Tag: Punk

Posted on

Neo-progressive rock (Prog rock 1965 – 2025 part 6)

To understand the evolution from prog rock to neo-progressive rock and later to post progressive rock, it is necessary to dwell on what was happening on the musical scene in the period after 1975, in particular the rise of punk.[1]

Changing environment

Punk opposed what were seen as musical excesses, such as psychedelic-influenced musical styles, theatrical and virtuoso playing, long songs, imaginative themes and social utopias. This mainly concerned hard rock, metal, symphonic rock and prog rock. Fans also got tired of the long, complicated songs with sometimes inimitable lyrics. For this, see my post on punk in the history of rock after 1960 series. 

The popularity of punk was short-lived, after which most of the remaining groups improved mastery of their instruments and replaced political slogans with appealing lyrics. Initially, this new brand of punk was referred to as ‘post punk’; record companies started using the term ‘new wave’, music critics spoke of ‘alternative’ or ‘alt-rock’ and young people spoke of ‘underground music’. A wide variety of styles fall under this heading. Groups included in this category are R.E.M, Nirvana, Pearl jam, Red hot chili peppers, Pixies, Cure, Green day and many others. What these bands have in common is that they distance themselves from what they saw as commercial pop music, which of course is partly a sham.  You can also read about this in my post on alternative rock.

All this, of course, does not escape the notice of prog rock groups. They realise that adjustments are inevitable, first and foremost, improving the accessibility of their music. This would also increase the willingness of radio stations to play it. This went down well with groups like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Asia and Yes. Especially by taking substantial steps towards pop. Groups without an established tradition, such as Marillion, IQ and Pendragon were looking for a way to renew prog rock itself. This certainly succeeded well in the 1980s.

Characteristics of neo-progressive rock

I will list characteristics of neo-progressive rock below and for each of these you can look and listen to a song for illustration. Remember that the differences between prog rock and neo-progressive rock are gradual. For that matter, so are the differences between neo-progressive and post-progressive rock. Also, you must realise that typifying music on the basis of stylistic characteristics is usually done afterwards and musicians are hardly concerned with it.

1. Melody and accessibility (versus complexity and long songs)

Neo-progressive rock remains more complex than ‘mainstream rock’. There is more emphasis on catchy melodies and the articulation of emotion, making songs more resonant than older prog rock tunes.

And good example is: ‘Kayleigh’ (Misplaced childhood, 1985) by Marillion. This song has personal and emotional lyrics and a simple structure.

2. Synthesiser-driven sound (versus analogue instruments such as guitar and organ)

Synthesisers and other electronic instruments play a dominant role in neo-progressive rock, partly replacing guitar and piano. With electronic instruments, greater differences in timbre can be created, ranging from dreamy (or ethereal) to menacing and bombastic. You can now watch and listen to ‘Awake and Nervous’ (Tales from the lush attic, 1983) by IQ, a recording from 2019. The synthesiser creates a layered pallet of sounds to reinforce the emotion this song seeks to evoke.

3. Influence of pop and new wave (versus classical and jazz)

Influences from pop music, new wave and alternative rock result in a tighter and more polished sound, and as a consequence, music that resonates better with a wider audience.

A good example is ‘A man of nomadic traits'(Not of this world, 2001) by Pendragon, a 2008 recording. You can watch and listen to this song here

4. Introspective texts (versus philosophical, mythical and science fiction sources)

Song lyrics are often introspective and based on personal experiences or feelings of melancholy, sadness or anger. A good example is Marillion’s album ‘Script for a Jester’s tear’ (1983). You can hear the title track with the same name here, also recorded in 1983.

5. Less experimental with more focus on atmosphere (versus virtuosity and variation of beat, rhythm, timbre and volume)

Creating an atmospheric experience is more important than complexity and technical feats. A good example of such a melodic song is ‘The voyager’ (Men who climb mountains, 1994) by Pendragon. The version here was recorded in 2018. 

6. Conceptual approach

Albums, like their prog rock predecessors, often have overarching themes, but now with a more personal or introspective slant rather than a mythological character

A good example is ‘This Green and Pleasant Land’ (Out of order comes chaos, 2012) by Pendragon. You can watch and listen to this song here.

Other differences include focus on a wider audience rather than on a niche market and modern production techniques versus analogue recordings.

Similarities and differences between prog rock and alternative rock become manifest from the 1980s onwards . Both styles are reactions to mainstream rock and pop music. Prog rock is mainly driven by the pursuit of recognition as an art form and translates this into virtuosity and complexity.  Alternative rock also is experimental but is mainly driven by authenticity and introspection and expresses this through variations in timbre. The differences between the two styles are sometimes easily audible but sometimes not, for instance in the case of some songs by Nirvana, Radiohead, The Mars Volta and Tool. 

Marillion is one of the most pronounced neo-prog rock groups. This group will be in the spotlight in the next post and I will show why the above-mentioned characteristics of neo-prog rock fit this group well.

[1] This post is based on an analysis of articles in Wikipedia (Eng.) and recordings on YouTube. ChatGPT was used as an aid in structuring the information.

Posted on

Second half 1970s: Punk (History of rock after 1960 5/6)

Punk is a style of music characterised by short, fast songs with simple lyrics and melodies, played on basic instrumentation. Many punk groups produced their recordings themselves and they released them through independent labels. Punk harkened back to the ‘rock and roll’ of the 1950s and the culture of garage bands of the 1960s. The songs were not even that different from those of beat groups in the early 1960s.

Punk opposed what were seen as the musical excesses of the previous period, such as psychedelic-influenced musical styles, art rock, metal and symphonic rock. The songs generally turn against the establishment, such as ‘Career opportunity’s’ by the Clash. And ‘Right to work’ by ‘Chelsea’ that addressed social issues such as unemployment and the grim realities of city life. Resistance to society was increasingly explicit in the way punks dressed. Tattoos, piercings, and metal studded and nailed accessories as well as the mohawk, the pointed hairstyle, gradually became commonplace for a while.

The first punk groups with wider fame were the Stooges with lead singer Iggy Pop, Ramones, Stranglers and Sex pistols. In the US, punk remained an ‘underground’ phenomenon; in Britain and mainland Europe, the music became widespread. 

Iggy Pop and the Stooges

The Stooges released their first album – called the Stooges for short – in 1969. Their fifth and last album – Ready to die – dates from 2013. In the intervening period, the band lived a dormant existence for most of the time. In 2016, the band disbanded permanently as only two members – including Iggy Pop – were left alive. The albums in the pre-1973 period were not a commercial success and critics also gave the band a lukewarm reception. What particularly stuck with many others was Iggy Pop’s ‘stage diving’ and the heroin use of the group’s members.

Many punk rock groups took songs from the Stoogesโ€™albums to imitate them. Especially this one: ‘I wanna be your dog’.

Ramones

The Ramones is also an American punk rock band, and its first album ‘Ramones’ (1976) was commercially unsuccessful. Years later, the album received plenty of recognition for its influence on the development of hard rock. The Dutch punk group ‘Heideroosjes’ calls the Ramones its main inspiration. You can listen to Blitzkrieg Bop now:

Stranglers

My favourite punk song is ‘No more heroes anymore’ by English punk rock band Stranglers. This rendition below dates from 1977, the still existing group’s 50th anniversary is coming soon, and the band has explored a multitude of genres in that time. Compare ‘No more heroes’ with ‘Golden Brown’ (1982), which you can listen to HERE (2012). It seems like an innocent tune. Superficially, it’s about a girl but essentially about heroin. What is special about the song is the alternation of three- and four-quarter measures, which gives it a playful character. It is the group’s highest-rated song.

Sexpistols

English punk group Sexpistols released one album: ”Never mind the bollocks. Here’s the sex pistols’ (1977) The group existed from 1975 – 1978 but performed several more times after that. The original line-up consisted of John Lydon (‘Johnny Rotten’), Steve Jones, Pail Cook and Glen Matlock, later temporarily replaced in 1977 by John Richie (‘Sid Vicious’), who could not play any instruments. This group was literally plucked off the streets by would-be manager Malcolm McLaren, who saw the group as his own pop art project, loathed its music but thought he could make money from it. 

On stage and off, the band cultivated an image that the Daily Mirror characterised as ‘filth and fury’. The music was secondary; the media was all about the band members’ behaviour. That, especially after Sid Vicious’ arrival, revolved around riots, (verbal) violence and shocking the public and the rest of Great Britain. The ‘pistols’ became public enemy No 1 after the release of their single ‘God save the queen’. Gradually, gigs were increasingly cancelled to prevent riots. Meanwhile, tensions in the group were running high, the group broke up, Sid Vicious was arrested for murdering his girlfriend and subsequently died of an overdose. 

For the group’s members, it was not the quality of the music that was paramount, but the commotion they created. In that respect, it is true that the Sexpistols were one of the most influential groups of the 70s and 80s.  They have been called an inspiration to Guns N’Roses, Nirvana, Greenday and Oasis, among others. These groups, whose musical quality was miles above that of the Sexpistols, may have adopted from the latter in daring to deviate from social and especially musical conventions, use simple melodies and lyrics, perform an expressive stage act and, above all, play to the audience.

The Sexpistols and thousands of other punk groups provided an outlet for young people who saw little future in the then. Their following ranged from hooligans, revolutionaries, neo-Nazis to addicts. At the 1996 and 2007 reunion concerts, the audience was now a cross-section of people in their thirties and forties, and better times had arrived in economic terms. The individual members of the group meanwhile made a name for themselves, and it must be said, their stage act in 2007 is impressive. You can listen and watch it below. The actual performance of the song ‘Pretty vacant’ starts at 2 minutes from the beginning and is preceded by an atmospheric shot of the venue.

You can watch and listen to this song in its original performance (1976) HERE

Heideroosjes

The Netherlands also had a punk band, the Heideroosjes. Only formed in 1989, the group has 1,500 performances to its name almost all over the world, always in the same line-up. In 2012, the band gave two farewell concerts and another reunion followed in 2019. Here they sing ‘I’ll see you later'(2012)

Eventually, most punk rock groups started making more accessible and sometimes more artsy music and were then referred to as ‘post-punk’. They learned how to get more out of their instruments and discovered that lyrics were more than shouting political slogans. The ‘Clash’ album ‘London calling’ combined punk rock with reggae, ska, R&B and rock and roll and is, according to many, one of the best rock records ever. Listen to the song ‘London Calling’ (1979) here

The record companies did see earning opportunities in groups touting themselves as ‘post-punk’. Anything that could remotely be classified as such was marketed as ‘new wave’. Examples include the Police, the Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Blondie, the Specialsand Madness. British ‘new wave’ later included Standau Ballet, Ultravox, Culture club and Eurythmics. Check out these groups, pick what you like and consider whether you can still make a connection with punk. That will usually not be the musical style, but it may also involve audience interaction.