Progressive rock

[Basketballfan]

is it ready to make a comeback? Since arena rock has been replaced by not-hard rocking bands, but emo bands like Linkin Park, etc. are popular...could a band like Yes or Genesis be popular? I've discovered a band called IQ (they were popular back in the 80s) and they still make new-sounding progressive music records with contemporary style and sound and I'm thinking "wow this would be good stuff" on the radio these days. I've gotta think grunge can't be far behind as well.

 

[pittdave]

I would be shocked..SHOCKED if any radio station really got into Prog Rock. I think all 3 Kardashian sisters have a better shot a winning a Nobel prize before you hear any decent Prog on the radio. It has way to much for John Q Radio Listener. Not to mention lyrics that require at least a regimental understanding of the human condition and that leaves out most PDs much less listeners. I have 3 of IQ's albums and I could die a happy man if any mainstream station played something off of "Dark Matter." Radio's idea of Prog is about 3 songs from Yes, Genesis and Rush, and they pick just about the worst pieces from their catalog. Some rock stations back in the 90's tried Dream Theater but when they went whole hog into 10-min songs they were taken off. Progressive Rock is for those of us who can understand what a key change can do for a song, more than one bridge and something other than 4/4. When modern groups like Primus and Tool can't make it, the founding fathers of the best music on earth are left with their loyal followers and that's it. Like the man said... "Take what I say in a different way and it's easy to see that this is all confusion"

Pittsburgh Dave

 

[ddsparxx]

I'm afraid that it may never happen. I had early Genesis albums and a CD from IQ. The Wash. DC area once had a progressive rock station, that is long gone. As alternative turned toward tinny-sounding alternative and *cough cough* rap-metal *cough*, I turned to MP3 players.

 

[DToTheJ]

If "progressive rock" were to make a comeback, they would have to endure confusion with a popular insurance company and its pesky spokeswench.

 

[johnsummers]

@pittdave. The only reason, and I mean the ONLY reason you don't hear a real progressive rock station is because there is no audience for it. Not enough warm bodies equals finacial disaster. Believe this: if stations thought they could help ratings and revenue with this format, it would be ON, faster than you can say Justin Beiber! This is exactly the kind of stuff that should be on Sirius. But, to my knowledge, THEY don't even program it.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Real Progressive Rock stations have been gone for decades.

The format's heyday was in the late 60's and early 70's, when FM radio was still a strange alternate universe where you could hear all sorts of stuff that didn't exist in the AM world. Huge selection of cutting edge artists from many different musical genres, with an uncluttered presentation.

For better or worse, as FM became the dominant radio band, the Progressive Rock stations evolved into the over-commercialized, over-hyped, and noisier AOR format. KZEW might have been a good PR station in its early days, but it fell victim to the same trends.

The best place to find modern day versions of the Progressive Rock format is on The Internet, although usually in much narrower slices of musical genres.

 

[TheRover]

In some Fantasy World where a Prog Rock station actually existed OTA, I'd fancy hearing:

JETHRO TULL : THICK AS A BRICK

ELP : WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS

YES: "Gates Of Delirium"

PINK FLOYD : MEDDLE

But, back in the sick real world, you'll be fed Kid Rock and other slush, by your Corporate Masters...

 

[charles123]

In some Fantasy World where a Prog Rock station actually existed OTA, I'd fancy hearing:

JETHRO TULL : THICK AS A BRICK

ELP : WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS

YES: "Gates Of Delirium"

PINK FLOYD : MEDDLE

But, back in the sick real world, you'll be fed Kid Rock and other slush, by your Corporate Masters...

You might try KXT

 

[Triple Fake Jerry]

Muse's sixth studio album is due in 2012. Prog rock isn't necessarily dead.

 

[johnsummers]

Actually, I forgot about 'KXT. They're probably the closest you'll get. But, they don't have to fret about things like ratings, do they? ;D

 

[TheRover]

In some Fantasy World where a Prog Rock station actually existed OTA, I'd fancy hearing:

JETHRO TULL : THICK AS A BRICK

ELP : WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS

YES: "Gates Of Delirium"

PINK FLOYD : MEDDLE

But, back in the sick real world, you'll be fed Kid Rock and other slush, by your Corporate Masters...

You might try KXT

That might work, but I don't know if they're savvy enough to know which live versions are great songs to air.

You can't search the KXT Playlist by artist or song title. In scanning several day's playlists, I did not see any ELP or Jethro Tull.

I did see Pink Floyd, the usual Classic Rock station choices, with a few deeper tracks here and there. Why does KXT need to play "Comfortably Numb" anyway ? I guess because the commercial hits sell. If they had a song search, then I could really check up on them to see if they ever played a requested song or not. (But that would expose what they're really not playing, after all......)

 

[Dick Skinner]

I would be shocked..SHOCKED if any radio station really got into Prog Rock. I think all 3 Kardashian sisters have a better shot a winning a Nobel prize before you hear any decent Prog on the radio. It has way to much for John Q Radio Listener. Not to mention lyrics that require at least a regimental understanding of the human condition and that leaves out most PDs much less listeners. I have 3 of IQ's albums and I could die a happy man if any mainstream station played something off of "Dark Matter." Radio's idea of Prog is about 3 songs from Yes, Genesis and Rush, and they pick just about the worst pieces from their catalog. Some rock stations back in the 90's tried Dream Theater but when they went whole hog into 10-min songs they were taken off. Progressive Rock is for those of us who can understand what a key change can do for a song, more than one bridge and something other than 4/4. When modern groups like Primus and Tool can't make it, the founding fathers of the best music on earth are left with their loyal followers and that's it. Like the man said... "Take what I say in a different way and it's easy to see that this is all confusion"

Pittsburgh Dave

I'd like to understand what a "regimental understanding" is, Plattsburgh.