Interesting.
 

Very interesting. We've got a smattering of the enlightened youth, and everyone else seems to be a child of the 60s (or earlier in some cases).

What happened to everything in between? Is prog somehow distasteful for anyone born after, say, 1967 or so? Is it illegal for anyone in their 30s to listen to The Music Of The Gods?

Makes one wonder.

Roger -Dot- Lee or go "hmm..."

Mare Vitalis, which I liked alot before I was subjected to too many repeated listenings. I think I'm probably ready to hear it again though, a very solid album.

and an entry from one of the godesses
 

i could recall the date of my entry on this planet but it seems to escape me now....but i am in very, very good company with a number of you. you'll know for sure my next bday when i totally trip out.

i chatted with my 32yr old nephew just last nite and told him i was listening to PK's Run....he typed back "ain't nothin lika little Wall every now and again...you know i'm hip". i was totally shocked...and pleased my "unusual" musical taste had rubbed off on one of my prize jewels. and my son may have a larger musical repetoire then many of his friends also...no hope for the diva...totally popped out...but who knows.

my musical taste have always been broad and seeking...the moon satisfies a taste i've never lost.

a well preserved visitor
:cool:

OH! and Spocks the Great Nothing...
 

that was probably me :rolleyes:

(makes great background music for reading Foundation and Empire!)

it's a Perfectly constructed piece of music!

Re: OH! and Spocks the Great Nothing...
 

Say on. I've said it before, and I'll likely say it again (I tend to repeat myself. Repeatedly.):

The Great Nothing is a WONDERFULLY engineered piece of music. Constructed from the cornerstone to the spire like the greatest of skyscrapers.

It's the Brooklyn Bridge of music. Yeah, there are some that are longer, but will they stand the test of time?

Roger -Dot- Lee, seeking far and wide for metaphores.

40 since last Monday and not ready to leave my 20's in the past.

Iván

Just a bunch of old farts!

Rick, you remember too much. :)

Now, as for "age"... the back of my hand skin was deemed "un-elastic" today by some rude sod. I told him I simply needed to upgrade the moisturizer. AND I live in the desert after all. :rolleyes:

As for proggy stuff...always been a Genesis fan from the beginning. Steve Hackett etc. But I must say, the Moon has brought a whole other world to me. Not to mention all the moonies.... xxx

As for sprog..he's a musician with a sense of the unusual. We share music... I quietly love it. Draw attn. to it and the moment is spoilt.

To thine own self be true. Be it unrepentant geek, or old fart in training. I am what I am and have come to the conclusion that not only am I what I am, but I kinda enjoy being that what I am. Prog rock neophyte building his repertoir of songs that rock my world on a daily basis. This would not be happoening were Avian not in possession of the foresight to see the need for REAL progressive rock, not "All Zappa All The Time" or "More Genesis than you can shake a Chapman Stick at"


That used to drive my mother insane. Whenever I was aware that someone was listening to me practice, then I'd get all self-concious and shy, as if I didn't want them to hear me making mistakes, etc.

Yes, it was childish and immateur. I was 8-12 at the time.

Roger -Dot- Lee, reminiscence 'R' us!

PS: I still think that "The Great Nothing" is the best engineered song ever recorded. And from me, that's a compliment beyond measure.

(and remember what you paid for it. :P )

When you say "engineered," do you mean the songs structure? or do you mean the actual engineering in the studio, like production quality? If it's structure, I may have to drag "Close to the Edge" into the fray!:eek: !:eek: !:D !

I've played one track from Mare Vitalis on BrainRock. It was "Mare Mortis." Hmm, I think I'll play "Fishing the Sky" pretty soon. That's an amazing song.

I feel a bit left out.............
 

No sprogs of my own to introduce to Prog (well none that I'm aware of. Although there was a long weekend in southend.......) but some of the regulars will remember that my nephew, who is 16, was sitting with me a while back listening to the Moon and watching the chat scroll past. Every now and then I'd here "God! What is THAT all about?" or "Are these people mad?". What could I say?

Tom (my nephew) and mossy's son have both tried to get me to listen to Opeth though and after much umming and Ahhing I relented and bought "Damnation" and was VERY happily surprised. Much more mellow than I thought. They both reckoned it was not really representative of their usual material and so this old fart won't be rushing (no pun intended) to get any more. :D

My own musical taste is very eclectic. Classical, Jazz, Folk, Rock, Prog anything really except cRAP and Country and Western.

I am amproaching one of those milestones, where people expect something out of the ordinary - parties ect. but I don't like being in the center of things and I'm always afraid no one will turn up anyway. Why celebrate one year closer to the grave?

Been a prog since 1971 -enjoy classical prog as well. AM has expanded my progscope immensly and thanks to everyone invovled.

Re: I feel a bit left out.............
 

and GYBE! and Don Cab!!!:D

Actually, I'm with KW. I pretty much like anything except RAP and Country. Although, I'll be quick to admit that I do like the occasional diamond in the rough from Country. As for rap, I don't mind the vocal-delivery-style - it's the "music" I can't take.

And rightfully so. Close to the Edge (and many other Yes tunes, including many off of Tales) are wonderfully engineered musically.

However.

I'd go best-of-three on this one. I think Spock's Beard has out-done Yes (even Close to the Edge). I'm not a big fan of the rest of their stuff (largely because I haven't gotten around to listening to their other stuff), but this one is the best built I've found.

Yes, even better than Close to the Edge.

Roger -Dot- Lee, who, being a Yes fan for MANY years, thinks that's saying something.

my age? ...huh?
 

Check out my icon to the left...I can't remember how long these bones have been around.
I do remember listening to Greig's "Hall of the Mountain King" before the days of prog.
My 22 year-old nephew is a bass player in a metal band. I occasionally try to introduce him to names like Tony Levin, Trey Gunn, and especially Guy Sangue (Jean-Luc Ponty). So far, he's in lockstep with Myung of Dream Theater--and everyone else is irrelevant.
But I am persistent...
BTW, I'll soon be 49, going on 22.
(I do hope this doesn't start another DT bash/worship thread. I like DT, have seen them in concert, and Myung truly is awesome.)

Re: my age? ...huh?
 

Tru dat. The bridge on Jelly Jam's "Nature's Girl" - wow.

well, I'm 42. got started listening to classical and (eek!) easy listening... discovered Starcastle from an ad in Cream or some such mag; went from there to Yes, and then Kansas, and Boston, and Journey were big. heavy into Wakeman, and Anderson. got into Vangelis(Heaven and Hell changed my life... it works wih the Foundation series, too!), and had a friend that played me some crazy stuff, like Magma. boy, talk about an education... learned to like jazz; Pat Metheny, Jean-Luc Ponty, Oregon, etc.
now I listen to most anything, except those two favorites, country and rap... :P really like Dave Matthews, Sting, but nothing makes me feel like those old albums...
now I just wish I had a budget to get all the groups I know I would love. thank goodness for the Moon... :D

age
 

HI Im 32. My progroots comes from hearing Dark Side of the Moon when I was 13. And that was after hearing Space trucking from Deep Purple "In Concert" album.

"a tree doesn't die from age, a tree dies from
being inflexible"

- zen proverb

i have you all beat, but not so anyone could tell. :D

kirk/zenpool

If you have us all beat at the upper end.............great.

If it's the lower end............man you're not aging well :D

Nice photo kirk. Good to "see" you. Get that in the rogues gallery!!!!

hi keith-

let's get off this subject!:D

so, how do i post to the gallery?

k/z

Send the Photo to Avian and he will post it.

Random responses
 

Kirk - are they "Acorn slipper socks"? Love those!

Roger - think there was a big gap from 1979 to 1990 where prog just was barren. that would explain the 30's dearth.

"The Great Nothing" is good - but I think it's just 6-7 minutes too long. Some songs can be that long, but others like that one and "Suite Hope Suite" by Salem Hill just drag and repeat a bit.

Dinosaur! There's a member I haven't seen for a while!

Re: Random responses
 

[quote]Originally posted by Rick and Roll
[b]Kirk - are they "Acorn slipper socks"? Love those!

you'll have to tell me about those, i've never heard of them.
those are clark's of england "treks".

(you won't find them on "the softer side of sears"):D

i didn't look closely....
 

slipper socks have their own soles...you have shoes on...my bad.

they are wool socks with feet.

"treks", should make good xmas gift....

haha...interesting... an electronic playground,
stacks of keys, recording toys...
and a focus on....shoes...??

that's so refreshing compared to the
usual "what keys are you using kirk?" questions.

Personally, I was thinking "Gads, I'd give certain non-essential body parts to be able to make use of a setup like that..."

Roger -Dot- Lee, never understood how someone could play more than one or two of those things at the same time

one of my non-standard traits....
 

I'm not a technical guy....see it kill it eat it that kind of thing (I could sell that lyric to Adrian Belew). I couldn't tell what you had there anyway.

Also, I don't like to hound musicians with fawning questions about things like that. If anything, I like to ask about the places people live.

That way I can stalk easier....

:p

Re: one of my non-standard traits....
 

*blink*

I'm in the one in New Mexico.

Roger -Dot- Lee, lookin' over his shoulder. :D

Re: one of my non-standard traits....
 

hmmm.... i wonder why roine or neal never drop in?:D

y'know, it occurs to me that if i do everything right,
i may not be able to hang on fan sites LOL

i may provide some of the best stalking on the planet
from gig harbor wa.

roger- that's a rol. jp-8000 on top, a korg karma w/
orch. exp+mw software below, a rol.xp 60 w/ orch.exp,
a proteus 2000 rack unit. there's more offscreen,
including a 1956 black laquered hammond.
on screen is sonar producer 3.

i'd be glad to answer any tech questions.

ummm.... 10 1/2, rick .:D

i found this picture of downtown gig harbor-

10 wide for me. There we went into shoe sizes from ages. :eek:

well, you know what they say....big feet....big boots :D

Chronologically speaking...
 

I'm 45. I was inadvertantly introduced to prog by my ex-stepfather, who was a late 50's singer-musician-music teacher (google "Vilas Craig" if you want) who had Close to the Edge on lp. When I played it, I didn't know what it was, but I knew I liked it. One year later, the Relayer tour was my 2nd concert (CSNY's first reunion tour was my first).

After that, I started scouring the used record bins at the local music stores. Discovered many bands that way. Listening to the Moon is a lot like going thru those bins (or a box of chocolates - sorry, Forrest), you never know what you're gonna get. Most of the time, they're tasty nuggets, sometimes chewy, sometimes nutty. But, every once in a while I want to spit one out. (Now I'm thinking, the caviar scene in "Big"... or Magma) :eek: :D

I still possess that glorious piece of vinyl that changed my life. The Moon continues to illuminate the musical path I prefer.

SS :cool:

Age is just a number....
 

that my body pays attention to when i least expect it.

rick, mossy's right you remember too much...mossy get the moisterizers with dead sea salt in it...great stuff and smells heavenly....

Kirk, "you look marvelous" and probably don't have us all beat!

and hey Yspaz i side with roger on "the great nothing" for songs after the Golden Age of Prog...its perfectly structured...don't get me started on the masters...you know you cannot beat Close to the Edge, my altime top Yes song, second to Awaken...etc, etc, etc.

here's winkin at all the ageless beauties
(we know who you are)
;)

awww... bless pod!:cool:

i'll have to give "the great nothing" a try based on
roger's and your recommendations.

i'm just now "getting my feet wet" on the new prog
bands (thanks to the moon).
i have to say that so far, my opinion would have to be
that it's been a long while since so much prog
has been available, but... i don't hear the quality
or individually unique approach of the masters.
most i've listened to so far seem to be (being kind)
"direct descendants" of the classic bands.
i've listened to 5 glasshammer tunes repeatedly,
and still couldn't repeat a single line from any of them.
IMO- there's a big element missing, the
"accessability" factor.

p e a c e kirk/zenpool

maybe not the right forum, but.....
 

here I go.

What makes the "masters" so great to me was the combination of the rock element in the music, and the fact of being first doen't hurt.

However, I find a lot of newer prog to be worthy of praise. I try not to be too comparative. No one can really measure to the old, but the listening is still fun.

I am of the opinion that "The Great Nothing" is a mediocre tune. I just think it's too long, and runs out of steam after 10-15 minutes. But I am in the minority - and that's OK. The Beard has plenty of other great songs for me.

I've seen Glass Hammer three times (once in 1994). I was impressed at first, but it wore off for me. I prefer music with a bit more soul.

The drawback to these newer bands is that there is not a lot of money to be made. too many choices for the entertainment dollar. There are great artists...just tough to keep an audience. I cite the example of Echolyn, who after two very prog and absolutely excellent releases (plus an EP) embarked on a deal with Sony Records. They released what I feel is one of the ten best records of the past 15 years "As The World". It's stellar. However, the record company abandoned them, and the rest is history.

So they're out there. Bands like Djam Karet and Discipline and the Flower Kings are just as worthy to me as the forefathers. And there are newer bands that are are lot of fun - Izz, Strangefish, Salem Hill - and I'm sure there are many more that can be cited by those much more in the know than me.

And what I have found is that when I put on a classic, it sounds so much better!

You won't be disappointed, I assure you. Very much in contrast to much of what passes as Music(TM) today is very light on what this particular song is very heavy on: plot. Story. It has something to say.

Can you find anything by Britney Spears that's much more than bump and grind pap?

I know I can't.

It's my personal opinion that Britney is most entertaining when the mute button is firmly engaged.

Strangely enough, all my daughters agree.

I suppose this goes to what your definition of 'accessability' is. Is it LESS accessable than the unintelligible grunting that comes from a good deal of music in this day and age?

Is it MUSICALLY less accessable? What about such greats as "Frank Zappa"? More or less than that?

I guess my question is: what IS accessable?

(no, not "What is Prog.":p )

I agree that a lot of modern prog bands are retreads of old prog bands. I tend not to like these bands very much. For me the thing that is missing in some of the prog today is not "accessability" but rather "originality." Everyone "sounds like Yes meets Genesis" or "influenced by Renaissance and ELP," etc. Now being influenced is okay; trying to imitate is not. That's why I tend to gravitate towards new bands that are trying to do music that is geniunely new. Rovo, GYBE!, Fontanelle, Don Cab, The Appleseed Cast, and many others, might owe a lot to prog, but they are fresh and not rehashed. To use a standard music review staple, they honor thier heroes without worshiping them.


In saying all that, let me assue you I love a LOT of modern prog; just not crazy about mimic bands.

i suppose it's an emotional content that i find missing,
as rick said, "soul". i think that's the reason we tend to
wear out on bands like dream theater so quickly.
there's much of the surface sheen of the original
prog masters w/o the sense of drama.
citing "awaken" as likely the epitome of the genre,
and (again IMO) possibly the ultimate that can be achieved
w/ the standard rock instruments-
the tune takes the listener to peaks and valleys,
highs and lows, almost to a trance-like state...
sonic drugs .
to be honest, i haven't found any new prog that i enjoy
as well as crimson's "power to believe", or even
some of the tunes on "the ladder"("nine voices" i.e.).
roger water's "amused to death" is another example.
the old practicioners are still kicking the new guys.

rick may have touched on it, but i'd say the difference
of the masters and today's prog is that none of the
masters set out to be prog.
i believe that in some ways, prog's painted itself into a corner.
i.e.- the mandantory hammond, moog sounds,
the drawing the tune out ad nauseum when the idea
could've been expressed in the first 4 minutes.
if the artist tries to venture out of the box, cut new ground,
the old "not prog" rears it's head.

sure, i'd take it over britney backstreet, but then again,
i'd take willie nelson, johnny cash over her also...
or terry jacks for that matter.:D

that's just my opinion, i could be wrong.

k/z