I was never able to really get into prog, in general. I tried
For me, there's a universe of difference between 'prog' and progressive rock. For me, prog is what progressive rock mutated into.
Progressive rock, in my opinion, was, like heavy metal and jazz-fusion, an evolution. It began slowly with little, unusual experiments in songs {the way "I Feel Fine" starts, for example}, which more and more artists picked up on and began to expand. Psychedelia was a major signpost on the progressive road. A number of tributaries {psych, folk, folk-rock, classical, Indian, early world, even jazz} branched into the main river that became progressive. And despite what Andy Edwards says, this was happening on both sides of the Atlantic
and Europe, not just England.
I like quite a bit of early progressive rock {Blossom Toes, Fusion Orchestra, Forever More, Touch, Blue Mountain Eagle, the Moonrakers, for example} but most of the bands I like are groups that never really made it, that hardly anyone I know has heard of !
I played the hell out of ELP's "Tarkus" for months, for example. As much as I can appreciate the musicianship in all those bands, it never touched me on anything other than a superficial level
I could never get into ELP. I can just about tolerate "Jerusalem." In a way, it's bands like ELP that one really thinks of when the term 'prog' comes up. Overblown and deliberately complex music. It has its place, but not in my collection !
Not all progressive rock was that bombastic.
I also never understood any of Pete Gabriel's lyrics. They always just sounded non-sensical to me. "Me, I'm just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk"???? What the fuck is that?
Posh English middle-class boarding school boy meets LSD and realizes his band has an audience that likes their work !
My favorite Genesis album IS "Trick of the Tail"
I like all the stuff they did in the '70s, a bit of their '80s stuff and "I Can't Dance." I know, I know, it's the worst song ever....but I love it. I've never been into videos {I saw a good Frank Zappa one in 1983 on TV but I was stoned and it was late !} so their lame video for it had no impact on me or my liking of the song {or any song, for that matter}.
However, the album of theirs that I love is "Seconds Out." For me, it captures the best of both worlds where Genesis are concerned.