Progressive rock/Prog rock is a genre I still enjoy listening. Mainly noted from the 1970's -- there have been a few bands that continue to play this vein of music. Example:

FLOWER KINGS
https://youtu.be/qsggiX4FDKY


Do you listen to any progressive rock music? If so, which bands/acts?

I get bored with it, for the most part. It just drones onandonandon...come down off the drugs already and END THE DADBLAMED SONG!

There are exceptions: I love Yes, Traffic, and The Alan Parsons Project. But the Moody Blues are meh at best (my favorite MB song is “In Your Wildest Dreams “) but I despise Pink Floyd’s and Bob Dylan’s songs with a purple passion. Whoever convinced Dylan to put down his pen and get behind a microphone should be summarily executed.

The Pink Floyd Sound and Rush are the only two progressive bands I listened to very much. (I listened to a fair bit of Dylan, but never would have mentioned him in this thread! )

Dylan is not prog rock.

I love progressive rock, among the bands who might be considered 'progressive' of whom I own at least some albums (I can be very selective and there are very few bands that I own their entire discography)

Rush
Pink Floyd
Early, Peter Gabriel era Genesis
King Crimson
Klatauu (a very obscure band from the 70's)
Hawkwind
Jethro Tull
King's X

One modern progressive band that you might not have heard of but might like is Spock's Beard

I also like progressive metal, including Fates' Warning, Queensryche and Iron Maiden (it is true that most people don't consider Iron Maiden to be a progressive group, but I defy anyone to provide a definition of 'progressive rock' that does not include Iron Maiden). I also think that Metallica and Megadeth, while probably not 'progressive' have albums that lean towards the progressive side of the scale.

Indeed, it could be said without exaggeration that Bob Dylan is neither progressive nor rock.

Nor a singer.

Progressive does not necessarily mean 'long songs', but at any rate, your lack of attention span is no measure of quality. What would you do with Beethoven's symphonies, some of which are 2 hours long? Or something like an opera, many of which can go on for 3 or 4 hours?

Enjoy them unabashedly, thank you very much, especially if it’s Beethoven or Wagner.

I have always enjoyed Bob Dylan, his song writing, singing, and art. His long success in those areas is undeniable.

Undeniable? Yes. Understandable? Never in a million years.

But in what universe is Bod Dylan's music 'progressive rock'?

This one: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rock

You're my wife's new best friend. Just thought you should know.

As for the prog rock classification by Wickedpedia Wikipedia, I suppose the Carpenters are acid rock pioneers after using a distorted guitar solo in Goodbye to Love (one of my all-time favorite songs, by the way).

The article doesn't say that Bob Dylan is a progressive rock artist. It says that one thing that defines progressive rock is poetic lyrics, such as the kind of poetic lyrics written by Bob Dylan. Poetic lyrics alone are not enough to qualify as 'progressive' and the article doesn't say that it is, it specifically says that to qualify as progressive an artist has to meet at least a few of a variety of characteristics, and not just one characteristic.

Among the characteristics that define progressive rock are

poetic lyrics (literally the only thing that Bob Dylan has in common with progressive rock)
extremely complex chord changes (Dylan? nope)
unusual time signatures (Dylan? nope)
a tendency to avoid the traditional 'verse/chorus' format and to make songs with no chorus or bridge (Dylan does this sometimes, but not often enough to call it a defining trait of his work)
dynamic contrast, which means, a tendency to organize songs so that they have an acoustic part and an electric part (does Bob Dylan do this? Not that I can tell)
Instrumentation, which means a tendency to either write a lot of instrumentals or to write songs with long instrumental portions between the parts with singing, or maybe a song might begin with a 3 or 4-minute instrumental portion before the singing begins. (again, Dylan doesn't do this)
the tendency to use unusual instruments that are not usually found on a rock album, such as an organ, a mellotron, or in the case of Jethro Tull a flute, or maybe even a full symphony (this definitely doesn't describe Bob Dylan's work)

I could go on, but the point is clear, despite the stereotype 'progressive', DOES NOT MEAN 'really long songs built around elaborate solos that emphasize technical skill

Could we argue Dylan was progressive folk? He did use a non-traditional instrument, namely, an electric guitar.

Anyway, I happen to enjoy at least some of his work. One of my favorite albums is Blood on the Tracks. He couldn't hold up to Pavarotti, but his voice suits his work.

If only you’d joined the board while I was still in Texas - I’d have loved to lit a stick, poured a glass of single-malt, and discuss the finer points of classic rock. Then again, f/s, 1H, and I waxed poetic about that for years and it never happened. If wishes were fishes, the K of C would have a fry, I guess. *sigh*

Bob Dylan is, along with the Beatles (Sgt Pepper) and the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds) a huge influence on the burgeoning progressive rock scene of the late 60's. But of course, none of those artists are progressive in their own right. Dylan was an inspiration because he writes poetic lyrics and tends to avoid the usual rock song cliches like songs about love, partying and teenage rebellion, and the Beatles and Beach Boys because they introduced a lot of interesting studio effects and wrote songs that were darker and more serious than what the other bands were talking about.

The more I think about it, the more I think that the Beatles directly inspired every single subgenre of rock that came after them up to about the rise of disco in the late 70's. 'Ticket to Ride' and 'I Feel Fine' were among the first heavy metal songs, 'Helter Skelter' was probably the first punk song, 'Get Back' initiated the 'garage band' movement, Sgt Pepper inspired progressive rock, while rockers like 'Old Brown Shoe', 'Revolution' and 'Yer Blues' prefigured the 'southern rock' movement. It's only when you get to disco and New Wave that you can say 'no, the Beatles never did a song like this'.


There is also the related question of whether or not psychedelic rock, like 'Green Tambourine', 'I Just Checked In To See What Condition My Condition Was In' or 'Journey to the Center of the Mind' are an example of early progressive rock songs merely an inspiration to later artists who would be described as progressive or a completely unrelated subgenre of rock.

Brian Wilson's acid period could easily be a prog rock influence.
https://youtu.be/ptxwWt2JeGQ
https://youtu.be/QQ2OKoLpNBM
https://youtu.be/xmqtvzUpxkg

I like a few of their works. Though Neal Morse interested me more with Transatlantic (This studio video is a good watch. Some humor with good playing.)

Speaking of progressive metal, I just saw John Petrucci (w/ G3 Tour) live last night in Boston. What an incredible technician on the guitar. He has a mastery of arpeggio's I could only dream to. He is a gifted Catholic musician.