^Trust me. I seriously know all of the relevant bands and albums prior to King Crimsons debut. And that USA-album - which I've owned for decades sound nothing like what we've come to know as "classic Prog". You could easily had come up with at least a dozen albums that would make a stronger case. It's a sort og Psychedelic/experimental rock-whimsy, which is is own (great) thing. That album is maybe a minor building block of sorts along with many other far out 1960's psych-album, but merely a footnote in the story of classic prog.

1. Camel

2. Arena

3. Jethro Tull

4. Yes

5.Rush

Across the evening sky,
all the birds are leaving,
But how can they know,
it's time for them to go?
Before the winter fire,
I will still be dreaming,
I have no thought of time.

Eloy still make albums I want to listen to and nowadays I would put them well up there. They seemed to pull together a lot of stands really well with Symph, Psyche, Space and Synth all in the 'mix' and they kept going when most prog bands were dead and dying putting out great albums well into the 80's. They also have a harder sound that hasn't aged too badly.

However ELP will always be the band for me and Keith Emerson the greatest but they were done by 1977.

In modern times few bands evoke the spirit of progressive rock and connect to younger fans better than Muse. Matt Bellamy is an incredible musician. I'm going to 'Candlelight Muse' in Plymouth in July where a string quartet are going to be playing their music. That's prog!

Catcher10 wrote:

Torman Maxt......(some will get this)

That's a throwback for sure.

https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays

Lewian wrote:

The correct answer is... The North Sea Radio Orchestra! (Out of those of which I had a chat with band members. Wink

)

Great pick.

Ian

Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/

I interpret it as best ever, whether active or not.

Either way it’s IQ, obviously 😃

Heaven is waiting but waiting is Hell

DarksideofAbel wrote:

2024 What is still the best Prog Rock band ever?

the question is very simple!!!! like ABC!!!

So if you remove the 2024, your question has been asked a gazillion times. Do you mean bands still active in 2024?? Or as of now which do we think regardless if they are active or not??

Octopus II wrote:

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Gentle Giant

Yes

A perfect list...

Grumpyprogfan wrote:

Cristi wrote:

peterbabadelis wrote:

ELP. Never duplicated.

Not for the lack of trying. LOL

They've had a lot of imitators.

How about Egg?

What about them? Did they have imitators? Confused

They did.

moshkito wrote:

Cristi wrote:

peterbabadelis wrote:

ELP. Never duplicated.

Not for the lack of trying. LOL

They've had a lot of imitators.

Hi,

I kinda think this is unfair ... because of the sound of the keyboards and their "largeness" ... within a group.

What really hurt if that we could not distinguish between various different things ... like comparing Le Orme to ELP is the same thing as saying ... you're not listening! Or worse, comparing Banco and PFM to ELP simply because KE appreciated them and their sound for their record label! Didn't get very far, but it helped them a lot, although the English/American versions of Banco are not half as exciting as the originals. Same for PFM and Le Orme.

If all one takes into consideration is the "SOUND", then yeah, it might be similar, but the music design and talent behind it, was totally different.

I was not even thinking of the RPI bands that were influenced by Keith Emerson, but bands that sounded almost clone like, like Quill, Trespass, Trilogy to name a few.

You surely are quick to judge and dismiss. What I said is not controversial in any way.