The intergenerational appeal of progressive music

I get the impression that to most people my generation (born in 1988), The Stooges and The Velvet Underground hold much higher status than The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. Same thing with Iggy Pop and David Bowie viz Bob Dylan, or Krautrock viz Anglo-prog, they aren't seen as "a previous generation's music" the same way.

Then again, the social circles I move in are somewhat more culturally élite than the rest of the population being mostly other humanities-educated academics for the most part, so I'm not sure if they're an useful cultural barometre of their generation.

Well two things that I know for sure. 1) Symphonic and  Electric prog is considered to sound very dated by younger people. (I'm using my sons and their friends as examples, and that is quite alright with me. My father listened to Enrico Caruso records himself, and had a stroke with any music that contained more electric equipment than a 'phonograph'.)

Edited by SteveG - March 06 2015 at 09:49

micky wrote: Blacksword wrote: emigre80 wrote: When I ask my 23-year-old daughter what music we should listen to while driving, her response is "Anything but Yes."  So classic symphonic prog is certainly the less likely subgenre to appeal to the younger generation in our household.  Admittedly a small and purely anecdotal sample. She may just find their sound annoying. They're quite unique among symphonic bands. I can only listen to so much Yes before it starts irritating me. Does she like any other classic bands. She may prefer Genesis.. especially if she suffers from insomnia!!!

^^^  I agree.  What happened is rock and metal went industrial in the 80s.  As you mentioned, an emphasis on minimalism also got wider acceptance in the 90s (which was already the norm in punk based genres).  Seen in this light, Wetton-KC appears to anticipate this trend and thus acquires the character of intergenerational appeal. But it is possible that rock may take a different direction in future that rejects this approach and thus makes Wetton-KC unappealing for that generation.  

My own experience was that I wasn't into the first wave of prog until it was supposedly killed by punk in the late '80's.  I embraced the classic prog artists for a while even when they succumbed to commecialitis, then I moved on to newer artists who, may or may not be considered officially prog.  The advent of the internet opened me up to artists who I didn't encounter through friends.  I don't have kids but have been pleasantly surprised to see another generation embracing newer prog and older prog.  I have no use for people who think the only good prog happened in the '70's.  The whole embrace of prog never was about being close minded...

Raccoon wrote: emigre80 wrote: Progosopher wrote: Emigre80 - Freddie Mercury is not lauded so much for songs like Radio GaGa, which most admit is ridiculous (I still like it but I don't take it seriously) but for songs like Bohemian Rhapsody.   I do know that, my issue was that after he died it seemed as if everyone forgot the pop hits and the silly videos, and proclaimed everything he ever touched was genius. I just remember it differently. The media killed Michael Jackson, pushed him over the edge. And once he passed, his music was put in even higher fame than what it was. Then the media reminisces about the good he's done. A tragedy always sparks popularity—which is sad (no pun intended). I'm sure when Peter Gabriel passes on, perhaps early Genesis would get some radio-circulation.

the heavy complexity to most of the songs of prog i think can be contributed to why they have more staying power. Its also a certain personality type i believe of us "humans" that attracts us very much to prog rock. dont worry prog rock will fade thru time just like other music haha!

Edited by Eddy - March 05 2015 at 20:24

Progosopher wrote: Emigre80 - Freddie Mercury is not lauded so much for songs like Radio GaGa, which most admit is ridiculous (I still like it but I don't take it seriously) but for songs like Bohemian Rhapsody.

At age 54, I am one of those older guys.  To me, those old classic Prog albums are what sounds normal - it is not so much what I grew up with although many of the artists received regular radio play.  No, after I learned a little bit about music, that style was just more interesting to me.  And it is still interesting even if I have heard the songs and albums a million times.  As to their longevity, I think it is because good music stands the test of time.  There was plenty of other music popular in the 70s that many people have forgotten about simply because the music was forgettable.  70s symphonic Prog transcends the times in which it was originally produced even as it remains a product of those times.  A classic is not just something that is old, but something that touches a deeper level of the experience whether it be music, literature, sculpture, architecture, painting.  This music offers something beyond the surface.  This is not to say that everybody is open to it or appreciates it.  The missus hates King Crimson because of all the atonalities but she can really get into Yes, Tull, ELP, etc.

Toaster Mantis wrote: It would be interesting to see the sales figures, by the way, to see if for example Can and Neu!'s sales spiked when The Fall and Sonic Youth mentioned them as inspiration sources. For that matter, it would not surprise me if they actually were more popular with younger generations than their own. (as was the case with 13th Floor Elevators, The Stooges and The Velvet Underground)

On a related note, I distinctly remember the Carpenters suddenly jumping from the status of "losers" to "hip" and even "visionary" within days after David Byrne publicly professed his love for their music.  I totally think namedropping of that sort has a huge effect on public opinion. Nobody seems to even remember that virtually everyone used to agree that the Carpenters sucked.  That's how thorough the brainwashing was. (edit: come to think of it, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth beat Byrne to the punch with her song "Tunic (Song for Karen)" a couple of years prior.  But that seemed more of a sensitive portrait of the tragic character of Karen Carpenter than a de facto endorsement of her music).

Back to topic though - I've made 2 attempts so far to write a thoughtful response to your topic, but so far have not been able to piece together my ideas in quite the way I want to.  Plus, this pesky job of mine keeps interfering.  Maybe I'll be able to pull it all together later.  Good question though, interesting ideas.


Edited by HolyMoly - March 05 2015 at 14:47