Progressive Rock

PROGRESSIVE ROCK is without any doubt, the style of contemporary music with the widest gamut of sub-genres and off-shoots, because it unites popular rock with a vast array of different partners, such as jazz, folk, opera, electronic, baroque and classical (mostly symphonic).

Born of the marriage between synthesizer technology and the spiralling pop-rock culture of the early 70s, with revolutionary bands like PINK FLOYD, GENESIS, YES and KINK CRIMSON to name a few, "Prog Rock" continues unabated to this day, with the FLOWER KINGS, PORCUPINE TREE, SPOCK'S BEARD and DREAM THEATER (comment, rather a limited selection, with metalic overtones. Perhaps a more diverse selection of current bands here?) as the torchbearers, into the new millennium. It has survived simply because it is the preferred musical domain of the classically trained musician, forging a style that insists on specific norms of structure and composition, challenging the creative vibe by constantly exploring newer and more ambitious frontiers, to go boldly beyond the parameters which restrict other modern music. Often a heady brew where older instruments (violin, flute, harpsichord and oboe) blend with modern electronic sounds, the whole held together with a typical rock rhythm section.

Another fundamental characteristic of this "cerebral" genre, is its universality (without any commercial or media support : vibrant "progressive rock" communities span the globe, in South America, Japan, in Western Europe (Italy, Holland, Sweden and where it all started, in the UK), in Eastern Europe (Poland and Hungary), in the USA and in Quebec, with concerts, magazines and specialised distributors devoted to the cause of quality music.

With the advent of the World Wide Web, it is safe to assert that "Progressive Rock" is in full expansion, even though it will probably never again dominate the charts, destined to "progress" perpetually beyond the shallow silliness that has, for so long, been polluting the airwaves.

All intelligent music lovers should be made aware of the wonders of this style!

Taken from FreeSon Rock
SPECIALIST IN METAL & PROGRESSIVE ROCK CDS
Montréal (CANADA)