Top 5 epics and why?

Hmm..

Close to the Edge - Yes just wins. No question
Tales from Topographic Oceans - See "Close to the Edge"
Divine Wings of Tragedy - The ethereal choir in the beginning followed by excepts from "Mars" by Gustav Holst really sets a killer mood for this epic. I recommend it to anyone who likes prog, prog metal, or good music.
2112 - I love Rush, but I'll be the first to say some of their stuff is just unlistenable. 2112, however, is the exact opposite. Never have 20 minutes gone by so fast than when I listen to this track. Good story, based of Anthem I think. Great intro to prog if you're just starting out.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida- Ok, so maybe not prog.. But still some of the best music ever. The fuzz guitar, coupled with the killer rhythm section, and the organ that makes you believe you are sitting in some ic cathedral, it all is just a masterpiece from start to finish. No, none of them were really virtuosos or anything, but In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida really is something to be amazed about.

I find some epics quite tiresome. Some have a good shorter song trying to get out. Thick as a Brick is a great 12 minute song, so still quite epic like, but rather loses it as a whole album.

 
1. Ricochet - Tangerine Dream  70's electronica at it's very best.
2. Van Der Graff Generator - Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild. Admittedly after 15 minutes this gets very tiresome but the first 15 minutes are great. I've edited my version.
3. Neu - Forever. Is thirteen minutes long enough? A one or two chord track proving that repetition can be a very good thing and not remotely tiresome.
4. Echoes - Pink Floyd. A great song hiding in some great instrumental passages. So….it’s great.
5. Medicine Man (live) (Live EP, Gone to Earth re-release version  – Barclay James Harvest. Rather short again at 12 minutes, but stuffed full of  great rhythm guitar, lead guitar and keyboards.

1. Dark Star - The Grateful Dead
Words cant describe the power and subtle beauty of this free-jazz workout by the Dead. Listen to the guitar solos at 10 and 18 min to learn why Garcia is the only artist who can truly make the guitar speak. Not progressive in the strictest sense, but this guy still blows all other epics out of the water!

2. Supper's Ready - Genesis
A full course meal in every sense of the word Supper's Ready is Genesis's magnum opus and the greatest of the Symphonic Prog epics/mini-operas. The climax of this song sends me into Nirvana every time I listen to it. All you Yes fans have got it wrong, this is much better than Close to the Edge!

3. Echoes - Pink Floyd
Cant get farther without mentioning this gem. The beautifully serene and atmospheric Echoes transports you from the depths of the ocean to the depths of space all within its 25 min span. Love the lyrics, and the climactic guitar workout by Gilmour is fantastic.

4. The Requiem Symphony - Mozart
Lets pay tribute to the great great grandfather of all epics! Full of pomp, majesty and sheer grandiose power I hope that many prog-heads havnt forgotten where all the symphonic greats, past and present, have taken their influence from.

5. Halleluhwah - Can
I started getting into Krautrock and now after listening to Tago Mago for the billionth time I gotta pay tribute to this incredible tune. An organic funk beat drives this song through its entire +20 min, sometimes threatening to send it plunging into insanity but always keeping you hooked to the end. Sure to set heads bopping.
  

Well that's a hard one!!

grahawk wrote: I find some epics quite tiresome. Some have a good shorter song trying to get out. Thick as a Brick is a great 12 minute song, so still quite epic like, but rather loses it as a whole album.   1. Ricochet - Tangerine Dream  70's electronica at it's very best. 2. Van Der Graff Generator - Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild. Admittedly after 15 minutes this gets very tiresome but the first 15 minutes are great. I've edited my version. 3. Neu - Forever. Is thirteen minutes long enough? A one or two chord track proving that repetition can be a very good thing and not remotely tiresome. 4. Echoes - Pink Floyd. A great song hiding in some great instrumental passages. So….it’s great. 5. Medicine Man (live) (Live EP, Gone to Earth re-release version  – Barclay James Harvest. Rather short again at 12 minutes, but stuffed full of  great rhythm guitar, lead guitar and keyboards.

I vehemently disagree. "Meurglys III" does not get tiresome after 15 minutes. on the contrary, I could listen endlessly to the crazy things Hammill comes up with on his guitar throughout the closing part. and it is a very cool reggae too. I simply love it!


Edited by BaldJean - June 24 2008 at 03:17

Endless Wire wrote: Oddly enough I've always felt Gates of Delirium was far superior to CTTE...Am I the only one?

I am of the same opinion. much more daring and exciting. CttE is way overrated, in my opinion; I don't mean that it is a bad song, it even is a great one. but not as great as some people make it; I could name dozens of epics which are on the same level

rileydog22 wrote: 3. VdGG--A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers.  Features some of Robert Fripp's best guitar work.  I love how the finale is the only happy part of the song, as the narrator has finally gone so insane that he has invented an imaginary friend to keep him company.

it has to be noted that the "guitar" solo at the end of it is NOT a guitar solo at all. it is Hugh Banton doing a Fripp imitation on organ, as he himself said in a radio interview. sounds exactly like Fripp though, doesn't it?

It goes like this:

I can't remember if I posted in this thread before or not, but I'll give a list now. 1.  Supper's Ready -- Genesis:  Not the best composed epic, but definitely the most enjoyable.   When you think of prog epics, your first thought should be Supper's Ready.

In no real order:

Yes Awaken: More of a mini-Epic; this song haunts my dreams. In good and bad ways.

Porcupine Tree Russia on Ice: Again, mini-Epic (This one clocking in at 13:03.) Brilliant. An almost two-part dungeon. Cold and painful. A sweet tedium; If Valium was a song.

Chris Squier Safe (Canon Song): In my current will and testament, this song gets played at my funeral.

Peter Hammil A Louse is not a Home: If a were a single, 27 year old artist, living by himself, I would listen to this song every night before I passed out. And I do.

Traffic The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys: Simple Song, but puts me in another dimension. A seemingly jazzy one. Great vocals and piano work from Mr. Winwood.

I also love every other classic Epic from Ange to Zappa.