have a unique atmosphere of deep though melancholic melodies that really catches my spirit.   This kind of music can NOT be mixed at all neither with electric guitar nor with drums, for the sake of their so special and spirituous sound, one of my favourites, any possible prog genre born from these folk elements should never be called Andean prog-music at all.   Some songs they composed, like this one bellow, have for me more value than many of the prog rock songs that have so frequent worship here in this forum.  Thanks!  I consider this progressive....you don't find much electricity up in the Andes mountains!  I've never seen them with a drum set, but I was in a hurry to post something.   It's interesting....I was in Exeter, Devon UK in the early 1990's and heard a very similar band playing identical songs!   I do play some of Agua Clara music on electric guitar, and jam to some of it.  It makes a very nice change from Western European musical idioms.  I suppose this is lumped into "world music," which is not a phrase I always like to use.

Malmsteen is not prog though. He is, perhaps more poignantly was, a hyperspeed shredder.

StaaViinsZ wrote: Really though, listen to "I'll See The Light Tonight" from Marching Out and tell me he wasn't mondo dope on his second album.

He was--  unfortunately the production sounds like sh*t compared to the debut, not sure what happened.   No Barriemore Barlow of course, and that hack Soto on vocals.

Guldbamson wrote: Malmsteen is not prog though. He is, perhaps more poignantly was, a hyperspeed shredder.

Well now, saying Malmsteen is not Prog is just a little.. FORWARD, wouldn't you say, "GULDBAMSON"?
I always thought Malmsteen was at least a little Prog-- if on the Metal side of things.
I guess you could say he's deserving of the title "Honorary Prog Metaller", simply for pioneering (to my knowledge) the usage of classical compositions in Metal music, even if usually only in ultra-fast solos.
But in all honestly, I suppose 'Ol Ing Vay is about as Prog as Golden Resurrection (someone please tell me they've heard of them).

Atavachron wrote: He was--  unfortunately the production sounds like crap compared to the debut, not sure what happened.   No Barriemore Barlow of course, and that hack Soto on vocals.

As for the production, I can't say, but I didn't find it objectionable.

I haven't gotten around to hearing the debut yet, mostly because it seemed like it would be the exact same thing, just with 3/4ths of the stuff being instrumental, and yes, that can be a disadvantage when it comes to Mother Malm.
An example of Ein-STEEN's instrumental gone bad would be, again, from Marching Out, "Overture 1383" .
Lets face it, the thing starts off strong, but then plods off for about 10 years with some slow classical piece played on electric guitar, mercifully cut short at the 2:59 mark before the crowd began to chant "We Want Metal!"
However, that example is very A-typical for Malmsteen, as his instrumentals, at least most of the newer ones, tend to be much more high-energy than that particularly lame one.

As for the vocals, I can't say I know who Barriemore Barlow is, although I probably should, but I'll go out on a limb and say he probably sang for Steening-malmvay on, say, Odyssey or Trilogy.

Personally, comparing the vocals from the first two albums to those such as Trilogy, I'd have to say whoever was on Trilogy was the HACK, not Soto. In fact, I find myself discouraged to buy any of Wayving Buzzsteen's later albums because they all seem to have a lame vocal in comparison to Soto.
I guess it's just what you get used to. I heard Marching Out first. Did you hear Trilogy or whatever else first?

Oh, and of course appreciate the agreement with my so Politically Neutral statement of "Mondo Dope".

Polymorphia wrote: Don't bring the shred into this now.

I take it bringing in Brother Steen was a BIG NO-NO for the "classically influenced Prog-Rock" thread?

Like, one that might have disastrous results?

Barlow was the drummer; he was also in a little band called Jethro Tull and he helped make the debut so good... which  you haven't heard.   It's one of the best things to come out of the 80s (and of course set off a wave off copycats not seen since the first Van Halen LP).   Marching Out kinda paled in comparison.

Well, regardless, vocals on Trilogy were kinda lame, at least when coming off the high that Soto was.
I personally think that it all came together perfectly on Marching Out-- but I think Rising Force could potentially be great too. It's pretty cheap on E-music, so maybe someday soon, I'll let you know.

ExittheLemming wrote: ^ Technical virtuosity alone is not sufficient criteria for someone to be deemed a Prog musician (in the same way that being a speed typist doesn't necessarily make you an author)

Nice.

StaaViinsZ wrote: But... What does Lithe mean?

Edited by Dean - March 06 2014 at 02:40

Dean wrote: Supple and graceful.

Thank you! So... Gimme Gracefulness Next?
That's... weird...