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NPR Tackles Progressive Rock and Earns My Wrath

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Posted on July 18, 2017 at 12:01:47
mr.bear
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Joined: November 13, 2001
 NPR interviewed author David Weigel, trying to straddle the fence a bit, but conveying an unmistakable mocking tone... Weigel says "I've always liked this progressive rock that is not critically respected or has been written out of rock history - not completely, but written as sort of a hilarious little hurdle for real musicians to get over." He was hawking his crappy new book (surprise!) "The Show That Never Ends: The Rise And Fall Of Prog Rock." I hope the 10,000 copies he paid to have printed cause the floor of his crappy apartment collapse, plunging him into a well-deserved pile of rubble from which nauseating K-pop or "Vocal Electronic Music" continues to be heard, playing eerily from his partially-crushed iPod.

 

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I dunno -- I was far more impressed by "prog rock" at age 15..., posted on July 19, 2017 at 10:57:14
mhardy6647
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Location: New England
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Contributor
  Since: October 23, 2016
 than I am now.

Much of it (perhaps most of it), I ultimately decided, was carefully and thoughtfully designed to impress the easy-to-impress.

And I never much cared for Rick Wakeman, nor ELP, and I didn't think much of any Yes later than "Close to the Edge" (and even there, past "And You and I" it struck me as a form of virtuoso masturbation).

Just to offer a little counterpoint, you know? ;-)

Heck, the day I "walked" to get my PhD diploma, there was a woman who received a PhD (presumably from the Peabody Institute, which by then was owned by my alma mater) for a thesis about Keith Emerson. I found some wry amusement in that.


all the best,
mrh

 

RE: NPR Tackles Progressive Rock and Earns My Wrath, posted on July 19, 2017 at 14:29:57
fantja
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Posts: 15524
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 Laughing... I like your style mr. bear-

 

Wakeman, posted on July 22, 2017 at 13:20:17
Daryl Zero
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 I really love Wakeman's work with Bowie.

 

Me too! NT, posted on July 23, 2017 at 13:09:31
Harmonia
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Location: Midwestern USA
Joined: November 3, 2000
 *

 

I dunno Weigel's book but..., posted on July 23, 2017 at 13:53:08
Harmonia
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Posts: 1930
Location: Midwestern USA
Joined: November 3, 2000
 There's a lot of pretentious crap that falls within the prog category (not all prog bands were created equal you know), but I'm not about to throw out my Genesis (Gabriel era), Soft Machine, Caravan, Gentle Giant or King Crimson albums. Not even my PFM. And certainly not my Stackridge.

Many of these musicians had roots in classical or jazz and wanted to make "rock" music that incorporated and explored those roots. This aim conflicts with the blues based form of most rock music, not to mention the rough edged, anti-establshiment, simple, direct and rebellious stance of rock 'n roll. A very few artists were able to combine both e.g. John Cale, Robert Fripp and Peter Gabriel. But I think the advent of punk and new wave - and particularly the demise of album FM stations where listeners could encounter long form music - killed prog in the USA.

There is a prog underground, particularly in Europe, but I don't know much about it.

Think I'll go listen to some Kevin Ayers.

 

This brings me great concern, posted on July 24, 2017 at 07:38:47
rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com
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Posts: 3040
Location: Atlanta
Joined: December 15, 2003
 I am one of those people who believe everything I hear on NPR just as I did my second grade teacher. The people on NPR remind me so much of my second grade teacher. Everything was so absolute and easy to understand when she spoke so playfully and with words we all knew and understood. Nothing too difficult which might relieve us of our belief that we are so really smart for listening to NPR.

I think it is obvious why so-called progressive music must be dismissed. It was generally made by white boys who seemed to have an appreciation of Western culture and we all know that is icky.

We should start a petition to ban it. Should have nipped this stuff in the bud decades ago. All correct thinking comrades will place these recordings into the memory hole nearest you.

Now, that's better.

 

RE: NPR Tackles Progressive Rock and Earns My Wrath, posted on July 24, 2017 at 14:14:17
Chipper
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Posts: 1
Joined: July 24, 2017
 Progressive Rock is popular in Australia and England and in indie rock. Check out RADIOHEAD and MUSE from England. Check out PLINI from Australia.

Some rock critics do not like progressive rock because it is too sophisticated for them to understand. Progressive rock goes over the heads of rock critics who first became rock critics following folk singers who only played 3 chords. Anything beyond those folk chords and the rock critics become "lost" and are unable to follow and understand the music. It took decades for many rock critics who had panned PINK FLOYD for decades to finally start to understand it.


The rock critics who write for guitar magazines have a better understanding of progressive rock.

 

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