FUSION OF SOUNDS

Progressive rock begun as a display of an artist's forward-moving musical direction and has since then become tied down to the restraints of stylistic mannerisms, a fate antithetical to its central definition. The definition of progressive rock often signifies less about research and more about recapitulation. It does not reflect the eclectic enthusiasms of its origins, while seeking to pay homage to them nonetheless. As such, progressive rock has gathered to itself an assimilative quality whose experiments remain part of the pantheon even when current progress has left them long behind. For many listeners, progressive rock deserves premier attention, through the vast world of symphonic rock in its entire semblance and the idea of the be-all, end-all. Symphonic rock is distinguished, most commonly, by its’ extended song structures or suites; instrumental, symphonic orchestration (whether actually utilized or approximated). The tendency to draw in romantic period classical motifs as well as smaller portions of jazz, rock, and folk are also thrown “into the crock-pot” to stew. Like discussed in class, it must also be mentioned that the subject matter in symphonic rock often leans towards topics gyrating around science fiction, fantasy and alternative religion. The boundaries continue to crumble and the identifiably rock, jazz, folk and electronic begin to blur into a lack of distinction, we long leave behind the realms of the familiar and even the fleetingly describable. A wide variety of music is on the fringe that does not compile into (comfortably that is) any of the above categories and one can't possibly hope that all of the frontiers are covered. In rock, jazz, folk and electronic, the groups considered avant-garde (avant-rock, avant-jazz and avant-folk) verge in the direction of the uncertain as the principles of the operative music are thrown aside. The progression of hybrid genres “is what it is”. Frankly, the mixing bowl that I have come to speak of so often is this sense of fusion between unlike sounds in a world of individualism through the relationship and companionship of sounds.Keeping the music alive in the past half-century is in it's essence clearly seen as a poster child of the "progression" of Rock music.  The history of traditional American folk music played a large part on the burgeoning beat and psychedelic movements, led by songwriter Bob Dylan in the Sixties. The incorporation of the strains of the music into the pop and rock formats of the day, became platforms for the Rock stars including Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and Tim Buckley. Many of these artists were influential on similar attempts to fuse rock and folk across the Atlantic. This progression is what “Prog” rock is all about… Keeping the fans and straights alike on their toes and flash them in a great way to keep the sense of uniqueness lingering in the smoke clouds above.

Pink Floyd and Krautrock-New Dimensions

The “symphonic” approach initiated by the Moody Blues and developed by Genesis, Yes and ELP was drastically shifted with the new wave of sound and meaning of “progressive” rock. Phil Collins had such a different frontman demeanour than Peter Gabriel that I suppose they had no choice but to change their entire direction if they were to remain together. I always thought that PG Genesis would be one of the “Prog” bands from the Golden Age that would stand the most revisiting. Lately, though, as I am listening to their classic stuff I've been mostly impressed (sadly) by how diatonic and sing-songy so much of it is. This brings me to the era of Krautrock and Pink Floyd. They hit the stage with bursting flames and added new dimensions under the genre of progressive rock that had not been discovered before. Krautrock was capable of being quite horrifying and dark. Although, this was by no means a rule for the newly transformed genre.  If Krautrock had been only horrifying music, it would have been indistinguishable from the post countercultural rock previously discussed through the course. Hovering
moogs and hyper-distorted guitars come to crush the world of Rock, as we are also given a few rays of hope with Krautrock. Einstuerzende Neubauten once said, “Destruction is not negative, you must destroy to build”, which is in itself the essence of Krautrock.  Another aspect to Krautrock is the use of minimalistic or very simple melodies.  A quick listen to Faust's "Krautrock" will reveal that the melody is in fact childishly simple, but as elsewhere, this very simple idea is extended to its absolute limits (12 minutes), and is at no point disappointing.  Hence, Krautrock often seems very much free of the egos that dominate most of rock and roll vibe that took over in the early 70’s. "Krautrock”, seems to be generally recognized as music which appeared mainly on the Ohr, Pilz and Cosmic Couriers labels.  "Krautrock" also implies to me a fairly narrow time frame, from about late 1968 to
the middle of 1973. Also during this time, Pink Floyd rarely indulged in the show-off polymeric twaddle practiced by bands like Genesis or Yes. Genesis' Dance on a Volcano made perfect for the theme which genuinely makes some queasy, with the melodic phrase feeling unfinished on the end beats. The follwiing beat hangs in mid-air without function and induces an unpleasant vertigo sensation. It's completely unnecessary because, if they had continued the stress set up by the other notes of the melody, the flow of this phrase would have naturally formed. The only notable song where the Floyd lapse into an unusual metre is Money, which was one of their most commercially successful songs. They could do wacky time signatures if they fancied. Band member, Rick Wright was the most traditionally tutored musician in the Floyd and the other band members often spoke of the jazz influence he brought to the group. However, the most remarkable thing about Rick is how he let himself be molded by the experimental tendencies of Syd Barrett and Roger Waters. It is testament to his sympathetic and sensitive ability that I rarely hear a jazz influence in Floyd more specifically Rick’s work. His best known, the headache-inducing/soothing Great Gig in the Sky, contains jazzy chords, but is really just a series of beautiful chord progressions, and not jazz in any meaningful way or at least how I think of jazz. Too often, “prog” rock is about nicking half-baked ideas from genuinely progressive music and executing them poorly or so at times I think so.  Pink Floyd and the Krautrock era were strangely detached from the progressive rock we had been acquainted with. The intensely moving; bleak but heartfelt lyrics and music and overall theme through bands such as these changes and added to the already unique “progressive’ rock era that was continually changing.

"Classics" in the UK

Since I have yet to introduce myself, I am Michaela Plank and I am a newbie to the University of Denver. I transferred here after starting my college career at the University of Colorado-Go BUFFS! I am a native to Denver and live out its beauty to the fullest. I was in a severe skiing accident in 2008 that left my paralyzed for some time and in extensive rehabilitation for months thereafter.  But that is in the past and I am here now, ready to Rock! Which brings me to my next point… “Classic” Prog Rock in the UK. Bands like King Crimson, Yes, ELP and Genesis to name a few were pioneers of their time, drudging through the musical scene and coming out with a whole new vibe and set of die-hard fans. King Crimson was born out of the trio Giles, Giles and Fripp. I believe the selection of fairly non-standard instrumentation (for the time) and studio production tricks are partly responsible for the record, In the Court of the Crimson King, stature to date. This became a hugely influential release in helping along the budding post-counterculture progressive rock movement. 21st Century Schizoid Man' kicks things off of course. Of course meaning, one listen to the song and you'll know why. An effect on the vocals produces a slightly metallic sound which only adds to the fury of the whole thing. The way the saxophones are played along with a superlative rhythm section performance ensures that this is a track that rocks. The vocals continue to shout and holler, adding passion to the performance. The breathless flow and the saxophones integrated into the overall performance really work well. What a way to open any album, let alone a debut. After this excitement we have the quiet but quite striking 'I Talk To The Wind'. The flute work is noticeable and gives new depths to the music. The contrast between the feel of this song and the opener is immense, showcasing the diverse talents within the ranks of King Crimson at this stage in their career. Almost every song of theirs has a different musical hook. 'Epitaph' has washes of mellow keyboards, great noticeable drum work and a reasonably soulful vocal performance. The song reaches up in the middle section (around the 3:45 mark) and then drops out again to reveal folk style guitar work before the keyboards and drums kick back in.  Another band to hit the boom in the UK was Yes. Their inventive extended version of Buffalo Springfield's "Everydays" and the Beatles' "Every Little Thing" combined with their own admirable debut single "Sweetness", made them club favorites in 1969. The band journeyed into realms of classical influence, and their solos became longer, although I feel they often sounded, frankly self-indulgent. Yes was the type of band that was anathema to the new wave. In their album, Close to the Edge, much of the four suites are instrumental, and allow the musicianship to dominate Anderson's (vocalist) often pretentiously abstract lyrics. Another member of the band, Squire, whose bass playing, was dreadful on this album (my own opinion). For many, the instrumental peak the band reached on, Close to the Edge, defined everything that the band had set out to do; bringing melody and stunning musicianship together, combining rock with clever improvisations. These Prog Rock bands were highly influential and one’s that honestly I had heard before besides the infamous Pink Floyd, and after listening and taking in their sounds found them more and more interesting. The shared set of musical materials but the individual bands take on their signature sounds is a defining moment in the Rock ear starting in the late 60’s early 70’s.

The Peak, The Come-Down, The Change

Acid Rock was the heaviest, loudest variation of psychedelic rock. Drawing from the overblown blues improvisations of Jimi Hendrix, acid rock bands relied on distorted guitars, trippy lyrics, and long jams. It evolved and imploded within the life span of psychedelia. In an attempt to create a more intense form of psychedelic rock music bands like Country Joe & The Fish, Grateful Dead and other up in coming artist began an inspiring branch of the Progressive Rock world.  With the longer solos, improvisations and a darker atmosphere than the average psychedelic rock music, Acid Rock was a new LSD experience. The tone of the guitar in acid rock is very distorted and fuzzy, creating a thicker and sort of sludge-like sound, which is one of the few main characteristics of this rock sub-genre. It grips the ears of listeners in a new way, “where no human had ever gone before”.  At the nucleus of it all was Haight-Ashbury a district in San Francisco that eventually became known as the center for hippies, acid, and acid rock music.  In the years between 1964 to 1968, there swelled a gigantic wave of cultural and political change that swept first San Francisco, then the whole United States, which was surrounded by the chaos of the world. Fermenting in the Haight-Ashbury was a powerful brew that would ultimately stop a war. The Haight's popularity grew as the Beat Generation in San Francisco was dying out. Many of the Beats, such as Allen Ginsberg, crossed over ‘to the other side’, but a younger generation gravitated to the Haight-Ashbury district. Rents were cheap and many accommodations and small shops housed for free and supplied for free as depicted in the film, History of Rock and Roll: San Francisco and Hendrix. Many were students at nearby University of San Francisco, UCSF, and S.F. State University. Many musicians such as the Grateful Dead, philosophers, artists such as Alton Kelley, poets such as Allen Cohen, apartment-dwellers, panhandlers, and even future CEOs of companies such as Pepsi, the Gap, Smith-Hawken, Lotus, and Rolling Stone magazine. "The Summer of Love [1967] was the peak of the Haight Ashbury experience," wrote founding editor Allen Cohen in his essay on the Summer of Love. "Over 100,000 youth came to the Haight. Hoards of reporters, movie makers, FBI agents, undercover police, drug addicts, provocateurs, Mafioso and about 100,000 more tourists to watch them all followed in their wake." Music reached an artistic high point from 1964-66, the efforts of the pioneers in the Haight-Ashbury to create an enlightened community took about two years to reach the flashpoint. The world of psychedelics was at its peak. As Chenoweth states in, The Rhetoric of Hope and Despair: A Study of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Jefferson Airplane, “Jefferson Airplane asked their listeners to reject reason and tradition and manipulate their minds through drugs that truth and transcendence could be found”.  Two years before Woodstock and Altamont, overcrowding and the negative reaction of police and the San Francisco city government combined to make life in the Haight miserable for everyone. “Many of the youths who retain hippie symbols and continue to use Haight-Ashbury rhetoric have exhibited asocial exultant-despondent modes of behavior which occasionally baffle traditional hippies…”, as explained by Chenoweth illustrates the tensions surrounding the counterculture and the transformation of music at that time. Acid rock was the center of the sex, drugs and rock and roll era.  Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and up in coming stars like the waling Janis Joplin were fundamental pieces to the age of progression that had taken over.  The experience of enlightenment had left a lasting impression on the minds and hearts of those who participated in the counterculture revolution. Like acid, the experience, reached a peak, then subsided, leaving everyone bewildered and changed for life.