A serious philosophical post on Prog and self-awareness - and some great music

[Bluesberry]

Where does the donning of capes fit in with this discussion?

Blooby

In the privacy of your own living room you can wear whatever you want man, whatever gets the inspiration flowing..........whatever gets the magic sauce flowing...........probably best not to take any pictures, they have a bad habit of winding up on facebook......

[Bluesberry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsaXZOuxONY

[Greeny]

Something I made a while back: Rick Wakeman and the prog-ape symphony.... 

[Greeny]

When prog comes down to cloaks and wizard's hats, you can count me out... lol

Hang on - there's a lyric in that... hm....

[henwrench]

This thread has prompted old henwrench to dig out some CDs. In around 1984 (jesus wept, 27 years ago!!), I seriously loved Marillion's Fugazi album. I'm listening to it now. I can remember every word. Which, if you're aware of Fish's lyrics, is no mean feat. The title track (Fugazi) is brilliant. Where are the prophets, poets, visionaries indeed. 
   I am the harlequin... 

                                                              henwrench

[Bluesberry]

Yeah, thats a great one, Marillion was one damn fine band

[Saijinn Maas]

Never heard of this Marillion... so I looked them up. Wasn't really feeling 'em. But your post did make me pull out some old Fugazi CDs I hadn't listened to in a while. THANKS! Been meaning to rip them to my walkman.

[Saijinn Maas]

Been trying to stay away from this thread. For some of the same reasons as the punk thread, but also because I don't think I really understand this subject very well.

My musical education was much different. Unlike most guitar players I knew, I didn't grow up idolizing Hendrix. I grew up with Earth, Wind, and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, old Chicago, Average White Band, etc. I never cared for the "artistic endeavors" of what was seen as prog. It always reminded me of something my music teacher in junior high liked saying, "Complexity for the sake of complexity is useless. Be different, don't TRY to be different!" When I was 12, I thought, "This old man has really lost it!" It took me a couple of years to realize what it was he meant.

Nowadays, it seems the term "progressive" is added to any band a fan likes to make them sound more legit. I see the term being put to bands that are little more than pop. Just using a violin to back your rhythm doesn't make you any more progressive than N'SYNC. When I see "progressive", being used anywhere, to describe a band these days, I take it as a sign to stay away.

Don't think anyone has mentioned anything that would fall into this. But just wanted to state why the whole thing confuses me.

[Oldrottenhead]

i never got marillion, to me they where regressive rather than progressive, covering ground that had been tread before, a bit like the NWOBHM just before them, a bit retro and a bit naff.

[Geir]

I saw Marillion Oct.9 1985, and never listened to them again. They did have some good tunes, but like ORH I didn't find them any progressive in my terms. They where more of a genesis clone than anything new. I don't really listen to much progressive music nowadays, tho my brother constantly feeds me with new prog bands that I just MUST listen too, and mind you, some of them are amazing (a couple of Sweedish bands I can't remember the names of now are fantastic).

I still enjoy a lot of the old prog-bands, but I'm really more into songs that can be played on an acoustic these days, songs that can take a stripped down arrangement. It will come back one day soon I'm sure, the prog itch, and then I'll be posting one song a year instead of one a week .... (no! although I haven't posted in a while, I'm not working on a prog song )