Prog musicians who DIDN'T go mainstream in the 80s

Thank you for your replies! Love Talk Talk

I am thinking of Peter Hammill, David Sylvian or King Crimson. You could make an argument that all of them did try something more commercially-oriented but their music was never mainstream in the sense of Rush, Genesis or Yes trying to catch up with what was trendy in the 80s.

Jaketejas wrote: That’s an interesting question. Who was still using a mellotron in the 1980s?

Martin Orford of IQ for example. There is loads of Mellotron on Lush Attic.

That’s an interesting question. Who was still using a mellotron in the 1980s? I think OMD was but they were often classified more as electronic experimental than Prog.

richardh wrote: Steve Wyzard wrote: I think the real issue for many listeners on this site is what I would call (for lack of a better term) "1980s Production Values". By 1983, recording studios had become VERY high-tech and fully digital, while the analog synths of the 1970s were traded in for instruments like the Fairlight or Synclavier. Guitarists started dabbling in guitar-synths and extensive pedal-boards, and drummers added Simmons drums and other electronic percussion to the sounds at their disposal. What this led to were albums that no longer sounded like the albums recorded in the 1960s/1970s. To this day, many prog listeners dismiss 1980s material simply because it sounds "computerized" or "plastic", unlike the analog albums from earlier days. Someone above mentioned the Emerson, Lake, and Powell album from 1986. While the album did have a single ("Touch and Go") that did receive a lot of airplay, I remain convinced that many older ELP listeners who hated the album were less offended by Carl Palmer's absence than by the simple fact that the album sounds nothing like Tarkus. And after 15 years of technological advancements, why should it? Good point regarding Emerson, Lake and Powell not sounding like classic era ELP (1970-74). Certainly I felt at the time that Emerson had dumped the Hammond Organ in favour of inferior sounding keyboards. However the musical ideas mostly were not bad, although personally I think the album would have been a zillion times better if they recruited Terry Bozzio or Simon Phillips instead of 'hard rocker' Cozy Powell.

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I think the real issue for many listeners on this site is what I would call (for lack of a better term) "1980s Production Values". By 1983, recording studios had become VERY high-tech and fully digital, while the analog synths of the 1970s were traded in for instruments like the Fairlight or Synclavier. Guitarists started dabbling in guitar-synths and extensive pedal-boards, and drummers added Simmons drums and other electronic percussion to the sounds at their disposal.

Faul_McCartney wrote: Many of our beloved musicians turned to pop in the 80s

you mean people who knew how to write a good song adapted their craft to the formulas of the new decade? Yep, the most talented did (KC, PF, JT, Genesis, Rush, Camel, etc), while some of the others rejected the progress

siLLy puPPy wrote: Sure the 80s music industry was aiming for the lowest common denominator but the 80s was AMAZINGLY rich in bizarre indie artists lurking in the shadows. For anyone interested i compiled this follow up 80s version of the Nurse With Wound list and i found well over 2000 weird and freaky artists including prog https://rateyourmusic.com/list/siLLy_puPPy/nurse-with-wound-wave-strange-beyond-tubular-music-of-the-1980s/

Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut"  was far from mainstream, but after that <makes sad face>

Hammill, Camel, lot of Zeuhl and RIO bands/artists of course

PG has become mainstream wth his first personal hit single Solsburry Hill from 1976 on.