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Why do some progressive bands sound so dated?

ElectroVibe

ElectroVibe

Inactive
Mar 2, 2013
4,136
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#1
I started watching the Genesis - Behind the Music documentary. They are one band whose early music I just don't know much about. I love some of their pop stuff. I love some of Phil Collins' stuff (sorry haters). I love Peter Gabriel. But their early period obviously was the their foundation.

I could say the same for Yes. I really love their more popular hits that were more pop oriented. And of course the side projects like Asia. But I just can't get into their earlier stuff. Yet I know that there are a core of progressive rock fans who like the more obscure work of these bands, or perhaps other bands like King Crimson.

But it seems like I might have really been into this kind of music if I had been of the right age at the time. It makes me wonder why their music doesn't seem to endure the way other bands of the same time period have, whether pop, classic, rock, hard rock, etc.

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this?
 
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#5
I started thinking about the answer to the question myself after I posted this. All those other old styles had a bigger following in their heydays (doo wop, folk, etc), and you still hear them on the radio. But prog rock was different. They had ventured into unknown territory alone. Alone. They were creating a new kind of music which would influence everyone after they brought it out to the world. Once everyone began to hear this new music, many of them would incorporate it into their own styles. But the originators would be forgotten.
 
#8
Fringe, yes. No one would even know about Genesis if they hadn't gone into a pop direction. They would probably be like King Crimson with a small but strong base of fans. But Genesis and Peter Gabriel were both going into a more pop direction. I love what Peter Gabriel did on some of his solo work.
 
#9
ElectroVibe said:
Fringe, yes. No one would even know about Genesis if they hadn't gone into a pop direction. They would probably be like King Crimson with a small but strong base of fans. But Genesis and Peter Gabriel were both going into a more pop direction. I love what Peter Gabriel did on some of his solo work.
Click to expand...

Yup. I was never a big prog fan growing up, but appreciated the talent. Think of Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart got them far more airplay than any of their prior releases.
 
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#10
Progressive Rock isn't written to be easy. It is supposed to be a challenge to play and interesting to listen to. The purveyors of Prog don't do it to be rich/famous; they do it for their own reasons. As for the music enduring, those who "get it" consume the old material and the new material and seek out new musical experiences (ones that may be challenging). But, they are not getting it from the radio; they are getting from like minds.

So, you are not a Prog Rock person. So be it.
 
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#11
My 15-year old son has discovered Yes, ELP etc. without any real encouragement from me. Don't really know why but he is impressed with the musicianship.

I suspect why some of it sounds dated is that there was much experimenting with weird spacey sound effects and that is to modern ears what a '50s sci-fi flick with flying saucers hanging from a string looks like to a modern film buff.
 
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#16
Just for fun - Genesis' "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" debuted in 1974.
Here's a link to the Hot 100 for that year.
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1974 - Wikipedia

A few from the top:
upload_2018-12-16_12-32-19.png
 
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#17
Some of it sounds dated to me, some of it still sounds fresh. Disclaimer: I was a huge prog fan back in the day when this music was all brand new.

When I listen back, there is stuff that really hasn't aged well for me. Most of the ELP catalog, for example. Some of the early Genesis, too. But much of it I still like to hear. The musicianship and originality was, at the time, unmatched. And I'm still a huge fan of the fusion groups of the era.

What dates it for me is mainly the heavy reliance on synthesizers. Synths came into use during the prog era, peaked during the New Wave era, and then fell into a completely different niche. When I go back now and listen to some of the real synth heavy stuff, it's just not that interesting. I'd rather hear Keith Emerson play the piano.

But that's just me.
 
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#18
Nashrakh said:
I bet no one has ever heard of Pink Floyd.
Click to expand...

Err... what? Floyd is HUGE. I run into college students and 20-somethings all the time that will name them as their favorite band. I think it's a stoner thing.

kesslari said:
My .02:
Listen to a prog cut that you think sounds "dated". Find the year of its release, and listen to the Billboard Top 100 from that year. You'll hear what "dated" sounds like...
:D
Click to expand...

Agreed!

And to the OP, Asia was not a side project. It was one of the first "supergroups," with alumni from Yes, King Crimson, and ELP. Steve Howe thought that Yes was dead after Jon Anderson left and the Drama album fizzled, so he went to join a new group. Chris Squire and Alan White were all that were left of Yes. At first they tried a project with Jimmy Page called XYZ (Ex-Yes-and-Zeppelin) which didn't go anywhere, then they were going to have a group called Cinema with Tony Kaye and Trevor Rabin, then they brought Jon Anderson back in and Cinema turned into Yes mk. II. Later on when Asia seemed to have run its course Steve Howe wound up with the ABWH thing and that led to the reconstituted Yes mk. III that more or less has been running to today (with the usual ongoing saga of Yes' revolving door of members).

BTW, officially, if you prefer Owner of a Lonely Heart to Roundabout you're considered a "Generator" rather than a "Trooper" among Yes fans.
 
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#19
Funny, I don’t think most ‘70s prog sounds particularly dated even now. It was the sound of adventurous experimentation,and the best ones still sound that way to me today.
I do tend to agree about the overuse of the moogs. I’d much rather hear Rick Wakeman playing piano and Mellotron.
Also,after the Fragile album came out,Yes were hugely successful for several years. (Album sales and tours).
 
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#20
ElectroVibe said:
Fringe, yes. No one would even know about Genesis if they hadn't gone into a pop direction. They would probably be like King Crimson with a small but strong base of fans. But Genesis and Peter Gabriel were both going into a more pop direction. I love what Peter Gabriel did on some of his solo work.
Click to expand...
No one would know about Genesis if they didn't go pop? Or King Crimson? Only anyone that listened to FM radio in the late 60s and early 70s.

And an added note about Asia, saw them live, almost fell asleep. And I love ELP and Yes, that just seemed too formulated and commercial for me. But hey, everyone has an opinion.
 
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