And why is it called that?

It's short for "progressive rock". It generally has a classical music base, and I think it was originally called "classical rock". The songs can be really long in some cases, maybe around 25 minutes, which would take up a whole side of an album. The songs also sometimes have Dungeons & Dragons/King Arthur/The Hobbit type lyric matter. The album art would be extravagant, with foldouts with paintings. Some acts would be ELP, Yes, the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, Curved Air, Van Der Graaf Generator, Rush, and others. Prog was more album based with concept albums around a certain theme. It wasn't really geared for Top 40 hit singles, but it would get played on FM Rock/AOR stations. Here's a prog site:

Prog Archives

[Edited 10/17/13 21:37pm]

scriptgirl said:

Renaissance

Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements (2009 BBC documentary)

Jethro Tull (1979 BBC Lively Arts Documentary)

Genesis: A History (1990)

(2011) A sweeping study, Beyond and Before argues that progressive rock is the most concentrated expansion of form in the history of popular music. The book traces the ways in which folk, blues, jazz, psychedelia and classical music of the 1960s were drawn together by progressive musicians, against a backdrop of technological innovation. Rather than pigeonholing progressive rock, the authors explain its diverse roots and argue that a fusion of musical styles and approaches defined the 1970s even after the assault of punk. These connections are grounded by close analysis of albums and key tracks, and an examination of performance and cultural contexts.

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Hegarty and Halliwell show that ‘progression’ underpins many subgenres of rock, including major progressive albums and bands of the 1970s, alongside neo- and post-progressive musicians from the 1980s to the 2000s. Featuring artists as diverse as Marillion, Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree and Midlake, Beyond and Before is ideal reading for anyone interested in exploring the history and meaning of progressive rock – in all its forms.

Here's an all female Japanese band called ARS Nova. (There's an earlier 1960's band with the same name, in case anyone looks for them)

I'd say the most famous example of Prog Rock is Pink Floyd. It's a genre defined by it's ambition and therefore often criticized for being pretentious and boring. The compositions are generally long and complicated, the lyrics often aim to be literary, abstract, philosophical, narrative based and\or Sci-Fi\Fantasy themed Often the music has a 'spacey', introspective and 'hypnotic' feel associated with 'deep contemplation' and therefore the genre is often associated with psychidelic drugs. The concerts often feature light shows

To put it bluntly, it's generally considered 'nerd' music. The rise of Punk is generally considered a direct backlash against the popularity of Prog Rock.

Oh and the most recent successful band who could be described as Prog (although I don't know if they embrace the term) is Tool (unless there's been another in recent years I haven't heard of). These days there's probably more Prog Metal than Prog Rock.

Plus King Crimson are another defining band of the genre.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer ~ Tarkus

Genesis: Melody Maker Sept. 28, 1974

Sonja Kristina Story (lead singer of Curved Air)

Hands {full album 1977}

1. Zombieroch (0:00)
2. Prelude #2 (4:16)
3. Triangle of New Flight (5:48)
4. Mutineer's Panorama (12:36)
5. World's Apart (15:45)
6. Dreamsearch (19:52)
7. Left Behind (29:40)
8. Mindgrind (35:40)
9. Greansoap (41:19)
10. I Want One of Those (43:44)
11. Antarctica (46:57)
12. The Tiburon Treasure (57:27)

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2001 interview with Hands keyboardist Michael Clay.

This tune Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft is by Klaatu, who were rumored to be the reunited Beatles in the 1970's.

Bands I've been turned on to just this year:

Dream Theater (new album released in September is fantastic!)

(spin offs) - Liquid Tension Experiment, Levin Minnemann Rudess, Winery Dogs, Chroma Key

Porcupine Tree / Steve Wilson

Pain of Salvation

Riverside

Tool

Primus (they're fun)

And co-signing with Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes

As primarily a jazz fan, what I love about prog is the complexity -- time sigs, chord progressions, the overall excellent musicianship. And as a singer, I'm constantly impressed with the depth of some of the lyrics in this music. It's more than I would have thought.

[Edited 10/21/13 13:07pm]

Progressive groups in Italy

Steve Hackett at 2012 Prog Awards

Squakett is a 2012 collabo album with Chris Squire (Yes) and Steve Hackett (Genesis).

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A Life Within A Day / Aliens

Yes released a bunch of important albums during their time with Atlantic Records. Next month, each and every one of them will be collected in a brand new 13-CD box.

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Due Dec. 24, the sensibly titled ‘The Studio Albums 1969-87′ rounds up remastered and expanded versions of the 12 albums the band released over that span, starting with 1969′s ‘Yes’ and concluding with 1987′s ‘Big Generator.’ Rhino Records, the label behind the ‘Studio Albums’ box, gave the band’s catalog the reissue treatment in 2003-04, and the vast majority of this set’s contents debuted during that series; the lone exception is the remastered and expanded ‘Big Generator,’ previously available only as a Japanese import.

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If the bulk of the music is nothing new to import-shy Yes enthusiasts, the package will still offer something new: artwork from Roger Dean, the artist who created the covers for many of the band’s most popular albums (and whose work has become largely synonymous with prog-rock records in general).

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Housed in a clamshell package, the box also includes a fold-out poster of Dean’s latest creation. It seems rather likely that most Yes fans already have these albums — and these versions of these albums — but if you’re looking to jump-start your Yes collection in one fell swoop, then ‘The Studio Albums 1969-87′ is obviously the way to go.

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Yes: The Studio Albums 1969-87

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Album Listing
Yes (1969)
Time and a Word (1970)
The Yes Album (1971)
Fragile (1971)
Close to the Edge (1972)
Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)
Relayer (1974)
Going for the One (1977)
Tormato (1978)
Drama (1980)
90125 (1983)