Was prog actually popular in the 70s??

bucka001 wrote: I just looked and Dr Prog is from Melbourne. No idea what the climate was like there.

Probably the hot-bed of endless prog bands that it is now......

Dean wrote: dr prog wrote: I doubt crimson and genesis had big concerts in the 70s like Tull, yes, elp etc. I don't like crimson and genesis from 1970-75 as much as Tull and yes in this era. I reckon gentle giant deserved bigger followings and van der graaf would have had a bigger following if they didn't break up between 1972 and 74. Not sure why elp became so big. They were pretty crap after 1973 Where was it you obtained your PhD in Progology exactly? I really do think you should send it back and ask for a refund, then change your name of course.   Genesis were playing stadiums from 1974 (Lamb) onwards. Crimson were also playing stadiums such as The Hollywood Sportatorium in Miami in 1974. GG weren't quite at that level but were reasonably sucessful as a touring band and did actually head line a stadium gig (albeit in Liverpool) given their minority appeal (whether they deserved that is immaterial).

I'm talking about 40,000+ type stadiums. I doubt crimson or genesis played in these stadiums in the 70s.
Bands like Tull, purple, sabbath, zeppelin did it alot.

Edited by dr prog - August 05 2013 at 05:29

Ringwood East these days! Can't move for all the progressive rock bands!

Though when I worked at Knox a guy came into my work wearing a Marillion t-shirt once, that kind of blew my mind!

Dean wrote: bucka001 wrote: Dean, if Dr Prog is from the States, he's at least somewhat correct. Genesis had a huge cult following in the States by the end of PG's tenure with the group, but they were hardly a household name. Most fans hadn't heard of them, and neither Selling England nor The Lamb broke the top 40 album charts (they didn't have a hit single until Follow You Follow Me). They could play big clubs and decent theaters/auditoriums but their following was more a big underground following than a mainstream one. They never got regular mainstream radio airplay, they had no familiar 'hits.' ELP, Yes, and Tull were all top ten sellers with mainstream radio play and stadium gigs in the early / mid 70s. That didn't happen for Genesis in the States until after Hackett left (maybe even not until Duke). Follow the links I provided - they included European and American "stadium" tours. He was referring specifically to concert tours, not airplay, album sales or popularity. A stadium trumps a pub/club basement regardless of where you are.

Dean wrote: dr prog wrote: I'm talking about 40,000+ type stadiums. I doubt crimson or genesis played in these stadiums in the 70s. Bands like Tull, purple, sabbath, zeppelin did it alot. Comparing the Crimson 74 US tour with Tull's the previous year it seems they played similar venues in several cities. Tull were not filling 40,000 seat venues in every city, most were 4,000 seaters. I accept that Tull were "bigger" than King Crimson the year you were born, that is a matter of history, but I don't make guesses based upon perception and whether I like the band or not.

I'm a 100% progger. 1968-83 is all I listen to 99% of the time. Back in the early 70s most bands were prog related so there wasn't much crap going around. Unlike the last 30 years, big bands were actually really good in the early 70s. They had high influence from jazz and classical music and there wasn't rock music in the 60s that you could consider crap. I have read alot how Tull were considered the biggest band in the world for a year or two around the 1972-74 period. From listening to genesis and crimson for 15 years I see why they weren't considered big like Tull etc. The constant changing of vocalists, bass players, drummers in crimson made them a new band every year and I've rarely found a bands first album their best. The only time they looked settled was in 1970 and 74 with a 2nd album from the same lineup as the year before and surprise surprise Poseidon and red are the albums I enjoy enough to play regularly. Lizard is the other album I quite enjoy too but it was a smooth transition from Poseidon with Haskell, sinfield, tippet, fripp and Collins being involved in both albums. I thought the loss of tippet, sinfield and Collins took it toll. While red is cool, I'll always like the melodic, jazzy era of Poseidon and lizard. Not to mention I much preferred lakes voice over wetton. I think Gabriel's voice and lyrics and the off centre type composition to early genesis makes them a band that aren't in my top 5 of the 70s either. There's just something not right about them. I'm always confused how they and crimson get rated number 1 and 2 in here and prog ears. Top 10 maybe but they didn't mix it up with more popular styles of folk and heavy rock. They were what I consider too prog

Hi,

Edited by moshkito - August 05 2013 at 08:37

Dean wrote: So when Genesis played The Shine Audiorium and the Berkeley Comminity Theatre in January 1975 no one turned up?   Or where they playing a small gig in the theatre coffee bar,or perhaps just busking outside while Zed Leppelin filled the hall?   Sure these are only 4,000 seat venues - most bands would give their right-arm to play to 4,000 people, most bands play to less than 400 people, hell, most bands play to less than 40 people.

 

Edited by moshkito - August 05 2013 at 09:43

moshkito wrote: Dean wrote: So when Genesis played The Shine Audiorium and the Berkeley Comminity Theatre in January 1975 no one turned up?   Or where they playing a small gig in the theatre coffee bar,or perhaps just busking outside while Zed Leppelin filled the hall?   Sure these are only 4,000 seat venues - most bands would give their right-arm to play to 4,000 people, most bands play to less than 400 people, hell, most bands play to less than 40 people.       The big ones were The Forum mostly, with the world's worst accoustics then! Long Beach Arena was good sized, but already 20k folks, where I saw YES. Even the Hollywood Bowl, where PF played in 1972, only seats like 16k, I think? ... I can't remember! The Sports Arena did The Wall later in the famous shows that got 507 people busted, and the day before Jethro Tull played the same place and no one got busted!   The next size of venues would be like Santa Monica Civic, and the like which are the 4K size halls, that allowed Hawkwind to do its "Space Ritual", and Tangerine Dream on their first tour, and even Nektar on their very first tour. I caught all three of these there at different times. And they were sold out.   I am not sure that Genesis, ever had a big gig in Los Angeles at all ... which generally were all reserved for The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and the like, who DID HAVE hits, as opposed to Genesis, until much later.

Dean wrote:     ... Genesis, The Forum, 24th March 1977 (Wind & Wuthering tour) - prior to that they had played the (4,000+ seat) Starlight Bowl on several occasions in '75, as they did at the 5,500 seat Winterland in SF.  ...   I have no idea how big a band has to be in the estimation of the people posting here, but to me (and from my experience of attending 1000s of gigs big and small), these would be regarded as "big" by most standards.

Okay... so you are saying that Genesis were not big before they became big... and the 70s ended on New Years Eve 1975.