Progressive rock, also known as prog rock, prog-rock or simply prog, is a rock music subgenre which originated in the United Kingdom, with further developments in Germany, Italy and France, throughout the mid to late 1960s and 1970s. Developing from psychedelic rock, progressive rock originated, similarly to art rock, as a British attempt to give greater artistic weight and credibility to rock music. Progressive rock intended to break the boundaries of traditional rock music by bringing in a greater and more eclectic range of influences, including free-form and experimental compositional methods, as well as new technological innovations.
Progressive rock saw a high level of popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in the middle of the decade, with bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, Supertramp, Jethro Tull, Golden Earring, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Moody Blues, Camel, Gentle Giant and Van der Graaf Generator. It started to fade in popularity by the latter part of the decade, with the rawer and more minimalistic punk rock growing in popularity, and also with the rise of genres such as disco, funk, hard rock/roots rock, and the gradual emergence of hip-hop. Nevertheless, progressive rock bands were able to achieve commercial success well into the 1980s. By the turn of the 21st century, it witnessed a revival, often known as new prog, and has, ever since, enjoyed a cult following. The genre has influenced several other styles, ranging from krautrock to neo-classical metal; it has also fused with several other forms of rock music to create subgenres, including progressive metal.
Read more about Progressive Rock: Characteristics, Festivals, Reception
Famous quotes containing the words progressive and/or rock:
“The history of modern art is also the history of the progressive loss of art’s audience. Art has increasingly become the concern of the artist and the bafflement of the public.”
—Henry Geldzahler (1935–1994)
“Compare the history of the novel to that of rock ‘n’ roll. Both started out a minority taste, became a mass taste, and then splintered into several subgenres. Both have been the typical cultural expressions of classes and epochs. Both started out aggressively fighting for their share of attention, novels attacking the drama, the tract, and the poem, rock attacking jazz and pop and rolling over classical music.”
—W. T. Lhamon, U.S. educator, critic. “Material Differences,” Deliberate Speed: The Origins of a Cultural Style in the American 1950s, Smithsonian (1990)