Most influential Prog Bands

The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, 1958 to 1998

Edited by watermouse - November 21 2012 at 16:28

Well this question of most influencing bands of each generation for progressive evolution is a very big multi layered question, so I'm gonna keep it brief.

1970's---RUSH, FLOYD, CRIMSON and of course the great GENESIS and YES. These bands are all a huge given when it comes to prog roots. Self explanatory really. ;)

1980's----MARILLION, IQ, QUEENSRŸCHE and KRAFTWERK. The 80's were the height of the Neo prog genre being fully unleashed. These bands listed except KRAFTWERK paved a huge path for a lot of greats, especially in the prog metal end of things. KRAFTWERK helped out a lot of metal bands to redefine their sound by adding more synth into their overall sound. You could even include RUSH as a big figure in this as well.

The 1990's---DREAM THEATER, OPETH, ARENA and NIGHTWISH. these bands gave way to prog metal at its finest and taking it to a more technical and virtuaso level. Great stuff indeed.

2000's--- I am baffled Here. I feel this yet to be determined. I don't see much in the way of innovation only similar styles of what the 80's and 90's exhibit. Their is no band that i can say defines a new form of music on prog in the last 15 years.

Can you?

Horizons wrote: Arena and Nightwish as influential? I don't think so.

They may not be influential with the bands you like, but they are both certainly influential.

^^^ Those bands I listed I feel are the most influential in certain prog genres. Not all prog genres. Sheesh! That would take forever to systematically break that down.

First three were/are fine artists,and early pioneers, but Prog? Hardly. Zappa and Moodies would have more of a claim.

Fox On The Rocks wrote: I'd say the most influential band, overall, is King Crimson. They've meddled with so many different styles and sounds; they're extremely eclectic. Their influence has reached to so many bands like Rush, Tool, math-rock/post-rock bands like Don Caballero, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Dream Theater, Metallica, etc. 60's: The Beatles, Procol Harum, The Moody Blues 70's: King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, Frank Zappa, Can, Magma, 80's: Rush, Marillion, Saga 90's: Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, The Flower Kings, Tool, Opeth

maani wrote: I would question the "influence" of King Crimson: they were certainly among the progenitors of prog, and there are a few prog bands who exhibit some influence from them.  (Mars Volta is among the most obvious.)  But I would not say that their OVERALL influence was very large.  On the other hand, Rush probably influenced more neo-prog and especially prog-metal bands than almost anyone (as well as quite a few non-prog bands!).  (Though some of the most influential neo-prog bands - Marillion, Porcupine Tree, IQ, Spock's Beard et al - were influenced less by Rush than by Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, Floyd, ELP, Moody Blues et al.)     Peace.

That one stopped me a bit; I would be the first to say that King Crimson itself sprang from 1-2-3 and then Yes, but there seems little doubt that the emergence of King Crimson was THE defining moment for what we call Prog. So even in that sense, everything that follows springs from that.

And so much for Genesis and Yes's 'influence'; Trespass has unmistakable resemblances to the KC debut and the track Heart of the Sunrise too starts off with music similar to Schizoid.   Whole sections of music that evoke KC can be heard in bands across genres and time periods - whether in Camel or even in Bacamarte much later.   TFK's Back in the world of adventures uses a riff similar to One More Red Nightmare.   I could go on.  KC's influence is all over the map.

Amon Duul ll.
I almost mean that actually.