I also like ELP, Kansas, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Camel, VDGG, Marillion and Porcupine Tree but those make my top 12 and not top five.

Then Pink Floyd, possibly in my Top 10.

Genesis and Yes possibly in my Top 30.

Rush arent in my Top 50.

2. Genesis

3. Pink Floyd

4. Rush

5. King Crimson

01. Yes 

02. Camel

03. Genesis

04. Pink Floyd

05. Jethro Tull

06. Marillion

07. Porcupine Tree

08. Kansas

09. ELP

10. Rush

11. Van der Graaf Generator

12. King Crimson

13. Gentle Giant

You don't consider Porcupine Tree to be modern prog? Compared to the others they are.

Favorite then? Yes

Best progressive rock band? Miles Davis, of course!

Pink Floyd

Genesis

King Crimson

Rush

Followed closely by RRUUSSH, Yes, the Floyds and KC.

I do but I listen to a whole lot more than just those five (or 13). It's just that very few modern (your definition of modern) would crack my top 100 (if modern means the past ten years or so if we go back a little further then a few more). 

You sound like you are probably young (or relatively young). 

I chose "Other" (because it was available). It is no secret that my favourite group by a considerable margin is Van der Graaf Generator.

 

Of the other choices (if "Other" were not available), I would have chosen Yes.

 

I like VDGG a lot too but over the years they have fallen off my personal top 5 list. Maybe still top ten though. 

 

I'm listening to them more now than I did in the past. And when I'm not listening to them, I'm usually listening to something other than the five groups of this topic. Nevertheless, four of the five groups (not Rush) are foundational to me.

 

I should remark that VdGG became my favourite group pretty much from the beginning of my venture into prog, from when I started listening to Pawn Hearts.

 

Pawn Hearts is great but maybe my third favorite. My favorites are Godbluff then Still Life. 

1. ELP

2. IQ

3. Rush

4. Big Big Train

5. Eloy

6. Yes

7. Genesis

8. Porcupine Tree

9. Pink Floyd

10.Glass Hammer

11.Magenta

12.Kayak

13.Van Der Graaf Generator

14.Camel

15.King Crimson

I really like all those bands but not in that order. 

 

Young at heart (I'm actually 68  )

So if you like so little of the five bands I chose then what do you mostly listen to (I'm just curious)? Besides Transatlantic that is (a band who wouldn't exist if it weren't for Yes, KC and Genesis).

I like the early VDGG albums (although I haven't heard TAGM yet) but not as much as the mid 70s albums. I suppose it's all about personal preference. The early stuff sounds more chaotic and disjointed which is maybe a good thing for many people. While I like the craziness factor to some degree I feel starting with Godbluff their music became much more focused and cohesive. That's just my opinion though. 

When talking about favourite bands, I thinki that it's better to focus on music than persons, and music means best albums, as concerts are again much about persons. When then talking about comparing albums, it's often difficult to me, as they're different and I enjoy them in different ways. I also think that it's better just to enjoy albums instead of to think about which ones I like best.

Well, aren't there enough polls that look like this? 

Which do you prefer?

Moving Pictures

Close to The Edge

Selling England by the Pound

Wish You Were Here

In The Court of the Crimson King

my top 5 may be:

1) Van Der Graaf

2) King Crimson

3) Area 

4) Tim Buckley

5) Henry Cow

In the last three years, I've made quite a few comments about having favourite bands, and this was just one more.

Yes, but these are my favorite bands and not yours. The title clearly says they are my favorite bands. Also, no one is forcing you to comment. If you don't like this poll or my choices then you can just ignore it rather than be negative. 

thank you 

Eloy - best go for the seventies trio of Dawn, Ocean and Silent Cries And Mighty Echoes

Glass Hammer - Lex Rex, Chronomotree and Shadowlands

Kayak - First 3 albums up to Royal Bed Bouncer

Those are the best 'starter' albums for those bands I think.

I like much SEbtP, WYWH and ItCotCK, a bit less CttE but have much respect for it, and I don't like MP.

I was not being negative, just telling about how I think and feel about the question of having favourite bands - and as said, it was a general comment.

you've never heard any Eloy??!! Wow, you are in for SUCH a treat! I'd always recommend the Colours - Planets - Time To Turn trio to start... most easily accessible, with the traditional sound. You can get lost in Eloy's music for weeks at a time. If you like it, you might also like to try Grobschnitt... start with Jumbo.

 

I don't usually include The Aerosol Grey Machine when discussing the early VdGG sound because they hadn't really found their sound in that album (even though there were hints of it). I do like The Aerosol Grey Machine and even recommended it to Psychedelic Paul for its more late '60s psychedelic style compared to subsequent albums.

1. Mostly Autumn

2. Renaissance

3. Magenta

4. The Enid

5. Edison's Children

I know most of these bands. If you don't mind what are your three favorites by each? I don't know Edison's Children at all so what is the best place to start with them?

Edison's Children have only recorded four albums and I like them all equally, so I'd recommend checking out all of them. 

Listening to their albums chronologically would work fine. 

That always works best for me. 

If I make a hard effort, I might say that ELP, Genesis and Pink Floyd have made most albums which I appreciate much, and anyway, I voted for Genesis.

Camel made better rounded albums but were a tad 'after the fact' and not as innovative or influential (arguably). I like them though and bought the box set Airbourne which is excellent.

Among the options, I voted Yes.

richardh wrote: Camel made better rounded albums but were a tad 'after the fact' and not as innovative or influential (arguably).

The influence of Camel on neo-prog bands is undeniable. Everybody knows that Marillion, IQ, and Pendragon were heavily influenced by mid-to-late 70s Genesis. However, neo-prog movement was nothing less influenced by the best records of Camel. Marillion, for instance, was nearly as likely to mirror Camel's taste for atmospheric soundscapes punctuated with emotional lyricism on early efforts. Likewise, IQs "The Wake" channels a Camel-like emotional intensity at their most potent. 

To answer your question - pretty much anything that Neal Morse has been involved with, also the first 6 camel albums, after that I'd go by albums rather than artists. So from your list, I'd say I like Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Yes Album, Close To The Edge, Going For The One, and Selling England By The Pound. Also bits of Tales From Topographic Oceans and some of The Wall, though I find both of those albums have too much filler. Sometimes I surprise myself, for instance I'm not into metal but I love Dream Theater's Scenes From A Memory. I'm happy to give anything a listen, but I can't get into some things, ITCOTCK for instance did nothing for me. Neither does Relayer though many people consider it a masterpiece.

I agree much with richardh that ELP was a lot more innovative and influential than Camel, even I find The Snow Goose to be not so little of a masterpiece, and I've also loved it much since its release.

My five favourite prog bands are:

Triumvirat

Giger Lenz Marron

Dzyan

Passport

Dedalus

The only band in the poll in my Top 10 are YES, who are currently at #5, behind Mostly Autumn, Renaissance, Magenta and The Enid, although that's not including "foreign" bands. 

I think the key part of my comment is 'not as'. Camel were a great end of classic era prog band so will have been influential for sure. 

As we've said before Mike, 15-18 years ago, they'd have scored higher, but the Rush - 'Ryche - DT brigade aren't here in as large a number now...

1. Yes

2. Rush

3. Genesis

4. King Crimson

5. Pink Floyd

I like most (if not all) of the other big names in prog though (yes, that includes Kansas, Marillion, Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree).

In truth, of these 5, I'd put KC last because I'm not keen on all their discography. I guess I put Genesis top out of nostalgia, but in truth these days, my top 5 bands from the classic era would be interchangeable from week to week:

Yes, Genesis, Floyd, Camel, Eloy (probably)

And yet on a regular rock site or even a reddit prog forum Rush would have way more interest than Yes. Maybe the fans on here are a bit older and so now prefer Yes and the other bands? I hope no one feels as though they outgrew Rush.

That's good. Is that because you are more of a fan of heavy prog?

1) King Crimson 

2) Genesis

3) Pink Floyd

4) Yes

5) Rush

-

This my top five:

1) 💞King Crimson💞

2) 💞Magma💞

3) Genesis

4) Van Der Graaf Generator

5) Änglagård/Banco/Marillion 

1. Rush

2. Yes

3. Pink Floyd

4. Genesis

5. King Crimson

those 3 albums also have the mighty beast of the drum Jurgen Rosenthal on them. They are the most powerful Eloy albums for a reason! I actually prefer the Colours - Metromania era (80's). That's when I first heard them. Those albums have great synths but may appeal more to those who love electronica.

You are right, no Genesis in Eloy. There is some Floyd in there though. 

There is no Eloy in IQ is what I meant. Or if there is I don't hear it. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.

Well, apparently Marillion (especially Fish) were influenced by Van der Graaf Generator but I don't really hear that in early Marillion so anything is possible.