Good topic, your list just about nails it - the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the 2 LP Focus III album - also the one-off Intergalactic Touring Band, from 1977 - even albums (CDs) like Col Bruce & ARU, Frogwings, people like Al Dimeola kind of sound like it to my ears

Side I of Tarkus is my all time fave - it’s a whole ‘concept’ 😮

OP got the leading lights. Endless genre.

Gentle Giant

Nektar

Todd Rundgren

Steve Hillage

Weird weird early proto prog deep cut, not one guitar in the group:

"Copper Sunset" by Aardvark, from early Canterbury Scene where a lot of proggers spawned.

The Jon Lord sonic signature will leap out at you - So striking that I dug deep into the webs to learn who first did this B3 overdrive. Deep Purple was from that same Canterbury scene but they werent doing this yet - the organ on "Hush" sounds like a guy doing kung fu on a Wurlitzer - nothing like this overdriven infernal growling beast sound - early Pink Floyd pretty much straight organ . . . this sound first hit on "Machine Head" that was 1972, this is from 1970.

I think Lord caught this group at a club, or picked up this record before it immediately tanked, and reverse engineered this sound:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oB51dig1a0Q

[Edited on 2/2/2020 by BrerRabbit]

Great question! To me Prog Rock would mean hearing my dad listening to early Genesis, King Crimson, ELP, Zappa, etc. and realizing it was kinda cool but, just not my thing, it meant staying up late to catch some of these acts on late night rock tv, it meant digging that cool ELP album cover?...............Peace...........joe

I have been listening to a lot lately - Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson solo, and Riverside. Also Steven Hackett solo stuff. Don't really remember Atomic Rooster, but I sure listened to all the others on your list. Steven Wilson has remastered most of King Crimson, Tull, and Yes to surround sound, so I have been buying all of those. He also did some of the XTC and Gentle Giant albums. The surround sound adds so much - especially Tull and Yes.....

I love prog. Some prog is proggier than others! I also think at times there is a fine line or an overlap between prog and fusion.

So, Mahavishnu Orchestra: prog or fusion? Zappa: prog or fusion?

The answer doesn't change my enjoyment, but I think there are interesting discussions around the terms.

I love prog. Some prog is proggier than others! I also think at times there is a fine line or an overlap between prog and fusion.

So, Mahavishnu Orchestra: prog or fusion? Zappa: prog or fusion?

The answer doesn't change my enjoyment, but I think there are interesting discussions around the terms.

Very true... I was thinking the exact same thing regarding Zappa!

.... another is Hawkwind, Lemmy's early band!

A guy I went to college with wrote a book about what prog is and what it meant! The genre's never going to be my cup of tea, but I enjoyed reading about it through the eyes of a fan and seeing someone defend it instead of just mocking its supposed failings and excesses: https://www.amazon.com/Show-That-Never-Ends-Rise/dp/0393242250

I don't like prog and love ELP. Confused I know. Saw ELP in 74 and they were mind blowing.

bird72, if you don't mind my asking, I'll ask: how does ELP end up being likable or avoiding those things that you dislike about prog?

(Despite being a prog fan, I do recognize that there are plenty of inherently goofy things about it)

bird72, if you don't mind my asking, I'll ask: how does ELP end up being likable or avoiding those things that you dislike about prog?

(Despite being a prog fan, I do recognize that there are plenty of inherently goofy things about it)

I think that they mixed the manic with the melodic quite well, if that makes sense. They were ying and yang in one soup. At least that is what I liked.

I have been listening to a lot lately - Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson solo, and Riverside. Also Steven Hackett solo stuff. Don't really remember Atomic Rooster, but I sure listened to all the others on your list. Steven Wilson has remastered most of King Crimson, Tull, and Yes to surround sound, so I have been buying all of those. He also did some of the XTC and Gentle Giant albums. The surround sound adds so much - especially Tull and Yes.....

Is Porcupine Tree that band that Chad and I went to at The Vic?

Good topic. I actually have been on the lookout for some newer current prog rock stuff.

Someone mentioned Steve Wilson and Porcupine Tree . I have only
heard of him as an engineer working with Tulls re-releases, and trashing Greta Van Fleet. But not his band.

Maybe a case for some of these at time?
Flying Mastodon(heavy prog meta)
Wishbone Ash
Flying Colors
BOC
Marillion
Fairport Convention
Dream Theater
Fish
Kings X
Emerson Lake and Powell- dont forget that version!

[Edited on 2/3/2020 by jszfunk]

“Some prog is proggier than others” - best sentence of the thread! Kinda speaks to bird72’s about the melodic/manic - ELP is my tops all-time also of this ‘ilk’:o - guessing Keith went aerial w/his grand piano at that show in ‘74?

Was real keen to hear what Cozy Powell would sound like instead of Carl, a grower it was not for me tho - tried to think of the album cover crazyjoe was referring to, maybe Brain Salad Surgery?

[Edited on 2/3/2020 by Stephen]

“Some prog is proggier than others” - best sentence of the thread! Kinda speaks to bird72’s about the melodic/manic - ELP is my tops all-time also of this ‘ilk’:o - guessing Keith went aerial w/his grand piano at that show in ‘74?

[Edited on 2/3/2020 by Stephen]

Keith went aeriial! This was pre internet, of course, so there was no pre-word of what to expect. There was great red columbo in New Mexico then, and we got very primed for show. Along with the show was a cloud of smoke. So when that grand piano went in the flippin' air, everyone freaked out. The memories of live were incredeible beyond that. Greg Lake alone with an acoustic in the spotlight, 'you can be the strings on my guitar".... you could have heard a pin drop. Coupled with Keith Emerson going manic on the keyboards (Tarkus and more) was the melodic / manic thing I talked about.

putting labels on music is often difficult.

Personally, I wouldn't call Tull prog rock. I would say RnR with some British folk influences, and a flute
Zappa, Mahavishnu I would call fusion
Phish has some "proggy" moments, but would not call them a prog rock band, any more than playing Rocky Top makes them a bluegrass band

open to interpretation

Indeed it was the cover of Brain Salad, that I always thought was so cool as a youngster! And by the way, after i showed this thread to my dad, he did chew me out, stating Zappa was definitely more an eclectic fusion of music, rather than prog rock!!!.........Peace......joe

I don't like prog and love ELP. Confused I know. Saw ELP in 74 and they were mind blowing.

They headlined my very first concert, Cal Jam

I have been listening to a lot lately - Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson solo, and Riverside. Also Steven Hackett solo stuff. Don't really remember Atomic Rooster, but I sure listened to all the others on your list. Steven Wilson has remastered most of King Crimson, Tull, and Yes to surround sound, so I have been buying all of those. He also did some of the XTC and Gentle Giant albums. The surround sound adds so much - especially Tull and Yes.....

Is Porcupine Tree that band that Chad and I went to at The Vic?

Yes - King's X was the backup, and the sound wasn't great for them. You left before Porcupine Tree.....or right at the start.

Steven Wilson has quite the career - he was in Opeth, and then No-Man. Then he had Porcupine Tree, and did Blackfield at the same time (Blackfield is not prog, but very good). He has been doing solo since PT, but just put out a new No-Man album. In his spare time he re-masters a lot of albums to surround sound. No-Man was with Tim Bowness, and Blackfield was with Aviv Geffen, who wrote most of the songs.

Emerson Lake and Powell- dont forget that version!

That was a great album they put out. I think I was in high school at the time.

Regarding ELP, I saw them open for Deep Purple in like the early 90s. Kind of a strange show. Don't recall who was in Deep Purple at the time but it was fun.

1) Pink Floyd
2) Emerson. Lake & Palmer
3) Rush
4) Yes
5) King Crimson
6) Jethro Tull
7) Genesis - Peter Gabriel era
8) Atomic Rooster
9) Alan Parsons Project
10) Asia

During my time on this planet, I've owned exactly 1 (album/CD) from this group.

"Pictures at an exhibition" by ELP

I saw the triple bill of Dream Theater, ELP, and Deep Purple in the 90s when Purple kept doing triple bills (I also saw Nugent/Purple/Skynyrd as well as Edgar Winter / BOC / Purple). ELP put on a great 60-minute set.

jszfunk, I recommend Steven Wilson's "Hand.Cannot.Erase" album to you and to everyone else, really. It is modern melodic prog, not unlike Rush circa "Exit Stage Left" with a little Marillion to it. He brought in guitarist Guthrie Govan, who is like prog's answer to Jimmy Herring. "Hand.Cannot.Erase" is a beautifully moody concept album with very strong melodies. Wilson is not a great singer but good enough, like Steve Hackett.

Another concept album from relatively recent times worth checking out is The Decemberists' "The Hazards of Love." Very underrated. They are a college-rock type band who do dip into proggy territory.

I've heard Radiohead called progressive (not prog) - long moody instrumental passages, odd time signatures, strict avoidance of blues rock cliches. Hmmm.

The difference to me is that Steven Wilson or Marillion consciously echo 1970s progressive rock, whereas some modern progressive bands choose to avoid sounding like previous bands but do embrace the freedom to be indulgent.

My favorite Marillion album is "Clutching at Straws." It is not as heavy on lengthy epics as earlier albums but is very fully realized in terms of melody meeting drama; it's like their "Trick of the Tail."

I saw the triple bill of Dream Theater, ELP, and Deep Purple in the 90s when Purple kept doing triple bills (I also saw Nugent/Purple/Skynyrd as well as Edgar Winter / BOC / Purple). ELP put on a great 60-minute set.

jszfunk, I recommend Steven Wilson's "Hand.Cannot.Erase" album to you and to everyone else, really. It is modern melodic prog, not unlike Rush circa "Exit Stage Left" with a little Marillion to it. He brought in guitarist Guthrie Govan, who is like prog's answer to Jimmy Herring. "Hand.Cannot.Erase" is a beautifully moody concept album with very strong melodies. Wilson is not a great singer but good enough, like Steve Hackett.

Another concept album from relatively recent times worth checking out is The Decemberists' "The Hazards of Love." Very underrated. They are a college-rock type band who do dip into proggy territory.

I've heard Radiohead called progressive (not prog) - long moody instrumental passages, odd time signatures, strict avoidance of blues rock cliches. Hmmm.

The difference to me is that Steven Wilson or Marillion consciously echo 1970s progressive rock, whereas some modern progressive bands choose to avoid sounding like previous bands but do embrace the freedom to be indulgent.

My favorite Marillion album is "Clutching at Straws." It is not as heavy on lengthy epics as earlier albums but is very fully realized in terms of melody meeting drama; it's like their "Trick of the Tail."

Thanks Jim ,will do.

Since reading this thread I have been on a big Asia Spotify binge today!!! Big Wetton fan. Palmer is a beast of a drummer.
Holy War

Emerson Lake and Powell- dont forget that version!

That was a great album they put out. I think I was in high school at the time.

Regarding ELP, I saw them open for Deep Purple in like the early 90s. Kind of a strange show. Don't recall who was in Deep Purple at the time but it was fun.

a

Yeah....Cozy is one of my fav drummers. There is a bootleg floating around of a live show from that era.

My favorite Marillion album is "Clutching at Straws."

Never heard Marillion - Will czech em out thx. Always searching for new sounds. I dig the prog epics, Topographic Oceans, Thick As A Brick, Remember the Future

Tangerine Dream

Hey Neb - did you get the new box set from them - I really don't know much about them, but I am going to check them out. The box set also has 3 albums re-mixed by Steven Wilson. It looks pricey ($135-$160) but it is 16 cd's and 2 blu-rays.

Indeed it was the cover of Brain Salad, that I always thought was so cool as a youngster! And by the way, after i showed this thread to my dad, he did chew me out, stating Zappa was definitely more an eclectic fusion of music, rather than prog rock!!!.........Peace......joe

can see where your pop’s coming from (that made me smile too) - Frank’s music can’t be labeled (‘demented genius’?) - still got my coolio BSSurgery album w/the folding front covers & poster - vinyl rocks

Yet some of Frank’s stuff, like Zoot Allures, Bongo Fury, Jazz From Hell, Guitar, 1 or 2 others.....sometimes w/Frank, my PROGnosis shifts 😛 -

Amon Düül ll - early German protoprog, from 1969, when the nascent Prog was first creating Its-Elf in the swirling primordial depths of Embryon:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DT2Pk46nXU8

Flying Colors - All Falls Down (Live In Europe)