Progressive rock (shortened to prog, or prog rock
when differentiating from other "progressive" genres) is an
ambitious, eclectic, and often grandiose style of rock music which arose in
the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the early 1970s, and
continues as a musical form to this day. Progressive rock began in England
and remained largely a European movement, although there are a few notable
American and Canadian progressive rock bands. This music style draws many
influences from classical music and jazz fusion, in contrast to American
rock, which was more influenced by rhythm & blues and country. Over the
years various sub-genres of progressive rock have emerged, such as symphonic
rock, art rock, math rock and progressive metal.
Progressive rock artists sought to move away from the limitations of
popular rock and pop music formats, and "progress" rock to the
point that it could achieve new forms, often but not always alluding to the
sophistication of jazz or classical music. It is complexity, not the
virtuosity of the musicians, which most distinguishes progressive rock:
mainstream rock has some extremely talented musicians who work solely in
simple meters and harmonies.
Progressive rock is difficult to define in a single conclusive way, and
outspoken King Crimson leader Robert Fripp has voiced his disdain for the
term. The major acts that defined the genre in the 1970s (in no particular
order, Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake & Palmer,
Rush, The Alan Parsons Project, Gentle Giant and King Crimson) do not sound
especially alike. Indeed, in some cases the bands themselves and/or
well-known commentators such as Bill Martin (author of Listening to the
Future - see Further Reading) would question whether one or another of
these bands are really progressive rock bands at all. (This article shall
assume that they are, or at least, that they were in the 1970s.) There is
also debate on whether the musical output of artists and bands as varied as
Frank Zappa, Deep Purple, Phish and Tool belongs to the genre.
