Whoever came up with the term "progressive rock" didn't do the genre any favours. It implies that the rest of rock is what? Regressive? (Another one is "intelligent dance music". It may well be accurate - artists like Autechre and Aphex Twin are brilliant, but it comes off as arrogant, I think you'll agree.) Now I doubt that the artists themselves are in favour of labels to begin with (which come about, for the most part, because some critics don't have much else to say), let alone ones like those mentioned above, but I do know that the concept behind much of prog rock has been much maligned, particularly by those with punkist sympathies (like me). The idea, which probably started with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, is that rock could be more ambitious and/or expansive in both technique and composition.

Well, like any genre of music, it's had its ups and downs. I would argue however, that no style of music should ever be dismissed out of hand. Listeners will cut themselves off from a lot of good stuff if they do. Good music takes effort and integrity; it's not the style that determines the quality. (I'm always shocked when someone tells me they don't like country music - particularly if they can't name a single George Jones song.) But a piece that you must hear (or hear again, as the case may be) came to mind recently when I wrote about Peter Gabriel and his leaving Genesis. "Supper's Ready" is a twenty-three-minute through-composed masterpiece that stands as an eloquent counter-argument to anyone who takes a swipe at the band - or the genre. (Particularly recommended is the "new stereo mix" version.)