What was the best year for prog?

Quote richardh

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 23:19

I tend to think 1974 but then there is no one year that has my favourite release by a major band/artist (1977 should be in the poll as it's obviously a stronger year than 1976 imo)

1971

VDGG - Pawn Hearts

Jethro Tull - Acqualung

Focus - Moving Waves

1972

PFM - Per Un Amico

Genesis - Foxtrot

Yes - Close To The Edge

Aphrodite's Child - 666

Electric Light Orchestra - ELO 2

Banco - Darwin!

1973

ELP - Brain Salad Surgery

Curved Air - Aircut

Rick Wakeman - Six Wives Of Henry VIII

Le Orme - Felona E Sorona

1974

King Crimson - Red

Triumvirat - Illusions On A Double Dimple

Gentle Giant - The Power and the Glory

Supertramp - Crime Of The Century

Kayak - s/t

Peter Hammill - The Silent Corner and The Empty Stage

Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom

Refugee - Refugee

Kansas - s/t

Kraftwerk - Autobahn

1975

Camel - The Snow Goose

Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn

Vangelis - Heaven and Hell

Steve Hackett - Voyage Of THe Acolyte

Harmonium - So On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison

Edgar Froese - Epsilon in Malaysian Pale

Birds - Trace

Cherry Five - s/t

1976

Eloy - Dawn

Tangerine Dream - Stratosfear

Manfred Mann's Earthband - The Roaring Silence

Be Bop Deluxe - Sunburst Finish

1977

Pink Floyd - Animals

Hawkwind - Quark, Strangeness and Charm

Rush - A Farewell To Arms

Loccanda Delle Fate - Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Piu

Colosseum II - Electric Savage

Peter Gabriel - Car

presdoug

Forum Senior Member

Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8590

Post Options

Quote presdoug

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 18:52

1975

Triumvirat-Spartacus

Mahavishnu Orchestra-Visions Of The Emerald Beyond

Passport-Cross Collateral

PFM-Chocolate Kings

Gentle Giant-Freehand

Nektar-Recycled

Tangerine Dream-Rubycon

Rush-Fly By Night

Headstone-Headstone

Solution-Cordon Blue

Soft Machine-Bundles

Libra-Libra

The Dark Elf View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

VIP Member

Joined: February 01 2011
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 13007

Post Options

Quote The Dark Elf

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 18:48

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

^Oh ok. Not sure how I missed Nursery Cryme then. I know a lot of people don't like the "thin" production on it but I've never really noticed that much (same with Going for the One which people complain about).

Nah, Cryme is the first "proper" Genesis album in my book. As far as 1971, it is the first real explosion of prog, krautrock, progressive soul, progressive folk, experimental electric, fusion rock/jazz, and even rock bands with prog pretensions (ie. Zeppelin, The Who, Heep, Purple, Alice Cooper, Sabbath, etc.).

...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...

AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18135

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 18:37

^Oh ok. Not sure how I missed Nursery Cryme then. I know a lot of people don't like the "thin" production on it but I've never really noticed that much (same with Going for the One which people complain about).

The Dark Elf View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

VIP Member

Joined: February 01 2011
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 13007

Post Options

Quote The Dark Elf

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 18:34

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Dark Elf, you left off ELP's Tarkus. Was that intentional? I see Nursery Cryme by Genesis is absent also.

Nursery Cryme is there. I'll edit in the Tarkus omission.

...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...

AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18135

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 18:30

Dark Elf, you left off ELP's Tarkus. Was that intentional? I see Nursery Cryme by Genesis is absent also.

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - September 12 2024 at 18:32

Hrychu

Forum Senior Member

Joined: November 03 2013
Location: poland?
Status: Offline
Points: 5259

Post Options

Quote Hrychu

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 18:19

BrufordFreak wrote:

1959, of course! That's the year ofMiles Davis’ Kind of Blue, the album that gave birth to modal jazz; the complexity and melodic genius of John Coltrane’s Giant Steps; Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come, which did away with conventional harmony and form altogether; Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, which pushed the boundaries of meter and rhythm in jazz, and the energized and politically charged compositions of Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um, Art Blakey's Moanin', as well as Abbey Lincoln's Abby Lincoln Is Blue, Bill Evans' Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Art Blakey Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Sonny Rollins' Newk's Time and more.

Oh, wait! Am I on the wrong site?

No, Miles Davis' Kind of Blue: #26 on ProgArchives' list of 100 Top Prog Albums of All-Time! Need I say more?

1959 is also generally considered the best year for Gibson Les Paul. ;P

“On the day of my creation, I fell in love with education. And overcoming all frustration, a teacher I became.”
— Ernest Vong

The Dark Elf View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

VIP Member

Joined: February 01 2011
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 13007

Post Options

Quote The Dark Elf

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 18:12

1971 is the single greatest year for rock music, prog or otherwise. Studio releases, Prog/Prog adjacent in order of release:

Chicago - Chicago III

Uriah Heep - Salisbury

Yes - The Yes Album

Miles Davis - Jack Johnson

Soft Machine - Fourth

Jethro Tull - Aqualung

The Groundhogs - Split

Amon Düül II - Tanz der Lemminge

Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink

Procol Harum - Broken Barricades

The Nice - Elegy

Captain Beefheart - Mirror Man

Weather Report - S/T Debut

Roy Harper - Stormcock

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste

The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

Deep Purple - Fireball

Strawbs - From the Witchwood

The Who - Who's Next

Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

Can - Tago Mago

Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself

Santana - Santana III

Frank Zappa - 200 Motels

Jeff Beck - Rough and Ready

Gong - Camembert Electrique

Focus - II (Moving Waves)

Gary Wright - Footprint

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting Flame

Pink Floyd - Meddle

Barclay James Harvest - Barclay James Harvest and Other Stories

Sly and the Family Stone - There's a Riot Going On

Elton John - Madman Across the Water

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

Yes - Fragile

Genesis - Nursery Cryme

Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts

Isaac Hayes - Black Moses

John Martyn - Bless the Weather

Alice Cooper - Killer (also Love It to Death released earlier)

Traffic - Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition

King Crimson - Islands

Electric Light Orchestra - S/T Debut

David Bowie - Hunky Dory

No Release Date:

John Fahey - America

Edgar Winter - Edgar Winter's White Trash

Faust - S/T Debut

Eloy - S/T Debut

Comus - First Utterance

Jade Warrior - S/T Debut

Leo Kottke - Mudlark

Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi

Jade Warrior - Released

Spirogyra - St. Radigunds

Edited by The Dark Elf - September 12 2024 at 18:36

...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...

BrufordFreak View Drop Down

Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: January 25 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline
Points: 8159

Post Options

Quote BrufordFreak

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 14:18

1959, of course! That's the year ofMiles Davis’ Kind of Blue, the album that gave birth to modal jazz; the complexity and melodic genius of John Coltrane’s Giant Steps; Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come, which did away with conventional harmony and form altogether; Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, which pushed the boundaries of meter and rhythm in jazz, and the energized and politically charged compositions of Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um, Art Blakey's Moanin', as well as Abbey Lincoln's Abby Lincoln Is Blue, Bill Evans' Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Art Blakey Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Sonny Rollins' Newk's Time and more.

Oh, wait! Am I on the wrong site?

No, Miles Davis' Kind of Blue: #26 on ProgArchives' list of 100 Top Prog Albums of All-Time! Need I say more?

Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/

progaardvark View Drop Down

Collaborator

Crossover/Symphonic/RPI Teams

Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Sea of Peas
Status: Offline
Points: 50727

Post Options

Quote progaardvark

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 14:10

I'm going to go with 1974. Having said that, some of the more recent years (from 2018 onward) I feel rival the early 1970s. I just can't decide which one is best. My stomach came with an optional concrete infrastructure research database which I have yet to use.

----------
i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag
that's a happy bag of lettuce
this car smells like cartilage
nothing beats a good video about fractions

poseído del alba View Drop Down

Forum Groupie

Joined: August 31 2024
Location: Argentina
Status: Offline
Points: 89

Post Options

Quote poseído del alba

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 14:08

Tough...I'll have to go with Foxtrot, Close to the Edge, Octopus & Darwin [=D>]

verslibre

Forum Senior Member

Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
Status: Offline
Points: 16921

Post Options

Quote verslibre

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 13:40

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

No one later year seems to stand out though.

...

1980

Art Zoyd – Génération Sans Futur
Jeff Beck – There and Back
Blue Öyster Cult – Cultösaurus Erectus
Brand X – Do They Hurt?
Al Di Meola – Splendido Hotel
Ashra – Belle Alliance
Bruford – Gradually Going Tornado
Dixie Dregs – Dregs of the Earth
Eloy – Colours
Keith Emerson – Inferno
Gamma – Gamma 2
Gandalf – Journey to an Imaginary Land
Genesis – Duke
Goblin – Contamination
Group 87 – Group 87
Steve Hackett – Defector
Hawkwind – Levitation
Jethro Tull – A
David Earle Johnson with Jan Hammer – Hip Address
Kansas – Audio-Visions
Kenso – Kenso
Kerry Livgren – Seeds of Change
Kitaro – In Person
Irene Papas | Vangelis – Odes
Anthony Phillips – 1984
Richard Pinhas – East West
Didier Lockwood – Live in Montreux
Jean-Luc Ponty – Civilized Evil
Rush – Permanent Waves
Saga – Silent Knight
Carlos Santana – The Swing of Delight
Robert Schroeder – Floating Music
Klaus Schulze – ...Live...
Sky – Sky 2
Tangerine Dream – Tangram
Yes – Drama

*Führs & Frohling – Live 1980 (released 2001)

1981

Blue Öyster Cult – Fire of Unknown Origin
Fabio Frizzi – The Beyond
King Crimson – Discipline
Di Meola / McLaughlin / De Lucia – Friday Night in San Francisco
Dregs – Unsung Heroes
Eloy – Planets
Gandalf – Visions
Hawkwind – Sonic Attack
Michael Hedges – Breakfast in the Field
However – Sudden Dusk
Jean-Michel Jarre – Magnetic Fields
Yoshiaki Masuo with Jan Hammer – Finger Dancing
Vangelis – Chariots of Fire
Rush – Moving Pictures
Saga – Worlds Apart
Robert Schroeder – Mosaique
Synergy – Audion
Tangerine Dream – Exit
Tangerine Dream – Thief
Twelfth Night – Live at the Target
Richard Wahnfried – Tonwelle
Rick Wakeman – The Burning
Rick Wakeman – 1984
Frank Zappa – Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar

eBay

AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18135

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 13:30

Gentle and Giant wrote:

This year as we have more prog right now than ever before.

So that was you that voted "other" then? Wink

Criswell

Forum Senior Member

Joined: March 30 2023
Location: Illinois
Status: Offline
Points: 460

Post Options

Quote Criswell

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 13:06

Psychedelic Paul wrote:

1973 for me. The year of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, Renaissance' Ashes Are Burning and Genesis' Selling England by the Pound, to name just three. Smile

Concur with 1973...add Brain Salad Surgery, Tales, 6 Wives, & Future Days (CAN)...

Floydoid

Forum Senior Member

Joined: April 02 2007
Location: Planet Prog
Status: Offline
Points: 1438

Post Options

Quote Floydoid

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 12:58

Gentle and Giant wrote:

This year as we have more prog right now than ever before.

An interesting way of looking at it... so me thinking laterally would suggest 1979 as possibly being the best year for prog because by *then we had all of the classic era prog. Others may disagree of course

*i.e. the release of 'The Wall' at the tail end of 1979

'We're going to need a bigger swear jar.'

LaMort

Forum Newbie

Joined: September 12 2024
Location: Tronno, Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 3

Post Options

Quote LaMort

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 12:47

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

LaMort wrote:

1972.

Thick as a Brick - JETHRO TULL

Close to the Edge & Roundabout (single) - YES

YS - THE BRONZE BALLET

Foxtrot - GENESIS

YS? You mean the album by Il Balletto Di Bronzo? I agree. That's a great album.

Correct. And i would love to thank MARIO BAVA for introducing me to them, in his film...Five Dolls for an August Moon.

Edited by LaMort - September 12 2024 at 12:47

Gentle and Giant View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: October 24 2019
Location: Blackpool
Status: Offline
Points: 4297

Post Options

Quote Gentle and Giant

Thanks(1)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 12:38

This year as we have more prog right now than ever before.

Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen

Floydoid

Forum Senior Member

Joined: April 02 2007
Location: Planet Prog
Status: Offline
Points: 1438

Post Options

Quote Floydoid

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 12:35

1973 would be a close second with the aforementioned Tubular Bells, and DSotM of course, amongst other notable prog works.

'We're going to need a bigger swear jar.'

AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: October 02 2016
Location: Philly burbs
Status: Offline
Points: 18135

Post Options

Thanks(0)

Quote

Posted: September 12 2024 at 12:34

LaMort wrote:

1972.

Thick as a Brick - JETHRO TULL

Close to the Edge & Roundabout (single) - YES

YS - THE BRONZE BALLET

Foxtrot - GENESIS

YS? You mean the album by Il Balletto Di Bronzo? I agree. That's a great album.

Floydoid

Forum Senior Member

Joined: April 02 2007
Location: Planet Prog
Status: Offline
Points: 1438

Post Options

Quote Floydoid