sigod wrote: I do like long, epic tracks and I can't deny that if I see something that says: Track 1: Blah, Blah (28.07) Track 2: More Blah (8.00) Track 3: Son of Blah (42.32) I'm more inclined to want to buy it. I guess I'm intrigued as to how a band in today's prog climate can put together and epic without resulting to the usual clichés. Usually however, I'm left disappointed by the quiet/loud/dissonant/complex/strings/finale combinations that nine times out of ten, issue forth from my speakers but you live in hope. The Flower Kings still offer a better epic than most.

You just hit on the one group where this long track thing is probably best avoided.Flower Kings seem to make long tracks for the sake of making long tracks. They just water down the soup to make it last longer. Especially when you consider this incredible output from them (and Stolt participates/writes in other group/projects).

I do like long, epic tracks and I can't deny that if I see something that says:

Track 1: Blah, Blah (28.07)
Track 2: More Blah (8.00)
Track 3: Son of Blah (42.32)

I'm more inclined to want to buy it. I guess I'm intrigued as to how a band in today's prog climate can put together and epic without resulting to the usual clichés. Usually however, I'm left disappointed by the quiet/loud/dissonant/complex/strings/finale combinations that nine times out of ten, issue forth from my speakers but you live in hope.

The Flower Kings still offer a better epic than most.

Spartacus wrote: Album cover art work is a major clue. Exhibit A:                      but sometimes this can be misleading. Exhibit B: Long songs can be a big clue to musical credability, although sometimes not. Exhibit C: STYX Styx 1972 Title information | Reviews Track listing 1. Movement for the Common Man: Children of... (13:11) 2. Right Away (3:40) 3. What Has Come Between Us (4:53) 4. Best Thing (3:13) 5. Quick Is the Beat of My Heart (4:49) 6. After You Leave Me (4:00) Total Time: 33:46 Although you may be intrigued by a 13 minute opus, one should never make the mistake of purchasing this album. The answer is always do your research via the internet with such great tools as Prog Archives.  The days of making the above mistakes can be easily avoided by aid of today's technology.

Of Couse now that the web exists. I think most of the people were referring to the pre web days and even more likely of the vinyl days. Record hunting was never an exact science and mistakes were frequent, but second hand shops were numerous and I bought a used record inToronto for $3 to 5 at one shop and would discard what I did not like to another for about that same price or slightly lower. (early 80's prices in Can $)

Looks like long tracks is a good starting point - I have to agree - I like long tracks, it's one of the fundamental differences between PROG and POP.............

I found some interesting bands just by their cover.

I found Pendragon's window of life in a record store, and the cover appealed to me, then I looked at the track lengths, 6 songs in just under the hour, 1 song of 14:40. I never heard of the band, or any of the band-players till then, I listened it in the record-store, already intending to buy it. it helped the sales lady said the music was somewhat similar to Marillion's.

Same goes for my first Arena album, I saw the cover of Pride, then saw on the back the names Pointer/Nolan as writters, and the length of the songs, I emmediatly knew I wanted that album.

Those were two very impulsive purchases that I thank God for every day, two of the best albums in my collection

Metropolis wrote: I usually look at the track lengths, i know intellectually that this is not a good indicator of quality, but I just can't help it

Got it in one Metro, totally illogical, but exactly what i do!