Roots of "Progressive Rock"?

[cangurutopia]

I want to know who began to use the word "Progressive Rock", so that I'm asking when the word "Progressive Rock" was used in other countries.
The word first appeared in Japan on the 'OBI' (advertisement paper belt on LP jacket) of Pink Floyd / Atom Heart Mother(OP-80102) in 1970. The OBI said "The road of Pink Floyd is the road of progressive rock". Ishizaka Keiichi, a publicity agent of Toshiba in those days, wrote this short sentence but he didn't remember where he quoted the word "Progressive Rock" from.
When did you begin to use the word "Progressive Rock" in your country from? Are there any reliable reference about who first named "Progressive Rock"?

[Idisaffect]

1967.

[moom]

I think they call it "progressive" because it indeed was a progressive, very new style at the time (late 60's). Bored by 2-3 minute love-songs, musicians were desperate to try something new, so that was the time when a lot of new genres got born - hard-rock, psychedelic-rock, space-rock, progressive-rock... As they were newborn, they often had similar properties. For example, to me, the genius of Jimi Hendrix is that I can never figure out in his jams when he's playing blues-rock, when - psychedelic, and when - hard-rock.

I dunno when Estonians, or even any ex-Soviet country started using the definition of "progressive-rock".

[J Ed]

theres a a1968 Dutch radio interview with Roger Waters, its part of a boot usually known as the VPRO rebroadcast,
Roger is asked if theres such a genre as "progressive rock or progressive pop" and if so if the floyds are part of it
Roger responds by saying yes, and contrasting their music with such pop acts as Englebert Humperdinck

so the term must have been in use before then
groups like the Byrds the Beach Boys the Mothers and the Velvets all began artifying rock music in america 2-3 years previously, and it usually takes a chunk of time before the critics come up with a label
by 1968 every mediocre wannabe rockgroup was incorporating sitars and string sections into the mix

[oz1701]

by 1968 every mediocre wannabe rockgroup was incorporating sitars and string sections into the mix

like the Beatles you mean?

[danielcaux]

The Beatles were adding notable progressive elements to their music since 'Rubber Soul' I guess, that was around 1965?
'Norwegian Wood', 'In My Life', 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Strawberry Fields', 'A Day in the Life' all pre-1967 come to my mind.


Here is an interesting essay about "Progressive Rock, 'Close to the Edge', and the Boundaries of Style".

[zag]

Even Black Sabbath´s first album was prog, that´s what the music press said

so I guess the meaning for "progressive" music was wide open, even in the beginning.

[J Ed]

the question was when was the term first used?

I did some Google searching with strings like "first use of", "origin of the term", etc
and found info on the first use of the terms "heavy metal", "jam band" and "punk rock"
the latter term was supposedly first used in a 1971 essay by Lester Bangs called "Psycotic Reactions and Carburator Dung", describing the garage bands of the 60s, and shortly after used by Lenny Kaye in the liner notes of the Nuggets compilation

but I couldnt find such info on the term "progressive rock"

[zag]

the question was when was the term first used?

yea, I know. But I don´t the answer


At my side of the north pole we used the word artmusic when polka and schlager musicians started using floppy hats and some electric instruments and made their music as an... art ? When ? Maybe in summer 1966 ?
The word "progressive" is naturally exported.

[BeeJay]

Was Kunte Kinte in a rock band?

[mosespa]

The Beatles were adding notable progressive elements to their music since 'Rubber Soul' I guess, that was around 1965?
'Norwegian Wood', 'In My Life', 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Strawberry Fields', 'A Day in the Life' all pre-1967 come to my mind

Strawberry Fields and A Day In The Life are not pre-1967.

They both came out in '67.

Other than that, though...good post.

[oz1701]

doubtful as to the veracity however progressive freedom reckon the phrase progressive rock was first coined in 1969.
http://www.storyofpop.com/progressivefreedom.html

[moom]

Roger responds by contrasting their music with such pop acts as Englebert Humperdinck

Wasn't it said in Rome, at Rome Goes Pop (?) festival ?
Btw - URL Engelbert Humperdinck

[wiped]

Was Kunte Kinte in a rock band?

- I expected that gag from Gary Green

[J Ed]

Roger responds by contrasting their music with such pop acts as Englebert Humperdinck

Wasn't it said in Rome, at Rome Goes Pop (?) festival ?

indeed it was a broadcast of First European International Pop Festival, Piper Club, Rome, Italy. May 6th, 1968, broadcast on the Dutch station VPRO
see here
the interviewer has a dutch accent
here is a transcription of the interview:
[ROGER: I would say that Rome is an absurd place to organize a pop festival you know. If it would've been me I would never have picked Rome you know. Ah... Anyway you know it's not you know, it's not a sort of pop-pop festival, if you see what I mean you know. If I was organizing a pop festival in England and wanted to make money and draw big crouds you know, I'd have on ah... well all the people have sold alot of records in England this you know is Engelbert Humperdink and old people like that you know, and those are the people who should really be playing in a pop festival. If the ... wants to fill the place, now if he doesn't. If he wants to cated to a minority audience then, well I'm certainly in Rome, this evenings alot of groups anyway where I don't know about the italian groups or their association, but anyway the groups in the first half, really a minority, well The Move possibly not, but The Nice and us are certainly a minority appeal you know, and we should be playing in much smaller clubs where there aren't these bloody television lights shining you know. We couldn't use our lightshow at all, it was obvious as soon as we arrived. We decided not to use it because we were gonna have a real hassle within.]
[INTERVIEWER: Yes, like you think there is a new kind of, let's call it experimental or progressive pop music emerging which appeals to a certain, a little bit older public than usual public?]
[ROGER: Yeah, there is.]
[INTERVIEWER: And which is especially on LPs?]
[ROGER: Yeah, definetely.]