Neo-progressive rock

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Neo-progressive rock
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins
late 1970s to early 1980s, England
Typical instruments
Guitar - Bass - Keyboards - Drums - and other acoustic and electronic instruments
Mainstream popularity 1980s, minor popularity in the 1990s
Derivative forms New prog

Neo-progressive rock (or often shortened to neo-prog, not to be confused with the significantly more modern New prog) is a sub-genre of progressive rock, developed and popular in the 1980s, although it lives on today.

Neo-progressive rock is characterized by deeply emotional content, often delivered via dramatic lyrics and a generous use of imagery and theatricality on-stage. The music is mostly the product of careful composition, relying less heavily on improvised jamming. The subgenre relies very much on clean, melodic & emotional electric guitar solos, combined with modern, lush, floating and atmospheric keyboards. The main musical influences on the neo-prog genre are Genesis, Yes, Camel and Pink Floyd [1].

Early neo-prog was marked by sophisticated lyrics and often dark themes. While the accessibility of neo-prog by the mainstream is debatable, the form did generally seem more radio-friendly, with shorter tracks, than earlier progressive rock. Nonetheless, neo-prog never achieved the heights of popular success that bands like Pink Floyd did.

The early notable neo-prog albums included Script for a Jester's Tear (1983) by Marillion, The Wake (1985) by IQ, and The Sentinel (1984) by Pallas.

Marillion is almost certainly the most popular neo-prog band, peaking in popularity with their albums Misplaced Childhood (1985) and Clutching at Straws (1987). Following this peak, neo-prog declined as a mainstream genre, although these three pioneering bands are still active as of 2004, and several newer groups have worked in the same space in the 1990s and 2000s.

By some fans of progressive rock, neo-prog is criticised for lacking originality compared to other progressive rock - even by such artists as Robert John Godfrey of The Enid [2], whose own band has sometimes been promoted by neo-prog fans.

Despite criticisms, neo-prog still draws a significant fan base and albums are consistently released. One of the biggest labels for neo prog is InsideOut Music [3]. According to the Progressive Archives website [4], the most popular neo prog artists are Marillion, IQ, Arena and Pendragon. News about neo progressive rock bands is given regularly on The Dutch Progressive Rock website [5].

[edit] Key artists

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1] Neo-progressive at Prog Archives
  2. ^ ProgRockMain
  3. ^ InsideOut Shop
  4. ^ Progressive Rock Music Ultimate Discography ... with Free MP3, Videos and Reviews
  5. ^ [2]

[edit] Further reading

  • Lucky, Jerry. The Progressive Rock Files. Burlington, Ontario: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc (1998), 304 pages, ISBN 1-896522-10-6 (paperback). Gives an overview of progressive rock's history as well as histories of the major and underground bands in the genre.
  • Macan, Edward. Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford: Oxford University Press (1997), 290 pages, ISBN 0195098870 (hardcover), ISBN 0195098889 (paperback). Analyzes progressive rock using classical musicology and also sociology.
  • Martin, Bill. Listening to the Future: The Time of Progressive Rock. Peru, Ill.: Carus Publishing Company (1998), 356 pages, ISBN 0-8126-9368-X (paperback). An enthusiastic analysis of progressive rock, intermixed with the author's Marxist political views.
  • Snider, Charles. The Strawberry Bricks Guide To Progressive Rock. Chicago, Ill.: Lulu Publishing (2007) 364 pages, ISBN 978-0-6151-7566-9 (paperback). A veritable guide to progressive rock, with band histories, musical synopses and critical commentary, all presented in the historical context of a timeline.
  • Stump, Paul. The Music's All That Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. London: Quartet Books Limited (1997), 384 pages, ISBN 0-7043-8036-6 (paperback). Smart telling of the history of progressive rock focusing on English bands with some discussion of American and European groups. Takes you from the beginning to the early 1990s.