Farewell to Prog Rock

My Dear fellow fans of the beloved genre of music,

after more than a year I find myself in a very peculiar situation which is to say that after many years of enthusiasm for over a year now I hardly play prog rock or actually any other form of rock anymore. I did not really lose my appreciation for it, however, butsomething happened:

I myself am a romantic and needless to say what I always have been looking for in prog was something nostalgic among other virtues like complexity, skill and a wide range of moods - and in that sense I never regarded prog as being "progressive" in the sense of this word except for the beginnings when this music was new, but interestingly it was not labelled as "prog" back then. just music, good music.

What happened then was that I increasingly started listening to romantic classical music. Something that actually started in my childhood when I sat in front of the record player listening to Dvorak and Mahler and others. Funny picture isn't it? A seven year old little boy who puts Mahler's first symphony on at his own choice while other kids listened to Disney...

Anyway, in some way classical romantic contains everything I ever really looked for in prog. It displays an incredible spectrum of moods, sharp contrasts, incredible complexity and demands highest skills from the musicians and of course there are many epic "long tracks" ;-)

Why am I writing this? Maybe at some point you have experienced something similar that might be worth sharing here. Or maybe you might feel moved to check out some classical music or give it another try. To me personally one of the greatest high-points in romantic classical music is Gustav Mahler. Start with his first symphony as it is very accessible with many very distinct melodic hooks and then go to the magnificiennt second, the 'Resurrection Symphony'. I think there are many prog heads out there who would be able to enjoy this.

Anyway, it is not a complete farewell to prog from me and I will not be giving away my 2000+ prog album collection but not only am I listening to 90% classical now but I am also intensifying studies in orchestral music composition. I will still keep visiting this site, still be interested in what is going on in the prog arena but i realize that it has become mostly nostalgy for me...

I also consider myself to be a romantic ("We are not lovers, we are not romantics we are here to serve you..." (Gary Numan)), and love Mahler's and Dvorak's music.  I was raised on "classical" music (to use the term as more generally descriptive rather than just a specific period -- i.e. Western Academic Music) and it is my first love, but I partially moved away from it because it evokes too strong emotions in me.   I also like more pure forms of jazz very much.  I'd gone off rock completely before getting back into Prog (which was partially for nostalgic sake, and the Prog I generally listen to now is more on the chamber music side -- along with jazzy ones).  I've thought before that I will probably move away from rock again.  One reason why I stopped listening to academic music so much was because my wife didn't enjoy it, and I found it deflating when I was absolutely moved by something to hear her indifferent comments.

I'm listening to a fair amount of non-rock chamber music again -- in fact I'm playing one of my old favourites now, Schubert's Piano Trio in E flat.  That said, I think I'll always love bands/ music that is labelled Prog here (particularly so-called chamber rock), but will be moving more and more towards the less rock ones. And I'll always like folk music.


Edited by Logan - December 17 2008 at 13:16

KingBarbarossa wrote: My Dear fellow fans of the beloved genre of music, after more than a year I find myself in a very peculiar situation which is to say that after many years of enthusiasm for over a year now I hardly play prog rock or actually any other form of rock anymore. I did not really lose my appreciation for it, however, butsomething happened: I myself am a romantic and needless to say what I always have been looking for in prog was something nostalgic among other virtues like complexity, skill and a wide range of moods - and in that sense I never regarded prog as being "progressive" in the sense of this word except for the beginnings when this music was new, but interestingly it was not labelled as "prog" back then. just music, good music. What happened then was that I increasingly started listening to romantic classical music. Something that actually started in my childhood when I sat in front of the record player listening to Dvorak and Mahler and others. Funny picture isn't it? A seven year old little boy who puts Mahler's first symphony on at his own choice while other kids listened to Disney... Anyway, in some way classical romantic contains everything I ever really looked for in prog. It displays an incredible spectrum of moods, sharp contrasts, incredible complexity and demands highest skills from the musicians and of course there are many epic "long tracks" ;-) Why am I writing this? Maybe at some point you have experienced something similar that might be worth sharing here. Or maybe you might feel moved to check out some classical music or give it another try. To me personally one of the greatest high-points in romantic classical music is Gustav Mahler. Start with his first symphony as it is very accessible with many very distinct melodic hooks and then go to the magnificiennt second, the 'Resurrection Symphony'. I think there are many prog heads out there who would be able to enjoy this. Anyway, it is not a complete farewell to prog from me and I will not be giving away my 2000+ prog album collection but not only am I listening to 90% classical now but I am also intensifying studies in orchestral music composition. I will still keep visiting this site, still be interested in what is going on in the prog arena but i realize that it has become mostly nostalgy for me...

I have also thought one day I'll go back to classical music but that day is, I think, very far away. But it isn't prog the one holding classic back: is rock in general, and mostly, metal. Yes, I was, when younger, a classical music afdicionado that loved Beethoven, Dvorak, Bruckner, Mozart, and hundred more (Mahler too... the sixth is his highest point in my view). I never cared much for classical vocal (non-choral) music like lieder or songs (like Mahler's Lieder einer Farenden gesellen), I never liked that. I found in rock the vocal music I like (in a way that's why I don't care much about rock instrumental music... that's what classical music is for in my mind).

I hate to be blunt (that is a lie), but you have 25 posts: do you really think your presence on this site warrants a DRAMATIC GOODBYE thread?

If I say farewell to prog rock, what the hell am I going to do with all this? 
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Slartibartfast wrote: If I say farewell to prog rock, what the hell am I going to do with all this?  VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

I can give you my adress, if you want.

Seriously, one cannot simply quit. You need rehab first.

burritounit wrote: Prog-jester wrote: I'm deeply in sludge/post-metal/post-hardcore now. What prog? C'mon That's me now, along with post punk. But I think I haven't stop listening to prog 100%. I do every now and then but not so regularly like before.

exactly post-punk and some prog too

Henry Plainview wrote: I hate to be blunt (that is a lie), but you have 25 posts: do you really think your presence on this site warrants a DRAMATIC GOODBYE thread?

If you ever really cared for prog, I think your farewell will be temporary. I grew up with most of the 1970s U.K. prog bands, but I didn't listen much to rock between 1985 and 1995. I was too busy discovering loads of jazz, as well as Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Handel, Wagner, Bruckner and, yes: Mahler... I now know the likes of Bach, Haydn and Schubert have given the world much more great music than any rock band, BUT in the past ten years or so I've also returned to prog. These days, I enjoy most of my proggy favourites as much as ever, and I keep discovering new ones.

It's all in the Bible, isn't it:

Man can't live on a-simple-rock'n'roll-beat alone.
Man can't live on an-intricate-rock'n'roll-beat alone!
Man can't live on subtle-18th-or-19th-century-classics alone!!
Man can't live on adventurous-improved-music-alone either!!!!

Praise the Lord, for man doesn't have to chose: he can taste of the fruit of ALL trees he can find.
And the same goes, of course, for woman.

As I stated, it is not a complete departure.

Thank you all, for the condolences! :-)

I do not feel less appreciation for prog but I must acknowledge that now since more than a year I am listening to almost only classical. Mahler in particular.
I am aware of temporary changes and phases that occur in preferences and listening habits. However, I know that in my case it is the undergoing of a soul journey in finding something more than a refined listening habit. More of something one may call destiny and it can be identified in how profoundly it can shake the grounds on which you build your identity. It is finding a reflection of your own inner truth that is being expressed in a piece of art.

What I start getting "into" is then center of my own creativity and my own being. So to speak when I listen - or create - music I am this music, this sound in this moment. For some people this may be too intense, but I have never known it any different.


To: "The T": It is really not about "intellectual" music. I do not claim one kind of music to be "better" than others. Each person derives something out of what they like that may be of equal value across any borders of style.
The expression of anger is a good point and there are rare moments when you need a blast of "Rage Against Machine"  :-) however, I do not carry anger with me anymore, I got rid of it some years ago and it was a very healthy decision.

To "Henry Plainview": My low post count does indeed stem from being not very active, but it does not mean i am not present. In fact I am a regular visitor of progarchives with interest. In the beginning I started doing a few reviews as well until i realized that I don't really want to judge other people's art - too personal are the different tastes...