Progressive Rock

[onthewall2983]

In hopes of continuing the momentum from the previous thread, I thought I'd start this one with an A/V history lesson.

What better way to start off with the momentous climax to what was the most ambitious rock album of it's time, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper Lonely Heart's Club Band. The album marked the cultural beginning of the summer of love. It (along with Frank Zappa's work with the Mothers Of Invention and what Brian Wilson did with Pet Sounds) also was an early indicator of experimentation creeping into the recording process, going as far as making the studio an instrument itself. The kaleidoscopic instrumentation, imaginative lyrics and striking artwork are crucial elements to progressive rock to this day.


Also from 1967, this song provided a key ingredient that would be later integral to the 70's progressive sound, a clear classical influence.


Continuing in the classical/symphonic vein, the entire Days Of Future Passed album provides a solid argument about the Moody's legacy of grandfathering the symphonic rock movement. The album also made extensive use of the mellotron, utilizing the string, voice and brass features as a counterpoint to the huge orchestral textures.


Pink Floyd are considered one of the cornerstones of the genre, not just for the music that sometimes transcended those labels ("Echoes", Dark Side Of The Moon & Wish You Were Here specifically), but as a starting point as well, being the first purely English psychedelic band. The Beatles' and Moody Blues songs were still very rooted in pop music at this time, where the Floyd were more given to very long-form jams (like in the video presented) and odd lyrical motifs miles away from "boy meets girl". Consider if you will, that their first single was about a cross-dresser's exploits.


Pre-dating his time in Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Keith Emerson first made his name with The Nice. They fused classical with film scores, and even mashing up Bob Dylan with Bach. Here is a cover of Leonard Bernstein's "America" from West Side Story, a single that Keith called the first ever "instrumental protest song". He (along with people like Jon Lord of Deep Purple) gave the Hammond organ some balls, exploring a heavier range of the instrument and also giving people like Hendrix and Townshend a run for their money with showmanship.


The music on the first King Crimson album In The Court Of The Crimson King, like the Velvet Underground before them, and Black Sabbath not that much later on, represented the decaying reality of the peace movement. No song better represents this than it's opening track "21st Century Schizoid Man", with it's lyrical imagery of death and destruction and frantic musical passages that rivals any jazz or classical music. It's place in progressive rock history is as unique and game-changing, and it's influence is felt in more heavy and avant-garde rock music. And thanks to Kanye, even hip-hop now.


Genesis had a more mature approach, eschewing overt psychedelia and covering other people's material. Instead, the music had a more pastoral approach with lyrics steeped in English whimsy and sci-fi/fantasy influences. The album Nursery Cryme were the first to feature Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, both of whom had musical prowess that propelled their sound into more broad and epic soundscapes. This video features that line-up and was recorded I believe for Italian television. The subsequent albums Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway along with their eye-popping live performances, provided the perfect balance between adventurous musical journeys and a striking visual element (provided by Peter Gabriel's insistence on props and costumes to help with the storytelling process).


Yes' Close To The Edge is a watershed moment in their career and the burgeoning popularity of progressive rock in the early 70's. That it was such a huge selling album with only 3 songs is a good indication of this. The title track (presented here) is a show-stopper in concert and to me is one of their real masterpieces. It's also notable for being the crossroads between the highly-acclaimed Fragile (which produced their first hit single "Roundabout") and the controversial Tales From Topographic Oceans, an album that divided their audience and lead to Rick Wakeman's (first) departure.


For anyone curious about the embryonic stages of the genre, I highly recommend looking up "Prog Rock Britannia" on YouTube. It features interviews with members of Procol Harum, King Crimson, Genesis, Yes and bands not cited here like Caravan, Egg, Soft Machine, Jethro Tull and ELP.

Pretentious as it may seem (and in this thread, why not), I hope to include two more lessons to show where the genre has gone since then. But for now, I hope you enjoy this and that this inspires some healthy discussion.