The First Progressive Rock SONG

[Vic333]

A Day in the Life would be a pretty good candidate.

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[chalkpie]

A Day in the Life would be a pretty good candidate.

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Definitely, but then were talking '67 - and I think there were a few tunes before that in '66.

[Fracktured]

This should be easy to answer. Just find the first song recorded with a mellotron.


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[chalkpie]

This should be easy to answer. Just find the first song recorded with a mellotron.


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(from Wiki):

British multi-instrumentalist Graham Bond is considered the first rock musician to record with a Mellotron, beginning in 1965. The first hit song to feature a Mellotron Mk II was "Baby Can It Be True", which Bond performed live with the machine in televised performances, using solenoids to trigger the tapes from his Hammond organ.[32] This was followed by Manfred Mann, who used its reed sound on their late 1966 single "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James". The band then included multiple Mellotron parts on their follow-up single, "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown".

[Baribrotzer]

You could make a case that it's Rhapsody in Blue, written by George Gershwin in 1924.

Like prog, it was a crossover between classical music and pop music (early jazz and Broadway, in this case). Like prog, it was written by someone from the pop world, rather than the classical world. Like prog, it was the product of artistic ambitions beyond its creator's level of compositional training. Like prog, it is of "epic" length - 12 minutes in most versions (a small epic). And like prog, it doesn't quite work as classical music, but has a sort of vitality that transcends its flaws and makes them unimportant. It even contains passages that sound quite a bit like prog, or would if played on different instruments - and Liquid Tension Experiment did exactly that at NearFest. And as far as I know, it's the first successful would-be classical work written by a pop composer.

Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha is earlier, but was little-known in its day - it dates from 1911, but was not performed during Joplin's lifetime, and in fact not until 1972.

[spiderfeathers]

You could make a case that it's Rhapsody in Blue, written by George Gershwin in 1924.


Like prog, it was a crossover between classical music and pop music (early jazz and Broadway, in this case). Like prog, it was written by someone from the pop world, rather than the classical world. Like prog, it was the product of artistic ambitions beyond its creator's level of compositional training. Like prog, it is of "epic" length - 12 minutes in most versions (a small epic). And like prog, it doesn't quite work as classical music, but has a sort of vitality that transcends its flaws and makes them unimportant. It even contains passages that sound quite a bit like prog, or would if played on different instruments - and Liquid Tension Experiment did exactly that at NearFest. And as far as I know, it's the first successful would-be classical work written by a pop composer.

Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha is earlier, but was little-known in its day - it dates from 1911, but was not performed during Joplin's lifetime, and in fact not until 1972.

Interesting case, but if the first "rock" song according to Google was Rocket 88 from 1951, then a prog rock song preceding this goes against the fabric of time and space.

[Rarebird]

You could make a case that it's Rhapsody in Blue, written by George Gershwin in 1924.

Like prog, it was a crossover between classical music and pop music (early jazz and Broadway, in this case). Like prog, it was written by someone from the pop world, rather than the classical world. Like prog, it was the product of artistic ambitions beyond its creator's level of compositional training. Like prog, it is of "epic" length - 12 minutes in most versions (a small epic). And like prog, it doesn't quite work as classical music, but has a sort of vitality that transcends its flaws and makes them unimportant. It even contains passages that sound quite a bit like prog, or would if played on different instruments - and Liquid Tension Experiment did exactly that at NearFest. And as far as I know, it's the first successful would-be classical work written by a pop composer.

Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha is earlier, but was little-known in its day - it dates from 1911, but was not performed during Joplin's lifetime, and in fact not until 1972.

Scott Joplin considered himself in this as a classical composer, so it doesn't count.

[Mister Triscuits]

This was followed by Manfred Mann, who used its reed sound on their late 1966 single "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James". The band then included multiple Mellotron parts on their follow-up single, "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown".[/I]

Manfred Mann has some other candidates for early progginess: "Driva Man" (rock cover of a jazz song in 5/4 time) and "Machines" (mechanical sound effects for a rhythm track), both recorded February 1966.

[Galactic Bulldozer]

House of The Rising Sun - The Animals... one of the reasons Dylan went electric with an organist.


http://https://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/How_The_Animals_Put_The_Blues_In_Rock_by_genesanto ro?invitedBy=greglake&compositeID=How_The_Animals_ Put_The_Blues_In_Rock_by_genesantoro-1471578803301

[ronmac]

I don't see what's proggy about HotRS. You are correct about Dylan, though.

[adap2it]

If you think outside the box, so to speak...as I was around long before Prog. I always felt the Yardbirds offered a sign of things to come with FOR YOUR LOVE. I was always impressed with the change of tempo and how it would affect the dance ability, which was a must for success back then. In fact, it's always been my thought that the British blues artists were the most instrumental in the formation of prog.

[Baribrotzer]

Interesting case, but if the first "rock" song according to Google was Rocket 88 from 1951, then a prog rock song preceding this goes against the fabric of time and space.

It depends.

Do you count the impulse, the idea - a composer of pop music trying to combine pop with classical music, and make some sort of High Art out of pop music?

Or do you count the specific - all of the above, but in addition that pop music must be rock?

In a way, it's the same difference as may be seen between small-p progressive and Big-P Prog.

[JKL2000]

(from Wiki):

British multi-instrumentalist Graham Bond is considered the first rock musician to record with a Mellotron, beginning in 1965. The first hit song to feature a Mellotron Mk II was "Baby Can It Be True", which Bond performed live with the machine in televised performances, using solenoids to trigger the tapes from his Hammond organ.[32] This was followed by Manfred Mann, who used its reed sound on their late 1966 single "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James". The band then included multiple Mellotron parts on their follow-up single, "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown".

Well, I think Manfred Mann was the first to establish the Prog song title template(s)!

[bRETT]

If the first "rock" song according to Google was Rocket 88 from 1951.

Some would pick Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" (1949).

[ronmac]

Some would pick Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" (1949).

I would lean toward "Rocket 88." "The Fat Man" is not unlike many blues numbers that preceded it. But, like this discussion always goes, we begin to get into that gray area between the blues and it's baby: rock and roll.

Sure, Ike Turner's "Rocket 88" still had the blues leanings. But, he started breaking that standard mold and was doing something a little different.

My two cents.

[strawberrybrick]

If you think outside the box, so to speak...as I was around long before Prog. I always felt the Yardbirds offered a sign of things to come with FOR YOUR LOVE. I was always impressed with the change of tempo and how it would affect the dance ability, which was a must for success back then. In fact, it's always been my thought that the British blues artists were the most instrumental in the formation of prog.

...and with Brian Auger on harpsichord. Great song.

[adap2it]

...and with Brian Auger on harpsichord. Great song.

yes indeed! it did seem to focus on instrumental elements of the song, with the vocals playing a more equal portion, rather than vocals and backing, much like the make up of most prog. I think that FOR YOUR LOVE is a great example of early pop music moving forward. Whether it was the first...I have no idea.

Not wanting to brag but I did see the YARDBIRDS perform this song in a pub back in the day. There was no stage, so they were stood right in front of me, about 2 feet away. Jeff Beck was in the line up at that time. One of the advantages of being old.

[Udi Koomran]

Daevid Allen mentioned Yardbirds Still I'm sad as a catalyst to forming Soft Machine

[strawberrybrick]

And Jeff Beck as a guitarist... as much as Syd Barrett.

[moecurlythanu]

"Inka Dinka Do" by Jimmy Durante.

[Nador]

Surprised no one has mentioned Clouds yet.

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/m...r_of_prog_rock

[JJ88]

^Yeah I remember those claims that they invented everything and everyone ripped them off. Funny then how Keith Emerson himself cited the (very obscure) jazz organist Don Shinn as his inspiration in terms of performance/style, not anyone in 1-2-3/Clouds. I like the conspiracy theory stuff in one of the comments on that article as well. I mean, really!

In music I believe in gradual innovation rather than a 'big bang' but I'd mention things like Procol Harum's 'In Held Twas In I', The Moody Blues' 'Have You Heard/The Voyage', Touch's 'Seventy Five'...

[Scrotum Scissor]

Surprised no one has mentioned Clouds yet.

They were great, and remain highly underrated for their very fine albums. Big fan here, but no - they still weren't the "first".

[JJ88]

Daevid Allen mentioned Yardbirds Still I'm sad as a catalyst to forming Soft Machine

Things like this, 'Shapes Of Things', 'Turn Into Earth', 'Happenings Ten Years Time Ago', 'Glimpses' etc. would certainly have been pioneering at the time. Still marvellous records to this day.

yes indeed! it did seem to focus on instrumental elements of the song, with the vocals playing a more equal portion, rather than vocals and backing, much like the make up of most prog. I think that FOR YOUR LOVE is a great example of early pop music moving forward. Whether it was the first...I have no idea.

Not wanting to brag but I did see the YARDBIRDS perform this song in a pub back in the day. There was no stage, so they were stood right in front of me, about 2 feet away. Jeff Beck was in the line up at that time. One of the advantages of being old.

'For Your Love' saw Eric Clapton out of the door at the time, as he felt it was not only too far removed from the blues but too 'pop'. The time-signature change was arguably a major innovation though- not that many pop/rock hits of the time did that. Another interesting one in this regard is The Hollies' 'Pay You Back With Interest', which I think was a moderate hit in the US. A lot going on in that one.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

1959