[Rick and Roll]

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!