These aspirations towards high culture reflect progressive rock's origins as a music created largely by upper- and middle-class, white-collar, college-educated males from Southern England. The music never reflected the concerns of or was embraced by working-class listeners, except in the US, where listeners appreciated the musicians' virtuosity. Progressive rock's exotic, literary topics were considered particularly irrelevant to British youth during the late 1970s, when the nation suffered from a poor economy and frequent strikes and shortages. Even King Crimson leader Robert Fripp dismissed progressive rock lyrics as "the philosophical meanderings of some English half-wit who is circumnavigating some inessential point of experience in his life". Bands whose darker lyrics avoided utopianism, such as King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Van der Graaf Generator, experienced less critical disfavour.
these aspirations towards high culture reflect progressive rock's origins as a music created largely by upper- and middle-class white-collar college-educated males from southern england the music never reflected the concerns of or was embraced by working-class listeners except in the us where listeners appreciated the musicians' virtuosity progressive rock's exotic literary topics were considered particularly irrelevant to british youth during the late 1970s when the nation suffered from a poor economy and frequent strikes and shortages even king crimson leader robert fripp dismissed progressive rock lyrics as "the philosophical meanderings of some english half-wit who is circumnavigating some inessential point of experience in his life" bands whose darker lyrics avoided utopianism such as king crimson pink floyd and van der graaf generator experienced less critical disfavour