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- Jon Dolan
- Happy the Man, ‘Happy the Man’ (1977) Formed in a James Madison University dorm room, Washington, D.C.- based Happy the Man recorded three venerated, mostly instrumental prog albums in the late 1970s, striking a seductive middle ground between sax-driven jazz-fusion lunacy (circa Zappa's One Size Fits All) and synth-heavy meditative twittering.
- Ruins, ‘Hyderomastgroningem’ (1995) Beaming down from the far reaches of the prog-rock galaxy, this Japanese drums and bass duo slam together mathematically improbable meters and dissonant blasts of rhythm with nonsense wails or demonic growls.
- FM, ‘Black Noise’ (1977) Superficially, Toronto-based FM had a lot working against them: Aside from Rush, Canada was never a prog hotbed, and the band released its debut album in 1977, as many of the genre's originators were fading.
- Crack the Sky, ‘Crack the Sky’ (1975) American rockers aren't known for their prog ambitions, and the bands that did push the boundaries usually slipped through the commercial cracks.
- Close To The Edge. **YES **(Atlantic, 1972) We say: With seven albums in the Top 100 (that’s one more than Genesis, Floyd and Marillion), it’s perhaps fitting that Yes top the poll with their 1972 classic.
- In The Court Of The Crimson King. **KING CRIMSON **(Island, 1969) We say: For many, the album that kick-started the entire progressive genre, and certainly the finest prog album from those heady early days back in the 60s when inventiveness was at its peak and the musicians knew no boundaries.
- Selling England By The Pound. **GENESIS **(Charisma, 1973) We say: It’s certainly no mean feat to get three albums in our Top 10, but Genesis have managed just that.
- The Dark Side Of The Moon. **PINK FLOYD **(Harvest, 1973) We say: The most recognisable album sleeve of all time. And quite possibly the most easily identifiable Pink Floyd-sounding album of all time, too?
- YES. WE SAY: Pre-eminent in the way prog has developed and grown since their inception in 1968, Yes have always been prepared to modify and alter their approach to suit the times, without sacrificing their overall style.
- Genesis. WE SAY: From their early days, when Peter Gabriel’s theatricality made them both unique and applauded, to the latter times when, with Phil Collins taking over as the frontman, the band became archetypal stadium rockers, Genesis have always been at the forefront of prog.
- Pink Floyd. WE SAY: Not just one of the great prog bands, but among the finest bands of all time in any genre, Pink Floyd, who began their music journey in 1968, enjoyed three different eras.
- King Crimson. WE SAY: Despite numerous line-up changes, and various bouts on hiatus, nobody can doubt the impact King Crimson have made on the music world.
People also ask
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- Yes: “The Revealing Science of God”
- Curved Air: “Vivaldi”
- Pink Floyd: “Fearless”
- King Crimson: “Trio”
- Genesis: “Ripples”
- Jethro Tull: “Wind Up”
- Caravan: “C’Thlu Thlu”
- Camel: “The Snow Goose”
- Gentle Giant: “Nothing at All”
- The Moody Blues: “Have You Heard?”
Inexorably, this list has, to begin with, Yes, and it must include a song from perhaps the most maligned album in the prog canon. It could (should?) be chosen just because of its title, which — like many of the subsequent selections, for good, bad, and obvious reasons — epitomizes much of what makes progressive rock beloved, misunderstood, mocked, ...
Sure, it’s pretentious and more than a little earnest. It’s also brilliant: an extended violin and electric guitar workout, a quirky but compelling tribute to, well, Vivaldi. If the music, much less the execution, were in the least bit sloppy or uninspired, it would crumble under the weight of its own pomposity. Ripe for ridicule and, like many pro...
With two key elements (the guitar sound and the vocals) solidly established on this mature, confident album, a final one — Roger Waters’ increasingly mature and topical lyrics — comes to fruition on the third track, “Fearless”. This tune, which could be viewed as a poignant nod to Syd Barrett, is definitely an early installment of a growing Waters ...
Perhaps the most mellotron-y of prog songs from the most mellotron-y of prog bands. A few words about the mellotron: its sounds may be undeniably dated, kind of like movies without CGI, which helps explain why certain folks have an unapologetic nostalgia. Put another way, the mellotron was a novelty instrument replacing proper string sections the w...
Gabriel, gone? They could not go on. They went on. And, for a while, they did better than any reasonable fan could have expected or hoped for. Phil Collins, as it turned out, was not only a suitable, but almost perfect replacement for the former frontman, albeit — at least through the duration of the decade — in a more subtle and self-aware fashion...
Ian Anderson upped his already impressive lyrical game on Jethro Tull‘s breakthrough masterpiece, Aqualung, a song cycle that remains as scornful and relevant as the year it was recorded. While the first side of the original LP concerns itself with, if you’ll indulge the cliché, man’s inhumanity to man, the second side takes on religion with righte...
You can discern everything from a hint of Black Sabbath to a touch of the Grateful Dead and a smattering of Genesis, with Peter Gabriel in full freak mode, here. It seems a certainty that Blue Oyster Cult was paying attention, and everyone from Randy Rhoads to Metallica owes at least a partial debt. Matching mood to lyrical and thematic content was...
In a sensible world, Camel would get a lot more love. While any number of their albums warrant reexamination or discovery, The Snow Goosestands not only as their masterpiece but as one of the first-tier concept albums from the prog genre. The title track ably encapsulates what is essentially a free-flowing suite connected by “chapters”, using only ...
Possibly the most controversial of all progressive rock outfits, Gentle Gianthave indefatigable supporters, semi-enthusiastic fans, and everyone else who’s never heard of them. This, of course, is not fair, and the band did enough exceptional work over an extended period of time that they should be name-checked more frequently, both in and outside ...
On the Threshold of a Dream is the Moody Blues‘ Progressive-with-a-capital-P album: it’s not so much that the material deals with the obligatory inner-space explorations, it tries to capture, with words and music, elements of the sounds, colors, shapes, and emotions these journeys can encompass. The band goes for broke, aesthetically, on the psyche...
- Drama. **YES **_(Atlantic, 1980) _ We say: The first Yes album without Jon Anderson could have been a disaster. Instead, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes entered the fold and it was brilliant business as usual.
- Tago Mago. **CAN **(United Artists, 1971) We say: Like music beamed down to Earth from some deeply peculiar planet, Can’s greatest masterpiece remains deliciously alien but never less than utterly hypnotic.
- To Our Children’s Children’s Children. **THE MOODY BLUES **(Threshold, 1969) We say: Space travel? Check. Woozy psychedelia? Orchestral pomp? The Moody Blues’ second classic album of 1969 added high-grade fuel to the pioneers’ blazing fire.
- Storm Corrosion. **STORM CORROSION **(Roadrunner, 2012) We say: An overwhelming and inspired trip through rapture and discord conjured by Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt, Storm Corrosion lived up to its potential and then some.
Jun 24, 2021 · Top 50 Progressive Rock Albums. From 'The Lamb' to 'Octopus' to 'The Snow Goose' — the best LPs that dream beyond 4/4. Virgin. 50. Hatfield and the North - 'Hatfield and the North' (1974) It's ...
Apr 3, 2004 · Greatest Progressive Rock Albums. 1. In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) - King Crimson. 2. Close to the Edge (1972) - Yes. 3. Brain Salad Surgery (1973) - Emerson, Lake & Palmer. 4. Selling England by the Pound (1973) - Genesis.
