The Birth of Progressive Rock This column should be started, of course, with the birth of Progressive Rock. Indeed, 1966 with the "Revolver" of The Beatles can be regarded only as "embrionic" period. The year was a turning point for the band, when, so tired of the Beatlomania, they gave up the concerts, and the studio works has showed their gigantic growth in comparison with the semi-pop period in the first half of of the '70s. All right, the merits of the Beatles should not be underestimated, for it was them who opened the door to a more complex music. In the second half of the decade the Beatles' style can be marked as an excellent Hard'n'Art, for sure, quite real Protoprogressive, but exactly the true Progressive Rock, two years earlier before the appearance of that genre as a separate flow in Rock Music, was performed by Pink Floyd. How much Syd Barrett, a drug addict, has paid for the creation of the new music, you're knows well. But it has happened. What was it - the will of Heaven? At all, this musician must have a serious Karma, though maybe this just is what his "earthly" design for? At any rate, it's a pity that Barrett's role in the genesis of Prog Rock is paid almost no attention to. Within the atmosphere of the albums of that time "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" looks like an alien body, so unusual is the music of the album. The "Planetary Mistycizm" intended by Barrett, or confided in him carried in itself something unearthly, mysterious, enigmatical. Up to now I listen to this disc with a great pleasure, and as time goes by it is loses none of its attractive power. The readers must excuse me, but I personally take "The Dark Side of the Moon" - "the Rock album of all times" for a rather simplified Hard'n'Bluese album with a very bright, but there are a psychedely was typical for the first two albums, is reduses to a skillful usage of the sound effects only, but it is not so inhered in the construction of compositions. Strictly speaking, a psychedely as it is was disappeared already after "A Sauserful of Secrets" album mostly composed by Roger Waters under a strong influence of the debut album, and partially of Barret's ideas. A psychodely looks partially through again on "Animals", though, on the whole, this is the most progressive album from Pink Floyd. I don't insist, but merely advise, suggest: turn your look back, listen the first two albums once more. Can't such things as Interstellar Overdrive (1967) and the titletrack of 1968 to strike one's imagination? And who're else from the surrouding performers has approached then such a subtle compositions? The "Animals" and both these debut albums are remains for me till now the most valuable their works, although I would not to dispute a powerful impact of the beautyful albums of 1971,1973, 1975, and 1979 years, and also consider them almost a masterpieces. Each of them sounds simphonically yet very differently than previous one, with those the band has opened up a new horizons for Prog, as well as the new facets of its talents. Last year Prog turned 30... Now it's a grown-up and clever man, that experienced his hard transitional period in the '80s, now standing on his strong feet. October, 1998

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