Why no 'USA' Prog bands made the big 5?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Rufus rag, Mar 5, 2018.

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  1. Half of the 1980s King Crimson was American. That’s gotta count for something! :)
     
  2. Doggiedogma

    Doggiedogma "Think this is enough?" "Uhh - nah. Go for broke."

    Location:
    Barony of Lochmere
    Grateful Dead - did everything
     
  3. Standoffish

    Standoffish Smarter than a turkey

    Location:
    North Carolina
    That's a good observation - technical prowess without the romanticism. When I think of American prog, metal bands come to mind. I dig some of them, though...

    Mastodon
    Coheed and Cambria
    Animals as Leaders
    Fates Warning
    Queensryche
    Zero Hour

     
  4. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    IMO, the best North American prog rock band/artist is Neal Morse, and he didn't hit the scene until the mid 90's, long after the Big Whatever had been established.
     
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  5. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    I think the overall quality of American rock / pop declined precipitously at the very end of the '60s. The British managed not to decline at the same rate, and the Americans passed them on the way down.
     
  6. SuntoryTime

    SuntoryTime Forum Resident

    Location:
    Winooski, VT
    My favorite North American prog came from Québec, from a band called Harmonium. The music was gentle and pastoral, more folk than rock. I think they were right up there with the English and Italians.

    For fans of Anthony Phillips-era Genesis and PFM's quieter moments, Si on avait besoin d’une cinquieme saison is a beautiful album.

     
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  7. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Yeah, but...

    We all know who pushes the buttons in that band.

    :cool:
     
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  8. klockwerk

    klockwerk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ohio USA
    There were worthy bands. They just couldn't make a living at it here in the states, with rigid radio playlists and love of top 40 pop and dance music. I am amazed that I find every so often prog leaning bands that have flowered (and died) locally, in my mid-sized town in Ohio, that never got any buzz in the press. Then again American press has been telling me not to listen to prog for my whole life.
     
  9. klockwerk

    klockwerk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ohio USA
    Bob keeps saying hes just one of the boys in the band...
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2018
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  10. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I agree..I left that part out..Top 40 radio and bands that guaranteed cash were signed first...little room left for true talent when radio was king pre MTV...
     
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  11. Yufri

    Yufri Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hamburg, Germany
    I think your observation is spot on. I never thought about it that way, but it seems that the cultural heritage plays a big role. European Prog, allthought heavy rooted in Blues, R&B and Jazz (all american influences) draws its main influence in classic musical themes, which is mainly an european thing.
    I think the most original american Prog band is Kansas. Kansas somehow manages to incorporate their american musical roots into their music. Neal Morse and Spock‘s Beard went a similar way. I also think that Tool is one of the greatest Prog bands of all time, but I think they were strongly influenced by King Crimson. Both bands usually avoid any blues patterns in their music.
     
  12. Fusionfan

    Fusionfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    Americans who were good at their craft and instruments would be much more easily drawn to jazz and fusion.

    Look at Zappa's lineups for example with Brecker and Colaiuta etc.

    When you start to get serious in the US, it's more of an obvious draw.
     
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  13. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Not a whole lot of huge Country acts from the UK either
     
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  14. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    As noted above, Utopia. There are certainly enough people, myself included, who'd rank the first album with any Yes/Genesis/etc career peaks.

    Otherwise, the US's main contribution to the prog movement was fusion. Prog changed shape after Mahavishnu and RTF caught on-- Yes "Relayer" being the prime example.
     
  15. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
    Music was too limiting for Zappa...
     
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  16. Colocally

    Colocally One Of The New Wave Boys

    Location:
    Surrey BC.
    Who were the big 5?
     
  17. KDubATX

    KDubATX A Darby Man Never Says When

    Location:
    Austin
    Not enough capes worn in the American prog bands. Automatically invalidated their musical legitimacy.
     
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  18. Wally Swift

    Wally Swift Yo-Yoing where I will...

    Location:
    Brooklyn New York
  19. Zach Johnson

    Zach Johnson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    Crimson
    Yes
    Genesis
    ELP
    Jethro Tull

    (I think)
     
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  20. stax o' wax

    stax o' wax Forum Resident

    Location:
    The West
    Genesis would not make my top five.
    I'm just sayin'

    #1 King Crimson
    #2 Yes
    #3 Jethro Tull
    #4 Van Der Graff Generator
    #5 ELP

    Next would be Soft Machine.
     
  21. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    Prog was a European genre.
     
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  22. Lecords

    Lecords Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pacific NW
    Prog evolved directly out of British psychedelia, and incorporated classical traditions into pop. American psychedelia incorporated its own American traditions into pop—like jazz, blues, and folk—which resulted in something much more reliant on improvisation. So, the US did not get its own version of prog (until later in the '70s, once North American bands had fully metabolized British prog) but we did get an analog in things like the Grateful Dead, Parliament/Funkadelic, and jazz fusion.
     
  23. RudolphS

    RudolphS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rio de Janeiro
    Some prefer replacing Jethro Tull for Pink Floyd, although I personally think half of Floyd's discography is not really prog (the early psych phase, and the latter period from The Wall onwards). Even DSotM is a borderline case, IMO. Might be a good topic for the next thread: "IS DARK SIDE OF THE MOON REALLY PROG????"
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2018
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  24. Mr. LP Collector

    Mr. LP Collector Forum Resident

    There are other bands not brought up in this thread that have been in my personal top ten of bands, not only prog bands but bands-period. That would be Barclay James Harvest and the Strawbs. I've been buying BJH stuff since the first time I heard Once Again, and with the Strawbs--that would be Grave New World, released in 1972. It's puzzling why BJH didn't do better here in the States, to my best guess the last LP that they released in the States would be Eyes Of The Universe, released in 1980. It is great to see them still cranking out product, my bucket list includes seeing both of them in concert.
     
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  25. pinkrudy

    pinkrudy Senior Member

    prog rock originated in europe right? maybe that's why?
    look at Rap and grunge which originated in the states. The best in those genres are american.
     
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