We wanted to identify what makes Generation X different from other generations. Many books that lay bare this question, but the one that informed most of my thoughts about Generation X was the book Generations by Jean M Twenge. Twenge did not make any real statements about the music of the generation. Instead, she identified differences mostly based on how we interacted with different technologies. For instance, Generation X is the last generation to grow up on analog music and the first to experience digital. We were the first generation to experience MTV which changed the face of music as we knew it. There are many more data points that Twenge pointed out that provide the parameters for Generation X. However the questions I wanted to answer were more related to the content we listened to.
What music defined Generation X? When we started creating our music, what were the trends we created? What impact did Generation X have on our beloved prog rock? Some of the answers may be contained here in this episode, in short, the results of my findings in this all-too-brief exploration of generational music were:
Regardless of the generational divide that seems to show up in culture wars, there is no escaping that the music we listened to growing up came from the previous generation. Progressive rock itself is a Boomer genre of rock music. We grew up on Classic Rock, Punk, and 80s pop. When Generation X did start speaking musically, we developed Grunge, and Hip-Hop. However, on the prog side, we had prog metal and post-rock. The earliest rock music from Generation X appears to have been Gun's and Roses (although some members just miss the identified cutoff). The earliest band to speak prog that was a Generation X fronted band, was either Majesty (later known as Dream Theater) or Echolyn.
The episode provided here is not even close to answering all of the questions, but the research and theme did make for some enjoyable listening. We hope you enjoy this all-too-brief dive into this question.
ArtistTitleDurationAlbumYearPorcupine TreeTime Flies11:39The Incident2009FoghatSlow Ride8:10Fool For The City1975KansasMiracles Out Of Nowhere6:17Leftoverture1976StyxSnowblind4:46Paradise Theater1981GenesisLand Of Confusion4:41Invisible Touch [Remix]1986YesOur Song4:07901251983RushBetween The Wheels5:29Grace Under Pressure1984Peter HammillLosing Faith In Words3:35A Black Box1980Adrian BelewThe Lone Rhinoceros3:56Lone Rhino1982MarillionChelsea Monday8:14Script for a Jester's Tear1983PendragonThe Black Knight9:50The Jewel1985Blind MelonTones of Home4:21Blind Melon1992Foo FightersEverlong4:05The Colour and the Shape1997Blind MelonTones of Home4:21Blind Melon1992Foo FightersEverlong4:05The Colour and the Shape1997RadioheadExit Music (For a Film)4:21OK Computer1997Smashing PumpkinsPorcelina of the Vast Oceans8:54Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness1995MuseSupremacy4:51The 2nd Law (Deluxe Edition)2012Echolyn215:37Suffocating the Bloom1992Kevin GilbertGhetto Of Beautiful Things4:48The Shaming of the True2000PhishMonsters5:09Evolve2024Big Big TrainWelcome to the Planet6:30Welcome to the Planet2022Dream TheaterLight Fuse And Get Away7:15When Dream And Day Unite1989Pain of SalvationIdiocracy7:03Scarsick2007ThresholdThe Latent Gene7:57Clone1998RiversideFriend or Foe?7:23ID.Entity (Deluxe Edition)2023Moon Safari198X (Heaven Hill)3:51Himlabacken Vol. 22023The TangentParoxetine - 20mg7:39Down And Out In Paris And London (Limited First Edition)2009Frost*The Boy Who Stood Still7:33Day And Age2021AnathemaSummernight Horizon4:06We're Here Because We're Here2010