Progressive Rock Poised for yet Another Comeback

Once upon a time, it was perfectly acceptable to lug six keyboards onstage at a rock concert and launch into a piano solo. Or play flute while standing on one foot. Or wear silver capes without a trace of irony. These were the days of concept albums, of 7/8 time signatures, and of thirty minute songs crammed with soaring guitars and mythological references. This was progressive rock.

Progressive rock, or prog rock, emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a kind of highbrow offshoot from psychedelic rock. The phenomenon was mainly credited to British musicians - bands like Yes, The Moody Blues, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Jethro Tull, and Genesis (yes, that Genesis). Of course, prog rock benefited heavily from the artistic explorations of bands like Pink Floyd. And Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention album Freak Out! proved that formal composition, concepts, and satire could be fiddled with until the final product resembled a musical balloon animal. But from there, a movement grew that was epic in its vision, transporting audiences to a wondrous realm of extreme highs and lows, with classical and jazz elements within long instrumentals. It helped as well that the counterculture of those decades was embracing science fiction and fantasy, both of which made excellent material for lengthy concept albums that made the listener feel just a little above the general populous of rock fans. And who doesn't like feeling superior?

But prog rock's popularity wilted in the 80s, for various reasons. Some groups like Genesis shed their prog roots in favor of more pop sensibilities (I blame Phil Collins specifically for this). Others (like Yes) experienced lineup changes, bitter personality clashes, and lawsuits. The times had also changed, and music fans of the 80s were entranced by a plethora of new wave, punk, heavy metal, and hard rock showcased on MTV. Rush and Yes had mainstream success during the 80s, but both also made concessions to pop trends with radio friendly hits like "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Yes, from 90125) and "The Big Money" (Rush, from Power Windows).

Through the 90s, prog survived mainly through "progressive metal" bands like Porcupine Tree, Glass Hammer, Dream Theater, Iced Earth, Spock's Beard and Opeth. Other bands like Ozric Tentacles and the Flaming Lips fused psychedelic rock with signature progressive rock elements like frequent tempo, time signature, and key changes. Although these bands did well within their genres, few would achieve crossover success. However, a funny thing happened in the first decade of the 21^st century. Prog started to come back to mainstream music. Maybe it was the revival of interest in fantasy and science fiction, or perhaps prog was just old enough to be new again, but a considerable group of bands emerged that either claimed progressive rock as an influence or proudly wore the label of "modern prog." Coheed and Cambria, A Perfect Circle, The Mars Volta, and Muse are all examples of popular bands with progressive rock leanings. The fact that Muse can claim with a straight face that their 2009 album The Resistance is a concept album is telling. Add to that claim the equally straight faced praise from music critics, and the chances for an actual prog comeback are good indeed.

Whatever the reason, it is a welcome return for the old school progressive rock fan. Now if only someone could drag Rick Wakeman off the comedy stage and get him back in front of his six keyboards, life would be perfect. Your silver cape is calling, Superman!