OFF: What is progressive ?

[Chris Warburton]

>>Should Demis Rousos (or however it's spelt) be regarded progressive, >>since
he used to be in a band called Aphrodite's Child???
>
>Vangelis was also in that band. I don't think I've ever heard any of >their
stuff, though. I'll have to try them one day, if I can dig out >one of the
albums... OTOH, Demis Roussos (that's the correct >spelling, BTW) had his time
of glory here in France (I'm not sure how >successful he was elsewhere) and I
must admit that I like a few of >his songs. Note that I said "a few", not "all"
;-) Well, don't blame >me... the guy has such a great voice !
>

I'm wrinkly enough to have been around when he had his flash of fame in Britain
- he was pretty universally despised by "heads" despite his  Aphrodite's Child
credentials.  Their albums are pretty patchy, being a strange mix of reedy
ballads, bland europop and more adventurous (dare I say progressive?) material.
 The best overall I suppose is "666" which is (aaargh!) a "concept" album
inspired by the book of Revelations from the new testament, unfortunately my
(vinyl) copy has the redesigned cover using a graphical style drawn from the
"Omen" films, the original cover is more handsome.

OK, having used the p word heres my two small currency units - in the period
from about 1969, that word implied a more adventurous musical outlook, not
necessarily embodying a multi-strucured song format (per Genesis, Yes, Van der
Graaf Generator), often including improvisatory structures (e.g. Soft Machine,
early Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Henry Cow(again), Gong, Zappa), German
electronica (Faust, TD, Can, Amon Duul...) and also the generally stoned/spaced
out bands from the Grateful Dead/Quicksilver etc California scene through to
Man, Hawkwind, Nektar and on and on.  But as the seventies wore on, it came to
have a sad note of pomposity, pretentiousness and overweening ambition.  I have
my own list of the guilty, but I'll avoid treading on anybody's delicate
sensibilities :-{)>  Suffice to say (as I've mentioned before) that I was one
of those that welcomed the arrival of the punks and a new generation of more
hard-nosed rock bands (and the belated recognition of MC5, Iggy/Stooges).  I
also STILL enjoy vintage 70s stuff (I grew up with it after all).

ChrisW
-Life does NOT end at 40

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