Rick Wakeman without any doubt.

cheers

flfkng

Sounds like a Bon Jovi song:

"Shot through the heart, and you're to blame,

Darling, you give prog a bad name"

But who's to blame? The music press in the first place, definitely!

But to be honest: also some proggers who acted like they were a bit too big for their boots: ELP for instance. Don't get me wrong, I love lots of the music they did! But their attitude in the early days... I can't watch some of their earlier video footage without some "vicarious shame".

I voted for the punk rock bands.

Because everywhere I go and say that I like Progressive Rock everybody says: "Ah, so you go to concerts like *insert punkband here*, don't you get a head ache of all the headbanging?"

When you say that you're a progrock-fan people think you jump and scream and act like a stupid fool when listening to music.

Damn punk.

Although the media is to blame, it's important to recognize that listeners of Prog can think for themselves.  They know what type of music can be appreciated.  Prog is not for the unthinking, non-appreciative masses.  Do I blame the general public?  Not really.  Look how easily they are swayed.  (i.e. in the USA, Bush is President and STILL in office)  The inability to think for oneself is such a tragedy of the human being. 

I've mentioned before that the reason pop works and Prog doesn't could be rooted in simplicity.  Does not Progressive Rock take time to digest?  Pop must have the quality of immediate satisfaction.  This is what the music critics go after.  One the music becomes difficult to understand, it is treated less favorably. 

Another thing to consider is what do the lyrics of Prog convey?  Typically not "boy meets girl" topics, yet this is a fundamental understanding we all have.  Once heavier ideas or fantasy topics are sung about, it becomes an immediate turn off to the general public.  They either can't relate or just don't have time. 

The quality of the musician is expected to be high and doesn't matter what they are playing.  So for one to point to Prog musicians being above standard is inconsequential to the average listener.  Very fine musicians are found in pop music, they just aren't showing their prowess.  I don't believe the general public wants to listen to odd meters or incredible chops song after song. 

Critics who dare to talk about Prog' without understanding a note and sheeps who believe what this ignorant critics and DJ's say.

Don't blame musicians, most of them are doing ttheir best, and all have merits in different degrees, blame the status quo that priviledges easy music for idiots rather than intelligent music with good taste.

Iván

I am tired of always pointing out ELP or its parts!

So I will pick on the man with the stardust-sprikled cape eating Bami Goreng during his bassist's solo!! Shame on him!!! Him and his stupid rock ballet on ice or his ridiculous Journey to the centre of our planet! More like he was looking up his own arse!!

The man came to epitomize what was wrong with prog!!

The music press ios the obvious answer and Punk just needed the publicity stunt!!

My main votes go to the music press for putting prog down and the music industry for keeping it there

I don't think is so much a bad name as a simply misunderstood genre. There's not much airplay except for the classics (Roundabout, Lucky Man, etc.), not that airplay is all that appealing to a large number of Proggers.

It does take a certain sophistication (I'm NOT talking about snobbery!) to appreciate prog, therefore, the audience is smaller, & consequently, much more appreciative of the music.

 Music press obviously.

Hard to blame anyone specifically. Prog had a few good years and then people got bored and went off into other genres. But it didn't do itself any favours with some of the pretentious, overblown extremes (ELP, Wakeman) or the attempts to become more mainstream and commercial (Yes, Genesis).

Rule 1 of media seems to be "Find something new and shocking and push it" and that's what they did with Punk. That Grundy interview with the Sex Pistols was probably a catalyst for the demise of prog, since Punk was suddenly "dangerous" and therefore sexy.

I've just remembered a name of a real grade A arse...Lester Bangs.

"[Lester Bangs] was the great gonzo journalist, gutter poet, and romantic visionary of rock writing.."

Yeah right!

What an oaf that man was (may he rest in peace). read his biography, well 12 pages, before throwing it in the bin.

iguana wrote: i shan't go into bashing the music press – one must always be nice & considerate to people who are just plain DEAF. besides, most of them have their heads so far up each others' backsides that they must at best be ignored at any time. my choice of scapegoat would be jon anderson and steve howe, who completely lost the plot in 1973 and created "tales from topographic oceans", IMHO the biggest turd ever released under the prog rock banner and largely responsible why everyone else screamed "enough already!" in the aftermath. both have redeemed themselves very quickly since but the genre and music in general have never quite recovered...

     I find this chronic Tales bashing rather simple minded, especially the whole notion that they'd gone "too far"...what is too far? Should fans and critics dictate where the limits of artistic creation lie? I think artists must be free to explore, Yes was moving into totally unexplored territory, and while imperfect, the research & experience gained in Tales made Relayer possible. The "redeeming" that Yes went through later was, in IMHO, moving back onto safe, unchallenging territory and that's what killed progressive, not courageous exploration.

     As for the myth that everybody attacked Tales as being "enough already", Time Magazine named it as album of the year the year that it came out, and expressed great appreciation for the courage and ambitions of this young group. It doesn't get any more mainstream than that in terms of recognition, the revised history that it was immediately despised by all was adapted later by jounalists to support their anti.prog agenda. I loved it then and now, you don't have to take the concept so seriously, it's just great music.

StyLaZyn wrote: Although the media is to blame, it's important to recognize that listeners of Prog can think for themselves.  They know what type of music can be appreciated.  Prog is not for the unthinking, non-appreciative masses.  Do I blame the general public?  Not really.  Look how easily they are swayed.  (i.e. in the USA, Bush is President and STILL in office)  The inability to think for oneself is such a tragedy of the human being.  I've mentioned before that the reason pop works and Prog doesn't could be rooted in simplicity.  Does not Progressive Rock take time to digest?  Pop must have the quality of immediate satisfaction.  This is what the music critics go after.  One the music becomes difficult to understand, it is treated less favorably.  Another thing to consider is what do the lyrics of Prog convey?  Typically not "boy meets girl" topics, yet this is a fundamental understanding we all have.  Once heavier ideas or fantasy topics are sung about, it becomes an immediate turn off to the general public.  They either can't relate or just don't have time.  The quality of the musician is expected to be high and doesn't matter what they are playing.  So for one to point to Prog musicians being above standard is inconsequential to the average listener.  Very fine musicians are found in pop music, they just aren't showing their prowess.  I don't believe the general public wants to listen to odd meters or incredible chops song after song.

I agree with all of that!!

You're typical western teen/young adult (mostly American) can't grasp the concept of Prog comapred to Teenybopper sh*t. As long as it's catchy,a dumbed down audience will get it and like it. As soon as music involves thinking or instrumentals most people want nothing to do with it!!

Not to be sexist,but most females have this view with music. As long as it's catchy,they like it,no matter how stupid it is!! That's why I alway's stay away from the "MUSIC" topic when I'm around my female friends. Cause I know it will only end in high stress levels for myself

  Probably the newspaper and corporate magnates who employ the music journalists and decided there shouldn't be a market for prog

  other than that there is a Greek saying that those who the Gods want to destroy they first make crazy

  The Gods decided to destroy prog through four pieces of craziness in chronoligacal order

 TFTO by Yes

 ELP's works tour where they took a symphony orchestra to play mediocre material and went bust

 Roger Waters mental self indulgence , woe is me ,

 Genesis desire for money

thefalafelking wrote: Rick Wakeman without any doubt.   cheers   flfkng

dont know about that. Wakeman wasn't taking himself 100% seriously and was just having fun, and making some amazing music at the same time. Jon Anderson, Chris Squire and Steve Howe on the other hand did. I do think the music press didnt do Prog any good either, largley cos they consist, with some obvious exceptions, of miserable tone deaf punks cant cope with stuff they dont understand.... yep thats NME for you!.    Oh for the days of melody maker! 

Froth wrote: thefalafelking wrote: Rick Wakeman without any doubt. cheers   flfkng dont know about that. Wakeman wasn't taking himself 100% seriously and was just having fun, and making some amazing music at the same time. Jon Anderson, Chris Squire and Steve Howe on the other hand did. I do think the music press didnt do Prog any good either, largley cos they consist, with some obvious exceptions, of miserable tone deaf punks cant cope with stuff they dont understand.... yep thats NME for you!.    Oh for the days of melody maker!

In this case, it's not important how Wakemen saw himself. The issue is about the perception of the outside world. He indeed made amazing music, with Yes..