Two bands who might be considered "prog"

Blue Oyster Cult
OK, the majority of the known universe consider them to be an out and out rock band, with not much in the way of prog tendencies.  However, last year they played The Brook club in Southampton, UK and the promoter (in his wisdom) described BOC on the flyer as "mystical progressive rock".  Is there any justification for this?  Possibly.  Tracks like "Veterans of the Psychic Wars", "The Great Sun Jester" and "Black Blade" not only were co-written by Michael "Hawkwind" Moorcock but there are time signature changes all over the place.  Tracks like "Seven Screaming Dizbusters", "Astronomy" and "Golden Age of Leather" have prog leanings even though they are not.

Max Webster
If you're going to have Rush in the archive, you really need Max Webster too.  I've seen them described as Canada's only 70s prog rock band!!  (I'm sure there were others).  They shared a same producer as Rush (Terry Brown), recorded with Rush ("Battlescars"), toured with Rush extensively and in Kim Mitchell had a guitar player who's technique wouldn't be out of place in Gentle Giant or King Crimson.  Many of their songs are definitely not rock standard fare - Oh War, In Context of the Moon, Here Among The Cats, The Party, Toronto Tontos, etc. 

Has anyone else considered either of these bands to be more "prog" than not?

Fantômas wrote: And Nine Inch Nails as well, then!

INDUSTRIAL is a seperate genre!

I'm not so sure about BLue Oyster Cult, I don't know enough about MAx Webster to judge

Yes, I do consider Blue Öyster Cult a little more progressive than other seventies hard rock bands I have heard. But can it be considered progressive rock? No.

Couldn't agree more on "Astronomy". It's one of my favourite tunes outside of progressive rock. Another my favourite BÖC tune is "Nosferatu". Ah, they had so many great songs...

BOC! BOC! BOC!

YES! They are mainly a hard rock band, but I think that there are enough progressive rock elements throughout almost all their albums that their inlclusion is highly warranted.

As far as Max Webster, I am aware of the Rush connection, but unfortunately, I have never heard them.

M@X Webster?? Sure , he is prog!!!!! He owns the site!

As for the group, it definitely enters the Art Rock category , some of their tracks are proggish, and songwriting-wise they were a beefed up 10cc or Queen level energy. Classy stuff! Certainly art rock!!!

Saw them four or five times live at their height.

 

Shame they never got that famous. By the time they got exposition by collaborating with Rush, their best era was gone. Universal Juvenile was their worst album.

Max Webster has got some real classics nonetheless Hangover

High Class In Borrowed Shoes is a real classy affair with Oh War their tops.

Mutiny Up My Sleeve has The Party: Awesome!!!! Played at almost every party for years in Toronto.

A Million Vacation is slighly mellower but almost every track is a minor classic.

The live album is not bad but by U J album, the original line-up was breaking up and Kim Mitchell went solo after that and never came to knee height of the former group.

 

As far as Toronto groups , Triumph made some proggish albums until Allied Forces but certainly the first three albums had real gems.

Edited by Sean Trane