Prog Inqueries

Asia - It's amazing that such a large gathering of talent musicians from legendary prog bands can make music this cheesy. I'd avoid it personally... but I'm just telling you what my heart meant.

Goblin - Yeaaaaah brotha! Awesome stuff, some of the best prog I've come across in a while. The thing is, there "albums" vary because a lot of their albums are soundtracks to movies (They did the dawn of the dead soundtrack... I think that's the "dead" one they did) but albums of choice on my part "squadra antigangsters" and make sure to check out "Cherry Five" which was actually the band they were before they were Goblin. It's actually there best because there was no "soundtrack" concerns.

Camel - Mirage is essential prog.

Caravan - The Land of Pink and Grey is very poppy, but in a good way. Really good vibe, not overly complex.

Vovoid - I'd say Outer Limits and Nothingface are a good place to start, I know you like Floyd... there are Floyd covers on each of those albums. The term heavy metal pink floyd gets thrown around a lot, but these guys back it up. Avoid their early stuff and to some extend their later stuff. It's really strange, they got really proggy in the middle. I got the new album with Newstead... snooooree. Warning... Voivod might turn you into a guitarist wannabe (RIP Denis D'amour)



Owl is the prog guy on the boards, he'll be all over this. Furthermore, if you can find any, check out Lucifer Was... awesome, it's like the heavy end of Jethro Tull.

 

Thanks for your props Matt!! Guilty as charged

UK - The first album with Holdsworth and Bruford is AMAZING state of the art (for the time) symphonic prog. The second disc "Danger Money" is fair to midland (despite the presence of Terry Bozzio), rather like ELP-lite.

Wishbone Ash - Great prog/hard-rock hybrid, "Argus" and "Live Dates" are great places to explore.

Asia - GACK!!! Total cheese-whiz pop 4 major talents that added up to LESS than the sum of its parts, best avoided at all costs.

Roxy Music - The first 4 Roxy albums (Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure Stranded and Country Life) are very edgy.

Goblin - I ditto Matt on these guys, great horror film soundtrack stuff for some of Dario Argenti's best flicks. They also did a non-soundtrack album called "Roller" that is a must have! And they did some great stuff under the banner of Cherry Five.

Camel - Everything from "Camel" through "Rain Dances" is worth having

Tangerine Dream Pioneering electronic stuff, the earlier albums like Zeit, Alpha Centauri and Atem makes me think of instrumental early Pink Floyd but even darker. Phaedra, Rubicon, Ricochet, Stratosfear and Live in America are classics,from when the band went exclusively electronic. The more recent stuff tends to be very cheesy and new-agey though.
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Caravan - Poppy Canterbury-ish stuff with droll Brit humor and melody.

Renaissance - Very grandiose, colorful and symphonic with Annie Haslam belting it out like an opera diva and angel combined.

Kayak - Far more pop with some faintly proggish mannerisms

I definitely dig Lucifer Was too! Thye do make me think of what would happen if early Tull and early Sabbath got together for a jam.

 

http://www.progarchives.com/

 

This has been a great resource for me. They have mp3s from most of the bands on your list.

I fully encourage you to check out Atheist. They're progressive jazz-infused death metal. Awesome stuff. If you like Cynic, later era Death, etc...you probably love them. Elements is their most prog album, followed by Unquestionable Presence, then Somewhere in Time which is more straight up death/thrash metal. Listen here

 

Early Yes & Genesis
King Crimson
Rush
Mars Volta
Porcupine Tree (super amazing good)
Spock's Beard
Magma

 

Asia
All the most amazing prog musician and the crappiest cheesiest music ever

 

2nd that. listen to In Absentia and Deadwing about 10 times each and tell me they're not your favorite band. Incredible live, especially.

 

Do yourself a favor and listen to the Flower Kings, Karmakanic, Kaipa, IQ, Magellan. Amazing prog with very talanted musicians. Amazon actually has samples of many of these bands

 

The Porcupine Tree mp3s on progarchives.com sound amazing! I'll definitely be getting some of thier stuff. Good rec!

 

I'll second the Flower Kings recommendation. Jonas Reingold on bass really shines.

 

Surprised no one mentioned Starcastle. Killer band, sounds a bit like Yes, but much more melodic. Their bassist, Gary Strater, RIP, could of taught Chris Squire a thing or two.

Transatlantic, Jordan Rudess, Dream Theater, and Captain Beyond....are but a few MUST HAVES for listening to/practing with.

PM me your email address and I will send you a track or two of these artists.

 

Yes, Captain Beyond... self titled... git it.


IMO one of the best (current favorite... residing in my "will never get old" phase)...

Comus - First utterance


If you don't love this album, you have horrible taste in music.

 

I loved "Heat Of The Moment" when it was released.

IMO, Asia's music isn't that crappy or cheesy. It's just that there's an incoherence in the fact that musicians of such stature like John Wetton, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer created such pop-rock tunes in the vein of Foreigner or similar bands.

 

Magma related/influenced, may I recommend:

Shubb Niggurath

Weidorje

Eskaton

Zao (NOT the metal band)

 

If I was marooned on an island with the complete catalog of only 5 bands (plus a solar powered stereo) it would be,


Rush
Jethro Tull
Pink Floyd
Queen (check out Queen II)
Dream Theatre

 

I would vote you off the island.

 

OMFG!!!!!!
YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!

The Suspiria soundtrack is great (what got me stated on them)

Roller is AMAZING (a non-soundtrack cd) Snip-Snap is the shiznite

+99999^999999 on the Cherry Five, in my top 5 of greatest CDs EVER

Seriously, check these guys out

 

Once again, much love.

This cd is hit-or-miss w/ me. Some songs are beautiful, some just sound like crap.



Also, TOOL is amazing, listen to every album non-stop from Opiate to Lateralus, the trasition of sound is rediculous and its all great too (im being serious, do it).

Well, since we're on the subject of prog (deep breath) I'm going for it: DT best to the worst (no such thing) CD's:

1. Images and Words

2. Scenes From a Memory (CLOSE second)

3. Awake

4. Train of Thought (basically tied for 3rd)

5. When Dream and Day Unite

6. Octavarium (God this is hard, all of these seem like they should be higher, just remeber this is a DT rating scale)

7. Falling Into Infinity (yes, a Sherinian CD edged out a Rudess CD, sorry, I don't make the rules, although 6degrees almost beat this cd with just one song: Solitary Shell)

8. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

9. A Change of Seasons

10. everyother cd ever made