Progressive Rock
(redirected from Genre.ProgRock)
Progressive rock, commonly shortened to prog rock or just prog? is the most distinctive and codified form of art rock?, rising to prominence in the early 1970s. Although broad as a movement, especially at first, progressive rock can be distinguished by its influence from classical music? and jazz?, particularly contemporary jazz fusion?, along with the acoustic timbres of folk?, the sonic experimentation of psych rock and avant-rock and a degree of pop melodicism. The most heavily classically-infused prog rock has been retrospectively dubbed as symphonic prog and is generally seen as the most canonical form of the genre, although it grew alongside related forms of psych-prog, jazz-prog? (including the Canterbury? scene), and heavy? prog. The most direct proto-prog antecedent to progressive rock is progressive pop?, a term which initially was largely synonymous but became more well-defined in its closer adherence to pop structures as creative prog rock bands expanded their sonic palette and structures. A closely-related movement which emerged around the same time is "avant-progressive rock", or avant-prog?, which took the technical performances and complex rhythmic approach of prog rock and applied it to less conventional and sometimes dissonant influences from avant-jazz? and modern classical?.
Prog rock saw its height of commercial success in the early to mid-1970s?, with a number of English? acts seeing commercial success with arena tours stateside?, and more experimental continental European scenes cropped up in places like France? (with zeuhl?), Germany? (adjacent to Krautrock?), and Italy? (as rock progressivo italiano, or RPI). In America, the few homegrown prog acts largely drew on the arena rock and riff rock? that was popular at the time, contributing to the emergence of a multi-pronged phenomenon interpreted alternately as AOR?, melodic rock?, or pomp rock?. The popularity of straightforward symphonic prog rock waned by the late 1970s as pub rock and, later, punk rock emerged to oppose it with a "back to basics" sound, and some artists like Yes? incorporated elements of New Wave?, pop rock, or even disco? to remain relevant. Around this time, the ornate keyboards and soundscapes of symphonic prog were heavily influential on the British development of a distinctly commercial sound that became known as neo-prog?. Although prog was sometimes claimed as an influenced by early post-punk artists,
By the early 1990s, alternative rock? and indie rock artists like the Smashing Pumpkins and Guided by Voices? would more readily claim prog rock as an influence on their distinctive, often unconventional songwriting and arrangements. [etc. / stuff about alt-prog and Tool?]