"A decade ago prog was the preserve of the diehard. Now [2011] is set to be a glorious summer of prog."
Nick Shilton, Classic Rock Presents: Prog!
Between June and September 2011, bands such as Caravan, Arena, Focus, Wishbone Ash, Magma, Jethro Tull, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Hawkwind, Supertramp, and Van der Graaf Generator (to name a few) descended upon England either as part of multi-legged tours, or during extravagant Progressive Rock festivals (oftentimes, both). Progressive Rock is again quasi-popular, prompting further analysis of its original popularity, the reasons for its decline and its resurgence(s). Progressive Rock, while not a widespread culturally enduring genre of music, is one of the most technical and genuinely artistic forms of rock music. Progressive Rock came about by a greater desire for intellectualism in popular music, primarily through technical ability and artistry inherent of the genre; similar reasons for its decline are the associated elitism, and the intrinsic nature of popular entertainment. Fundamentally, progressive rock transcends genre and style, reaching across virtually every musical discipline.
Britannica defines 'progressive rock' as "'intellectual' album-oriented rock [...] either classically influenced [...] employ[ing] complicated and conceptual approaches to music." Progressive rock (casually abbreviated to 'prog', which includes all progressive sub-genres including but not limited to progressive metal, progressive folk, zeuhl, as well as certain space rock, fusion and psychedelic albums). As shown by Britannica's definition, it is far easier to define the genre qualitatively (through tendencies) than through labels.
Throughout the 1960s, psychedelic music was emerging...
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Mark S. Spicer, "A Review of Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the counterculture, by Edward Macan," review of Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the counterculture, by Edward Macan, Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 18 part 4 (2000), pp. 151
John Covach, "Echolyn and American Progressive Rock,” Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 18 part 4 (2000): 17.
Hall, "10 Great Prog Rock Guitarists" Gibson, February 3, 2011, accessed November 5, 2011, http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/10-great-prog-rock-guitarists/
Kevin Holm-Hudson, "Apocalyptic Otherness: Black Music and Extraterrestrial Identity in the Music of Magma," Popular Music and Society, Vol. 26 No. 4 (2003): 481.
Chris McDonald, "Open Secrets: Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the Songs of Rush,” Popular Music and Society, Vol. 31 No. 3 (2008): 318.
Schinder, Scott and Andy Schwartz. Icons of rock : an encyclopedia of the legends who changed
The book depicts the story of culture conflicts of the music, which arose from the introduction of the foot-tapping, hip-swaying music now known as rock n' roll (Graarrq). The outcome of rock n’ roll coincided with tremendous uproar in the movement to grant civil rights to African American. Trapped in the racial politics of the 1950s, rock n’ roll was credited with and criticized for promoting integration and economic opportunity for blacks while bringing to “mainstream” cloture black styles and values (Altschuler). Black values were looked over and kind of not important to whites. Whites were very much so well treated then blacks were, however no one spoke out until the outcome of rock n’ roll.
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
... Bohlman, Philip V. Music and the Racial Imagination. University Of Chicago Press, Chicago. 2001. Print.
Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.
DeWitt, Howard A. Chuck Berry: Rock ‘N’ Roll Music. 2nd Ed. Ann Arbor: Pierian Press, 1985.
The rise of rock and roll into the limelight is to a large extent attributed to the teenagers of the 1950’s. Early rock music listened to by teenagers during the 1950’s was formed by blending together Rhythm and blues with country music. This kind of ...
Many people and many styles of music influenced Rock and Roll. The styles included Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Bluegrass, Boogie-Woogie, and Rockabilly. Each was a major factor into the introduction of a new style of music called Rock ‘N’ Roll.
9) Stanley, Adam Paul. Remember A Day:An Analysis of Over Twenty Years of American Rock
Throughout the decades the face of rock music has changed drastically because of a series of small events that have occurred for example, the song that saw the birth of early rock music The Comets hit Rocket 66 a 50's classic that endeared audiences with its atypical crunchy guitar tone, this was brought about by Ike Turner who dropped his guitar amplifier outside of the recording studio causing the amplifier to break and distort the sound this small accident caused Rock and Rock if we fast forward around 20 years and you have a young man called Tony Iommi working in a steel factory in Birmingham when he loses concentration severing the tips of two fingers causing him to de-tune his guitar to make it playable for his injured left hand and this spawned the birth of Heavy Metal music or is this all just a music purists point of view? or is there more to this than the cute stories and our perception that all of these outcomes could have been predetermined by previous events? could it be that we as listeners, consumers and human beings have manipulated the evolution of rock music to suit our personal tastes to feed our hunger to feel at one with the music? which leads me to authenticity. A few aspects of the criteria for music to be deemed authentic can be broken down into two main categories these are what sub genre of rock music is it and how is it related to its social class and the common behaviour within that class, for a quick example if The Sex Pistols famed for their bond with the working class turned round only to sport a posh upper/middle class accent would they have been billed as the working class heroes? or would they have been merely cast as posh boys playing loud music but with nothing to shout about. The genres of mu...
Music tends to follow the trends of its listeners; genres come and go with popularity. Rock and roll was considered to have its golden era in the 1960s (Rock and Roll). It stood out with unforgettable performances by Sly and the Family Stone, The Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Grateful Dead, Santana, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin (Rock and Roll). The Beatles were one of the top rock and roll bands. It is said that their music “combined the distinct sounds of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and others which shaped a sound that dominated the sixties with its creativity and style” (Holland 105). Jimi Hendrix brought a new style of music called “acid rock”. He changed the way music was played by experimenting with different melodies, different chord...
Rock music is a term that should be familiar. Originally dubbed “rock and roll” in the 1940’s and 1950’s, rock and roll is almost always fronted by an electrical guitar and heavily influenced by blues, R&B, and even country music. By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s rock and roll began to be shortened to just “rock music”, and the entire style starting branching out into other sub-genres such as punk rock, heavy metal, garage rock, hard rock, among others. The sub-genre in question however is Alternative Rock, which is generally defined as despite following the fundamentals of rock music, it strays away from what is considered “mainstream” at the time by using concepts such as extensive underground music association, muddied or distorted guitars, more prominent use of power chords, and even a sort of rebellious or defiant attitude in lyrics and sound.
Weissman, Dick. (2010). Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution: Music and Social Change in America. Blackbeat Books: New York
The Rolling Stones are one of the most well known hard rock bands. They have a distinctive history that separates them from other similar rock bands. Their unique sound formed the basis of rock and roll. The band had a huge influence on British music through things such as their fashion, fusion of obscure genres, and attitude. Over the course of the last fifty years, The Rolling Stones unique history, sound, and overall look still has an influence on modern British bands.
...ence had taken a toll on many musicians’ performances creating heavier, harsher sounding music. In the early years numerous musicians turned to mushrooms for inspiration for their lyrics. In the 1970’s many of the musicians and bands decided to move on and create progressive rock. Progressive rock keeps the love of odd sounds and extended solos but adds jazzier and classical influences to the mix. In recent years the psychedelic rock sound has been heavily influenced by electronic and orchestral influences.