What are your Progressive Rock Roots?

[spewie]

My roots run very deep, and long. I started understanding Progressive at about the age of 13, while my brothers and sisters were playing AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Nazareth, I was listining to ELO, Guess Who, Styx, and Ambrosia.

It was about 1976 that I was first introduced to the word Progressive, as I was sat down in front of a stereo and had the pleasure of listening to hours of Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. Well to say the least after that I was hooked. About a week later I heard my first broadcast of Greg Stone on a program called Stone Trek that used to play on a staion called KOME in San Jose, CA.

Every Sunday night for 4 hours he would spin the best of Progressive wax, and I would just there mesmorized by it all. If I remeber correctly it took me about a year before I could tell when one song ended and another began. But once I figured that out I never looked back.

My tastes now go in many directions, from Bluegrass, Jazz, Symphopnic, Fusion, and the Grateful Dead (just for the record I will be at the Summer of Love festival in San francisco). But Progressive has always and will always be my first listening choice.

Thanks for the memories!
Spewie!

[OverHillandDale(Admin)]

My progressive roots go back to what my parents fed me musically as a yute. I got the best of the classics and the avante garde classics as well. I was taught piano, clarinet and later picked up the bass guitar. Along with classical music I also really like jazz, as did my parents. Mostly west coast stuff, Dad was hep on Dixieland, and jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd. My mom liked Mel Torme, Marion McPartland and other simple style pianists. Me, I loved to play Gershwin, Chopin, Liszt

Well, by the 60's an open minded young lad found Chicago Transit Authority and Blood Sweat & Tears. So listening to the top 20 was out of the question. WHFS in Washington D.C. was where I cut my teeth. It was more Psychedelic Rock/Hard Rock but it still led to my introduction to Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead and Rennaissance. But let's not leave out the glam rock coming out in the early70's. David Bowie was tops. And he got a lot of play on the lunchtime radio I ran for my H.S. Cafeteria. As did the Beatles, Allmans, Led Zep, Santana, Hendrix and Doobie Brothers. The bands I played bass for at the time were mostly blues/rock. Clapton, Allmans, Hendrix and the like.

By 72 I had become a split personality. On the one hand I had the hard rock I loved, but Yes was starting to rule my heart and soul. When YesSongs came out, that did it for me. I was forever and always then a YesHead. And what's a bass player not going to admire about Squire. Saw them 3 times within 4 years (tour after yessongs, Relayer, and Topographic Oceans).

This also led a search for other groups and I increased my collection of Genesis, King Crimson, ELP, Nektar, PFM and Flash (peter banks). I almost bought an Arp Synthesizer to further my musical career and possibly go to Berkely College of Music in Boston. But I realized I just didn't have the chops. I was to remain an appreciator rather than a creator. But I did find an artistic outlet in Theatre, where I used my prog rock several times in dance compositions (mostly king crimson - starless/bible black era).

I remain a YesHead to this day, but I respect so much because of what they represent. I respect musicianship. I respect many musical influences and appreciate the jazz influences as well as classical. It's very easy to see when groups have neither, and they ususally don't last long.

Finding Aural Moon has reopened my young passion for this music. I so enjoy having this space to hear new music and share it with like-minds and souls. A place I can get my jazz fix, rock fix, prog fix, and bad mouth Microsoft.

[artboy]

Originally Posted by OverHillandDale

When YesSongs came out, that did it for me. I was forever and always then a YesHead. And what's a bass player not going to admire about Squire.

Speaking of Squire....I wore out 4 "Fish out of Water" albums (my favorite album of all time).... Also...glad to see someone else here that found the truth because of Yessongs... that in my humble opinion is the best live album EVER recorded... and the video is just as great!... WHY ON EARTH IS YESSONGS NOT ON THE MOON?????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????

Also...Robert Moog lived down the street from me...guess his mystique sparked my curiosity in prog during the early 70's