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Topic ClosedWas Sgt. Pepper the first Prog Album?

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spknoevl View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Was Sgt. Pepper the first Prog Album?
    Posted: January 04 2012 at 07:35
It pre-dates ITCOTKC and has all the classic prog attributes including mellotron, harmonies, studio pastiches, orchestral parts, odd song juxtapositions.
 
Any thoughts?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 07:41
No
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 08:39
You have to do a lot of investigation/research into the history of other bands and sum it up for yourself. You have to observe any change of band members and also taking notice of exactly what specific time period a particular band changed to progressive in the mid or late 60's. Piper At the Gates Of Dawn should at least be considered one of the first prog albums. I believe the album created "Space Rock". The songs were sometimes like "insane children's songs"  and it contained space rock jams. I'm not sure what year it was released but "Music In A  Doll's House" by Family was very different. I would still have to speculate that the Beatles influenced them all. Check to see what year Days of Future Passed was released. It's revolting to try and figure out who got there first, and if you observe what was revolving around the Beatles during that period in time you might get a "when all is said and done, eat me" kind of answer.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 09:39
Nothing happens in a vacuum, and no one band is probably fully responsible for the emergence of prog-rock in the late 60s/early 70s, however, when one takes into consideration the enormous popularity of the Beatles at that time, you would have to consider that an more experimental release, like Sgt. Pepper, must have had an enormous impact on the musicians of the day.  Likewise, I'm sure the Beatles were listening to other bands, like early Floyd, in the London scene.  I suppose, one can't dismiss the effect that LSD was also having with musicians of that period.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 09:52
Prog is not 1 genre, is many, sounds to me more relevant to look for early prog albums within each genre 
Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 10:45
Originally posted by Snow Dog Snow Dog wrote:

No
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 11:22
There is no such thing as the first prog album. 
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 13:12
Answer: No
 
Reason: All the reasons you have stated can be attributed to out of the ordinary psychedelic rock. Not to mention, it was of the psychedelic rock era. And the album is missing some key charecteristics of Prog Rock (long songs, jazz influence, keyboard domination, over-complexity). Did it inspire progressive/art rock? yes. But it was not the first prog album. If anything I would say it inspired glam rock more than anything.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 13:17
Originally posted by progistoomainstream progistoomainstream wrote:

Answer: No
 
Reason: All the reasons you have stated can be attributed to out of the ordinary psychedelic rock. Not to mention, it was of the psychedelic rock era. And the album is missing some key charecteristics of Prog Rock (long songs, jazz influence, keyboard domination, over-complexity). Did it inspire progressive/art rock? yes. But it was not the first prog album. If anything I would say it inspired glam rock more than anything.

I wouldn't, and I was around at the time.

This topic has been discussed so many times, I tend to lose interest. As Slarti implied, the range of opinion on the topic is so large and wide, there really isn't a definitive answer.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 14:23
Sgt Peppers begat ITCOTKC as Fripp would admit. The Beatles were an amazing band that revolutionised popular music with the help of George Martin. So the answer could well be yes although of course there were plenty of bands that slot inwbetween those albums such as The Nice, Procal Harum and Pink Floyd who were also progressive but none of them were 'the first' and none of them produced such a complete artistic statement as King Crimson managed.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 14:34
The first prog album has yet to be recorded. That's how prog it is.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 19:53
what about Revolver, Smiley Smile, and Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack  ?

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 20:45
LOLLOL  Head on wall
 
no
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 21:07
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Originally posted by progistoomainstream progistoomainstream wrote:

Answer: No
 
Reason: All the reasons you have stated can be attributed to out of the ordinary psychedelic rock. Not to mention, it was of the psychedelic rock era. And the album is missing some key charecteristics of Prog Rock (long songs, jazz influence, keyboard domination, over-complexity). Did it inspire progressive/art rock? yes. But it was not the first prog album. If anything I would say it inspired glam rock more than anything.

I wouldn't, and I was around at the time.
 
 
Well, they all had costumes and put on alter-egos for the album. That is what glam rock is.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 21:14
Gabriel's Genesis inspired glam rock? 
Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2012 at 21:54
For me it is albums like that are perfect examples of proto.  I consider it a prog album myself but the distinction isn't really all that important to me.  To elaborate on what I wrote before, there is no single album you can point to as the first prog album.  Prog began as sort of a primordial soup.


Edited by Slartibartfast - January 04 2012 at 21:58
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2012 at 03:22
I think Snow Dog put it best when he stated (I'm paraphrasing here) 'No'

Sgt Pepper was a brilliant but flawed popular music album that every music journalist in the entire world has been brainwashed into voting as the best of all time ad infinitum. There are many Beatles albums I rate higher. Prog would have happened without Pepper (might have taken longer, who knows/cares?)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2012 at 05:08
Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

I think Snow Dog put it best when he stated (I'm paraphrasing here) 'No'

Sgt Pepper was a brilliant but flawed popular music album that every music journalist in the entire world has been brainwashed into voting as the best of all time ad infinitum. There are many Beatles albums I rate higher. Prog would have happened without Pepper (might have taken longer, who knows/cares?)

Agreed. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2012 at 06:02
I would say the first birth pangs of prog rock is a mixture not one album

1966





Frank Zappa Freak Out! album cover


 Miles Davis Miles Smiles album cover

 


1967

The Moody Blues Days Of Future Passed  album cover


 Frank Zappa Absolutely Free album cover


 Pink Floyd The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn album cover

 

The debut of Pink Floyd is one of the most important albums of the 60s.


 Procol Harum Procol Harum album cover


 Captain Beefheart Safe As Milk album cover

all these albums are integral to the beginning of what we term prog rock.


not to mention non prog albums such as Pet Sounds and psychedelic underground bands.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2012 at 10:07
^ Exactly
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