Prog Rock is an interesting
genre. Sometimes a band (or song) can blow
you away with its imagination and musicianship.
Sometimes a band (or song) can leave you feeling, “What are they trying to prove?”
And reactions tend to be both
extreme, and extremely personal. One
person’s “Man, this is so good,” can be another’s “How can you even listen to that?”
My favourite bit of self-indulgent
showing off is Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull. You
may agree, laugh uproariously, or hurl as you see fit, but for me it’s an amazing tour de force, as complex as any classical symphony or opera.
The transitions from section to
section (and there are a lot of them) are seamless. The intricacy of the arrangement is
impressive. And the tightness of the
band is second to none.
Perhaps what’s most impressive, though, is that
those cats played the entire piece live (I saw them do so in 1973), and they
were just as tight as the record.
Love it or hate it, the one thing
prog rock will do is impress you with the skill of the musicians.
