Bands to convetr my wife to prog lol

[Reginod]

she seems to like certain songs . . . . . . . . She literally could care less for anything else I listen to . . . . . . so I haven't bothered... In years.

Yah I slightly edited your statement but it seems to apply to my sitch to a degree. My wife has had a fondness in the past for P-Tree, later-period Tull and Wigwam (due to the lyrics, mainly), TLLDOB (due to the lyrics, mainly), some Zep and Beatles and a paltry few others, but at the end of the day (years), she just isn't a music enthusiast and she never will be.

[Camelogue]

I say give up trying to convert her.

I am with Zomby.

She must be a recently acquired wife I assume.

[NogbadTheBad]

This thread ain't going to do me no good. My wife may like some of the smooth melodic light stuff some of you are recommending, but I can't stand it! There's no way she's listening to Henry Cow, Univers Zero or Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.

We just took a road trip to Niagara & I put together a playlist of Blues, Jazz, Rock & Indie. She was perfectly happy with all of that.

On the drive home I tried her out on Steve Wilson, Aquaserge, Dead Can Dance & Unexpect, of those the only one she would tolerate was SW.

[Progmatic]

btw you have better chance to convert your wife to budhism than to prog lover...I have 30 years experience in it and it is not getting any better...

[Brian Griffin]

In honor of the great Peter Banks, Empire Mk1

High energy, plenty of hooks, great female vocals from the ex-mrs B

BG

[Scrotum Scissor]

On the drive home I tried her out on Steve Wilson, Aquaserge, Dead Can Dance & Unexpect, of those the only one she would tolerate was SW.

Christ! What kinda wife turns down Aquaserge? Now I know why my relationships all seem to end somewhere below the drain.

GAWWWD, I love this tune:

[Brian Griffin]

And how exactly does a full body MESSAGE work. "Hello arms, how are you, I'm now going to move over to the shoulders and down the back, is that ok"?

Wow

BG

[simon moon]

There's no way she's listening to Henry Cow, Univers Zero or Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.

So...

What's the difference between your wife and most of the posters here on Progressive Ears?

I'll bet most people here don't like those bands either.

[Crystal Plumage]

My wife only likes The Flower Kings a bit and loathes King Crimson. Especially the last few incarnations..
My wife is more into World Music and quality Pop (to my ears anyway ) , which is fine. At least she has taste. Just not the same as mine. Big deal.

[squiz17]

It ain't happenin' - & yet mglw rates Florence & the Machine ffs

[NogbadTheBad]

So...

What's the difference between your wife and most of the posters here on Progressive Ears?

I'll bet most people here don't like those bands either.

Well she likes Celine Dion, Barry Manilow & Abba and I don't know how many here are admitting to that

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

The only "prog" bands my wife will tolerate are those ... without the "sissy" vocals ... Gong. She hates Yes, most Genesis, Marillion, etc!!!

heh... ditto for my wife. She loves Return To Forever, PFM, 11th House, Anglagard, Mandrill, Camel, Osibisa, Pink Floyd and Happy the Man among lots of other Prog music I've played for her

[arturs]

Exactly! My girl pretended to like the music I played for her when we were first going out.

Basically my story too... Took me a while to figure out she really wasn't digging it at all.

I tried Close to the Edge, Trick of the Tail, Renaissance 1001 Nights Vol 1, and a Caravan cassette compilation I made for her. When all of those bombed I figured it just ain't happening.

But her tastes aren't bad: Beatles, Motown, some of the better 90s country music, James Taylor. So I can't complain too much. I did get her to like Gordon Haskell...

[Lebofsky]

I'm just gonna brag a bit and say that my wife has actually turned me on to far more interesting avant/prog/metal/industrial/neo-classical music than I have for her. I was kind of embarrassed by my comparatively mono-dimensional record collection compared to hers when we first met, and was very happy to merge them!

- Matt

[Bucka001]

My wife loves Magma, Can, and VdGG (she's seen the latter twice with me and loved them both times, and has a lot from all three bands on her iPod). She scoffs at the "wimpy" prog bands like Genesis or Yes. Before we met eleven years ago, she was a fan of stuff like Big Star, Ramones, Nick Drake, The Clash, Leonard Cohen, etc, so she already had eclectic tastes in music.

[zombywoof]

So...

What's the difference between your wife and most of the posters here on Progressive Ears?

I'll bet most people here don't like those bands either.

Since when do PE-ers hate Henry Cow and UZ? I can understand not enjoying SGM (I personally don't care for the vocals, but I like the music), but I'd bet most people who appreciate good music would at least like UZ.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

Cow and UZ are great... but I'm going for the "beautifully composed sounding" stuff before I try the Avant with my wife... so far so great. She only doesnt like the stuff with "the "sissy" vocals" and thats cool cause I dont either!

[NogbadTheBad]

Since when do PE-ers hate Henry Cow and UZ? I can understand not enjoying SGM (I personally don't care for the vocals, but I like the music), but I'd bet most people who appreciate good music would at least like UZ.

Ian, I think you'll find plenty of PE'ers who aren't fans of the avant and dissonant. Nothing against them it's just a question of taste.

[Sordel]

Magma & Henry Cow are two bands that are absolutely banned by my wife, and King Crimson or Opeth aren't happening either. She likes Misplaced Childhood, some of the softer Dream Theater, some Porcupine Tree/SW. I'd recommend Stupid Dream, A Dramatic Turn of Events ... and Storm Corrosion in the background.

[Rarebird]

My CD-collection starts with A-ha and ends with Zyma and there is a whole lot in between, not just prog.

My prog-collection started with Kayak, probably followed by Nektar, Novalis, Hoelderlin, Ange, Van der Graaf Generator, Eela Craig, ELP, Yes, Streetmark, Grobschnitt, Jean Luc Ponty and the list can go on and on and on and on.

[ThomasKDye]

My ex liked female singers, so I got as far as Magenta's "Speechless" before we broke up.

[bill g]

Another my wife loves is Sally Oldfield. Not really prog, though. Since music is so individual, best thing might be to try some of the suggestions in here and see what sticks. Let us know how it goes, if you think of it.

[Hunnibee]

From a woman's perspective

Agents of Mercy
Ambrosia
Blackfield
Echolyn
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
Farpoint
The Flower Kings
Genesis
Gentle Giant
IQ
It Bites
Izz
Jadis
Kansas
Kevin Gilbert
Kino
Magenta
Magic Pie
Mars Hollow
Moody Blues (Including the Blue Jays album)
Moon Safari
Mostly Autumn
Nektar
Pink Floyd
Porcupine Tree
Rush
RWPL
Spock's Beard
The Tangent
Yes

[zombywoof]

Personally, I think its less important to get someone *into* prog, but to find someone who respects your tastes and appreciates why you enjoy them. This is the trick. I think the best way to convert someone is to play it in the background. Coming at it with a heavy hand will almost certainly end in disaster. This is why I wouldn't try too hard ... people seem to resent this in my experience. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Also, let her play you some of her music and give it a fair listen if you expect her to give your's a fair listen. Its all about sharing, afterall.

When I say "Give up trying to convert her", I mean that, like most things involving a relationship, it must be handled with tact. I managed to get my ex (an aspiring music teacher) to enjoy Genesis. This was done simply by playing it in the background. She even learned to play Firth of Fifth on piano. That was enough for me and in return, I went to see one of her favorite local musicians with her. I didn't enjoy it (I went home and listened to Henry Cow as an antidote), but the sharing was the important part.

[Steve F.]

She would much rather listen to Bird, Trane & Ella however.

She's got good taste.

Me too.