Prog Ears: Is Prog all the better due to PE?

[moecurlythanu]

I'm looking at the PA thread that you linked to, Sean, and it seems that there are quite a few "delicate flowers" out there. I would think that by adulthood people develop thicker skins, but evidently not everybody.

[Sean]

I know what you mean, but was pleasantly surprised at the low negative ratio VS positive things to say about us. A few years back I bet it would have been different.

[progman1975]

Sean, I registered with PA in '06 and found out there are toooo many fanboys over there and very unfriendly. Been her since early '08 and Ive made soooo many good friends on here
that I cherish(including you of course)

[moecurlythanu]

I know what you mean, but was pleasantly surprised at the low negative ratio VS positive things to say about us. A few years back I bet it would have been different.

Definitely agree.

[moecurlythanu]

One other thing I'm noticing over there: Trane's spelling/typing seems to be much better at PA than at PE. Do they have a "Cone of Grammatical Invincibility" over there, or something?

[NogbadTheBad]

I'm on both sites regularly and have to say the atmosphere between the two has improved significantly over the last few years. They do seem a bit more sensitive over there and don't recognize sarcastic banter very well (they have a few grade A trolls over there). I like it quite a lot and it's an excellent resource for researching albums.

[Yves]

Indeed! LOL! I was Googling, looking for some old PE stuff elsewhere and ran across a fresh thread there about PE. So I dropped by to say Hi!

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/fo...e9925080208333

Reading that thread was my first foray into PA. That white-on-white quote thing is tough on the eyes... I recall when I first joined PE circa 2003. I did find it intimidating. But, I adjusted and the hunted became the hunter, as it were....

[Sean]

People never bother to mention that option!

[Scott Bails]

Reading through that PA thread, I don't understand most of the criticisms they level at PE. I haven't experienced any of that.

I know we already had a thread recently that compared the two, but at the very least, PE has a much easier to read format.

[Watanabe]

Way too many symph plebs without appreciation of a truly formalistic approach to rock music on here tbh.

[zombywoof]

Just watch. Someone posts a thread about a new band on here, we flock to the thread, listen to samples, Steve F. stocks the CD. We win and the bands win. So ... yes!

[tom unbound]

"...and as a whole tend to dislike the cliquish atmosphere".
Yeah, I defiantly saw that. But I got over it. Moving to 3.0 really helped w/ that 'problem'.
I've no time for both, and PE wins.

Now if PE could stamp out the use of the Keytar, PE would make Prog much better. (Yes, I'm talking to you, Geoff.)

[zombywoof]

I'm on both sites regularly and have to say the atmosphere between the two has improved significantly over the last few years. They do seem a bit more sensitive over there and don't recognize sarcastic banter very well (they have a few grade A trolls over there). I like it quite a lot and it's an excellent resource for researching albums.

Could be a cultural thing - I think PE is mostly US / UK based, whereas PA's audience is a bit wider.

[Sputnik]

"Is progressive rock music all the better because of PE's existence?"

I think there are four linchpins to the "Progressive Rock Community," or the interlocking sub-communities that make up our little scene. They are fan magazines, vendor sites, internet sites/forums, and festivals. To me, all of these outlets play a crucial role in bringing together the relatively small worldwide audience for this kind of music. The loss or diminishing of these I think translates into a loss of focus for the "style" (I use the term loosely), and a loss of the ability to reach people who are, or might become, fans.

PE is among the premier internet forums (if not THE premier internet forum). Very little slips by the membership here, from gigs and festivals, to new releases and news. It's almost a "one stop shop" for much of what I want to know about what's going on. It's also a hub for discussion, some of which is redundant, but much of which can be informative and interesting. I have a suspicion, and you or Duncan probably have the stats to back this up, that there are a lot of lurkers who don't post, but benefit from the news and discussions here.

PE has a different vibe than Prog Archives. I have absolutely nothing against Prog Archives, I use it frequently, and occasionally lurk on their forums. I think there's plenty of room for both, and that if one or the other disappeared, it would be a huge loss to the Prog Community.

So the short answer to your question is hell yes I think Progressive Rock is better off because of PE's existence. I'd extend that to every magazine, festival and Prog vendor as well. If you lose these hubs of activity, they would need to be re-invented or the scene will simply evaporate.

That's my take on it. So keep up the good work and stop asking silly questions!

Bill

[Yves]

"...and as a whole tend to dislike the cliquish atmosphere".
Yeah, I defiantly saw that. But I got over it. Moving to 3.0 really helped w/ that 'problem'.

There was never a 'clique' problem on PE. Can we put this to bed once and for all? PE was made up of a lot of people who preferred to remain anonymous on-line personas but also people who wanted to meet face-to-face and become real-life friends. Once the latter occurs, the way you communicate on-line changes irrevocably. You now have shared experiences. To "outsiders" this appears like a clique, but the reality always was that it was open to anyone who wanted to share in the experience. Every major festival would introduce more people into the fold as it were... It was never a case where a certain group would meet, form a clique, and then exclude everybody else. That was always PE's strongest quality, imo... We'd have those great PE photos at NF and almost everybody in the photo had a certain rapport with everyone else. That was the true magic of this site. It was fleeting but for a while it was a blast.

[Shadow]

The music was better before PE. And here I blamed Phil Collins all these years.

[NogbadTheBad]

I pretty much agree with everything in Yves post regarding cliques.

[Duncan Glenday]

Isn't the real question... "what were you doing over at PA?"

You said it before I had a chance to do so

"Just avoid the Yes and Neal Morse threads and PE is an informative & cool place!"

So - are you saying that you want another Yes rekkid as a featured CD?

[Sean]

Oh, I have a better suggestion. Check your in-box.

[Facelift]

From the PA thread:

"The appeal of the PA is the database, people come here to find out about an artist and/or an album, to read the reviews and find out what other albums are available in that artists discography.

Therefore we need more categories..."

Yes, I've often thought to myself: PA would be perfect if only they had more categories.

[tom unbound]

There was never a 'clique' problem on PE. Can we put this to bed once and for all? PE was made up of a lot of people who preferred to remain anonymous on-line personas but also people who wanted to meet face-to-face and become real-life friends. Once the latter occurs, the way you communicate on-line changes irrevocably. You now have shared experiences. To "outsiders" this appears like a clique, but the reality always was that it was open to anyone who wanted to share in the experience. Every major festival would introduce more people into the fold as it were... It was never a case where a certain group would meet, form a clique, and then exclude everybody else. That was always PE's strongest quality, imo... We'd have those great PE photos at NF and almost everybody in the photo had a certain rapport with everyone else. That was the true magic of this site. It was fleeting but for a while it was a blast.

All the 'private ' threads were eliminated at 3.0. eliminating those cliques.

In the Groups section there are private groups where you can't view discussions. Truly the definition of a clique.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Way too many symph plebs without appreciation of a truly formalistic approach to rock music on here tbh.

Oh, the immaculate irony.

The effervescently persistent "symph" vs. "avant" conundrum axiom, like. Know only one and you allegedly don't "get" the other, know both and you're a "Hitler" for arguing against anything whatsoever as regards either.

PE saved not only Prog, but the suburbs of south Spokane.

[zombywoof]

Ian said it pretty well recently-

"Just avoid the Yes and Neal Morse threads and PE is an informative & cool place!"

Yep, sounds like something I might say. Unless you're referring to that other Ian.

[Sean]

Nah, it was you!

[Trane]

Sort of a loaded question, isn’t it?

Actually, it's more the average answers on both sites that's loaded

PA seems to say that Prog hasn't bettered prog's quality, while here, the first few answers would then to say yes, PE has bettered prog... which could hint at the very high self-esteem of the PE crowds