Progressive Rock

Background

• Prog-rock was a unique sub-genre of rock in the 60s and 70s, with some bands still making music at present.

• It originated in the United Kingdom, but was also developed in Germany, Italy and France.

• Its most popular years were the 70s with groups such as Kansas and Rush around.

Instrumentation and influences

Standard rock instruments – drums, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard.

Prog-rock bands expanded their sound by using traditional jazz and folk instruments such as, flute, saxaphone, timpani and violins.

Other instruments used through the genre included Moog synthesizers, Hammond-organs and the Mellotron.

Prog-rock was influenced by many different genres as it had so many different styles and instruments. These influences ranges from classical all the way to psychedelic rock and jazz.

Characteristics

Prog-rock generally avoided the use of standard verse-chorus-verse format.

Bands extended sections, adding in solos and musical interludes.

They also liked to heighten dynamics by exaggerating contrast between sections.

Classical forms were also part of the prog-rock genre; sometimes entire classical suites would be used.

Improvised solos influenced by jazz and psychedelic rock, plus these other characteristics meant that some songs were longer than 20 minutes.

Complex time signatures were also a common theme in prog-rock, such as 5/8 and 7/8.

As with psychedelic rock, key, tempo and time signature changes were also common in songs.

Major bands

• In the 60s, progressive rock emerged, producing bands such as Pink Floyd, Rush, Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP).

• In 1969, Yes released their self-titled debut album which included renditions of one of The Beatles’ songs and on of The Byrds’ songs.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juLv3JJLOVc

• Rush produced a string of string of hit albums in the mid-70s, such as their self-titled debut album.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89g1P_J40JA

• ELP released their debut album in 1970, which was also self-titled.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89g1P_J40JA