Some prog lists.

quote:

I wonder if a thread of 'best minimalist albums' would be more terse?

My list would be very short as I don't believe I've got any.

I agree though Bruce there does seem to be an excessive amount of Genesis - as a prog-rock fan, I'd argue it wasn't progressive after PG left, just well produced pop music (not so well sung though)

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
as a prog-rock fan, I'd argue it wasn't progressive after PG left, just well produced pop music (not so well sung though)

I always enjoy a good argument

Interestingly enough Q has in it's classic collection series one on prog covering its early days right up to neo prog like Mars Volta. Gives an interesting amount of coverage of the Canterbury scene. An interesting read and worth chasing down. It's top 40 prog albums:

40. Aphrodite's Child - 666
39. Barclay James Harvest - once again
38. Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
37. the moody blues - in search of the lost chord
36. Amon Duul II - Tanz der Lemmings
35. Gong - Flying Teapot
34. Hatfield and the North - eponymous
33. Argent - All Together now
32. Golden Earring - Moontan
31. Roxy Music - Roxy Music
30. Family - Music for a dolls House
29. The Nice - Five Bridges
28 Steve Hillage - L
27. Sigur Ros - Ageatis Byrnum
26. Pavlov's Dog - pampered menial
25. Queen - anight at the opera
24. Focus - Moving waves
23. Camel Moon madness
22. King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in aspic
21. Tool - Lateralus
20. Soft Machine - Third
19. Caravan - In the land of grey and pink
18. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
17. Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
16. Gentle Giant - Octopus
15. Van der graaf generator - the least we can do is wave at each other
14. Genesis - the lamb lies down on broadway
13. Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
12. Yes - the Yes Album
11. Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
10. Radiohead -ok Computer
9. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
8. Hawkwind - space ritual
7. Jethro Tull - Aqualung
6. Rush - A farewell to kings
5. ELP - Brain Salad surgery
4. King Crimson - In the court of the crimson king
3. Yes - Close to the edge
2. Genesis - Foxtrot
1. Pink Floyd - DSOTM

An interesting list with a few oddballs - Pavlov's Dog, Queen etc - and a touch of mixing the pysch and prog stuff - Steve Hillage, Hawkwind - but it does lead one to reassess would exactly prog may be...

regards,

Giles

So Q magazine thinks All Together Now was Argent's best album - interesting: I much prefer the first and second elpees.

Also as you say, Amon Duul II, Hawkwind are not always regarded as Prog - the term Space Rock comes to mind, but who cares when the music is so good. I agree with the AD2 selection, but Hawkwind's finest album IMHO was Quark, Strangeness and Charm with the brilliant Robert Calvert in full cry.

Tangerine Dream and Roxy Music - Prog?
Then why not Kraftwerk (Electronic) and Sweet (Glam-Rock)?

Tangerine Dream were a fine band IMHO - I prefer Atem, which I think is a landmark album, to Phaedra - but it is all just opinion in the end.

I guess these terms are at best subjective.

ATB Rotf

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
as a prog-rock fan, I'd argue it wasn't progressive after PG left, just well produced pop music (not so well sung though)

I always enjoy a good argument

Have a great new year

Transatlantic - three album's worth of wonderful stuff

SMPTE
Bridge Across Forever
The Whirlwind

The 1976 Rockfield trilogy of VdGG albums is a must-hear;

Godbluff
Still Life
World Record

Listen to them all in order, in one session

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
Have a great new year

Thank you sir, and you too....

I adored much progressive rock music, notably Yes, Genesis, Caravan, It Bites etc. and think that gems such as 'Close to the Edge', 'Genesis Live' or 'Once Around the World' might still make it to the mythical desert island. But I recently tried to extend my prog rock horizons with some Soft Machine and elected to try Volume Two. What utter tosh! The first few tracks are dreadfully distorted. I fail to see why it earns such glowing reviews. In Chris Jones's review for the BBC he says "Volume Two could be said to be the band's best album". But on checking again after making the purchase, I note he adds the coda, "No one makes records like this anymore". Thank goodness for that!


Despite this experience, I might just have to explore 'Bundles' or 'Softs' with Allan Holdsworth and John Etheridge respectively. I guess with these guitarists on board they might lean a little more towards jazz-rock fusion, which can't be a bad thing.

Any other Soft Machine recommendations? And why?

Thanks, CB

BTW - Happy New Year to all forum users!

One more thing

from germany.

I remembered me to a Band called MYTHOS.

There first Album "I" released in 1972 is a must have for every Progrocklibrary.

experimental guitar,flutes, many moogs, long tracks, classic influence

The title "Encyclopedia terra " from Mythos is the german "Atom heart mother"

http://itunes.apple.com/de/album/id79861942

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
So Q magazine thinks All Together Now was Argent's best album - interesting: I much prefer the first and second elpees.

Also as you say, Amon Duul II, Hawkwind are not always regarded as Prog - the term Space Rock comes to mind, but who cares when the music is so good. I agree with the AD2 selection, but Hawkwind's finest album IMHO was Quark, Strangeness and Charm with the brilliant Robert Calvert in full cry.

Tangerine Dream and Roxy Music - Prog?
Then why not Kraftwerk (Electronic) and Sweet (Glam-Rock)?

Tangerine Dream were a fine band IMHO - I prefer Atem, which I think is a landmark album, to Phaedra - but it is all just opinion in the end.

I guess these terms are at best subjective.

ATB Rotf

If this is not a prog album then I'm a Spurs supporter (and that is so hard to write I nearly choked)





Dean...

quote:

Originally posted by Whizzkid:

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
So Q magazine thinks All Together Now was Argent's best album - interesting: I much prefer the first and second elpees.

Also as you say, Amon Duul II, Hawkwind are not always regarded as Prog - the term Space Rock comes to mind, but who cares when the music is so good. I agree with the AD2 selection, but Hawkwind's finest album IMHO was Quark, Strangeness and Charm with the brilliant Robert Calvert in full cry.

Tangerine Dream and Roxy Music - Prog?
Then why not Kraftwerk (Electronic) and Sweet (Glam-Rock)?

Tangerine Dream were a fine band IMHO - I prefer Atem, which I think is a landmark album, to Phaedra - but it is all just opinion in the end.

I guess these terms are at best subjective.

ATB Rotf

If this is not a prog album then I'm a Spurs supporter (and that is so hard to write I nearly choked)





Dean...

Between 1968 (Essen Gruga Halle ) and the early 70 TD was progrock.
Today we say tht Tangerine Dream , Klaus Schulze ect is Berliner electronic school.

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
Has anyone else noticed how nobody can stick to a short list on this thread?
Bruce

I have thought long and hard about this and have come up with a prog list that is short.

A list of my favourite tracks from Yes 'Close to the Edge'.
1. Close to the Edge , 2. And You, And I, 3. Siberian Khatru

quote:

Originally posted by JamieL_v2:

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
Has anyone else noticed how nobody can stick to a short list on this thread?
Bruce

I have thought long and hard about this and have come up with a prog list that is short.

A list of my favourite tracks from Yes 'Close to the Edge'.
1. Close to the Edge , 2. And You, And I, 3. Siberian Khatru

Why is what I say so much great music you need even longer lists to really fit it all in.



Dean..

quote:

Originally posted by JamieL_v2:

I have thought long and hard about this and have come up with a prog list that is short.

A list of my favourite tracks from Yes 'Close to the Edge'.
1. Close to the Edge , 2. And You, And I, 3. Siberian Khatru

I'll trump your "Close to the Edge" with

1 Lemmings (including Cog)
2 Man-Erg
3 A Plague of Lighthouse-Keepers

or

Thick As A Brick (Part I)
Thick As A Brick (Part II)

Which, had CD technology been around at the time would have been simply "Thick As A Brick"

quote:

Any other Soft Machine recommendations? And why?

Thanks, CB

BTW - Happy New Year to all forum users!

The first two Soft Machine albums were bascially psych tinged with jazz. For there in in they were pretty much a jazz fusion band.

Third is generally regarded as their best - a double LP of jazz-rock fusion consisting of four long tracks, thoroughy based on melody though it often emerges out of chaos. The playing and riffing is magnificent. I think it's superb.

Fourth was an extension of Third, but less melodic (Robert Wyatt on his way out of the band) and trending towards the freer jazz of

Fifth, which is almost devoid of tune.

By Six, Karl Jenkins (he of Adiamus fame, but don't hold it against him) had arrived and there's a distinct return to melody though still within a jazz-rock context.

Seven is, for me the best of their later stuff. Jenkins is pretty much in control and it's a great blend styles.

Bundles (with Allan Holdsworth leading on guitar) is another shift in sound within that fusion world. I'm not quite so keen on this or the follow-up Softs (this time with Etheridge) but neitther is a bad album.

What you can count on is that nothing after Volume Two sounds like that. My favourites are the first (more or less a psych album), Third and Seven, and they're all very diferent.

And happy New Year to you too.

Land of Cockayne is superb, but nothing like other Soft Machine records; Karl Jenkins decided he prefers composing/arranging to playing. John Marshall's drums are wonderful on this disc.

The first Soft's album, excluding the very fine Jet Propelled Photographs set (well worth exploring), is Kevin Ayers led and so, for me, it goes without saying is a masterwork.

If you want to get in to Soft Machine by way of a compilation then the Triple Ech collection is as good as it gets; however, this may be too hard to find so I'd recommend Out-Bloody Rageous.

Or just follow Gary's advice

Also worth considering are Kevin Ayers solo albums - Joy of a Toy and Whatevershebringswesing are exemplary. Ayers is a brilliant singer songwriter with a totally unique sound - quite often each track has its own unique sound.

Any more thoughts on this Adrain?

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:
This arrived yesterday - Classic Prog magazine's prog album of 2010. Mixed by Steve Wilson. On first listen sounds interesting.

Dean...

quote:

Originally posted by Whizzkid:
Any more thoughts on this Adrain?

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:
This arrived yesterday - Classic Prog magazine's prog album of 2010. Mixed by Steve Wilson. On first listen sounds interesting.

Dean...

It's not really prog in my books but I can understand why it gets labelled that. More of a cross between Coldplay and late Marillion with bit of Porcupine Tree. All pleasant enough but I have yet to have that wow moment but certainly not a bad album.

No love for Supertramp? Their set list stretched from prog to rock and pop but I would always have them on my prog list.

quote:

Originally posted by MilesSmiles:
No love for Supertramp? Their set list stretched from prog to rock and pop but I would always have them on my prog list.

One of my fave bands - I just have never really thought of them as prog I suppose

Fair enough, I always saw them as a prog band but looking back they clearly crossed genres.

- regarding Soft Machine - let's not forget the BBC Sessions released as a double LP and CD in the 90's (Strange Fruit Records - The Peel Sessions). Comprises mainly of material from 2 and 3, but reworked, some with a short lived 7 piece band. Possibly my favourite Softs album alongside 3.

Just to extend the list a little, here are some of the progressive rock bands I've enjoyed over the years:

Henry Cow (UK)
Univers Zero (Belgium)
Art Zoyd (France)
Etron Fou (France)
Thinking Plague (Canada)
This Heat (UK)
Camberwell Now (UK)
Quiet Sun (UK)
Decibel (Swiss)
Sammlas Mammas Manna (Sweden)
5 uu's (USA)
Ground Zero (Japan)

and let's not forget Faust and Can.

Yes, Can would be on my list too.

... and yes, so would Yes.