Best progressive rock band ever?

[derby378]

Talk amongst yourselves while I head off the latest incarnation of "Oasis vs. Blur."

[Deja Q]

1. Devo?

:confused:

[derby378]

3. Not really "progressive," more like a precursor to New Wave

Take a bunch of kids from Akron, introduce them to David Bowie and Brian Eno, let them create their own bizarre electronic instruments when they can't buy any off the shelf, and there you go.

Awesome.

[ghostsofgiants]

47. Definitely not prog.

Definitely a whole lot of awesome.

[Iggo]

25. How can de-evolution be progressive?

Are you trying to hurt my head?

Well, are you?

[Iggo]

27. Oops.

Wrong spot.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. I can't generally stomach prog rock, but I'm a Mars Volta fan.

They somehow made prog rock not boring to me.

[martymar64]

4. You forgot Jethro Tull!

The best progressive band EVER!
End of Discussion!

And BTW, Blur kicks Oasis ass! So did Elastica!

[Greyskye]

6. too true.

I'm a Tull Skull from way back.

But in lieu of a JT option, I'll go with Genesis.

[martymar64]

11. I'll forgive you for liking Genesis, it's probably the liquor talking

There's not enough killer green bud in the world that could make me like Genesis. Or ELP, they really make me cringe.
ELO, however, that's another story . . .

[derby378]

9. Ran out of space...

Seriously, there needs to be more poll options.

[Bake]

10. If Tull is progressive, then I love it!!

Tull totally rawks!!

Bake

[Orsino]

26. Well, duh.

The poll should be retitled, "Second best prog-rock band ever."

[4_Legs_Good]

38. To my knowledge, Thick as a Brick is the longest rock song recorded

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I get so sick of inna gada davida always getting that honor. I think the absolute longest version of IGD is 19 minutes long, and that's hardly even a contender! Supper's Ready clocks in at 23 minutes, and Thick as a Brick is like 44 minutes long.

Feh!

David

[Systematic Chaos]

45. A neo-prog band named Echolyn have an album out called "Mei".

It's a single, unbroken track and comes in at almost 50 minutes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mei_(album)

[4_Legs_Good]

51. Oooh, I'll have to check it out!

Thanks!

David

[harmonicon]

84. shit

Echolyn fans.... damn....

[Systematic Chaos]

103. It's amazing what you can find if you read Wikipedia carefully.

Or, any other site which tries to give a band's full genealogy by listing "sounds like" or "influenced by" or "similar to"....

I discovered Echolyn when reading about Gentle Giant.

Reading about Echolyn led me to Land of Chocolate, whom I've only heard snippets of so far but I gotta tell you their music sounds very experimental and promising!

[SecularMotion]

5. Goblin

http://www.myspace.com/backtothegoblin

http://www.goblinhome.com/home.php

[DangerousRhythm]

29. Goblin is good stuff.

I am in for Tull too. :D

I had never thought of Kate Bush as progressive but I guess it fits.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

7. King Crimson, but only the Fripp-Bruford-Wetton (& sometimes Muir & Cross) edition

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

12. That was a band of staggering power and intelligence

and the 1980s Belew/Levin incarnation was pretty incredible too.

The Ozrics are also well worth checking out.

For the really adventurous, give a listen to the greatest Continental (they were German) band of all time, Can. Their stuff from 30-35 years ago was so far ahead of everything else that it still sounds futuristic today.

And a shout out to Van der Graaf Generator as well. As one Brit music critic described them in the Seventies, the preeminent perpetrators of the non-riff.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

15. I discovered the O.T.s several years ago when doing the Web Site for a local CD store...

...they had a Prog section...which included all of the bands you've named, and many more. I put a special Prog page on the site, and "Waterfall Cities" was one of the CDs I featured and reviewed:



Unfortunately, the store bit the dust a couple of years ago. It was a Silicon Valley legend in its time.

There's also a band from France, Halloween, that's a little Crimson-y, and with a female vocalist. The album I featured on the Web Site was "Silence...au dernier rang."



NeBeLNeST also has a VERY strong K.C. influence.





:toast:

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

18. First Ozrics I ever heard was "Dissolution"

IRC the title correctly, from "Pungent Effulgent" in the record store of a late friend. Bought it on the spot and wound up with at least a half-dozen of their albums. "Waterfall Cities" is particularly gorgeous.

If you like the Ozrics, do check out the Anglo-French band Gong. Their "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy of Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg and You (three consecutive mid-1970s albums) is where the Ozrics/Ed Wynne got a lot of their inspiration. Their various live albums from the late 1970s and the anniversary reunion show CD are tremendous. Avoid any "Pierre Moerlen's Gong" stuff though. That's just pedestrian fusion. If founder Daevid Allen's name is in the cast of characters, good times and great music are guaranteed.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

24. Follower of Gong / Steve Hillage since K.O.M.E.'s "Stone Trek"...

KOME used to be an FM rock station in Silicon Valley. They used to feature a Prog Rock show by Greg Stone called "Stone Trek."

I'm a big fan of the Yes-Genesis-KC-Roxy "original" wave of Prog Rock. Never acquired a taste for E.L.P., though. Familiar with their stuff, just never a fan.

The French-German Prog Rock captured my attention, and since I'm Italian (the nickname must be a dead give-away) I'm also familiar with PFM.

Then there's the modern-day prog of Spock's Beard, Flower Kings, Dream Theater, Marillion, and the inevitable "supergroup" mash-up "Transatlantic."

Original Marillion singer Fish's solo stuff is killer...Peter Gabriel minus the later-period "world music" influences. He just released a new album, "13th Star."

Jadis is also a favorite, although they lean more toward melodic Pink Floyd (they did a killer cover of "Comfortably Numb").

When I moved to California, I fell into a crowd that was heavily into prog. Peer pressure required me to become educated. Then, after discovering I actually liked it, it's still one of my favorite styles of music.

Since this is a prog brain dump thread, I've also gotta mention Chris Squire's "Fish Out of Water" and his "Conspiracy" collaborations with latter-period "Yes man" Billy Sherwood (they also covered "Comfortably Numb."

And don't even get me started on Hawkwind.

:toast:

[4_Legs_Good]

36. In the Court of the Crimson King is the only KC album I've ever really gotten into

It's a classic absolutely, and one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded.

But try though I might, I just can't really enjoy their other albums much.

David

[Amerigo Vespucci]

46. I remember a quote that appeared on a Bruford-Wetton KC bootleg years ago...

"Where Yes might marvel at the world, King Crimson prefers to grab it by the balls."

All accounts of the Fripp-Bruford-Wetton KC indicate that it was three virtuoso musicians sharing the stage, in a a dogfight, with the prize being the spotlight.

They kept turning up their amps. They were friends and rivals all at the same time. They were rock & roll.

:toast:

[JuniperLea]

56. I just got my third copy of that album...

First on vinyl, then on cassette (I know, I know) and now on CD.

It takes me back to the stoned age:)

[4_Legs_Good]

58. Hee hee. They put out a great live compilation called Epitaph

a few years ago. It's like a box of 4 different shows from the era, and it's fantastic.

I was also a member of the KC monthly live club for a while, where they released live recordings from the era.

David

[JuniperLea]

59. I'll be hunting for that comp!

Thanks for the info.

Fan clubs used to be really cool. The only band I've heard of doing that sort of thing these days is The Supersuckers.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

62. Are you thinking of "The Great Deceiver"?

That was a four CD set of the Fripp/Cross/Wetton/Bruford band's live shows that will put any KC fan into deep space zoneout. Numerous improvisations are captured and there's a version of "Starless" that chills to the bone.

[4_Legs_Good]

82. Nope, but I'm going to have to pick that up now.

Epitaph was a 4 disc box, Here's the contents

BBC Radio Sessoins
Filmore East, New York, 21 November 1969
Filmore West, San Francisco, 14 Decemer 1969
Filmore West, San Francisco, 15 December 1969



Amazon has it, but I thi nk they boiled it down to 2 discs now. All the material seems to be there, though.

David

[brentspeak]

79. Great album

But I like "In The Court Of..." just as much. I've got all the Crimson LPs from "In The Court Of..." up through "Red", including "USA", and a couple of the Adrian Belew-era, too.

[kentauros]

8. Although I voted King Crimson and stand by that vote

you might want to look up Ozric Tentacles :)

[Aristus]

13. Midnight Oil.

No question about it.

And stuff it, taterguy! (Only not really... :-) )

[DS1]

14. Not King Crimson

KING DIAMOND!

[derby378]

16. Well, it's true that some black metal is quite progressive...

Dimmu Borgir's Death Cult Armageddon also comes to mind.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

19. DETHKLOK

rules!! Very progressive metal.

[derby378]

21. I found a "speedbass" remix of METALOCALYPSE

Find it here:

http://www.speedbass.net/

This is definitely NOT progressive rock - this is some thing else entirely, some weird mutation of hardcore techno, like the cousin that breakcore never talks about.

:evilgrin:

[JuniperLea]

48. PUT TOGETHER WRONG!!!

I DON'T WANNA GIVE MY MONEY AWAY!

:rofl:

GAWD I loves me some Dethklok!

But, that's pure metal... not quite Scandinavian, but a remarkable impersonation.

[bbernardini]

64. Don't forget, Dethklok contains Mike Keneally, one of the unsung prog greats!

Former Zappa and Vai guitarist. To call him a prog musician really doesn't do him justice though, as he does it all. Very progressive ideas about music and the future of it, though.

[JuniperLea]

50. I'll see your King Diamond, and raise you a Turbonegro!!!

[Sebastian Doyle]

65. Who's that? The guys who got turned down by Kiss AND the Village People??

:rofl:

[JuniperLea]

112. Hahaha!

Funny you should say that... they are very into the homo-erotic punk, sailor boy;)

hahahhaha!

Norwegians... silly boys... I think they spend far too much time in the dark;)

But they are truly great... and they have a huge US following.

[HughBeaumont]

73. Abigail = huge favorite of mine from the 80s.

[CatholicEdHead]

17. Rush is good

The lyrics in earlier Megadeth albums is pretty progressive along with most of the Scorpions albums.

[Lubernaut]

20. Van Der Graaf Generator, Thinking Plague, Voivod...

and The Shaggs of course.

[JuniperLea]

34. Love Voivod...

My sister is a complete Voivod freak. We saw them at a metal convention in LA in the early or mid-90's and we were hooked.

[Lubernaut]

40. Yep, they were fantastic!

[JohnMcCant2008]

22. Boston

[DawgHouse]

23. Zappa, baby! n/t

[semillama]

94. The originals, for sure!

RIP Jimmy Carl Black!

[Iggo]

28. Allman Brothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv3RWqFlvJs

[leeroysphitz]

30. Steely Dan!

No, wait. Um... The Bee Gees.

[JuniperLea]

31. I love so many on that list!

Rush, Moody Blues, Floyd, Bowie... King Crimson... you could also say ELP.

But after much consideration, I have to say Roxy Music. The Eno and Ferry era was incredibly new and different, and if you note the early years, you can see and hear the seeds that took off in so many other bands. I think they may have been the very first to tickle my glam/punk funny bone.

Interesting this should come up. I've been on a riotous Roxy Music binge for some weeks now. I've purchased and NetFlix'd as many concerts as I could find, and I'm even more impressed with them now than I was in... gulp... 1970. Another interesting note is that in 1970, Greg Lake had left King Crimson for ELP, and Bryan Ferry auditioned for the vacancy.

I'm partial to their tunes: In Every Dream Home a Heartache; Mother of Pearl; The Strand; Virginia Plain... and every stinking tune on Siren! And I have to listen to it in its entirety, and I have to listen to it in the exact order of the original vinyl. It's just one of those things.

Whoa! I thought I'd destroyed those brain cells a long time ago.

:silly:

[4_Legs_Good]

32. No Yes?

I've never actually been a Yes fan, but aren't they one of the major Prog Rock groups.

For me it's Genesis 100% all the way.

David

[Alexander]

61. Agree that Yes should be included...

Although I voted for King Crimson.

[derby378]

90. You make a very valid point...

Frankly, I ran out of poll spots. If I could, I'd put in Yes, Jethro Tull, Ozric Tentacles, and a few others.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[mitchum]

35. Roxy Music because they were truly progressive and truly rocked...

many of the others just grafted powdered wig classical moves or opera onto lame rock

[JuniperLea]

49. Given they were so early on the scene...

I think they were the first glam/punk band. I can't think of anyone doing that kind of thing prior to 1970. I think even Bowie gleaned some stuff from them.

[mitchum]

54. You are right; Bowie gleaned a whole lot from them

[Systematic Chaos]

37. How the fuck can Yes not be on the list??

And anyone who doesn't know and appreciate Gentle Giant doesn't fully know prog! Or Van der Graaf Generator. Or Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Or how about Renaissance?

And then there's Progressive Metal from the 90s and 2000s with Dream Theater and Spock's Beard as major standouts.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

68. I loved Renaissance

Got to meet some of them back in the 1970s after striking up a conversation with fellow bassist Jon Camp at a Mpls club gig. The next time they were in town he invited me backstage and introduced me to Annie Haslam (most purely gorgeous voice EVER when she was in her heyday) and Terry Sullivan, the drummer. I was shocked to discover that Annie was barely 5'2" yet she had that mind boggling voice, which could sweep from deep contralto to colaratura soprano in the space of a couple of notes. That she was stunningly, drop dead gorgeous back in the day didn't hurt my impression of her.

[last_texas_dem]

39. I like a lot of prog-rock

The Moody Blues and Jethro Tull are probably my favorites, but there are some of the biggies I'd still like to hear more by, like more of Genesis's early stuff; and I've only heard probably three albums by King Crimson. At the same time, I've found some good stuff by pretty much forgotten prog bands like Nektar and Beggar's Opera.

[begin_within]

41. I can't believe you left off both Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

[Joe Fields]

55. Anyone who leaves Yes off of the list....

well....


git a rope!

[derby378]

91. I thought I had put them in the poll until it was too late

Just hand me the revolver, and I'll make it easy on everyone...

:dunce:

[midnight armadillo]

97. Keith Emerson: BEST ROCK KEYBOARDIST EVAR

The one flaw in 'School of Rock' is when Jack Black has the piano playing kid listen to what, Roundabout by Yes for the keyboard solo. The best rock keyboard solo is in Lucky Man and everyone knows it. That writer for School of Rock needs to be slapped with a rotted tuna.

[Lincolngirl]

42. Bowie!!!!!

formerly David Jones.

LOVE HIM!

OK, need to add one here.

Talking Heads. Love them too!

[DBoon]

43. You forgot "Yes"

should definitely be up there

[Beaverhausen]

63. You can say that again. They are the best. They are on tour now - does anyone know that?

Jon Anderson is out due to health reasons but the rest of them are touring now.

[CBGLuthier]

98. Yes is not on tour

They are not calling themselves Yes and Jon Anderson is pissed about the whole tour.

Got a fake singer and the son of the best keyboard player they had. That isn't Yes. It's just a tribute show with a couple of the real guys sitting in.

[DBoon]

44. You forgot "Yes"

should definitely be up there

[Taverner]

52. If Genesis never sold out, they would be #1 for me

But alas, Phil Collins, you wanker...

Only King Crimson has kept the torch of prog alight

BTW...Queen? A prog band?

[Joe Fields]

53. Emerson, Lake & Palmer

THE most talented and progressive of the progrock era.

[TrogL]

110. seconded

[slutticus]

57. Änglagård

Maybe not the best....but I like saying "Änglagård"

[JuniperLea]

60. That means House of Angels in Swedish...

I never heard of the band, but I know the movie well.

I love saying all those Scandinavian names too:)

[Danger Mouse]

66. Where the fuck is Dream Theater on this list?

Well??

[travelingtypist]

71. Yeah, no shit.

No "best of prog" list is complete without them.

[Systematic Chaos]

72. DT aren't one of the "classic" prog rock bands.

And, in fact, they are more prog metal than prog rock.

Even though, I agree they're one of the best in any sub-genre of prog and deserve a mention. One of my favorite bands to be sure! :)

[HughBeaumont]

67. P.F.M. and Van Der Graaf Generator.

Don't get no better than "Lemmings".

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

69. Try "The Sleepwalkers" from "Godbluff"

and scare the hell out of yourself. Peter Hammill was at the raggedest of edges during that time. If you're really brave, try his solo album from the same period, "Over". I swear to whatever cosmic consciousness there is that it is one album that should end with a gunshot. The bleakest, most harrowing thing I have ever heard. It's basically a lucid nervous breakdown captured on LP.

[brentspeak]

80. Good to see another Premiata Forneria Marconi fan

[susanna]

70. Psychedelic Furs.

And they are NOT alternative, in my world. :-)

[HopeFor2006]

74. Genesis

A bright point in the self indulgent 80's

[MrSlayer]

75. Shit, I voted for Rush before I noticed Pink Floyd on the list.

Sometimes I read too fast for my own good.

Floyd is better than Rush, Rush is better than everyone else on the list.

[dembotoz]

76. kate bush best ever period

[JCMach1]

77. Kate Bush is not a band!

Genesis would be tops if you could AXE the part without Peter Gabriel.

[brentspeak]

78. I picked King Crimson, and Genesis would be my second pick, but...

...I'm not sure that Queen and Bowie fall under the category of prog-rock.

[nytemare]

81. I think early Elton John would.

I voted Genesis, but Madman Across the Water, Tumbleweed Connection, etc. sounded very progressive, and was some damned good music.

[styxandjourneyrule]

108. Prog rock has to be very experimental and stuff; not just long jams

It's very conceptual. Yes, early Elton had long passages but it's not the same as Yes and ELP.

[Lyric]

83. Which one was the most obscure?

That's generally how questions like this work--pick some obscure band that barely sold a handful of albums, and you are suddenly a Cool Kid.

:P

[harmonicon]

85. King Crimson

There are loads of other great prog bands, but KC is the best. ... and I would say that from this list, King Crimson and Genesis are the only progressive rock bands included. The others aren't really progressive rock.

[Canuckistanian]

86. Camel

They weren't around long or even that famous, but I loved them.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

89. Great band

Moonmadness was a long term fave back in the day, and it has held up rather nicely. I think Andy Latimer is still soldiering on with the Camel name.

[enigmatic]

87. Godspeed! You Black Emperor

http://recluseshow.blogspot.com/2008/02/storm-godspeed-you-black-emperor.html

http://brainwashed.com/godspeed/

[Dr Fate]

88. Chuck Berry, The Coasters, Bobby Fuller Four, The Seeds, Count Five, Troggs, Ramones, The Cramps...

...Oh wait- I'm listing old Rock & Roll bands that are actually fun to listen to- sorry, wrong thread!

On Edit- Queen is a fucking great Rock & Roll band- why are they up there?

[derby378]

92. Because they incorporated some serious prog?

From Killer Queen all the way down to The Show Must Go On. Not everything they did was prog, but there was quite a bit of it.

[Dr Fate]

101. In any event- I'm half kidding- some "prog" is pretty sweet...

Yes, Steely Dan, Floyd & of course Queen do have some great stuff...

[Tuesday Afternoon]

93. Quicksilver Messenger Service and Traffic deserve a mention

don't you think? :shrug:

Quicksilver Messenger Service-What About Me (6:59)
http://www.youtube.com/v/OUszp9QFmq4&hl=en&fs=1

Traffic - The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys (9:47)
http://www.youtube.com/v/ZVlbgqmxXNY&hl=en&fs=1

[Throd]

95. Howzabout Primus?

[kwassa]

96. what is progressive rock, anyways? did it used to be liberal rock?

and they changed the name?

but seriously, I remember the term as meaning rock that got artistically ambitious, usually instrumentally, as technique levels went way up. Is that it?

[derby378]

99. Bwah!

Prog rock was indeed instrumentally ambitious as times (King Crimson and Kate Bush come to mind), but it also played with unusual time signatures and melodic progresions. Relayer by Yes is a wonderful example of this.

I will probably never live down the fact that I neglected to add Yes as a poll choice. C'est la fourche.

[dysfunctional press]

100. porcupine tree.

best prog rock going.

[LynneSin]

102. Why is Bowie and Kate Bush on there but not Jethro Tull or Genesis (early works)

Seriously - this is a bad poll. Even Queen was barely prog rock - more of a glam style rock

[jobycom]

106. I can go with Queen, but Bowie and Bush? Sounds like "art rock" and "prog rock"

have kind of been blended together in that poll.

And how could Jethro Tull not be there? That's the first band I think of.

[derby378]

109. Honestly, I ran out of poll options...

...and I'm still at a lost as to how Yes wasn't included in the poll, either. Big mistake. My head hurts.

[Systematic Chaos]

104. Still more interesting prog bands to check out...

Grobschnitt are pretty cool, although some of their stuff is sung in German - but fortunately most of it is in English, which they did to widen their audience.

Eloy are fucking amazing, too.

UK released two studio albums and one live one. This is a side project which featured John Wetton, Bill Bruford (replaced by Terry Bozzio for the 2nd album), Allan Holdsworth and Eddie Jobson.

More and more of this stuff is available on iTunes Plus, but for those with empty wallets there's always BitTorrent. ;)

[quispismanna]

105. Sorry, you don't seem to understand the concept of the term 'prog rock,' Sport!

Progressive rock is bombastic, but very conceptual and musically intricate. Yeah, that sorta describes Queen, but the groups most often labeled as prog rock are: Yes, ELP, early Genesis, and stuff like that.

[LynneSin]

107. Another fan of prog rock - welcome to our world of DU

:hi:

And I agree - Queen fits the genre of what Prog Rock is but is not considered a true prog rock band. In fact Prog Archive website doesn't even list a Queen album in it's list of top 100 all-time Prog-rock albums and yet here is Genesis (old stuff, always have to define that because somewhere in the 80s Genesis tripped and went badly pop rock), Yes and Jethro Tull

http://www.progarchives.com/top-prog-albums.asp?salbumtypes=1#list

[TrogL]

111. Best classic progressive rock albums ever

http://www.jericsmith.com/prog.htm