Immediate Turn-Offs When Listening To Post Classic Prog Bands

[mozo-pg]

Operatic singers

What about Banco?

[Sputnik]

Extended "widdly" keyboard bits (unless it's Yes)

I hear this term, "widdly," a lot, but I'm not sure I understand it. Can you give an example of a "widdly" keyboard bit?

Bill

[Nijinsky Hind]

I hear this term, "widdly," a lot, but I'm not sure I understand it. Can you give an example of a "widdly" keyboard bit?

Bill

Say widdly 7 times as fast as you can hahaha

[Trane]

Gold lame capes.

Stardust-sprinkled capes, if you please!!

Operatic singers

indeed

What about Banco?

TBH, that Bel Canto "polluting" most RPI is the reason why I'm not big on Italian prog - unless it's instrumental or not going operatic (love me some Maneskin or Litfiba, for ex)

[Mr.Krautman]

What about Banco?

Just terrible.
Banco is one of my favorite RPI bands but as soon as Di Giacomo is starting singing I immediately feel the urge to jump on the STOP button of my player.
He spoiled most of their records with his "operatic" singing, and even if you like that style he's not technically a good singer. He would never have been accepted as a (classical) opera singer, even in an amateur musical ensemble.

There must be a good reason why "Di Terra" is my favorite Banco record... (and also one of my favorite prog records of all times)

[Dave (in MA)]

I hear this term, "widdly," a lot, but I'm not sure I understand it. Can you give an example of a "widdly" keyboard bit?

Bill

If it helps any, in Bruford's autobiography he refers to "Alvin Lee, the widdly-widdly-widdly blues guitarist of Woodstock fame".

[moecurlythanu]

I've always taken "widdly" to be synonymous with "swirling."

[Progbear]

My main instant turn-off: those cheap 80s/90s drum machines.

Harvest of Souls by IQ.

Gets my vote as IQ's worst epic. Once it gets to the "America" bit, I cringe really hard and don't want to keep listening. IQ aren't as bad as some other bands, but their work has become extremely formulaic over the years. In spite of that, I detect a slight improvement after Dark Matter, and their albums tend to achieve a baseline of enjoyability, even if I can't remember what I just heard the second it stops playing.

Lead vocalists who can't seem to walk away from their theatre singing roots.

My main gripe of latter-day prog acts. The thing that absolutely killed the Kaipa reunion albums for me was that they sounded like Andrew Lloyd Webber musical songs trying to pass themselves off as "prog."

Cookie monster vocals

Agreed. I'd add metal guitars, as I seem to be one of the few that think that prog and metal is an oil and water combination. Keep your metal out of my prog!

Keyboardists who sound like the only record they've ever listened to in their lives is Brain Salad Surgery

I definitely tune out the second I hear that the first keyboard sound you hear is a blanket of badly sampled Mellotron strings, as I realize that's going to be the main chordal accompaniment for the whole album. That's not the way Mellotron is supposed to be used! Not to mention all those gratuitously flatulent Moog Taurus sounds bands seem insistent on using for some reason.

Hogarth is 100% not the kind of singer I am referring to when I say 'weak'. He is (or was) a remarkably powerful vocalist. I'm talking about complete amateurish types who sound like it's their first time in front of a mic. Hogarth is a pro, whether you like his style or not.

I definitely object far more to the Neal Morse school of whimpering, faux-sincere CCM type of singing. In general, singing ability in popular music has taken a nosedive since the 90s. Even technically proficient singers seem not to care/understand about basic concepts like projection and timbre. I can't believe anyone would think the likes of, say, Ben Folds would be acceptable for the length of a song, much less an album, much less a series of albums. I also don't think his much-vaunted songwriting is good enough to suffer his horrible voice.

[Progatron]

Gets my vote as IQ's worst epic. Once it gets to the "America" bit, I cringe really hard and don't want to keep listening.

I love the Dark Matter album *until* Harvest of Souls, and that America section is at the top of the list of reasons why.

My main gripe of latter-day prog acts. The thing that absolutely killed the Kaipa reunion albums for me was that they sounded like Andrew Lloyd Webber musical songs trying to pass themselves off as "prog."

The last several Kaipa albums are completely unlistenable to me.

I definitely object far more to the Neal Morse school of whimpering, faux-sincere CCM type of singing. In general, singing ability in popular music has taken a nosedive since the 90s.

Another one who fell straight off my radar over the last few years, and although I still love the Spock's stuff as well as (some) Transatlantic and Flying Colors, so much of what he does is almost embarrassing for me to listen to.

In short, much of the modern or latter-day prog scene in general has lost its appeal for me.

[boilk]

Agreed. I'd add metal guitars, as I seem to be one of the few that think that prog and metal is an oil and water combination. Keep your metal out of my prog!

In the words of PG live with Genesis, when somebody in the audience yelled out for a song that they weren't playing next: 'Wrroonnggggg'

You guys would definitely not like the new Blood Incantation, which is, to me and many others, is an absolutely amazing mix of death metal/Pink Floyd/Tangerine Dream and prog, haha. To each their own, of course.

Neil

[Progbear]

I love the Dark Matter album *until* Harvest of Souls, and that America section is at the top of the list of reasons why.

The best song off of Dark Matter is also its shortest: "Red Dust Shadow." It's an extremely atmospheric song that gets under your skin. If only the rest of the album were of similar quality.

[boilk]

The best song off of Dark Matter is also its shortest: "Red Dust Shadow." It's an extremely atmospheric song that gets under your skin. If only the rest of the album were of similar quality.

Dark Matter is one of the few 'neo' prog albums that I own and enjoy. I think it's well done, although I can see the argument that it comes across as a bit mechanical and perhaps too polished and lacking a certain level of emotion...even if the band was giving it there all, which I'm sure they were.

Neil

[moecurlythanu]

The best song off of Dark Matter is also its shortest: "Red Dust Shadow." It's an extremely atmospheric song that gets under your skin. If only the rest of the album were of similar quality.

Couldn't disagree more.

As for "Harvest Of Souls," for me it's IQ's best epic, and one of their best songs, period. I'm not bothered by the "America" section at all, although it may be a little sunnier than it needed to be.

[mozo-pg]

^^

[veteranof1000psychicwars]

I would have to say that it's more dependent on when you start composing music, vs an age thing. If you don't start until later in life, say 50 years old as an example, then that is when you are going to be doing your best work and continue to improve for at the very least, a good few years.

Neil

Wrong thread, l think ☺

[Steve983]

Another thing that bugs me is deliberate impersonations of Steve Howe's guitar sound & style. If the player is in a Yes tribute band that's great but when they're making supposedly original music it gets really annoying. In particular I'm thinking of the guy in Magenta (Tim Fry?) , I even heard one song that had a direct copy of Howe's wild Sound Chaser solo, very clever but WHY? That leads me to Magenta in general, so unoriginal, actual copying of melodies from Yes, Genesis and Floyd, tedious lyrics and a singer that seems to sing the in same monotonous tone all the time. I could go on and don't get me started on Rob Reed's Oldfield rip off project. Just my opinion of course

[Trane]

I don't think I ever heard that one.
on which album would I find that track?

Dark Matter

thx Neil.

TBH, I was looking at their early albums (which us all I really know about IQ, as I've heard distractedly stuff like Subterranea - the only time I saw them was on that tour), because I'd expect that bands would do this "aping" early on in the career

are there any others Apocalypse (maybe in the 8/9 mode)?

[begnagrad]

bad lyrics, fantasy themes, album cover included

[Mascodagama]

Hammy, over-emotive vocalists
Verbose, terribly earnest lyrics
Cheezy keyboards
Atmospheric sound FX
Guitar wanking

It’s possible I’m listening to the wrong genre.

[Progbear]

are there any others Apocalypse (maybe in the 8/9 mode)?

I hear a lot more "Watcher of the Skies" ripoffs. There's also "Sinfonia Della Luna" by Mugen, which steals bits from "Dance on a Volcano," "Squonk" and a few other Genesis tunes.

[Plasmatopia]

For me it's any band that does their own take on "Apocalypse in 9/8". It's an immediate "nope" from me where I'll just skip that part of the song.

I do the same thing when I hear the blues.

[boilk]

Wrong thread, l think ☺

Quite right. So many threads I'm following right now, haha.

Neil

[Splicer]

That leads me to Magenta in general, so unoriginal, actual copying of melodies from Yes, Genesis and Floyd, tedious lyrics and a singer that seems to sing the in same monotonous tone all the time. I could go on and don't get me started on Rob Reed's Oldfield rip off project. Just my opinion of course

I second this opinion. I'm rather glad their music is unavailable on streaming platforms since I can't accidentally hear it.

[Garden Dreamer]

Another thing that bugs me is deliberate impersonations of Steve Howe's guitar sound & style. If the player is in a Yes tribute band that's great but when they're making supposedly original music it gets really annoying. In particular I'm thinking of the guy in Magenta (Tim Fry?) , I even heard one song that had a direct copy of Howe's wild Sound Chaser solo,

The Flower Kings also have a part that refers to Sound Chaser like this, pretty sure it's in the epic, "The Truth Will Set You Free".

Also, IQ also has a part on the title track of Dark Matter that is reminiscent of the church organ part in Close to the Edge.

[Czyszy]

Guitar wanking

What? xD
As in, laying your rocks off?