I apologise for asking a question that has been asked numerous times before, but why did a quite sizeable number of prog-rock artists and groups decide to make pop music at the turn of the 80s?
This has always puzzled me, as there seems to be a logical contradiction. On one hand, you have progressive-rock (which ironically enjoyed commercial success in its heyday), which was a movement dedicated to artistry, innovation, experimentalism and instrumental prowess. This was followed by some artists abandoning these attributes to pursue the rigid streamlined formulas of pop music.
I'm talking about the obvious people here; Genesis, Yes (with 90125), and the members of Asia. I heard John Wetton, for instance, was itching along with his management to make an Asia sort-of-music since the late 70s. God knows how UK’s first album managed to belong to the first set of attributes I mentioned, than the latter ones. However, with his move of management to Brian Lane, the conditions were now right?
Of course speaking of conditions, one cannot deny the cultural shift and the angst of the times towards progressive-rock. It's understandable that a form of music has its time and place, and a musician needs to evolve with other styles. However, didn’t Robert Fripp do this? Didn't Bill Bruford who along with Allan Holdsworth were kicked out of UK for being not right for streamlined music that John Wetton had in mind - do this?
It's understandable that a musician will tire of a style, and move on. But why in progressive-rock did it seem that a majority decide to make a form of pop music? Rather than more follow a Robert Fripp route of Hey, it’s the 80s – let’s make a concise, efficient, combination of Talking Heads, Steve Reich and make all sorts of synthesised noise with guitars!
It completely baffles me that Steve Howe who made "Relayer" in 1974 was eight year later making an album that Asia had churned out. Why did he not follow, for a hypothetical argument – It's 80s, post-punk and no-wave are interesting. I’m going to make a 30 minute noisy soundscape with drum machines!
Doesn't anyone know what I mean? It’s like the equivalent of John Cage making a record that sounds like Duran Duran, or Charlemagne Palestine going all ABC. It wouldn't make any sense to a how these artists could naturally develop either his sound, or his tastes.
Of course, I'm not saying these records that I mentioned are objectively better or worse. They are, to me, at least, logically inconsistent given the people involved.
Any ideas or theories?
Thanks
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