BEA Reviews the History of Popular Music

[sp4cetiger]

Thanks, Goodsir!

[sp4cetiger]

[drakonium]

Yes, I wanted to post the Genesis one as well, surprising omission as it's one of the most acclaimed prog records ever. It's personally my favorite. It's totally overblown and grandiose etc, but I also think it's extremely catchy, Gabriel's voice is one of the most powerful of all time (as opposed to most other prog bands with non exceptional singers), and the instruments are very exciting and do lots of entertaining things. I do not hear masturbation, but rather anti-Ramones : instead of having fun by doing short and amateurish songs, they get enjoyment out of long kitschy musical interplay and majestic lyrics. Not sure if it even makes sense though.

Does this count as prog, too?

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Crime Of The Century by Supertramp

I have a gigantic soft spot for this band, and this is their best. Again, exceptional singers, and no dicking around. Whereas Genesis create a kind of goofy medieval ambiance, Supertramp build a darker one, more cynical, but very human as well. Possibly very cliché, but I don't really care. That said, it sounds very calculated; it doesn't bother me but I can totally get how the being-dramatic-for-the-sake-of-it approach can grate.

Hope it makes sense. Anyway, the only good conclusion is that both of them are breathtaking records IMO.

EDIT : shit, it's from 1974. Ah well. Too late.

[Goodsir]

[Norman Bates]

[alelsupreme]

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Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Can't talk about Prog Rock without bringing up possibly it's most divisive act.
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Romanelli wrote:

We're all fucked, lads.

[Goodsir]

[alelsupreme]

[sp4cetiger]

1973: Jazz and Jazz Fusion
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The progressive rock movement was not alone in its attempts to incorporate jazz ideas into other genres of popular music. An increased public interest in soft rock and pop in the early ‘70s offered opportunities to a number of jazz-influenced rock musicians, like Chicago, the Doobie Brothers, and Steely Dan.

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Countdown To Ecstasy by Steely Dan

It’s easy to overlook Steely Dan. Too understated for progressive rockers and less consciously commercial than their easy listening peers, their jazz-inspired sound continues to defy categorization. After a radio-friendly debut the previous year, their pop potential was quite high, but Countdown to Ecstasy was a clear statement. They were making the music they wanted to make.

And we would do well to listen carefully. They were renowned studio perfectionists and their melodic sensibility was highly unconventional, so their music holds up well to repeat listening. This was only the beginning of a stellar run of albums that would last all the way into the early ‘80s and although Countdown isn't my favorite of theirs, it still compares well to their best.

On the jazz side of things, the early ‘70s were all about the pianists. Coltrane was gone and Davis was in decline, but their former keyboardists were having their way with the music world.

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Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock

It’s clear that Herbie Hancock learned a great deal during his time as part of the second Miles Davis quintet, where he contributed to such masterpieces as In a Silent Way and On the Corner. Now he was the head of his own band, the Headhunters, and was asserting himself as a creative force. The story of his career was one of increasing commercial viability (at least until the early ‘80s) and decreasing subtlety -- Head Hunters falls right in the middle, offering a blend of funk and jazz that is both artful and fun.

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Enlightenment by McCoy Tyner

Coltrane’s influence shines bright on this excellent recording by McCoy Tyner. Here Tyner, who played on A Love Supreme (among other Coltrane gems), embraces free jazz concepts to make a spiritual statement of his own.

The influence of jazz will percolate through the musical world for decades to come and many in the community will remain active, but after the early ‘70s, popular music history recognizes relatively few pure jazz recordings. This may be the only section I devote to it in the current thread, but my adventures with jazz have been damn near life-changing, so I hope one day to rewind and discuss its origins.

[benpaco]

Ooh, yay, something I can finally speak to a little bit!

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Streams by Sam Rivers

This one just flows so well. There's something unique to it, it's like wind coming from nowhere.

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Relativity Suite by Don Cherry

I only vaguely remember listening to this album, actually, as most of what I know of his is "Eternal Rhythm", but I remember some interesting instrumentations here more than anything else. (Upon googling, it says it features Conch, Tampura, and Ching)

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Sextant by Herbie Hancock

I was never huge on Headhunters - Chameleon and Sly are great but the other two, even for more ballad style songs, just bore me, they lack some of the emotion I think he possesses. I found Sextant considerably more diverse and interesting, maybe even more experimental (though they both were clearly ahead of their time, in many regards).
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