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Neo-Prog Misconceptions -
7 through 11:
Greetings once again. There are probably some who were
wondering if in fact there could be any more misconceptions
about Neo-Prog. Well in fact yes there are. And just when
you thought it was safe to come out of hiding...here are Neo-Prog
misconceptions 7 through 11. I'm sure you see as we work our
way through to the last one (there are 13 in total) that the
case for using the term gets pretty flimsy. Read on... ***
Misconception #7 – Neo-Prog is more accessible, mainstream
and popular I guess the obvious question here is; more accessible
to whom? Even a band such as Jadis who many would say are
less about complexity and more about songs with certain Progressive
Rock embellishments would have a hard time making inroads
in mainstream media. Let’s not forget many of those prog bands
from the Seventies wound up playing huge stadiums. Which of
the so called, more popular, more accessible or more mainstream
Neo-Prog bands have done this? In fact, none of them have.
In the advertising media world I exist in, we have an expression
that describes individuals who essentially live in the bubble
of their own passion, whatever that may be. When you’re inside
the bottle, it’s impossible to read the label. Meaning that
if you live in a bottle where prog is a musical passion, it
is pointless to compare that to the mainstream world, outside
the bottle where prog isn’t even on the radar. Our observations
regarding accessibility, mainstream potential and even popularity
are all tainted by not only our love of prog but our difficulty
in sometimes seeing prog from outside the bottle where music
exists in the larger context. Out there, in the world of rigidly
controlled radio formats, visually enticing music videos and
Simon Cowells, Progressive Rock is so not there. ***
So the idea that Neo-Prog is by its very nature more
accessible seems at odds with whom it’s actually created for
and who’s actually buying it. The last time I looked those
Pendragon CD’s weren’t flying off the local chain store shelves
with the general record buying public. Obviously, for someone
whose main listening fare includes complex Prog fusion, RIO
and Zeuhl or early Gentle Giant then much of the Symphonic
genre is going to sound a little tame. On the other hand if
you were to play even the tamest of Symphonic Prog for your
non-prog friends, what do you think their reaction would be?
You’ve probably been there, right? I know I have and it’s
usually a disheartening experience as they describe the music
as “too busy” or words to that effect, and that was Spock’s
Beard! Clearly there is no way possible to accurately describe
Neo-Prog bands as more accessible, mainstream or popular.
***
· Misconception #8 – Neo-Prog is identified by the digital
keyboard sounds Of all the misconceptions outlined here, this
has to be one of the weakest when it comes to singling out
a group of bands. From the very beginnings of rock and roll,
technology has played a part in forming the sound of each
era. This was true of guitar technology during the sixties
and keyboard technology of the seventies. The sounds musicians
make are a reflection of the day. Every era has had its distinct
signature sounds in some respect. Fact was in the mid-Eighties
everyone, in every musical genre was using the mother of all
digital synthesizers, the Yamaha DX-7. It had only recently
come on the market and the temptation to use its new sounds
was so very tempting. So to single out a few prog bands that
were also using these new digital sounds seems picayune beyond
comprehension. Are we now placing some arbitrary “higher”
standard on prog artists and their choice of instruments?
Who is it that is entitled to impose this “higher” standard?
***
The mere fact that the bands of the progressive rock
resurgence of the Eighties actually incorporated these new
sounds into their musical pallet is in my eyes more of an
indication that they were taking the progressive symphonic
style into a new age. Just as Rick Wakeman incorporated new
technology side by side with old (Moog synthesizer with the
Hammond organ), so too these bands were incorporating the
new with the old (digital with analog.) Regardless of the
sounds ultimately created, the use of new technology is very
much an integral part of Progressive Rock and certainly no
reason to marginalize those who do so. ***
· Misconception #9 – Neo-Prog never attainted the popularity
of prog in the Seventies One of the misconceptions that certain
aficionados will point to, in some sense of self-justification
is that Neo-Prog never attained the popularity of prog in
the Seventies. They may be referring to the popularity with
the masses or perhaps the popularity within the prog community.
While this may or may not be true it has more to do with the
changing nature of the business rather than the music itself.
Just for the record, the original bands from the Seventies
are no where near as popular with the mass population today
as they used to be simply because they have been extricated
from the radio and television. I remember talking about the
YES CD Magnification to a manager at work and his response
was an incredulous, “they’re still together?” And he was a
big YES fan. The point is that many of those so-called popular
prog bands of the Seventies suffer in obscurity today. ***
To suggest that because Neo-Prog failed to win the popularity
vote somehow seems to me to be at odds with a previous misconception
that Neo-Prog is more accessible, more popular and more mainstream.
Which is it? Setting aside that little conundrum, let’s consider
this from a different perspective. Given the global nature
of Progressive Rock today fuelled by the World Wide Web if
we were actually able to add up individuals around the world,
I think we might just find that there are actually more people
in the fan pool today than there ever were in the Seventies,
it’s simply spread out around the globe. The existing popularity
of all genres of Progressive Rock bands is not something the
mass media exposure focuses on, that’s all. They’re too busy
talking about their own manufactured flavour of the month.
Misconception #10 – Neo-Prog is lacking in originality
The history of music is replete with critics who failed to
recognize true talent standing in their midst. This may not
be a great example but its worth considering that many of
Beethoven’s compositions were panned by the critics of his
day. When confronted about this, Beethoven is claimed to have
said “Oh, those are not for you, but for a later age.” Now
before you get your panties in a bunch, I’m certainly not
comparing Beethoven with Neo-Prog. I’m not. I understand that
Beethoven was forging a new tradition while the so-called
“Neo” bands are creating within an established tradition,
that of Symphonic Progressive Rock. But what I am calling
into question here is the suggestion that “it all lacks originality.”
This is simply a gross overstatement that needs to be challenged.
***
First some ground work. The history of music is one where
a new idea would be created by a composer(s) and developed,
modified and tweaked until it was more or less consolidated
into an established tradition. The established tradition would
then be the popular music of the day and persist for any number
of years. This process might take as long as fifty years to
happen before some new idea would take composers in another
direction building on the shoulders of what had gone before
to create another new tradition. This paradigm has essentially
been neutered with the advent of technology. Today the world
of music is advancing at such a pace that for the most part
consolidation fails to take hold. In many respects the trade-off
of having quick and easy access to music has meant that the
masses are being driven my media and technology to seek out
any number of musical fads. Essentially whatever your heart
desires is available. Today all forms of music from electronic
to symphonic operate fluidly within well established traditions.
***
But back to the point, what’s really being said by the
claim of lacking in originality? Pallas’ Dreams of Men and
IQ’s Dark Matter are full or original rhythms combined with
many original musical compositional moments arranged in very
original ways. So what’s with this “lacking in originality”
thing? The very idea of originality can be called into question
for every prog sub-genre. Based on such a strict definition
we could also claim that Magma’s second or third albums were
lacking in originality. If you are going down that path, you
could say bands like Ange, Focus, and ELP often repeated themselves.
The claim of lacking in originality is a very slippery slope.
Where do you draw the line? ***
I believe the criticism of lacking originality is an
epithet far too easily and quickly hurled at Progressive Rock
in general. We seem to be so caught up in a move to the future
that we expect to see a relativistic originality displayed
that is measured only by the critic’s arbitrary standards.
Referring again to Pallas and IQ, both have taken their sound
on each successive recording one step further on the creative
process. There is nothing lacking in originality and we must
always be cautious about confusing performance with preference.
Just because we don’t like what we hear doesn’t necessarily
mean our criticism of it is right. I’m reminded of something
Albert Einstein said, “Great spirits have often encountered
violent opposition from mediocre minds.” Neo-Prog isn’t so
much about a lack of originality as it is about being tarred
and feathered with a flawed brush. ***
· Misconception 11 – Neo-Prog is by definition limiting
in musical scope I suppose if all you listened to were three
or four Neo-Prog bands you might come to such a conclusion,
but given the continued growth of the Symphonic prog genre
(which I maintain includes Neo-Prog) there is no way to substantiate
this claim. Within the Symphonic musical framework, you have
bands constantly pulling in outside sources and incorporating
these new musical ideas into an ever expanding musical catalog.
Not only are the traditional sources of jazz, folk and classical
still explored, but so are ethnic influences as well as other
non-traditional rock musical categories such as electronic
and ambient. ***
If you look at the many bands identified as Neo-Prog,
you will quickly see that far from their musical approach
being “limited in musical scope” you find there is a wealth
of variety and diversity in their compositions. Some will
take the more aggressive guitar approach and others a more
keyboard approach, but still incorporating a variety of non-rock
influences. To my mind, all of this avoids the central issue,
and that is that Neo-Prog as part of the entire Symphonic
genre continues to draw on probably a larger spectrum of influences
than many other progressive genres. It can do so not only
because it has a rich history of this compositional inclusion
but also simply because it can. ***
So there you go. Some more to chew on till next when
we'll wrap this little diatribe up once and for all. Till
then, that's what I think. Your views are welcomed. Drop me
an email anytime. Jerry
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