Greetings and Salutations

Good morning, and welcome to Bill's Prog Blog.

At the suggestion of a friend last night, I am starting this blog (which is separate from my personal journal) to discuss progressive music at a bit greater depth than I have generally been able to through other outlets. For the uninitiated, progressive music has grown from the seeds planted from such disparate artists as Frank Zappa, the Nice and (believe it or not) the Beatles, and embraces a wide range of distinct styles and feels. In general, progressive music is more expansive than contemporary pop music, tends to utilise longer compositional formats with (generally) greater emphasis on instrumental/compositional virtuosity.

But don't be afraid...just because it can be complex doesn't mean it always is. And it doesn't mean that there's no melody or hooks. Far from it. Some of the best progressive music has hooks big enough to catch a whale.

Progressive music comes from all around the globe. Some of my favourites come from Italy, France, Japan, Australia, Germany and Sweden. Bands from different countries bring additional flavour to the musical table...whether it's Swedish folk, Finnish humppa (poplka), traditional middle eastern modes, and so on. One thing is certain...progressive music is far from boring or staid.

I'll be posting personal band overviews (i.e., what I think of certain bands), reviews of CDs (generally after they have been posted at the two sites I write for), concert reviews, photos, and observations of the health (or occasional lack thereof) of the progressive music scene. I'll try not to pull any punches, but I'll also try to be fair.

My hope is that you'll find this is interesting, and hopefully entertaining/educational/informative as trawling through the genre has been for me.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.



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