The Album That Killed Prog?

Interesting idea here! But I beg to differ on your choices.

 

 

The first four on your list look like the perfect culprits. You may want to include all of Curved Air and most of the post Carnegie Hall Renaissance albums.

 

Thhe next few are from the 80's and prog was already in a coma, so they don't count.

 

 

 

 

 

The Wall and ATOTT are not top be put in such a list, though

 

However, Punk damaged Prog's reputation.

 

However, the album which damaged prog's reputation the most? I've posted many a time that I like TFTO (though I readily accept it's not perfect and that there are flaws) and it's a LONG way from Yes' poorest, imho, but the candidates I always reach for in the 'worst excesses of prog' category are 'A Passion Play' and 'Works Volume 1'. I cannot find a memorable hook on APP no matter how many times I play it (and don't get me started on that '...Spectacles' thing!!) and even the title of 'Works Volume 1' is pompous! The solo material is, imho, well below the band's usual standard, and really it doesn't justify the album's double album length. Spectacles such as Rick Wakeman's 'King Arthur on ice' extravaganza/folly probably didn't help, either.

One album didn't kill 70s prog, but I would argue that there were albums that severly wounded it, some more than others.

 

My vote goes to "Love Beach." I don't think prog ever fully recovered from the mortifying embarassment of that release. Something was definitely wrong with prog ethos at this point, as later lps by other bands would bear out. In hindsight, it wasn't all that bad, but at the time, it was hard to envision a viable direction for prog; Fripp was about the only guy taking it forward in a serious, uncompromising way.

 

Punk killed prog, not prog. Punk was music answer to music. Rebellious, sloppy, moshy freaks who dont know how to sing, play guitar/ bass, but they an play drums really fast, but with ZERO fills.

 

You know, I think 60 & 70s prog just evolved to the point where it was becoming repetitive or too esoteric. In my opinion, it was a natural evolution of an artistic style. I don't think anything "killed" it; it was death by natural causes. Prog had a great life, and its offshoots (neo prog and prog metal) have great lives too, I guess (not really being a fan, I'm just assuming).

 

But prog's death throes were rather amusing in a perverse sort of way (that's why this poll is so amusing). Of course the legacy lives on; I'm still listening to it, but its creative lifespan is over and has been for over 25 years.

 

Of course I specifically meant something along the lines of which album was most iconic of the decline and fall of the first wave of prog, but that's not a very sexy title, is it?

 

I was trying to get representation from most major bands, hence a couple of albums that don't really seem to belong.

 

The thing that came across most clearly when I was choosing albums was that the decline tended to be a gradual thing spread across two to four albums for nearly all groups.  I put up what I thought were the lowest points, for the most part (there's an exception or two).

 

I appreciate all of the comments and would like to see more of them.