Progressive Rock / Art Rock
Also known as Prog-Rock, Progressive Rock, Art Rock
A broad umbrella for late-1960s and 1970s rock that traded simplicity for scope, structure, and studio imagination. The label overlaps strongly with art rock, and the boundary between the two is intentionally fuzzy in the historical record.
Origins and context
Documented accounts describe progressive rock as a mostly British attempt to expand rock’s artistic and compositional reach, rising out of the U.K. psychedelic scene.
The sound
Characteristics
- Extended song forms
- Multi-section compositions
- Concept albums
- Electric guitar
- Bass guitar
- Drums
- Keyboards
- Synthesizers
History
Progressive rock began to emerge from the British psychedelic scene in the late 1960s, with groups such as the Nice, Procol Harum, and the Moody Blues pushing rock toward classical and symphonic ideas. AllMusic notes that King Crimson’s 1969 debut, In the Court of the Crimson King, firmly established the concept, and that the genre became a commercial force in the early 1970s through artists including Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd.
Notable artists
- KCKing Crimson
- YYes
- PFPink Floyd
- GGenesis
- ELEmerson, Lake & Palmer
- JTJethro Tull
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
