Aggie87 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Posted June 5, 2009 For anyone interested in the Yes "In a Word" 5 disc box set, there's a seller (Deep Discount DVD CD) on Amazon offering it for about $15 shipped. I bought it because there are a couple of exclusive tracks on it. Just like I bought the 3 disc "Ultimate Yes" set. Even though I have all of the original albums. Sigh. Aggie87=Chewy Hey! I don't like Phil Collins THAT much! LOL Quote
Aggie87 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) The recent issue of Classic Rock magazine has a Top 50 Prog Albums of all time list, that goes like this: 50 Hawkwind - Space Ritual 49 Marillion - Afraid Of Sunlight 48 Gong - Radio Gnome Invisible Part 2 Angels Egg 47 Genesis - Nursery Cryme 46 Magenta - Seven 45 Emerson Lake & Palmer - Trilogy 44 Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom 43 Genesis - Duke 42 UK - UK 41 Yes - Fragile 40 Tool - Lateralus 39 Rush - A Farewell To Kings 38 Pink Floyd - Meddle 37 Marillion - Fugazi 36 Porcupine Tree - Deadwing 35 Camel - Moonmadness 34 Rush - Snakes and Arrows 33 IQ - Subterranea 32 Spocks Beard - Snow 31 Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime 30 Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet 29 Rush - Moving Pictures 28 IQ - The Wake 27 Rush - 2112 26 Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick 25 Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt 2, Scenes From A Memory 24 Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans 23 Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 22 Yes - The Yes Album 21 Caravan - In The Land Of Grey and Pink 20 Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos 19 Camel - Snow Goose 18 Opeth - Watershed 17 Marillion - Misplaced Childhood 16 Genesis - Trick Of The Tail 15 Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts 14 Marillion - Brave 13 Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery 12 King Crimson - Red 11 Yes - Going For The One 10 Porcupine Tree - In Absentia 9 Pink Floyd - The Wall 8 Yes - Relayer 7 Genesis - Foxtrot 6 King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King 5 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here 4 Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 3 Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon 2 Yes - Close to the Edge 1 Genesis - Selling England By The Pound Interesting list. It seems to cover all eras more than many lists I've seen, which have focused mainly on the 70's. I don't know if it's a list that was generated by the readers in a poll, or if it's the magazine's list. Edited June 5, 2009 by Aggie87 Quote
JETman Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 The recent issue of Classic Rock magazine has a Top 50 Prog Albums of all time list, that goes like this: 50 Hawkwind - Space Ritual 49 Marillion - Afraid Of Sunlight 48 Gong - Radio Gnome Invisible Part 2 Angels Egg 47 Genesis - Nursery Cryme 46 Magenta - Seven 45 Emerson Lake & Palmer - Trilogy 44 Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom 43 Genesis - Duke 42 UK - UK 41 Yes - Fragile 40 Tool - Lateralus 39 Rush - A Farewell To Kings 38 Pink Floyd - Meddle 37 Marillion - Fugazi 36 Porcupine Tree - Deadwing 35 Camel - Moonmadness 34 Rush - Snakes and Arrows 33 IQ - Subterranea 32 Spocks Beard - Snow 31 Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime 30 Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet 29 Rush - Moving Pictures 28 IQ - The Wake 27 Rush - 2112 26 Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick 25 Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt 2, Scenes From A Memory 24 Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans 23 Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 22 Yes - The Yes Album 21 Caravan - In The Land Of Grey and Pink 20 Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos 19 Camel - Snow Goose 18 Opeth - Watershed 17 Marillion - Misplaced Childhood 16 Genesis - Trick Of The Tail 15 Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts 14 Marillion - Brave 13 Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery 12 King Crimson - Red 11 Yes - Going For The One 10 Porcupine Tree - In Absentia 9 Pink Floyd - The Wall 8 Yes - Relayer 7 Genesis - Foxtrot 6 King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King 5 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here 4 Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 3 Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon 2 Yes - Close to the Edge 1 Genesis - Selling England By The Pound Interesting list. It seems to cover all eras more than many lists I've seen, which have focused mainly on the 70's. I don't know if it's a list that was generated by the readers in a poll, or if it's the magazine's list. Definitely an interesting list, including a couple of albums I wouldn't necessarily call "Prog". A little light on King Crimson though. Where's "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" and "Starless and Bible Black"? :rsmile: Quote
barryh471 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 The recent issue of Classic Rock magazine has a Top 50 Prog Albums of all time list, that goes like this: . . . Interesting list. It seems to cover all eras more than many lists I've seen, which have focused mainly on the 70's. I don't know if it's a list that was generated by the readers in a poll, or if it's the magazine's list. Definitely an interesting list, including a couple of albums I wouldn't necessarily call "Prog". A little light on King Crimson though. Where's "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" and "Starless and Bible Black"? :rsmile: Here's another list -- it's the current 50 highest rated albums at Gnosis2000.net, a progressive rock-oriented ratings database (though the database contains albums from many genres). Whereas about 1/3 of the above list isn't very good, IMO (Marrillion? IQ? Top 50???) all of these albums are worth checking out, and most of them are all-time greats. 50. Mahavishnu Orchestra -- Birds Of Fire 49. Picchio Dal Pozzo -- st 48. Miles Davis -- Complete Bitches Brew Sessions 47. Frank Zappa -- You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2 46. Miles Davis -- Cellar Door Sessions 45. Gentle Giant -- Three Friends 44. Magma -- Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh 43. Bubu -- Anabelas 42. Van Der Graaf Generator -- Godbluff 41. Magma -- K.A. 40. King Crimson -- Lizard 39. Frank Zappa -- Hot Rats 38. Mahavishnu Orchestra -- Inner Mounting Flame 37. Area -- Arbeit Macht Frei 36. Magma -- Trilogie Theusz Hamtaahk 35. Kultivator -- Bardomens Stigar 34. Anglagard -- Epilog 33. Gentle Giant -- Giant On the Box (DVD + CD) 32. Gentle Giant -- Octopus 31. Gong -- You 30. Caravan -- The Land of Grey and Pink 29. Genesis -- Nursery Cryme 28. Eskaton -- Four Visions 27. John Coltrane -- A Love Supreme 26. King Crimson -- Great Deceiver Live 1973-1974 25. Il Balletto Di Bronzo -- Ys 24. Robert Wyatt -- Rock Bottom 23. Magma -- Hai/Live 22. Miles Davis -- Kind Of Blue 21. Univers Zero -- Ceux Du Dehors 20. Pink Floyd -- Piper At The Gates Of Dawn 19. John Coltrane -- Complete Village Vanguard 18. King Crimson -- Red 17. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso -- st 16. Gentle Giant -- In A Glass House 15. Hatfield & The North -- st 14. Jethro Tull -- Thick As A Brick 13. Van Der Graaf Generator -- Pawn Hearts 12. PFM -- Storia Di Un Minuto 11. National Health -- Of Cues And Cures 10. Genesis -- Foxtrot 9. Yes -- Close To The Edge 8. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso -- Io Sono Nato Libero 7. Hatfield & The North -- The Rotters Club 6. Genesis -- Selling England By the Pound 5. Anglagard -- Hybris 4. PFM -- Per Un Amico 3. Banco Del Mutual Soccorso -- Darwin 2. King Crimson -- Larks Tongues In Aspic 1. King Crimson -- In The Court Of The Crimson King Quote
Aggie87 Posted June 10, 2009 Author Report Posted June 10, 2009 That's a nice list, but of questionable value. When it's including things like "Kind of Blue", it's sure not limiting itself to one genre. Hard to compare a list with open boundaries to one that tries to limit itself to prog. Quote
barryh471 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Posted June 10, 2009 That's a nice list, but of questionable value. When it's including things like "Kind of Blue", it's sure not limiting itself to one genre. Hard to compare a list with open boundaries to one that tries to limit itself to prog. As I stated in my original post, what I posted was not a "list," but simply the current highest-rated (based on a modified mean) 50 albums on a particular album-rating database, which I thought might be helpful for anyone interested in some top-notch prog albums that they perhaps had not heard of. I emphasize the word "current," because it changes all of the time -- there have been at least a 20 top rated albums on that site since I discovered it a number of years ago. The criteria to participate (at least, the last time I checked) is to be able to provide ratings for at least 2000 albums right off the bat, and then be able to contibute several per week thereafter -- thereby making it a much more valuable resource than other similar sites available on the internet, which are simply places where anybody can rate anything. The site administrators use responsible statistical models to develop their averages, so that albums with few reviews won't get rated disproportionately high or low, if those relatively few reviews bunch at the top or bottom of the ratings scale. I don't know why you'd discount the jazz albums in the ratings, since the purpose of the site is "exploratory, creative and original music of the past, present and future," and jazz certainly qualifies. They have rated several thousand jazz albums. If you want to throw out the jazz albums, however, then the more prog-related albums that would replace the five slots that the jazz albums had taken up, would be: 46. Osana -- Palepoli 47. Univers Zero -- UZED 48. Area -- Crac 49. Soft Machine -- Third 50. Le Orme -- Felona e Serona Quote
clifford_thornton Posted June 10, 2009 Report Posted June 10, 2009 The second list was a little more knowledgeable than the first, it seems. I like the self-titled Hatfields LP better than Rotter's Club, but YMMV. Not much Krautrock represented, either. No Yeti? For that matter, whither Catherine Ribeiro and Alpes? Quote
Aggie87 Posted June 10, 2009 Author Report Posted June 10, 2009 I don't have a problem with it as a creative list, at all. Quote
Quincy Posted June 10, 2009 Report Posted June 10, 2009 The gnosis site is sorta fun to mess around with because: 1) They use a 15 point scale. This is different. Face it, there's little difference between a 10 and a 5 point scale if the latter uses 1/2 points. I know I know, many people have problems with trying to quantify art, but c'mon, we all do it whether or not we're assigning points. 2) The reviewer abbreviations allow for some creative filtering. A few years ago when I discovered the site I decided to look for reviewers (note the abbreviations when looking at numerical reviews) who rated In A Silent Way, Quadrophenia and Burnt Weenie Sandwich highly as my guide. I think there were 3 people at the time who gave each album at least a 14. It ended up this system was not foolproof by any means, but it was still fun to fart around when I was bored one night. I am not a full-blooded prog fan though I have a hell of a lot of King Crimson from all eras and a few other bands that fall in that category, but I like the gnosis site if for no other reason they recognize standard deviation in reviews, along with having a unique point scale. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted June 10, 2009 Report Posted June 10, 2009 I don't have a problem with it as a creative list, at all. No, me neither - it surprises me that few bands outside of the UK, US, and sometimes Italy get much representation, is all. Quote
Shawn Posted July 21, 2009 Report Posted July 21, 2009 Is Sunn O))) considered "prog"? They have a new album out that was reviewed in the NY Times today. "It all concludes with a pastoral solo from the jazz trombonist Julian Priester, who sounds secure in this setting, almost serene." Whoa! Sunn O))) is considered "drone". The horn arrangements on that album are fairly far in the background, but it's definitely an interesting listen. Cuong Vu is also on the record as are a number of other guests. It should be available via emusic, they carry Southern Lord. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 There seem to have been a flurry of bands in the UK in recent years, happy to 'come out' as fans of what is horribly names 'prog' and anxious to revive some of the spirit - Theo Travis' bands, Curious Paradise, Asaf Sirkis' organ/guitar/drums band come to mind. But listening to a couple of old Hatfield and the North/Soft Machine albums last night I was struck by how wide of the mark they are. Enjoyable music, but they come at it back to front. Those prog bands were rock bands (something Dave Stewart has always insisted on), some of which had a jazzy approach to improvisation. Most of these newer bands are jazz musicians or musicians who have mainly played jazz, crossing over into an older style. The big difference I noticed was that the newer bands follow the jazz formula - the head, solos, head format while using prog-rock like instruments and colours. With the original bands the music was often densely composed with little windows for solos (I suspect this originally was more of a UK thing...the US fusion bands seemed closer to the jazz approach). Thinking back, one of the things I found hardest to adjust to with jazz was the skeletal nature of the compositions, being used to a music where music was composed to change direction frequently. Of course, I came to see the reason why eventually, but initially the music seemed lacking in 'event'. It would be nice to some of these newer bands with a more composed approach. If I was a multimillionaire at pay Dave Sewart to come out of retirement and give it a crack (just as long as he brought no synths! Quote
sidewinder Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 Dave Sewart to come out of retirement and give it a crack (just as long as he brought no synths! Is that the guy who got to number 1 many years back with Barbara Gaskin? With the synth tied around his neck, I think. Always thought that that one getting to No. 1 was a bit of an aberation. Especially with 'Aggadoo' etc. dominating the charts at that time. Yikes ! Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 (edited) That's the chap. He played mainly organ, piano and electric piano in three of the least succesful but most interesting late-60s/early 70s prog-ish bands - Egg, Hatfield and the North and National Health. Barbara Gaskin appeared on the two Hatfield albums as a member of a vocal trio dubbed 'The Northettes', providing ethereal and very English choral moments (more Herbert Howells than Ronettes!). They did a number of albums together in the 80s and a some great remakes of sixties singles including the one you mentioned - I especially liked their version of the old Bing Crosby/William Bendix song 'Busy Doing Nothing'. It was all very synth drenched, but Stewart is so skilled that he managed to do more than just use them for beats, background washes and twiddles. Their album 'The Big Idea' from the early 90s is a classic that virtually no-one seems to have heard - brilliant songs, wonderfully rich arrangements and Gaskin's lovely voice. I know Stewart wrote a column for a long time in one of the keyboard magazines giving playing advice. They have an infrequently updated website. They've been promising a new album for years with nothing coming. But I just looked and it has finally emerged! They even did a few gigs in Japan recently (they seem to be 'big in Japan') So maybe my millions are not needed! http://www.davebarb.demon.co.uk/ More than you need to know, I suspect. Edited August 19, 2009 by Bev Stapleton Quote
7/4 Posted August 22, 2009 Report Posted August 22, 2009 I love those Egg albums. I never did hear the Dave Stewart pop albums yet. ... Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 I love those Egg albums. I never did hear the Dave Stewart pop albums yet. I'd strongly recommend the Singles compilation and, even more, 'The Big Idea'. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 I'm pretty sure this is the Egg album I had - "The Polite Force" That one and the first got a reissue a couple of years back. My favourite was this one: It was recorded after Egg had disbanded and when Stewart already had the first Hatfield album behind him. A number of typical mid-length, tricksy organ trio tracks interspersed with some lovely, short wind band pieces by bassist, Mont Campbell and a sprinkling of ethereal vocals from the Northettes. This nice collection of radio/live recordings also came out a while back: I never knew the first two albums at the time though recall hearing the band on the radio and had a tape I did of one session. Hearing them several decades later they are interesting and enjoyable but hardly great lost albums. What is nice is the quirkiness and complete lack of pomp...remember they were around just as ELP got going (I believe Stewart acknowledges The Nice as an inspiration). Quote
BruceH Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 Could Eno's 70's "song" albums be considered 'prog rock'? If so, then I guess I'm into prog rock after all... Quote
Use3D Posted September 7, 2009 Report Posted September 7, 2009 Well Porcupine Tree's new album has been floating around the 'net, I've already pre-ordered the CD after 1 listen. It's pretty much brilliant from beginning to end. Amazon has a great price on the 2 discs, for a heads up to PT fans. Quote
Shawn Posted November 17, 2009 Report Posted November 17, 2009 Good for a laugh.... http://www.cracked.com/funny-2359-progressive-rock/ Quote
JETman Posted November 17, 2009 Report Posted November 17, 2009 Good for a laugh.... http://www.cracked.com/funny-2359-progressive-rock/ Classic!!! The part about naming song sections had me roflmao! Quote
Aggie87 Posted December 2, 2009 Author Report Posted December 2, 2009 Picked up the recent "Radiation" EP from UKZ, which is the band comprised of Eddie Jobson, Trey Gunn (ex King Crimson), Aaron Lippert (Expanding Man), Alex Machacek (Out Trio, with Terry Bozzio and Patrick O'Hearn), and Marco Minnemann. Pretty cool disc, heavy with some PT-ish and KC-ish sounds in spots, and mellower in others. I like Trey Gunn in general, so I hope this project results in some further recordings. Jobson already had a spinoff from THIS group, called U-Z. That one appears to include (or at least guests) John Wetton (!), Tony Levin, Greg Howe, and Minneman. www.ukzband.com Quote
Jazzmoose Posted December 2, 2009 Report Posted December 2, 2009 Could Eno's 70's "song" albums be considered 'prog rock'? If so, then I guess I'm into prog rock after all... I always shoehorned those into the glam rock category myself. Quote
7/4 Posted December 2, 2009 Report Posted December 2, 2009 Could Eno's 70's "song" albums be considered 'prog rock'? If so, then I guess I'm into prog rock after all... I always shoehorned those into the glam rock category myself. Nah...even then Eno was too arty for Rock 'n' Roll. . Quote
Д.Д. Posted January 3, 2010 Report Posted January 3, 2010 Gentle Giant's "Free Hand", "The Power and the Glory" and "In a Glass House" will be reissued in the end of January. These are the remasters from the original 1/4-inch tapes, which were apparently not available for the previous reissues. Some audio and video bonus material is going to be included too. Available for pre-order at amazon and cduniverse. Quote
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