Rearrange PA top 20 to your personal tastes

Rick1 wrote: I find it astonishing not one ELP album is there but Rush are!

Rick1 wrote: TheLionOfPrague wrote: Rick1 wrote: I find it astonishing not one ELP album is there but Rush are! I find it astonishing there's only ONE in the TOP 100 and it's around 80 or so (Tarkus or BSS don't make it). Some far less successful/influential/important bands have one album at least ranked higher. Jeez. Unbelievable- no justice in the world!

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Rick1 wrote: I find it astonishing not one ELP album is there but Rush are! I find it astonishing not one Mike Keneally or Pat Metheny album is there but PFM are!

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Sacro_Porgo wrote: Grumpyprogfan wrote: Rick1 wrote: I find it astonishing not one ELP album is there but Rush are! I find it astonishing not one Mike Keneally or Pat Metheny album is there but PFM are! What's wrong with PFM? What's wrong with Rush?

Oh well, it's just a popularity list (with an algorithm). ELP wouldn't make my top one thousand although I enjoy the self-titled. If one searches the rateyourmusic chart by the progressive rock genre then the top ELP album is at number 298 with the self-titled. https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/all-time/g:progressive-rock/exc:live,archival/8/#results

My favourite in the top 20 here is surely Pawn Hearts. VdGG and King Crimson albums would top my list from PA's top 20. My two favourite albums in RYM's top 20 are Rock Bottom and Pawn Hearts and if one goes to 22, then it has another of my favourites with Soft Machine's Third.

I consider ELP to be a quintessential Prog band, but it also a good example to some of everything wrong with Prog. I respect the band more than I enjoy it. To each his or her own tastes, of course. My tastes tend not to be very Prog mainstream (for instance, I'm not big on the symphonic prog category generally and neither Yes nor Genesis would rank high in my lists).

Edited by Logan - October 14 2021 at 04:54

I have some issue with the whole notion of just deserts when it comes to how people generally rate (an amalgamation) albums. Sure some individuals are unfair, but it's a top-rated list, not as some at this forum have seemed to think a most significant to Prog list.   At rateyourmusic, which is a general music site with a huge number of genres to peruse and highlight in the charts, I wouldn't say they have self-appointed high priests of Prog (not that I'd really say the same here either, this is better thought of as a coven ;) ), yet that general audience does not favour ELP albums either. Two sites with different systems, neither of which place ELP albums highly. ELP does better here in the ranking than there. I do agree that the albums generally seem flawed, and I think that ELP was showy in their way doesn't help. ELP dated badly more than many other classic prog bands for me. As one PA person once put it, "You just had to be there". Well, lots of us weren't, and even if we were, that doesn't mean we liked it then, or if we did, still do. I used to like ELP more than I do now.

The thing is though, ELP seem more often berated for their filler than, say Genesis, or King Crimson. Selling England isn't filler free, it seems most people take issue with either More Fool Me or The Battle Of Epping Forest. In The Court Of The Crimson King has Moonchild. In The Wake Of Poseidon has The Devil's Triangle. Fragile is filler heaven. Meddle has Seamus. Even A Passion Play, though it's technically one song, has The Tale Of The Rabbit Who Lost His Spectacles. Love To Love You from In The Land Of Grey And Pink is often looked down upon. 

^^ That's basically it, it, ELP, doesn't connect with a lot of people (including me). And it seems excessive and showy in a way to me that doesn't appeal, or that I can easily relate to. I do still like the self-titled, and can enjoy various ELP music. I do like various quite pompous music. Magma is pompous I would say, but I still like Magma. I do feel like ELP has dated in a way that doesn't appeal, and it has a sort of arena rock quality that I don't like. I would have rather had it burned slower in a way, had they toned it down, been more subtle, more reserved. Sometimes they were. They can seem quite show-offy. They seem a bit too yobbo for me. It's a similar issue I have with bands like Dream Theater, which I can't relate to.

Edited by Logan - October 14 2021 at 13:15

Lewian wrote: Sacro_Porgo wrote: The thing is though, ELP seem more often berated for their filler than, say Genesis, or King Crimson. Selling England isn't filler free, it seems most people take issue with either More Fool Me or The Battle Of Epping Forest. In The Court Of The Crimson King has Moonchild. In The Wake Of Poseidon has The Devil's Triangle. Fragile is filler heaven. Meddle has Seamus. Even A Passion Play, though it's technically one song, has The Tale Of The Rabbit Who Lost His Spectacles. Love To Love You from In The Land Of Grey And Pink is often looked down upon.  ...all of which are OK to very good, and charming at the very least (according to my taste that is, of course). And all of which dominate at least 90% of ELP fillers.

Logan wrote: ^^ That's basically it, it, ELP, doesn't connect with a lot of people (including me). And it seems excessive and showy in a way to me that doesn't appeal, or that I can easily relate to. I do still like the self-titled, and can enjoy various ELP music. I do like various quite pompous music. Magma is pompous I would say, but I still like Magma. I do feel like ELP has dated in a way that doesn't appeal, and it has a sort of arena rock quality that I don't like. I would have rather had it burned slower in a way, had they toned it down, been more subtle, more reserved. Sometimes they were. They can seem quite show-offy. They seem a bit too yobbo for me. It's a similar issue I have with bands like Dream Theater, which I can't relate to.

Edited by jamesbaldwin - October 14 2021 at 17:13