"Classic Rock Presents Prog" readers' all time best prog albums

olias should totally be on that list. listening to helium's magic city right now, which should totally be on that list too. as should the latest usaisamonster. as should a million other albums i've probably never heard of. list is a good snapshot of how critically neglected the whole prog thing is, which only matters because it's not bad sometimes to be exposed to new stuff to check out, like tangle edge (thanks pashmina) and cheer accident (thanks sarahel)

xp I saw one of their last Bay Area shows three years ago, and it was great. I actually think some of the songs would be better - and I feel almost heretical saying this - played a little more slowly. The last album had a song with vocals that was pretty proggy and was really interesting. I'd have been interested to see that developed further, but alas.

If ITCOTCK was all as good as Schizoid Man, it'd be out in front, but it's a great example of an album whose reputation basically hinges on the fact that it has four ok-to-very-good tracks and one stone-cold game-changing best-song-of-decade contender

truth. spoken.

I kind of think of myself as a prog fan, but the majority of the albums listed are prog of that very middle class, genteel, pompous and/or whimsical kind that bugs and/or bores the shit out of me. there's a distinct lack of edgier, noisier stuff, along the lines of magma, thinking plague, volta, shining, cardiacs, ruins, sleepytime, meshuggah, etc.

(theoretically opeth should qualify, but I've never heard anything by them that was even remotely tolerable. the heavy stuff lacks real impact and the 'progressive' side seems to amount to interminable waffle)

comes down to tool vs hawkwind vs crimson vs gong. therefore crimson it is. red it is.

but the majority of the albums listed are prog of that very middle class, genteel, pompous and/or whimsical kind that bugs and/or bores the shit out of me. there's a distinct lack of edgier, noisier stuff,

Yeah, that's where I'm at with this list, too. I also have a knee jerk loathing for anything involving Phil Collins.

Basically this is more the best symphonic rock albums ever than the best avant garde/experimental albums, and that is probably because the Prog magazine will appeal to those of us who love the former, while those who love the latter are more likely to read The Wire instead.

Sharp!!!!

DISTANCE!!!!

geir, italians did symphonic prog way better than lots of items on that list. you know that, right? that list is more like a cynical newby's impression of what some kind of prog canon is than any kind of authoritative assessment of such

dudes just remember that probably like you can tolerate things that are fancy pants fussbudget because they are mind expanding and rock, geir can tolerate things that are mind expanding and rock because they are fancy pants fussbudget

like any rocking going on in geir's world is collateral damage

Well, I think prog fans are very much aware of more experimental prog acts, krautrock etc. They have even featured articles on them already. But people who consider themselves fans of prog just aren't into that. They are usually either metalheads who got into more complex metal and converted to prog fans, or they are Genesis/Yes fans. Those who are into Can or Gong or whatever are more likely to be into Velvet Underground and Captain Beefheart in addition than to be into Genesis and Yes.

Rock Bottom but not Soft Machine?...hmmm

I don't think I'm really a prog fan, I just like a few bands that are considered prog.

Also, M@tt, "Meddle" might actually be my favourite Floyd song. (Is that even prog?)

Also, M@tt, "Meddle" might actually be my favourite Floyd song. (Is that even prog?)

There is no song called "Meddle", you mean the album?

I suppose the 25 minute epic that was "Echoes" is prog enough anyway....

geir i am a yes and can and velvet underground fan, always have been, but not so much those others you mention. genesis is okay here and there but largely boring. steve hackett's first solo album is way more appealing to me than any single genesis album. i respect what beefheart was up to but rarely choose to listen to him aside from the occasional binge. and gong has always been much more intriguing to me in theory than listening to them ever has been. i am sure i am not changing your worldview by going into all that though

My head says VDGG and my heart says 2112.

Fuck, yes, sorry, meant "Echoes"!

pig lib!

the week that was

Write-in vote for "Love Beach".

Voted Crimso's Red. Might have voted for Signals by Rush or Abacab by Genesis if those were on the list, but those obviously speak less to their being the best prog album ever, but more to being at the right place at the right time in my life (though c'mon, Abacab is awesome).

moving pictures is good but it's one of the least proggy rush records

It's more prog than every subsequent Rush album, surely?

I really love The Lamb but I don't think it's any proggier than Moving Pictures. It mostly feels like some epic keyboard-heavy pop record to me. I'll give Close to the Edge the, um, edge for that reason. I haven't listened to Pawn Hearts in a while though. I should put it on.

voted close to the edge. might've voted the lady in the lake by gnidrolog, einsjäger & siebenjäger by popol vuh, journey to the centre of the eye by nektar, or released by jade warrior, but that list sucks

I voted Close To The Edge though Going For The One was second choice. Am listening to Olias... now and, yeah, it should've been on this poll. Six Wives Of Henry VIII as well.

I really love The Lamb but I don't think it's any proggier than Moving Pictures.

Depends on how you define concept albums. Concept albums often have shorter tracks than other prog albums may, but then, the entire album is seen more or less as belonging together, which makes it very prog. Same about fact that there are lots of lengthy instrumental solos and various weird beats like 7/4, 11/4 etc.

The list doesn't contain one single krautrock album, just deal with it, and accept that typical prog fans don't like krautrock and don't consider improvised music true prog.

That's you all told, krautrock fans :(

Krautrock is probably loved by more Sex Pistols fans than Genesis fans, which says it all, really.

it suuuuuuuuuure does, my man.

o_O

"true prog"?

here's me thinking it was one of the more expansive and wide-ranging genres. thanks for narrowing the perspective and lowering expectations.

Geir stop talking shit. I love the hell out of Yes, King Crimson, Robert Wyatt and Magma and I also love Krautrock and I am far from alone in this!

voted Close to the Edge.

hang on i thought i was the anti-you

haha, just on most things, lj.

The list doesn't contain one single krautrock album, just deal with it, and accept that typical prog fans don't like krautrock and don't consider improvised music true prog.

You literally do not know what the fuck you're talking about.

Same about fact that there are lots of lengthy instrumental solos and various weird beats (meaning odd metres)

This is also true of Moving Pictures.

xpost Yeah, that "improvised music" thing is bullshit.

geir you are missing out on a lot if you think that amon duul and popol vuh have more in common with the sex pistols than genesis

Krautrock is probably loved by more Sex Pistols fans than Genesis fans, which says it all, really.

umm, what are you saying?

voting Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned.....in my mind

Moving Pictures is my all-around favorite on this list, but for Prog I'm choosing Close To The Edge.

I love how it is both epic and concise, they don't skimp on song length, but they don't drag out the record either. Probably the only Yes album that's really great from beginning to end with no dead weight.

This is also true of Moving Pictures.

I would agree, yes. "Moving Picture" is definitely prog. A bit more uncertain about those very recent Rush albums.

close to the edge still feels like the perfect prog record to me

― extremely demanding on the hardware (ciderpress), Thursday, July 16, 2009 11:42 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark

Yes. It's the one for the time capsule.

Close To The Edge is going to win this, isn't it?

Not a bad thing, really, it was my first instinctive choice. I only hope that Going For The One represents beyond my solitary vote, as it really is a great album. Even if you don't care for "Wonderous Stories", it's relatively short, and every other song is solid-to-amazing.

who are IQ?

I can't help but vote for Rock Bottom, even though I don't think of it as prog. Sorry, prog.

Close To The Edge is going to win this, isn't it?

Unless the non-prog fans hijack the poll and make sure that some King Crimson album or Van Der Graaf Generator wins.

lol how are they non-prog?

i voted VDGG but in this poll I like Genesis,Camel, King Crimson,Caravan, Tool and Meddle is one of 2 non syd albums i like.

lol how are they non-prog?

I am not saying they are non-prog, but they are somewhat more "avant garde", and thus more likely to appeal to those who don't like the idea of melodic symphonic rock.

"In The Court Of The Crimson King" is - with the exception of part of "Epitath" - rather normal symphonic rock though. It was later that they really started experimenting maybe a bit too much for their own good. Usually the tracks with vocals were always great though, even if they were a bit too experimenting for their own good on the instrumentals.

Wow, Geir, your thought processes are strange. I'm not piling on, just sayin'. Obsessive weird mentalism is one of the things I love about ILM.

Amen to that!

I wish Soft Machine and (yeah, right) Hampton Grease Band were options, but I'll go with Fragile - "Roundabout" is the perfect prog tune that you can actually hum along to, for what that's worth.