"Essential" Prog

Have you revised the list? 

Amongst many others I could think of, I would consider Soft Machine's Third, Magma's MDK (not my fave Magma, though excellent, but for list purposes), Herbie Hancock's Crossings or Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (while not a favourite Davis one of mine, it would be a good one to consider if it could fit one's progressive rock parameters), Faust's self-titled and Can's Tago Mago, Tangerine Dream's Zeit or the better-known Phaedra for list purposes, Univers Zero's debut would have been cool for your time-frame, and Comus' First Utterance and Fifty Foot Hose's Cauldron as another possibility if you had made it pre-69..  I would have included Amon Duul 2.

Of course with such limited space one can't represent many of the various styles we recognise at PA as Prog, nor does one have space to represent many countries, nor is there space to represent all of the decades (temporal limits was a good idea, but I would say that I don't think the list diverse enough to give a broad perspective of progressive rock and some are similar enough in style that the list risks becoming more tedious (rather anglo symph oriented). I do think you were right to impose temporal limitations for such a list, and it is seminal prog, but I would've tried to represent more diversity (maybe limited the years more, and I would've started pre-69...).


Edited by Logan - May 01 2010 at 00:37

Agree with BaldFriede about Lamb.  Also, instead of the ELP debut, would have had Tarkus.

The link works fine for me.

Good article.

I haven't got time to go through the entire list, but I would choose Nursery Cryme for the Genesis album, and Red for KC. No list would be complete for me wiothout essential neo-prog, and the seminal example to me is Marbles by Marillion.

Great list overall.

Mine would of course be different, but that's me. 

Tales from Topographic Oceans over Close to the Edge

A Passion Play over Thick as a Brick

Red over In the Court of a Crimson King

Tarkus over Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (however, I wouldn't include ELP in my list at all).

The Power and the Glory over Octopus

Animals over Dark Side of the Moon

I could go with The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway OR Selling England by the Pound about equally, but I tend to prefer the former personally (and by a hair...less heart).

Rick Wakeman wouldn't make the list, sorry.

Frank Zappa I'm ambivalent about, sorry again.

Ditto Nektar.

You of course forgot Kansas.    I of course couldn't pick one album by them.    I'd say if I had to pick one that was essential for progressive rock music........................................................................................ Song for America.

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I would add some modern prog acts keeping the brilliance alive:

Mei by Echolyn (absolute brilliance).

Something by The Mars Volta...prog rock to a new dimension there.  I would suggest their debut for consistency, but really, I love all five of their studio albums to date.

I might add Univers Zero's Uzed because it is amazing.

Part the Second by maudlin of the Well.

Metropolis Part II: Scenes from a Memory by Dream Theater

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That's twelve. 


Edited by Epignosis - May 01 2010 at 15:36

Thanks to all so far for their thoughtful comments.  At least no one has thrown CDs at my head yet!  LOL.

IA (Maani) Finally, re PFM, they will be included in my list of foreign prog - indeed, if KC's In The Court can be said to be the nearly single-handed progenitor of English-speaking prog, PFM's Storia di in Minuto and Per un Amico (both released in 1972) are almost unarguably the progenitors of a huge swath of European prog. (Museo Rosenbach's "Zarathustra" is also up there.)

I don't know what Europe means to an American, but this is just plain wrong . France and Germany had their own scenes and were releasing advanced progressive rock years before PFM debuted. Did anyone know about Storia di un Minuto and Per Un Amico outside of Italy?

Everyone not from the US or UK are foreigners, and we'll get our own top twelve!

Silly geese, all prog is essential

Except for Marillion, goddang I hate that band

maani wrote: Rocktopus:   I would be very happy to be educated re late 60s/early 70s prog in France and Germany.  Thanks.   Peace.

I and others, had a similar complaint when you posted this exact same list about three years ago, so I'm doubting your genuine interest in educating yourself. But if you are: Use PA. All the information you want is here. 

Surely you must have noticed myself and others mentioning something like this the first time:

Canterbury, Kraut, Electronic, RIO and Zeuhl, Indo/Raga are not included, but you still managed to find space for a Richard Wakeman solo and Klaatu, after already having included Yes, and a couple too many (link doesn't work right now) of the biggest UK-prog bands. Incredible!

I understand that there isn't room for the most experimental or every single subgenre in a beginner's guide like the one you made. But no Canterbury or Kraut? Even mags like Mojo, Q, Uncut, and Classic Rock includes Gong, Soft Machine, Amon Düül II, Can and more often than not: Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Faust, Goblin and Magma in their progspecials/lists.

Finally, because I'm really a very nice, peaceloving guy: Kudos for not including Kansas!