Musical ambition, cultural accreditation and the nasty side of progressive rock
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4305300 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jay Keister (University of Colorado Boulder), Jeremy Smith (0000-0003-4799-771X, University of Colorado Boulder), Jeremy L Smith |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 433-455 |
| Publication date | 2008-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Popular Music (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0261-1430 • E-ISSN: 1474-0095 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0261143008102227 |
| OpenAlex | W2020155001 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 5 |
Progressive rock of the early 1970s has been demonised as a nadir in the history of rock primarily because of the ambitions of progressive rock musicians. Critics have interpreted these ambitions as attempts to elevate rock music to the level of high art in order to gain cultural accreditation from an unspecified cultural elite. This interpretation is further compounded by the common notion that progressive rock's subject matter is dominated more by individualistic quests for spirituality than by socio-political critique, resulting in a stereotype of progressive rock as apolitical, pretentious and conventionally upwardly mobile. Critics who have propagated this stereotype - including some musicologists - have misunderstood the countercultural politics of young musicians during this era and have overlooked the highly developed musical poetics of progressive rock that were in fact highly politicised. This paper examines four of the leading progressive rock bands of the early 1970s - Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Genesis and Yes - and reveals the nasty side of progressive rock: a scathing criticism of rampant militarism and social conformity that runs counter to the prevailing narrative in which the genre is dismissed as an escapist fantasy with an elitist agenda
Aesthetics · Art · Literature · Musical · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Popular music · Rock music · Diverse Musicological Studies · History · Law · Music History and Culture · Musicology and Musical Analysis
| Unique citing works | 11 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,69 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2025 (16) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |