The Yardbirds formed in 1963, and from them later came Led Zeppelin & Renaissance.

 

 

 

I'm sure there are other examples, but other people might know better than me.

 

I'm planting a flag here for 1963 as the very very early beginnings of what would become Progressive Rock.

 

Happy 50th!

 

What an amazing quartet!  Can we invent a new subgenre that includes these four?

The imfamous too hip to be hop proto ska n soul prog genre.

 

You had The Shadows but that's about as rock it got in 1963.

 

However, I think prog can be traced to Booker T & The MG's that year if you like.

 

 

1964 (Beatles, The Who, Animals etc) was the year that music definitely took a proggier direction.

 

Interesting. Where can I find this?

 

Here is a recent article about the start of progressive rock.

 

 

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=098b477826d9c73180a211ac110fa35f&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.stevehoffman.tv%2Fthreads%2Fwas-lucy-in-the-sky-with-diamonds-the-1st-progressive-rock-song.312522%2Fpage-5&v=1&libid=1363482183334&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popmatters.com%2Fpm%2Fcolumn%2F168824-1967-and-the-prog-rock-progenitors%2F&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.stevehoffman.tv%2Fforums%2Fmusic-corner.2%2Fpage-4&title=Was%20Lucy%20In%20The%20Sky%20With%20Diamonds%20the%201st%20progressive%20rock%20song%3F%20%7C%20Page%205%20%7C%20Steve%20Hoffman%20Music%20Forums&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popmatters.com%2Fpm%2Fcolumn%2F168824-1967-and-the-prog-rock-progenitors%2F&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13634821895932" rel="nofollow -

I'm merely stating a case for something to have started in 1963 - origin of bands which later became progressive or led to progressive rock.

 

 

A quick investigation reveals that Run Home Slow was recorded in 1963 and released in 1965 in the low budget western of the same title. I think, reminiscent of Morricone's western scores, after listening to it...I wonder who influenced whom?

 

The "Recorded-years-before-its-release" was typical of the early prog years.

 

Thanks for the info darkshade

 

 

 

If you're going to use a blues band as a foundation of prog, then you'd have to go back much earlier to the birth of the blues.

 

The progression of being progressive existed in rock music during the premature 50's "Rock n' Roll" . Artists being forced to make hit records..yet adapted guitar styles of "Rockabilly"/Blues licks which then..forced students of "Rock" to take lessons because it was required to put forward technique to play fast fingerpicking or string bending. A band like "The Ventures" often played a technical smooth guitar style that was polished to the max. The true elements of Progressive rock not only derived from Classical music , but from T.V. themes in the 50's and early 60's. No doubt many of the hokey "Sci-Fi" themes that Robert Fripp or Syd Barrett listened to when they were kids ..later influenced their ideas of writing. References can be made to such pieces as "Groon", "Pictures of a City", and later expanding on "Fracture". Fripp often used the same fingerings and voicings derived from the "Twilight Zone" and Bernard Hermann themes. Many guitarists grew up on "Sci-Fi" themes and it influenced them to study the modes in music vocabulary. As children..they became interested in "Sci-Fi" themes because they may have already been practicing an instrument and found oddball themes to be of dimensional measures. They could change/reverse the notes around and write actual pieces of their own ..creating Progressive Rock. These are all premature musical stages of progression that influenced developments of Progressive Rock and Jazz/Fusion. Logically it would be correct..(as embarrassing as it seems), to state this claim based around the lives of many musicians. Not everything was so cool as to derive from the influence of Edgar Varese.

 

To quote direct artists influences on Progressive Rock would be challenging. When you're a devoted musician, what you hear is recorded into your brain and felt with your heart. When you're a musician ..your brain is like a computer of information that constantly resurfaces naturally during improvisation or during the development of ideas for a composition. That alone presents us with an on going process of the musician's communication between their brain, creative mind, and heart. Ideas/elements for Progressive Rock throughtout history originally derived from traditional European Folk music, elements of Jazz music, Classical, Blues, Rock n' Roll, ethnic/ancient styles and so logically the fact that those styles were the predecessor's to prog , then it makes perfect sense how the elements/ideas were formed.

 

Ian Anderson often played "Blues' licks. He would often play notes like G, A, C, D, in the key of A , but put emphasis on the note D sharp also E flat. This overall gave a mystique to the sound of Progressive Rock. Sometimes the note had echo effects, sometimes it played a role in vocal harmonies. Something as simple as applying that note in Vangelis' "The Dragon" or a holding ending but dynamically fading note in the music of Gentle Giant is a very old concept. The creation of playing outside the melody derived from the "Black community" over a extensive course of time. All their creations were directly related to personal issues in their lives in America. All of their vital creations such as Jazz, Blues, and Rock n' Roll stem from their personal bloodline genetics. No one else created this music and that was obvious when other races of musicians in America slept on their doorsteps, called them on the phone, or even hounded them for lessons. So in point...the Black community deserves credit for the outside experimental playing in Progressive Rock. They deserve credit for developing the original idea.

 

Classical music was often lifted in Prog by either performing/recording a historical piece or stealing signature lines to reverse and change some of the notes. Chord changes from 16th century pieces were often utilized by Procol Harum. Gentle Giant's vocal harmonies were abstract , yet commonly based on individual vocal parts in a sequence that derived from traditional European Folk music. The Arabic scales or harmonic tones were often utilized for "Rock theatre style compositions dating back to "Jesus Christ Superstar" , but later used in the music of Gong and many others. Simon and Garfunkel were influenced by Church music..not only Folk. They had a major impact on Jon Anderson and he attempted many times to go beyond adding their style to his. With prog, you have to research the influences and it gets very detailed. Tri-Tone voicings or "Devil's Interval" also played a huge role in Prog.    

 

 

 

You are not incorrect in obtaining the information that you seek. You are spot on compiling a list of configurations and I'm always interested in influences dating back to another lifetime.