The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Big band /orchestra experience
Progressive Rock that isn't dreadful
- Thread starter killer b
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The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Off with the motley
belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
aah, their prayer to Ayn Rand.
hash tag
Books, not bombs
A random, spontaneous buy at the weekend which I've just started listening to. There are echoes of Yes in there so starting to instantly like it
www.sonicperspectives.com
Proper length tracks as well
LALU – The Fish Who Wanted To Be King (Album Review)
One of the very best prog releases of 2022 was Lalu’s unexpected and remarkable “Paint The Sky”. More than likely, not nearly enough people are aware of its existence and if you happen to be one of them, go check it out right now and listen as you continue to read. Here’s our review to give you...
www.sonicperspectives.com
Proper length tracks as well
I did a prog rock tier list. What?? I was bored alright. Alright? Here it is.
I didn't choose the selection. But out of the selection the masterpieces are IMO:
1) Henry Cow - Unrest
2) Magma - MDK
3) Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts
4) Can - Tago Mago
5) The Faust Tapes
6) Henry Cow - Leg End
7) King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic
8) King Crimson - Red
9) King Crimson - Discipline
10) Yes - Fragile
11) Mothers of Invention - We're Only In It for the Money
12) Faust
13) Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste
14) Magma - Attahk
15) Henry Cow - Western Culture
16) Can - Ege Bamyasi
Yeah, half of that is in the "not really prog rock" category...
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tiermaker.com
I didn't choose the selection. But out of the selection the masterpieces are IMO:
1) Henry Cow - Unrest
2) Magma - MDK
3) Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts
4) Can - Tago Mago
5) The Faust Tapes
6) Henry Cow - Leg End
7) King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic
8) King Crimson - Red
9) King Crimson - Discipline
10) Yes - Fragile
11) Mothers of Invention - We're Only In It for the Money
12) Faust
13) Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste
14) Magma - Attahk
15) Henry Cow - Western Culture
16) Can - Ege Bamyasi
Yeah, half of that is in the "not really prog rock" category...
petee
no gods, no managers
i shall be disputing in due course.
Steve Hillage and Uriah Heep weren't part of the selection. Also missing Hatfield and the North, National Health, Egg, Matching Mole, Gong, Banco, New Trolls, Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Area, Jumbo, Lard Free, Samla Mamma's Manna, Robert Wyatt, Franco Battiatto and every krautrock band except Can and Faust.
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They were all on there. I've only listened to one album by Rush - Moving Pictures - and non by the other two. Porcupine Tree are probably really good but I've neglected them. I've never made it through an Asia album.
Some of you might enjoy this video. Andy Edwards is a neoprog rock and fusion drummer who has created a vibrant online community on his patreon. And said patreons have put together this list of top prog rock bands. This is video is a love letter to all 30 of them. Very broad definition of prog rock here - includes Free at one end and Henry Cow at the other end and includes krautrock bands. I think it's a good list. I don't agree with it entirely of course but it covers a lot I am glad to see covered. The video itself is a combination of rough and ready talking to the camera, small art films and psychedelia. Kind of brilliant for the prog geeks out there.
The list
The list
1. Yes
2.King Crimson
3. Genesis
4. Pink Floyd
5. Jethro Tull
6. Van Der Graaf Generator
7. ELP
8. Can
9. Gong
10. Tangerine Dream
11. Gentle Giant
12. Soft Machine
13. Faust
14. Cardiacs
15. Porcupine Tree
16. Frank Zappa
17. Mahavishnu Orchestra
18. Led Zeppelin
19. Camel
20. Hawkwind
21. Henry Cow
22. Free
23. Caravan
24. Magma
25. Focus
26. Rush
27. Amon Düül II
28. Collosseum
29. PFM
30. Kansas
2.King Crimson
3. Genesis
4. Pink Floyd
5. Jethro Tull
6. Van Der Graaf Generator
7. ELP
8. Can
9. Gong
10. Tangerine Dream
11. Gentle Giant
12. Soft Machine
13. Faust
14. Cardiacs
15. Porcupine Tree
16. Frank Zappa
17. Mahavishnu Orchestra
18. Led Zeppelin
19. Camel
20. Hawkwind
21. Henry Cow
22. Free
23. Caravan
24. Magma
25. Focus
26. Rush
27. Amon Düül II
28. Collosseum
29. PFM
30. Kansas
petee
no gods, no managers
my authoritative commentary.
Jethro Tull were sui generis, and great, but that doesn't make them progressive. Knotted did say it was a broad definition, but ...
Can should be higher up.
Gong should be higher up. boy i took alot of stick for liking them.
Tangerine Dream isn't progressive. i saw them once, almost split my eardrums.
Cardiacs, Porcupine Tree: never heard them!
Mahavishnu Orchestra, again, not progressive. they were huge in their time, kind of forgotten today, along with alot of the jazz-rock stuff.
Led Zeppelin were great, but not progressive.
Amon Düül II should be way higher up. holy moly i used to love that band.
PFM - who?
Kansas? KANSAS?
Jethro Tull were sui generis, and great, but that doesn't make them progressive. Knotted did say it was a broad definition, but ...
Can should be higher up.
Gong should be higher up. boy i took alot of stick for liking them.
Tangerine Dream isn't progressive. i saw them once, almost split my eardrums.
Cardiacs, Porcupine Tree: never heard them!
Mahavishnu Orchestra, again, not progressive. they were huge in their time, kind of forgotten today, along with alot of the jazz-rock stuff.
Led Zeppelin were great, but not progressive.
Amon Düül II should be way higher up. holy moly i used to love that band.
PFM - who?
Kansas? KANSAS?
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
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Led Zeppelin have a ready made alternative label of heavy rock or heavy metal. Likewise Mahavishnu Orchestra have a ready made label of fusion or jazz-rock. So they rarely get lumped in with progressive rock. But that's a bit of an artificial exclusion in some ways. I particularly like the subversiveness of calling Led Zeppelin prog rock. I think of The Who, Led Zeppelin, Cream and Yes (Bruford era) as being explorative but viceral rock bands of the late 60's/early 70's with killer rhythm sections that were in particular developing rock rhythmically. I'm happy to lump them together. Even I think Free is stretching it beyond break point though.
Jethro Tull are pretty uncontroversially prog rock. Thick as a Brick, Passion Play, Minstrel in the Gallery. Again a lot of proggy exploration of rhythms and big story telling epics. They're prog rock.
PFM or Premiata Forneria Marconi were an Italian prog rock band and sadly the only representative of that huge Italian scene on the list. They should be much higher IMO, and Area and possibly Banco should also be on the list.
The Cardiacs were (are?) a late 70's/80's post punk post prog band who did some really madcap love it or hate it stuff.
Porcupine Tree are a 90's band who are very well regarded. Steve Wilson out of PT is a very significant contemporary figure in the scene. I don't know them so well.
I'm OK with Kansas being on there as representatives of the poppier AOR end of prog rock. Not my sort of thing but why not?
Jethro Tull are pretty uncontroversially prog rock. Thick as a Brick, Passion Play, Minstrel in the Gallery. Again a lot of proggy exploration of rhythms and big story telling epics. They're prog rock.
PFM or Premiata Forneria Marconi were an Italian prog rock band and sadly the only representative of that huge Italian scene on the list. They should be much higher IMO, and Area and possibly Banco should also be on the list.
The Cardiacs were (are?) a late 70's/80's post punk post prog band who did some really madcap love it or hate it stuff.
Porcupine Tree are a 90's band who are very well regarded. Steve Wilson out of PT is a very significant contemporary figure in the scene. I don't know them so well.
I'm OK with Kansas being on there as representatives of the poppier AOR end of prog rock. Not my sort of thing but why not?
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petee
no gods, no managers
ah right - i do know them!
hash tag
Books, not bombs
Yes, I know Gong are in there but what about Steve Hillage who put out a lot of good stuff in his own name.
An oft forgotten band I would Like to add is supertramp who put out a lot of good stuff who sadly I never saw.
I can echo Tangerine Dream surprisingly being one of the loudest around at the time.
An oft forgotten band I would Like to add is supertramp who put out a lot of good stuff who sadly I never saw.
I can echo Tangerine Dream surprisingly being one of the loudest around at the time.
This would be my list of 30 bands (RANKED!) meeting the following criteria
a) Founded in the late 60's or early 70's
b) In some sense progressive - expanding the musical language of popular music or experimenting
c) Had some longevity - at least four albums
d) Bands not solo artists
e) Ignoring erm problematic ideology - looking at you Magma
1) Henry Cow
2) Magma
3) Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
4) Can
5) Velvet Underground
6) AMM
7) Third Ear Band
8) Faust
9) Kraftwerk
10) Soft Machine
11) King Crimson
12) Incredible String Band
13) Yes
14) Black Sabbath
15) Mothers of Invention
16) Embryo
17) Area International
18) Plastic People of the Universe
19) Amon Düül II
20) Heldon
21) Kluster/Cluster/Harmonia
22) Ash Ra Tempel
23) Gentle Giant
24) Cos
25) Floh de Cologne
26) Van der Graaf Generator
27) Mahavishnu Orchestra
28) Tangerine Dream
29) Guru Guru
30) MEV (Musica Elettronica Viva)
a) Founded in the late 60's or early 70's
b) In some sense progressive - expanding the musical language of popular music or experimenting
c) Had some longevity - at least four albums
d) Bands not solo artists
e) Ignoring erm problematic ideology - looking at you Magma
1) Henry Cow
2) Magma
3) Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
4) Can
5) Velvet Underground
6) AMM
7) Third Ear Band
8) Faust
9) Kraftwerk
10) Soft Machine
11) King Crimson
12) Incredible String Band
13) Yes
14) Black Sabbath
15) Mothers of Invention
16) Embryo
17) Area International
18) Plastic People of the Universe
19) Amon Düül II
20) Heldon
21) Kluster/Cluster/Harmonia
22) Ash Ra Tempel
23) Gentle Giant
24) Cos
25) Floh de Cologne
26) Van der Graaf Generator
27) Mahavishnu Orchestra
28) Tangerine Dream
29) Guru Guru
30) MEV (Musica Elettronica Viva)
To be honest there's a case for Black Dog even.
hash tag
Books, not bombs
Hey, you wanna groove?
Yes please... mama
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
No Genesis?
hash tag
Books, not bombs
There were in the big list?
"Then comes this monster mouse, he's ten feet tall
With teeth and claws to match"
Genesis – All in a Mouse's Night
[Loving Couple] / I can't see you but I know you're there / Got to get beside you 'cause it's really cold out here / Come up close to me you'll soon be warm / Hold me tightly like
genius.com
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