10 Long Prog Epics that changed your life, 15min+

Well i was bored in my class and my thoughts started to wander, and i started thinking of a Top 10 list of prog epics that have moulded my music taste to that what it is right now. First it was extremly hard but then i thought why not make it only 15minute+ tracks. So here's my list, the epics that changed my life:

10. King Crimson - Lizard
This was the latest epic that changed my view of music, specificly my view of Crimsons music. It's joint effort with Jon Anderson from Yes, with Jon singing in the first movement before the song goes into a beautiful instrumental passage. I dare you to dislike the chorus in this one.

9. Caravan - Nine Feet Underground
I found this one a few months after i had been introduced to prog. I read somewhere that "In The Land Of The Grey And Pink" is the greatest album of Caravan, and that the ending track is one of their greatest musical achievments. I remember listening 3x times in a row to this epic after buying the record, and countless times afterwards.

8. Yes - Gates of Delirium
"Gates.." is the last Yes song that i have really gotten into, my friend who introduced me to prog can't stand it. Well it took me a while too, but i think it's one of Yes greatest achievements. The problem why it isn't just as good as the other Yes epics on this list is because of how long the eclectic part in the middle is(the one with autoparts being smashed etc.) I think that because of this part being so long, many people stop listening to it before the end climax(Soon), which is absolutley astonishing.

7. Pink Floyd - Echoes
Echoes was a track that got me really feeling for Psychedelic/Space Rock and understand its greatness. It's a real trip to some place beyond where you can relax and chill. Fantastic music.

6. Yes - Awaken
Without Close to The Edge, Awaken would be Yes crowning achievement, in my opinion. Crazy guitar solos from Howe, magnificient cathedral organ by Wakeman and magic lyrics by Anderson. Absolutley fantastic.

5. Pink Floyd - Shine on you crazy diamond
This is the one that me and my friends always start with when drinking or playing. It's in my opinion Pink Floyds crowning achievement. It's a magnificient track sober, but somehow i always feel that it's twice as good when enjoyed with alcohol, or something else.

4. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
When i was introduced to this great piece by Jethro Tull i played it probably 7x times a day. I still enjoy it as much as when i heard it the first time. There are so many great passages and climaxes in that song you almost can't count em.

3. Yes - Close to the Edge
I have read here that many people think this is an overrated track. I think that's only because it's so popular, and some people tend to stay away from the mainstream, even if it's "prog mainstream". I love this track so much, the beginning, the solos, Wakemans organ, Andersons high vocals, the ending, everything. The fact that the track "And You And I" is almost as good as the title track itself, is something that makes the album itself absolutley astonishing.

2. Genesis - Supper's Ready
Musical box and Dancing with the moonlit knigth were those songs that introduced me to prog in general, but this song was the one that introduced me prog epics. This is something that will be listened to after 200 years like Mozarts or Beethovens music right now. The fact that live it was even better makes me regret that i wasn't born much much sooner.

1. Van Der Graaf Generator - A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers
This is it. The greatest of them all for me. I found it on a fluke, listened to it once, and never came back. Hammil composes a masterpiece were a Lighthouse keeper ponders his problems in life, and finally commits suicide(or just dies?) giving a beautiful piano ending to the greatest song ever made, greatest lyrics, greatest music(Fripp visiting!).

This list is of course only from my point of view, and i would like to read your lists, maybe i'll find new epics to cherish like these.

paulwalker71 wrote: I'll take a stab at this. In no particular order.... 1. SUPPERS READY - Genesis. Because when I first heard it was the first long epic that I'd ever really heard, and it played a large part in me getting into prog in the first place 2. CLOSE TO THE EDGE - Yes This took a long while to fully appreciate, but eventually I warmed to the greatness that is Close to the Edge 3. STARDUST WE ARE - The Flower Kings I'd consider this to be far from their best epic now, but hearing this back in about 1999 was my re-introduction to prog and the realization there were still bands around making this sort of music 4. THE LIGHT  Spocks Beard Ditto reason as Number 3, except that it was my reintroduction to live prog - saw them at the CRS in 1999 and marvelled over this epic song 5. FAND - The Enid A wonderful piece that demonstrated the perfect symbiosis of rock and classical. Opened my eyes to all sorts of new stuff 6. SCENES FROM A MEMORY II - Dream Theater Probably the only long epic from a prog metal band that I've ever really got into 7. OCEAN CLOUD  Marillion  Convinced me that Marillion could still 'cut it' and prompted me to explore a lot of the Hogarth-era back catalogue 8. A PLAGUE OF LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS Van Der Graaf Generator Introduced me to the VDGG catalogue after someone convinced me to give it a listen 9. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE Flower Kings Hearing this convinced me to drive 200 miles to see them play live 10. ALL OF THE ABOVE  Transatlantic Threw many of my favourite musicians into one pot and came up with a classic prog epic, so how could I leave this one out? Not necessarily my favourite ten - but ten that had an impact

I have yet to check out Flower Kings and The Enid. You have otherwise a good list so must be something to check out.

1. Supper's Ready- Genesis
2. Octavarium- Dream Theater
3. Shine on You Crazy Diamond- Pink Floyd
4. Stranger in Your Soul- Transatlantic
5. Crimson- Edge of Sanity
6. Close to the Edge- Yes
7. Harvest of Souls- IQ
8. The Great Nothing- Spock's Beard
9. The Truth Will Set You Free- The Flower Kings
10. The Light- Spock's Beard

EDIT: The Abbey Road medley has to get in mine somewhere. Look at it as my #11 spot right now...


Edited by J-Man - September 12 2009 at 07:36

In no order:

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10 Long Prog Epics that changed... By Dean Today at 21:12

Some interesting lists here. I'm not so familiar with the 80's and 90's and after prog, as I thought it died with albums like "Love Beach" by ELP. OK, someone played me Marillion but I couldn't get into it, perhaps because of the garishly colorful album cover, and my own preconception that prog had died and the best albums were immortally cut in the past. (Note: I still have a problem with clowns, jesters, Kings, knights, and I guess you could say fantasy and carnival material. Nevertheless I was very pleased to see Cirkus as someone's #1 album, because THAT is a very complex and interesting album.

Keeping in mind that I don't know most the new stuff, other than things like Tool which somehow creep in, here's a list, not necessarily in order.

1) Gentle Giant: Octopus (Alternate = In a Glass House)
Probably the first prog band I really got into after ELP or Yes.. I brought home a compilation GG record and a King Crimson record, when I was in my teens. Both were used records. The K.C. record was Islands. Well, I couldn't believe how horrible those albums were when I listened to them at night. Ghastly and emetic. The next morning I listened to them again and couldn't believe how intriguing they were. I've been obsessed with GG for a long time, and they are generally my favorite underrated prog band (everyone's heard of Yes and Genesis), and also interesting because of the short songs and the bizarre assonance and whatnot they get into in songs like So Sin-cere.

2) Yes: Fragile.
A monster of an album. Incredible, really. I used to listen to it most everyday when I was in Jr. High. It's got a richness that I don't find so much in a lot of other Yes. Not to say other Yes isn't rich, just not THAT rich. Fragile is earthy in a way. The guitar work is amazing.

3) ELP: which one? I'll go with Tarkus. Comically, ELP was my favorite band once I got over ELO. I started with Brain Salad.

4) Ange: Au De La Du Delire. Very enjoyable and cool French album. Liked the inside artwork, too.

5) Genesis: Trespass. (This could easily be the best). Stagnation is one of my favorite songs.

6) Triumvirat: Illusions on a Double Dimple. Some great ELP inspired music on there. I still quote one of the songs in my head all the time whenever I lose a job or get lost: Mind in the road to nowhere, no sign no light to guide me, who could describe my anger, when I was sacked last Friday. (I'm gainfully employed now, don't worry, if gainfully employed means teaching English at a university in China in a city with only 10 foreigners).

7) Rare Bird: As Your Mind Flies By. There are some great songs on this LP. Interesting keyboards and I dig the vocals.

8) VDG: The least we can do is wave.

9) King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon. Nice alternative to the first LP, and it follows the same sort of format.

10) Pink Floyd: Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Maybe this is pre-prog, but it's got some of their most catchy stuff and is highly experimental. When I first heard it, in a warehouse I was working in when another guy played it, I was convinced it was new retro music. It seems pretty out there compared to what other bands were doing at that time.

Other mentions: Eloy (Floating), and most other albums from the above bands excepting their newer material which could turn me off to them almost completely. Can't take new GG either. And "Love Beach," My god, what were they thinking?!

Oops, I thought it was LPs. Sorry.

My triumviarte of excellence:

No epic changed my life. I hate to admit it but what changed my life is stupid things like the decision what to study, deciding to work in the industry and not in academy, the selection of partner to life (turned out to be not very good one but it did affect my life a lot) and becoming a father.

1.  Echoes - Pink Floyd.  In one 'epic' sweep, it changed the way I listen to music and opened my eyes to possibilities I had never conceived.  Always will be my favourite epic too.