PROG SLOGS

 

King Crimson

I have never been greatly enthusiastic about the genre commonly referred to as progressive rock, even though I consider Frank Zappa’s instrumental records and the vast majority of King Crimson’s discography to be among the most outstanding and influential releases ever to fall under the ever-expanding and increasingly ambiguous label of “rock” music. These albums, for me, have remained perpetually vital—music that continues to sound vibrant and inventive, refusing to fade into irrelevance or become a mere artifact of a bygone era.  

Whenever I listen to the likes of Grand Wazoo or Larks' Tongues in Aspic —even after all these years—I am consistently inspired and compelled to write lengthy, detailed essays exploring the rich musical ideas captured in recordings that are now nearly fifty years old. The enduring freshness and relevance of these works, which have managed to withstand and transcend countless shifts in musical trends, passing fashions, and fleeting fads, can be traced back to the unique, almost obsessive vision that both Frank Zappa and Robert Fripp brought to their leadership of the Mothers of Invention and King Crimson, respectively. These two artists, each in their own way, operated with a fierce independence, shaping their bands’ identities through restless experimentation and a relentless pursuit of new sounds and concepts. Although their musical approaches were distinctly their own—each band forging a unique sonic identity, markedly different from one another—they shared a fearless willingness, across several decades, to transform their artistic direction. Zappa and Fripp never hesitated to change styles, to adopt unconventional strategies, to venture into uncharted creative territory, and to abruptly pivot toward new musical horizons whenever their interests demanded it. Admittedly, both bands possess recognizable hallmarks—certain signature techniques, stylistic quirks, and auditory motifs that fans can instantly associate with either group—but it’s clear that anyone with a discerning ear can trace the wild, unpredictable evolution that characterizes the histories of both ensembles. 

It is precisely these kinds of artists—those who never stop challenging themselves, who constantly seek out new concepts and sonic experiences, and who approach each creative endeavor with a strong, clear sense of purpose—that continue to fascinate me and sustain my interest in music. Especially appealing to me are those musicians who enter unexplored musical territory with a deliberate vision, eagerly appropriating, transforming, and ultimately reinventing the sounds they discover. It’s important to recognize, however, that not every artist in the eclectic realm of rock music is capable of accomplishing this feat. As a genre, progressive rock began—and, for the most part, remained—as a musical arena defined by a relatively narrow set of ideas: complex time signatures, lengthy instrumental passages, quotations from classical compositions, and, all too often, unbearably overwrought and pompous musings on philosophical and spiritual themes, usually delivered in the most tortured and pretentious poetic language imaginable. Musically, the genre initially generated a great deal of excitement and intrigue—it was compelling and challenging, sometimes to the point that I found myself lifting the phonograph’s tone arm just to skip the vocal sections and get straight to the intricate, extended instrumental jams that lay ahead. But after only a handful of years, much of the output began to blur together, with different bands retreading the same ground, recycling creative ideas that had already been thoroughly explored. In doing so, these groups ended up establishing their own set of genre conventions, which they then repeatedly leaned on, sometimes to a fault. For me personally, the genre’s tipping point came with Tales from Topographic Oceans , the sprawling three-disc opus from Yes, which somehow managed to be even more sluggish and ponderous than the slowest, most lethargic tracks by Pink Floyd. 

The lyrics, unfortunately, reached new heights of insufferability—they were grandiloquent, impenetrable, and saturated with platitudes so toothless they could only be described as empty gestures toward profundity, at best promising the listener the illusion of a transformative experience. The only real miracle, as I saw it, was that the album eventually ended—that there was, in fact, a final side, a concluding track, and a last note, after which one could finally return to the real world, a place where clear thinking was once again possible. All this said, I do recognize numerous exceptions to my general skepticism about progressive rock; but, by and large, I tend to avoid the genre altogether, preferring instead to seek out those artists and sounds that continue to genuinely surprise and engage me.

POUTING ABOUT PROG

 

The moderator of a Facebook page dedicated to music journalism asked its members what their general view of Progressive Rock happened to be. As with most who wrote for a time about hip sounds from young rockers, my relationship was ...problematic.

Never a great fan of prog rock, although I count Zappa's instrumental albums and most of the King Crimson releases among the greatest works released under the increasingly vague classification of "rock." Theirs is music that's stayed fresh in my mind; the likes of Grand Wazoo or Larks' Tongue in Aspic still make me want to write long essays on music that was recorded nearly half a century ago.

The fact that the music has withstood decades of changing trends, fashions, and fads comes from the singular obsessions of Zappa and Robert Fripp in how they ran their respective bands, the Mothers of Invention and King Crimson. Though their sounds were singular, unto themselves, distinct from each other in many ways, Zappa and Fripp were unafraid through the several decades of their existence to change styles, adapt new ploys, experiment, extend, and suddenly change course in musical directions as it suited their individual interests. Granted, there are signature tricks and sounds that one identifies with either band, but it's a safe bet that one can easily note the wild evolution of both through their long histories. 

It's the artists who continue to challenge themselves with new concepts that intrigue me and keep my interest, especially the ones who have a definite idea of what they want to assemble with the new sonic territory they've decided to invade, plunder, exploit, and make new. Not every eclectic spirit in rock is able to do this.For the genre in general, it started out as—and remained essentially—a one-idea concept: tricky time signatures, long instrumental passages, classical quotes, awful, awful, awful pontification of philosophical and spiritual matters in the worst kind of poetic form imaginable. Musically, it was exciting stuff, riveting, challenging (I lifted the tone arm to skip vocal parts and get straight to the extended trick-tempo jams ahead), but after a very few years, too much of it started to sound alike, sameish—a retreading of ideas already successfully explored previously. The bands in general created their own brand of genre clichés and repeated them.

For me, the tipping point was Tales from Topographic Oceans, the three-disc release from Yes that achieved the distinction of being even slower moving than the most lugubrious tracks from Pink Floyd. The lyrics were impossibly insufferable, grandiose, incoherent, and glutted with toothless bromides that at best suggested that the listener was on the verge of experiencing a miracle. The only miracle here was that the album did have a last side, a last track, a last note, from which one could again rejoin the land where one is allowed to think clearly about a world that actually exists.

I have many exceptions to my general rule of not being a fan of prog rock in general, but in general I walk the other way.