Echolyn and American progressive rock

Abstract

Beginning in the late 1960s and continuing through most of the 1970s, British progressiverock groups developed a style of music that privileged long, complicated pieces, employing a wide variety of musical techniques and features drawn from classical music. While the leading progressive rock groups were British, progressive-rock groups also formed in the United States. This study provides an overview of American progressive-rock bands since 1966, examining how these musicians attempted to blend elements of European art music 'with rock music. Musical excerpts f~m Starcastle, Kansas, Happy the Man, However, and U-Totem and others are considered. Recent music from the Philadelphia-band progressiverock quintet echolyn is placed in the context of 1970s and 80s American progressive rock; analysis of portions of A Suite for the Everyman (1992) and Letters (1995), informed in part by scores and sketches provided the author by the group, detail how echolyn employs artmusic compositions] techn/ques in a rock setting in a way that blends "symphonic-prog" and "avant-prog" approaches.

Retrospective Consecration Beyond the Mainstream: The Creation of a Progressive Rock Canon

“…It is a genre whose musicians (and fans) aspire for the creation of timeless art by combining rock music with other forms of music—such as fusing rock with elements of classical music, jazz, and so on (Anderton, 2010; Dowd et al, 2016). This intention materialized amid political unrest of the 1960s that spurred the rise of a youth counterculture: certain musicians and fans sought a type of rock music that would offer artistic statements worthy of the time and would speak in some way to the seismic shifts occurring socially and politically (Anderton, 2009; Atton, 2001; Bennett, 2009; Covach, 2000). Initially, “progressive rock” was invoked to describe rock music with artistic leanings rather than a specific genre (Bowman, 2002).…”

“…Initially, “progressive rock” was invoked to describe rock music with artistic leanings rather than a specific genre (Bowman, 2002). According to Anderton (2009), Covach (2000), and Macan (1997), those initially exemplifying this artistic turn included The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Moody Blues, Procul Harum, and Frank Zappa.…”

“…Some view The Beatles and those aforementioned as forerunners to progressive rock (e.g., Macan, 1997). Others treat some of these early musicians as squarely in the genre-particularly, the late-period Beatles, The Moody Blues, and Zappa (e.g., Anderton, 2010;Covach, 2000;Hegarty & Halliwell, 2011). Many specialists nevertheless agree that prog arose and flourished from the late 1960s onward, with some noting the "first wave" of prog that went to the early 1980s (Dowd, 2013(Dowd, , 2014b.…”

“…The geographic origins of prog are more clear-cut than its chronological origins. Many point to the United Kingdom (especially England) as its seedbed and note that prog spread quickly to other nations (Anderton, 2009(Anderton, , 2010Covach, 2000;Schmidt & Holder, 2010). Decades later, the United Kingdom continues to have an outsized impact in terms of the number of progressive rock performers it produces, the global circulation of those performers, and the critical attention they receive beyond the United Kingdom (Dowd et al, 2016).…”

Lost in the city: Yes's ‘Heart of the Sunrise’ and the expansion of musical expression in rock

“…15–29; Hicks 1999, pp. 58, 64; Covach 2000; 2012, pp. 255–94, 318–20; Hegarty and Halliwell 2011, pp.…”