I know it's a digression, but since you mentioned Zappa/Verve, the unnerving prescience of "Trouble Coming Every Day" on "Freak Out" keeps coming to mind. I saw the original Mothers line-up play at the Phoenix Star Theater shortly after "Freak Out" was released. A memorable show (almost on par with Capt. Beefheart at the "Fox West Coast Theater" (an abandoned cinema taken over as a concert venue) in Long Beach, CA circa 1972 where The Magic Band performed with "It's a Beautiful Day"
Best progressive rock album side
My intent is to seek albums which I may not own from the recommendations of you all. I ranked best sides of progressive rock albums on vinyl that I own and came up with the following list. I don't want it to undermine anything else that an artist has created. I love it all but as far as start to finish on one side this is what I came up with.
#1: Supper's Ready
#2: Terrapin Station
#3: Atom Heart Mother
#4 The Court of the King Crimson
#5 Echoes
Of course there are many more. Some may not be complete sides like Atom Heart Mother but the intent of the artisan was to make it a complete side. I had a very hard time deciding between #1 and #2. Both are very worthy in my mind.
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@kacomess - somebody else who knows 'Pearls Before Swine'! I don't think I'd call them prog as much as Tom Rapp seemed more like the more surrealistic Dylan stuff. Their first album, 'One Nation Underground', is also excellent... I'm a big fan of Caravan and the whole Canterbury scene as well... Actually got to see them in Berkeley in the late 70's.... Zappa's early stuff on Verve is by far my favorite of his... |
I’m not sure how "progressive rock" is defined.
1). If it includes "psychedelic folk-rock", I suggest "On the Shore" by Trees.
2). I’m pleased to see "In the land of Grey and Pink" by Caravan appear on the list. I haven’t thought of that album since the underground radio station days of the late 1960s (where I was delighted to listen to it in the studios of Phoenix’s KDKB/KCAC under auspicious circumstances many times).
3). If "progressive rock" extends to early Mothers, I’d add "We’re Only in it for the Money" or "Uncle Meat".
4). Maybe the term can be stretched to cover "It’s a Beautiful Day" side 2.
5). Finally, I would be absolutely remiss to overlook "Balaclava" by Pearls Before Swine". It may be the pinnacle of progressive rock as I understand the term.
Anyway, very interesting discussion and thanks for starting it!
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I’m no guru of prog, I lived through the original classical formalism and have the UK early pressings of ELP, Crimson, Yes, etc. But I tapped into "prog guru" Ken Golden who helped broaden my horizons, with good King Records reissues from Japan of some of the "important" Italian prog, and other things I found along the way (an Italian Polydor of DeDeLind, which sounds like Fado music meets Deep Purple). Among them, an interesting obscurity out of Denmark, circa 1971, called Blast Furnace (band name and album title). An OG pressing will be spendy but it was reissued w/in the last five years- worth seeking out. I also very much like both Cressida albums on Vertigo Swirl, from the period. Those will be spendy. I opted for a German pressing of Asylum, have the UK of the first album. There are certainly different categories of prog, including pretty deep offshoots. I really liked Ollie Halsall’s vibraphone-like touch to the guitar on the first two Patto albums (the US copy of the first record is more bombastic than the UK Swirl and far cheaper)- on their second, I’d say you need to look outside of the US for copies from elsewhere.
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OP by @ricmci "My intent is to seek albums which I may not own from the recommendations of you all." So many great prog albums already listed, here are some that I really enjoy and may be obscure to some. @ricmci, hopefully I've introduced you (and others) to some new prog that you will enjoy. Links included. Experimental Post Metal Crossover Prog Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) The Pineapple Thief - 8 Years Later Atmospheric doom metal/post-rock Finnish Folk Prog (I believe?) Ambient/Prog/Classical |
@mapman - should be a new P.T. album coming out very soon; have you read Steven Wilson's autobiography yet? Excellent read! |
cincyjim86 posts Uriah Heep Look At Your Self Pink Floyd Meddle Led Zeppelin III Yes Fragile Black Sabbath paranoid
Led Zeppelin & Black Sabbath are "progressive rock"? I did not know that. |
What a great topic! Plenty of forgotten albums I’ll have to rediscover on Tidal tonight. Aside from what’s offered I’d suggest A Salty Dog by Procol Harum. Though there’s not a single long composition, there are plenty of the other characteristics that make it prog-worthy. -- What other song has seagulls??
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Don't worry about the negative nancies. I listen to the few bands you listed as recent prog and really liked All traps on Earth A drop of light. More punch than the others in a zeul sort of way. Saw Magma live in Geneva Switzerland around 1972, a concert that left the 500 people in the auditorium completely spent, literally laying flat on their seats. Anyhow I found a CD of ATOE on discogs and bought it. Thank you. |
Thanks for filling me in on what seems to be a lifetime of progrock that none of use probably would have time to listen to. I was there at the beginning in the late 60s and so figured as I didn't like it then I wouldn't like it now. For those of us that haven't listened to (not enough lifetime) all the music available it does seem dangerous to me to categorise it so that people who find they don't like a category are likely to eschew it. Also provokes argument about who's in a category and who isn''t. Like we stumble on with Dr S - 'I like this Artist Y so he can't be X category'. What about Marc Bolan? He moved from progrock to glamrock - goodness, he knew his marketing as well as those three chords. He released the same song six times and topped the chart with at least 4 of them. I certainly have to say it was one helluva riff. I'd like to have 12 inches of those but I'm not sure they pressed any. Hot love to all.
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Well, that’s great, since the vast majority of prog is not pretentious, nor is it twaddle. Spirit - Dr. Sardonicus is categorized as progressive rock, and a crossover with prog and psych, by just about every music site out there. Wikipedia only has it listed as prog. But none of their other recordings are. Something must be different about this record... Wonder what it could be? I get it, you don’t like the limited bands you think of as prog, but since you do like Dr. Sardonicus, it just couldn't be prog. Your confirmation bias would not allow that. Sorry that your knowledge of prog is so limited, that it only allows a very small percentage of music designated as prog through your filter. And thus, by default, anything that does not quite fit your narrow view, cannot be prog. Well, isn’t that convenient? Once again, there are many subgenres of prog, most of which sound nothing like Yes, Genesis, ELP, or any of he other few bands you allow by your filter..
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One of the things I love about this hobby is there are so many different facets to it. It’s difficult to say which ones I enjoy more and it varies from time to time, but the appreciation of the artistic expression of music is, to me, what every other aspect leads up to. And the actual listening is what truly does it for me. I appreciate being turned on to different artists, and different releases thru this community. Things I’ve learned about both equipment and music from surfing this site have opened up my ability to enjoy music that I would’ve never otherwise discovered. All that to say: @clearthinker you’re such a d**k for hijacking this thread. Why don’t you go stir up s**t somewhere else? Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
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Coming from someone who is obviously only familiar with the best known prog from the UK in the 70's. Obviously is ignorant to how many different directions prog has gone since 1974. 2nd rate compared to who? The vast majority of prog musicians are substantially better than almost all mainstream rock musicians. Probably the only musicians that are better than prog musicians, are jazz and classical. But, depending on the musicians in question, that could be debatable, since many jazz and classical musicians also play in prog bands . And then there is the entire subgenre of avant-prog, where almost every band within this subgenre has multiple members that are grads from classical conservatories, many of whom play in orchestras and chamber ensembles, along with their avant-prog gigs. |
WAY too many great ones, among many subgenres to decide on just a few. So, I will break it down by subgenre. Also, let me state from the get go, that I am always saddened to see lists like these on various forums, with the complete lack of Italian bands listed. IMO, some of the best prog ever, came from Italy. Classic prog: Yes - toss up between Close to the Edge or Relayer, side 1 King Crimson - Lark’s Tongue in Aspic side 1, but this is close to a toss up with side 2 PFM - Per un Amico side 1 Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Io Sono Nato Libero side 1 Genesis - Selling England side 1 Canterbury: National Health - Of Queues and Cures side 1 Hatfield and the North - The Rotters Club side 2 Picchio dal Pozzo - S/T side 2 by a hair Zeuhl: Magma - Köhntarkösz Anteria it was released on CD, so there are no sides Eskaton - 4 Visions side 1 Setna - Guerison CD only, no sides Koenji Hyakkei - Viva Koenji Cd only, no sides Avant-prog: Thinking Plague - In Extremis CD only, no sides Univers Zero - Uzed side 2 Art Zoyd - Berlin side 1 Henry Cow - Western Culture, side 2 Samla Mammas Manna - Måltid, side 1 Prog-metal: Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane, CD only, no sides The Contortionist - Language, CD only Wolverine - The Window’s Purpose, CD only I could name quite a few more per subgenre, and even though I did list mostly recordings from the 70’s, I could name quite a few bands from the last couple of decades that I believe are close to those of the 70’s. Bands like: Anglagard (Sweden), Deus Ex Machina (Italy), Echolyn (USA), All Traps on Earth (Sweden), Aranis (Belgium), Il Tempio Delle Clessidre (Italy), and quite a few more have recordings that I place near the best. |
@clearthinker MINUS 1000. |
Yes - Fragile (side 1) Strawbs - Hero and Heroine (side 2) Renaissance - Turn of the Cards (side 1) Jethro Tull - Benefit (side 1) Genesis - Seconds Out (side 1) I recently saw Steve Hackett performing the entirety of the Seconds Out album. and it was outstanding. If you are a Genesis fan, I'd highly recommend that you try to catch one of the remaining shows on this tour. |