Prog Rock

Very few people will admit to being 'in a box' musically. Imagine my despair when I watched, with she who must be obeyed, one evening, when the BBC was doing a 'prog rock' compilation. 'Haven't you got this?' she said. 'Yes, I think I have.'

'And this?' (mumbled) 'yes, I think so...'

'?'

'Yes OK yes I have got this too and will have most of the rest that they're going to play OK?'

Prog Rock then. Not 'Glam Rock' or 'Heavy Metal' but more of a fusion between classical and electronic music, longer tracks, often instrumental, fantasy stuff sometimes, you remember those Roger Dean Yes album covers? It was about the whole album, artwork, lyrics, stage show, all being part of the art-form.

Lord of the Rings (before you'd heard of it let alone read it) meets classically trained (posh boys - usually), with the power of electronic instruments (especially Hammond Organ and Moog Synthesizer), massive amplification and distortion, LSD and other 'mind expanding' stuff in a kind of post hippie 1970s world. What's not to like? ;)

Emerson Lake and Palmer, an early 'Super Group': Keith Emerson (The Nice) Greg Lake (King Crimson) and Carl Palmer (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown). Their second gig was the infamous Isle of Wight festival of August 30th 1970. This track, on the album Brain Salad Surgery of late 1973 tends to sort the men from the boys in terms of your musical taste. It's only 29 minutes. Enjoy... or avoid like the plague! 

As already admitted, I am a fan of 'Prog Rock' but not to the exclusion of all other genres. You can, I think view it as the diametrical opposite of the Punk movement which followed and which, one has to think, was in some ways spawned as an antidote to Prog Rock: Punk is hard, short (tracks), blunt, shocking, loud in an abrasive way, violent, tends to be working class instead of posh boys. Musical talent was secondary to the ability to be 'in yer f*cking face'. And I love punk too, but it gives you more of an insight into Prog Rock to think of it as the exact opposite. Also I don't think Prog Rock can claim anything like full responsibility for spawning Punk, some of the inane 'pop' stuff of the early to mid 70s (Greece, David Cassidy, the New Seekers etc) was enough to make you want to do some damage to the system.

Now I was a big Peter Gabriel fan, still am: But in 1975 he'd gone off to do his own thing. And not in a friendly way. I thought, it'll never work Genesis without Gabriel? Nah. The drummer's going to sing? Yeah right. This'll be the end of Genesis - shame they had such a great name and some real talent in the band. And a growing following.

Whatever happened to them? Trick of the Tail (Collins vocals) is my favourite Genesis Album, just ahead of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Gabriel). 

OK so two clips and about an hour in already! You need to have the time to enjoy Prog Rock, that's kinda the point, and you need to listen to it, concentrate on it. Pretentious? Up it's own arse? Oh yes, of course, but still great in my opinion!

Can't do something on Prog Rock without including Yes. This is Awaken from 1977.

Or this, probably the most famous Prog Rock album of them all and the album which effectively made Mr Branson the money he needed to build the Virgin empire. All from a back-street record store, a college music project and an album that changed the industry in many ways. It exemplifies Prog rock.

There are loads more examples I could have used, I think Rush are great exponents of the art-form, particularly in their 2112 and Hemispheres albums, but I really cannot end this without including a Pink Floyd piece. Not one you often hear I think - and their greatest prog rock album was of course 'The Wall' - an entire double album, subsequently made into a film, which is essentially Prog Rock in its origin (and a great film btw). It also came with a great stage show which I was lucky enough to see in 1980.

But this comes from an album that you know very well. Indeed one of the most recognised albums ever made in terms of its cover. But when did you last (indeed have you ever) listen to it? Funny that I think. Anyway, and unsurprisingly given my twitter a/v, this is 'Sheep'.

Enjoy. and thanks for reading, even if you didn't listen all the way through! ;)