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jude111 View Drop Down
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Points: 1754 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: "One 'Hit' Wonders"
    Posted: June 06 2012 at 07:33
I put "One Hit Wonders" in quotes because obviously we're not talking about "hits" per se. But I've been wondering, how many prog bands have that one truly great song in them, but - in your opinion - nothing else comes close. I put this question to you because, frankly, I want to hear some great tunes and bands I haven't heard before. We know the great albums by their ratings, but what about those albums that aren't so great, but contain that one priceless jewel that almost makes it worthwhile? We can use this term quite literally or very liberally, and refer to a great band that released a mediocre LP with one brilliant tune (in your opinion, of course), either way... :-)

Edited by jude111 - June 06 2012 at 07:42
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Points: 3167 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 07:54

Some groups have that one big giant epic opening track on their album and then the rest of the album never lives up to the first track.


Not completely related Cardiacs actually are sort of one hit wonders- their song "Is This The Life?" (not completely sure on title) was sort of a hit in England and recieved a little bit of MTV play when it came out- not another song of theirs was ever even close to being that big.... although they definitely have amazing albums all the way through.
http://pseudosentai.bandcamp.com/



wtf
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Points: 23104 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 08:04
I have this RPI album:
 
but must admit, that after the first amazing track, I can't remember anything off of it. Still that first one is quite the humdinger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDgG_DUYog

Oh and perhaps the most obvious is Tarkus? 
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

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Points: 1754 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 08:16
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I have this RPI album:
 
but must admit, that after the first amazing track, I can't remember anything off of it. Still that first one is quite the humdinger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDgG_DUYog

Oh and perhaps the most obvious is Tarkus? 
Unfortunately, Youtube is blocked here in China. What's the name of the track?
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Points: 23104 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 08:19
It's called E Verra' L'Uomo. 
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

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Points: 16449 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 09:29
The best example I can think of from my collection is Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada EP. The first track, Moya, is amazing and the reason I've looked into a couple albums from them (which I didnt like), the second track, Blaze Bailey Finnegan III, is the usual Godspeed snoozefest. I guess for me this isnt so much a one hit wonder from a single album as a whole career.

Edited by sleeper - June 06 2012 at 09:30
Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

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Points: 6632 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 13:11
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I have this RPI album:
 
but must admit, that after the first amazing track, I can't remember anything off of it. Still that first one is quite the humdinger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDgG_DUYog

Oh and perhaps the most obvious is Tarkus? 


Actually i like the whole album, it is quite good.
Oh and i was thinking Tarkus as well...
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Points: 6632 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 13:19
There are two tracks that are far superior to the rest, from Czar's sole album, if you like heavy prog try 'tread softly on my dreams' and 'cecelia'
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Points: 374 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 15:07
Flash- Small Beginnings. It's from their eponymous debut. The rest of the album is good but in my opinion Small Beginnings is the only really great track.
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Points: 925 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 15:41
IMO, ELP only did one great piece of music and it's called Tarkus. Anything else from them is pretty boring
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Points: 1509 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 15:58
The Gates of Delirium and And You And I by Yes. Other things are pretty good, but these tracks pretty much defeat them with ease.
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Points: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 20:03
In my opinion, Sometime World by Wishbone Ash is a "top track" on their whole discography. I'm not saying that albums like Argus have weak songs, but I think this song it's from another world compared with anything they did. Clap

And "The Furthest Point"  by Spirogyra  it's maybe another case. 


Edited by Feuerbach - June 06 2012 at 20:12
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Points: 5012 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2012 at 20:09
Atomic Rooster's Death Walks Behind You, but even that album I'm not too fond of. 
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Points: 958 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2012 at 00:43
Discipline's Push and Profit isn't a great album at all but the instrumental Blueprint really stands out.
 
Delta Cyphei Project's Virtual World is even quite poor but again the instrumental track saves the day: Space Travel is superb !
 
La Tulip Noire is a Greek progband that never won me over as a fan but they did make that one hit wonder with The Haze, a track from their album Shattered Image. The instrumental part halfway is simply amazing !
 
Some more famous examples:
 
Rush-Caress of Steel merely excels with The Necromancer
 
Porcupine Tree's debut On the Sunday of Life has only Radioactive Toy to offer as truly great track
 
With Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother it's just the title track that is absolutely worthwhile...
 
In all cases it's just an (my) opinion in the end Tongue
 
Oh and indeed Yes' Relayer with the brilliant epic Gates but the rest ....Confused


Edited by progrules - June 07 2012 at 00:45
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Points: 30001 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2012 at 01:21
Not a great fan of Dark Side Of The Moon but my favourite Floyd track is Time which I believe is their pinnacle.
 
ELP Works Volume One has a bunch of solo music and an overlong version of Fanfare For The Common Man (filler??!) but has one oustanding peice in Pirates. That is 13 minutes of symph prog heaven as far as I am concerned.
 
Tarkus is often held up as an example of a prog album with only one decent track but side two has two brilliant tracks imo - A Time and A Place (Emerson rips up the organ and Palmer plays like a man possessed) and The Only Way (great Church organ and singing) although the rest is a bit ordinary admittedly.
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Points: 11420 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2012 at 04:24
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Not a great fan of Dark Side Of The Moon but my favourite Floyd track is Time which I believe is their pinnacle. Agreed
 
ELP Works Volume One has a bunch of solo music and an overlong version of Fanfare For The Common Man (filler??!) but has one oustanding peice in Pirates. That is 13 minutes of symph prog heaven as far as I am concerned.

Fanfare filler?! it contains one of Emerson's most brilliantly paced and satisfying solos. Yep, Pirates is one of the greatest marriages ever of orchestral forces and electric band. I love the Piano Concerto to bits but would probably question it's inclusion on an ELP album.
 
Tarkus is often held up as an example of a prog album with only one decent track but side two has two brilliant tracks imo - A Time and A Place (Emerson rips up the organ and Palmer plays like a man possessed) and The Only Way (great Church organ and singing) although the rest is a bit ordinary admittedly. Agreed, side two contains some of ELP's best studio work (probably neglected as most of it wasn't played live during their 70's heyday)



Edited by ExittheLemming - June 08 2012 at 22:26
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Snow Dog View Drop Down
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Points: 32995 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2012 at 04:44
^The "overlong" full version of Fanfare is the bee's knees.
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Stool Man View Drop Down
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Points: 2689 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2012 at 08:30
I take one hit wonders to mean bands that we've never heard of doing more than one thing, even if they produced many releases in a lengthy career.  I'm thinking, for example, of "The Witch" by The Rattles. 
 
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Points: 6898 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2012 at 10:04
Focus has been labelled with f**king Hocus Pocus. Love the song but that is not what Focus is all about.
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Points: 13382 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2012 at 10:41
Originally posted by Vibrationbaby Vibrationbaby wrote:

Focus has been labelled with f**king Hocus Pocus. Love the song but that is not what Focus is all about.

Agreed. Hocus Pocus is a good track but they have a wealth of material that's so much better. 
New album!
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385
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