This may sounds a bit strange since most people think I am an enemy of Progarchives. Well, I am not. I use ProgArchives most days. ProgArchives has meant a lot to me and still means a lot to me. It is one of those online places which has changed my life. Due to circumstances mostly out of my control, I had to leave ProgArchives and a lot of other places earlier this year. 75 % of my life was turned around during a period of a few weeks. Initially, leaving ProgArchives had nothing to do with ProgArchives. But I have to admit I don't miss the bureaucracy and the non-music stuff which my time in PA was filled with at the end. I was very relieved when I could return to listening to music and then writing about it in my own blog. That is what I like so much about my own review blog. Music.
I joined ProgArchives because of my interest in music. At that time, I was a fan of Rush, Saga, Focus, Dream Theater, Genesis and the more symph prog, melodic and metal end of the progressive rock world. ProgArchives has 21 different prog rock genres if my memory serves me right. I looked upon the likes of Soft Machine, Magma, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Univers Zero and the other more avant-garde with a mix of sheer horror and bemusement. I started to explore them by first getting Caravan's excellent In The Land Of Grey And Pink album. An album I really loved/still love. The slippery slide took me through The Tangent's excellent Not As Good As The Book album before I went through Gentle Giant, King Crimson and a lot of other bands before I ended up as a Soft Machine and Magma fan. I had a lot of fun in this slippery slide towards them and now the ultimate in prog rock: The Japanese zeuhl bands. I have also become a jazz and fusion fan. I now barely listen to the bands who made me interested in ProgArchives now. I no longer have any interest in Dream Theater and progressive metal. I have not been listening to Rush, Genesis and Focus for ages.
All this due to the tempting, inviting ProgArchives front page. I have a lot to be grateful towards ProgArchives for, indeed. And I am still on a musical journey. Mostly by using ProgArchives as a guidebook on this journey.
No, I am by no means an enemy of ProgArchives. I am happy with my blog though as I am only in this because of the music and nothing else. You see, exploring different music and sounds is intellectually stimulating. In particular; exploring avant-garde and zeuhl. I also love to write about this music. I love to find and write about new and old hidden gems. It keeps my brain cells well lubricated. This has a very good effect on my health.
In other words: ProgArchives deserves an ode or ten. And I will forever be grateful to everyone involved in ProgArchives. Their names are too many to be mentioned here. But they know who they are and they know I owe them, big time. I raise my coffee mug to them and their work in ProgArchives. Keep up your good work and keep ProgArchives up to date. Keep on adding those bands.
Torodd
July 2012
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