Playlist of pre '66 Proto-Prog

Some milestones :

1887 Claude DeBussy (composer) - Printemps (impressionnism)

1899 Arnold Schoenberg (composer) - Verklarte Nacht (atonality, dodecaphonism, i.e. utilization of the 12 tones equally, instead of mainly the seven usual tones)

1898 to 1907 Charles Ives (composer) - Central Park In The Dark (utilization of polymelody, i.e. many melodies playing at the same time)(Franz Von Biber was using this technique already in the 17th century)

1916 Éric Satie (composer) - Parade (including all kind of noises and repetition)

1923 Edgar Varèse (composer) - Hyperprisme (including siren and frightening sounds)

1924 Pashchenko (composer) - Mystery Symphony for theremin and orchestra (first utilization of the electronical instrument)

1928 Levidi (composer) - Poème Symphonique (first utilization of "les ondes Martenot", an electronical instrument)

1939 John Cage (this suggestion was interesting) - Imaginary Landscape (deformation of sounds)(he also invented the prepared piano)

1947 Les Paul - Brazil (electric guitars and multi-track recording techniques)

1948 Pierre Schaeffer (composer) - Étude Pathétique (using vinyle records to create new sounds)

1949 Pierre Schaeffer & Pierre Henry (composers) - Symphonie pour un homme seul (concrete music, i.e. utilization of concrete objects)

1954 Edgar Varèse - Déserts (completely electronic music)

1959 Miss Toni Fisher - The Big Hurt (a technical incident created a dephasing in the recording and the effect has been kept on the hit record)

1960 Roy Orbison - Lonely And Blue (album)(Roy's compositions were often complex ones, including many movements never repeated, i.e. not in the usual "verse-chorus" form)

1961 Jorgen Ingman - Apache (somes effects sound electronical ones)

1962 The Crystals - Twist Uptown (maybe the first Phil Spector's album using his "wall of sound" technique. A wave of studio producers was created, with Motown records, The Four Seasons (Bob Crewe), etc.)

1964 suggestion for The Dave Clark Five - Glad All Over (with echoes)

1964 december, The Beach Boys - the album "Today" (including dissonance and many sophisticated songs surpassing Phil Spector's techniques)

1965 october, The Beach Boys - The Little Girl I Once Knew (utilization of silence; the 45 single has been boycotted because the DJs didn't know when the song was ending. John Lennon was amazed by this record)

Michel Gignac

You should definitely consider Babatunde Olatunji's Drums of Passion (1959).

The Beach Boys SMILE. Although the sessions didn't progress until 1967. Good Vibrations which was part of the SMILE sessions might have been released in 66' I forget. Smile some say was the answer to SGT. PEPPER. But that could be just a hypish concept. On the original tapes their voices are channeled through phase shifters and the vocals are very errie at times. The section which is known to be the Fire tapes is about 20 minutes long and has a bizzare reminiscence to the way Gentle Giant or King Crimson used tri tones. I know that sounds far fetched to most, but if I were to play the track you may not realize it's the Beach Boys your'e listening to.

The Lovin' Spoonful had strange songs. Booker T who was already mentioned and the Ventures.

There was a strange ballad back in the 60's titled: EVERYONE'S GONE TO THE MOON. The version I have is by Sara Hickman and it's a very strange sad  little song. I am not sure who recorded the original.