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Prog Rock

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/299126/different-kind-progressive-bradley-j-birzer

Attached is an article about the state of current progressive rock by a History professor at Hillsdale College. He highly recommends a band called Big Big Train. I listened to the samples on CDbaby and think it sounds like old Genesis. As a fan of old Yes, ELP, Renaissance, Todd Rundgren's Utopia,Marillion, Kansas, etc, are there any worthwhile prog bands to pursue in 2012? Keep in mind in this genre, I am looking for originality, musicianship, and a big vision. Speed and mindless repetition do not impress. I want to be able to enjoy my system, drink a little wine, and think.
maxnewid
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,341 posts
 
IF you like classic Renaissance, you might also give "Blackmore's Night" a listen. I'd start with their "Shadow of the Moon" album.

And yes the guitar player is THAT Blackmore and the vocalist is his steamy and talented wife Candice Night who's vocals strongly resemble those of Annie Haslam in her prime. There is even a very nice cover of the old Renaissance tune "Ocean Gypsy" on that album.

A lot of prog fans are anxiously awaiting the new "Squackett" album by Steve Hackett and Chris Squire that is scheduled to be released this summer.
bdgregory
1,715 posts
 
Also try Mostly Autumn. Great band with a great female vocalist - maybe more like the original Renaissance (later resurrected as Illusion) fronted by Jane Relf and Jim McCarty
maxnewid OP
449 posts
 
Thanks for all of the recommendations- lots to explore. To this day occaisionally I pull out Yessongs, Kansas' Masque, or play ELP's "Pirates", and of course Annie's voice on "Ashes Are Burning" still sends tingles to the spine. The Hackett/Squire combo sounds interesting. I am just glad to hear that there is creativity out there to further diversify my collection.
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mapman
22,341 posts
 
Enough fantastic Steve Hackett solo music already since he left Genesis years a go around to get lost in for quite some time alone. Steve seems to always have something a bit different and unexpected up his sleeve....
duanegoosen
355 posts
 
What was progressive 40 years ago is no longer ground breaking or original... almost without exception the bands listed so far (some of em' are great) ain't gonna give you originality if that's what you're really looking for. Bands like Miriodor, Brown vs. Brown, Univers Zero and Massacre (the band w/ Fred Frith) are a little closer to providing something that hasn't been pre digested.
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