Bands with one-off prog albums?

we shouldn't have one offs. this is a site for strict prog rock bands. but i do have a list of the best one of prog albums i know

radiohead - ok computer
radiohead - kid a
radiohead - amnesiac
blur - 13
oasis - be here now
kyuss - welcome to sky valley
the who - tommy
the who - quadrophenia
black sabbath - black sabbath
led zeppelin - presence
metallica - master of puppets
metallica - ride the lightning
metallica - ...and justice for all
muse - origin of symmetry
muse - absolution
the beta band - the three ep's
the cooper temple clause - kick up the fire and let the flames break loose

All:

This discussion belongs in the thread on what bands should (or should not) be added to (or deleted from) the site.

However, I believe it has been established - if not de facto then tacitly - that an artist should not be on this site unless the majority of their work was written from a consciously prog approach.  The fact that two Who albums out of 20 may (or may not) be prog is simply too little to call them "prog."  And while some bands either started non-prog and became prog (e.g., The Church), or started prog and ended up in other directions (e.g., Genesis), those bands warrant their place here because the majority (and usually the vast majority) of their careers (and albums) were clearly "prog."

We would be going down a dangerously slippery slope to change that.

Peace.

DoomHammer wrote: IMO, i dont think these bands ever "intended" to be prog..

 

Hey you indirect reinforce my point that prog suffers from hindsight-based over-prescriptive definitions. Little or none of this punditary was around when these bands were around. Early prog band won't intended one thing or the other, other than the intention of producing good music - the pundits unfortunately stuck them with the tag AFTERWARDS.

I was thinking about Allman Brother's Eat a Peach. And not only because 33 min Mountain Jam (which is great), but also Les Brers In A Minor which is a wonderful prog piece.

Edited by Foxy

iron maiden - seventh son of a seventh son

Wishbone > Argus is great. I also enjoy New England and There's the Rub.

Let me see:

Roling Stones: Their Satanic Majesties Request.

The Who: Tommy & Quadrophenia

Queen: A Night at the Opera

Roxy Music: Roxy Music

Manfred Mann's Earth Band: The Roaring Silence

Osibisa: Woyaya

The Beatles: Sgt Peppers & Abbey Road

Iván

 ^ (A response to Dick Heath's post)

Ah yes -- the endless old "what is, and isn't prog?" debate....

I'm a big Wishbone Ash fan, Dick, and I particularly enjoy Argus.

Terrific album! But progressive rock? Maybe.... No keyboards though....

 The whole matter is just so subjective....

Also, remember that two humans (one of whom is a good deal younger than old fogies like you or I) with other jobs  run the site, and they can't be expected to have heard every possible prog-contender out there, especially some of the older stuff.

  I'm just now listening to Bowie's classic The Man Who Sold the World. One could argue that the title track, "All the Madmen," the superlative "Width of a Circle" and "The Supermen" are prog (they're certainly progressive), but many would dispute the notion. What about the track "Space Oddity"? Arguably prog, but the rest of the disc really isn't. Certainly Low and Heroes could fit here, (possibly Lodger, with Belew, and Scary Monsters, with Fripp, as well) but what to do with the rest of the Bowie catologue?

Then there are the more obvious contenders that are missing: Eno, Manzanera/801, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Horslips, David Sylvian, etc, etc!

One must be patient!

PS: I'm a HUGE Who fan from way back -- I used to positively live and breathe Quadrophenia, but I would dispute the notion that it or Tommy qualify as "capital P, capital R" Progressive Rock. Certainly, I'd never mix tracks from those in with artists like Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant, Genesis, etc, on one of my own prog compilations.

 One man's prog is another man's rock -- both genres are very mutable, and often overlap, and one's response to a given piece of music (or art in general) is such an unavoidably personal thing....

What say you to that, Brother Dick? (Others of the fraternity may also "weigh in," of course!)

Cheers!

Edited by Peter Rideout

Velvetclown wrote: My tooth hurts

 

Spooky!

I don't think Progarchives has made itself flexible enough to include bands who flirted with prog but did not stay in the territory for more than one or two albums.  Hence some folks may be missing out on some classics. Some examples, and you'll note 3 from 4 are based on concept and/or rock operas:

Wishbone Ash: Pilgrimage and Argus

Pretty Things: SF Sorrow

Who: Tommy and Quadraphenia (and I suppose with its belated release, Lifehouse could be added)

Spooky Tooth/Pierre Henry: Ceremony.

 

For display purposes and guidance to browsers in his shop, Alan Freeman , owner of Ultima Thule in Leicester has labelled the display case for 'Ceremony': the 'most difficult progressive rock album". I suppose he is right especially as a warning to new listeners, hence my review (taken back from Amazon) now waiting for that special section in Progarchives:

	Ceremony: Spooky Tooth/Pierre Henry

Quote: "The most challenging piece of prog rock"

There are no two ways about this album, you will love it (give it five) or hate it (give it nothing). As part of Spooky Tooth's discography it doesn't sit comfortably with the recordings that came by before (some great rock riffs on the first couple of albums) or after (for instance, the brilliant reading of 'I'm The Walrus'). Spooky Tooth were an early heavish rock band , with two distinctive lead vocalists and Hammond organ, along with the usual guitar, bass and drums. They eventually evolved into Foreigner. With those thoughts, then you can guess the idea for 'Ceremony" or more strictly a rock version of the Catholic Mass, largely came from the legendary French, avante gard electronic composer, Pierre Henry. Henry from the 50's had been composing using using tape recorders, long before analog synths appeared.

Then before the advent of Christian rock bands, musicians had dabbled with the  Mass, although the Electric Prunes weren't quite up to the standard of Herr Mozart. To retain the intregity and therefore the spiritual elements of the Mass, it is difficult to tamper with the words. The music therefore has to provide many things. Some tracks are prefaced by Henry, who is attempting to provide the abstract, emotional soundscape - perhaps to evoke a communion with a higher force or the meditive state of prayer - through his electronic sounds. But if you know Henry's music, then you will know it will be far more towards the school of Stockhaussen than even Wendy Carlos, rather than Keith Emerson, i.e. lacking the instant appeal of a rock moog player. A great rock voice but seriously and powerfully singing the words of the Mass, is another shock to be absorbed. But there is a familiarity in the rock instrumentation and essentially rock tunes, with Spooky Tooth only partly toned down for the occasion. The real joy of this record is that the band have room to power up to their usual dynamic selves, but from the comparatively quiet starts in several sections to this mass. Hence there is deliberate musical tension with a reflective opening progressing towards a joyous explosion of religious fervour (I hear this although I'm an agnostic).

As a one-off experiment, the results largely justify the efforts, even though it is atypical of Spooky Tooth. If you want something different from the normal run, try this record. If prefer your 70's hard rock not to venture far from its usual territory, avoid it. Perhaps Pierre Henry fans will be the more adventurous.  

Edited by Dick Heath