You're favorite prog band ,,,,and why?
Who Are The 'Big 4' Of Prog Rock?
- Thread starter CrazyConnie
- Start date
Hydrazoic Acid
Skeptic
I'd say Pink Floyd. The reason is probably that they preferred the creation of a completely unearthly cosmic atmosphere to complex and lengthy instrumental improvisations. My subjective opinion.
The first Floyd I actually owned was Meddle...my college room mate and I would 'smoke' and listen to it in 1971. We went back and discovered Ummagumma ,Atom Heart Mother, and Piper and Saucerful.
I have played Meddle and Dark Side the most, but I think Wish is their best overall as a listening experience but that could be because DSOTM is overplayed and I have heard it too often.
I suppose KC is my favorite prog band and Court of the Crimson King my favorite prog lp though Close To The Edge by Yes is right up there also. When I first heard Court it blew me away like no lp had before.
It was very different from any other prog lp and many still consider it the one that really started the prog phase in earnest even though interesting lps had come out earlier. I also think Red by KC is a landmark lp in the prog area. Apparently Kurt Cobain was a fan of Red.
Also a big fan of Genesis ...Foxtrot with 'Suppers Ready' and Jethro Tull with 'Aqualung' also blew my socks off first time I heard them but I was already into Stand up and Benefit.
Prog had a grip on me and it has never let go.
This might be one of the toughest threads I've responded to, because the premise has to include a murky mix of objectivity and subjectivity. Plus what are the criteria and qualifiers..... If I establish a system of longevity, musicanship, productivity, influence, and intangibles. Here would be my list. I will also add reason for those who I didn't include.
1. Yes- Checks all 5 boxes. Chronologically, they were already close to cemented in this llist by CTTE. Then add the bonus points of totally reinventing the Brand by the early 1980's. I am a huge Babin fan, and his genius was just icing on the cake. When you realize that the these personnel changes ere made on the fly effortless? They were masters of the genre, and virtuosity at its finest for a band larger than "3"
2. Pink Floyd- Now I really will be objective., I really don't care that much for this band. But they have a legacy from the early to mid 1970's alone that can't be denied. Props when props are due.
3. Rush- I know I might be accused on this end of bias, It's pretty well known that this is my favorite band, But when you look/listen their embodiment of work say from 1976-1984. I don't thiink any band made 7 more consitently good music, All 7 of them are 5 Star LP's. And musicanship? When seeing list of GOAT's , Peart and Lee are in the majority of "top 3" across the board. And these are the Kings of Prog Longevity, with excellent work from 1974-2015.
4. The Moody Blues- Kind of the unconventional choice after reading earlier on this thread. To me,they are the Rodney Daingerfield of rock history. These were pioneers who brought electronic keyboards to the masses, were massively great song makers, and created topical and mind provoking stuff. Their musical chops were maybe a hair less than ELP, Yes, and Rush, but don't let that simplicity fool you. That masking of prententiousness of Prog translated well with the regular rock crowd. And you got to admit,,,,, No one did prog concept stuff than them in the 1st 10 years of the genre. Their first 7 are all 4 or 5 star efforts. To this day, I usually listen at least once a week of their work.
Others-
---------
King Crimson- No denying their Crimson King juggernaut, but outside of that, I just didn't hear that much that was epic. I know their loyal fans are obviously going to disagree, so this is just this humble reviewers opinion., Incredibly influential though.
ELP- As a trio, these 3 cumulatively were the greatest musicans in rock history, Then all I have to say is "Love Beach", and those stinking barrel house roll crappy numbers Keith gave us on every LP. I am certain he was giving us the finger on that front,
Genesis- Another of those subjective vs. objective points. Nothing they ever did really excited me. Again, just my opinion and preferences,
1. Yes- Checks all 5 boxes. Chronologically, they were already close to cemented in this llist by CTTE. Then add the bonus points of totally reinventing the Brand by the early 1980's. I am a huge Babin fan, and his genius was just icing on the cake. When you realize that the these personnel changes ere made on the fly effortless? They were masters of the genre, and virtuosity at its finest for a band larger than "3"
2. Pink Floyd- Now I really will be objective., I really don't care that much for this band. But they have a legacy from the early to mid 1970's alone that can't be denied. Props when props are due.
3. Rush- I know I might be accused on this end of bias, It's pretty well known that this is my favorite band, But when you look/listen their embodiment of work say from 1976-1984. I don't thiink any band made 7 more consitently good music, All 7 of them are 5 Star LP's. And musicanship? When seeing list of GOAT's , Peart and Lee are in the majority of "top 3" across the board. And these are the Kings of Prog Longevity, with excellent work from 1974-2015.
4. The Moody Blues- Kind of the unconventional choice after reading earlier on this thread. To me,they are the Rodney Daingerfield of rock history. These were pioneers who brought electronic keyboards to the masses, were massively great song makers, and created topical and mind provoking stuff. Their musical chops were maybe a hair less than ELP, Yes, and Rush, but don't let that simplicity fool you. That masking of prententiousness of Prog translated well with the regular rock crowd. And you got to admit,,,,, No one did prog concept stuff than them in the 1st 10 years of the genre. Their first 7 are all 4 or 5 star efforts. To this day, I usually listen at least once a week of their work.
Others-
---------
King Crimson- No denying their Crimson King juggernaut, but outside of that, I just didn't hear that much that was epic. I know their loyal fans are obviously going to disagree, so this is just this humble reviewers opinion., Incredibly influential though.
ELP- As a trio, these 3 cumulatively were the greatest musicans in rock history, Then all I have to say is "Love Beach", and those stinking barrel house roll crappy numbers Keith gave us on every LP. I am certain he was giving us the finger on that front,
Genesis- Another of those subjective vs. objective points. Nothing they ever did really excited me. Again, just my opinion and preferences,
Thanks for that post on prog. I enjoyed it and I wish more people here would really get into what they think with longer posts about music.
Now for some comments which I hope will not offend anyone here.
As I said before it's always has seemed to be be about the 'big 6 of prog' on prog web sites but that came from UCR so I'll give them some slack even though they are familiar with Prog Magazine.
Usually Floyd, Tull, Yes, Genesis, ELP, and Crimson get chosen by prog fans but some put in Rush or Gentle Giant in place of 2 others.
-Big fan of Yes and they do tick all the boxes and CTTE usualy gets picked no 1 prog lp by Prog Archives website. Certainly belong on the list.
-Also enjoy Pink Floyd at times though I'm burned out on DSOTM.....btw I assume you meant subjective there on your personal feelings ......not objective?
-Also a strong fan of Rush but imho they borrowed a bit too much in the early days to be one of the big 6 ( please feel free to disagree...
) I'll give over 4 stars to the five from 2112 to Pictures. (No prog lps on PA ever got 5 stars btw.) Moving Pictures is brilliant and my favorite by them. If you want to bump ELP for Rush I won't complain.
-I'm a Big fan of the Moody Blues but maybe a bit too lightweight (pop prog song oriented perhaps) to be in the big 6 imho. Having said that ,like I said ,I'm a big fan and listen to them often and they did have concepts on many of their lps. 4 stars on the first 7 for sure...they deserve much acclaim.
-ELP are somewhat overrated imho and while the first 3 or 4 lps are all 4 stars the rest are pretty lame imho. The first lp is still my favorite before they got pretentious.
-Genesis is a wonderful prog band and should also be on the list of 6...imho. Trespass to Wind and Wuthering are as classic prog as it gets and 'Suppers Ready' from Foxtrot is considered one of the seminal prog rock epics along with 'CTTE'(side 1), Tull-'Thick As a Brick' side1), and a few others like 'Tarkus'- ELP , and 'ITCOTCK' by Crimson ...of course there are other epics.
- As to King Crimson, I have always believed they were more of an acquired taste for those who wanted to dive deep into both musical and lyrical waters. They are my favorite for a number of personal reasons..one being it was the first full blown prog lp that gobsmacked me.....there is that subjectivity again. I think the first lp and Red should be in everyones' collection if they are serious about music. They can be difficult to assimilate but are well worth the effort in the end. You must think outside of the box.....but then I think that applies to listening to prog in general.
Thanks for the post again....and I wish more music fans here would get deeper into their posts on music .
PS...we both didnt really comment on Jethro Tull....curious in your thoughts on them in the world of prog.
Now for some comments which I hope will not offend anyone here.
As I said before it's always has seemed to be be about the 'big 6 of prog' on prog web sites but that came from UCR so I'll give them some slack even though they are familiar with Prog Magazine.
Usually Floyd, Tull, Yes, Genesis, ELP, and Crimson get chosen by prog fans but some put in Rush or Gentle Giant in place of 2 others.
-Big fan of Yes and they do tick all the boxes and CTTE usualy gets picked no 1 prog lp by Prog Archives website. Certainly belong on the list.
-Also enjoy Pink Floyd at times though I'm burned out on DSOTM.....btw I assume you meant subjective there on your personal feelings ......not objective?
-Also a strong fan of Rush but imho they borrowed a bit too much in the early days to be one of the big 6 ( please feel free to disagree...
) I'll give over 4 stars to the five from 2112 to Pictures. (No prog lps on PA ever got 5 stars btw.) Moving Pictures is brilliant and my favorite by them. If you want to bump ELP for Rush I won't complain.-I'm a Big fan of the Moody Blues but maybe a bit too lightweight (pop prog song oriented perhaps) to be in the big 6 imho. Having said that ,like I said ,I'm a big fan and listen to them often and they did have concepts on many of their lps. 4 stars on the first 7 for sure...they deserve much acclaim.
-ELP are somewhat overrated imho and while the first 3 or 4 lps are all 4 stars the rest are pretty lame imho. The first lp is still my favorite before they got pretentious.
-Genesis is a wonderful prog band and should also be on the list of 6...imho. Trespass to Wind and Wuthering are as classic prog as it gets and 'Suppers Ready' from Foxtrot is considered one of the seminal prog rock epics along with 'CTTE'(side 1), Tull-'Thick As a Brick' side1), and a few others like 'Tarkus'- ELP , and 'ITCOTCK' by Crimson ...of course there are other epics.
- As to King Crimson, I have always believed they were more of an acquired taste for those who wanted to dive deep into both musical and lyrical waters. They are my favorite for a number of personal reasons..one being it was the first full blown prog lp that gobsmacked me.....there is that subjectivity again. I think the first lp and Red should be in everyones' collection if they are serious about music. They can be difficult to assimilate but are well worth the effort in the end. You must think outside of the box.....but then I think that applies to listening to prog in general.
Thanks for the post again....and I wish more music fans here would get deeper into their posts on music .
PS...we both didnt really comment on Jethro Tull....curious in your thoughts on them in the world of prog.
Thanks Doc....
Like everything in music, when doing these reviews, lists, and critiques, it is really tough to parse the objective vs. the subjective.
An example? In my early childhood of loving rock music, say age 8-12, I thought the Beatles could do no wrong. But, there was a period of time in my teens, where myself and many others viewed the band as archaic, and uncool. Needless to say, 50 years later I can cast a more objective eye on issues of legacy, BUT still.... it is impossible to mask our predjudices 100%.
And, being opininated on these matters can be emotional. A couuple of my album reviews have generated nasty rebukes. I understand that, We cherish our favorite bands, and treat them like loyal family. Music of long ago that we love fires the deep crevaces of our brain, and generates strong memories of our youth, and that my friend is a powerful emotion.
And the comment around the "borrowing" aspect of Rush's disography? I'll half agree with half that point. Do we really want to dock certain bands on chronological basis? IMO Rush past their 1st LP, was pretty unique in the repitoire,. Like Xanadu.... I don't see much pre-created matter that would give that indication. As with several other of their best works in the late '70's, early '80's. A second point, I like how Reznor in a NIN song (Copy of A) succintly states the same. Reznor obviously was influenced by Depeche Mode, but I challenge anyone to give me an example where he blatantly plagarized from them
Everything I say has come before
Assembled into something, into something, into something
I don't know for certain anymore"
3rd point? I did a review on a band called Silver Tide (2004) a few years ago, where I asked the question.... Was this the last AOR record ever made? It was a good album, but I found myself during that review comparing their sound and work of individual classic bands of the day. In retrospect, it probably wasn't really fair. But that is the nature of the beast. When you hear 40 years of rock, you can not subliminally not include chordal structure, meter, and style that has been tried before. Even in infancy, 30% of rock music in the '60's sounded like Wild Thing, and Louie Louie.
I do have some disagreement around The Moody Blues being light weight, Yes, they had a penchant for being more melodic, and orchestrative, but I think what they did in the area of innovation easily cancels that. Again... subjective, and there truly is no wrong or right answer on any of these issues. Heck.... there are even people who consider "Rap" is music,.
You really nailed the head on King Crimson. It does appear to have to be an acquired taste. They just never crossed my path of favorites. Proof, a while back a created a thread of my favorite top 20 bands pretty much every month from 1973- 1990. It was interersting to rehash that a while back to see and understand how even our own musical tastes can change pretty drastically over time. King Crimson never made those "Top 20's"... Even though I had friends who viewed them as incarnation of the Beatles.
Enjoying the discussion Doc... You are a wealth of knowledge here.
https://www.classicrockforums.com/threads/my-top-20-lists-that-i-compiled-as-a-kid-1973-1990.43193/
Like everything in music, when doing these reviews, lists, and critiques, it is really tough to parse the objective vs. the subjective.
An example? In my early childhood of loving rock music, say age 8-12, I thought the Beatles could do no wrong. But, there was a period of time in my teens, where myself and many others viewed the band as archaic, and uncool. Needless to say, 50 years later I can cast a more objective eye on issues of legacy, BUT still.... it is impossible to mask our predjudices 100%.
And, being opininated on these matters can be emotional. A couuple of my album reviews have generated nasty rebukes. I understand that, We cherish our favorite bands, and treat them like loyal family. Music of long ago that we love fires the deep crevaces of our brain, and generates strong memories of our youth, and that my friend is a powerful emotion.
And the comment around the "borrowing" aspect of Rush's disography? I'll half agree with half that point. Do we really want to dock certain bands on chronological basis? IMO Rush past their 1st LP, was pretty unique in the repitoire,. Like Xanadu.... I don't see much pre-created matter that would give that indication. As with several other of their best works in the late '70's, early '80's. A second point, I like how Reznor in a NIN song (Copy of A) succintly states the same. Reznor obviously was influenced by Depeche Mode, but I challenge anyone to give me an example where he blatantly plagarized from them
Everything I say has come before
Assembled into something, into something, into something
I don't know for certain anymore"
3rd point? I did a review on a band called Silver Tide (2004) a few years ago, where I asked the question.... Was this the last AOR record ever made? It was a good album, but I found myself during that review comparing their sound and work of individual classic bands of the day. In retrospect, it probably wasn't really fair. But that is the nature of the beast. When you hear 40 years of rock, you can not subliminally not include chordal structure, meter, and style that has been tried before. Even in infancy, 30% of rock music in the '60's sounded like Wild Thing, and Louie Louie.
I do have some disagreement around The Moody Blues being light weight, Yes, they had a penchant for being more melodic, and orchestrative, but I think what they did in the area of innovation easily cancels that. Again... subjective, and there truly is no wrong or right answer on any of these issues. Heck.... there are even people who consider "Rap" is music,.
You really nailed the head on King Crimson. It does appear to have to be an acquired taste. They just never crossed my path of favorites. Proof, a while back a created a thread of my favorite top 20 bands pretty much every month from 1973- 1990. It was interersting to rehash that a while back to see and understand how even our own musical tastes can change pretty drastically over time. King Crimson never made those "Top 20's"... Even though I had friends who viewed them as incarnation of the Beatles.
Enjoying the discussion Doc... You are a wealth of knowledge here.
https://www.classicrockforums.com/threads/my-top-20-lists-that-i-compiled-as-a-kid-1973-1990.43193/
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I went and looked again at your 20 band list .....a remarkable undertaking....I could probably tell you who I was listening to then but not 20 artists worth each year.
I had no idea you were such a big Neil Young fan for many years. He has always been a favorite for me.
My wife and I saw him solo in Chicago in winter of 1971...just him and a guitar and an old upright piano.
Absolutely wonderful night. 3 years before we married.
I'm a big fan though I lost interest in his music in the mid 80's and didnt jump in again until 1990....and dont have any of his things past Silver and Gold in 2000...been meaning to buy the ones recorded in the 70's that came out as special releases in the 2000's.
Getting back to prog......
Still want to know your thoughts on Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson....was Tull truly prog and which Tull lps are your favorites?
I had no idea you were such a big Neil Young fan for many years. He has always been a favorite for me.
My wife and I saw him solo in Chicago in winter of 1971...just him and a guitar and an old upright piano.
Absolutely wonderful night. 3 years before we married.
I'm a big fan though I lost interest in his music in the mid 80's and didnt jump in again until 1990....and dont have any of his things past Silver and Gold in 2000...been meaning to buy the ones recorded in the 70's that came out as special releases in the 2000's.
Getting back to prog......
Still want to know your thoughts on Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson....was Tull truly prog and which Tull lps are your favorites?
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Doc... I did have S/S phase, and was really into Neil Young's work. In fact, I made it a point to own every album, till I got tired at about Harvest Moon in the early '90's. I saw hm twice in the mid 1980's, once with Int. Harverstether's which was a good gig. Then I saw him in hisRock-a- billy phase with the Shocking Pinks, and it ended up being the worst concert of my entire life. The venue was actuslly boo-ing him 2/3 the way through. I viewed him much like a Poet Laureate, and I had a group of friends who would congregate for a drink, and we would discuss and interpret his most cryptic stuff.
Jethro Tull? Loved his 3 in sucession (Aqualung-Brick-Passion Play). But back in the day, we didn't have the term Prog. It was called Art Rock, and JT, Moody Blues (make that pre-'72 stuff), ELP, and Yes, in my eyes were the creme of the crop . I kind of lost interest after the '74-'75 timeframe as my tastes were trending more toward AOR... Boston, Styx, Aerosmith, VH, among others. Though I singularly was really liking rush by about '77.
One other point about Tull, he seemed side-genred in the fact he seemed to be focused on Gaelic, Tradiidional UK Mediaeval song structure. Not that disqualified him at the time, but when he went full bore, it kind of lost me.
Jethro Tull? Loved his 3 in sucession (Aqualung-Brick-Passion Play). But back in the day, we didn't have the term Prog. It was called Art Rock, and JT, Moody Blues (make that pre-'72 stuff), ELP, and Yes, in my eyes were the creme of the crop . I kind of lost interest after the '74-'75 timeframe as my tastes were trending more toward AOR... Boston, Styx, Aerosmith, VH, among others. Though I singularly was really liking rush by about '77.
One other point about Tull, he seemed side-genred in the fact he seemed to be focused on Gaelic, Tradiidional UK Mediaeval song structure. Not that disqualified him at the time, but when he went full bore, it kind of lost me.
Thanks for the reply....
I would try Stand Up and Benefit ....wonderful blues based rock and folk. They were before his prog and gaelic/folk eras.....though I personally love the later rock folk mixture on lps like Minstrel in the Gallery and Songs From the Woods.
"Nothing To Say' ....from Benefit
"To Cry You A Song'
Very well done blues based rock with folk thrown in....best played loud.
ps. what is S/S phase?
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