Been reading this forum for a while now, and really enjoying it. The polls, recommendations, and appreciation threads have helped me discover lots of new music. 

I first got into prog a couple years ago, I think first through a coworker talking about having In the Court of the Crimson King when it first came out, and then checking it out because of shared taste in other music (The Beatles, John Lennon, etc).

I'm looking for more music to love! It could be a lesser-known song by an artist I already like. Or an underrated album. Or a new artist altogether. Or maybe even an artist I thought I didn't like (that's always a great surprise). Anything is appreciated!

Here's a sense of my taste, starting with what I know and like from the big guns:

Yes - I first got into Roundabout, then the Yes Album (Perpetual Change and Starship Trooper were faves at some point). The day Close to the Edge became my favorite was a breakthrough in enjoying this kind of music. At some point The Revealing Science of God was my favorite. I don't listen to them a ton now - aren't hitting the sweet spot for some reason - but definitely appreciate them. Going for the One is probably my favorite album now, with the organ at the end of Awaken being a great moment. I also like The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Wakeman, Hold Out Your Hand by Squire, Pennants by Howe, Hell's Bells by Bruford, and some of Olias and other stuff by Jon.

Genesis - I first got into Selling England, with Firth of Fifth and Cinema Show being faves. Watcher of the Skies was also an early favorite. Then Seven Stones and Fountains of Salmacis. Can-Utility become a big favorite and I'd say I even prefer Foxtrot to Selling England now. However, I'm actually most into The Lamb now. Back in NYC, Carpet Crawlers, etc - a lot of good stuff to explore on that album and feels more mature. I'm definitely a Peter Gabriel guy, and love his first solo album. Also appreciate Don't Give Up with Kate Bush, and In Your Eyes from So. But that being said, I do like some Collins Genesis, like Dance on a Volcano and Home by the Sea. I just think Gabriel is the more interesting of the two.

This is going to get a lot longer than I initially thought, so I'm going to add posts on other bands afterwards, haha.

For now let me just throw out a couple of other random things to give you a better sense of my taste:

Strawbs - Hero and Heroine (so good)

PFM - Per Un Amico (so good)

KC - I'm more into Waiting Man than Court of the Crimson King these days (Belew is great).

Van der Graaf - Was really into Killer style, now more into Refugees style. Not super into them overall, but love some songs.

Jethro Tull - Was not into them at all for quite some time. First got into Thick, now I actually really like Benefit. Also Thick 2 is amazingly good for a modern album.

Alphataurus - La Mente Vola (those vocals)

Biglietto - Confessione (those vocals)

Caravan - I liked In the Land of Grey and Pink a lot for a bit, but now I really don't find it that interesting.

Camel - Also find a lot of their stuff dull, but not everything for sure. Stationary Traveller is a great track.

Zappa - Not a big fan honestly.

Gentle Giant - Gonna save details for another post, but they're amazing, love them.

Rush - Not a big fan honestly. I keep trying. Limelight is interesting.

Gryphon - Red Queen is a fun album for an occasional listen.

Happy the Man - I find it hard to get into them, but there are aspects I love.

The Moody Blues - I like some of their stuff a lot, from Days and such, but find them dull more often than not.

Procol Harum - More of a PH fan, with their first album and Salty Dog being great. Was super into Wreck of the Hesperus for a while.

Nektar - Again, hard to get into and I don't like a bunch of their stuff, but some aspects I love. King of Twilight is fun, The Dream Nebula Pt. 1 has such a cool feel.

That's enough for now, hey?

And yes, love the Beatles, John Lennon, etc. Joe Cocker and all that. And even earlier, pop, jazz, classical. I'm more picky about specific artists and their songs and such more than I am about genres.

But that being said, I don't like prog metal nor neo prog, or most modern music, sorry! I'm not into too heavy nor too polished.

Thanks in advance for reading this essay... ha... and appreciate any suggestions. Looking forward to discussing great music!

Ash

I recommend this one:

Super interesting, thank you! Added to my Spotify.

I could use a little more singing or melody, personally, but it definitely has a lot of good stuff to explore. Not one for a casual listen though, I think.

A bit too much of an instrumental mashup for me, with lots of sounds of classic prog. Certainly skilled and interesting though, with some cool sounding moments, thanks!

So lets make some kind of list then :)

Balletto di bronzo - introduzione, such a great italiano song

Renaissance - Song of schereazade, you don't see female prog rock singers that often

Peter Hammill - A louse is not a home

Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn part 1 (Dark room, put headphones at maximum and enjoy an experience of a lifetime)

Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (not an easy album to get into, dark prog at it's finest)

Opeth - Faith in others, undeniable newborn classic, please listen this one.

Very specific taste, maybe --

Duncan Mackay

National Health

Yezda Urfa

Dice

U.K.

The Web

Pentwater

Good luck !

Marillion 

Porcupine Tree -start with the mid to late 90's albums if you like early Pink Floyd

The Flower Kings

Spock's Beard

Transatlantic

Echolyn 

Big Big Train -popular recent band

IQ

Also, if you like PFM give Banco a try. They are an older Italian band from the 70's who are back with a new album.

Also, you didn't mention Kansas. Much more to them than their few radio hits. I suggest "leftoverture" and their other 70's albums. Very prog. You will be surprised if you only know them for their classic rock staples.

 

Nova...Italian band from the 70s.  Has members of Brand X on one of the albums 

The Enid... More classically orientated

The Long Hello ( Members of VDGG)

Family - Music In a Doll's House is a 1968 classic well worth checking out. The melodies often carry over a positive 60s vibe but there's an edge to the music that sets it apart and adds an extra dimension or three. The vocals and the layering and alternating of instruments give it a very distinctive tone.

Since you mention liking Gabriel, I'm curious, how do you feel about Up? If you enjoy it, that may a sign that you may find it worthwhile exploring modern music a bit more.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer -first 4 studio albums or start with the live triple album Welcome Back My Friends. (Ignore everything after 1974)

UK (everything but there isn't much just 2 studio albums and a couple of live albums but they are all good)

Aphrodites Child - 666 (massive album)

Kansas - s/t debut and Song For America

Mike Oldfield - first 4 albums (up to and including Incantations)

Vangelis - Heaven and Hell (this might appeal to you if you like Rick Wakeman)

Jethro Tull (anything up to about Heavy Horses)

that takes care of the seventies!

80's and onwards is hard.

IQ - Tales From The Lush Attic (this is classic and could be a lost seventies gem if I didn't know better)

Eloy - Time To Turn ( this is a personal fave of mine , if you like a lot synths in your prog check it out)

Par Lind Project - Gothic Impressions (again could be a lost seventies classic)

In general you will probably enjoy the Swedish prog bands more than a lot of the English prog . Anglagard is a no brainer and also the very recent All Traps On Earth - A Drop Of Light is a modern classic. Also check out Wobbler.

I'm done!

 

You could do worse than checking some of these out:

Campo Di Marte - st (as you mention that Biglietto-song)

Peter Hammill - Over  as a start since you mention Refugees. After the short opening track its all very beautiful and melanholic - or sad.

I'm a new member here but I've been using the site for years. Thank you all so much for your posts and your knowledge. It has been incredibly helpful in my search for good music.

I am a huge fan of Wobbler and I think I've listened to "From silence to somewhere" almost daily since it came out. My question to you all is:

What symphonic prog albums, from the last 20 years or so, would you recommend that either sound like or are musically similar to Wobbler's fantastic release?

Thank you.

 

Änglagård - Viljans Öga

 

All Traps On Earth - A Drop Of Light

 

Discipline - Unfolded Like Staircase

 

 

 

I saw you put PFM's Appena Un Po' in the best prog intro thread, so I know you've got taste already. :)

* Balletto di bronzo - Introduzione. Cool intro to this song too. It's a bit too much of a jam for me, too much manic drums & keyboard. I guess I'm more of a melodic type listener. They're definitely cool but it's not clicking for me, at least yet.

* Renaissance - Scheherazade. Yes, forgot to list Renaissance. They're not one of my top bands, but I definitely really like that album. And yes, wish there were more female vocals.

* Peter Hammill - A Louse Is Not a Home. Best suggestion yet! Hammill is such an interesting artist, and this is the first solo number of his that I have heard and appreciated (haven't explored a lot). I'm going to add this album to my Spotify (even sounds like I might appreciate other tracks more, since I prefer his singing style voice to his growling style voice, haha). What are your favorite VDGG and Hammill tracks?

* Oldfield - Ommadawn part 1. Ok, I think I'm starting to get him a bit. I find it harder to get into instrumentals, but this had a lot of beautiful parts. I definitely can't fully get into the whole thing yet (I can say the same with Tubular Bells, which is probably heresy), but I get there's something there now.

* Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom. Yeah, had heard this once before, and I still can't get into it. It's too bad, because there are some great sounds here, like the intros to Sea Song and Little Red Riding Hood (love trumpets). But honestly I find his voice annoying, haha.

* Opeth - Faith in Others. Great intro. Not so much into it once the full band/vocals kick in, but totally get that this is a solid composition.

Thanks, appreciated these! A little bit on the darker/moodier side of my range (apart from Renaissance of course!), but glad to have added some solo Hammill and Oldfield to my library. Those guys deserve some more exploration for sure.

Welcome.

As an old foggy here, I tend to make different suggestions, but the greatest help in finding music and determining what was right for me, was learning it on my own ... sight unseen ... like ... and not knowing anything about it.

Nowadays, there are too many opinions, and the sad side of that is that most folks don't seem to know how to circumvent that in order to make an opinion on their own ... and all they become (generally more or less of course) is ... just another fan ... they like one song and the rest of the album might as well go back to the drawing board.

In the end, no musician or composer is that vain. There is a reason, and a method to a lot of what they did, and do, and the "progressive" listing of groups has been nice in helping us find many of them and keep them alive, but I have to tell you that over these last 50 years, specially in the first 20, the greatest admiration and love I had was .... LISTENING TO ALL THE NEW STUFF ... and not knowing s single thing about it!

I was scared poopless when I first heard "Mysterious Semblance for the Strand of Nightmares" (Tangerine Dream), and it bothered me for a couple of days ... and then I woke up, and decided to go get the album, and I found it to be one of the prettiest things ever recorded and played ... it's turns and twists and beauty, was unmatched ... specially by some/any rock band out there ... this is the meaning of music ... not just a song!

50 years later, now at almost 69, I miss having those feelings when listening to new music ... everyone has a comment about Neal Morse and his band, and when I heard it, I ended up disappointed ... it had nothing new in it, specially lyrics that were old and tired ... some nice stuff, I will grant ... but somewhere along the line, your head is going to put those in the "2nd rate" section, and it won't feature in many song listing or CD you put together for your car (like I do! -- 100 bands you don't know in 40 CD's!) ... and you will find that ... wow ... that was cool and nice!

Maybe it's just me. Listening to a "song", and then repeating it, and hearing it again tomorrow, lessens the quality for me ... once you have "experienced" the feeling inside, the ability to replay it inside is not as good, and the effect dies off. People will still have favorite, and sometimes not know why ... but this is rare for me ... I can pinpoint all the images and details around anything I hear, and where it connects and why. Some is fine, and some is weird, and some if off its rocker ... but that's what all of us are made of.

I just would like to recommend ... that a certain percentage of your listening, be nothing that is listed here, so to speak, so that you develop a side ear for a lot more music ... something that is not everyone's favorites, because they don't understand it or know it, or can explain it to their friends ... I happen to like/love The Edgar Broughton Band ... and one of my old friends once said ... what horrible vocals ... and he did not hear a single thing. I played for him a poet (Ginsburg) reading his stuff ... and he didn't get it either ... he was not a "listener" ... he got seduced by a melody and learned the 5 words around it and that was his enjoyment.

Or worse ... I played "Ozric Tentacles" to a friend once at mom's place (lake in the mountains), and it is instrumental all the time ... he liked the beat and the guitar, but a minute into it, he looks at me, and goes ... "where's the lyrics?" ... and I said there's none ... it's all music ... and that was it, he was not listening anymore because the lyrics were not telling him how to feel!

My thoughts? Try, it might not be easy these days ... to make your own recommendations and surprise yourself ... it will give you far more enjoyment of music than anything else ... even early FAUST would make sense then ... which makes it more fun!

By the way, welcome to PA!  This is a great place to learn about prog music, we all have eclectic & varied tastes....looks like you fit right in! 

Yes, indeed.

My previous post is long, this one will be shorter!

Here is how I "found" PH/VdGG ... in 1970 .... by that time I was already going around the used bins on many record stores in Southern California, and in there you always found a lot of stuff ... some really bad, some really good, and some ... wtf is that?

I came across an album ... H to He that AM the only one ... and I looked at the cover and said ... jeezus ... what will people think of next. It made no sense, and the cover was weird, and the album just stood there, looking much better than Mad Dogs and English Men ... and Sgt. Pepper's 12 old copies on scratched vinyl.

I kept looking. Came across "Quatermass" ... wow that's a cover ... gotta have that one, regardless .... remember that in that time no one knew about these things and no one played them! So I have one album ... and then came across a funny cover of a guy smoking, taking a nap ... looked like he didn't give a darn, about something or other, or was just stoned. I like the attitude and picked it up ... Kevin Ayers ... and then I started leaving (only had $20 dollars for albums!), and the guy at the counter goes ... grab another one and you can have them for $20. So I got that "H to He" album, figuring that sometimes some of these albums end up right back here in this same bin!

When I put that on, and heard it, I was stunned.

Today, my collection has over 85% of all PH and VdGG and I have never looked back ... no one did poetry and expression better in rock music ... and finding it was a treat ... the kind that you really can't get here and find here ... because everyone has something to say ... and this is the strength of your internal ... search ... however you want to call it.

Develop that ... you'll never regret it!

Awesome suggestions, thank you!

Duncan Mackay, Chimera - Interesting album indeed, had never heard of it. A touch keyboard heavy for me, but definitely adding this one to my library! Morpheus is a cool track.

National Health, Of Queues and Cures - I had heard this maybe once before. I get that they are extremely talented and unusual, but I don't know, I just can't really get into it. I guess just too much instrumental fooling around for me.

Yezda Urfa - Now we're talking! Wish they had this album on streaming. I had already actually saved Sacred Baboon to my library though and completely forgotten.

Dice - Similar comment to National Health, I think. Seem cool and all but hasn't grabbed me at least yet.

I'll take a look at those other three soon. Too much good stuff to check out isn't a bad problem to have!

No such thing. 

Check out another USA one-shot, Mirthrandir. Their 1976 album is For You the Old Women.

Vdgg/PH - One of my favourite bands of all time. I use to hate them but now I can understand them :D A louse is not a home is an ultimate song from them indeed :) I could make a long list of my favourites by them but here are a few.. 

- PH, Black Room/The tower (some "growling" tho :))

- PH, The lie (Bernini saint theresa), same album as Louse. One of the greates vocal performances on all time

- PH, Time Heals, I just like the groove of this one, next ones are VDGG

- House with no door

- Refugees

- Boat  of millions years

- Plague of the lighthouse keepers

- Man-erg

- Still-Life (incredible)

- Darkness 11/11

I could go forever :D

Good to hear.   Yeah the Urfa is hard to beat--  probably the finest US prog band,  well,  ever.

Ok, this list just kept on giving.

Firstly, just to mention Yezda Urfa again... phew. Something as simple (comparatively) as "Boris and His Three Verses" just reeks of beauty and creativity. They have a groove and a mood, if you know what I mean. I feel like there are bands that only have one or the other, and you need both for it to hit the spot. This is not just in my library now, but I know I'm going to get into it, which is a great feeling as you all know!

That's kind of not how I feel about U.K. though, honestly. For me, they have a great groove, but they don't really set quite the right mood. I think I like songs that are less riff-based, with more of that kind of feeling of flowing ideas (not that all of their songs follow what I'm saying, but they certainly love their riff-based numbers). (You can see I'm really technical in my understanding, haha.) But I think there is more to be appreciated from them than I am getting at the moment. 

I honestly don't know if these rules-of-thumb I'm making up about what I like are actually always true in the end. Maybe it honestly just comes down to the kind of sound, the "vibe," and where my head is at (it's a fun part of listening to new music, that it teaches you more about your own senses, I think). I'll keep them in my library and come back to it later. Thanks for pointing out Danger Money to me, since I was only aware of their self-titled album.

The Web. Yes! Awesome. The broad sound, the strong but interesting vocals, the jazzy flavor (love the vibes and horns). Not much more to say at the moment, except I'm sure this one is going to get some play!

So, Pentwater. This was the funniest experience. The first track comes on: "Oh no, I don't think I like this. Not for me. Kind of interesting sounding, but nope, nope." Almost junked it right there. Then the keyboard break in the second track rolls around the second time: "Ok, this is absolutely amazing and beautiful. Holy god." What a track. The first vocal section sounds so ordinary the first time around, but after the keyboard section it seems the perfect complement. Honestly, this might have just jumped into my list of favorite songs of the moment.

Favorite new discoveries so far, in no order:

Yezda Urfa

The Web

Pentwater

Peter Hammil's solo stuff

I'm going to go through this list soon, thanks! But just wanted to quickly say: "House with No Door" - yes! I should have mentioned that as my VDGG example, even above Refugees. What a heartbreakingly beautiful song. 

You know, I think some of their songs have turned me off by their difficulty, like you say happened to you. I think PH just has so much creative genius that I should definitely have a proper explore!

I think it depends on the time and place ... VdGG is outstanding in GODBLUFF and STILL LIFE (that supposedly according to their bio at the time for radio, was going to be a double album, btw!!!) ... and H to HE also fits into this far out moments.

But, in many ways, I really like PH's solo stuff way better, and play it a lot more. From this list:

... are some of the stuff I love the most ... and OVER and SKIN stand out huge for me, as does the title song to OUT OF WATER. Thus, this list far stretches past VdGG .... which I like a lot, but for some reason the later material just did not catch me as strongly as those 20 years in solo albums.

AKDiamond wrote: Atavachron wrote: Yezda Urfa The Web Pentwater U.K. Good luck ! Ok, this list just kept on giving. Firstly, just to mention Yezda Urfa again... phew. Something as simple (comparatively) as "Boris and His Three Verses" just reeks of beauty and creativity. They have a groove and a mood, if you know what I mean. I feel like there are bands that only have one or the other, and you need both for it to hit the spot. This is not just in my library now, but I know I'm going to get into it, which is a great feeling as you all know! The Web. Yes! Awesome. The broad sound, the strong but interesting vocals, the jazzy flavor (love the vibes and horns). Not much more to say at the moment, except I'm sure this one is going to get some play! So, Pentwater. This was the funniest experience. The first track comes on: "Oh no, I don't think I like this. Not for me. Kind of interesting sounding, but nope, nope." Almost junked it right there. Then the keyboard break in the second track rolls around the second time: "Ok, this is absolutely amazing and beautiful. Holy god." What a track. The first vocal section sounds so ordinary the first time around, but after the keyboard section it seems the perfect complement. Honestly, this might have just jumped into my list of favorite songs of the moment. Favorite new discoveries so far, in no order: Yezda Urfa The Web Pentwater Peter Hammil's solo stuff

I had exactly the same experience with Pentwater--  a lesson in not giving up after one cut!

And my love affair with YU is as strong as ever.  I really should dig out Boris and listen, it's been too long ~

I'm definitely not a fan from the old days, since I wasn't alive then, haha.

Marillion - Ah, yeah, I don't really like them a lot. Have tried listening a couple times before, since I know how highly they are regarded. There are parts of their tracks that I like, but overall not really getting them. I don't like the guitar, at least on what I've heard.

Porcupine Tree - I can tolerate their softer sounding stuff, but I can't really say I like it. I don't like the vocals or any of the heavier guitar playing. Haha, sorry, I did warn that I'm not usually keen on the newer sounds. (I'm not actually a big fan of Pink Floyd either, but don't tell anybody!)

The Flower Kings - Already recommended, not really for me, thanks though. Actually, I'm just gonna apply this statement to the rest of the more modern suggestions, haha, sorry!

Banco - Oh yeah, I know them for sure! I have mixed feelings since I like "Cento mani e cento occhi" and "La conquista della posizione eretta" (though they are a bit on the creepy-sounding side), but haven't liked other tracks of theirs that I have heard. I also usually really like more ballad-type tracks, but I haven't enjoyed their vocals for those, at least that I have heard. Do you have any favorite tracks to recommend?

Kansas - Thanks for mentioning them. I had heard somebody say this before and heard one track that surprised me, but had really mostly forgotten about that. Will enjoy exploring since seems like there's some fun stuff!

I appreciate you trying to broaden my range, but some of the newer stuff I just don't think is my style. Many thanks for all the suggestions though! Definitely got a couple of good avenues to explore out of them.

Ooh, strong vocals. It had a bit too much of a smooth vibe for me initially, but it's already growing on me. Not so much into some of the extended instrumental jams, but some bits are really cool too. First track on the album is also fun.

The album was sounding a bit smooth, so I thought I'd check out his earlier stuff. Suite Cassandra is great. Listening to that first album for a bit though, it does miss the vocals. Good to have both options!

Interesting he was in the E Street Band - I can't stand Springsteen.

Nice suggestion, thanks! Has a great upbeat vibe that I think would definitely hit the spot when in that mood.

Edit: Yeah, Suite Cassandra is awesome. Just edited to say it twice, haha.

Forgot to mention Renaissance! I really like Scheherazade and some other tracks. I find them a touch boring somehow, but I also like them - don't know how much that makes sense, haha.

Haven't been able to get into Marillion, I don't know... maybe that'll change, but I don't really get the appeal yet.

The other bands are not really my style. People keep mentioning them, so I'm sure I'll try another time.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Well, thanks for responding to my post at least. I guess I figured since you don't like newer stuff much(and some older fans seem to feel that way)I figured you were into this stuff in the "old days." Typically, imo, those who are younger(say under 25) are more into the newer stuff because they are more exposed to it.Other than the most obvious older bands they don't know about some of the ones you mentioned(that has been my observation). Obviously there are exceptions to the rule. I myself am sort of in the middle but leaning older(a lot older. lol). I first got into prog in the 80's but there wasn't much newer prog at the time that was contemporary so naturally I found out about the big bands first.

Here's my suggestion. Besides this thread also go through this website and try to find bands you might be into. So if most of the stuff you like is symphonic prog use that as a filter and the same thing with the years. You can filter for when it was released and also what country etc. You do that by going to where it says "top albums" on the main page. Threads like this can certainly be helpful but this site's "archives"(hence the name)can really open you up to a lot of stuff. Of course there's also youtube to help you out. This site used to have song samples on it(actually whole songs but not whole albums)but for some reason they have all be deleted(I guess that was a few years ago now).

Nail on the head with E&F! Great track - I had to listen to the whole album after that, and was not at all unhappy about it. What a great range of material on this album, and a great singer.

Nail on the head about Magma too, haha. Yes, I have given them a try or two. Yes, definitely the deep end! Some interesting sounds, but why they chose to put them together in that particular manner is beyond me. ;) I'd ask if they have a "most accessible" track, but that'd probably be missing the point entirely.

Makes sense! Yep, I'm basically an exception I guess, though not quite that young. 

Appreciate the suggestion! I have taken a look at the overall top albums, but haven't taken advantage of the filters at all.

35? Come on you can say we are all friends here. :)

Are you familiar with Discipline?  They are an American band with influence from VDGG.

I tried, I listened to the whole album, but I can't get Eno really. I had St. Elmo's Fire in my library already (had come across it because of the Fripp connection), but I only added The Big Ship apart from that. I don't know, something rubs me the wrong way, though you do have to respect the amount of creative work he clearly puts in. 

Thanks for the suggestion!

P.S. Do you like Gavin Bryars' "The Sinking of the Titanic"? "The Big Ship" brought it to mind. (Whoa, I just found out that it was the first release on Eno's Obscure Records label, and was released in the same year as Another Green World!)

Was just following your lead, since you dodged giving a number too. ;)

32 here, but yes, I have the musical taste of a geriatric (albeit a cool one?). 

I recommend the latest album by one of my favorite bands: "Fathomless" by The Red Masque. here a link to their homepage:

http://www.theredmasque.com/" rel="nofollow - http://www.theredmasque.com/

Oh ok. Well, no I said I got into this stuff in the eighties which I guess wouldn't guarantee I was a teen but I was. I'm now 49 and still younger than at least half the people who show up at prog shows. 

well, you are about my age. I am 50 now, as is Friede (she is 53 days younger than me)

You summed up the eighties pretty well. A few other bands were Zebra, Planet P and Art in America. Also, Kate Bush was at least proggish. Also, I remember riding my bike to buy "three of a perfect pair" on cassette tape. It was about two years old at the time. I was so disappointed when I finally played it. I remember thinking "I rode my bike two miles just for this?"  It later grew on me. I'm a big fan of that Rabin solo album too.

Jaketejas wrote: If you like 80s music, you might like Asia (Before Astra) and Saga (Worlds Apart). Or check out homebrewed prog (production not the greatest) from 2 guys in Aquacadia trying to recapture late 70s and early 80s sounds. Other bands that were prog or related to prog from back then were The Police, King Crimson when Adrian Belew was with them, Styx, Rush (Signals through Power Windows era), and Yes (the Trevor Rabin era like 90125). Rabin's solo album I Can't Look Away was also great. I like both Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin. Also, the Australian band Sky with John Williams on classical guitar was phenomenal. As was Kate Bush (The Hounds of Love). Just a few of my faves from that time. (I like Yaz and Gary Numan, too, but don't tell anyone here ... and Michael Hedges, too).

Copeland certainly was with Curved Air, but that's not what I am talking about. The Police have a connection to one of my absolute favorite prog bands. all members of the Police played in a band that had one more musician in them. Sting played rhythm guitar in that band, not bass; the bass player was from that favorite band I mentioned. that 4-member band never made an album, only a single. but they played at a festival that was exclusively about that favorite band of mine in several incarnations and of its various spinoffs. so the Police came from one of these spinoff bands. now guess that favorite band of mine and the name of the spinoff band

something I just learned yesterday: Mike Howlett actually published an album of them 20 years after they had disbanded (they had been a very short-lived band). it contained live material from that gig on May 28th 1977 and some studio tracks, including a demo version of the Police track "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic". the album was wittingly titled "Police Academy".

here is the cover of that album:

and here some information about it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_90:_Police_Academy" rel="nofollow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_90:_Police_Academy

Hi, I haven't read the replies here so some of these have most likely already been said, but anyway..

My only comment is a sad one, that I am not sure some folks would like to see or hear.

A lot of the fans that go through here, are not exactly "musicologists" as most of our "progressive" folks are, and history, and specially Miles, is not something that most folks into this or that or that even, would listen to and the sad thing is that the connection is lost to the history of music, and how elemental and progressive many of these folks were!

All 3 of these, and Miles Davis, would be a natural in an honest, true to form ... "progressive", and even of you don't have some of it, you, at the very least, have heard a lot of it ... I don't even have "Bitches Brew" on my collection, but I don't think I can name an album of his that I have not heard, and the live stuff is ... something that most "progressive" folks need to pay attention to, and learn/realize where so much of the "long cut" came from in Europe, also influenced by classical music.

This is the hardest thing about "recommendations" ... limiting it to a style, and end up missing out on the things that are truly fantastic and must have/enjoy if you are a true fan of it.

But mostly, it should not be about "progressive" or this and that ... this guy must understand, that you either listen to music and you don't ... as in his book, some things are not music, and that idea/thought must go if he is to become a true musicologist, as so many folks here are!

I've had this for a while, after initially giving it a pass upon issue. It's pretty cool for what it is. 

By the way, welcome to PA! 

Wonderful post ... much enjoyed.

My main concern, was thinking that someone that is into "prog metal" for example, would likely have a hard time listening to Miles, and then think ... gawd ... who does he think he is? AND, this is a reaction I have seen and heard in more than one occasion, thus, at times, making sure that folks know (our "progressive" bios need to ensure that!!!!!) where some of these people came from is very important, since so much of their work and style really originated from this or that particular set of works by one or more artists way back when ... and MIles, is the one "progressive" that is most deserving of the honor, specially as America has a tendency to disrespect a lot of music, except the hits ... and Miles was never a hit until much later anyway! When "Brew" came out, a lot of folks went ... wtf? (Not to mention what he would say of "hit" and being asked/told what to do!).

I tend to do my teaching by art ... I did some work with autistic children in school and got some very high marks for the kid's concentration levels with me ... why? We could draw together, and we could play the toy piano together ... and when I said good morning, the kid would respond directly likewise ... and this was something (at the time) that the Speech Dept did not think was possible ... and here were the examples ... needless to say, they thought it was trickery and I couldn't possibly be right.

I kinda like to do the same thing here. My appreciation is explained, thus the length sometimes, however, for a lot of the less attentive folks, this is a problem ... they don't care what anyone thinks of what they like, lest it break apart their "like" because it's just a personal fart, and not really something with educational or otherwise valuable/important information.

Thus, I try to work on that person learning how to define what they are listening to and hopefully be able to learn how to listen objectively and attentively ... and this is the main reason why I really don't like to offer too many suggestions, BEFORE I explain what I see. I can't tell you why/how I can imagine Jimi doing Chamber Music ... exactly like Terje/David did ... it's something we dream about, but I can tell you that Terje has said that Jimi was one of his great influences and "teachers" ... to me, that's an experiential thing, and as such its validity is safe ... there is no opinion by you and I that can change that, see? 

but "seeing" the word "chamber music" mentioned will send half the folks in this website to the looney bin thinking Mosh is off his rocker ... I'm not sure they can understand the comment if they do not know, or have heard a few Chamber Music pieces, to realize how simple it is (a couple, usually up to 4 instruments accoustic) ... and all of a sudden here it is in an electric and amplified form ... it is just so right and so well done (except that first cut I think!!!) ... that it brings "Chamber Music" up to date ... today!!!! And, my friend ... that is very progressive in its concept, though it would not be in "reality".

I think many are ... however, it's really hard to see how they "use" and "apply" their diversity into their comments here when the next post is just about his/her favorite ... and the comments show nothing of an interest and knowledge to explain their "fave". 

This part is hard for me ... because it takes away from the rest of the music in that person's mind, even if that person might not understand ... same thing with one friend of ours, 20 years ago, when I played OZRIC TENTACLES (Strangeitude -- the opener), and he loved the beat and was into it ... and 3 minutes into it, he looks at me ... "where's the lyrics?"... and his attention disappeared just like that! The music was not "telling him" what to think and how to feel, let's say.

Thus, my concern for a lot of music, and recommendations here, is for music that is overly heavy in its lyrics in terms of "telling you" what they are about, and this is my only comment on the Neal Morse Band, and how good/interesting it can be ... only to lose it when it tries to tell me something about the light ... and I am a heavy meditation person and know/understand "the light" very well, and have written a lot of poetry and stories about it ... I have no illusions, or ideas about it, and neither do I need to "quote a book" to prove my ability, which some folks would think is not possible because no one is taking me seriously ... again, I know what I see, and I know how it helps me write ... the rest, is pearls before swine ... if you will.

I guess that I would like to see that the new generation of listeners, be more attentive to the music and work itself, and composer ... than any suggestions or comments we make it here .... c'mon ... not a single person here is suggesting Beethoven, or Stravinsky ... and explaining them ... so why would any of us take seriously any other comments about any band?

To me, that's important ... even before I can formulate any thought about what I might think about this band or that ... and the bands I like most are not even "lyric induced" as much as they are musically different that gives you that extra little jolt to make you feel it and think about what it might mean ... and this is one thing that made me love and appreciate the early AMON DUUL 2 and their work ... it was such a treat of unreality and unconventional design, that it made it very difficult to understand and figure out ... and it is probably the main reason why so many folks today would never vote for YETI, or WOLF CITY, because CLOSE TO THE EDGE is a much easier listen and the lyrics kinda point out to an idea of something that appears to have some spirit ideals in it.

Yeah, there are however many diverse tastes as you want and we can identify ... but remember one thing ... there is only one truth ... the artist and his/her tree, since they created, even if Jon Anderson these days likes to make it look like our observations are also good ... for him, it's just pure PR now to help sell the next disk ... has nothing to do with the music anymore! He's still nice, but not as interesting and as honest as he used to be, for me.

If the truth is "limited" to the original and originator, it follows that we listeners would have to UNLEARN anything we know, in order to find something truthful in that piece of work in music, art or literature ... and this is the only important comment about "recommendations" ... you can't find anything through us (another filter!) ... you really have to learn to find this on your own inner vision for it to make better sense and help you more.

(I hope the guy reads this far ... I am not sure he understands all this ... hopefully ... hopefully ... when he is 55 he might come across these words and go ... wow ... that's something!

That wasn't actually my quote. I was quoting someone else without actually using the quote feature because I only wanted to stress part of what they said and didn't feel like editing the whole thing. 

Well, I grew up during the gold age of MTV so they never really bothered me. Music videos had already been around at least five years before MTV started though if not more. I never really got too big into them but they were fun to watch. These days I don't see the need or commercial market for it but I suppose technically they are still around and as far as I know some artists still do them and put them up on youtube which is probably where they belong these days more than anywhere else(imo).

That's a lot of spoken word greatness.