Symphonic Progressive Rock Appreciation?

Taking that picture into consideration then heavy overcoats, snow and boots are all part of the symph prog zeitgeist!!!
Of course when that was taken ELP were WAY past their BEST!!!

But isn't that a heavy-metal album by Sabbath???

M27Barney wrote: Guldbamsen wrote: Personally I think it's left-handed people and folks who adore asparagus that are mostly into symph. It used to be my second fave sub, back when I first started frequenting PA, but then I dropped the asparagus because my female friend at the time claimed it made my fluids stink....go figure. Nah, I think there are just as many Ethiopian bodybuilders into symph as there are Norwegian flamenco dancers. No such thing as one common denominator, except for the music. I have been revisiting this little Portuguese gem the past couple of days, and it really hits the mellotron spot: Definitely worth the stretch if you're on the look out for some "new" and exciting symphonic beyond the confines of Britain methinks Aye - it has some interesting Mellotron & Moog , I have added it to my possible purchase list !! Thanks for that....more exploration is what everybody needs....I am still looking for the symphonic prog to end all prog...suppose it's not been released yet...

Hey Barney, sorry for the tardy response I am, and have always been a bit 'all over the place' on PA, so I sometimes forget about where I post.

Anyway, I don't know if you have ever really ventured out in RPI and South American prog, but this, while Portuguese, has a very similar feel. Both vocally and musically....and personally I feel Portuguese is one of the most beautiful languages in the world, even if I understand zero of it. Mjeah well maybe I can guess on certain occasions, but other than that, I'm completely lost
Fact of the matter is, that I don't think I want to. This way they can mean everything to me, and I find that pretty special.
Heh sorry for the wee rant there, but if you ever care to explore some South of the border prog, this little album is certainly worth the stretch. You can always use it to sound intellectually proficient and proper lingo cultural

Edited by Guldbamsen - May 15 2014 at 12:44

Well, I had no beard for most of my life, and was much more into symphonic prog than I am now.  Though I have to say that it's still probably my favorite sub-genre of prog.  I remember in my 20's, I felt like it was my own special genre, that almost no one was interested in.  Yes, I used to enjoy the blank looks people gave when they asked me what bands I liked (though most had heard of Yes and Genesis, of course).  Once I got on the internet, I realized I wasn't so special anymore, so I started listening to RIO/Avant.  Turns out though, that there are quite a large number of fans of that sub-genre as well, so again, didn't make me feel special enough.  So now I just focus on tribal music of a little known Eskimo tribe who have lived near the north pole for centuries.  Finally, I can feel superior to everyone else now as no one but me (and the Eskimos and an anthropologist or two) has ever heard this music!  

Okay, being serious, I prefer Tales to Close To The Edge.  I first heard the Close To the Edge songs on Yessongs, and I have never been able to enjoy the album versions of those songs for some reason (they just seem very disjointed and odd, like they had been pasted together in the studio........which they had been, of course......whereas live they are complete pieces presented with power, verve and great enthusiasm.......you can almost hear the frustration of the band members on the studio versions).   

GD yes!  Just about all of it!

HackettFan wrote: I don't think that Symphonic Prog fans are from Oklahoma.

RockHound wrote: HackettFan wrote: I don't think that Symphonic Prog fans are from Oklahoma. I live in Oklahoma and live for symphonic prog.  And I love TFTO. And I loaded up on three different kinds of asparagus at Whole Foods just the other day. The guitar solo from the start of CTTE was blaring as I pulled into the parking lot. A soccer mom looked at me funny.

presdoug wrote: All I know is that I couldn't live without Symphonic Prog.

You can't really stereotype people. There are some generalizations that can and do apply but they are often hard to pinpoint and they are just that, generalizations so they don't apply to everyone.

For example there are probably lots of older(late forties to 65 or so year old) prog fans (if you can call them that)who either don't like or don't know about any post seventies groups except maybe Marillion. They just know about and only like what they grew up with. Oh but wait, you fall into that age bracket but that doesn't apply to you right? Well, that's exactly my point. It's a generalization and a stereotype and it's not fair and not always accurate. There's lots of younger fans who don't know the newer bands and only have heard of the older bands(maybe)but because of their age they haven't been exposed to prog(maybe their dad was a Deadhead and didn't know or like prog. See that? ANother stereotype and another generalization.

HackettFan wrote: Prog_Traveller wrote: You can't really stereotype people. There are some generalizations that can and do apply but they are often hard to pinpoint and they are just that, generalizations so they don't apply to everyone. For example there are probably lots of older(late forties to 65 or so year old) prog fans (if you can call them that)who either don't like or don't know about any post seventies groups except maybe Marillion. They just know about and only like what they grew up with. Oh but wait, you fall into that age bracket but that doesn't apply to you right? Well, that's exactly my point. It's a generalization and a stereotype and it's not fair and not always accurate. There's lots of younger fans who don't know the newer bands and only have heard of the older bands(maybe)but because of their age they haven't been exposed to prog(maybe their dad was a Deadhead and didn't know or like prog. See that? ANother stereotype and another generalization. I don't think there's any stereotyping involved in trying to uncover tendencies. That's what the whole discipline of sociology does, after all. There are probably some who grew up in Oklahoma who are Symph Prog fans. My point, which was delivered in a tongue and cheek fashion, was to point out the influence of region. Genesis' first attempt at touring the US only occurred in a very limited area, mainly the northeast. Besides the region, though, other things do seem to matter. Gender is a glaring example, although I've never understood why. I wouldn't be surprised if left-handedness was unusually high among Prog fans. (Have we had a poll? I'll have to look). I was a big time fan of mythology, science fiction, fantasy, and comic books. I bet those things have some influence on who is a Symphonic Prog fan.

Oh I see where you are coming from now. I have a BA in sociology so I find it interesting also. However, you are still dealing with stereotypes and generalizations here. You can cover them up by calling them tendencies which may be the case but they are still generalizations. Someone would have to do a case study to find out the hows and whys of it all. Not all sci fi or fantasy people like prog and not all prog people are into fantasy etc. If we make these assumptions we are stereotyping and generalizing. :) Yes they can be tendencies but they are not absolute.