Prog Temple

Gary Numan “Metal” 1979

I could learn to be a man Like you.

Plug me in And turn me on

Oh everything is moving.

Electric Light Orchestra “Yours Truly, 2095″ 1981

I met someone who looks a lot like you She does the things you do, but she is an IBM

She’s only programmed to be very nice But she’s as cold as ice

She has an IQ of 1,001, She has a jump suit on, and she’s also a telephone.

Genesis “Frustration” from the rare Jackson Tapes, 1970

Woman! Body draped in wire, All you seem to do is swallow me. 

Get away! 

I am the mad, mad scientist.

Soon I’ll build the perfect female friend, 

To comfort me, to satisfy…

Programmed just to please. 

Roy Wood “Miss Clarke And The Computer” 196?

Surely I know you won’t dismantle me 

Now press my switch, I’ll play for you 

Please, Miss Clarke

I can’t seem to function my inner brain 

Screwdrivers so sharp 

Now I’m scared

Miss Clarke, Miss Clarke, Miss Clarke 

Don’t take my heart away

Rush “The Body Electric” 1984

One humanoid escapee One android on the run Seeking freedom beneath the lonely desert sun

Trying to change its program Trying to change the mode, crack the code Images conflicting into data overload

Famous for their slow tempos and electronic sequences, they controvertially combined heavy and earthy hip hop beats with folk elements.

Having released a metric ton of albums (such as Nobody Expects the…, Bright side of Life, and The Conflict Shuffle), the band, to this day, refuses to tour outside of the US.

Based on some lyrics from the Genesis song “Back in NYC”, the concept album and stage show The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is about a Puerto Rican gangster named Rael trying to find where he belongs. The lyrics are difficult to interpret a solid meaning from as it plays around in allegory with surreal sci-fi and mythological scenes.  This was one of the lines I liked, though I have no idea what Peter meant by some of the words so I took a guess.

So, I’m starting a Prog Blog.  It’s one of the things I post that is very me but is a bit offtopic for my followers.  So let me make my case for my new blog :3

What is prog?

Basically any music that displays progression in the song.  While pop may be like A B A B C A B Prog is more like A B C D E F G H. Taken to an extreme though, Prog tends to be pretty experimental, spacey, and has been known to try to use a whole album as a concept, like retelling Lord of the Rings er something weird.  Other times it’s just playing on weird instruments and letting the music flow and change. 

IDK I never listened to it.  Will I like it?

If you watched JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, the ending theme of Phantom Blood is Prog Rock ( Roundabout, by YES ).  So if you like that you like prog.

If you like listening to videogame music, you might like prog.  All that squarewave sawtooth stuff?  Prog was doing that sound in the 60s and 70s on synthesizers, so it’s much like the precursor to what videogames would do.

If you like listening to ambient or background music, you might like prog.  Perhaps for drawing or relaxing, or maybe you like experiencing albums.

If you like songs that tell a story.  A lot of prog songs and albums are based on books and short stories or concepts made up by the artist.  Authors like Ayn Rand, Poe, Tolkien.  And if you like Fantasy and Science Fiction.  Prog has a lot of fantasy, sci fi, dystopian themes.  Songs about space, the future, or just strange things.

The Blog?

It’s over here - > Prog Temple

I don’t plan on updating it more than twice a week.  I listen to a lot of music at work and I get excited when I occasionally find a new cool prog album I haven’t heard yet.

Now I can safely post about prog, haha.