Is prog a health hazard?

[mudshark]

Yesterday afternoon in the main office I was reading in REAP Corner about that Steven Wilson album called Hands Cannot Erase or something, how Matt absolutely loved it and how others chimed in. Mr. Rother actual put it in his top 5 of albums ever. That should have been a giant red flag for me, but I'm gullible and firmly believe that every cloud has a silver lining. So I gave that album a shot in the car during the drive to the field office, a 45-minute commute. I was disappointed, unfortunately. I heard bits ripped from Yes, King Crimson, ELP and Genesis mixed in with some out-of-place CSNY-fighting-at-the-Fillmore singing. But I tried to persevere. Somewhere halfway the third song my body started hurting. My stomach tightened, I had some chest pains and I became quite distracted and irritated. I had to stop the car. I quickly changed to the soothing sounds of Jonathan Richman: Ice Cream Man, Abominable Snowman in the Supermarket, Government Center, that kind of stuff. Within 5-10 minutes I felt right as rain and soon was happily singing along with New England (dum-di-dum-di-dum-dummadum-day, oooooh New England). I was not having a heart-attack after all, just a bit of progbite. Maybe this comes with old age because I have managed to listen to a few prog albums without falling ill in the past. I don't know, but I was quite amazed by experiencing the immediate effects music can have on one's health, and thought this medical phenomenon was significant enough to share with the boys and girls over here.

[trans-chigley express]

Prog is more of a cure-all

Hand Cannot Erase is a fabulous album btw

[Matt Wilson]

LOL!

At least you tried. With a lot of stuff (and this is true for all facets of life), you're either on or off the bus. No judgement either way.

[WG Kaspar]

Rookie mistake there.
Steven Wilson appeals only to a select few.
Having said you can't claim a place at the fabled prog table unless you own at least one of his abominatio....albums.

[naughty boy]

It appears to have ruined several minds here - or were they in fact daft sods to start with?

[Lord Rother]

We are all different.

Rap, hip hop, jazz, fusion, Brian Eno and similar ambient artists all have a similar effect on me. They kind of make my brain itch to the extent that I feel the need to flip it open and have a good scratch.

That or scream into a cushion.

So yes, I know what you mean.

[Matt Wilson]

It appears to have ruined several minds here - or were they in fact daft sods to start with?

A better definition of 'daft sod' would be a sad sack who has literally nothing better to do all day/night than endlessly scrutinize every fucking thread on no less than three music forums.

[naughty boy]

Yeah, you should probably ease off on that a bit, Matt.

[Matt Wilson]

LOL

Touche!

[mudshark]

Participating in more than 1 of these little sewing-circles is not very healthy either, it seems.
Causes multiple-forumses syndrome.

[Matt Wilson]

Especially when you run off and create one.

[The Slider]

Trouble with prog is that just because Fripp, Hackett or Howe did something complicated, doesn't mean anyone else ought to.
Prog is like punk - 4 or 5 decent acts and shedloads of shit followers.
I love me my prog. But my prog is only made by bands with something interesting (or incomprehensible in Jon Anderson's case) to say

[The Slider]

ie - Good Prog = Good
Bad Prog = Terrible

[mudshark]

John, if I just stick to Genesis for now (I think you like their prog, given the fact that way back when ring tones were a thing you had Firth of Fifth on your tiny Nokia. What interesting things does the music of Genesis have?

I think you're spot on: most prog after, let's say, 1980 is a rehash of what was done before. During the 15-minute or so ordeal when I listened to that Wilson album I could clearly recognize the Musical Box-style acoustic guitar, the typical tadam-tadatadam-tadamtadamtadamtadam-tadam-tadam staccato that is no detrimental to a lot of KC's stuff, and the pompous ELP shenanigans. It's all there. Clever, but not at all original. And extremely annoying.

[Matt Wilson]

I heard Rush in the first track.

[mudshark]

Can't agree or disagree with that. Apart from the time it takes me to get to the radio when they come on, I've never listened to their stuff. Some say their singer is more annoying that the young Robert Plant, but of course I know that cannot be true.

[Fonz]

Maybe I’m lucky. I’m not into original prog. I like SW and PT tho. Prog metal was my gateway drug.

[Lord Rother]

I have never understood the obsession out there to identify influences and then deride the prog musicians / songwriters who HAVE been influenced by music written 40/50 years earlier. Especially when the results (to my ears) are on occasions better than what went before.

I just listen to the music and enjoy it (or not) for what it is.

[Mike Boom]

I'm not one for modern prog either, never heard any that has really grabbed me and have listened to bits and pieces of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree etc and its never really impressed me, but I listened to that album this morning for the first time ever, out of interest and I must say it sounded pretty damn good to me. Very melodic. nice vocals and it didn't sound like it was overly dependent on past prog greats, in fact I heard more of the Who than anything else, but mostly I thought it was pretty original and modern in its sound.

[mudshark]

I can agree when previous music is influencing new music, which in my opinion is using the ideas of others to create something new. A bit how Blues became R&R, for example. But in the case of Steven Wilson or Spock's Beard (a band I've also sampled; I still have the scares) there's no progression in the prog they're making. It's virtually the same thing, except with more bells & whistles, thanks to new technology. But I certainly don't blame you not giving a toss. Everything that makes you feel good, is good, and music is the best.