Your own personal Top 10: the reasons!

Earlier at dinner, Micky and I were discussing the Top 30 published in Classic Rock magazine's Prog special. As neither of us agreed on either the choices or the placements, we started talking about our own personal Top 10, and the reasons behind our choices. Though we both agreed on CTTE as # 1(which we both think is one of the very few unflawed prog masterpieces), we had differing views on the other albums to be included in our list - in fact, we saw different reasons for including, for instance, ELP's debut (me) or "Brain Salad Surgery" (him). While we both think the debut is better musically, Micky said BSS represents the essence of prog - virtuosity to the nth degree.

That gave us the idea for this thread - a new, hopefully stimulating twist on the old, weary "what are your favourite albums?" question. Instead of complaining about the latest # 1 in the Top 100, not to mention the debatable choices of some amateurish magazine, let's have our own Top 10 list, with our own reasons for choosing album X instead of album Y. It should make for an interesting discussion.

No, no 'desert island disk' this time... We intended it as a prog Top 10, since we were interested in learning the reasons for forum members' real preferences. As you may have noticed, the forum is full of "best of" and "your favourites" thread, but very rarely do posters explain why they think album X is a masterpiece of prog, and Y isn't.

I'll have to think really hard then report back with my list, but if I've learned one thing from this thread so far it's this:

My own top favourites  always have plenty of live albums - I wrote somewhere why I consider live recordings to be the true expression of what the art of music should be. So don't be surprised.

Will I be able to squeeze 10 albums? I doubt it.

so,

YES - Close to the Edge; an essential disc to me, despite not liking it as much as when it first crash-landed in my world. It's a prog lesson.
Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii; the same as for CttE. The perfect equivalent of prog in images, or the synesthetic prog!
Phoenix - Cantafabule; a huge masterpiece, obscured by provenience and spoken language of the lyrics
Sfinx - Zalmoxe; another local favourite of mine, a disc which talks to my heart in a special way
Genesis - Live; the most refreshing approach I know of
King Crimson - Red; haunting personal experience of this masterpiece
ELP - Welcome Back My Friends...; genius in pure state
Weather Report - Black Market;
PFM - Per un amico; italian essence of strong flavour, but rich bouquet; (could change any time with Storia di un minute)
Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean; majesty & bliss, a minor masterpiece.


Contenders:

Talitha Qumi - Despre Cuvinte (the perfect modern blend between Phoenix and Sfinx)
Pink Floyd - Animals; my favourite studio Floyd
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick; like it just as much as any of the chosen
Anglagard - Hybris; it would have been in my top ten if it weren't for my Romanian choices
Brand X - Unorthodox Behaviour

Well it's pretty much obvious my choices are blatantly conventional; but I couldn't live with other stuff instead, on that deserted island...

ok. my top 10 including reasoning.

Here's my stab at it:

1. Yes- Close to the Edge

As Raff and Micky have already stated, it is an flawless masterpiece, from the fiery intro of the band on the title track to the final notes of Siberian Khatru, the band explores seemingly every possible mood, ranging from Mahavishnu-like fiery fusion to the soft moments of And You and I. Every member of the band shines, and no one man gets the spotlight. Bruford's impossibly complex yet masterfully subtle kit work, Jon's piercing vocals, Steve's jaw-dropping displays of everything from fingerpicking jazz to soft classical, Rick's inspiring keyboard solos and textures, and Chris Squire's springy basslines all fuse into an album that has stood the test of time better than any of the early prog masterpieces, save perhaps Dark Side of the Moon.

2. Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon
Couldn't resist. Meddle is where the band got serious, but DSOTM blew the doors off of space rock. Waters' lyrics are his best, and they are some of the most brilliant written pieces in all of rock. Gilmour combines the experimental sounds of prog guitarists with an emotion that only true kings of blues can conjure. Every moment is a classic, with the highlights being the sax on Money, Gilmour's solo on TIme, and Clare Torry's aria on The Great Gig in the Sky. it stayed on the Billboard Top 200 for over a decade, proving that, despite our best efforts, Americans can occasionally recognize talent.

3. Genesis- Selling England By the Pound

Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot showed how Hackett and Collins were moving the band forward, but nobody could have predicted SEBtP. Gabriel's lovely vocals and flute, Hackett's dazzling yet tasteful guitar, Tony's lush keyboards, Mike's simple bass, and Phil's complex rhythms make this a must. The only fly in the ointment is More Fool Me, the standard Gabriel-era Collins penned tune that fails to match the power of the rest of the album. However, it cannot detract from the rest of this superb set enough for me to rank it lower.

4. King Crimson- In the Court of the Crimson King

Fans of every genre of music tend to get off arguing about which band/album started that particular genre. Personally, I think the most important band is the one that everyone agrees is fully a member of that genre, which makes KC my pick for prog pioneers. ITOTCK gave direction to a fledgling genre with psychedelic  takes on jazz and classical that would have profound influence on the formation of progressive rock. the guitar tones are so experimental that they shame the entire psychedelic movement, who never could envision such a spacey sound. 21st Century Schizoid Man is arguably the single most important song in progressive rock, and it contains something for everyone: weird lyrics that would become a staple of early (and modern for that matter) prog, Fripp's laser-beam guiar solo, a driving bassline from Lake, and Giles' terrific drum performance. The title track oozes with a majesty that had been hitherto unheard in rock. Only the most bombastic moments of the Beatles' A Day in the Life had anyone came close. I Talk to the Wind and Epitaph show that Fripp has a gift for lush melody in addition to his mastery of dissonance. Moonchild's extended improv break gets bogged down, but no one can truly be a prog fan without this.

5. Jethro Tull- Thick as a Brick

A concept album that mocks concept albums? I'm game. Tull's foray into the world of Little Milton is a deliciously tongue-in-cheek look at the pressure for Tull to make a concept album. Bunker's chaotic rhythms, Hammond's thundering bass, Evans' organ, Barre's understated guitar, and Ian Anderson's flute and vocals all mesh into one 43 minute ride that is hands down the most enjoyable folk album ever made. You can almost hear Ian traipsing around in his usual manner as he gleefully spins his yarn.

6. Van Der Graaf Generator- Pawn Hearts

In a genre infamous for being dense and inaccessible, VDGG stand out for seeming to excel in making albums that even prog fans have a hard time getting into. Pawn Hearts is a masterpiece of darkness; only 70s Crimson and Black Sabbath have ever captured the dark feel present on this and other VDGG releases. Norweigan black metallers wish they coulod compose things this haunting. Fripp's guest solos only add to the unsettling nature of the music. The preference of sax and organ over guitar makes them unique, and the fact that they conjure such heaviness (not in the sense of volume and sound, but in terms of feel) without the benefit of heavy, distorted guitars (excepting Fripp's input) is amazing.

7. Gentle Giant- Octopus

It's hard to choose between In a Glass House and this, but Octopus gains the slightest edge with it's masterful compositions and vocal harmonies that shame the Beatles. Gentle Giant can do in 4 minutes what band like Yes, Dream Theater, and other prog titans take 20 minutes to achieve. Knots has to be the most complex song under 5 minutes in the history of music. GG makes their music sound simple, until you actually listen and realize these guys could embarrass Berklee grads. The only thing that gives Octopus an edge over IaGH is that Octopus has aged slightly better.

8. Anglagard- Hybris

Like the neo-prog scene, Anglagard shaped their sound taking pieces from various prog giants. Unlike the neo-prog scene, Anglagard sounded unique. Even though I can't understand the lyrics, the music overwhelms me in the same way that Harmonium good RPI does. The music transcends language and appeals to that primal voice inside us all. The band almost sounds like an amalgamation of the best aspects of prog: Squire-like bass, Frippian guitar, Tull-like flute, heavy, almost prog metal keyboards, and some stunning drum work. Despite all this, they manage to combine these elements i a way that doesn't sound like their 70s heroes, which makes Hybris a classic worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as 70s masterpieces.

9. Queensryche- Operation Mindcrime

Picking the album that most shaped prog metal is difficult. Early QR was essentially a more operatic version of Iron Maiden, and Fates Warning bore too much resemblance to the power metal scene. However, these two bands fed each others' creativity, and the best result was Operation Mindcrime, the first fully progressive QR album and the first concrete prog metal album. Chris DeGarmo's inventive compositions mesh with Geoff Tate's best vocals to date. There are some better individual performances on The Warning, but this is where he achieved the perfect balance of technique and emotion. His duet with Pamela Moore on Suite Sister Mary sends shills down the spine upon every listen. The smart concept gets a little far fetched, but the band keeps it all together wonderfully. Socially aware songs like Revolution Calling, Speak, and Spreading the Disease mix with more personal songs like I Don't Believe in Love and Eyes of a Stranger. All in all, the most important progressive metal album of all time, and a highly enjoyable and unique concept album.

10. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum- Of Natural History

A Zappa album should probably represent avant-prog, but no single album fo his captures the brilliance displayed on SGM's magnum opus (that's not to say SGM is smarter than Zappa, he just spaces out his genius). Of Natural History is a concept album even more unique than Operation Mindcrime, as it deals with the theories postulated by members of the original Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. The lyrics are superb as they focus on the ruination of the planet at the hand of man, and the compositions are masterful using conventional and custom made instruments. The music is always abrasive and challenging, and the band doesn't seem to want to give off moments of beauty, which makes sense as it would takes away from the mood of the album. This is meant to point out our flaws. The only song that doesn't is Babydoctor, which focuses on the few humans who have managed to break free of man's pathological need to destroy. If yu want one album to sum up RIO and avant-prog, look no further.


Edited by 1800iareyay - August 16 2007 at 22:36

Mid you, I'm only positive about the top 3, the rest is more objective and may change...

1. Genesis - Foxtrot - In my opinion the Gabriel era is the finest prog band ever, and Foxtrot is their peak of creativity, an absolutely flawless record that's very special to me
2. Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante - everything that an amazing avant garde album should be, the entire album is flawless, songs like Carry Stress in the Jaw and Violenza Domestica are some of the most perfect piece of music I've ever heard
3 - The Mars Volta - Amputechture - Overall my favorite prog band after Genesis, the most original and talented modern band, and this album I see as their most mature, accomplished and flawless of all. Absolutely orgasmic with no filler and not a single weak moment.
4 - Agalloch - The Mantle - My favorite prog metal album, I've never heard an album so deeply inspired and so melancholic, it's just absolutely perfect masterpiece, no other album bears such authentic beauty inspired by nature, except for Burzum's Filosofem, my non-prog favorite.
5 - GYBE! - Lift Your Skinny Fists... - My first post rock album and its magic never wore off, truly a masterpiece with some of the deepest atmospheres I've heard in the genre
6 - Pain Of Salvation - BE - Gildenlow's most accomplished work, brilliant
 composition and brilliant concept, very deep and emotionally touching.
7 - Cluster - Cluster 71 - My favorite album of ambient electronics, masterliness that you can almost frown in... read my review
8 - Tool - AEnima - Dark, perfectly accomplished album with a really unique sound and plenty of depth.
9 - Pink Floyd - Ummagumma - This was one of the first albums I ever bought, took over a year to grow on me till it got up to be my favorite PF album. Both the live AND the studio disks are Brilliant IMO, Careful With That Axe... being my favorite PF song.
10 - Dream Theater - Images and Words - It was hard picking a DT album since they are so consistently great, this one is probably their most definitive masterpiece so I'll go with I&W


The main reason for these choised is of course personal taste.

This looks like fun, good topic

Edited by jimmy_row - August 16 2007 at 23:36

What an interesting thread; I'll have to rip it off soon.

Edited by The Whistler - August 17 2007 at 00:52

Here's my current top 20 (prog albums from 1969 to 1979):

1	Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) Classic Prog Rock
2	Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975) Classic Prog Rock
3	Yes - Close To The Edge (1972) Classic Prog Rock
4	Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick (1972) Classic Prog Rock
5	Van Der Graaf Generator - H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970) Classic Prog Rock
6	Genesis - Selling England by the Pound (1973) Classic Prog Rock
7	Pink Floyd - Animals (1977) Classic Prog Rock
8	Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979) Neo Prog Rock
9	Gentle Giant - Octopus (1972) Classic Prog Rock
10	Focus - Hamburger Concerto (1974) Classic Prog Rock
11	Museo Rosenbach - Zarathustra (1973) Classic Prog Rock
12	King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973) Classic Rock
13	Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts (1971) Classic Prog Rock
14	King Crimson - Lizard (1970) Classic Rock/Jazz
15	Magma - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh (1973) Classic Prog Zeuhl
16	Yes - Relayer (1974) Classic Prog Rock
17	Steve Hillage - Fish Rising (1975) Classic Prog Canterbury
18	Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico (1972) Classic Prog Rock
19	Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte (1975) Classic Prog Rock
20	Gnidrolog - In Spite of Harry's Toe-nail (1971) Classic Prog Rock

As far as reasons are concerned ... I'll soon be adding short album comments on my website - as soon as they're done I'll add them to this post too.



Edited by MikeEnRegalia - August 17 2007 at 01:06