"Come Sail Away" and the Commodification of "Prog Lite"
By Kevin Holm-Hudson
Although progressive rock has
traditionally been neglected or maligned by mainstream rock historians,
its influence on 1970s pop and rock was widespread. A number of artists
dabbled in more superficial elements of the genre, creating a subgenre
that might be labeled "prog lite." examples of prog lite include elton
John's synthesizer-laden "Funeral for a Friend," the mozartesque appropriations
of Abba's "S.O.S.," and even the Brian Wilson homage "Beach Baby" by the
British bubblegum-pop group First Class (which included an extended "symphonic"
coda based on sibelius's Fifth symphony). All of these songs were fixtures
of American radio during 1973-75, the time of progressive rock's commercial
heyday in the United States.
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