BY MIKEY MIGO
Over the years I've heard many people mention and bring up "prog rock". While I had a vague idea of what it is, I wasn't too sure. I've heard the term tweaked to be "prog metal" and that just baffled me even more. I would start to hear it referred to certain bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, Queensryche, Tool, and especially Dream Theater. You really can't hate a genre that involves those iconic bands. At the same time, I've heard it referenced as far back as the art rock types like Velvet Underground. Again, it sounds intriguing. Putting two and two together, it would seem "prog rock" would mean epic, experimental, complex, and more artsy. I could go on with this idea of "prog rock" being just that. All the bands I've heard associated with the sub genre embody those qualities and most of them are great bands. Still, I wanted to know more. This is where our research project comes in.
Prog Rock came to surface in the late 60s in vein and influence of psychedelic rock. It was the bands who explored music beyond the traditional and technical boundaries. Avoiding the standard pop music composition of verse-chorus, prog rockers explored clear of the norm. Lyrically these songs have more fantasy and abstractness involved. Really, the overall vibe of these songs is "epic". You know you're being led on a journey with the music and vocals.
The use of non-traditional rock instruments are something that you shouldn't be shocked to hear in a prog rock song. If you've listened to any of the bands I mentioned earlier, you know that they explore other sounds like odd brass and metal instruments, electronics, synths, effects, and some hints towards the roots of industrial rock.
Many would say progressive rock began in 1967 with Cream and Nice, others credit Pretty Thinks' work in 68 and The Who's "Tommy" in 69. Still it looks like 1966 was where things started to actually take shape. Mainly, I think 66 seems to be the beginning because it's when The Byrds put out "Eight Miles High" and The Who's "A Quick One While He's Away" is really the first type of "epic" song that would still fit into the "progressive" lines.
So really the best answer one can say for "When did it all start" would be the late 60's. It's general and safe and each of those late years can be considered a strong root to this genre's family tree. In 67, we had Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, and Big Brother and the Holding Company. Each of these artists would be pushing the limits and molding the craft of what would become a definitive spirit. I say spirit because there's not really a definitive sound, so I would think spirit or mentality would be the best way to generalize the movement at the time. But it really all started to snowball with the up rise of bands like Triumvirat, Focus, Gong, Art Zoyd, Art Bears, and others. The avant-garde side of things really began to surface in the late 70's with RIO, but one would argue that the Velvet Underground via Andy Warhol's live show was the real emphasis of the prog-concert. Still, RIO made it darker than anyone else before it. Yes started using ARP synths with jazz influenced sounds, Phil Collins and Bill Bruford started "Brand X", and Miles Davis's influence started to shine though. So really the mid 70's saw the popularity rise of the entire genre, but it wouldn't last too long. Still at this point, prog rockers were topping charts, magazine covers, and getting main stream attention. 1974 saw Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Genesis, and King Crimson all either go on hiatus or chance their bands around. So this and the rise of punk, pretty much put the entire visibility of the genre. Still the remaining bands like Rush, Genesis (now with Collins singing), Yes, and Pink Floyd still remained prominent with top ten albums, successful tours, and strong fan bases. This would change as the new decade began.
The 80's had a good amount of prog-rock hit the mainstream radio. Rush, Asia, Styx, Foreigner, Journey, and Boston brought the commercial side of things to the forefront. You can also argue to a certain extent the new wave movement being a part of the progressive revolution of the 80's. The use of synth, epic lyrics, and straying from the norm was the main motif for many of the new wavers, so can easily put them into the prog groupings.
The genre was kept alive in the 90's mainly by Swedish bands like Anglargard and Landberk. This third revival was lead by Porcupine tree, Magic Pie, The Flower Kings, Ezra, Dream Threater, Tristan Park, and others. The power and tone of metal would soon be mixed with the standard progressive traits and were in again for the envelope to be pushed as "prog-metal" was born. So, we enter the 2000's and go from "neo-progressive" to "progressive metal". Bands like Dream Theater, Tool, Queensryche, and the remaining prog rockers from the past held it down for the fading genre. Newer bands like Mars Volta and Coheed and Cambria carry the torch on.
So really, what I've learned is that you can put "progressive" in front of any rock genre if it's more technical based, yet off the normal composition structure. I think I'm still sorta missing the definitive answer. There are artists out there like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Bowie, Prince, Bauhaus, and more who while some of these were using the standard "verse- chorus" structure, but have expansive and unique structures. Some of these songs are epic and very technical based. Are these artists not progressive-what have you?
I love the idea of going outside of the box, ignoring the norm, and exploring the heart AND mind to make ones art. Still, a traditional band can do these things as well. Just because a band follows a common structure doesn't mean they can't do the same. The old saying is "It's not what you say, it's how you say it" could easily be revamped to "it's not what you play, it's how you play it". I like what is labeled as "progressive" a lot, but am unsure on the boundaries.
There's no reason at all to be all "You didn't mention (place band here)! You know NOTHING!" because I never claimed I did. This is an open discussion and the whole point of this piece was to try to get a better grasp on a genre I generally didn't know much about. If you have a better grasp on how to define a "prog-rock" band, please respond below. Together as a music community we can help each other learn.
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