Progressive rock

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Progressive rock, sometimes shortened to prog or prog rock, is a subgenre of rock music which arose in the mid-to-late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the 1970s, and has continued as a form of popular music to this day. It is commonly associated with symphonic rock and art rock, although the term progressive rock in today's usage often embraces a significantly wider spectrum of music than these styles[1].

Progressive rock acts often combine rock formats with elements of classical music, or sometimes with styles such as jazz, usually rejecting specific genre norms, and instead utilizing relatively uncommon musical structures and ideas. More than in any other genres, progressive rock is usually very melodic and/or symphonic, and progressive acts tend to be dramatic. As such, it can be seen as an approach to songwriting as well as a genre of its own.

The term "progressive rock" was initially applied to the music of bands such as King Crimson, Genesis, Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, who are widely regarded as prime exponents of the genre - but other examples of notable early progressive rock bands include Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Rush, Gentle Giant, and Kansas. The characteristics of progressive rock can be difficult to define with precision - for example the above mentioned bands are different from one another in their respective sounds and fan bases.

The styles and often lengths of the pieces mean that this music is album-oriented rather than singles-oriented, and as such, progressive rock acts are rarely found in the top 40 singles lists.

[edit] Characteristics of progressive rock

[edit] The most typical characteristics

The most striking tendency and identifying feature of any given piece of progressive rock is that it feels carefully composed, yet spontaneous and improvised at the same time. It is true to say that progressive rock lends itself as much to intellectual analysis as it does to emotional enjoyment. Hence, the most typical characteristics may be found by exploring the basic 5 elements of music as taught to most music undergraduates, but are not easily determined by casual listening alone;

King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King, released in October of 1969, is often cited as the first progressive rock work - although there are many notable predecessors. It contained many of the elements that would mark the genre in the years to come: lengthy, intricate songs; irregular time signatures, unconventional use of instruments; and lyrics and album covers inspired by fantasy or art.

1. Form: A piece of progressive rock either avoids common song structures of verse, chorus, bridge, etc, or blurs the distinctions by extending sections or inserting additional ones, for example, via musical interludes. Contrasts would often be made between these sections in terms of dynamics, such that soft passages would build to louder passages and so on. This approach is common in rock music, but more pronounced in the more theatrical progressive rock groups. As the genre developed, the quantity of these sections increased, as progressive rock acts continued their allusions towards classical music and composed entire suites, building on the traditional medleys of earlier rock bands. Another common structural feature lies in extended instrumental passages that are part composed and part improvised, aspects which are usually associated with jazz and classical music, but less frequent in rock and popular music. This can often lead to pieces in excess of 20 minutes.

2. Timbre (instrumentation and dynamic): Early progressive rock groups added additional instrumentation to the typical rock group lineup of a guitarist, bassist, and drummer, often adding keyboards or synthesizers. These and other instruments, particularly instruments common to classical and jazz music, such as the flute, saxophone or violin, are frequently used as part of the overall musical texture of the group's musical output. This represents a major departure from the "featured instrument in particular songs" status that such instruments held in mainstream rock and pop music but again, is a feature of jazz and classical music. Progressive rock acts would also incorporate orchestras and choirs (although this is not exclusively a feature of progressive rock, as it is a feature of 1940s swing, Motown, and other orchestra-backed popular music). Dynamically, progressive rock acts often tend toward the extremes.

3. Rhythm: Use of time signatures and rhythmic techniques uncommon to rock music. Progressive rock music is often written with an artistic approach first and foremost - it was generally not envisaged that people would necessarily dance to it. The rhythms, therefore, were developed to drive the music rather than the listener's feet. Changing time signatures and even layering poly rhythms were techniques more typical of classical and jazz music than of rock music. The use of repetitive riffs was shunned.

4. Harmony: There are few pieces of progressive rock that adhere to the I - IV - V chord progressions of early rock - indeed, this is almost invariably avoided in favour of less predictable progressions. A simple triad is frequently built upon - a common jazz technique - so that 6ths, 7ths and so on are layered to build more indeterminate harmonies that can push some pieces of progressive rock into the atonal or dissonant. A common exception to this, however, is where a band will deliberately use classical harmonic progressions or devices - and sometimes, entire works - in order to allude to classical music. A few brave bands even include rudimentary serialism in their music, in their bid to escape "standard" diatonic harmony. The harmony of progressive rock, like jazz, is often almost inextricably linked with the use of modes in the melodies.

5. Melody: While the Ionian mode is still prevalent even in progressive rock, the blues-associated pentatonic scale is conspicuous by its absence. In progressive rock, melodies tend to be long and often meandering, especially in instrumental solo passages, often with little or no clear indication of cadence.

[edit] Other characteristics

• Concept albums, in which a theme or storyline is explored throughout an entire album or series of albums, sometimes in a manner similar to a film or a play. These are often called "rock operas", a term popularized by the likes of The Who and Andrew Lloyd Webber. In the days of vinyl, concept albums extended to two or even three record sets with striking gatefold sleeves. Famous examples include The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis and Pink Floyd's The Wall, which was accompanied by a film of the same name and an elaborate live show. It is important to realize that concepts and concept albums are not the sole domain of progressive rock, however (the first noted "concept album" is Frank Sinatra's "In the Wee Small Hours", released in 1957). Conversely, not all progressive rock albums are concept albums.
• Another non-musical element common to progressive rock is the lyrics. In progressive rock, the romantic lyrics typical of pop songs and the more down-to-earth themes of blues and mainstream rock genres rarely appear. Instead, the lyrics tend to be conceptually themed or based at least partly in fantasy, and are often written and presented as poetry - another example of the genre's high-brow allusions. The lyrics as presented by necessity had a large impact on all of the musical elements, as pieces were often put together to express the lyrics such that the melody and dynamic carried inferences on allusions, the harmony expressed emotional subtext (e.g. through suggestive use of major or minor chords) and the rhythms would accent words or phrases. Limited use of leitmotif and other more textural techniques used in characterisation can also be found in pieces such as Genesis' "Harold the Barrel".
• An aesthetic linking the music with visual art, a trend started by The Beatles with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and enthusiastically embraced during the heyday of progressive rock. Some bands became as well-known for the art direction of their albums as for their sound, with the "look" integrated into the band's overall musical identity. This led to fame for particular artists and design studios, most notably Roger Dean for his work with Yes, and Storm Thorgerson and his studio Hipgnosis for their work with Pink Floyd and others. H.R. Giger's painting for Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery is one of the most famous album sleeves ever produced, although it was censored to remove a phallus. Paul Whitehead produced evocative gatefold album covers and sleeves for Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator.

[edit] History of progressive rock

[edit] Precursors

It can be reasonably concluded that Progressive rock originated in Britain in the late 1960s, from a variety of musical influences worldwide. The term Progressive, as applied to music, originated in the late 1940s in relation to Jazz. Later in the 1960s, the term was used in connection with the Blues, e.g. the Decca series of "The Progressive World of..." series, and Johnny Winters' Progressive Blues Experiment. It wasn't until the mid 1970s that the music that is now known as Progressive Rock acquired its posthumous credit.

Amongst other developments, the later Beatles (heavily influenced by The Byrds), and other psychedelic bands began to combine traditional rock music with instruments from classical music, Eastern music and improvisatory music, while Pink Floyd's earliest work showed certain progressive elements. One kind of precursor, Beck's Bolero, composed by then-Yardbirds Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in 1966, is a brief reworking of Maurice Ravel's Boléro. One of the earliest rock bands to experiment with song structures, improvisation and multi-layered arrangements, was 1-2-3 (later Clouds). Psychedelic rock continued this experimental trend and began to compose very long pieces, although usually without any carefully thought-out structure (for example, Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" or "1983...(A Merman Should I Turn to Be)" by Jimi Hendrix). Frank Zappa's early work is also sometimes considered progressive.

By the mid- to late-'60s, The Who had also created concept albums, as well as long live rock song performances — although those were often in the more blues-based improvisational style also featured by contemporaries Cream and Led Zeppelin. Bands such as The Nice, Procol Harum, and the Moody Blues began deliberately combining rock music with classical music, producing longer pieces that were composed and not jam-based. Procol Harum's 17-minute suite "In Held Twas In I," recorded in 1967, is now seen as a pivotal point in such "longer compositions" and the first progressive rock epic. For their part German electronic music and Krautrock pioneers Tangerine Dream introduced a variety of synthesisers, tape effects, and other unusual sounds in their compositions, usually in purely instrumental albums. Many others began to experiment mixing rock with jazz.

All of these bands are sometimes considered "early progressive," or as part of a transitional genre between psychedelic and progressive, sometimes referred to as proto-prog.

[edit] First progressive rock acts

Key early progressive rock bands included The Nice and Soft Machine and the roots of the genre can be traced back to the mid-sixties. However, King Crimson's appearance in February 1969 is a pivotal moment for some. King Crimson were quickly followed by other British progressive rock bands, including Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant. It is worth noting that, aside from ELP and Gentle Giant, these bands began their careers before King Crimson, and changed their musical styles considerably following the release of In the Court of the Crimson King. Also, Pink Floyd's change in sound was probably due to the loss of Syd Barrett, their main song writer from 1965-1967. As for ELP, they inherited their singer and bass guitarist, Greg Lake, from the original King Crimson lineup.

Some strands of progressive rock also gained momentum when rock fans grew disillusioned with the "Peace and Love" movement. Some progressive bands started to move away from the "smiles and sunshine" of 1960s pop music closer to more complex and reflective, and sometimes also darker themes. For example, Genesis' Trespass includes "The Knife", a song about a violent demagogue, and "Stagnation", a song about a survivor of a nuclear attack^{[citation needed]}. Genesis labelmates Van der Graaf Generator sometimes took an existentialist approach that bordered on nihilism. Pink Floyd is well known for a certain philosophical quality to their lyrics, oft resulting in a cynical and often nihilistic view.

Progressive rock was especially popular in continental Europe and some parts of Latin America. Indeed, progressive rock enjoyed a captivating popularity in countries such as Italy, France and Switzerland. This era saw a great number of European progressive rock bands, most notably Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), Area, the aforementioned Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Flame Dream from Switzerland, and Le Orme from Italy, Ange and Magma from France, Focus and Kayak from the Netherlands and Aphrodite's Child from Greece. Of these bands, only PFM was significantly successful in the English-speaking world. Germany also had a significant progressive movement, often referred to as Krautrock. Among these bands, we can cite Triumvirat. The Italian progressive rock has been considered somehow a case of its own (sometimes cited as a separated genre, as "Italian symphonic rock"). Although most of the bands scored appalling success even in their home country (often releasing only one LP), today CDs of otherwise unknown groups like Museo Rosenbach, Osanna, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Semiramis etc., along with the more renowned ones, are increasingly sought by fans as true classics of the genre, and also attracting the interests of higher musical critics and universities. In Brazil, Os Mutantes combined elements of traditional Brazilian music, psychedelic rock and experimental sounds to create intricate yet unorthodox arrangements, with imagery and lyrics inspired by fantasy, literature and history.

A strong element of avant-garde and counter-culture has long been associated with a great deal of progressive rock. In the 70's, Chris Cutler of Henry Cow helped to form a loose collective of artists referred to as Rock in Opposition or RIO, whose purpose was essentially to make a statement against the music industry. The original members included such diverse groups as Henry Cow, Samla Mammas Manna, Univers Zero, Etron Fou Leloublan, Stormy Six, and later Art Zoyd, Art Bears, and Aqsak Maboul. The Rock in Opposition movement was short-lived, but the artists came to be recognized as some of the originators of Avant-progressive rock. Dark melodies, angular progressions, dissonance, free-form playing, and a disregard for conventional structure are all elements that have been used to describe these artists.

[edit] Rise and fall

Fans and music historians have a variety of ways to categorize the flavors of 1970s progressive rock. The Canterbury scene can be considered a sub-genre of progressive rock, more oriented towards Jazz rock, or simply another collection of true progressive rock bands. Other bands took the genre in a more commercial direction. These bands, including Renaissance, The Alan Parsons Project, Queen and Electric Light Orchestra, are sometimes classified as "progressive rock", "commercial rock", or "symphonic pop." Over time, Led Zeppelin and Supertramp, among others, also incorporated more unusual instrumental elements, odd time signatures, and long compositions into their work. In a similar "prog pop" vein was Manfred Mann's Earth Band, which featured virtuoso Minimoog solos by Mann. The group was regarded as a first-rate prog rock act, considering Manfred Mann's more well-known 1960's pop heritage.

Progressive rock's popularity peaked in the mid-1970s, when prog artists regularly topped readers' votes in mainstream popular music magazines in England and America. By this time, several North American progressive rock bands had been formed. Kansas, which had actually existed in one form or another since 1971, became one of the most commercially successful of all progressive rock bands. Toronto's Rush were equally successful, with a string of hit albums extending from the mid-1970s to the present. Less commercially successful, but at least as influential^{[dubious — see talk page]} as either band, were the Dixie Dregs, from Georgia (arguably more of a fusion band), and Happy The Man, a Washington D.C. based act.

Yes performing in Indianapolis in 1977.

With the advent of punk rock in the late 1970s, critical opinion in England moved toward a simpler and more aggressive style of rock, with progressive bands increasingly dismissed as pretentious and overblown, ending progressive rock's reign as one of the leading styles in rock.^[1][2] This development is often seen as part of wider commercial turn in popular music in second half of the 1970s during which many funk or soul bands switched to disco and smooth jazz gained popularity over jazz fusion. However, established progressive bands still had a large following, with Rush, Genesis, Yes and Pink Floyd all regularly scoring Top Ten albums with massive accompanying tours, for some of these bands, their largest yet. By 1979, by which time it is generally agreed that punk had mutated into New Wave, Pink Floyd released The Wall, one of the best selling albums in history. Many bands which emerged in the aftermath of punk, such as Siouxsie and The Banshees, Cabaret Voltaire, Ultravox, Simple Minds and Wire all displayed prog, as well as their more usually recognised punk, influences.^[3]

[edit] 1980s revival

Main article: Neo-progressive rock

The early 1980s saw something of a revival of the genre, led by artists such as Marillion, Flame Dream(band) IQ, Twelfth Night, Pendragon, Galahad, Pallas, and Saga. Groups that arose during this time are sometimes termed neo-progressive or neo-prog (also referred to as the New Wave of British Prog Rock). Bands of this style were influenced by 70s progressive rock groups like Genesis, Yes, and Camel, but incorporated some elements that were reflective of the New Wave and other rock elements found in the 80s. The digital synthesiser became a prominent instrument in the style. Neo-prog continued to remain viable into the 90s and beyond with bands like Arena, Jadis, Collage, and Iluvatar. Their sound was generally similar in style and sound to neo-prog pioneers like Marillion and IQ, which differentiated them from the emerging Third Wave movement in the 1990s.

Some progressive rock stalwarts changed musical direction, simplifying their music and making it more commercially viable. In 1982, the much anticipated supergroup Asia, composed of Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP), John Wetton (King Crimson), and Geoff Downes (Buggles/Yes), surprised (and disappointed) progressive rock fans with their pop-oriented debut album. The top 5 single "Heat of the Moment" rotated heavily on MTV for years, while the first Asia album established a sales record for 1982. This demonstrated a market for more commercialized British progressive rock – a style very similar to that played by North American Top 40 stalwarts such as Styx, Foreigner, Boston and Journey.

Other British bands followed Asia's lucrative example. In 1983, Genesis achieved some international success with "Mama", a song with heavy emphasis on a drum machine riff, signaling the band's change to a very commercial direction during the 1980s. Also in 1983, Yes had a surprise comeback with 90125, featuring their only number one (US) single, "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Written by guitarist Trevor Rabin prior to joining the group, "Owner" was accessible enough to be played at discos, and more recently has been remixed into a trance single. Often sampled by hip-hop artists, "Owner" also incorporated contemporary electronic effects, courtesy of producer (and former member) Trevor Horn. Likewise, Pink Floyd's A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987 was a departure from their traditional extended play concept albums, featuring much shorter songs and an altogether more electronic sound.

Some progressive rock fans were unhappy with the direction taken by these bands^{[citation needed]}, but others simply accepted the changes and enjoyed the music. Yes, for instance, enjoyed a brief renaissance during the 1980s with a mixture of old and new fans. Other progressive rock bands like Rush arguably released some of their best material during the early and mid-1980s thanks to a merging of new wave and early progressive sounds.

Some bands that began as mainly new wave or punk acts developed leanings toward progressive rock during this time. The most notable example was probably The Police, who took criticism from some hardline reggae and ska fans for turning too "artsy." Their final studio recording as a group would be a prog-style concept album (helmed by Genesis producer Hugh Padgham) titled Synchronicity.

[edit] Third wave and progressive metal

Main article: Progressive metal

The progressive rock genre enjoyed another revival in the 1990s. A notable kickoff to this revival were a trio of Swedish bands: Änglagård, Anekdoten, and Landberk, who hit the scene in 1992-1993. Later came the so-called "Third Wave", spearheaded by such bands as Scandinavia's The Flower Kings and White Willow, the UK's Porcupine Tree, Italy's Finisterre and Deus Ex Machina, and Spock's Beard, Echolyn, Ten Jinn, Tool, Proto-Kaw, and Glass Hammer from the United States. Arjen Anthony Lucassen, with the backing of an array of talent from the progressive rock genre, produced a series of innovative concept albums. While not necessarily sounding alike, many of the Third Wave bands had very strong ties musically to the 1970s progressive rock acts, often to the point of sounding "retro."^{[dubious — see talk page]}

In recent years, one of the more commercially viable categories of prog has been progressive metal, which mixes some of the common elements associated with progressive rock (lengthy compositions, concept albums, odd time signatures, virtuosity) with the power and attitude associated with metal. One distinguishing characteristic of prog metal is the prominence of keyboard instruments in what is usually a very guitar-dominated style of music.^{[dubious — see talk page]} Several of the leading bands in the prog-metal genre— Dream Theater (U.S.), Ayreon (Netherlands), Opeth, (Sweden), Fates Warning (U.S.) and Queensrÿche (U.S.)—cite pioneer progressive hard-rockers Rush as a primary influence, although their music exhibits influences from more traditional metal bands such as Black Sabbath or Deep Purple as well. Tool have cited pioneers King Crimson as an influence on their work^{[citation needed]}. King Crimson opened for Tool on their 2001 tour, and expressed admiration for the group while continuing to deny the "prog" label [2].

[edit] Influences

The work of contemporary artists such as Ween, post-rock bands like Sigur Rós and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, New Prog groups like Radiohead and Muse incorporate elements of progressive rock, sometimes combined with the aesthetic sensibilities of Alternative rock. The cult English band Cardiacs has specialised since 1980 in a kind of progressive punk sound which has influenced many other bands who are occasionally described (with tongue-in-cheek) as pronk acts. Among the more experimental and avant garde musicians, the Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu publicly cites progressive rock bands as a prime influence on his work^{[citation needed]}, while Glasgow's indie-rock band The Fiery Furnaces could also be considered progressive, blending electronic and orchestrated bits into their craft, while also expanding on The Who's rock-opera ethos. The math rock genre that arose in the 1990s also has many elements familiar to progressive rock fans.

There are a number of contemporary prog bands, such as Mostly Autumn, that combine Celtic, and sometimes pagan, influences with earlier prog rock styles. Other bands of note incorporating progressive rock into their sound include The Mars Volta, Umphrey's McGee, Porcupine Tree, dredg, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Kayo Dot, The Fall of Troy, Opeth, Muse and Dream Theater.

[edit] Progressive rock festivals

Renewed interest in progressive rock in the 1990s eventually led to the beginnings of musical events and festivals that centered around progressive rock acts. The first ProgFest was held on May 29, 1993, in UCLA's Royce Hall and featured Sweden's Änglagård, England's IQ, Quill, and Citadel. Interest in the festival was large enough for others in the U.S.A. to start similar events. ProgDay, held at Storybook Farm near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, first emerged during Labor Day weekend in 1995 and is planning its 12th festival in 2006.

The most successful of these festivals to date is NEARfest, which held its first event on June 26th & 27th, 1999 in Bethlehem, PA to approximately 400 fans. With a diverse lineup and an ability to get big name talent, the festival eventually grew in popularity to fill a 1,000 seat venue, and later relocated to Trenton, NJ in 2002 to a venue which seated over 1,850. The festival relocated back to Bethlehem, PA in 2004 and is still active.

Other current festivals of note include Rosfest in Phoenixville, PA, Baja Prog in Mexicali, Mexico, CalProg in Whittier, CA, Prog In The Park in Rochester, NY, Gouveia Art Rock in Portugal, Prog Sud in Marseille (France), Tiana in Barcelona (Spain), Progfarm in Holland and Rio Art Rock Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

[edit] See also

• Timeline of progressive rock
• List of musical works in unusual time signatures (not limited to prog rock)
• List of popular songs based on classical music
• List of progressive rock musicians

[edit] Related genres and sub-genres

• Avant-progressive rock
• The Canterbury Scene
• Italian progressive rock
• Krautrock
• Neo-prog
• New Prog
• Progressive metal
• Psychedelic rock
• Rock in Opposition (RIO)
• Symphonic rock
• Brutal Prog

[edit] References and notes

[edit] External links

• Progression magazine A large print publication devoted to coverage of progressive rock and related subgenres.

[edit] Further reading

• Lucky, Jerry. The Progressive Rock Files Burlington, Ontario: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc (1998), 304 pages, ISBN 1-896522-10-6 (paperback). Gives an overview of progressive rock's history as well as histories of the major and underground bands in the genre.
• Macan, Edward. Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford: Oxford University Press (1997), 290 pages, ISBN 0195098870 (hardcover), ISBN 0195098889 (paperback). Analyzes progressive rock using classical musicology and also sociology.
• Martin, Bill. Listening to the Future: The Time of Progressive Rock. Peru, Ill.: Carus Publishing Company (1998), 356 pages, ISBN 0-8126-9368-X (paperback). An enthusiastic analysis of progressive rock, intermixed with the author's Marxist political views.
• Stump, Paul. The Music's All That Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. London: Quartet Books Limited (1997), 384 pages, ISBN 0-7043-8036-6 (paperback). Smart telling of the history of progressive rock focusing on English bands with some discussion of American and European groups. Takes you from the beginning to the early 1990s.