Why did prog rock never have mass popularity?

[aprod]

Too heady for most rock fans.

 

[legalbass]

Because appealing to the Dungeons & Dragons crowd necessarily meant "prog" artists were situating themselves into a fairly tight, niche market?

 

[BarfanyShart]

I think prog was super popular in the 70's and has remained a very influential musical movement. Obviously, metal has consistently been influenced by prog (punk was sort of the anti-prog hard rock movement). But now, I listen to Thom Yorke's new The Smile project, and that's pretty prog. Clipping is a hip-hop project that is basically prog-rap. Punch Brothers is like prog-bluegrass. I've very rarely felt the urge to listen to a Rush or Yes record on repeat in my life, but at least a little bit of prog has spread throughout the whole musical ecosystem.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I remember going to a huge outdoor stadium show in the mid-70's with a mixed-bag line-up: Yes, Peter Frampton, Gary Wright, and someone else (I don't recall). Frampton was at the height of his massive popularity with "Frampton Comes Alive". Yes was the headliner.

At my aforementioned Municipal Stadium show, the line-up was Michael Stanley Band, Ace, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm, with Yes headlining.

 

[Koshchei]

All I heard was "blah, blah, blah, blah, Beatles, blah, blah, blah.."

Yes, but nobody said anything out loud.

 

[Koshchei]

I don’t disagree, but for various reasons I prefer: 5% of the people think; 10% of the people think that they think; and the remaining 84% of the people would rather die than think.

Very amusing And true.

 

[Koshchei]

1% unaccounted for here...

That's the joke. They don't constitute "the people" in any way, shape, or form.

 

[Harper]

I think Prog Rock DID have mass popularity, and was successful, but that popularity was of shorter duration than “mainstream” (pop) Rock.

Was it really even shorter lived than any other genre? People can talk about the old "GRUNGE KILLED HAIR METAL!" trope, but "grunge" (as either a genre or a marketing term) was really only the big deal for 3 or so years before music moved on, like it always does.

 

[ClusterFlux]

But is it as popular as Michael Jackson? One Direction? NKOTB? K-pop? Megan Thee Stallion? John Legend? Weeknd? etc, etc, etc...

In its heyday, prog was incredibly popular and definitely had mass appeal. Not Michael Jackson level -- he is, after all, one of the most popular acts since the invention of recordings -- but easily equal to most of the rest on that list.

E.g. Yes has 7 US platinum records and another 4-5 US gold. "Dark Side of the Moon" is the 4th biggest selling album of all time. Asia's first album was a monster, 4x platinum in the US. Prog was even bigger in the UK.

Many prog bands were able to fill arenas for decades after their prime. Will The Weeknd be able to fill an arena in 2040? Perhaps, but perhaps not....

 

[pbass2]

At my aforementioned Municipal Stadium show, the line-up was Michael Stanley Band, Ace, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm, with Yes headlining.

Very cool. I just looked mine up, it was Ace also on the bill, RFK Stadium, 1976. I remember I took a date w me I was desperately trying to impress, and she was loving Gary Wright and of course going ga-ga over Frampton, and then Yes comes out and I'm all in prog-fanboy mode, but she's like "huh....well, they sure play fast".

 

[wiscoaster]

Actually, it was very successful in the 1970s.....

Yes, I agree, it was very successful with the live concert crowds, but not so much on radio (having been in broadcasting in the 70's). Pretty much the only airplay that genre got when it was current was just on what we then called "underground" stations. Decades later they now call it "classic". So much for the opinions of radio station program directors. Hah.

 

[Mickey666]

Compared to what? Motown? British Invasion? As many have noted, Prog had its moment, and I can't dispute the notion that one of my favorite groups, Radiohead, is proggy in its creative aspirations.

But Pop (short for "popular") Music, by definition, appeals to the masses. It's reductive to say "Prog is challenging and most people can't handle that" or "people want stupid, sappy stuff." Everybody comes to music for something personal to them, but by and large, the superpower of music is its ability to bypass the mind and engage emotions directly. Prog seems intent on subverting that connection, challenging expectations, embracing the oblique as a virtue. ("Feel like dancing? HAHA try to find the beat, suckas!") Some people like that. Most would rather have "Ain't Too Proud To Beg." And there's nothing wrong with that.

Prog is like disco. It had a moment—and its influence lives on—but then more immediate and (dare I say) authentic genres like punk and grunge came down the pipe and smashed all the glitter and artifice and pretense. (Hey, that "Stonehenge " bit in Spinal Tap—that's for you, proggies.) Most people want music to relate to, to connect us all, not to educate us about 7/8 time and wizards telling riddles on a dusty British moor.

Talking out of my butt here, but hey, it's the internet, so when in Rome...

Sorry, but I've been on most of the moors in Britain... none of them are dusty.
Just sayin'

 

[wiscoaster]

Because you can’t dance to it.

Yes, great analysis. This music wasn't for dancing it was for listening. We sometimes called it "head music". (And that's to use its intellectual meaning, not the other one).

 

[MrClassicMetal]

In the UK, Yes was definitely more popular, IIRC.

Most definitely!

 

[happygilmour]

How is that? I know of countless blues clubs/jams across the country, and no specific prog joints. I would even venture to say that there are far more blues than prog festivals.

What blues names can you put up against Yes, Rush, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Dream Theater. Those are bands that sold out stadium shows. Not too many blues artists can say the same. I would say tickets sales/albums sales and radio play, prog has blues beat.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Very cool. I just looked mine up, it was Ace also on the bill, RFK Stadium, 1976. I remember I took a date w me I was desperately trying to impress, and she was loving Gary Wright and of course going ga-ga over Frampton, and then Yes comes out and I'm all in prog-fanboy mode, but she's like "huh....well, they sure play fast".

I saw Frampton, but he wasn't as well known at the time. When I saw him in 1971 he was playing with some band called Humble Pie . Glass Harp opened the show (first time I saw, or even, heard of them).

 

[heatheroo1]

the original question has been answered ad nauseaum, but I would like to inject Kansas into the discussion. Prog meets the heartland.

 

[bassicmike]

In its heyday, prog was incredibly popular and definitely had mass appeal. Not Michael Jackson level -- he is, after all, one of the most popular acts since the invention of recordings -- but easily equal to most of the rest on that list.

E.g. Yes has 7 US platinum records and another 4-5 US gold. "Dark Side of the Moon" is the 4th biggest selling album of all time. Asia's first album was a monster, 4x platinum in the US. Prog was even bigger in the UK.

Many prog bands were able to fill arenas for decades after their prime. Will The Weeknd be able to fill an arena in 2040? Perhaps, but perhaps not....

Fair point.

Mass Popularity does not always translate to longevity.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Yes, I agree, it was very successful with the live concert crowds, but not so much on radio (having been in broadcasting in the 70's). Pretty much the only airplay that genre got when it was current was just on what we then called "underground" stations. Decades later they now call it "classic". So much for the opinions of radio station program directors. Hah.

I learned about Gentle Giant when WMMS played (on the radio) "Knots" when Octopus was released.



Actually, IIRC, 'MMS played the whole album when I first heard it.

 

[alex1fly]

Actually, it was very successful in the 1970s. Bands like Yes, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Queen, Styx, Rush, ELP, ELO, even King Crimson filled arenas. Rick Wakeman was such a huge star at one point that, against all sanity, did a "King Arthur On Ice" with a full orchestra and a full choir in a space for around 10,000 people. All 3 nights sold out. Most prog rock bands had big-selling albums that were still getting radio play on classic rock stations into the late 80s.

And that's just the first generation. Big bands like Tool, Sigur Ros, Mars Volta, even Radiohead can be considered prog rock.

+1

Add in Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree and nobody can say prog rock hasn't been a massively successful genre.

This thread has turned into a "why don't some people like prog rock" which wasn't the question.