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Topic ClosedCan we put Rush in the super prog category?

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MajesterX View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2006 at 22:32
Originally posted by Aaron Aaron wrote:

rush suck
 
Aaron


Oh Good! A wonderful insight and thoughtful addition to our discussion! Confused Angry
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2006 at 23:24
Originally posted by E-Dub E-Dub wrote:

All those who say Rush aren't prog are basing their stance on what? Because they haven't had a 10+ minute epic since 1981? If it's because of other reasons, I'd certainly like to know.

They have just as much right to be in the super category as any band.

E

    

Well, I can't say they are not prog. As I said before, they have good moments. I don't care if a band have 10 seconds songs, or a 32 hours epic. Is not about formal elements; it is about conceptual ones. And Rush is uneven. when they want, the level of their creations surprises because of how simple but effective they are. But a fair amount of their musical production is less that average; boring sometimes. As for the Supergroup thing, I think I really don't care. please join me in my crusade to list every band under Proto Prog Alpha Male Elctronic Sandwich Morgan Freeman Related label.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 02:04
Originally posted by NaturalScience NaturalScience wrote:

Originally posted by erik neuteboom erik neuteboom wrote:

 
I am curious to your opinion about this: am I too subjective as a huge Rush fan or do Rush deserve a place among Yes, Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd and King Crimson in the super prog category?
 


Didn't know you were such a huge Rush fan, but anyways Clap.

I think it's difficult to be completely objective about Rush's place in the prog pantheon when you're a big fan of their music; also, when discussing prog "greats" is it solely the quality of musical output, or do we take into account influence on the prog scene and other such factors?

Personally, I don't think I'd be too out of line by putting them in the same class as ELP and King Crimson, and maybe close to Floyd.  I'd think that Yes and Genesis will probably remain in a class above - certainly I've expressed many times here my belief that Yes is the pinnacle of progressive music.
 
I would agree and their work "Tales From Topographic Oceans" is in my opinion the "Flag Ship" progressive rock album of all time.
 
As far as Rush goes. Well, I think that metal gets a pretty fair representation here, so you can bet it's going to be a bit biased for bands like Rush, on this web site anyway. I'm not a big fan of Rush but I can see how they might be considered in the top tier of prog bands.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 03:16
Tales is a garbage album. There is a LOT of things wrong with Tales. The tone is about as horrible as it gets for one. They do get some things right, but overall it's not a good representation of prog, and the good things are overshadowed by the horrible sections. I'm not even talking about the eccentricity of the concept, I am talking about the actual music itself.

Crimson's "ITCOTCK" is an album I would point to for that matter, and even Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats"

Also, I don't guess I will ever "get" some of the older members here. It seems as though some of you have one interpretation of Prog and that if it's not album X by band X, then it isnt prog and isn't worthy music. Elitism is one thing, stubbornness is another.

Like I have said before, just because you were the first doesn't make you the best and it doesn't make you the only one with excellent musical sense.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 03:24
No idea if I count as "older", but Rush nevertheless don't do it fo me. They simply lack the original ideas I am looking for in prog. I am not after instrumental virtuosity, though if it is there it is a nice add-on. But some bands never had the big virtuosos (though solid musicans), but a lot of original ideas, and I much prefer them to Rush. And some had both (Gong for example).


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 03:30
Originally posted by MajesterX MajesterX wrote:

Originally posted by Liquid Len Liquid Len wrote:

I like Rush, I like them a lot, I have all their albums from Rush to Exit Stage Left and they're all at least very good some are excellent.
 
However Prog they are definitely NOT.


your serious? have you ever Listened to Hemispheres? Cygnus C-1? 2112??? You can't  seriously say those songs are not prog! 2112 is as much prog as Close to the Edge.

Of couse they should be in the Super Prog category.

Oh, yeah, it does NOT matter what so ever where the band comes from. It's like not adding Opeth or POS into the Prog Metal Greats genre because they're not American. Prejudice.
 
Yes I am serious.
 
No more Prog than Iron Maiden on Seventh Son.


Edited by Liquid Len - July 25 2006 at 03:30
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 03:36
I could care less if someone likes or dislikes Rush. If you don't like Rush, that's fine and I can totally understand why. It's when you close yourself off becuase a band doesn't have the name you like, and you are unwilling to accept that their's other music that is great and might even be better than those classics you love.

One can be elitist, but please don't be stubborn enough to believe that Yes is the only band in existence who did anything great and no one will ever do anything great again.(just a random example)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 03:37
Originally posted by Liquid Len Liquid Len wrote:

Originally posted by MajesterX MajesterX wrote:

Originally posted by Liquid Len Liquid Len wrote:

I like Rush, I like them a lot, I have all their albums from Rush to Exit Stage Left and they're all at least very good some are excellent.
 
However Prog they are definitely NOT.


your serious? have you ever Listened to Hemispheres? Cygnus C-1? 2112??? You can't  seriously say those songs are not prog! 2112 is as much prog as Close to the Edge.

Of couse they should be in the Super Prog category.

Oh, yeah, it does NOT matter what so ever where the band comes from. It's like not adding Opeth or POS into the Prog Metal Greats genre because they're not American. Prejudice.
 
Yes I am serious.
 
No more Prog than Iron Maiden on Seventh Son.


what is your definition of prog?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 03:46
Who is "we" and what the hell is the "super-prog category"?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 04:08
About Aaron and his 'creative contribution' "Rush sucks", he is the same who said in another thread that "most progrock bands sucks live" , I think he feels fine while hijacking threads with provoking words, like a little boy who behaves negative when he gets no attention or feels bad.

Again I notice very opposite reactions: from BaldFriede who accuses Rush having a lack of original ideas and Liquid Len with his "Rush is no more prog than Iron Maiden on Seventh Son to Majester X and OpethGuitarist who are defending Rush enthousiasticly!

About the 'super prog category', I created this term in order to point at the seminal Seventies symphonic rock dinosaurs Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, ELP and Pink Floyd as the main influential bands in the history, in my opinion these bands are unsurpassed looking at their serie of great and pivotal albums, their compositional skills and the level of the musicians. My question in this thread is or Rush belongs in that category?

My view on Rush (1977-1986 era); Rush their sound is very varied but basically rock, they often swing and put a lot of rock and roll in their compositions. But the captivating element is that Rush also blend this rock/rock and roll based music with a variety of styles, from symphonic rock to ska, reggae and grunge. Personally I am not very happy and excited about Rush their music from their album Presto (1989), in my opinion it's a bit too much the same and not as captivating as the era 1977-1986. But I am sure that many Rush fans don't share this with me ..

 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 04:14
Originally posted by OpethGuitarist OpethGuitarist wrote:

Originally posted by Liquid Len Liquid Len wrote:

Originally posted by MajesterX MajesterX wrote:

Originally posted by Liquid Len Liquid Len wrote:

I like Rush, I like them a lot, I have all their albums from Rush to Exit Stage Left and they're all at least very good some are excellent.
 
However Prog they are definitely NOT.


your serious? have you ever Listened to Hemispheres? Cygnus C-1? 2112??? You can't  seriously say those songs are not prog! 2112 is as much prog as Close to the Edge.

Of couse they should be in the Super Prog category.

Oh, yeah, it does NOT matter what so ever where the band comes from. It's like not adding Opeth or POS into the Prog Metal Greats genre because they're not American. Prejudice.
 
Yes I am serious.
 
No more Prog than Iron Maiden on Seventh Son.


what is your definition of prog?
 
I don't think that I could easily quantify that, It's far too diverse a genre.
 
Although having said that people still seem intent on including bands which are clearly not Prog;
 
Rush, I love them, I'm not putting them down because they're not English. I just wouldn't call them prog, neither; 
 
BJH
Moody Blues 
Beatles 
Traffic
 
Goodness me if you include these then you must include Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, etc. etc. etc. I could go on.
 
And the  Psychomodo is then by definition a Prog masterpiece!
 


Edited by Liquid Len - July 25 2006 at 04:19
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 04:24
For me 'being prog' is confusing on Prog Archives, for instance I just noticed that Osibisa in added while, I repeat this over and over, bands like The Doors and Santana deserve an addition way more. This confusion is created by the same element as on this thread: personal taste, like progheads who nail Rush and progheads who hail Rush, both sides are convinced that they have good points ... and cannot be punished by the High Court Progrock Inquisition .. Wink !

Edited by erik neuteboom - July 25 2006 at 04:25
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 04:41
Progressive music is music that progresses. It is kinda opposite to verse based music that keeps repeating the same chorus (pop or rock). Some rock bands seem to progress (like Doors and Lynyrd Skynyrd) but its not prog music. Roughly: rock moves your ass and prog your brain. In songs like LA Woman or Free Bird it is not the musical theme that progresses but the rhythm, the swing. In prog the progressive element is the harmony struckture (melodies and arrangement). It is a variation of sonata form.
 
A band is not either prog or not prog. It is a composition that should be evaluated. A band that has a tendency to produce more or less proggish compositions should be listed as a prog band.
 
Pirkka


Edited by pirkka - July 25 2006 at 04:43
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 05:39
I would say yes, to a lesser extent compared to the prog "dinosaurs" of the 70s. Rush were definitely influential. Dream Theater would not exist if it weren't for Rush, and if DT didn't exist than a whole host of 90s prog/prog metal "revival" bands would not have existed either.

but... Rush were not innovators like Genesis, Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd who are the forefathers of prog-rock. They pioneered the complex song structures and laid the foundations for Rush to plug their own ideas into. Not to mention they came from a later generation of music. In the shadow's of the prog dinosaurs of the 70s Rush are a speck on the radar screen. No one is denying they made great music, but I think the the super d00per [morgan freeman] catagory of prog rock is reserved for the classic prog bands who were the trailblazers of prog.


Edited by Hierophant - July 25 2006 at 05:43
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 06:34
Originally posted by Hierophant Hierophant wrote:

I would say yes, to a lesser extent compared to the prog "dinosaurs" of the 70s. Rush were definitely influential. Dream Theater would not exist if it weren't for Rush, and if DT didn't exist than a whole host of 90s prog/prog metal "revival" bands would not have existed either.

but... Rush were not innovators like Genesis, Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd who are the forefathers of prog-rock. They pioneered the complex song structures and laid the foundations for Rush to plug their own ideas into. Not to mention they came from a later generation of music. In the shadow's of the prog dinosaurs of the 70s Rush are a speck on the radar screen. No one is denying they made great music, but I think the the super d00per [morgan freeman] catagory of prog rock is reserved for the classic prog bands who were the trailblazers of prog.

I do!


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 07:14
Please! Does it really matter that much? Anyone is free to make their own "Big 6" or "Super Prog Category", with whatever bands they want. Making an elite category would only be inflamatory, because there will always be someone who feel some band(s) are left out.

Personally, I have always regarded Rush as one of the greats, but I can understand why some people doesn't. The thing is, I know that the people who doesn't consider Rush as one of the "Big 6" will never do it, so there's no point in trying to convince them. Rush is one of those bands that you either adore or hate, and it's important to respect other people's opinions, to let them like whatever they want.

Can't you people see how pointless this discussion is?


Edited by Philéas - July 25 2006 at 07:15
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 07:53
Originally posted by OpethGuitarist OpethGuitarist wrote:

I could care less if someone likes or dislikes Rush. If you don't like Rush, that's fine and I can totally understand why. It's when you close yourself off becuase a band doesn't have the name you like, and you are unwilling to accept that their's other music that is great and might even be better than those classics you love.

One can be elitist, but please don't be stubborn enough to believe that Yes is the only band in existence who did anything great and no one will ever do anything great again.(just a random example)
 
There are bands of the "new era" that I love. Porcupine Tree is one for sure. I do not enjoy music just because a certain band performs it. I know what I like and I like what I know.
 
To me Heavy Metal or even so called "hard rock" wears thin with me. This is not to say I don't listen to it, but just not quite as often. As
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 08:00
Originally posted by OpethGuitarist OpethGuitarist wrote:

I could care less if someone likes or dislikes Rush. If you don't like Rush, that's fine and I can totally understand why. It's when you close yourself off becuase a band doesn't have the name you like, and you are unwilling to accept that their's other music that is great and might even be better than those classics you love.

One can be elitist, but please don't be stubborn enough to believe that Yes is the only band in existence who did anything great and no one will ever do anything great again.(just a random example)
 
The name of the band matters not with me. I listen to many bands but some just stick out with me as being more personally appealling. Porcupine Tree is one of those bands. I love their stuff, but I seldom listen to Rush anymore at all. I seldom listen to Genesis anymore to be honest. I have never been a real big fan of "metal" although I do spin the odd disc once in a while. I am always on the look out for new music I can get my head around. Simple as that.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 08:21
Originally posted by Liquid Len Liquid Len wrote:

Originally posted by MajesterX MajesterX wrote:

Originally posted by Liquid Len Liquid Len wrote:

I like Rush, I like them a lot, I have all their albums from Rush to Exit Stage Left and they're all at least very good some are excellent.
 
However Prog they are definitely NOT.


your serious? have you ever Listened to Hemispheres? Cygnus C-1? 2112??? You can't  seriously say those songs are not prog! 2112 is as much prog as Close to the Edge.

Of couse they should be in the Super Prog category.

Oh, yeah, it does NOT matter what so ever where the band comes from. It's like not adding Opeth or POS into the Prog Metal Greats genre because they're not American. Prejudice.
 
Yes I am serious.
 
No more Prog than Iron Maiden on Seventh Son.
Just look at the evidence - side-long epics (on Caress of Steel, 2112 and Hemispheres), multi-part epics (the afore-mentioned plus By-Tor and the Snow Dog to name but one), songs about fantasy subjects (The Necromancer), songs based on classical poetry (Xanadu), use of unusual time signatures (many examples), use of electronic instrumentation etc etc. Granted this applies mainly to their early stuff, but they still meet the criteria with ease. How can you have a song called "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" and not be prog?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2006 at 09:00
OK.
 
Side long epics, multi parts, unusual time sigantures.
 
I give you Extreme, Three Sides to Every Story, Prog?
 
Can you tell me where my country lies?
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