Progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid 1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an emergence of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favour of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening rather than dancing.
Progressive rock is based on fusions of styles, approaches and genres, involving a continuous move between formalism and eclecticism. Due to its historical reception, the scope of progressive rock is sometimes limited to a stereotype of long solos, long albums, fantasy lyrics, grandiose stage sets and costumes, and an obsessive dedication to technical skill. While the genre is often cited for its merging of high culture and low culture, few artists incorporated literal classical themes in their work to any great degree, and only a handful of groups, such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Renaissance, purposely emulated or referenced classical music.
Quotes about progressive rock
edit- Although it began in the late ‘60s, it wasn’t until the ‘70s that progressive rock truly took off, and when asked to name the seminal acts of the era, most fans will mention the same handful of artists (such as Genesis, Jethro Tull, ELP, Yes, King Crimson, Rush, Gentle Giant and Pink Floyd).
- Before Genesis became a pop juggernaut during the 1980s as a three-piece, it was one of the pioneers of progressive rock with vocalist Peter Gabriel and guitarists Steve Hackett in tow.
- Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker (February 2025) [2]
- The initial and still-golden era of progressive rock started in 1969 and ended in 1981.
- Sean Murphy of PopMatters (7 March 2023) [3]
