Top 10 By Year: 1976

Camel

I had to give my vote to Moonmadness, though I do adore Romantic Warrior.

Trick.

RtF by a pretty wide margin, I dare say.

Progosopher wrote: Wind and Wuthering, followed by Leftoverture and Moonmadness.

Wind & Wuthering is from 1977

Moonmadness gets my vote.

Flight123 wrote: Wind and Wuthering was released late 76 - but the tour started in Jan 77.  I know because that was the first time I saw Genesis

my bad, my cd says 1976 as well  , but in some countries it was released December 1976, others January 1977. Hence, my confusion.

COS all the way!!!! These dudes and dudette are waaay too overlooked - especially when you think about all the Canterbury fans frequenting this board.

I  very much enjoy eight of these
vdgg doesn't do much for me
need to check out Celeste

voted 2112

this might be the first prog album I ever owned
can't remember if it was 2112 or Fragile  :)

1. 2112

TheLionOfPrague wrote: Logan wrote: TheLionOfPrague wrote: Leftoverture. Massively underrated.... Underrated in what sense and by who? I think most everyone overrates and underrates things to an extent (in a sense). Its quite a remarkable achievement for such a massively underrated album to be ranked fourth top album of its year in PA's top albums list then, one might think, but then it depends on what you mean. That potential discrepancy or anomaly aside, I actually haven't heard much derision about that particular album, but there is quite a bit of derision when it comes to Kansas generally amongst many progressive music fans. Or is it more underrated amongst classic rock fans? It's ranked number 39 of all albums for 1976 at rateyourmusic. http://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1976 Interesting to see Picchio dal Pozzo ahead of it at rateyourmusic, but not here. It's the difference in algorithms to a large extent. I think PA's weights numbers of reviews/ ratings too heavily, by the way. If you mean that you think that the album is not, generally, sufficiently held as historically significant, or is generally unfairly considered to be lacking in artistic merit, well I don't know. The album is not really my taste, but it seems well done to me. Not sure how remarkable an album it is. Some say that US Prog gets very short changed. Most of the music I listen to is quite obscure, so couldn't well describe it as underrated, merely relatively unknown. Underrated in prog, more than in rock. Kansas is actually quite popular, and more than several of the big names in prog, but I feel they don't get the recognition they deserve by prog fans. They were all very capable with their instruments, they had a singer that was technically amazing (unlike other prog bands), the arrangements were brilliant, they had a truly great gift more melodies, etc. And Leftoverture is rated higher than I remembered, but personally I feel it could easily be rated as a prog classic like Fragile, Selling England or Red. We are talking about an album that has Magnum Opus, Cheyenne Anthem, The Wall, Miracles Out of Nowhere, Wayward Son, etc. But to each his own of course. Kansas is one of the bands that I've seen that several people that don't like prog are actually into (same for Rush and, obviously, Pink Floyd), so in a way they are rated higher by some people and as I said earlier, they're actually quite popular and have some very well known songs like Dust in the Wind.

Kansas, and that album, has disadvantages over other 70s prog bands:

Kansas is American.

Prog is commonly seen as a predominantly British movement. It is bands such as King Crimson, Yes, Genesis (Pink Floyd when/if considered Prog), ELP and Jethro Tull that I think are particularly associated with the sort-of-formation of a sort- of-prog movement. Kansas was influenced by this, I believe, which makes them, despite being early, sort of second generation (rather like Rush). That might make them seem less originative and innovative to some. And Kansas sounds so American which would put off many who fell in love with the British scene.

Leftoverture came a bit late.

Leftoverture may be a very historically important albums when it comes to American Prog (or Pomp Rock as some pejoratively call it) but it also comes late on the scene when it comes to classic Prog (Prog was generally rather in decline by that time, I would say).

Kansas is associated with AOR.

Kansas is rather heavily associated with AOR and, another vague lable, corporate rock. They are ballady, mixed with almost ELP like bombast (ELP is not as highly regarded as it once was). Okay, Genesis is generally associated more with pop music than prog, so take as you will.

Personally, I don't find Red, Fragile, or Selling England that satisfying (still prefer to Leftoverture), but that's just a matter of my quirky tastes. Since you come from Argentina, I will say that Bubu's Anabelas seems to me a much more accomplished three track album than, say, Close to the Edge, but I would not claim that Bubu is underrated because it does not get the recognition that Close to the Edge does any more than I would claim that Close to the Edge is overrated because Bubu is not so highly regarded. Overrated and underrated are classically problematic terms because there is almost always an element of subjectivity about it, and each person's experience is unique, so who can say how much others should value something you happen to cherish. Even if one has heard every prog album, fair comparisons of worth are majorly problematic.

As you say, to each his or her own tastes. I do think you can use the overrated and underrated terms well within a reasonably objective framework of analysis (specific and narrow range of analysis say).

You have explained your position admirably, by the way, and clappies to you for such a thoughtful response.