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Prog Rock albums with impressive bass

#64
I see a lot of Hemispheres love, but some of Ged's best stough is on Signals IMO...

Check out Frost*, both of their albums(Milliontown, Experiments in Mass Appeal) has some really good bass work in it

Just listen to morow.com and pick and choose your Prog
 
#65
AcidFripp said:
Oh, another one! Magma's Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh has some pretty intricate basslines but those guys are on some other level entirely... it's like they're not even from Earth...
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Magma was about as out there as anything ever got. I once described thir music as sounding like a collaboration of Sun Ra, Frank Zappa and Carl Orff complete with lyrics sung in the original Klingon.

Jannik Top was a hell of a bassist. Christian Vander was a genuine mad genius and a mind-roasting drummer.
 
#67
jimmyjames said:
Tesseract - not only does he looks like Hugh Grant, but he is like a little beast in a pocket lol
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They're kind of more metal but I agree! Saw them live opening for Protest The Hero (who, by the way, have a brilliant bassist, one of the best). They're like Meshuggah in space!

lucas vigor said:
1. Created by mostly English groups from say, 1970 to 1980
2. Use of mellotron and Hammond Organ
3. Thoroughly orchestrated or arranged long songs with time changes/tempo changes (for the most part)
4. Lyrics with sci-fi or fantasy themes
5. Obvious influences from western classical music
6. Noticeable absence of "Blues" elements.
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At the risk of this becoming an argument...

1. You ignore the German, French, and Italian, and North American prog rock scenes, as well as the vibrant prog scene going on right now
2. Definitely not a requirement. Sure, it was pretty common in the early days of the genre, but it's not required.
3. Now, here, I'll agree, but they don't have to be "thoroughly orchestrated"
4. Nope.
5. Well, yes, but... it can be influences from jazz too or, in the case of Magma, influences from outer space. You're right, though.
6. On the surface, yes. In reality, you can still have the whole "call and response" thing, as well as other, less obvious, blues elements.

Let's not make this a huge argument, though.
 
#70
AcidFripp said:
They're kind of more metal but I agree! Saw them live opening for Protest The Hero (who, by the way, have a brilliant bassist, one of the best). They're like Meshuggah in space!



At the risk of this becoming an argument...

1. You ignore the German, French, and Italian, and North American prog rock scenes, as well as the vibrant prog scene going on right now
2. Definitely not a requirement. Sure, it was pretty common in the early days of the genre, but it's not required.
3. Now, here, I'll agree, but they don't have to be "thoroughly orchestrated"
4. Nope.
5. Well, yes, but... it can be influences from jazz too or, in the case of Magma, influences from outer space. You're right, though.
6. On the surface, yes. In reality, you can still have the whole "call and response" thing, as well as other, less obvious, blues elements.

Let's not make this a huge argument, though.
Click to expand...

Doesn't have to be an argument at all. I used the terms "Mostly" and "In general" for all my statements. Because the characteristics of what I just describe are what rock critics would mostly, generally and usually define a traditional prog rock band to be. In my opinion, the band YES is basically the archetype and template I base my characterizations on.

People are saying "dream theatre" are a prog rock band. To my ears, they are a form of heavy metal, or a form of heavy metal fusion...similar to what artists like Mike Stern, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen or even John Scofied do.

People say "spock's beard", but when I listen to the clips, I hear "Jam band".

If prog rock means just anyone that plays something that sounds far off or different then mainstream rock, then that could mean a lot of things....including Primus, for example.
 
#75
In reply to the Greg Lake comments, his tone on "Welcome back my Friends" live triple album, the cut "Tarkus": absolute T-O-N-E. Love Kansas "Leftoverture" album, Rush from Geddy's Rickenbacker days, and, of course, (the king of it all) Chris Squire, on Yes Album, Fragile, Close To the Edge, Yessongs (INCREDIBLE), even "Going For the One" has some great bass lines. Honorable mention, a band called StarCastle, from the mid 70's. Hard to find, but some great, great, bass playing.
 
#79

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