20+ Minute Prog Epics

ELP - Karn Evil 9

Edited by richardh - July 09 2013 at 14:47

You couldn't go wrong with any Neal Morse-related epics like 'The Door,' 'The Creation,' and his newest 'World Without End.'

I like the sig as well  I love "Song of Scheherazade". That's always been a top 20 song for me. I honestly sing "Hamburger Concerto" to my friends all the time. The Harmonium track was a unique listen when I had first tackled it. With the exception of Oldfield, I hadn't heard anything that had no drum work, and in a way it was.... refreshing. A rather enlightening experience, yes.

Ones that come to mind for me:

Yeti, Black Pills (from Volume Obliteration Transcendence)
Bondage Fruit, Song Bank (from IV)
Kayo Dot, On Limpid Form (from Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue)
Kayo Dot, Stained Glass (from EP of the same name)
Toby Driver, Brown Light Upon Us (from In the L..l..library Loft)
The Bevis Frond, Miskatonic Variations II (from New River Head)
Present, Promenade Au Fond D'un Canal (from Triskaidekaphobie)
Supersilent, 1.1, 2.5, 3.3 and 3.4 (from the triple album 1-3)
Sotos, Zu (from Playpus)
Zaar, Sefir and Omk (from their eponymous album)
Tortoise, Djed (from Millions Now Living Will Never Die)
Morte Macabre, Symphonic Holocaust (from Symphonic Holocaust)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, all three tracks from Lift Your Skinny Fists, can't be bothered typing the names!
Circle, Friitalan Nahka (from Andexelt)
Univers Zero, La Faulx (from Heresie)
Guapo, The Pilman Radiant (from History of the Visitation)

Also if you have the stamina the band Tarantula Hawk have an album that consists of a single 49 minute track of complete heaviosity which will kick your head in several times. I can't be a lot more specific as they made two albums and neither of the albums or any of the tracks on them have names - helpful! They were never going to break into the top 10 with this attitude.

Note that most of the above are from the RIO / avant and post-rock bags so they don't necessarily have the structure of typical prog epics. Most conventionally proggy are probably the Present and Guapo tracks (though...not really) and least so the stuff from Supersilent which a lot of people would say is just noise. It's noise I happen to like though

If you listen to just one check out the Guapo. It's an incredibly rewarding piece when you get into it.

Finally I just want to say that Volume Obliteration Transcendence is my favourite album title, like, ever. The music's excellent as well and very much fits with the concept. It's a record that you have to play AS LOUD AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: Hatfield - MumpsOldfield - Ommadawn, Hegrest Ridge, Tubular Bells, AmarokTangerine Dream - Ricochet, Phaedra, RubyconNational Health - Tenemos Road, Squarer For MaudMuffins  - ChronometersPresent - Promenade Au Fond D'un CanalHenry Cow - Living In The Heart Of The BeastSleepytime Gorilla Museum - Baby DoctorVDGG - Plague Of Lighthouse KeepersCaravan - 9ft UndergroundSteve Hillage - AftaglidUnivers Zero - Dense, La Faulx, Jack The RipperYugen - CloudscapeJethro Tull - Passion Play, Thick As A BrickRoy Harper - The GameDiscipline - RogueSteve Wilson - Raider IIKing Crimson - Lizard, Seizure, Starless, Fracture, The Deception Of The ThrushCamel - Lady FantasyEcholyn - IslandThe Future Kings Of England - The Fate Of Old Mother OrvisPink Floyd - Dogs, Shine On, Atom Heart MotherPorcupine Tree - AnesthetizeMagma - De Futura, Theusz Hamtaahk, Mekanik Destruktiw KommandohDun - ErosCombat Astronomy - SentinelGuapo - Five Suns, The Pilman RadiantShub Niggurath - Yog Sototh

Funny - we were typing in lists with several of the same tracks at exactly the same time...

Mascodagama wrote: Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: Hatfield - MumpsOldfield - Ommadawn, Hegrest Ridge, Tubular Bells, AmarokTangerine Dream - Ricochet, Phaedra, RubyconNational Health - Tenemos Road, Squarer For MaudMuffins  - ChronometersPresent - Promenade Au Fond D'un CanalHenry Cow - Living In The Heart Of The BeastSleepytime Gorilla Museum - Baby DoctorVDGG - Plague Of Lighthouse KeepersCaravan - 9ft UndergroundSteve Hillage - AftaglidUnivers Zero - Dense, La Faulx, Jack The RipperYugen - CloudscapeJethro Tull - Passion Play, Thick As A BrickRoy Harper - The GameDiscipline - RogueSteve Wilson - Raider IIKing Crimson - Lizard, Seizure, Starless, Fracture, The Deception Of The ThrushCamel - Lady FantasyEcholyn - IslandThe Future Kings Of England - The Fate Of Old Mother OrvisPink Floyd - Dogs, Shine On, Atom Heart MotherPorcupine Tree - AnesthetizeMagma - De Futura, Theusz Hamtaahk, Mekanik Destruktiw KommandohDun - ErosCombat Astronomy - SentinelGuapo - Five Suns, The Pilman RadiantShub Niggurath - Yog Sototh Funny - we were typing in lists with several of the same tracks at exactly the same time...

I was thinking exactly the same thing 

Look into Deus ex Machina, an Italian prog band. They have a handful of truly radical long-form compositions. Best album to start with in this regard is probably "Equilibrismo da Insofferenza." Of course, be prepared to deal with a vocalist who sings in Latin! LOL.

presdoug wrote: Nektar-Remember The Future (Parts one and two)

Real sweet to see some Nektar here along with Tab In The Ocean from another gentleman...

Mine, in no particular order:

Renaissance:   Song Of Scheherazade
YES: Any of their epics, the amazing thing was the consistent quality of all of them up through GFTO
ELP:  Karn Evil 9, Tarkus, Pirates
Spock's Beard: The Great Nothing (This may be the best epic of modern times, IMHO.)
Transatlantic: All Of The Above
Flower Kings: Numbers & Stardust We Are & Garden Of Dreams
Nektar: Recycled
Genesis: Super's Ready
Pink Floyd: Dogs
Marillion: Ocean Cloud
IQ: Harvest Of Souls
RUSH: Hemispheres
Led Zeppelin: Achilles Last Stand
The WHO: Quadrophenia (Yep, one masterpiece of a song from start to finish.) 

Any love for Eruption by Focus?