Prog(kraut/zeuhl/rio)

[jesusfaggotchrist]

I really dig Univers Zero, any modern bands that do their style of RIO justice?
It's almost like really demented bossa-nova and tango mixed with 50s spy thriller music

[Duncan]

Bumping this very old thread to see if there are any new takes on the discussion.

Though it's already a dangerous term I'd say 'prog' is probably the music I listen to most when push comes to shove.

While always looking for new things to discover, Henry Cow are the band I always come back to and rate higher than all others.  After all these years of listening I'm still being constantly blown away and freshly taken in upon new listens.  I'm mainly talking about studio albums too and various live/session versions of their compositions.  I've not especially delved into any of the extended live improvisations that make up a huge bulk of their back catalogue and fear much of this borders a bit too much on plinky plonky, interesting at the time but not worth hours of listening now improv.

Despite this I feel like I'm moving back into some of the less 'challenging' prog works after long spells seeking the more abstract things.  Gentle Giant, Soft Machine, National Health....the death of Phil Miller a few weeks back likely kicked this all off.

Anyway, any new takers on this?!

[Peterson]

If Zappa and related Mothers material counts, I've been listening to mostly his/their stuff from '72-'79ish. "Apostrophe" seems to be both a genuine progressive album and a parody/pastiche of what was considered progressive at the time, could probably say the same about Sheik Yerbouti (latter is probably a bit too heavy on the comedy for most folks here, maybe). Both with insane instrumentation and some genuine surprises amidst hard rock sections that give Sabbath and Floyd a run for their money in addition to some bizarre and humorous lyrics and just a touch here and there of sincerity. I dig Zappa's obsessive attention to detail, reliance on editing to produce a final product, and the use of sounds/sound effects "for their own sake."

I've tried to appreciate King Crimson and just couldn't enjoy it, at all.

[Duncan]

In many ways Zappa is just totally deserving of his own classification all together but I certainly rank a lot of his work within these criteria.  Particularly in the case of those first Mothers of Invention records where things were ever so slightly less all about FRANK.

In so many ways his material can be incredibly frustrating to listen to as far as albums go.  Plenty of releases with 2 or 3 utterly phenomenal, pieces dotted in between a load of stupid parody tracks (which, being fair, do have their place) and compositions that lack definitive recorded versions.  You see crusty rehearsal/live footage of a 70's era band ripping their way through an incredible version of something only to find the only real studio recording of it is something knocked out on the synclavier during the 80's.

But it doesn't matter.  The more time passes the more I just accept it.  With a body of work that large you can only hope to just keep trying things out and enjoying it for what it is.  I was listening to part of a big box set of orchestral works at a friend's a couple of weeks ago and I'll be damned if a lot of it didn't sound amazing.

[holy ghost]

I have seen Magma twice in the last few years. The first performance was great but Vander was sick (no Kobian scatting) and the crowd was huge. They played again in a smaller venue with a much more "appreciative" audience and did an absolutely killer set, basically Emehntehtt-Re then MDK and it was just a mind boggling experience. Probably up there with the best sets I've ever seen.

For me these days I seem to listen less to the VDGG side of things and I seem to be way more into Genesis, I used to do "only Peter" era but I've really gotten into the early Phil albums. I also have been reconnecting with my appreciation for Gentle Giant, Spring, etc.

I also periodically go nuts on ELP and recently jammed "Pictures at an Exhibition" 400 times in a row.

My sort of default prog banger is Trettioariga Kriget's first few albums.

[david lloyd jones]

yes   prog incarnate.

not kraut, not rio, not canterbury, not cool
but better than genesis or elp.

[Duncan]

yes   prog incarnate.

not kraut, not rio, not canterbury, not cool
but better than genesis or elp.

Can't fault any part of this statement.

Filled with things that are so over the top and stupid but responsible for close to the edge and fragile.

I think a lot of listening to prog is like learning to ignore the smell of Shit while digging for gold and Yes are still the best example of what that pay off can be like.

[david lloyd jones]

there seemed to be 'good' prog-van der graaf generator, king crimson, etc
and bad prog yes, genesis elp etc
kraut was special  case. later, better than 'ordinary' prog but usually 'motoric' based and omitting more florid bands like amon duul 2 and more prosiac outfits

[Johann]

While maybe not the biggest prog fan, though I'd probably appreciate it more now as I get older I have a deep affinity for Krautock and 70's Japanese pyschroxk ;which I wonder if could be added in here or people feel is a different beast all together).

For my two cents I'd suggest Eroc 'Zwei' releases in 76' by Brain records...really nice mix of completely serious music meets completely silly. All assembled on reel to reel 4track (I think) blissed out Kominsche moments combining with radio play, incoherent babbles and some children style songs (?) maybe. Highly recommend, you could think of it as a 'we're only in it for the money' without the parody (I don't speak german so maybe there could be).

[holy ghost]

I unabashedly love YES. Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Topographic Ocean's and Relayer are always heavily played. I like Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water as much as any Yes record. I'm all for obscure deep cuts but I don't subscribe to the notion of Yes, ELP, Genesis being "bad prog" at least because they wore capes and sold a billion records. There's some seriously out there stuff. ELPs "The Barbarian" is so tight.

[ARKHE]

Fans of Magma and Japanese zeuhl bands like Koenjihyakkei would be wise to check out CORIMA, a new US based band with two albums out via Soleil Zeuhl label. A lot of violin and Rhodes, female and male vocals, extremely tight and skilled but with none of the fusion shit or theatrical trappings that too many current bands fall in to. Last year's Amaterasu is a mindblower.

[Zeno Marx]

I've slowly been educating myself on prime Spanish prog, after (I think it was, but correct me if I'm mistaken) user Holy Ghost did a little schooling on the political atmosphere and timeline of the 70s.  It hasn't been quite as rewarding as I'd hoped, but that likely has more to do with my own expectations than the quality of the work.  More symphonic and something, and less aggressive, than I thought.

[breidahl]

A great guide to prog/experimental music from the former Iron Curtain countries in Eastern Europe:

http://home.btconnect.com/ultimathule/audion/easteuro.htm

[Duncan]

A great guide to prog/experimental music from the former Iron Curtain countries in Eastern Europe:

http://home.btconnect.com/ultimathule/audion/easteuro.htm

Wow! Excellent.

Funked Up East is a YouTube channel with a lot of stuff like that on it and a very worthwhile resource.

[pentd]

area + eskaton + present + korekyojinn ftw