Britain and Prog

daz2112 wrote: Blacksword wrote: The best music has always come from Great Britain, prog or otherwise IMO. It's one of the few things we're any good at. I have no idea why we consistently turned out so many world conquering bands. A sample of Britains Rock premier league... GenesisYesPink FloydJethro TullKing CrimsonEmerson Lake & PalmerThe Moody BluesLed ZeppelinDeep PurpleBlack SabbathThe BeatlesThe WhoThe StonesIron MaidenJudas PriestMotorheadRainbowU2Radiohead In terms of record sales, global recognition and general success, can anyone name a country that has produced more world class acts? I could'nt of put it better myself!!!

Thankyou!

Although I apologise to any Irish forumers. U2 are NOT British.. You have to take the credit for them.

Dr Know wrote: In the 70´s Britain produced the greatest bands, whatever happened? Now we have bands like Coldplay and Radiohead

... what bands produced Usa in 70´s? and what bands have we now?

It's remarkable that the first progressive rock wave (Genesis, ELP, Yes, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, etc.) in the early Seventies and the neo-progressive rock (Marillion, IQ, Twelfth Night) in the early Eighties were rooted in the UK, both turned out to be very pivotal and commercially successfull! What could be the reason? Perhaps the huge possibilities to play gigs (the UK has a very vivid circuit that started in the Sixties) along with the good musical training and strong determination to become a professional musician. I don't think that the UK progrock musicians were better or more creative than in Italy, Peru, Japan or the USA but the entire scene was very prolific and gave the opportunity to bands like Genesis, Yes, ELP and King Crimson to mature. So it was the right time and the right place along with some other elements, in my opinion.

I think the UK's reason for all that prog is simply the school system from post-war to about the mid-sixties. The emphasis was on classical music, classical poetry, mythology and renaisance art. If you were brought up in this environment, it's got to affect you somehow.

Just mix the symphonic approach to music, British invasion rock and roll, American psychedelia and a heavy influence of classical poetry.

Sound reasonable? This is just my guess. 

stechell wrote: OK I started the topic and will give my opinion. Asked my Brit parents this question (should have started doing this!! ). After several minutes of thinking they told me..."just because we've been always the first to change any existing schemes and being the first gives you the advantage of going one or two steps ahead". In terms of Prog, maybe they are right. The first to change Rock's image were The Beatles, then The Rolling Stones. When the world started to copy the British model, they decided to mix classical influence with Rock. Prog was born. Later, Punk appeared. Punk ruled the market until again they mixed it with Reggae, The Police appeared and the world got crazy and so on.... Do you agree with this??

Britain has always been good at doing things first - jet engines, the internet, parliamentary democracy, tea bags etc (although not very good at making money from it!)

In the 60s I think UK musicians were in a unique position. A whole generation (The Beatles, Stones, Page, Clapton, plus proggers like Yes, Genesis, ELP) had grown up listening to US rock & roll, jazz, blues etc. They also had the European classical tradition close at hand to influence them. I read a quote from John Wetton where he said they basically fused these two elements together and made it into dynamite. So I think that's how the UK produced so many successful bands.

stechell wrote: OK I started the topic and will give my opinion. Asked my Brit parents this question (should have started doing this!! ). After several minutes of thinking they told me..."just because we've been always the first to change any existing schemes and being the first gives you the advantage of going one or two steps ahead". In terms of Prog, maybe they are right. The first to change Rock's image were The Beatles, then The Rolling Stones. When the world started to copy the British model, they decided to mix classical influence with Rock. Prog was born. Later, Punk appeared. Punk ruled the market until again they mixed it with Reggae, The Police appeared and the world got crazy and so on.... Do you agree with this??

Yes and no.
I think english were overall talented to make this new musical directions popular.

But talking about prog specifically, i think german were somehow more inventive, but far less commercial.

also, I must agree with ¢¾Old¢¾Hen¢¾, The
Darkness STINK!

P-C x

The answer is pure and simple: WE ARE ENGLISH! We INVNTED heavy rock/blues, heavy metal, prog-rock. We invented it all so naturally it we would be able to push/build up bands that are more mainstream. Everyone else just tagged along.

The Empire has nothing to do with it, sport has nothing to do with it (all though I agree yes with the sport factor), but musically I still think we are up in the lofty hieghts of joint first with America.

The scene though is differnet here, yes going out and playing live is important to get noticed but its not as essential or more important as in the US music scene which is why generally US bands have a better 'stage presence' then UK bands but here we place more importance on albums then live proformace which is why generally the Birts made/make better albums

Like I said we invented Rock and the majority of its sub-genres so Rule Britainnia! Magna Britainnia!

 

Why don't Bits sing with accents?Ive always wondered...

White Queen wrote: Why don't Bits sing with accents?Ive always wondered...

Richard Sinclair and Robert Wyatt are now being called English accented jazz singers - especially when fellow Brit Jamie Callum sings in faux American.

And one very long answer to the original question of this thread has been tackled in detail by American Ed McCan in his prog book/thesis Rocking The Classics (OUPress)