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progressive rock recordings / bands
- Thread starter Ric5
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- obscure progressive rock
There’s a variety of answers to that question, but Touch ain’t one of them. Sounds like warmed over Vanilla Fudge wannabe to me. And while the Fudge emerged in and of the psychedelic era, by 1968 the movement/moment was over with, yet many of the bands associated with it remained. What would you call what they were doing on Near The Beginning(aside from the cover of “Shotgun” and the jammy “Break Song”)?Even a lot of the stuff before that had all the hallmarks of prog...long deconstructed songs that featured intricate rococo instrumental passages and classical motifs, but I will recognize that it’s all more influential than actual, but Yes cited them as a big inspiration.
And speaking of Yes, they were up and running by the second half of ‘68, even being the opening band for Cream’s farewell concert before they recorded their first album, released in ‘69. I couldn’t find any exact info on the exact month, but the Touch album came out in ‘69 as well. However, if one is to play the chronolgy game, you already had albums by Soft Machine(yet to go whole hog on the jazz-rock stuff), Caravan, and The Nice, not to mention scores of one and two shot bands that noodled around with progish concepts. Even though King Crimson’s first album didn’t come out until October of 1969, they had a whole bunch of sessions that were scrapped before they recorded what we know today, and had been gigging long enough to have impressed Yes so much(as potential competition)that it forced them to clean up their act. And where does the first Genesis album(‘68)fit in?
I’ve seen the ‘birth of prog’ mantle bestowed on everything from the Moody Blues to Sgt. Pepper’s, and while it’s all debatable(and you have to define the term anyway), I found it interesting, after looking up that Strawberry Brick book mentioned in a related thread, that they include the year 1967. So, Touch misses out on several points. Plus, it’s not like that many people heard it enough to be influential; I always saw it in the blow-out bins of hippie used record stores. Did you know that the main guy in the band, Don Gallucci, was the keyboardist on the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie”, and that he produced The Stooges’ “Fun House” album? That’s some (proto)punk cred.
^^^That's one of my favorite albums from the 1970s, a real milestone in the prog-rock/jazz fusion scene that I think gets ignored because everybody expects it to be New Age-y like all the subsequent Shadowfax albums on Windham Hill. But that debut, man, talk about fire!
I just learned about that album a couple day ago, never heard of it before. Amazing change from that to the first of the '80s era of Shadowfax. I love them both.
I remember going to see Yes, ELP, Flash, King Crimson etc. I don't think we even heard or said the the word 'Prog' yet.
In my mind, maybe when the first mellotron made an appearance, Moody Blues, Beatles? Maybe? I'll go with the first time a cape made an appearance!
I assumed New Age-y...
Every so often, Windham Hill surprises us.
IIRC, Billy Childs' early albums & (I think) Lost Tribe's debut. All on fire, IMO.
If it hasn’t been mentioned, in my opinion, all of the 70’s recordings by Kansas should not be overlooked. More on the rocking side but there is prog all over them.
I was a big prog fan around my 20s. But nowadays I only still like the big prog bands that originated in the 70s: Mostly Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Rush. I have listened to many other newer prog bands from the 80s until now but they can’t hold up to these older prog giants. I hardly come by anything of the newer stuff that I like and most is of putting me.
Later around my 30s or so I was heavily into Dream Theater and played in such bands but I don’t like that kind of prog metal anymore. I just keep coming back to the classic prog bands. To me it doesn’t get better than that and it never has despite all the efforts of bands that came after. These older bands have something, some extra layer or depth and soul and originality or however you want to call it that most later bands lack.
Same goes for the classic jazz rock bands of the 70s. Mahavishnu, Weather Report, Brand X and such. Never really got better after that.
Later around my 30s or so I was heavily into Dream Theater and played in such bands but I don’t like that kind of prog metal anymore. I just keep coming back to the classic prog bands. To me it doesn’t get better than that and it never has despite all the efforts of bands that came after. These older bands have something, some extra layer or depth and soul and originality or however you want to call it that most later bands lack.
Same goes for the classic jazz rock bands of the 70s. Mahavishnu, Weather Report, Brand X and such. Never really got better after that.
Does anyone remember another band from the Canterbury Scene called Gilgamesh?
(I searched this thread and the name didn't come up)
Gilgamesh (band) - Wikipedia
Something from their first album:
Their second album:
And here's one from Alan Gowan's (keyboardist for Gilgamesh) last album "Before A Word Is Said" which was recorded just before he died:
(I searched this thread and the name didn't come up)
Gilgamesh (band) - Wikipedia
Something from their first album:
Their second album:
And here's one from Alan Gowan's (keyboardist for Gilgamesh) last album "Before A Word Is Said" which was recorded just before he died:
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Both spun off from Hatfield and the North, who in turn had heritage in Caravan and Khan(which also included Steve Hillage from Kevin Ayers and Gong...it’s all somewhat incestuous as everything stems from the Softs).
