But, like, dude, how are any of these groups folk as opposed too.... poppy adult contemporary soft rock (with production values and runway basslines firmly dating it to the disco era)? Even wikipedia calls it Prog Rock (another euphamism, which only fits due to the synth flutes and flamboyant basslines); no mention of folk anywhere. I guess everyone just called it folk to feel better about themselves (prog also had a very sausage party stigma - just ask Rush); humourous code among fellow afficandos (cuz with prog you expect the odd number above 100bpm)? We are more enlightenned now, Uwe, and so I don't judge you for it - it's ok to be a switch (you're certainly into enough fistup bands), but I don't underestimate the machismo of the day. If anything more shameful for Gene to be into given his whole positioning (I wanna sip port in my easy chair all night, and tend my garden all day just doesn't have the same allure, but sure the smoking jacket could work).
To real Progsters, Renaissance ain't Prog enough, because the music is too pleasant (Karen Carpenter liked them!) and undemanding to listen to - not like, say, ELP or Jethro Tull or Van der Graaf Generator -; for true Folkies OTOH they have too lush and orchestral arrangements, even though they themselves cited Peter, Paul & Mary as an early influence. Some people refer to them as "symphonic art rock", as a predecessor in a way to bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation who added heavy metal guitars to the equation. I hear Brit Folk in their song structures which have very little Blues or Soul influence. The acoustic guitar is (sophisticated, not Kumbaya-) Folk too. The very classical piano and the neo-Squire-bass-playing plant them with one foot in Prog though. As does the drumming. (There is no electric guitar.)
But the easiest differentiation seems to be:
- girl singer wears long, flowing dresses and does not try to emulate a black voice = Folk;
- as above, but gowned girl sometimes trips over her dresses' seams trying to keep up with strange meters the drummer plays = Prog.
