OFF: Progressive really progressive?

[dench]

What I think I find most amusing about all this sort of thing is the fact
that we seem to have to categorise things (not just music, obviously).  I
tend to think that music is music - if you like it it's good, if you don't
it's bad.  When you start sticking labels on something, then it loses
something.  I can see that some people would embrace KC as a progressive
band, but for me they are just (or were!) a killer band, like many others.
I think, actually, it takes something away from ourselves when we label
ourselves as lovers of a certain type of music.  And, to my mind, there is
nothing sadder than someone who only likes a specific type of music - it
would seem that there is not much scope for taste or discretion there.

But these are only my own opinions on it.  I just think that music is
music, why label something when it can speak for itself?

Martin

On Fri, 7 Feb 1997, Alex S. Garcia wrote:

> >I would not burden KC with the label 'progressive'.  Indeed, their music
> >in the days of the classic Fripp/Wetton/Bruford/Cross line-up could be
> >better defined as 'mercurial'.  And if anyone has sampled the delights of
> >the 'Great Deceiver' box set, they would perhaps realise they should be
> >fitted either into the free-jazz category or psychedelic, on the basis of
> >much of their live performances being improvisational - not something that
> >I have ever witnessed to any great extent from the so-called 'progressive'
> >bands.  In fact, they always seemed rather too structured for my liking.
>
> Ooohh... I don't agree. Yes has been known to improvise a lot. In fact,
> "Tales from topographic oceans" sounds a lot like an improvised album to me.
> Although it probably isn't. And I know other prog bands are pretty good at
> improvising too. I mean, hey, when a band is so good at structuring their
> music they can't be bad at improvising. You attain a certain skill level
> where you can hardly go wrong. I can't imagine Steve Howe or Kerry Livgren
> (for instance) not being able to improvise. C'mon, let's be serious for a
> minute ! ;-)
>         And just for the record, King Crimson IS a progressive band, at
> least in my personal little universe. Just as are Jethro Tull, ELP, Camel
> (to some extent), etc...
>
>
>
> Alex S. Garcia.
>
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