Alternative Reality 70's Prog History

Since PF actually did spend a very short time as a 5 piece I think this is a fascinating alternate reality.  Their original plan was for Gilmour to handle the live performances and Syd to remain the lyricist/songwriter behind the scenes (like Keith Reid of Procol).  PF would have remained a psych-prog hybrid with a cult audience.  With Syd still writing the songs the whole writing trio of Gilmour/Waters/Wright would never have developed.  Further, without Syd becoming an acid casualty, there'd have been no lunatic to inspire "Brain Damage" or anyone for the band to "Wish You Were Here".

Jethro Bloody Jethro by Black Tull. 

 

As a proffesional touring musician, you are working with the listner, and after years of denying what the listner wants, we have now come to a bridge of knowlage, they wants short easy basic R&B, thats what we are supplying.

Not really prog, but I've often thought about how it would've panned out, if Steve Miller Band had stayed together with Chuck Berry and talked him into doing Children of the Future and Sailor.

Both Emerson and Lake wanted out of their respective bands of course so it suited them to form a new band. Palmer was actually very happy in Atomic Rooster and it took a some very strong words from Lake to get him to leave (''you are not only damaging me but yourself as well and that's heavy'' ).

The Nice had run its course although Moraz did a great job with Refugee (The Nice Part 2)

King Crimson's best line up was on Red imo.

Atomic Rooster with Palmer - now that's the interesting one. Could have been one of the major players in the prog scene perhaps? Crane was a very talented organist no doubt.

According to Fripp's journal, the '69 band fell apart after the final show of the tour in SF.  He actually offered to leave the band if the others wanted to keep King Crimson going.  What in the world would that have done to prog history?