I certainly would not be surprised if there was a form of sexism existent within progressive rock communities, and I would most prominently attribute that to the fact that the ‘traditional’ progressive rock fans are middle aged men who grew up with Yes and Genesis in the 70s, and largely reflect the ideas of their generation. Whether that would factor into the votes placed on an online list…well, who knows.

Either way, though, I think it’s problematic to accuse something or someone of a form of bigotry without first understanding the full facts that concern it.

And I was talking to a female fan at a gig last weekend who told me this post said things that needed to be said.

I think calling the list sexist for its lack of female-inclusive bands is a bit of stretch. The more problematic aspect of the list is the lack of acknowledgement as to how many people actually voted, and how many votes each track received. It would not have surprised me if I was the only voter for the two tracks listed above.

When you’re just starting out, even negative publicity is good publicity, especially when it points out where you can improve.

I don’t know precisely what voting system you used, but it does look as though the favourites of the biggest subset of your voters crowded everything else off the list. It all depends on what you want to achieve, but a more “proportional” system might have produced a more diverse list. You’d still have had the same popular acts at the top, but the tail would have been more varied and interesting, and been a better advert for the current health of the progressive scene.

You may want to take a look at whatever voting system you use for future polls, as well as giving it a bit more publicity.

And if the “Classic Prog” results have no Curved Air or Renaissance, there will be trouble….

Progzilla Radio has been broadcasting for 3 months now, and we are lucky to include some of the most vibrant and interesting broadcasters and performers amongst our ranks. The fact that people voted at all in this poll, is a testament to our listeners, and the passion of the community at large.

I personally agree with Mr Hall that there should have been more female fronted artists in the Top 100 but that wasnt how people voted. I think when you look at the Top 10, it’s actually quite accurate. Transatlantic are an international supergroup combining the fan bases of four other established groups, and it’s easy to forget the impact Frost* had upon their debut. Marillion are the biggest cult band of the modern era, and Big Big Train are the heroes of the moment.

I look forward to the next poll we conduct featuring the pre 1990 classic era of Progressive Rock and that ‘difficult’ decade, the 1980s. Keep up the good work everyone

Second, if you really think the photos used to accompany concert reviews on this site are “sexist”, then you need to Google the term “slut-shaming”. Then consider the fact that I know many of the artists personally. All the photos used in reviews are taken and published with permission either of the artists themselves or from their management or promoters. If you really have a problem with anyone’s stage outfits I suggest you take it up with them.

Judging from the defensive reactions in these comments, I think this blog post has struck a raw nerve with a few people.