Let's talk music, no genre boundaries

Gentle Giant, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Yes, Asia, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd (sorta), Moody Blues, etc.

https://youtu.be/IaLqQo2r-3k

https://youtu.be/yUpREizsftU

When you get to Eagles, Loggins and Messina, Chris Cross, Michael McDonald, etc. you are getting more into Yacht Rock, though Loggins and Messina are certainly progressive and blur the line.  I also enjoy Yacht Rock very much.

These three on SACD are hard to beat!

https://youtu.be/4as7FGQmYnQ?list=PLE7OYmYUxGQe7ftS05MLtCMnEFwo0Y5DA

https://youtu.be/lQ5cOyrXriM

https://youtu.be/sUd72fDmEss

The THING about progressive rock is that you have to "actively listen" to it to appreciate it.  It is not for the casual listener or those engaged in other endevors at the time. 

@larsman @mapman @toddalin  

Okay, I'm into prog rock. I picked up a lot of those albums when they first came out. Loggins & Messina, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and others. I've always liked long cuts. Why doesn't Van Morrison fit into prog rock? Wouldn't his album "Astral Weeks" be one of the first? I guess a lot of the groups I like would fit into that category, although some would be later on, like Radiohead. Or does that move into another genre? BTW, I can play all this stuff while I write, as long as I've heard them before and know the words. 

I hate when women are left out. How about Joni Mitchell's later stuff? Hejira and beyond into her jazz work? How about Cassandra Wilson's "Traveling Miles." Although I guess that's considered more jazz. 

@mahgister 

Slowly working my way through Orgin. It's a very interesting view of the world and philosophy. I think it might help in my endeavors.

I am glad if it could be a useful book for you...

Anyway i will read your book if i am alive here ...

@toddalin - well, that's a new one on me - I've never heard of Loggins & Messina mentioned in the same paragraph as 'prog rock'; they have good songs, but when did they change from that country-folk-ish pop? Are any mellotrons involved? 

Those are certainly great examples of 'Yacht Rock' in there; I'd throw in Boz Scaggs and Pablo Cruise as well. Are you a fan of them?

@toddalin 

Bring back Progressive Rock!  I don’t think there is anything like Gentle Giant anymore.  Gotta be one of my all time favorites.

https://youtu.be/ifRnVEkqB2I

What do mean "bring BACK progressive rock"?

Progressive music has been going strong ever since the Swedish band, Änglagård  released their debut album, Hybris in 1992! Complex, emotional, great musicianship.

They sort of opened the floodgates.

Deus ex Machina - Italian band with frightening levels of musicianship. Vocalist with 5 octave range. Borders on jazz-fusion at times.

After Crying - Hungarian chamber-prog band. Their first 6 releases are killer, 

The Thinking Plague - US band deep in the avant-prog subgenre. Atonal, complex, and "difficult", but worth the effort. 

Flower Kings - Swedish band doing classic sounding prog. Have many releases, although the latest have gotten a bit "been there, done that". 

Haken - British band that straddles the line between prog-metal and classic prog. Complex and emotional, with world class musicianship. Their album "The Mountain" has more than a bit of similarities to Gentle Giant.

Echolyn - US band with some killer releases. "As the World" and "Suffocating the Bloom" are their best, IMO, and have some very Gentle Giant influenced, multi part vocal passages.

Zopp - British band steeped in the Canterbury style (National Health, Hatfield and the North, Caravan). Really good stuff. 

Corima - US band in the Zeuhl style (Magma). Killer stuff, with amazing violin playing by Andrea Calderón.

Koenjihyakkei - Another Zeuhl band, this time from Japan. These guys are intense and can be relentless. Their latest are their best. 

This is just a small sample of some killer prog from very recent times. 

Here’s a list of top prog albums from just 2025.

ProgArchives