this thread has really turned into a very interesting discussion...thank you John for fueling the fire...you even brought moses out again...
i've lots of head nodding in agreement on several points. in particular, i will agree with cozy on the said snobbery of the "average" progressive listener. as a personal defense to my own musical taste—which can go from Bach to Boncé, Wagner to Sarah Vaughan, Debussy to Sheik Yerbouti and lots more inbetween...what i choose to hold dear and near to my ear, as well as spend my hard earned cash on is going to fall within the prog parameters. my sisters often wondered why i so seldom invested in the R&B records back in the day(quoting them "she likes weird music")...hell i could hear that anytime(still can) or borrow theirs. i spent my money on music that wasn't going to be played by the top 40 am/fm stations and may well dissappear if i didn't capture it...i love classical, i love prog, i love avante garde, i'm an ambient-baby, with an insatiable taste for jazz both old, new, avante, fused and undefinable...and that still doesn't cover it. so close-minded would never descibe me, and if it makes me a snob so frellin be it.
i think we all crave to be individual and not just 1 of the masses, i don't mind being part of this smaller group because here i can be indivdual w/out having to defend or make reason of my musical choices. funny... i don't think i'd ever want this music to become as popular as "popular" music...i think it's very niche is what keeps it evolving, fractating(yeah i made it up—you get my meaning) and reconfiguring itself into new, newer or familiar forms. to have it accepted and become the music of the majority masses would kill it...long live prog!
okay my two cents turned out to be a nickle
p.s. as for TMV vocals, well i like 'em and its taking a minute, but the same can be said for peter hammill, GG and a few other unusual vocal quality voices...love the delivery though...keep talkin. this was fun reading.
poda
