25 Acts' Album Trios From Prog Archives Chart

I have done something very similar before. This is taken from Prog Archive's all-time top 250 chart including Proto-Prog and Prog Related. I only included acts with at least three albums in the top 250, I only included the top three ranked albums from each act, and it is ordered in the poll by where the first album by an act falls in the chart, and those acts' three albums are ordered by their ranking.

Here is the chart for reference (CLICK)

Various of my favourite acts that I had hoped to include only had two albums in the top 250, and many others only had one.

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Vote for the trio of albums where you like all three albums that comes closest to your top three of a band/artist from an act, or just vote for your favourite trio of albums. If it differs from your top three, please specify what you would have gone with. No multiple choice, please vote for one trio you appreciate but mention as many as you like on the list and as many variations as you wish.

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Just thinking studio albums here:

With quite a few of my favourite acts here, this would not be my perfect trio of studio albums. For instance, while I really like that VdGG trio, I would rather have The Least We Can do than Godbluff. With Genesis, my favourites are The Lamb and Trespass. With KC I would want Lizard. With Pink Floyd I would want Meddle in my top three at least.. With Magma, I would want Kobaia (my fave) and 1001 Degrees there. With Miles Davis, I would replace Kind of Blue with Big Fun. With Gentle Giant, I would replace those three with the first three albums (I adore Acquiring the taste and Three Friends and really like the debut). With Jethro Tull I would rather have Stand up than Songs From the Wood.

Camel's is the perfect trio for me from that act, and so is BdMS, PFM, Caravan, Zappa's is good, so is SBB, so IS Rush... And also Cardiacs.

As an act where not only are those my top three studio albums but I have been most likely to play regularly over recent years, I heart Cardiacs the most here and give that trio of album my vote.

VdGG, BdMS and PFM are the only bands/artists where the top trio of albums are my actual trio of favorites from the band. A top five would be like:

VdGG: Godbluff, Pawn Hearts, H to He
King Crimson: ItCotCK, Red, LTiA
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew
BdMS: Darwin!, Io Sono Nato Libero, BdMS
PFM: Per un Amico, Storia di un Minuto, L'isola di Niente

Criswell wrote: ELP in a landslide for me...but that's just me... I would have included Triumvirat: Illusions on a Double Dimple, Spartacus, Old Loves Die Hard

If this was about my tastes and not using the chart, then the choices would look very different on the whole. All of these have at least three albums in the PA top 250 all-time, all genres chart, and interestingly, perhaps, Triumvirat has none there.

I would want the usual suspects from me such as albums by Art Zoyd, Swans, Can, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Radiohead, Univers Zero, Dead Can Dance, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, David Bowie, Herbie Hancock, Henry Cow, AD II, Soft Machine, Anna von Hausswolff, Kate Bush etc.

KC followed by Miles

Yes. It is my favorite band. Genesis, ELP, Rush, Miles, Gentle Giant, Camel and Steven Wilson are all favorites of mine.

I agree with you on Gentle Giant, Logan. Three Friends, Acquiring the Taste and Free Hand would be my choices in their discography. Three Friends is in my all-time Top 10 albums. Nothing wrong with the GG albums selected, because they are great too.

I would have included Mahavisnu Orchestra. Birds of Fire, The Inner Mounting Flame and The Lost Trident Sessions.

Edited by Big Sky - March 23 2025 at 11:45

Cardiacs just ahead of many others between which I'd have a hard time to differentiate. KC's Discipline era trilogy, Talk Talk's last three, and Swans starting from The Seer are probably my favourite trios. 

Edited by Lewian - March 23 2025 at 12:28

That trio from Magma includes my three favorite albums from that band's amazing discography. Hard to top Yes' trio but, for me, at this time in my life, it does.

1) PFM

1. Genesis
2. Pink Floyd
3. Yes
4. Rush
5. Jethro Tull
6. The Beatles
7. VdGG
8. Gentle Giant
9. Magma
X. ELP

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: VDGG > Crimson, Cardiacs, Miles, Magma, Floyd, Tull Henry Cow and Univers Zero the obvious 2 of mine missing.

That last comment got me thinking, because I don't feel like Anekdoten and Porcupine Tree get the attention they used to on here. Which is fine, but man it would be fun just going with random trios. Or one per sub-genre. Lots of ways to go, and I appreciate your polls Greg, they always make me think too hard. My brain needs the workout. I just like this idea of trios or doubles.