Progressive rock and counterculture

Abstract

Progressive rock is, above all, "an expression of the optimistic, utopian, radical and transformative spirit of the 1960s" (Martin, 1998: 62). We use the expression "1960s" not in a chronological sense, but rather in a cultural sense, that is, to refer to a specific historical, political and social moment that lasted from the late 1950s to approximately 1975. It is the era of the counterculture, a concept that encompasses a whole series of movements, currents, ways of being, manifestations and expressions that questioned the values ​​of hegemonic culture. The 1960s were a time of tremendous cultural, political and social turmoil; a time of revolutionary and oppositional ideas, but also an optimistic time, during which a generation arose that believed in the possibility of a different world. Very soon, this generation found an excellent means of expression in art, especially in music, and more specifically in rock music, particularly in a certain type of rock: progressive rock. This, soon "was recognized as the major organ of communication of the counterculture", to such an extent that "progressive rock and counterculture are often perceived as inseparable things" (Whiteley, 1992: 1y ss). The objective of this article is to show the intimate relationship that exists between progressive rock and the ethos of the counterculture, which is reflected not only in the lyrics of the songs, but also in the musical and visual elements of the style.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3820864

References

MACAN, Edward. (1997). Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. New York: Oxford University Press.

MARTIN, Bill. (1998). Listening to the Future: The Time of Progressive Rock 1968-1978. Chicago: Open Court

MARTIN, Bill. (1996). Music of Yes: Structure and Vision in Progressive Rock. Chicago: Open Court

WHITELEY, Sheila. (1992). The Space Between the Notes: Rock and the Counterculture. New York: Routledge