The Big Three

I'd remove ELP from the First Tier of Prog, and add:

- RUSH
- Jethro Tull
- FLOYD
- King Crimson

There, now all is right in the world...

O.5) Marillion

1) Genesis
2) Pink Floyd
3) Rush
4) Jethro Tull
5) Yes
6) Kansas
7) King Crimson

ELP are average whereas Gentle Giant and VDGG are just plain boring IMVHO.

Edited by Miaugion

Rob The Good wrote: I agree with you: they ARE the big three of the 70s as far as Prog is concerned. It depends what mood I'm in really. At the moment, I'm all for ELP being my favourite, but I might listen to Relayer later and go nuts for Yes for the next few weeks. Nothing in the Prog world beats: Relayer, Brain Salad Surgery and Selling England by the Pound. Speaking of "kitsch", how about Ken Russell films eh?

A man after my own heart. It could be me speaking...er..typing

Snow Dog wrote: The three major prog bands of the seventies were , IMO, Genesis, Yes and ELP. Now the point is that I like all three of these bands, no not just like, they were a major part of me. On this forum though, theres a lot of "Genesis were  great ELP were crap" etc. I was just wondering if any of you chaps liked these three equally (more or less)

ELP never made anything special apart from Tarkus or Karn Evil 9. ( although Pictures at an Exhibition is also quite nice.)

I think the three major bands are Genesis, Yes and King Crimson.


Edited by Logos

As much as we bash ELP, lets not forget that Keith Emerson is an AMAZING keybaordist and Palmer was also a great drummer.   Love em or Hate em you have to acknowledge they helped bring prog to where it is today, with lots of great albums.  Sure, they are bombastic as hell and more prententious at times than wakeman, but they are still fun, and a much more entertaining listen than Rush, GG, or VdGG.

Here would be my Ranking

1. Yes
2. Genesis
3. ELP
4. J. Tull
5. King Crimson
6. Pink Floyd
7. Renaissance

Edited by NetsNJFan

Snow Dog wrote: The three major prog bands of the seventies were , IMO, Genesis, Yes and ELP. Now the point is that I like all three of these bands, no not just like, they were a major part of me. On this forum though, theres a lot of "Genesis were  great ELP were crap" etc. I was just wondering if any of you chaps liked these three equally (more or less)

I think the issue is that all three bands are doing completely different things. In my eyes that's a good thing, but I also can't see any reason someone would like one if he liked either of the others (there's no reason he wouldn't, either. I don't know if I've explained what I meant very expertly ). I love Genesis, sometimes I really love Yes and at other times I'm less keen. ELP sometimes I like and sometimes I don't have any time for at all for.

Reed Lover wrote: Snow Dog wrote: Reedy do you feel ELP not-quite-the-finished-product and just a stepping stone to other music? Like a vaudeville act. All bluster and no substance.

 

I really understand that but they were the ones for me that introduced me to Prog. I saw them in 1973 at the height of their power you might say with out really a lot of knowledge of their music.  They absolutely blew me away.  I was a fledging piano player at the time, being all of 16, and seeing Keith Emerson really introduced me to a whole new world about playing and stage show for a keyboard player.  They have not stood the test of time as the analog has given way to the digital.  Their sound sounds almost thin by today’s lush standards but then again neither has Yes.  I listen to the some of the old things they did and it sounds just as dated and thin (Wondering now if that could have been Eddie Offerd's thumbprint).  Genesis to me even with bad mixes in the early albums comes across still much stronger.  But my third band back in the 70's was Kansas. So my list would look like this:

1. Genesis
2. ELP
3. Kansas
Some where after is Yes.

But as far as importance on the genre all three bands were huge.

 

 

Edited by Garion81

Fragile wrote:                          The finest prog band ever amongst their marvellous peers but at their height easily the best.And today as they were then the greatest live band on the planet.

 

So do you like Yes Fragile? 

 

 

Yes are the best ! then Crimson..then ELP then Mostly Autumn and the wonderful Wishbone Ash , honestly awesome they blow me away ! great band live ..highlight of my year is seeing those guys!

Andhi wrote: I love Genesis, and I love Yes nearly as much, but ELP... King Crimson are great, so I expected to like ELP, but from the few songs I've heard they just seem to me to be prog-rock lite. Maybe someone could suggest a couple of ELP songs worth listening to?

I'm guessing the songs you've heard are probably the Lake ballads ("From The Beginning", "Lucky Man", "Still...You Turn Me On") since these are the ones that one hears on the radio most.

Check out the 30-odd minute suite "Karn Evil 9" from Brain Salad Surgery or "Tarkus" from the album of the same name; certainly not "prog-lite".