Top 10 Album Openers
Printed From: Progarchives.com
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Forum Name: Top 10s and lists
Forum Description: List all your favourites here
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=66161
Printed Date: March 03 2025 at 17:23
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Topic: Top 10 Album Openers
Posted By: UndercoverBoy
Subject: Top 10 Album Openers
Date Posted: March 28 2010 at 16:45
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(Forgive me if someone else has done this before. I couldn't find any others for a few pages.) What are your Top 10 album openers? This isn't necessarily your favorite first track on an album, but songs that you think do a great job in getting you in the mood for an album. Here are mine: 1. "Watcher of the Skies" from Foxtrot - Genesis (What else?) 2. "21st Century Schizoid Man" from In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson 3. "Appena Un Po'" from Per Un Amico - Premiata Forneria Marconi 4. "The Revealing Science of God" from Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes (not necessarily the whole song, but the first five minutes of it where the chanting builds up and the synths come is chilling.) 5. "Aberinkula" from The Bedlam in Goliath - The Mars Volta 6. "Pilgrims" from Still Life - Van Der Graaf Generator 7. "One of These Days" from Meddle - Pink Floyd 8. "Jerusalem" from Brain Salad Surgery - Emerson, Lake & Palmer 9. "Villa Doria Pamphili" from Il Tempo Della Gioia - Quella Vecchia Locanda 10. "Intruder" from Peter Gabriel III - Peter Gabriel
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Replies:
Posted By: Lizzy
Date Posted: March 28 2010 at 17:13
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Let's see: 1. Hortz Fur Dëhn Stekëhn West - MDK - Magma (hands down) 2. 21st Century Schizoid Man - In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson 3. Songs From the Wood - Songs From the Wood - Jethro Tull 4. Heaven Heath - Swaddling Songs - Mellow Candle 5. Yours is No Disgrace - The Yes Album - Yes 6. The Future Won't Be Long - St. Radigunds - Spirogyra 7. Dancing With The Moonlit Knight - Selling England by the Pound - Genesis 8. Procession - Queen II - Queen 9. Carry On Wayward Son - Leftoverture - Kansas (just finished listening to it and it is indeed a great opener) 10. North Sea Oil - Stormwatch - Tull again ------------- Property of Queen Productions... 
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Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: March 28 2010 at 17:41
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Too many to mention... For me, opening tracks are often a make-or-break factor for an album. Anyway, I'll give it a shot, listing ten of my favourites, in no particular order - and trying to mention different ones from those already mentioned by the previous posters: Aqualung - Jethro Tull Eleventh Earl of Mar - Genesis Astronomy Domine - Pink Floyd The Barbarian - ELP Lemmings - VDGG 21st Century Schizoid Man - KC Impressioni di Settembre - PFM Share It! - Hatfield and the North Tenemos Roads - National Health Son et Lumière/Inertiatic ESP - The Mars Volta I'd also like to mention some Proto-Prog and Prog-Related ones - seen my penchant for those two often-neglected categories: Black Blade - Blue Oyster Cult Highway Star - Deep Purple Neon Knights - Black Sabbath Man on the Silver Mountain - Rainbow The Ides of March/Wrathchild - Iron Maiden |
Posted By: TGM: Orb
Date Posted: March 28 2010 at 18:01
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Well, hardly a top ten. Rather, ten less well known things I love. Lost In Moments - Ulver Long Live Man Dead - Gnidrolog The Mercy - Peter Hammill Rope Ladder To The Moon (live) - Colosseum Quadrant 4 - Billy Cobham Kobaia - Magma Le Rafiot - Maneige All Time, All Time - Keith Tippett (substitute This Is What Happens if you think that doesn't really count) Transylvanian Express - Steve Hackett Casablanca Moon - Slapp Happy |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: March 28 2010 at 19:25
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man alive so many good ones... and have seen them mentioned early and otten arlready. PFM had 3 classic album openers for their first 3 album. The haunting female vocals of YS are surely an opening classic as well.... along with the BEASTLY Introduzione. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: halabalushindigus
Date Posted: March 28 2010 at 23:09
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1. Away From Asgard - "Magic Is A Child" Nektar
2. Any Road - "Brainwashed" George Harrison
3. Behind The Lines - "Duke" Genesis
4.Yell Help/Wednesday Night - "Rock Of The Westies" Elton John
5.Eleventh Earl Of Mar - "Wind And Wuthering" Genesis
6.Tweedley Dee and Tweedley Dum - "Love And Theft" Bob Dylan
7. Every Day - "Spectral Mornings" Steve Hackett
8. Eternity's Breath Pt 1 - "Visions Of The Emerald Beyond" Mahavishnu Orchestra
9.Going For The One - "Going For The One" Yes
10. The Grand Scheme Of Things - "The Grand Scheme Of Things" Steve Howe
no way would this be in order seeing how Howe and Hackett would be immediately up there on top ------------- assume the power 1586/14.3 |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: March 29 2010 at 15:42
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ELP - Jerusalem
IQ - The Wrong Side Of Weird
Genesis - Dance On A Volcano
Yes - Roundabout
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Porcupine Tree- Deadwing
Aphrodites Child - Babylon
Kate Bush - King Of The Mountain
Muse - Take A Bow
Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place
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Posted By: Mr. Maestro
Date Posted: March 30 2010 at 10:10
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1. One of These Days - Pink Floyd (Meddle) 2. Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas (Leftoverture) 3. Roundabout - Yes (Fragile) 4. Hope This Finds You - Big Big Train (The Difference Machine) 5. Watcher of the Skies - Genesis (Foxtrot) 6. 2112 - Rush (2112) 7. Hocus Pocus - Focus (Moving Waves) 8. The Thirst - Enchant (A Blueprint for the World) 9. South Side of the Sky (Yes cover) - Glass Hammer (Culture of Ascent) 10. Peace Among the Ruins - Presto Ballet (Peace Among the Ruins) ------------- "I am the one who crossed through space...or stayed where I was...or didn't exist in the first place...." |
Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: March 30 2010 at 13:08
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In no particular order since they are all great openers and pull you into the rest of the album: 2. Minstrel in the Gallery-Jethro Tull(Minstrel in the Gallery) 3. Just the Same-Gentle Giant(Freehand) 4. Jerusalem-ELP(Brain Salad Surgey) 5. Elephant Talk-King Crimson(Discipline) 6. Close to the Edge-Yes(Close to the Edge) 7. Blackest Eyes-Porcupine Tree(In Abstensia) 8. Proclamation-Gentle Giant(Power and the Glory) 9. Dancing With the Moonlight Knight-Genesis(Selling England By the Pound) 10. Aqualung-Jethro Tull(Aqualung) |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 06:35
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Lets see, off the top of my head:
Sansara- Indukti (Idmen)
Yearning th Seads of a New Dimension- In the Woods... (Heart of the Ages)
I Could Never be a Soldier- Gnidrolog (Lady Lake)
Indigo- Pendragon (Pure)
Script for a Jesters Tear- Marillion (Script...)
Gemini Becoming the Tripod- Kayo Dot (Dowsing Anamone with Copper Tongue)
The Undercover Man- Van der Graaf Generator (Godbluff)
The Wrong Side of Weird - IQ (The Seventh House)
April Etheral- Opeth (My Arms, Your Hearse)
Breaker of Worlds- Madder Mortem (All Flesh is Grass) ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 10:54
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Dance on a volcano - Genesis
Dancing out with the moonlit knight - Genesis Pilgrims - VDGG Tom Sawyer - Rush Roundabout - Yes Can you understand - Renaissance 21st Century schizoid man - KC Service with a smile - Happy the man Peaches en Regalia - Frank Zappa Assault & battery - Hawkwind ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 11:05
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Hmm.. Difficult. Looking for Someone. Genesis - Trespass The Musical Box. Genesis - Nursery Cryme In the Eyes of the World. TFK - Stardust We Are Sacred Sound. IQ - Dark Matter The Invisible Man. Marillion - Marbles Man of a Thousand Faces. Marillion - This Strange Engine Shine on.. Pink Floyd - Wish you were Here. Intruder. PG III The Rhythm of the Heat. PG IV All of the Above... Transatlantic SMPTE Baba O'Reilly. The Who - Who's Next Probably piles more if I had time to think about them. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: InfiniteWake
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 12:20
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1. Sacred Sound - IQ (Dark Matter) 2. Roundabout - Yes (Fragile) 3. Aqualung - Jethro Tull (Aqualung) 4. 2112 - Rush (2112) 5. Hyperventilate - Frost* (Milliontown) 6. Just the Same - Gentle Giant (Free Hand) 7. Script for a Jester's Tear - Marillion (Script for a Jester's Tear) 8. Blackest Eyes - Porcupine Tree (In Absentia) 9. We Are Sane - Twelfth Night (Fact and Fiction) 10. Assassing - Marillion (Fugazi) |
Posted By: elder08
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 13:27
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1. Power of equality-RHCP(BSSM)
2. Warped-RHCP-(One Hot minute)
3. One of these days- Pink floyd-(Meddle)
4. Pigs on the wing pt1-Pink floyd-(Animals)
5. Sgt peppers loneley hearts club band- Beatles
6. Easily-RHCP-(Californication)
7. Dani California-RHCP-(Stadium Arcadium)
8. 21st century schizoid man-King Crimson-(In the court of the crimson king)
9. Tom Sawyer-Rush-(Moving Pictures)
10.Lady Fantasy-Camel
I know lady fantasy and easily arent the first track but they got me to listen to the rest of the album ------------- "There are people who say we [Pink Floyd] should make room for younger bands. That's not the way it works. They can make their own room."- David Gilmour |
Posted By: Pilkenton
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 14:15
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Most of my picks have already been mentioned, so I had to dig deep for these. In no particular order. A Dream Within a Dream/The Raven----Alan Parson's Project---Tales of Mystery... I Believe---Triumvirat---Old Loves Die Hard Autobahn---Kraftwerk Tubular Bells---Mike Oldfield White Rock---Rick Wakeman Fire On High---ELO---Face the Music Achille's Last Stand---Led Zep---Presence Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft---Klaatu Young Americans---David Bowie Hold Out Your Hand---Chris Squire---Fish Out of Water
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Posted By: Citizen Erased
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 15:02
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Oceansize - The Charm Offensive Genesis - Watcher of the Skies Sigur Rós - Untitled 1 Radiohead - Everything In It's Right Place Porcupine Tree - Deadwing Porcupine Tree - Blackest Eyes Dream Theater - The Glass Prison Opeth - The Leper Affinity Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond The Mars Volta - Son et Lumiere/Inertiatic ESP ------------- And lo, the mighty riffage was played and it was good 
<a href="www.last.fm/user/jonzo67" targe |
Posted By: Pilkenton
Date Posted: March 31 2010 at 17:10
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Here's #11 for me... Welcome To My Nightmare, by Alice Cooper.
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Posted By: Bitterblogger
Date Posted: April 01 2010 at 16:00
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Triumvirat- The Capital of Power (Spartacus)
Rick Wakeman- Catherine of Aragon (The Six Wives of Henry VIII)
King Crimson- LTIA Part 1 (LTIA)
Impact- Patrick Moraz (The Story of i)
Pink Floyd- Signs of Life (A Momentary Lapse of Reason)
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Posted By: MFP
Date Posted: April 01 2010 at 16:25
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Circus - KC
Darkness - Peter Gabriel
School - Supertramp
Speed of Life - David Bowie
Titties & Beer - Zappa
Hope for Happiness/Joy of a Toy/Hope for Happiness (reprise) - The Soft Machine
The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke) - Hawkwind
Astro Cortex - Ozric Tentacles
Tenemos Roads - National Health
The Runaway - GG
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Posted By: TheLastBaron
Date Posted: April 03 2010 at 01:55
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in no particular order, just the order I thought of them Pull me Under- Dream Theater Roundabout- Yes Close to the Edge- Yes Overture/Whirlwind- Transatlantic 2112- Rush Dancing with the Moonlit Knight- Genesis Mirrors- Between the Buried and Me 21st Century Schizoid man - King crimson fight fire with fire- Metallica blood and thunder- Mastodon ------------- " Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds." - FDR |
Posted By: Jozef
Date Posted: April 03 2010 at 02:01
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1. Genesis- "Eleventh Earl of Mar" 2. Yes- "Machine Messiah" 3. Black Sabbath- "Black Sabbath" 4. Camel- "Freefall" 5. Jane's Addiction- "Up the Beach" 6. King Crimson- "Cirkus" 7. Opeth- "Coil" 8. Pink Floyd- "Obscured by Clouds" 9. R.E.M.- "Drive" 10. Wolfmother- "Dimension" ------------- 
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Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: April 03 2010 at 04:17
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In no particular order :
I Advance Masked - Fripp / Summers
Green Carnation - The Quiet Offspring
Jethro Tull : Thick as a B (this feels like cheating
 )Joni Mitchell (and Jaco) - Overture-Cotton Avenue
Crims - Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1
Zepplin - Imigrant
Peter Gabriel - Intruder
Bowie - Its no Game
Return to forever - Romantic Warrior
Tool - Vicarious
------------- Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours |
Posted By: omri
Date Posted: April 04 2010 at 06:07
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I must say that like many others here I thought immediately of "21st century schizod man". Another amazing opener that I thought of was Spirogyra's "The furthest point" from Bells boots & shambles. This one realy drags you to the mood of the album.
Other unmentioned openers that come to mind :
kanaan - Phalus dei, Amon duul II
Introduzione - Ys, Il baletto di bronzo
L'evolutione - Darwin, Banco del mutuo soccorso
Mushroom - Tago mago, can
Canto 4 (limbo) - Unfolded like staircase, Disciplne
Eskaton - 4 visions, Eskaton
Tarkus - Tarkus, ELP (and yes, I also feel that a full side song is a bit of a cheat)
God's monkey - Dammage, Fripp & Silvian live
Feathered friends - Greenslade self titled
Klainer kraiger - E&S, Popol vuh (I do hope I spelled it right)
Cirkus apharata - Samla mamma mannas self titled
Autumn - Hero & heroine, Sttrawbs
The heat goes on - Remain in light, Talking heads (O.K. this is not concidered prog, shoot me!)
Song of winds - Morning light, Trespass
------------- omri |
Posted By: Tengent
Date Posted: April 04 2010 at 11:43
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Red - King Crimson hands down. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned it yet. :( Germ Patrol - Egg I Am The Morning - Oceansize C'pas Fin Du Monde - Sloche Everything In Its Right Place - Radiohead The Advent Of Panurge - Gentle Giant The Song Remains The Same - Led Zeppelin Trilogy - Mahavishnu Orchestra The worst album opener IMO is Custard Pie - Led Zeppelin. ew
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omri wrote:Posted By: omri
Date Posted: April 06 2010 at 04:39
You are right ! Paperhouse it is !
by the way I was going to mention Red and it probably slipped from my mind. Not my best day I guess. ------------- omri |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: April 06 2010 at 07:13
Not exactly an opening song, but I love glass breaking sounds that kick off In A Glass House.  A great one to spring on unsuspecting friends who haven't heard the album. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: idiotPrayer
Date Posted: April 06 2010 at 07:51
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black sabbath - black sabbath any dillinger escape plan isis - so did we kataonia - forsaker kc - 21st century schizoid man (what did you excpect?) mastodon - all meshuggah - i (heheh) metallica - enter sandman, battery, frantic neu! - hallogallo opeth - windowpane porcupine tree - deadwing, blackest eyes radiohead - everything in it's right place steven wilson - harmony korine tool - stinkfist |
Posted By: catfood03
Date Posted: April 07 2010 at 22:10
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"Diana" - Comus (First Utterance) "In the Flesh" - Pink Floyd (The Wall) "Future Days" - Can (Future Days) "Sweet Charity" - Mr. Bungle (California) "Xylim Room" - Autechre (Draft 7.30) "Eleventh Earl of Mar" - Genesis (Wind & Wuthering) "Papa Don't Preach" - Madonna (True Blue) "Oblivion" Mastodon - (Crack the Skye) "Animate" Rush (Counterparts) |
Posted By: Triceratopsoil
Date Posted: April 07 2010 at 22:16
THESE ONES! |
Posted By: CinemaZebra
Date Posted: April 10 2010 at 17:25
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1. Le Orme - Sospesi Nell'incredible (In Between) 2. Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf 3. Jane's Addiction - Up the Beach 4. Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine 5. Camel - Freefall 6. King Crimson - Cirkus 7. Opeth - The Leper Affinity 8. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 9. R.E.M. - Drive 10. Tool - Intolerance Wow, I might as well be quoting Jozef's post. ------------- 
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Posted By: halabalushindigus
Date Posted: April 10 2010 at 18:24
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just a few of my favorites:
1. Stereotomy - Alan Parsons Project
2. Dancing Madly Backwards - Captain Beyond
3. Intro/Sweet Jane - Lou Reed (RnR Animal)
4. Keep Yourself Alive - Queen
5 .Utopia Theme - Todd Rundgren's Utopia
6. Calling occupant - Klaatu
7. A Winter's tale - Jade Warrior
8. The Steppes - Steve Hackett
9. Burn - Deep Purple
0. The big money - Rush ------------- assume the power 1586/14.3 |
Posted By: JemJem714
Date Posted: April 12 2010 at 08:31
I'm glad somebody mentioned L'Evoluzione... that's one heck of an album opener!
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: April 13 2010 at 01:41
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In no order... Let There Be More Light-Pink Floyd Baby Lemonade-Syd Barrett Time Machine-Beggar's Opera Black Cow-Steely Dan I.G.Y.-Donald Fagen Five Years-David Bowie Astral Entrance/Master of Sensation-Eloy Summer's Cauldron-XTC Fight Test-The Flaming Lips Mediterranean C-Rick Wright I had to try really hard to not repeat artists!
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Posted By: The Runaway
Date Posted: April 13 2010 at 05:14
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1. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin, off of Zoso 2. 21st Century Schizoid Man - KC, off of their debut3. Just the Same - Gentle Giant, off of Free Hand 4. Gnidrolog - I Could Never Be A Soldier, off of Lady Lake 5. Stop Little Lady - Birth Control, off of Operation Honorary mention: The Decemberists' Prelude, off of The Hazards of Love. It's not the best song on the album, and it's the only song off the album I didn't heart on last.fm, but that Hammond organ, it shows the shape of things to come. ------------- http://www.formspring.me/Aragorn224" rel="nofollow - Trendsetter win! The search for nonexistent perfection. |
Posted By: Lodij van der Graaf
Date Posted: April 13 2010 at 07:38
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It's never easy to make any Top 10 (or 20 or 500 or 200000) for Prog... But let's see, what comes first in my head...
1. "Watcher of the Skies", Genesis 2. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", Pink Floyd 3. "Pilgrims", Van Der Graaf Generator 4. "Golden Promises", Peter Hammill 5. "Baba O'Riley", The Who 6. "Close to the Edge", Yes 7. "Flight of the Phoenix", Grand Funk Railroad 8. "Proclamation", Gentle Giant 9. "Nadir's Big Chance", Peter Hammill 10."Where the Streets Have No Name", U2 (sorry) The list will reshuffle every 5 minutes.. ------------- Grace is a name, like Chastity, like Lucifer, like mine!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Posted By: XTChuck
Date Posted: April 25 2010 at 16:05
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MOTHERS OF INVENTION - Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme
KING CRIMSON - 21st Century Schizoid Man
YES - Yours is no Disgrace
ZAPPA/MOTHERS - Inca Roads
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - Killer
ELP - The Barbarian
JETHRO TULL - Minstral in the Gallery
CAMEL - Breathless
KING CRIMSON - Red
PINK FLOYD - In the Flesh?
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