Radiohead

I showed a friend of mine (who loves Radiohead but does not consider them prog) this thread, and he wrote a very articulate, interesting comment on it after reading some of the thread which he has asked me to share with you all.  So for the record, this was written by my friend Max, and not by me.

slipperman wrote: I totally support it. Radiohead is a rock band >> They have pushed the limits, exanded their sound in multiple ways>> they always challenge the listener (except the very first album, that is) >> they continue to PROGRESS, making cerebral, inventive, adventurous music = Sounds like a prog band to me. They are in the true spirit of prog moreso than a lot of other bands included in the archives.

I agree with every sentiment Slipperman expressed in his above post. Radiohead have pushed the boundaries of their sound and have never been a band to rest on their laurels and drop the next OK Computer.  Their music is endlessly fascinating and engages the mind in labyrinthine enjoyment, even their b-sides are a demonstrable yardstick highlighting a level of achievement and progress, a testament to the power of creativity against the product of mainstream mediocrity.  However this is where our opinons diverge.  Using Kid A as an illustration of a prog rock album for example is questionable.  I recall a review of Kid A in which the author stated that this album makes other music childish, how it defies classification, how it renders current rock vocabulary and iconography to be the subject of a kangaroo court. It is in this respect that I concur, and that is my stand on Radiohead and their music. They defy, like all great bands, neat classification (or classification at all).  Their music is an entity all its own, a powerful catalogue of timeless music that elucidates ancient echoes, above and beyond a vernacular of nomenclature.  To suggest otherwise would cheapen the band's contribution to the rock canon.

The clash mixed other musical styles with punk, was my point.

Thanks for clearing the point, but aren't The Clash a non conventional punk band formed with guys as Mick Jones formed in Heavy Metal/Hard Rock bands and Sandy Perlman from The Blue Oyster Cult (Heavy Metal/Arena Rock) and even recorded an album with Lee Scratch Perry (Producer of Bob Marley)?

We know there can be some non typical punk bands, but the essence of Punk is to make music simple as the essence of Progressive is to make the music complex. In this case I don't believe The Clash were the typical Punk band.

Anyway, I accept I only know the basics of Punk because I never really cared for the genre.

Iván

PS: Not talking about Radiohead there's no other choice than accept they are in ProgArchives to stay.