MB's 100 Greatest Progressive Rock Artists (ambient, blues, psychedelic, cd)

boo boo · 04-22-2009, 09:09 PM

Mr. Bungle are too accessible to simply be called avant garde I think. Avant garde rock tends to be something that can't be categorized with anything else, but it's also something that dosen't share any obvious influences from other genres and sounds completely alien. You can make 2 minute songs using 3 chords and it can be avant garde. That's obviously not prog.

Progressive rock is music that's unusual but also complex and whimsical (whimsical also means pretentious in some circles) and blends other genres like a juice mixer, and it still has to resemble rock music to some extent. It's a super diverse category, it's hard to compare bands like Genesis and ELP to bands like Hawkwind and Roxy Music. But I think Mr. Bungle easly falls into the prog category rather than avant garde.

Still that's only my opinion, there are some bands I think are definite placements in the list and there will be no way to change my mind, Mr. Bungle is not one of those bands and I'll remove them from the list if a strong enough argument is made. But so far I don't think you've done that, especially when it seems that you've only heard their first album.

Comus · 04-22-2009, 09:15 PM

What? Progressive rock needs at least some form of subtlety, even ELP were subtle in their own way, even with all the extravagance. To steal a line from Pink Floyd "hanging on in quiet desperation is the british way" in that same way prog has always hung on to their last shred of subtlety.

Mr. Bungle is experimental, and no matter how much both of us like them, it won't make it prog.

Anyways, you think muse is prog, and list them as such, so your opinion is invalid.

EDIT: Since I'm not going to post anymore in this thread.

Kayo Dot are not prog, and Neither are GY!BE, there's a reason why genres like post-rock, experimental and avant-garde have been labelled, simply you just couldn't find 100 prog bands so you had to start making up your own.

I love GY!BE and Kayo Dot's first two albums, but they're just.not.prog, in your mind a band that you like has to be prog and that's just wrong.

And as great as he is, Brian Eno and Roxy Music aren't prog either, they lean far more to the art-rock side. You can't just put everything that's not mainstream rock and call it progressive, christ.

You know nothing Jon Snow.

boo boo · 04-22-2009, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comus

What? Progressive rock needs at least some form of subtlety, even ELP were subtle in their own way, even with all the extravagance. To steal a line from Pink Floyd "hanging on in quiet desperation is the british way" in that same way prog has always hung on to their last shred of subtlety.

Mr. Bungle is experimental, and no matter how much both of us like them, it won't make it prog.

Anyways, you think muse is prog, and list them as such, so your opinion is invalid.

Now you're just being a total jerk. And if you're gonna be that way you have no business being here.

Muse don't even sound very different from a 70s prog band in most regards, their songs are heavier and shorter but that's basically it, they still have their own sound but they embrace a very heavy prog influence and many people consider them prog. Including Rick Wakeman. And as far as what constitutes prog is concerned I value the opinions of one of the biggest names in progressive rock more than some guy who wears obnoxious t shirts and insults people over the internet.

Weither you think they are prog or not dosen't matter when for one, most people certainly do, and because of that Muse have helped put a lot of newfound media attention on prog, so they have already made their impact on prog.

boo boo · 04-22-2009, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comus

Since I'm not going to post anymore in this thread.

Kayo Dot are not prog, and Neither are GY!BE, there's a reason why genres like post-rock, experimental and avant-garde have been labelled, simply you just couldn't find 100 prog bands so you had to start making up your own.

I love GY!BE and Kayo Dot's first two albums, but they're just.not.prog, in your mind a band that you like has to be prog and that's just wrong.

And as great as he is, Brian Eno and Roxy Music aren't prog either, they lean far more to the art-rock side. You can't just put everything that's not mainstream rock and call it progressive, christ.

You know nothing Jon Snow.

Seriously, keep your word and please leave.

Simply saying "Brian Eno and Roxy Music is not prog" and without trying to validate that statement with even a simple explanation is not doing anything productive, I've already explained why I feel they count as prog. I've already changed my mind on a few issues because unlike you other posters are actually making valid arguments.

All you're doing is saying they're not prog and the only proof you have is simply calling them something that's not even considered a real genre and is a term thats already associated with prog in the first place. Post rock and post metal are also associated with prog, you could call them sub-genres or whatever. Either way, you're not gonna convince me that only bands from the 70s who sound exactly like their peers are prog.

Please don't accuse me of being biased, I love Radiohead, they're not on the list, I hate Dream Theater, and they're on the list. I think I'm being totally fair and FYI this is not a preference list, if it was, Dream Theater and Marillion would be nowhere to be found.

Anteater · 04-22-2009, 09:50 PM

While I do find it a bit funny that Pendragon are higher on that list than IQ (not taking their lameness into account) and that Coheed and Cambria are lower than Muse, I think its a somewhat decent list from top to bottom if you are trying to categorize bands based on influence. I could nitpick all day, but the overall structure isn't bad boo. :P

On the other hand, I agree with Comus about Beefheart; although his stuff was primarily fucked up Blues with a twist, he was still arguably as influential as Zappa was on certain circles of prog., the R.I.O. movement included, in songwriting and instrumental approach alike.

boo boo · 04-22-2009, 09:53 PM

I never said he didn't contribute any influence to prog, that's why he gets a special mention.

The Beatles are influences on prog too, should I add them?

Anteater · 04-22-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boo boo

I never said he didn't contribute any influence to prog, that's why he gets a special mention.

The Beatles are influences on prog too, should I add them?

Possibly; go listen to Capability Brown's Voice while you're at it and learn where Queen stole their sound from.

boo boo · 04-22-2009, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

Possibly; go listen to Capability Brown's Voice while you're at it and learn where Queen stole their sound from.

I'm listening to them right now and songs from that album, good stuff, but they don't sound like Queen to me at all, except the vocal harmonies but just a little bit.

I think people are getting extremely desperate in trying to call every band a ripoff of someone more obscure.

Anteater · 04-22-2009, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boo boo

I'm listening to them right now and songs from that album, good stuff, but they don't sound like Queen to me at all, except the vocal harmonies but just a little bit.

I think people are getting extremely desperate in trying to call every band a ripoff of someone more obscure.

Glad you like it; I assume the vocal harmonies comment is directed toward the track Circumstances?

Also, its not about seeing who ripped-off who; I was being sarcastic a bit. However, it is interesting to find groups fewer know about in order to figure out possible inspirations for more well-known bands sounds. It's like spelunking...without the caves.

boo boo · 04-22-2009, 10:15 PM

Yeah I know what you mean, like everyone who's into Battles, I tell them about Gentle Giant and how they should check them out because there's no doubt in my mind that Battles are influenced by them. It's also fun to tell young punk fans that John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) is actually a very big fan of Van Der Graaf Generator and that they were an influence on Public Image Ltd.

I have material from most of the artists on this list so just let me know if theres anyone you want to check out.