Progressive rock is a genre for artists who want to push the envelope and make their music more complex, intricate, experimental, and challenging. It was an outgrowth of psychedelic rock but also incorporated elements of classical and art rock.
Themes have included nature, politics, death, society, and philosophy. Some bands that have been labeled as progressive rock are King Crimson, Pink Floyd (whose album “The Dark Side of the Moon” is seen by many as a key example), Yes (whose album “Close to the Edge” is also seen as a key example), Emerson Lake& Palmer (whose album “Brain Salad Surgery” is also seen as a key example), Rush (whose album “Hemispheres” is also seen as a key example) and Genesis.
The roots of the progressive rock genre can be traced back to the late 1950s and early 1960s, and it was pioneered by bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks and many more.
