Any progressive rock fans here? How would you define it?

[Alexander]

Although I was born in the 80s, I love prog rock bands, particularly from the 1970s.

King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, ELP, Moody Blues, Deep Purple (early stuff is unquestionably prog), Queen (same as Deep Purple), & Rush (!) come to mind.

I also like some more modern stuff, like Radiohead, Mars Volta, etc., even though I think they "borrowed" much from some of these earlier bands.

There's also this Brazilian sorta-progish band a friend of mine listens to, "La M****" (I can't remember the name beyond that) - but they are really good and even manage to sound like Sgt. Pepper Beatles on a track or two.

So what I also want to know is, how would you define it? And what album really "started" the whole genre, if any? I have my own ideas but I'd like to hear others.

[Robeson]

1. I think it's a label that lumps too many groups together, that had....

...nothing similar to each other. I lived during that time, and one didn't think, this is a "prog rock" band. They were popular music, or they weren't. Some were as popular as many of the "classic" groups from that era are now. In the early 70's, Tull was as big as any group you can name, whether it was the Stones, Led Zeppelin, or whomever, and they weren't considered a particular genre, but were simply considered a great band, as were many others. I just don't buy the label thing.

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. The radio definition of 'progressive rock'

when those "classic rock" bands weren't yet classic didn't have as much to do with the genre as with what cuts were played. Stations like KSAN (supposedly the original PR station under Ben Fong-Torres), KSJO and KOME wouldn't be caught dead with "hits" in the rotation back then. But what happened was the inner cuts they did play became hits, so it was kind of chicken-and-egg.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. If it's Brazilian, it's highly unprobable it's named "La" anything

You're probably thinking of "Os Mutantes". Which was shamelessly prog.

Go check it out in your favorite terrorist anti-American genocidal Satanic P2P network. Then buy a CD. Used, of course.