Prog Rock Wednesdays (Page 4 of 24)

King Crimson    "Larks' Tongues in Aspic"    Japan, 1995

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUIYskCHrEI

King Crimson were another one of those Prog Rock pioneers, who quickly developed a cult following because of their originality. Although the band members changed throughout the years, the consistent influence of Robert Fripp (white jacket, glasses, stage right) formed and maintained KC's signature sounds. King Crimson certainly isn't to everyone's taste, and sometimes their prolonged use of dissonance can actually be hard on the head. However, there's no denying their talent (drummer Bill Bruford is one of England's best) and the fact that they pushed the envelope within a very creative genre. Robert's "Frippertronics" became the basis for many of the synth guitar effects in use today.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbKEGfjmcso

Pendragon    "Breaking the Spell"    Poland, 2009

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BItp37gKtAo

This is jaw-dropping great work on a Stratocaster, by guitarist Nick Barrett. Pendragon have been around since 1978 in various incarnations, with Barrett being the common thread throughout the whole time. This track has solo work beginning a couple minutes in, and it just keeps building and improving until the end of the song. They've never had a pop hit or anything like that, but really kicked the group's awareness into high gear when they started touring with Marillion in 1982. They'll be a featured act this coming July at "The Ramblin' Man Fair" in Kent, England. Enjoy Nick's guitar work ... it's amazing.

Porcupine Tree    "Even Less"    Tillburg, 2008

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BLJPCcjg7I

A haunting slide riff opens this piece, featuring some delicious sustain on Wilson's PRS guitar. Again, drummer Gavin Harrison showcases his considerable talent, and the song takes a very cool turn at around the 4:20 mark. It's these surprise changes in direction that so may Prog Rock songs have, that I find so very interesting and engaging.

Rush   "Freewill"    Toronto, 2003

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcM_hx0zxw

The "Toronto Rocks" concert was a massive benefit staged in 2003, following the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in Canada that year. A massive mobilization of dedicated health-care workers helped to contain the virus, which was eventually subdued by the end of the year. It is estimated that 450,000 - 500,000 people attended this one-day concert at Downsview Park, making it the largest ever on Canadian soil, and one of the largest ticketed events in world history. By comparison, Woodstock had approx. 400,000 people over 3 days.

Accounts vary, but apparently Rush were a last-minute addition, due to a snub or an oversight. With Toronto being their home city, the crowd appreciated them regardless of what the organizers had been thinking. A number of performers were featured throughout the day, concluding with a 90-minute set by the Rolling Stones. Justin Timberlake received a lot of hostility from the crowd, and was subjected to repeated booing and projectiles (water bottles, candy bars, toilet paper, etc.) throughout his set. Tough crowd!

Magenta    "Metamorphosis"    Bath, England 2009

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdCvDEO7nGM

Originating from Wales, Magenta was formed in 1999, with 12 studio albums and 4 live albums to date. This is an "unplugged" version of the title track from their 2008 album of the same name, recorded at Peter Gabriel's "Real World Studio" in front of an intimate audience of 60 people. There are great guitar and string arrangements throughout, and singer Christina Booth's clear and expressive voice punctuates the piece nicely. I'm a real fan of the so-called "unplugged" format for Prog Rock, and bands that do it well often exceed the quality of their full-blown electronic versions.

Steve Hackett    "Valley of the Kings"    Budapest, 2004

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no-DAx3O0fA

This tune has two standout features. First is (obviously) the amazing guitar playing of Hackett throughout. He has a unique combination of talent and creativity which just mesmerizes me when I watch & listen. He's primarily a finger-style or classical-style guitarist (note use of fingernails instead of picks), yet transposes those skills expertly to the electric. After he left Genesis, they came out with the "And Then There Were Three" album, and there was a noticeable change of direction in musicality for the group. For me, it seemed they simply were going commercial ... for better or worse.

The other star on stage is his custom built guitar from Fernandes. You'll notice two small toggle switches amongst the main tone/volume buttons. The one to the rear is a coil-tap switch ... not unheard of. The one towards the front is a Sustainer circuit developed by Fernandes, as explained here:

http://www.fernandesguitars.com/sustain … ainer.html

Throughout this song (and others) you'll hear inhumanly sweet sustain which he flicks back and forth to, that enables the tune to really soar. This is where technological weaponry truly serves the player and the music, and isn't just a showy gadget. Crank this one up ... it's amazing!

Pink Floyd    "Run Like Hell"    Pulse Tour, 1994

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1xiXpl9I0

One the the most fun pieces of Pink Floyd to play! Plug in your Phaser, turn your Reverb setting to "Hall", throw in some Analog Delay ... and fire away.

There are many who feel the true Pink Floyd died with the departure of Roger Waters in 1985, but I happen to like both eras of Pink Floyd. Their subsequent 3 studio albums (Final Cut, Momentary Lapse, Division Bell) as well as their "Pulse" DVD were as good as any work they did prior to Roger leaving. Bassist Guy Pratt really shows his talent in this one, on bass and vocals. And I wouldn't want to guess how many kilowatt/hours they consumed in electrical usage!

Gilmour's compositional work, stage presence, vocal abilities, and amazing guitar style have stood the test of time, with an amazing solo career still moving along. Deserved recognition was extended to him in 2005, when he was made a "Commander of the Order of the British Empire" (CBE) in recognition of his musical contributions.

Sir David Gilmour, CBE

Porcupine Tree    "My Ashes"    Tillburg, 2008

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYOUQXhXO24

I know it isn't Saturday, but I learned to play this song this week, and just can't get this haunting melody out of my head. I love John Wesley's voice in the chorus, but my own vocal range forces me to sing it an octave lower.

Magenta    "Speechless"    Cardiff, 2007

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoUFBWmd0x4

Sitting here in disgust with our horrible weather, so decided to do a mid-week upload to the Prog Rock selections.

After a 2-minute pipe organ opening (Opus III) by keyboardist Rob Reed, this is the first track of this concert from November 2007 at "The Point" in Cardiff Bay, Wales. A lot of us old "prog heads" miss some of the classical-styled prog from the 70's, so when neo-prog bands like Magenta (formed in 1999) continue the tradition, we love it. It's also great when some of them are featuring talented female vocalists like Christina Booth here, or Tracy Hitchings (Landmarq) as another example.

I hope you enjoy this beautifully atmospheric music!

Frank Zappa    "Cosmik Debris"    Where? 1976?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp6LT2MdaPI

The late FZ may not have been slotted as a Prog Rock artist, but a lot of what he did was great rock and very progressive. Mixing jazz fusion and rock together with clever and cynical lyrics, sound effects from the various musicians, and chucking in a sax solo run through a wah-wah pedal ... and you've got progressive in spades. Frank's music was all about expression, blending the music and message together as well as anyone ever has, and he never felt bound by tradition when something new was needed. He could get crude, racial, and so on, but it was all part of who he was. This is summed up in a great quote of his, mentioned in one of the YouTube comments:

"You can't always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say, so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream."

Frank Vincent Zappa, 1940 - 1993

Steve Hackett    "Los Endos"    Budapest, 2004

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZdyR0GBOu8

Another superb track from the "Once Above a Time" DVD. Hackett goes to town on his Fernandes Monterey guitar, using it's abilities and some of his unique techniques to create interesting sounds and embellishments to the song. "Los Endos" is a track from the 1976 Genesis album "A Trick of the Tail", the first album they made after the departure of Peter Gabriel. Steve stayed on with the group for one more album (Wind & Wuthering), and the band made a significant change in direction towards pop music afterwards.