OFF: Progressive really progressive?

[Dave Berry]

On 07 Feb 11:40, Steven Tice wrote:
> In a message dated 97-02-06 03:45:58 EST, you write:
>  So, I would say that bands like Henry Cow and Can (at least
>  in their earlier days) were progressive.
>
> Well, sure, none of the great bands of the early seventies are producing work
> at all comparable to their best work.

Maybe not as bands, but some of the members of Henry Cow are still producing
great new work.  The (ec) nudes album "Vanishing Point", with Chris Cutler,
both pushes the boundaries and (unusually for Cutler) really rocks.  Dagmar
sings on Cutler and Landien's excellent "Domestic Stories" -- sort of Art
Bears meets electronic music.  Fred Frith has been involved in a range of
interesting projects since the 70s, although I'm not sure what he's been
up to recently.

>From other "progressive" bands, Bruford's Earthworks was really good jazz
fusion; check out the live album.  Hillage has of course been involved with
System 7.

> King Crimson probably is the only exception,

I was disappointed by Thrak.  It seemed to be going over old ground to me.

To drag this back on topic, I think one of the good things about several
of these bands in the seventies was the constant changing/swapping of
personnel.  It happens on the jazz scene as well, and I think it helps
to keep people fresh.  The link to HW is obvious ;-).

Dave (with a single paragraph he was back on topic).
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