Progressive rock

Progressive rock (shortened to prog, or prog rock when differentiating from other "progressive" genres) is an ambitious, eclectic, and often grandiose style of rock music which arose in the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the early 1970s, and continues as a musical form to this day. Progressive rock began in England and remained largely a European movement, although there are a few notable American and Canadian progressive rock bands. This music style draws many influences from classical music and jazz fusion, in contrast to American rock, which was more influenced by rhythm & blues and country. Over the years various sub-genres of progressive rock have emerged, such as symphonic rock, art rock, math rock and progressive metal.

Characteristics of progressive rock

There is probably no single element that is shared by all music that has been considered to be progressive rock. Still, there are certainly noticeable trends; these common, though not universal, features are:

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• Long compositions, sometimes running over 20 minutes, with intricate melodies and harmonies. These are often described as epics and are the genre's clearest nod to classical music. A very early example (perhaps the first multi-part suite to appear in prog rock) is "In Held Twas In I" by Procol Harum, clocking in at 17:30. Other famous examples include Rush's 20-minute "2112," Genesis' 23-minute "Supper's Ready" and Jethro Tull's 43-minute Thick as a Brick. More recent extreme examples include the 60-minute "Light of Day, Day of Darkness" by Green Carnation, and the 42-minute "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" by Dream Theater.
• Related to and overlapping with these lengthy compositions, many progressive rock songs are made up of shorter parts (often, but not always, explicitly called out on the track list of the album on which they appear) that in some cases could be songs in their own right. Often, pieces are divided into movements in the manner of classical suites. For example, Yes' "Close to the Edge" is divided into four parts, Rush's "Hemispheres" into seven, Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" into nine. Yes' single "Soon" is actually a five-minute excerpt from "The Gates of Delirium," which is over 20 minutes long; similarly, parts of Jethro Tull's aforementioned Thick as a Brick have appeared as songs in their own right on various compilations. "A Pleasant Shade of Gray" by Fates Warning was divided into 12 seperate tracks at the behest of their record label.
• Lyrics that convey intricate and sometimes impenetrable narratives, covering such themes as science fiction, fantasy, history, religion, war, and madness. Progressive rock songs are rarely about love or sex and practically never about other staple subjects of popular music, such as dancing or cars. Most progressive rock bands have also avoided direct political commentary, preferring to couch their views in fictional or allegorical settings ? for example, Genesis' album Selling England by the Pound is tied together by a theme of commercialism versus naturalism, while Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery gradually progresses from nature to technology to illustrate the dangers of man being replaced by machine. The bands of the Rock in Opposition movement, often regarded as progressive rock acts, are a notable exception, as their work often featured very direct political commentary.
• Concept albums, in which a theme or storyline is explored throughout an entire album in a manner similar to a film or a play, often termed a "rock opera". (While not usually considered a progressive rock act, The Who's Pete Townshend created early rock operas, facetiously in "A Quick One While He's Away" and more seriously in the Tommy double album.) In the days of vinyl, concept albums were usually two-record sets with strikingly designed gatefold sleeves. Famous examples include The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis, Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall by Pink Floyd, and the more recent ' by Queensrÿche and ' by Dream Theater.
• Unusual vocal styles and use of multi-part vocal harmonies. See Magma, Queen, Robert Wyatt, Gentle Giant, and Spock's Beard.
• Prominent use of instruments unusual in rock music, including electronic instrumentation. Perhaps the most famous example is the extensive use of the flute by Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson. Keyboard instruments including the synthesizer, organ, piano, and Mellotron are very common in progressive rock, much less so (though by no means unheard-of) in other rock genres. Other examples include the use of nonwestern instruments, particularly ethnic percussion. Progressive rock bands have also experimented with technology such as waveform manipulation and editing with personal computer software, as well as utilizing hardware-based technology like wave sequencing and VariPhrase, as found on legendary Korg and Roland instruments, respectively.
• Perhaps surprisingly, in the progressive heyday, the use of outright orchestras and choirs was quite rare among the most well-known progressive rock bands; the most famous examples from the late 60s and early 70s are probably the title suite from Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother and Yes' second album Time and a Word, both of which predate those bands' most successful, and arguably most progressive, period. More usually, the aforementioned Mellotron was used to simulate strings or a choir. Less well-known bands such as Renaissance did make extensive use of an actual orchestra. Such instrumental choices, particularly the use of orchestras, have become much more common in recent progressive rock.
• Related to this is the prominence of multi-instrumentalists such as Mike Oldfield, Ian Anderson, and Neal Morse.
• Use of unusual time signatures, scales, or tunings. Many pieces use multiple time signatures and/or tempi, sometimes concurrently (King Crimson's "Thela Hun Ginjeet", for example, contains passages in which some band members play in 7/8 and others in 4/4 to create an "off-balance" effect).
• An extremely wide dynamic range, with very quiet and very loud passages often occurring in the same piece of music. Use of compression to reduce this effect is much less common than in other forms of rock music. This is characteristic of music that is meant to be listened to relatively closely and for its own sake, as opposed to relatively casually or as background noise.
• Solo passages for virtually every instrument. This contributed to the fame of such performers as guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Rick Wakeman and drummer Neil Peart.
• A coordination within the rhythm section of the band (typically consisting of the bassist and the drummer). The rhythm section may use countertempos and other techniques that contrast what the rest of the band is doing in conjunction. Notable examples include Chris Squire and Bill Bruford of Yes or Tony Levin and Bruford of King Crimson.
• Inclusion of classical pieces on albums. For example, Emerson, Lake and Palmer have performed arrangements of pieces by Copland, Bartók, Moussorgsky and others, and often feature quotes from J. S. Bach in lead breaks. Sometimes these pieces are significantly reinterpreted; Jethro Tull recorded a version of a Bourrée by Bach in which they turned the piece into a "sleazy jazzy night-club song" (in Ian Anderson's own words).
• An aesthetic linking the music with visual art, a trend started by The Beatles with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and enthusiastically embraced during the prog heyday. Some bands became as well-known for the art direction of their albums as for their sound, with the "look" integrated into the band's overall musical identity. This led to fame for particular artists and design studios, most notably Roger Dean for his work with Yes and Storm Thorgerson and his studio Hipgnosis for their work with Pink Floyd and others. H.R. Giger's painting for Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery is one of the most famous album sleeves ever produced.
• The use of sound effects in compositions. This is a particular trademark of Pink Floyd with examples including the entirety of "Speak to Me", the opening track from Dark Side of the Moon, but other bands did this too; for example, sounds of warfare can be heard throughout Jethro Tull's single "Warchild".
• Exchanging of members. Like jazz ensembles, members of progressive rock bands often move between bands and create side projects. For instance, Steve Howe of Yes and Steve Hackett of Genesis recorded an album under the name GTR (for "guitar"). Drummer Bill Bruford has worked with Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, and other bands, while bassist Tony Levin (best known as the only consistent member of Peter Gabriel's ensembles) has also worked with Crimson and Pink Floyd. In the 1990s, a touring version of Yes that included almost everyone who had ever been a member included two full lineups who played in various combinations "in the round" during concerts.