Come to Planet Canterbury
Amongst many music geeks and critics, “prog” has literally become a four letter word, which is usually a shortcut to indulging in the worst kind of useless snark and lazy writing. Anyway, the genre has encompassed so many different types of music, that labeling something “prog” doesn’t tell the person much. There is a world of difference in the music of, say, Yes, and that of the various groups that came out of the “Canterbury Scene” in the late 60s. There were three main groups that came out of this scene: Soft Machine, Caravan, and Gong; most of the other groups that comprised this scene in the 70s are offshoots of these, and they also frequently traded group members.
All of these groups showcased musicians who had the improvisational chops of jazz players, psychedelic whimsy in their singing/lyrics, and the compositional skills of classical artists. The combination here does seem intimidating, but this music reaps great rewards for the adventurous listener. A bonus: for all of you who dig the ambient/house/trance end of the musical spectrum, check out the music of System 7.
System 7 happens to be helmed by Steve Hillage and Miquette Gaudry, two members of Gong’s 70’s classic lineups. After Hillage left Gong in the mid 70’s, he focused on crafting “glissando rock,” which featured repeated sequencer/synth patterns onto which he added his often blistering guitar riffs. Hillage stumbled upon his music being played by Alex Patterson of the Orb at a club, they hit it off, and thus a direct link was established between the decades. So, yeah. Some examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Caq2Csq37Y: “Pothead Pixies”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIF2BapdkBI&feature=related: “Fitter Stoke has a bath”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4U7B_ctnJM: “System 7”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7zcOlnEoRo&feature=related: “Winter Wine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OvVeCQp08&feature=related:...
Come to Planet Canterbury
Amongst many music geeks and critics, “prog” has literally become a four letter word, which is usually a shortcut to indulging in the worst kind of useless snark and lazy writing. Anyway, the genre has encompassed so many different types of music, that labeling something “prog” doesn’t tell the person much. There is a world of difference in the music of, say, Yes, and that of the various groups that came out of the “Canterbury Scene” in the late 60s. There were three main groups that came out of this scene: Soft Machine, Caravan, and Gong; most of the other groups that comprised this scene in the 70s are offshoots of these, and they also frequently traded group members.
All of these groups showcased musicians who had the improvisational chops of jazz players, psychedelic whimsy in their singing/lyrics, and the compositional skills of classical artists. The combination here does seem intimidating, but this music reaps great rewards for the adventurous listener. A bonus: for all of you who dig the ambient/house/trance end of the musical spectrum, check out the music of System 7.
System 7 happens to be helmed by Steve Hillage and Miquette Gaudry, two members of Gong’s 70’s classic lineups. After Hillage left Gong in the mid 70’s, he focused on crafting “glissando rock,” which featured repeated sequencer/synth patterns onto which he added his often blistering guitar riffs. Hillage stumbled upon his music being played by Alex Patterson of the Orb at a club, they hit it off, and thus a direct link was established between the decades. So, yeah. Some examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Caq2Csq37Y: “Pothead Pixies”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIF2BapdkBI&feature=related: “Fitter Stoke has a bath”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4U7B_ctnJM: “System 7”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7zcOlnEoRo&feature=related: “Winter Wine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OvVeCQp08&feature=related: “Soft Machine live”
Amongst many music geeks and critics, “prog” has literally become a four letter word, which is usually a shortcut to indulging in the worst kind of useless snark and lazy writing. Anyway, the genre has encompassed so many different types of music, that labeling something “prog” doesn’t tell the person much. There is a world of difference in the music of, say, Yes, and that of the various groups that came out of the “Canterbury Scene” in the late 60s. There were three main groups that came out of this scene: Soft Machine, Caravan, and Gong; most of the other groups that comprised this scene in the 70s are offshoots of these, and they also frequently traded group members.
All of these groups showcased musicians who had the improvisational chops of jazz players, psychedelic whimsy in their singing/lyrics, and the compositional skills of classical artists. The combination here does seem intimidating, but this music reaps great rewards for the adventurous listener. A bonus: for all of you who dig the ambient/house/trance end of the musical spectrum, check out the music of System 7.
System 7 happens to be helmed by Steve Hillage and Miquette Gaudry, two members of Gong’s 70’s classic lineups. After Hillage left Gong in the mid 70’s, he focused on crafting “glissando rock,” which featured repeated sequencer/synth patterns onto which he added his often blistering guitar riffs. Hillage stumbled upon his music being played by Alex Patterson of the Orb at a club, they hit it off, and thus a direct link was established between the decades. So, yeah. Some examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Caq2Csq37Y: “Pothead Pixies”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIF2BapdkBI&feature=related: “Fitter Stoke has a bath”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4U7B_ctnJM: “System 7”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7zcOlnEoRo&feature=related: “Winter Wine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OvVeCQp08&feature=related:...