Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
This was published in today's NY Post. Thought I'd pass it along:
How the beasts of prog-rock went extinct By Jeff Blehar Few genres of popular music were more omnipresent in their heyday, yet more neglected today, than progressive rock. In the 1970s, dinosaurs roamed the earth: Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer and myriad smaller acts strode through concert halls and the music charts, big beasts staging elaborately theatrical concerts featuring long songs with fantastical imagery over virtuosic command of the band’s instruments. And then, just like the dinosaurs, the great progressive rock bands either died out or underwent a forced evolution in order to survive beyond the mass-extinction event known as the Punk Revolution. This era — an era when Genesis’ Peter Gabriel could dance around onstage kicking his heels, dressed like a flower, while audiences and critics alike ate it up rapturously — seems both improbable and faintly ridiculous from our modern-day factory-pop vantage point. But it all happened. It’s a tale well told in the new book by Washington Post reporter David Weigel: “The Show That Never Ends — The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock” (out Tuesday). Weigel has a journalist’s eye for the well-chosen anecdote as well as a lifelong fan’s mastery of the music, facts and arcana of the genre. Both the “rise and fall,” as Weigel aptly describes, were steep. At its mid-’70s peak, progressive rock was as commercially formidable a music genre as any other. And yet so much of it turned out to be culturally evanescent: To name but one example, Emerson, Lake & Palmer sold out stadiums all across the United States with a musical program comprised almost entirely of songs longer than 10 minutes at a stab, each featuring complicated chord changes, multiple shifts of tone and tempo, tricky meters and blindingly virtuoso musicianship. ELP headlined a festival in 1974 where they played to nearly half a million fans. Today? They’re treated as an (unfairly maligned) afterthought to our shared cultural narrative of ’70s popular music. Another example: Mike Oldfield’s purely instrumental “Tubular Bells” was one of the biggest-selling records of the entire decade; now it’s a footnote, remembered if at all as “that album with the Exorcist theme music.” But in its era it was as pervasive as anything by Wings or the Rolling Stones, and arguably superior to all but the best work of either. So why did it die off — in such a final way? Even disco — the other great musical victim of cultural backlash in the ’70s — survived undercover into the ’80s, its basic principles transmuted into R&B and the newer genres of club and house music. But progressive rock did not: it’s been reduced to either a nostalgia proposition, or the province of resolutely uncool niche acts whose fan bases consist primarily of awkward young men with fascinating facial hair. Weigel’s unstated thesis is that the music itself was not to blame, and it is impossible to disagree. Prog’s worst excesses (think billowing smoke machines, 30-minute faux-sonatas, self-indulgent faeries-and-sorcerers thematics, etc.) were dire, to be sure. But the best prog — for example, Jethro Tull’s “Thick As A Brick,” Soft Machine’s “Third,” Genesis’s “Selling England By The Pound,” Yes’s “Close To The Edge” — remains some of the most transcendent music recorded during the rock era. Instead, prog was a victim of three things: shifting cultural tastes, the increasingly brutal economics of the record industry and its own creative exhaustion. The strongest criticism that can be mounted against Weigel’s account relates to the last of these: He makes little attempt to reckon on a grander scale with what “progressive” music really was or is, beyond acknowledging its primarily European (and specifically British) sensibility. Was “prog” bound inextricably to a chronological era? Or was it, rather, a series of musico-ideological commitments? If the latter — and I think this is closer to the truth — then one will inevitably quibble over some of the acts excluded from Weigel’s narrative: In particular, the failure to grapple with the enduring influence of krautrock bands like Can and Neu! is a glaring omission. But this is a minor complaint. For better or worse (and anyone with a copy of Yes’s “Tormato” has already heard some of the “worse”), prog was mass art at its most ambitious, pushing the boundaries of commercial music as far as it could go in all directions — structural, melodic, rhythmic and lyrical — while still remaining recognizably “rock.” “The Show That Never Ends” is not only a fine history of the genre, but a requiem for an era when musicians let their creativity roam unchecked, even if such restless wandering sometimes took them over a cliff. Jeffrey Blehar is an elections analyst with the DecisionDeskHQ. He is an attorney and lives in Chicago. http://nypost.com/2017/06/12/how-the...-went-extinct/ |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
I still think The Soft Machine Third and Yes Close to the Edge are wonderful. Progressive rock is tied to a cultural era, one where baby boomers thought they could make great art out of anything. Pornographic movies like The Opening of Misty Beethoven were made with good production values and shown in mainstream theaters.
But porn at its core is about lust, and rock music at its core is about basic emotions like lust, love, anger, joy, and despair. Giant structures with lots of fancy ornamentation were washed away by the simple but overwhelming energy of home videos of two people with one camera having sex in a hotel room, or The Sex Pistols performing Anarchy in the UK. The videos with a billion views on YouTube are mostly songs about falling in love, breaking up, dancing, and sex. They're elemental. |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Not sure if the genre of progressive really died off as much as that author thinks it did. What seemed to happen, at least with the bands and styles I listen to, is the style morphed into two directions. More radio friendly pop-rock or hard-rock/metal. In the 80's there were plenty of progressively flavored pop rock bands. Some of them were the bands noted above, having went in a more radio friendly and MTV video direction. Others were fronted by members that used to be in those bands or were heavily influenced by those bands. Then in the 90's and 2000's progressive influenced hard/rock and metal bands took off and are still going strong today. No many of them are based on Europe, but since many of the bands listed above were form Europe I have to assume he's not ignoring them because they originate from outside the US.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Well just listen to either Deadwing or In Abentia and you'll realize how good prog can be done.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
I think the point is that at one time a prog rock band could sell out an NFL stadium, rather that it has died out(it hasn't). Ted Nugent could pack the Oakland Coliseum at one time also.
The seventies were a time when there were dozens of labels signing dozens of artists that put out albums charting in the top 100. Hit singles were unnecessary, people bought albums like they were singles. An album could reach the top ten, or even #1 with zero airplay. Things change. Used to be everybody in America sat down at the exact same time and watched 1 of 3 broadcast networks. This is just a partial list of artists who released albums in 1973 AEROSMITH ALICE COOPER ALLMAN BROTHERS GREG ALLMAN AMERICA ARGENT BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE BADFINGER JEFF BECK BLACK OAK ARKANSAS BLACK SABBATH BLUE OYSTER CULT BOWIE BUCKINGHAM/NICKS CANNED HEAT CLIMAX BLUES BAND JOE COCKER DEEP PURPLE DOOBIE BROTHERS EAGLES ELO ELP FACES FLEETWOOD MAC FOGHAT FRAMPTON RORY GALLAGHER J. GEILS BAND GENESIS GOLDEN EARRING GRAND FUNK GEORGE HARRISON HOT TUNA HUMBLE PIE JAMES GANG JETHRO TULL JO JO GUNNE JEFFERSON STARSHIP KING CRIMSON LED ZEPPELIN JOHN LENNON LITTLE FEAT LYNYRD SKYRND MARSHALL TUCKER BAND PAUL McCartney STEVE MILLER MONTROSE MOTT THE HOOPLE NAZARETH NEW RIDERS OF PURPLE SAGE TED NUGENT OZARK MT. DAREDEVILS PINK FLOYD QUEEN QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE RARE EARTH REO SPEEDWAGON ROLLING STONES TODD RUNDGREN SAVOY BROWN SILVERHEAD SLADE SPOOKY TOOTH THIN LIZZY KINKS MAHOGANY RUSH BYRDS LOU REED CHICAGO 3 DOG NIGHT LEON RUSSELL SANTANA BOB SEEGER ELTON JOHN BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN RINGO STATUS QUO STEELY DAN STEPHEN STILLS STYX T REX 10 YEARS AFTER TRAFFIC ROBIN TROWER DAVE MASON URIAH HEEP SWEET JACKSON BROWNE JOE WALSH WET WILLIE THE WHO JOHNNHY WINTER EDGAR WINTER WISHBONE ASH NEIL YOUNG ZZ TOP STEVIE WONDER NEW YORK DOLLS People keep saying the music's still out there, you just have to look for it. I don't think so. |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by rw2516
(Post 13094944)
I think the point is that at one time a prog rock band could sell out an NFL stadium, rather that it has died out(it hasn't).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._the_Edge_Tour Maybe they could fill football stadiums in Europe, but in the US these prog rock guys were playing mid size arena and large theaters in smaller markets. |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
So the author ignores Rush, because?... they don't fit his narrative?
Times change and music evolves. The music industry also has a way of pushing their own agenda like late 90's boy bands. |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
He also ignored that many of the same bands continue to play and record to this day. Certainly through the 90's.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
I saw Genesis in a stadium in the US in the 90's. They were pretty damn huge.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by cdollaz
(Post 13095012)
I saw Genesis in a stadium in the US in the 90's. They were pretty damn huge.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Prog certainly isn't as popular as it once was. Fortunately, there are still bands that put out quality prog rock (and metal) music. As for the reason, I doubt it was anything as deep as the author is going to try to find. My guess, since I wasn't really around or into the scene at all at that age, is that it fell to changing tastes.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Prog never totally disappeared. It evolved and splintered. "Corporate Rock" bands like Styx, Kansas, even Journey (pre-Steve Cain) took elements of prog and infused it with a pop mentality. 80s New Wave, Synthpop, Europop, etc. were took elements of prog to the dance floor. Metal bands like Iron Maiden incorporated bits of Genesis and Jethro Tull into their music...
Anyone could come up with a ton of examples of prog's lasting influence and transformation. But yeah,a the big arena-filling era of progressive rock was, in the end, a time-localized phenomenon to the early to mid 70s. I would like to check out this book though. |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by Hokeyboy
(Post 13095194)
Prog never totally disappeared. It evolved and splintered. "Corporate Rock" bands like Styx, Kansas, even Journey (pre-Steve Cain) took elements of prog and infused it with a pop mentality. 80s New Wave, Synthpop, Europop, etc. were took elements of prog to the dance floor. Metal bands like Iron Maiden incorporated bits of Genesis and Jethro Tull into their music...
Anyone could come up with a ton of examples of prog's lasting influence and transformation. But yeah,a the big arena-filling era of progressive rock was, in the end, a time-localized phenomenon to the early to mid 70s. I would like to check out this book though. |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Progressive Rock and Progressive Jazz were two of my favorite genres of music, I still have many albums including Soft Machine's Third that haven't hit the turntable in quite awhile because my ambition and my priorities changed. I don't listen to albums on my turntable much these days in favor of my favorite movies and TV shows in my collection. I still have my albums, I should drag out a few of them. Can: Future Days & Soon Over Babaluma, Gong, Marillion, Passport.....I remember when these bands were HOT.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by bacigalup
(Post 13094621)
But this is a minor complaint. For better or worse (and anyone with a copy of Yes’s “Tormato” has already heard some of the “worse”), prog was mass art at its most ambitious, pushing the boundaries of commercial music as far as it could go in all directions — structural, melodic, rhythmic and lyrical — while still remaining recognizably “rock.” |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by ken_572002
(Post 13097682)
While "Tormato" is no "Close To The Edge", it certainly doesn't need to be classified as the worst of prog rock. If the author wanted to pick a YES album for that description, either "Tales" or "Relayer" would have been a better choice. Overindulgent, structure-less recordings for the most part. Jon Anderson's ego got the best of him, when he set down to pen "Tales". That album's release was the reason Rick Wakeman left the band. Try and sit thru it's bloated 80+ minute recording, and you'll know what I mean.
The reason these bands all fell apart was the same reason any genre falls from favor. The artists get tired, line-ups fall apart, the fans mature, and the next generation wanted something different. It's not rocket science. Some artists and bands, such as Rush, Genesis, Yes, or John Wetton, were able to ride out the storm and reinvent themselves. Others simply went off on self indulgent tangets like Robert Fripp/King Crimson, and others became heavy metal bands like Jethro Tull :) |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by Jason
(Post 13097756)
Some artists and bands, such as Rush, Genesis, Yes, or John Wetton, were able to ride out the storm and reinvent themselves. Others simply went off on self indulgent tangets like Robert Fripp/King Crimson, and others became heavy metal bands like Jethro Tull :)
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Is Pink Floyd considered Prog Rock?
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by morriscroy
(Post 13097761)
Did any prog-rock guys go into disco during 1977-1980 ?
And of course, there was this... https://progressivemusicplanet.files...113458_f_1.jpg |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by Fist of Doom
(Post 13095243)
Good points, and I would add the impact of MTV. Once they came along, the days of bearded guys with white man afros, playing 10 minute opuses were over.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by morriscroy
(Post 13097761)
Did any prog-rock guys go into disco during 1977-1980 ?
And I'm completely serious. |
Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Originally Posted by Jason
(Post 13097756)
Tormato suffers from a dumb name and a bad album cover. That's enough to get it on a worst ever list for shallow rock journalists.
The reason these bands all fell apart was the same reason any genre falls from favor. The artists get tired, line-ups fall apart, the fans mature, and the next generation wanted something different. It's not rocket science. Some artists and bands, such as Rush, Genesis, Yes, or John Wetton, were able to ride out the storm and reinvent themselves. Others simply went off on self indulgent tangets like Robert Fripp/King Crimson, and others became heavy metal bands like Jethro Tull :)
Originally Posted by Ringmaster
(Post 13097861)
Is Pink Floyd considered Prog Rock?
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
It also ignored prog metal, bands like Nevermore, Mastodon, Animals as Leaders, Symphony X, etc.
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
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Re: Article: How the Beasts of Prog-Rock Went Extinct
Caught the music episode of CNN's series The Seventies. Although there were already rock artists releasing non commercial music, the industry still held creative control over the AM pop part. When pop artists pushed for creative control the labels knuckled under with a "we'll try it and see" attitude. These albums turned out to be huge hits, especially Stevie Wonder and the monster hit Carole King's Tapestry.
As a result the industry relinquished all creative control to the artists. "Here's the money, record whatever you want, we'll release it". You want to record an album that's just one long song? We don't care, do whatever you want. The industry became a "patron of the arts", financing the artistic expression of the artists. And it paid off. The music industry made more money in the seventies than anytime before or since. Record sales out paced the movie industry by $100 billion. Records were bringing in more money than Star Wars, Jaws, etc. This is why there are so many subgenres that were all popular. There was no one definitive "mass" popular style. The top ten albums could range from Led Zeppelin, to Elton John, to Barry White, to ELP, to ABBA, to James Taylor, to Black Sabbath in any given week. The prevailing wisdom among record execs was that the artists had a better instinct for what was good and what would sell than they did. |
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