Why did prog rock never have mass popularity?

[MrClassicMetal]

When I'm organizing my shop, everything belongs in a section/category that makes sense. All painting and drywall stuff in one area, all metal working in an area, all plumbing, electrical, wood working, etc. All fasteners and hardware are separated and organized by type/use.
Same with my kitchen cabinets, drawers and the fridge. Things are organized and separated by type/use.
When it comes to music, this system doesn't work for me. I can't remember ever listening to music and needing to know what category it fit into.
If someone asked me what "kind" of music pink Floyd was, I'd say,...."um,...pink Floyd".
I like Tool. What "kind" of music is Tool? Don't care. It's Tool. That's what kind. I like DMB. What kind of music is that? Don't know, don't care. I like steely Dan, Jethro Tull, SRV, Stevie wonder, Ohio players, rush, yes, etc etc etc. It's all over the spectrum.
I don't need to fit any of them into a category. It's not a kitchen or a workshop. It's music.
I get how the brain works and the obsessive need to compartmentalize everything. I just can't relate to why so many people do it with music.

Sure, you don't have to fit them in a category if you don't want to. I mean it's no biggie. For some it just makes it easier because as you stated it's how the brain works and a lot of people do it automatically.

If someone asks me what thrash metal is there's a bunch of bands that immediately come to mind and I'll name them; Anthrax, Forbidden, Exodus, Slayer, Testament, etc.

Same with prog rock. Without thinking too much about it it's the usual names like Rush, Yes, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, etc. For me anyway. Someone else may name different bands and that's ok too.

It's not something that I personally think about for hours every day nor is it a subject that's taken too seriously. it's not a matter of life and death. And I doubt that when people listen to a band they're constantly thinking about which genre it would fit in.

 

[Spidey2112]

 

[5StringBlues]

I was thinking of the 1 from the early 60s, but this works very well.

 

[Ekulati]

The he doesn't play complex drums over them, there are multiple odd time changes in GOODMORNING good morning from SGT PEPPER. Odd times in other beatles as well.

Sure but as long as you mentioned them, those instances were rare in their music. Unlike much prog where every song seems to have multiple odd and arbitrary meter and key changes. As a generalization of course, a larger percentage of the output, compared to the rare excursions by bands like the Beatles.

But I'm weird. I have two and a half music degrees with my bachelor's being in composition. I should like prog. And I actually do like some. I applaud its technical qualities. But it's kinda based on intellect, cleverness, etc. For that kind of brain satisfaction I go back to classical music. Then there are the vocal approaches of many prog singers. Just not my thing.

 

[LBS-bass]

I was thinking of the 1 from the early 60s, but this works very well.

I looked all over but can't find that one. Must have been taken down or else the algorithm is really keeping it hidden.

 

[StatesideRambler]

If you’re referring to the one with the Canadian dancing couple and the spare farm set, I’m not able to find it either. It was linked in another thread here on TB probably five or six years ago and I haven’t found that either. Keep looking.

 

[JMacBass65]

Because nerds aren't popular.

 

[StatesideRambler]

I kept looking and found my post:
Let's talk about jazz.
Unfortunately that dance is no longer on youtube. WMG blocked it.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Could somebody post the video for Dave Brubeck, unquare dance? We can watch people dance in odd time that way. I would do it myself but I am posting voice to text at the moment.

I could post a video of me dancing to Living In the Past and How Soon is Now to show that dancing to 5/4 looks no worse than to 4/4, but many might say it just looks like so uncoordinated shuffling in both instances and that they've seen better watching The Walking Dead with James Brown playing in the background.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

In non-Western cultures people seem to be able to dance to things that are not 3/4 or 4/4, including polyrhytms.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Sure but as long as you mentioned them, those instances were rare in their music. Unlike much prog where every song seems to have multiple odd and arbitrary meter and key changes. As a generalization of course, a larger percentage of the output, compared to the rare excursions by bands like the Beatles.

But I'm weird. I have two and a half music degrees with my bachelor's being in composition. I should like prog. And I actually do like some. I applaud its technical qualities. But it's kinda based on intellect, cleverness, etc. For that kind of brain satisfaction I go back to classical music. Then there are the vocal approaches of many prog singers. Just not my thing.

I'm not sure it's all based on cleverness, although some undoubtedly is. I've written things that have sounded totally natural to me only to be told that they are in odd time signatures like alternating bars of 9/8 and 7/8, 11/4, 13/4, 15/16. Or been told that a chord progression uses the Phyrigian mode with a flat seventh modulating to a parallel Aeolian mode or something, when all I'd done was played what I was feeling at the time.

 

[Neil Folkard]

I'm not sure it's all based on cleverness, although some undoubtedly is. I've written things that have sounded totally natural to me only to be told that they are in odd time signatures like alternating bars of 9/8 and 7/8, 11/4, 13/4, 15/16. Or been told that a chord progression uses the Phyrigian mode with a flat seventh modulating to a parallel Aeolian mode or something, when all I'd done was played what I was feeling at the time.

All of this applies to me as well. I wrote one song that went through multiple time changes, but had no clue. It was only afterwards, randomly playing it, that I realized that the pre-chorus was in 6/8, and the chorus itself was in 4/4. I just write riffs that sound good to me, and some them just happen to not be in 4/4. No biggie, lol.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I've written things that have sounded totally natural to me only to be told that they are in odd time signatures like alternating bars of 9/8 and 7/8, 11/4, 13/4, 15/16.

All of this applies to me as well. I wrote one song that went through multiple time changes, but had no clue. It was only afterwards, randomly playing it, that I realized that the pre-chorus was in 6/8, and the chorus itself was in 4/4. I just write riffs that sound good to me, and some them just happen to not be in 4/4. No biggie, lol.

Same here. Right from beginning of my creating original music; it was just a natural thing, possibly due to the keyboardist I met within the first few months of my playing bass (very early 1971) who taught me his original music which was mostly in odd time signatures.

 

[LBS-bass]

Same here. Right from beginning of my creating original music; it was just a natural thing, possibly due to the keyboardist I met within the first few months of my playing bass (very early 1971) who taught me his original music which was mostly in odd time signatures.

Odd time signatures are only difficult for people who think they're something to fear. For heaven's sake, if you can count to ten you can work your way through an odd measure of five or seven or nine, and pretty soon you'll feel it as easily as anything else. I don't honestly have a lot of comprehension when it comes to people who suggest odd time is difficult to play or to move to. The hardest thing about it is usually remembering where those odd measures come to pass, and remembering to play them in the correct place. It's easier when the whole song is in one odd time signature.

But this might be because I was listening to that sort of music in my very early years. Something about early exposure to certain types of music does likely have an impact, especially if it's music you enjoy and seek out on your own, I think.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Odd time signatures are only difficult for people who think they're something to fear.
.................................
But this might be because I was listening to that sort of music in my very early years. Something about early exposure to certain types of music does likely have an impact, especially if it's music you enjoy and seek out on your own, I think.

This is key, IMO+E.

 

[jamro217]

Who still listens to radio?

At the time when progressive rock debuted, everyone did.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Odd time signatures are only difficult for people who think they're something to fear. For heaven's sake, if you can count to ten you can work your way through an odd measure of five or seven or nine, and pretty soon you'll feel it as easily as anything else. I don't honestly have a lot of comprehension when it comes to people who suggest odd time is difficult to play or to move to. The hardest thing about it is usually remembering where those odd measures come to pass, and remembering to play them in the correct place. It's easier when the whole song is in one odd time signature.

But this might be because I was listening to that sort of music in my very early years. Something about early exposure to certain types of music does likely have an impact, especially if it's music you enjoy and seek out on your own, I think.

Some people have issues with even 4/4, but those people should probably not try to play music. More people have issues with feeling the 'funk', time-within-time, etc. I've been blessed with doing OK with that, although even then the really subtle not-quite-on-the-beat nature to Western ears of some West African music still defeats me. I'm not talking polyrhythms like Discipline - era King Crimson, but the 5/19th of a semi-quaver early some authentic pieces require.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

At the time when progressive rock debuted, everyone did.

In the UK there were only three TV channels, some of the time. It was listen to the radio, read one of the three books you had, pace around the streets until the police objected, or stare at a wall. At least until you were 18.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

In the UK there were only three TV channels, some of the time. It was listen to the radio, read one of the three books you had, pace around the streets until the police objected, or stare at a wall. At least until you were 18.

By 'some of the time' I mean that in prog's heyday, often one or more channels weren't showing anything.

 

[RichterScale]

I think prog was on its way to becoming really popular,.......then Rush went ahead and posed in these outfits.
It was a setback that prog never really recovered from.