What do you like best in prog?

[TruthInAd]

If I were to custom tailor a prog song, or experience, or a compostion that had all the great elements you look for, what would they be?

Perhaps the best way to answer is to define some parameters, and you can add percentages to each one you like.

Music
Vocals required, or optional
Complex or simple bass playing
Guitar required, or as textural backdrop
Keyboards are played as textures, sequences, or virtuoso
Complex or simple drumming
Other acoustic or orchestral instrumentation

Experience
Uses Sci-Fi or Fantasy themes
Uses Truth or Honor themes
Uses Literate Themes
Music evokes images
Music evokes testosterone urge
Music promotes relaxation
Music has both tension and release
Music has purely intellectual stimulation
Music has purely emotional or mood stimulation
Song title matches the song composition
Quality of recording is exquisitely produced
Quality of recording is performed well, but not the optimal production

If I had more time to think, I could add more. For now I would like to to see if there is a trend, or if it's all over the map as for general individual preferences.

Thanks for your feedback if you participate.

TruthInAd

[kirk]

Originally Posted by TruthInAd

Music
Vocals required, or optional
Complex or simple bass playing
Guitar required, or as textural backdrop
Keyboards are played as textures, sequences, or virtuoso
Complex or simple drumming
Other acoustic or orchestral instrumentation

Experience
Uses Sci-Fi or Fantasy themes
Uses Truth or Honor themes
Uses Literate Themes
Music evokes images
Music evokes testosterone urge
Music promotes relaxation
Music has both tension and release
Music has purely intellectual stimulation
Music has purely emotional or mood stimulation
Song title matches the song composition
Quality of recording is exquisitely produced
Quality of recording is performed well, but not the optimal production

where's "ALL OF THE ABOVE"?

i think i'll reserve comment until after a few more responses.

p e a c e

kirk

[Wojtek]

Originally Posted by kirk

where's "ALL OF THE ABOVE"?

Erm...on Transatlantic's debut album

[Rick and Roll]

that's quite an impressive list. I just like to rock. If I picked one it'd be the mood/emotional thing.

[roger]

depends on my mood, though I do like a good keyboard. odd-time signatures are good.

[kirk]

name a phrase in the english language that hasn't been made into
a songtitle....and i'll make it!

k

[sharcnorris]

musicianship, hate 3 chord music
Harmony with tonal gymnastics
strong rhythm section, synergy of complex beats between drummer and bass
world influence, confluent ideas on tone and beat from diverse cultures

or.........its the MELLOTRONS Silly

[roger]

yeah, what sharc said. that, too.

[mossy]

Everything except the testosterone bit.

mossy

[kirk]

hey mossy-
most studies show that female music fans aren't as
"anthem oriented", anthems generally evolving from
the "let's grab a sword , go kill the enemy" male warrior thing.

annie haslam, sandy denny come to mind as exceptions,
pioneers o' brit prog.

a bit of trivia- roger dean's 1st album cover was for Babe Ruth,
a female-lead prog band.

[sharcnorris]

That is Awesome Kirk, I have some Original Frank Frazetta Prints that sparks comparison. Also Wally Wood-ish........Thanx Captain--

would you happen to have a year for that Babe Ruth?

[kirk]

hey sharc-
sadly, i don't hear wally wood mentioned much these days!
i recently went through my old copies of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. agents.
remember those? the lead dynamo story was always his.
what a master. Joe (Kubert) invoked WW and Alex Toth
constantly as modern masters.
---------------

Babe Ruth made 6 albums between 72-77, released a
"best of" in 95. i caught them on American Bandstand...(!)
bought "first base" the next day.

i also have (had?) this one- it's likely at my mom's house
along w/ my 1st "Flash" album ect.

k

[yorksrvc]

AND AGAIN!!! I have been supplied with my 2 Favorite things...........Music and Laughter............yea,yea,yea.....the other thing?........I'm 55 and been cut off.........

[Michael Rawdon]

I think that fundamentally what I appreciate about prog is that it rarely strays into the basic pop form of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse-chorus. The structures are varied and fluid, and it just feels like a more "mature" form of music, to me.

This hearkens back to when I was first "seriously" getting into music and discovered The Who's Who's Next, which plays with song structure throughout the album.

Even prog tracks that which do adhere to that basic form tend to have other things going on behind the basic structure which mutates or breaks the structure.

I admit I am a sucker for a good hook, and fundamentally I feel like I'm always looking for what Pete Townshend seemed to be looking for: A melding of the "trash" art form of rock music with more challenging elements to create something which appeals to both ends of the spectrum. This probably goes a long way to explaining why I'm a big fan of neo-prog but don't care much for groups like Wobbler or Somnambulist. (What would you call such groups' style, anyway? "Hard" prog? "Pure" prog?")

Essentially, I like a good hook, but I also like music which plays around with structure and presentation.

By way of example, consider that the albums which have most recently "blown my mind" have been Hourglass' Subconscious, Tr3nity's Precious Seconds, and Magenta's Revolutions and Seven.