Prog Top 50

Posted by: Lontano on 28 July 2009

It's been a while since we had a prog thread so I thought I would share a Top 50 Prog list taken from a very good new magazine called Classic Rock Presents Prog. The list has been voted for by the readership of the first issue. Maybe a little surprise as to which album came top, but it made me smile. Have a to say, a lot of my faves made the list.

So what do ya reckon?

1. GENESIS - SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND
2. Yes - Close to the Edge
3. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
4. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
5. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
6. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
7. Genesis - Foxtrot
8. Yes - Relayer
9. Pink Floyd - The Wall
10. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
11. Yes - Going for the One
12. King Crimson - Red
13. Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery
14. Marillion - Brave
15. Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts
16. Genesis - A Trick of the Tail
17. Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
18. Opeth - Watershed
19. Camel - Music Inspired by the Snow Goose
20. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
21. Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink
22. Yes - The Yes Album
23. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
24. Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans
25. Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt2: Scenes from a Memory
26. Jethro Tull - Thick As a Brick
27. Rush - 2112
28. IQ - The Wake
29. Rush - Moving Pictures
30. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
31. Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime
32. Spock's Beard - Snow
33. IQ - Subterranea
34. Rush - Snakes and Arrows
35. Camel - Moonmadness
36. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
37. Marillion - Fugazi
38. Pink Floyd - Meddle
39. Rush - A Farewell to Kings
40. Tool - Lateralus
41. Yes - Fragile
42. UK - UK
43. Genesis - Duke
44. Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
45. Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Trilogy
46. Magenta - Seven
47. Genesis - Nursery Cryme
48. Gong - Radio Gnome Invisible Pt2: Angel's Egg
49. Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight
50. Hawkwind - Space Ritual

Posted on: 28 July 2009 by Paper Plane

Well, I can hold my hand up and say that I own most of them. Not sure that I'd say they were the top 50 though.

steve

Posted on: 28 July 2009 by Ghom

no Soft Machine, no Gentle Giant, nothing Italian??

There should be far more Van Der Graaf Generator in there (e.g. Godbluff)

The Wall is way too high, I'd swap it with Meddle. Relayer is too high while Fragile languishes near the bottom.

Posted on: 28 July 2009 by Guido Fawkes

Very difficult to do a top 50, but here's a few essentials off the top of my head from Brit-Prog -

Aqualung
Argus
Ars Longa Vita Brevis
Ashes are Burning
Atom Heart Mother
Bedside Manners Are Extra
Brain Salad Surgery
Breathless
Concerto For Group And Orchestra
Death May Be Your Santa Claus
Earthspan
Eldorado
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Heavy on the Drum
In The Hearing of Atomic Rooster
In the Land of the Grey and Pink
Juicy Lucy
Lark’s Tounge in Aspic
Liege & Lief
Lola vs Powerman on the Money-go-round
Marjory Razorblade
Midnight Mushrumps
Morning Way
Nicely Out of Tune
Octopus
Odessey & Oracle
On The Shore
Once Again
Parachute
Quark, Strangeness and Charm
Quatermass
Ring of Hands
Rock Bottom
Smilin Men With Bad Reputations
Soft Machine IV
Spooky Two
Tempest
Tractor
The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp
The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other
To Pagham and Beyond
Valentyne Suite
Warrior at the Edge of Time
Whatevershebringswesing
White Noise: An Electric Storm

are great records - my favourite band of this genre is Emerson Lake and Palmer though Caravan are superb and the Incredible String Band were the most inventive. The best songwriter was Kevin Ayers. The album that holds together as an absolute triumph is, of course, Eldorado, but any album by of the groups represented in my list has some merit (late Atomic Rooster excepted) and there are many I've not listed that made great records. If you haven't heard Valentyne Suite then you should - the drummer is superb: he plays, no thumping.

I've not tried to put the records in order and I've commented on them many times before; they are mostly of their aga and demonstrate that the 70s was a great decade for music: not that you would have always known it as along with the good we had to endure the Eagles, and Fleetwood Mac turning from a great band in to a cabaret act as Peter and Danny lost control (did Danny ever have control). Oh and John DuCann had a hit with Don't be a dummy: how the mighty fall; this was the man that wrote Devil's Answer: one of the greatest singles in the history of singles.

Meanwhile in Germany, some very fine music was being made .... Amon Duul II, Anyone's Daughter, Ash Ra Temple, Can, City, Cosmic Jokers, Eloy, Faust, Floh De Cologne, Grobschnitt, Guru Guru, Karat, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and Wallenstein

ATB Rotf

Posted on: 28 July 2009 by Guido Fawkes

quote:
no Soft Machine, no Gentle Giant,

The only Soft Machine and Gentle Giant albums I really enjoy are all of them.

Posted on: 28 July 2009 by fatcat

quote:

31. Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime

Queensryche are far too good to be classed as prog.

Posted on: 28 July 2009 by seagull

For once I actually own most of those listed!

Some glaring omisions though and some duds (Duke? Trick of The Tail?) and three Genesis albums in the top 10 - I do like some Genesis but never rated them that highly)

Some Omissions...

Van Der Graaf - Godbluff
Van Der Graaf - Still Life
Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night
Caravan - If I could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It Over You
Camel - Mirage
King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic
Porcupine Tree - Sky Moves Sideways (rather than Deadwing or Fear of A Blank Planet)
Porcupine Tree - Signify
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Steve Hillage - L
Steve Hillage - Fish Rising
Peter Hammill - Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night
Peter Hammill - The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage
Peter Hammill - In Camera

Finally, one that WAS in the list but 14 places below where it should have been...

Van Der Graaf - Pawn Hearts (number 15?!? and below Marillion??)

Posted on: 28 July 2009 by John M

quote:
Originally posted by munch:
Duke??
How did that get on the top 50 list?

That's funny - this was also my very first thought.

And again, no Soft Machine or Gentle Giant!?!? Also a little American band called Kansas made a pretty big prog splash back in the 70's. Not a huge fan but I thought that would make the list as well.

Posted on: 30 July 2009 by Blueknowz

quote:
Originally posted by ROTF:
Very difficult to do a top 50, but here's a few essentials off the top of my head from Brit-Prog -

Aqualung
Argus
Ars Longa Vita Brevis
Ashes are Burning
Atom Heart Mother
Bedside Manners Are Extra
Brain Salad Surgery
Breathless
Concerto For Group And Orchestra
Death May Be Your Santa Claus
Earthspan
Eldorado
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Heavy on the Drum
In The Hearing of Atomic Rooster
In the Land of the Grey and Pink
Juicy Lucy
Lark’s Tounge in Aspic
Liege & Lief
Lola vs Powerman on the Money-go-round
Marjory Razorblade
Midnight Mushrumps
Morning Way
Nicely Out of Tune
Octopus
Odessey & Oracle
On The Shore
Once Again
Parachute
Quark, Strangeness and Charm
Quatermass
Ring of Hands
Rock Bottom
Smilin Men With Bad Reputations
Soft Machine IV
Spooky Two
Tempest
Tractor
The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp
The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other
To Pagham and Beyond
Valentyne Suite
Warrior at the Edge of Time
Whatevershebringswesing
White Noise: An Electric Storm

are great records - my favourite band of this genre is Emerson Lake and Palmer though Caravan are superb and the Incredible String Band were the most inventive. The best songwriter was Kevin Ayers. The album that holds together as an absolute triumph is, of course, Eldorado, but any album by of the groups represented in my list has some merit (late Atomic Rooster excepted) and there are many I've not listed that made great records. If you haven't heard Valentyne Suite then you should - the drummer is superb: he plays, no thumping.

I've not tried to put the records in order and I've commented on them many times before; they are mostly of their aga and demonstrate that the 70s was a great decade for music: not that you would have always known it as along with the good we had to endure the Eagles, and Fleetwood Mac turning from a great band in to a cabaret act as Peter and Danny lost control (did Danny ever have control). Oh and John DuCann had a hit with Don't be a dummy: how the mighty fall; this was the man that wrote Devil's Answer: one of the greatest singles in the history of singles.

Meanwhile in Germany, some very fine music was being made .... Amon Duul II, Anyone's Daughter, Ash Ra Temple, Can, City, Cosmic Jokers, Eloy, Faust, Floh De Cologne, Grobschnitt, Guru Guru, Karat, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and Wallenstein

ATB Rotf

That's some head you have there Rotf!

Posted on: 30 July 2009 by Guido Fawkes

quote:
That's some head you have there Rotf!

If only I could head the ball between the posts - I'm a bit like an Ipswich forward and never could quite get the hang of it - think it'll be a long hard season; predicting the change of manager in early January will be our turning point.

On the thread - I love all the records I've mentioned and if you only investigate one that may I suggest Death Will Be Your Santa Claus by Second Hand - you'll not find another record quite like it: sensational, unlike our bowling attack today.

ATB Rotf

Posted on: 30 July 2009 by Blueknowz

Posted on: 17 August 2009 by zappadaddy

I would replace few o fthgem for bands who deserves to be there a lot more,for instance:Anglagard - Hybris,Anekdoten - Vemod,After Crying - Megalayottak ..

Posted on: 17 August 2009 by ft-o8

Collegium musicum the best czech Progrockband in the 70`1 - never forget

Posted on: 17 August 2009 by graham55

No 'Tarkus'??!!

G

Posted on: 18 August 2009 by JWM

quote:
new magazine called Classic Rock Presents Prog. The list has been voted for by the readership of the first issue

All such 'popular' polls tend to reflects the personal taste of the particular readers, rather than be a more objective list.

And how many 'readers'?

For example, it seems bizarre that Genesis 'Duke' polls, but ELP 'Tarkus', or their debut, doesn't... And there's an awful lot of Marillion...

Posted on: 18 August 2009 by SAT

A lot of awful Marillion

Posted on: 31 August 2009 by Clive B

Having just acquired a copy of 'Larks' Tongues in Aspic' by King Crimson (Fopp and Rise are selling the entire KC catalogue at £5 per disc currently), I wondered if it would appear anywhere on this thread. I really enjoy a lot of 70's 'progressive' rock, but having just scanned through once again the lists above, I wonder how some of the titles made it onto a 'progressive' list. Liege and Lief for instance - surely never progressive? Isn't that the definitive folk-rock album? So this begs the question, what IS prog rock? Apart from the complexity of the music and the musical ability of the musicians, what is it that differentiates prog rock from any other good rock music?

Regards, CB

Posted on: 19 September 2009 by JamieL_v2

quote:
Originally posted by SAT:
A lot of awful Marillion

Or perhaps a lot of awful Marillion! Sorry, saw them several times, until I realised how bored I was at their gigs.

I must agree with what Seagul says, but then we are both huge fans of Van Der Graaf Generator, so no surprises there.

I would put a word in for 'Duke' by Genesis though, their last fling at prog and still a personal favourite. Some poor 3 minute tracks, but the Duke instrumentals, 'Man of our Time' and also the three opening tracks are excellent.

My top prog albums would look like this:

1. Van Der Graaf - Pawn Hearts
2. Yes - Close to the Edge
3. King Crimson - Red
4. Tool - Lateralus
5. Jethro Tull - Minstrel in the Gallery
6. Porcupine Tree - Signify
7. Pink Floyd - Animals
8. Genesis - Wind and Wuthering (mostly a Hackett album)
9. Rush - Permanent Waves
10. Peter Hammill - Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night

After that there would be lots more VDGG, Yes, Tull, Crimson, Hammill solo, Steve Hackett solo, and maybe Genesis 'Foxtrot', well the last three tracks anyway. A few other bands too, but those are the cream for me.

Genesis 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' and Pink Floyd 'The Wall' are interesting, albums where the singer took over and used the band as backing for their grand narrative. As someone who likes prog for the interaction of musicians, and great instrumental playing, these are two of my least favourite prog albums, but I do understand why others rate them so highly.

I know some consider Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk as prog, but I left them out of the list, but they were both fantastic, well Kraftwerk still are, especially when playing in a velodrome!