What was the first prog fusion album?

I'm not talking about just regular fusion even though I know it's a subgenre here but more like albums that combined prog and fusion. Although I personally think Happy the Man were rather early in that regard some have blasted me(possibly on here)for suggesting they were prog fusion. However, there is at least one earlier example(and earlier than UK also)and that is:

I don’t think FOW was the first prog fusion album. The work of Return to Forever and The Mahavishnu Orchestra had a lot of fusion elements, way before Chris Squire came out with his solo album.

Manuel wrote: I don’t think FOW was the first prog fusion album. The work of Return to Forever and The Mahavishnu Orchestra had a lot of fusion elements, way before Chris Squire came out with his solo album.

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - December 11 2020 at 19:55

I'm having a hard time differentiating between "prog fusion" and "regular fusion."  What would be the differentiating features?  Instrumentation for example? 

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: I'm not talking about just regular fusion even though I know it's a subgenre here but more like albums that combined prog and fusion. Although I personally think Happy the Man were rather early in that regard some have blasted me(possibly on here)for suggesting they were prog fusion. However, there is at least one earlier example(and earlier than UK also)and that is: Fish out of water - Chris Squire To me this is maybe the first  prog fusion album. I know some might say Lizard or Islands by King Crimson or even maybe the band Colosseum but to me those are prog with jazz influences or just jazz rock in the case of the latter. FOOW fits the bill for me. What do you guys think?

I think of much Prog as music in or from a rock context that is unconventially rock in that it breaks away from the rock conventions to expand into other musical avenues, typically fuses various genres (especially jazz and classical) with rock, plays with form, has experimentation etc.

I do consider Soft Machine's Third to be Prog and Jazz-fusion (earlier Soft Machine music could count too, I would say). Magma's first two albums also count for me (1970 and 1971). Born J:Son Lindh's Från storstad till grodspad from 1971 I would count (love that album), Floating Music by Stomu Yamash'ta from 1972, Rhésus O from 1971. I don't know what the first is, but I wouldn't think it would need to be influenced by Prog to be Prog (could be an originator of Prog before it was codified as some genre designation or Prog when thought of as a progressive approach to rock -- or underground rock, experimental rock...). The Mothers of invention's Absolutely Free from 1967 might count, but then one might just call it experimental rock meets jazz-rock. I consider Zappa's Hot Rats from 1969 to be jazz-rock and Progressive Rock (or progressive rock), and the earlier Uncle Meat as a sort of jazz avant-Prog. And I'd like to mention early Samla Mammas Manna, and I would include Colosseum. I could include Miles Davis In a Silent Way too, although I could understand why some would not.

To some Prog really refers just to the more "symphonic" (something of a misnomer one might say) Prog groups, but it can be such a nebulous label and the umbrella can be seen as huge. I'm something of a big tenter (actually I'm not that keen on the term Prog, but that's another matter).

Edited by Logan - December 12 2020 at 00:38

The amount of jazz elements in many of the prog releases listed here are quite overstated. Jazz influence? Sure (not referring to clear fusion groups like RTF, MO, Secret Oyster, etc.) 

I agree.

What about East of Eden's Mercator Projected (1969)?