Close to the Edge

Close to the Edge (song) is a perfect example of everything it can be, I think. Or a good sample of it.

Completely unrelated to the topic, but help me understand prog and this album as a whole.

I feel like I'm missing something when it comes to prog rock. The only prog album I've really enjoyed is DSOTM and ITCOTCK, with the latter being hit or miss. There's just something with prog that seems like its trying too hard to sound cool. I don't even know how to describe it.

Change my opinion, help me understand prog.

>>66230635
Prog is a pretty niche genre, if you don't like the fact that musicians often try too hard then it maybe isn't for you

>>66230635
For me, I like songs that I can relate to. Just so happens most of these songs come from prog artists.

I suffer from a few mental illnesses. Bipolar primarily. So this song is a no brainer for me. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. It is a long song, about 42 minutes. Tells the story of various individuals with mental illness.

https://youtu.be/SyOptJDvqaw

>>66230635
>trying too hard to sound cool.
Do you figure these guys are trying to make things they aren't good enough musicians/composers to pull off or do you have a problem with the grandioseness in general?

>>66230635
Listen to Selling England by the Pound. By nature I think it looks very showy, which is always easy to hate. Still, the best bands were that way for a reason.

>>66230691
>So this song is a no brainer for me. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. It is a long song, about 42 minutes. Tells the story of various individuals with mental illness.
That's a trailer for the new ghostbusters. Having watched it, I might actually go and see it just cause Chris Hemsworth is a qt. Thanks anon.

>>66230693
I would never call prog artists untalented individuals. They definitely have the chops to pull of grandiose music. And I don't usually have anything against grandiose music, but I tend to like more noisey grandiose music.

I think that prog has its place in musical history as pushing rock forward in a good direction. But to me it just seems dated, a sort of landmark of the late 60's and early 70's.

>>66230708
I'm checking it out now, thanks for the rec.

>>66230751
https://youtu.be/bIsQyhfS-YI

God dammit, stupid adverts

>>66230635
you don't have to like everything. music isn't that hard to "understand"

>>66230779
>I think that prog has its place in musical history
With that's sort of an attitude you probably won't like much prog music or much music made more than like 15 years ago. Stuff becomes antiquated quickly and if you're judging compositions and performances from the perspective of "if this was released today it'd be passé" you're going to want to exclude like 95% of all music ever made cause it's not for you.

>>66230833
Thanks, been meaning to check this out. I'll do so now.

>>66230635
Prog has always been flashy and wankery in nature. Sure there might be albums where it isn't the case but generally it's not the case.

Don't force yourself to like it

>>66231104
Yeah totally, to each his own. Music would be god awful if everyone liked the same genre.

I have never understood how people find music 'dated' and are put off by that, to me it just suggests a real narrow-mindedness. Production on many records during the 60s and 70s is just as good as much of modern music, and blows anything from the 80s/90s out of the water. As for musical style, we don't just listen to these records because they are 'artifacts'; by modern standards they are just as incredible as they were back in the day.

The only time I could condone using the word 'dated' in that manner is when referring to something which employed a gimmick or feature which was unique at the time but has gone on to become the standard.

>>66232256
I agree that the term doesn't really have a place in music. Classical music is still loved by many.