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So, Who Exactly is a Member of the Big Six?

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Scorpius View Drop Down
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    Posted: September 06 2020 at 14:44
I've been on this site for several years now and often times in discussions or in polls I will see the name "Big Six" occasionally pop up. The Big Six of Progressive Rock seems to be a definitive list of the 6 most popular, influential and widely-recognized prog acts. However, every time I see a discussion of the Big Six, the list being discussed is almost always different, even though this seems to be an extremely popular blanket term referring to a set number of specific bands. Today I create this topic to see if one of several things will happen:

A: progarchives comes to a final consensus of who exactly is in the "Big Six"
B: Everyone has a different idea of who the big six are, which is cool in its own right
C: I'm an idiot and there IS a defined and specific group of bands called the Big Six
D: Ringo

In order to decide who's officially a member of the Big Six, I will adopt a method I saw on a previous post about pink floyd songs in this forum. Everyone will list out their big six picks and each spot will be awarded a specific number of points. For example, this is my list.

1. Pink Floyd (10 Points)
2. King Crimson (8 Points)
3. Yes (6 Points)
4. Genesis (4 points)
5. ELP (3 Points)
6. Rush (2 Points)

Your number one pick is the band you think is most deserving of being in the big six, hence the points system. Ill tally up every couple posts and see what happens. 

So what's it gonna be folks? let me know in the comments who you think is in the big six.


... god I hope I posted this in the right part of the forum
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Easy Money Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 14:55
1 ELP
2 King Crimson
3 Yes
4 VDGG
5 Gentle Giant
6 PFM

Edited by Easy Money - September 06 2020 at 17:47
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 15:01
Interesting. When I see the Big Six mentioned I have no doubt about what people mean. ELP, KC, PF, Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, in no particular order. I'm not saying that's my choice (although I'm by and large fine with it, even if there's only one overlap with my personal Big Five), and neither am I saying it should be like this, but I'm pretty sure that's the one and only Big Six for those in the know. (If you don't want it to be these by the way, there is no reason to make it six, or to fix any number at all.) 




Edited by Lewian - September 06 2020 at 15:02
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Boboulo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 15:20
Van der Graaf Generator, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Gentle Giant.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Cristi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 15:24
oh my god, not this again... Dead
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nogbad_The_Bad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 15:39
King Crimson
Yes
Jethro Tull
Pink Floyd
Genesis
VDGG
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 15:40
Yes
Genesis
Pink Floyd
King Crimson
ELP
Gentle Giant

To my understanding these are the big six. I didn't include Jethro Tull because then it would be unfair to the Moody Blues. GG were more firmly a prog band so they get my vote instead. I was tempted to add Rush but they didn't really make their mark until a bit later so they are not really part of the first wave. Also, this is not a list of personal favorites for me and I hope no one treats it that way.


Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - September 06 2020 at 15:41
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dwill123 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 16:17
No order:

Yes
ELP
King Crimson
Genesis
Jethro Tull
Pink Floyd
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote countdm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 17:15
King Crimson
Yes
Genesis
Jethro Tull
Van der Graaf Generator
Gentle Giant
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scorpius Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 17:43
so far the rankings are as follows:

Yes - 52 points
King Crimson - 48 points
Genesis - 31 points
ELP - 27 points
Pink Floyd - 22 points
Jethro Tull - 21 points

As of now the rankings seem pretty predictable, but who knows if PFM will come back from 2 points so save the day!!! Yes and King Crimson are the clear top picks right out of the gate with Floyd a little farther back than I would have expected this early on. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Progosopher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 18:53
Originally posted by Scorpius Scorpius wrote:

so far the rankings are as follows:

Yes - 52 points
King Crimson - 48 points
Genesis - 31 points
ELP - 27 points
Pink Floyd - 22 points
Jethro Tull - 21 points

As of now the rankings seem pretty predictable, but who knows if PFM will come back from 2 points so save the day!!! Yes and King Crimson are the clear top picks right out of the gate with Floyd a little farther back than I would have expected this early on. 

This is how I understand the Big Six, no matter how the numbers add up. Clearly there are other excellent bands of influence, and everybody seems to have a personal favorite whether on this list or not, but these are the ones that stand out.
The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 19:11
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Booba Kastorsky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 20:12
1 Yes
2 Pink Floyd
3 Genesis
4 King Crimson
5 Gentle Giant
6 Jethro Tull
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 21:06
Pink Floyd
Yes
Jethro Tull
ELP
Genesis 
King Crimson 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tdfloyd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2020 at 22:27
Pink Floyd
Genesis
Yes
King Crimson
ELP
Rush
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote someone_else Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2020 at 00:26
Since the term 'Big Six' is mostly associated with the heyday of prog:

1. Pink Floyd
2. Genesis
3. Yes
4. ELP
5. Jethro Tull
6. King Crimson

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2020 at 00:44
Yeah my understanding of the big 6 is that they were the biggest selling prog acts of the very first wave of prog, similar to how the big four of thrash metal are the very best selling bands bands of the first thrash wave. King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, ELP, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd. Then the only one that strikes me as odd is KC, being all super uncommercial and all, but they also inarguably kicked the whole thing right off and even opened for The Rolling Stones in their golden period, so certainly they have the clout if not the record sales to belong.

So for the purpose of trying to define what they are, I'll say this is the order of both importance and commercial success:

1. Yes
2. Pink Floyd
3. King Crimson
4. Jethro Tull
5. Genesis
6. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer

and here is a list of six which would probably make my personal big six:

1. Rush
2. Genesis
3. Pink Floyd
4. Yes
5. King Crimson
6. Premiata Forneria Marconi

Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Deadwing Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2020 at 01:42
Pink Floyd
Genesis
Supertramp
Rush
Jethro Tull
King Crimson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Mascodagama Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2020 at 02:04
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gentle and Giant Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2020 at 04:06
My lists, in no order

Premier League
King Crimson
Rush
Genesis
Jethro Tull
Van der Graaf Generator
Gentle Giant

Division 1
Yes
ELP
Pink Floyd
PFM
Camel
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