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Greatest Progressive Album ever

#61
I wish the title of this thread was "best classic prog rock album"...because you guys are throwing in a lot of stuff that seems more jam bandy then actual prog rock, like Spock's beard. I have listened to them, and while mildly entertaining for about 2 minutes, fail to match the sheer grandeur of bands like YES when they were at their apex...."Close to the edge" might just be the prefect, classic prog rock album.

Yeah, I am not a fan of jam bands....at all! Most of them have a lot of the mindless noodling that critics always accused the true, classic prog rock bands of doing (unfounded, of course!)
 
#62
i agree with Lucas Vigor's commentary about prog vs jam band. To be sure the jam band guys will jump in here to the defense of that style. But IMO prog bands like YES actually made compositions with a beginning, middle and end, and with discernible sections and segues and parts. Additonally they could all play their ***es off. I am not saying ALL jam bands or jam band songs are totally lacking in these qualities, but in general they dont compare to the prog style. I enjoy jam bands when they are "on", but when they do the noodling thing it gets old really fast and yes, there is an area where these two genres kind of meld together.....OF COURSE this is all just IMHO!!!
 
#63
MonetBass said:
Rush - 2112 or Hemispheres
Yes - The Yes Album or Drama (I completely agree with ilovenofrets)
Pink Floyd - Animals or Wish You Were Here
Kansas - Leftoverture
Genesis - Duke
Supertramp - Crime Of The Century
Dream Theater - Images And Words
Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick
Dare I say: Queen - A Night At The Opera ("The Prophet's Song" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" are pretty progressive IMO)
Click to expand...

+1 on Drama

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#64
You pretty much nailed it.

Classic prog rock was as close to classical music as could be, for rock musicians. Beginnings, middles, ends...actual story arcs and the use of dynamics...plus, there was always something very forward thinking and exporatory about it...even in some of the unscripted "jams" that appear on such classic albums as "larks toungues in aspic" or "starless and bible black"...it's a new sound we were hearing, one that really had not been done before.

With Jam bands, the first thing I notice is a vast disparity between the technical skills of the musicians playing it versus that found in real prog rock.. Chris Squire, Wakeman, Fripp, Wetton, all the guys in Genesis and Pink Floyd, ELP...these guys are all master musicians....

I have always had friends (mostly neo-hippies) try to force me to listen to the jam bands, Phish, etc....and what I hear is basically garage rock minus the attitude...I hear guitarists that are basically camp-fire noodlers...a lot of notes, but not a lot to actually say, musically. And the greatest jam band of all, the Dead? I have never understood them, because at thier heart they are light country/folk music very similar to Jimmy Buffett, with the odd "space noise" part of their set thrown in without any context. You take a song like "Gates of delirium" by yes, and wow! Now THERE is a masterful piece which correctly tells a story through dischordant music of war and terror....

The whole jam band scene reminds me all too much of Spinal Tap when they played thier "free form jazz excursion".
 
#66
MonetBass said:
Rush - 2112 or Hemispheres
Yes - The Yes Album or Drama (I completely agree with ilovenofrets)
Pink Floyd - Animals or Wish You Were Here
Kansas - Leftoverture
Genesis - Duke
Supertramp - Crime Of The Century
Dream Theater - Images And Words
Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick
Dare I say: Queen - A Night At The Opera ("The Prophet's Song" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" are pretty progressive IMO)
Click to expand...

I love Duke by Genesis as well!

My list:
Genesis: The lamb, Foxtrot, Duke
Yes: close to the edge, Drama, Relayer
Chris Squire: fish out of water
King Crimson: Red
Marillion: misplaced childhood, Brave
Mike Rutherford: Smallcreeps day
Rush: 2112
Camel: the snow goose

Sent from my iPod touch using TalkBass
 
#68
lucas vigor said:
I wish the title of this thread was "best classic prog rock album"...because you guys are throwing in a lot of stuff that seems more jam bandy then actual prog rock, like Spock's beard. I have listened to them, and while mildly entertaining for about 2 minutes, fail to match the sheer grandeur of bands like YES when they were at their apex...."Close to the edge" might just be the prefect, classic prog rock album.

Yeah, I am not a fan of jam bands....at all! Most of them have a lot of the mindless noodling that critics always accused the true, classic prog rock bands of doing (unfounded, of course!)
Click to expand...

This is what I was kinda thinking when I thought of this topic.
Classic Progressive Rock.
The Greatful Dead could be classified as a Jam Band, and all that follwed that trend.
I totally meant the classic multi-part, multi-faceted album side-long Epics of yesteryear
 
#69
Hard to argue with Close to the Edge... amazing playing and production, and more importantly, good writing.

While I've left the prog thing behind a couple decades ago, I still am amazed by Relayer by Yes. The story goes that they were pretty freaked out when they heard Chick's Return to Forever' band with Lenny White and Stanley. Just like the Beatles when they heard 'Pet Sounds', according to an interview or some liner notes I read on the reissue (can't remember), when the jazz fusion thing hit, it kind of overshadowed the prog bands as being on the 'top of the hill' regarding chops, odd time signatures, and shear technical musicianship.

So, Relayer was Yes's kind of 'shot across the bow' to the fusion guys. Amazing piece of playing and writing, with the wonderful Patrick Moraz on keyboards. Talking about having your hair blown back when seeing the two Relayer tours live. Whew!
 
#70
Metalbasshippy said:
Would tommy by the who be considered prog?
Click to expand...

Good question, but I've never thought of it that way. As others mentioned, classic prog usually incorporates more classical elements (or jazz as with King Crimson), and The Who's blues/R&B roots give everything they did a different slant. But Townshend's use of synthesizers beginning with Who's Next and the grandeur of Quadrophenia certainly edge toward prog.

I've never really thought of Pink Floyd as prog either, but they probably fit. Meddle definitely does, and is one of my faves.

Some of my others would be:

Yes: Fraglile and The Yes Album

King Crimson: everything mentioned already, especially Lark's Tounges and Red, plus Discipline and Thrak (an underrated masterpiece IMO)

Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium

Tool: Lateralus

Radiohead: Kid A, their most "prog" that's listenable IMO

Rush: Moving Pictures
 
#71
Kjung....how freakin' awesome that you saw that tour 2X yet!!!

I love the back story about Relayer. It is among my alltime fav prog recordings. I remember when I first heard it, I was kind of listening to both that style AND the fusion thing (RTF, Weather Report (Heavy Weather), Stanley CLarke...and in the mid 80's Elektric Band...which totally floored me live....holy cow, but thats another thread...). I recall a part of Relayer where there is a kind of funk section. I found thaat particuarly inspiring in that I thought "these guys can do this too...".

I dont really listen to prog much any more but my respect and awe of it remains. Perhaps I should break it out once in a while. I should also buy some of those recordings while they are still available on CD!! All mine are on LP, many of which I gave away.
 
#72
KJung said:
Hard to argue with Close to the Edge... amazing playing and production, and more importantly, good writing.

While I've left the prog thing behind a couple decades ago, I still am amazed by Relayer by Yes. The story goes that they were pretty freaked out when they heard Chick's Return to Forever' band with Lenny White and Stanley. Just like the Beatles when they heard 'Pet Sounds', according to an interview or some liner notes I read on the reissue (can't remember), when the jazz fusion thing hit, it kind of overshadowed the prog bands as being on the 'top of the hill' regarding chops, odd time signatures, and shear technical musicianship.

So, Relayer was Yes's kind of 'shot across the bow' to the fusion guys. Amazing piece of playing and writing, with the wonderful Patrick Moraz on keyboards. Talking about having your hair blown back when seeing the two Relayer tours live. Whew!
Click to expand...

I can totally relate. Prog rock was the gateway drug for me, into fusion, and from there to trad jazz (where I stayed)...but like others, prog rock was my first love...and this thread has made me pull out the old records!

You saw relayer live. That's epic!
 
#73
dpbass66 said:
Kjung....how freakin' awesome that you saw that tour 2X yet!!!

I love the back story about Relayer. It is among my alltime fav prog recordings. I remember when I first heard it, I was kind of listening to both that style AND the fusion thing (RTF, Weather Report (Heavy Weather), Stanley CLarke...and in the mid 80's Elektric Band...which totally floored me live....holy cow, but thats another thread...). I recall a part of Relayer where there is a kind of funk section. I found thaat particuarly inspiring in that I thought "these guys can do this too...".

I dont really listen to prog much any more but my respect and awe of it remains. Perhaps I should break it out once in a while. I should also buy some of those recordings while they are still available on CD!! All mine are on LP, many of which I gave away.
Click to expand...

Funny you mentioned that because I replaced all my albums with CDs...even fairly recently! Like, I HAD to have the complete collection of every YES CD ever made! Still working on ELP, RUSH and CRIMSON......(I do have all the important albums from each of those bands "eras")
 
#74
Nedmundo said:
Good question, but I've never thought of it that way. As others mentioned, classic prog usually incorporates more classical elements (or jazz as with King Crimson), and The Who's blues/R&B roots give everything they did a different slant. But Townshend's use of synthesizers beginning with Who's Next and the grandeur of Quadrophenia certainly edge toward prog.

I've never really thought of Pink Floyd as prog either, but they probably fit. Meddle definitely does, and is one of my faves.

Some of my others would be:

Yes: Fraglile and The Yes Album

King Crimson: everything mentioned already, especially Lark's Tounges and Red, plus Discipline and Thrak (an underrated masterpiece IMO)

Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium

Tool: Lateralus

Radiohead: Kid A, their most "prog" that's listenable IMO

Rush: Moving Pictures
Click to expand...

Yep. For me, that's the dividing line and why I don't consider some bands to be purely prog rock...for me, Prog rock is the one style of rock music that does not pay homage to the blues in many ways..but more to western classical music. Having said that, there are some albums from rock bands such as Led Zep's "Physical Graffiti", which has many songs on it that definitely move into the prog rock realm (kasmir, ten years gone, etc) and bands like Pink Floyd which straddle the line. Oh, and you HAVE to have mellotron! That sound just totally makes it prog!
 
#76
I understand, I am kind of OCD like that too.... :D


I kept a handful of some of my all time fav LP's (among something like 500 Lps') and then in an instant of youthful exuberant foolishness GAVE THE REST AWAY. OMG.

...side bar story....that massive LP give away included (by mistake) a signed by the band copy of Elektric Band first release (with Scott Henderson on guitar). I didnt realize it until years later when I went looking for it. I actually went back to the vinyl dealer to track it down, he had sold it to some dude who he actually knew. I tracked THAT guy down and bought it back from him! It is now framed on my studio wall....

Sorry to untrack the thread guys.....had to share.
 
#79
lucas vigor said:
You pretty much nailed it.

Classic prog rock was as close to classical music as could be, for rock musicians. Beginnings, middles, ends...actual story arcs and the use of dynamics...plus, there was always something very forward thinking and exporatory about it...even in some of the unscripted "jams" that appear on such classic albums as "larks toungues in aspic" or "starless and bible black"...it's a new sound we were hearing, one that really had not been done before.
Click to expand...

I always thought The Moody Blues were as close to classical music as you could get, especially their first album, when they played with a full symphony orchestra. Their subsequent albums had the layered Mellotron sound delivering the classical sound. Seven classic prog albums, from 1966 to 1972.

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Great headphone music, too, especially late at night after inhaling one's intoxicant of choice!
 
#80
Ric5 said:
The first King Crimson -- "In the Court of the Crimson King" is like the quintessential prog rock album. After that they sort of moved a little more into fusion.
Click to expand...

Not sure I would agree with this. I think it is actually the other way around...albums like Wake of poseidon and islands, very much nodded to fusion, especially with the flutes and saxes....but middle period albums like Starless, red and larks tongues? They have all the regular aspects of prog rock...and they even had a huge influence on grunge and modern prog metal...bands like tool, soundgarden, and Kurt Cobain....clearly show the influence...even Primus....

And then later onto the 80's Crimson...I hear no fusion in that at all, and the most recent stuff, which is very, very heavy music with industrial rock elements....again, not fusion. Fusion needs to have some element of jazz in there, to be considered fusion. With the exception of musicians like Alan Holdsworth and Al Dimeola, most fusion is electrified jazz to a major extent.
 

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