What is the best record as an intro to prog?

^ Very rock-oriented, but I can pick something out, like "The Great Gig in the Sky".

^ Maybe only "Vultures Fly High" would work 'cause I'm not sure if my mom is into lengthy, adventurous, listening-challenging music. And also ...

Edited by Dayvenkirq - June 07 2012 at 11:13

La Locanda delle Fatte's Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Piu is also a very accessible symphonic album, and great, assuming that she doesn't mind the vocals in italian.

Dayvenkirq wrote: By the way, one more thing I forgot to mention: she was a bit enthralled with Derek Shulman's voice on "Aspirations". !!

Derek Shulman doesn't sing on "Aspirations": It's Kerry Minnear.

I second the Crime of the Century recommendation.

That Magma experiment did not go well with her, and I wouldn't suggest anyone try it.  But I did do that as a bit of a lark when she was a passenger in my car. Her favourite band was Bon Jovi.

As for my strife, she likes very little that I have exposed to her (unless one counts exposing myself -- I don't mean that in a crude way, but more in an exposing me as a criminal sort of way -- I kid as she's very kind and considerate), but she does like GG's Aspirations somewhat, but she loved Think of me With Kindness.  She liked plenty of Harmonium, some PFM, and she liked Mellow Candle's Swaddling Songs (included in Prog Folk), especially this one, even if it's a pop song:



She loves this:



And this:



As for my mum (again while in my car):

She enjoyed Aranis and U-Totem.  She's only really into classical (she especially likes the romantics) music (and some jazz), and does not like rock, so I catered the music to her tastes.  I also tried some other music with her that was art/ academic music leaning, but she found it far too dissonant, at the point of chaotic, which surprised me because I found it pleasantly harmonious (but my ears are more used to that kind of music so what sounds chaotic to her may sound very structured/ orderly to me).  Yet she enjoys a fair amount of the avant-garde art music of the first half of the 20th century, so I think her brain just wasn't processing the harmonic structures quite right at the time.

I went into prog by listening to A Passion Play wich I consider a real masterpiece but I guess Selling England By the Pound would be a better starting point for it is prog, it is a masterpiece and it is a classic.

Rather than albums, I do prefer to hit people with tracks (preferably with trains on them).  A few years ago with a  female friend I hit her with this:



And then right after with this:



...

Gerinski wrote: What about Yes Drama? the sound is pop-friendly enough but the music is prog enough. 90125 would also be a possibility, even more pop-ear-friendly.

harmonium.ro wrote: Here's a related anecdote. So, after holding on for a long time in order to give her a decent education in 60s/70s classic rock and folk, I finally let my girlfriend listen to ITCOTCK yesterday. I kept telling her to be receptive to the huge break it meant from '60s music, and I even made a preliminary playlist for that day consisting of '68/early '69 albums (Rolling Stones, Beatles, Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Van Morrison, Pretty Things, etc.) - only to realize, while listening to ITCOTCK, that the affinities are stronger than the break, in fact, and the break is in details that will only be better revealed with hindsight (getting to know '70s prog and the direction that KC later took). She loved it and asked why the hell did I keep it hidden for so long.

Dayvenkirq wrote: smartpatrol wrote: Cardiacs - A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window RIO/Avant-Prog? I doubt that. smartpatrol wrote: Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica Too weird. smartpatrol wrote: King Crimson - Larks Tounges in Aspic Too hard and heavy. But I'll see how she will respond to "Exiles".

It was a joke