Prog Rock Essential Listening

68camaro
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:16 pm

Since this just came up on the Off Topic Forum, I figured I might weigh in with some Essential Listening for the Progressive Rock fans out there. The roots were in the late 60s but I will start with the Big 5, in alphabetical order so as not to create any preconceived biases-

Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Genesis
Gentle Giant
King Crimson
Yes

Most of these changed direction by the late 70s (Stayin' Alive!) but this is a good start. More on some of my favorite less known bands soon.

Neil


Chasplaya
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:17 pm

Heard of them all except Gentle Giant.


BigBear
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:42 pm

Neil wrote:
Since this just came up on the Off Topic Forum, I figured I might weigh in with some Essential Listening for the Progressive Rock fans out there. The roots were in the late 60s but I will start with the Big 5, in alphabetical order so as not to create any preconceived biases-

Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Genesis
Gentle Giant
King Crimson
Yes

Most of these changed direction by the late 70s (Stayin' Alive!) but this is a good start. More on some of my favorite less known bands soon.

Neil

Neil- that is a great start to progressive rock but King Crimson and ELP are almost the same. For Greg Lake it wasn't much of a jump!

But there are others more worthy of inclusion on your Top 5 list, of course IMHO, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull.

Others that were close or perhaps Top 10 include Traffic, the Moody Blues, Barkley James Harvest.

Others of note: Camel, Wishbone Ash, Electric Light Orchestra, Marillion, Gong, the Nice and a few others.

Prog rock was a great time in music. It was musical excessive in the extreme but it was fresh and enveloping! I really miss it! :cheer:


Chasplaya
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:51 pm

Gentle Giant- the most incredible of them all! But here are some of the others who have albums I really like-

Alquin
Anglagard (90s)
Bacamarte
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
Camel
Caravan
The Flower Kings (90s)
Focus
Glass Hammer
Happy The Man
Harmonium
Hatfield & The North
Isildur's Bane (90s)
Kaipi
Kayak
Le Orme
Mike Oldfield
Osanna
PFM
Quidam (90s)
Renaissance (Probably the best of all!)
Simon Says (90s)
Spock's Beard (90s)
Supersister
The Tangent (90s)
Tempano
Transatlantic

Enough for now, but these are all artists I admire for one reason or another.

Neil

P.S. I am, of course omitting some great progressive bands that can almost be considered mainstream now-

Jethro Tull
Pink Floyd
Traffic
and a few others.


Lavallee
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:28 pm

I unfortunately do not know most of what Neil has listed even though I grew up in the same years, but for me the ultimate where Pink Floyd and Genesis (with Peter Gabriel). The quality of their music was so unique and above pretty much everybody else which seemed limited to boom badaboom compare to Genesis and Pink Floyd. I could listen to these 2 groups over and over and still discover new stuff.

Marc


Lavallee
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:37 pm

I also like Alan Parsons Project (who was the sound engineer on Dark Side of the moon)who started later than the other ones. Antoher one who is rarelly mentioned is Steve Windwood. He is not progressive rock but certainly interesting


wiley
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:39 pm

Neil wrote:
Gentle Giant- the most incredible of them all! But here are some of the others who have albums I really like-

Alquin
Anglagard (90s)
Bacamarte
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
Camel
Caravan
The Flower Kings (90s)
Focus
Glass Hammer
Happy The Man
Harmonium
Hatfield & The North
Isildur's Bane (90s)
Kaipi
Kayak
Le Orme
Mike Oldfield
Osanna
PFM
Quidam (90s)
Renaissance (Probably the best of all!)
Simon Says (90s)
Spock's Beard (90s)
Supersister
The Tangent (90s)
Tempano
Transatlantic

Enough for now, but these are all artists I admire for one reason or another.

Neil
Alphabetical order too! I'm guessing you were looking at your well organized 5,000 LP collection when you made this list? ;)


TGMatt
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:39 pm

Tangerine Dream ?


Lavallee
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:50 pm

Tangerine dream was good also (there is an exotic dancer... who advertise in the news paper in my area with the same name). It was in the same line as Triumvirat who did Spartacus (the picture on the album was a mouse in bulb)
Marc


BigBear
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Sat Sep 05, 2009 11:01 am

Great list Neil!!! There's a couple in there I've never heard of!

I should have mentioned Renaissance and Annie Haslam, one of my favorite bands of all time and definately a prog rock all star. I still listen to them almost daily! :cheer:


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