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Progressive rock and art rock are two almost interchangeable
terms describing a mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to
new levels of artistic credibility. The differences between prog-rock
and art rock are often slight in practice, but do exist. Prog-rock
tends to be more traditionally melodic (even when multi-sectioned
compositions replace normal song structures), more literary (poetry
or sci-fi/fantasy novels), and more oriented toward classically
trained instrumental technique (with the exception of Pink Floyd).
Art rock is more likely to have experimental or avant-garde
influences, placing novel sonic texture above prog-rock's symphonic
ambitions. Both styles are intrinsically album-based, taking
advantage of the format's capacity for longer, more complex
compositions and extended instrumental explorations. In fact, many
prog bands were fond of crafting concept albums that made unified
statements, usually telling an epic story or tackling a grand
overarching theme. In addition to pushing rock's technical and
compositional boundaries, prog-rock was also arguably the first
arena where synthesizers and electronic textures became
indispensable parts of a rock ensemble. The earliest rumblings of
progressive and art rock could be heard in the poetry of Bob Dylan
and conceptually unified albums like the Mothers of Invention's
Freak Out! and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
all of which suggested that rock was more than just teenagers' music
and should be taken seriously as an art form. Prog-rock began to
emerge out of the British psychedelic scene in 1967, specifically a
strain of classical/symphonic rock led by the Nice, Procol Harum,
and the Moody Blues (Days of Future Passed). King Crimson's 1969
debut In the Court of the Crimson King firmly established the
concept of progressive rock, and a quirky, eclectic scene was taking
shape in Canterbury, led by the jazzy psychedelia of the Soft
Machine. Prog-rock became a commercial force in the early '70s, with
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, Jethro Tull, Genesis, and Pink Floyd
leading the way. Meanwhile, a more avant-garde scene (dubbed
Kraut-rock) was developing in Germany, and eccentric, unclassifiable
bands continued to emerge in the U.K. By the mid-'70s, a backlash
was beginning to set in; prog-rock sometimes mistook bombast for
majesty, and its far-reaching ambition and concern with artistic
legitimacy could make for overblown, pretentious music. Its heyday
soon came to an end with the advent of punk, which explicitly
repudiated prog's excesses and aimed to return rock & roll to its
immediate, visceral roots. Still, prog-rock didn't completely go
away. A number of AOR bands used prog ideas in more concise songs;
plus, Pink Floyd, Yes, and Genesis all had number one singles in the
'80s by retooling their approaches. A small cult of neo-prog bands
catered to faithful audiences who still liked grandiose concepts and
flashy technique; the first was Marillion, and many more popped up
in the late '80s and early '90s. Some Important Albums |