Progressive Rock 2

By Stefano Orlando Puracchio

Progressive Rock 2. Boundary Lines: a work that from its title approaches prog-rock’s lesser-known and unclassifiable territories. The aim of this book, after the classics of the first volume, is to explore names, surroundings and subgenres less familiar to us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stefano Orlando Puracchio
• Release date: Apr 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9788890927133

Book preview

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​1. Preface

Hooray!

It has been more than forty years and we are still here to talk about Prog. Prog, of all things! I personally had never heard of Progressive Rock at the beginning of the 70s, when my fellow adventurers and I, caught by an irresistible desire to play and express ourselves, sought out new musical languages and formed a band that we liked to call Metamorfosi.

Prog, short for Progressive Rock, is a label that we were given many years later in an attempt to bring together into a single stream all the musical groups that were seeking new forms of expression at that time. In reality, the styles that  derived from research and the miscellaneous formed by the most varied genres and that characterised the musicality of each band were very different from each other. In my opinion, this was so that they could not be grouped into a single current. The only point they had in common was research.

It is nice to talk about it now and observe that later generations have given so much attention to that period. This second book by Stefano Orlando Puracchio bears witness to this fact.

The layout is mainly based on interviews with musicians, leaving them the task of describing that historical period through their experiences, their work and their musical paths. This leaves the novice entering the world of 'Prog' wide freedom of interpretation without having to undergo a list of names, dates, judgements and prejudices typical of authors we find in this field of publication. The expert, however, will draw enjoyment and enrich his knowledge with the opinions of the protagonists in the following interviews containing the author's well-structured and stimulating questions.

I also find very pleasing the almost fictionalised style of the description of the meetings with the musicians, filled with details and the atmosphere of the places where these occurred, full of sensations and considerations that make for nice, smooth reading.

This new endeavour by Puracchio stands out for its simplicity, relaxedness and the comprehensiveness with which the topics are addressed, as well as the complete and detailed analysis of the history and of the episodes involving the characters and events of our beloved world of Prog.

Enrico Olivieri

2. Introduction (and the required premises)

This book is a continuation of my first book: Progressive Rock - a handbook, published last year in e-book format. This text will address issues and topics that I have not seen fit to include in the first book, so as to prevent the guide from becoming too difficult for the reader.

Why have I decided to broaden the discussion on Progressive Rock? So that it can be more complete. Although my first book stands well on its own, with these additions you can, in my opinion, reach a greater understanding. Not a 360-degree view but you will certainly have a better understanding.

My first book has received very good reviews since its publication over a year ago. Among the many impressions gathered, I want to point out a part of what Riccardo Storti wrote for Counterpoints - Notebook of the Research Centre for Italian Progressive (Contrappunti - Quaderno del Centro Studi per il Progressive Italiano) - in the winter issue of 2014/15:

Beyond any personal level that one may advance about some of the details, this new book on Prog has an undeniable merit in terms of setting. The humility of the author. He does not climb onto a podium and preach, he just wants to disclose and does so with common sense.

These words have been the source of greatest satisfaction to me. Storti has understood the deepth of motivation that led me to begin my personal adventure to spread Progressive Rock in the way I thought most fitting.

The spirit, in this second book, has remained unchanged: I wish to continue spreading information. Obviously, since I firmly believe that one should always try to improve (and to improve oneself), compared to the first volume, Boundary lines represents a step forward. I will not go back to some of the concepts that I will assume to have been assimilated. Instead, I will be more thorough on other matters that deserve to be examined in more detail, First among these is the definition of Progressive Rock.

Without wanting to bother semiologists and linguists, what is called, in technical jargon, process of significance is something that is in constant and continuous movement. What does significance mean? We can understand through this example.

We all know what a dog is. We could say, very quickly, that it is a four-legged animal that barks. When we see a dog, whether it be a Great Dane or a poodle, we distinguish it from a cat and a bird. The cat has four legs but meows while the bird has two legs, two wings and chirps. So, we are able to distinguish dogs, cats and birds and we are even able to establish that an animal like the Great Dane is part of the same category of a small dog like a Poodle. However, when we see a dog of a breed unknown to us, our brain takes a little time 'to catalogue the animal. Although we think we know what a dog is, every time we see a different dog - which does not fully fit into our cataloguing standards - we need to fix (even slightly) our concept of a dog. Here, even if in a simple context like that of dogs we need some time to distinguish certain dogs from other dogs and then, dogs from cats and dogs from birds, think how long it could take - and how exhausting it could be at times - to do this with more complicated things, such as machinery, philosophical themes or even music, which includes, incidentally, our Progressive Rock.

The process of significance of Progressive Rock, like many other things, it is not fast and has not been without discussion or strong criticism. This is why I believe it is right, after trying to give the reader a possible reading key for Prog, to provide some boundary lines in the same way. Points on the horizon to help the reader to better manage in this fantastic and imaginative world. Obviously, I ought to specify that this process should be seen as a game. A game of discovery to pass the time, time spent enriching one's own culture.

How is this book structured? The first two chapters are very conversational and pick up the theme of Hungarian Prog that I had mentioned in the appendices of the first book. In the next chapter, I will talk with an expert about the new Pink Floyd album entitled The Endless River. In the chapter with the same name as the subtitle of this book, I will address the analysis of a few groups that are very representative of the balance between being or not being Progressive. In the seventh chapter, I will provide a quick look on the experience of Neo (or New) British Progressive. A remarkable time leap will follow, arriving to two contemporary bands: Periferia del Mondo and Unreal City. We will then arrive at the final part with a review of the last disc of Metamorphosi: Purgatorio, which concludes a trilogy begun more than 40 years ago. Finally, an interview with Toni Fidanza (conductor of the Orchestra Contemporanea) on his collaboration with some members of Gentle Giant. Do not forget the appendix: a quick look at North American Prog (with an exclusive interview with Rich Williams of Kansas).

Many topics, many situations, many stories. In wishing you a good read, I would remind you that I will keep with the same style of the previous book: I will not be a painter, rather a bricklayer who attempts at painting. So if the picture will be pleasant - although not exceptional – I will have achieved a considerable result.

SOP

PS: Compared to the first book, I have lingered a lot on the interviews in this text. I believe that the protagonists of the Story are the ones who should always have priority, especially on historians, writers, journalists, warm, scribes... call us what you will. Between an explanation made by the same musician and mine, I always favoured the musician's.

PPS: It is highly recommended to listen to the songs and albums mentioned in the book and to read simultaneously.

​3. Mini! Mini!

Omega and Solaris, murmured Bihon Győző, a Hungarian painter, when I told him that, in my first book on Progressive Rock, I had spoken of two Hungarian bands. The artist looked at me exclaiming: Mini! Mini! If you want to talk again of Hungarian Progressive Rock, this time, you cannot exclude Mini.

May 2014. I am in the town of Szentendre, Hungary, on the banks of the Danube. I'm chatting amiably with Bihon Győző about the possibility of having one of his illustrations for the cover of my new text on Progressive Rock. Bihon, an esteemed artist, is in the main square of Szentendre during the summer to sell his work. I had already had the opportunity of appreciating his work months ago, when I was trying to find a cover for the first book. I had seen one of his works exhibited which was very evocative: a Don Quixote represented in a dreamlike and highly imaginative atmosphere. At the time I thought, I can't afford this now, I'll come back another time. Well, that piece was eventually sold. I went back again to Szentendre to talk to Bihon to commission him, this time, for an original piece.

I could not have chosen a better place to find an artist. Szentendre, a town about twenty kilometres from the Hungarian capital Budapest, is known for being a very prosperous and important art centre. The town is also known for being a favourite tourist attraction. At a stone's throw from Budapest, you can immerse yourself in a peaceful and quiet town, surrounded by old buildings and loads of history. Along the beautiful Danube (in reality more green than blue) you can eat typical dishes and sip good drinks, but there's obviously much more. Listen to the words of Eszenyi Judit, a tour guide:

When the name of Szentendre is mentioned, personal experiences and overwhelming emotions come to mind, combined with the surprise and fascination expressed by the thousands of tourists visiting the town, so it is difficult for me to provide an impartial description.

The romantic atmosphere of Szentendre is not only captured by the chirping crickets in summer and by people who walk hand in hand, but also by the narrow streets, stone-framed windows, the heavy wooden or wrought iron gates, small shops and the melodies of street musicians.

Rich in history, since the twentieth century the town has become a haven for young artists who wanted to make Szentendre famous. Real art colonies were created. Among the many artists: Jen ő Barcsay, B é la Cz ó bel (friend of Picasso) and K á roly Ferenczy. The artists' works are shown in different museums, dedicated to each of them. The most important function of art galleries is to give support to the city's traditions.

Set in this context, the words of Bihon made me think. Mini ... obviously I already knew the band's work and not just what was written in PROG 40, a very comprehensive guide (I have added some small adjustments):

The first album of Mini [Vissza a v á rosba], published in 1978, surprised the public for their approach to a particularly elaborate progressive jazz, with good initiatives on keyboards and especially the ingenious inclusion of the flute in all of the most delicate melodies. With their next album Ú ton a F ö ld fel é there were no substantial novelties, while the live Mini koncert of 1980 allowed the band to show off all their potential in concert, which was full of improvisations and homages to gender fusion, all played with incredible energy. The same energy flows in 25 é v Rock a live anthology published in 1993, confirming their great capacity to perform in public.

The passion that shone from Bihon's suggestion eventually convinced me: Alright, let's get a hold of Mini, which meant I had to contact the band leader, vocalist and flutist Török Ádám.

The quest was not particularly difficult at the beginning. I went onto Török's website and looked for the first concert date of this live musician. Here it is: the festival of the families of Göd. The festival of the fami ... what? Göd? Oh my God!

We will arrive in Göd in just a minute. Firstly, though, I would like to mention something I noticed while looking at Török's live dates. The leader of Mini has an intense concert schedule and when I say intense, I mean that he never seems to stop. Solos, duos, trios, with the old and with the new Mini... in short, in any place and in any way, Török Ádám performs throughout Hungary.

Göd is a town of about 20 thousand inhabitants located on the Danube. More or less it is almost at the same altitude as Szentendre, only it is located on the opposite bank, on the Pest side. In addition, from Göd you cannot see Szentendre (and vice-versa).This is because, on the Danube between Szentendre and Göd there is an island called Szentendrei-sziget, or the island of St.