While I still have a chance to make a reply-
anyone- and this even goes for quite educated people - who asks you what music you like and when you tell them say 'oh, that's rubbish' because it's not what they listen to.

Prog Rock has sired some of the greatest musicians and influenced many of today's rock bands and explored the boundaries of new recording and production techniques. Yes, it has spawned some pretty unwieldy monstrosities but then what music style hasn't? It has also provided some of the longest running bands in musical history... Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull for example- and of course Neil Peart is the world's greatest living percuissionist and I don't think anyone's better behind the (rack of) keyboards than Rick Wakeman.

Heavy metal and hard rock also has some of the most musically talented virtuoso performers whose technical proficiency is spellbinding to observe- Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Paul Gilbert, John Sykes and many others.

Electronica- well, it's OK not to not like Jean Michel Jarre but you better well not say he's 'rubbish' unless you can play him off the stage. And there are redeeming features to a sizeable minority of dance music tracks although I don't have a stack of dancey music CDs.

Jazz- the grand-daddy of modern pop and rock music- Buddy Rich, Bill Bruford, Carmine Appice- the thinking drummers' percussionists.

I am constantly fed up with people slagging off my taste in music and then expressing surprise when I say I don't really like Stereophonics, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys et cetera and I absolutely will not listen to Oasis. I don't call it rubbish, I just acknowledge that it's not to my taste and move on.

Oh, I've been brought up in a classical music household so have had classical blared at me for years and learned violin, piano, acoustic and electric guitar and bass and a smattering of trombone in my earlier years so I think I'm qualified to make the value judgements declared here :-)
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Wed 7 May 2008, 17:16, 10 replies)

Insipid noodlers
Over-proficient soul-less wibblers. I'd rather hear less technical music with raw energy and guts.

AC/DC fill my heart with joy. Yes fill my pants with poo.

Just my opinion, of course.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Wed 7 May 2008, 17:26, closed)

I liked Vanilla Ice
He had a good tune and now everyone says it was an embarrassment. He's a wife-beater now, you know.
(frankspencer, Wed 7 May 2008, 17:27, closed)

Jethro Tull
are one of my favorite bands. I love them.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Wed 7 May 2008, 17:29, closed)

The missus is going to see Joe Satriani this weekend
I'm pretty sure I'd be jealous if I understood
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Wed 7 May 2008, 17:30, closed)

Hello Jessie-luv
Imagine you're listening to a 33 record on 78 (like I used to when I were a bairn).

That's how much faster The Satch can play his guitar compared to bloody Oasis. And the tunes are better too...
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Wed 7 May 2008, 17:34, closed)

Oh aye
He's technically amazing, but with spirit!

I just realise that I can't fully comprehend his talents because my head just doesn't tune into that stuff. I can't play a single instrument, nor do I hear how complex a piece of music is.
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Wed 7 May 2008, 17:38, closed)

*raises hand*
I'm a Tull fan too. Well, I was - I hardly ever listen to them anymore, but I've seen 'em a few times, listened a lot in my youthful years, got the vintage t-shirts from my older relatives and have a signed photo of Ian Anderson and everything. And I obviously have no friends.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Wed 7 May 2008, 18:15, closed)

Woo - Prog Rock!
Well put, sir. And a click for the mention of Jean Michel Jarre too. I went to the Oxygene 30 years gig in Glasgow recently and came away highly impressed.

The contents of my iPod cause much mirth and head shaking in equal measure among my friends. Everything from ELO to ELP (in terms of genre, not in alphabetical order obviously as there wouldn't really be room for much else...) and Brubeck to Bruch.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 7 May 2008, 18:42, closed)

Why does prog rock get such a bad name?
Jethro Tull, Yes, King Crimson... they were all fantastic and did very unique things in music. They experimented and pushed boundaries. Is this not a good thing to do?

(My personal all-time fave is still Pink Floyd, though.)
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Wed 7 May 2008, 19:03, closed)

I'm a big Rush fan.
I listen to a lot of metal and the odd bit of prog. I also like a bit of AOR on occasion
And I'm continually amazed at the people who think "You're not into that shit are you?" is a good way to endear themselves to me.
Yes, I listen to something you don't like.
No, it's not very fashionable but thing is, I listen to stuff I actually enjoy.
No, I'm not going to change that because you disapprove.
Now fuck off and die.

Ps. There's maybe half a dozen rock drummers on the planet who should be allowed to do drum solos. Neil Peart is one of them.
(Big D, Wed 7 May 2008, 22:33, closed)