The best prog album of all time? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

I could make sense of this if the question would be something like "what do you think is the ultimate album to represent prog", because my real personal favourites are probably too niche to fit here. The album I rank highest out of the top 100 (that one could maybe call "standard choices") is Discipline. Discipline is not quite as niche as most of my other top choices, but cannot really represent prog, as it takes a distinctly new and different turn in some respects. Out of those that are always named I'd probably choose Thick As A Brick, which is probably the most homogeneous of them all (contested by Dark Side of the Moon). Close to the Edge is not a bad choice for this kind of question, it just showcases so many essential elements in a good and at times spectacular way... except that this comes with a certain "showing off" factor that stops me from ranking it in the top spots of my personal list.

Thick as a Brick and Discipline would probably make a wonderful pair of best albums to represent prog, or let's say the prog I like, the "mainstream prog" that is. (I'm not bringing up Czukay, Talk Talk or Cardiacs here.)

By the way, I don't think "no weak track" is a good criterion, because an album that I really love takes risks and surprises, and I will forgive the odd step that seems wrong to me. As it happens, though, TAAB and Discipline have no such steps.

Edited by Lewian - May 19 2019 at 06:32

obviously it's Merci

handwrist wrote:

Soft Machine's Third could be perfect, but Facelift is more noise than song, and it seems like filler right at the start.

Its probably not many that would pick Facelift as a personal favorite but for the album experience I certainly wouldn't want Third to be without it.

handwrist wrote:

So for me it's a tough choice between Camel's The Snow Goose and Acquiring the Taste by Gentle Giant. They are both perfect albums. But I'd go with Camel because it's just so iconic of a perfect sound - whereas GG is more oddball.

The one flaw for me with Snow Goose is that it doesn't really excite me the way my favorite music does (and not like Mirage). I like it quite a lot and enjoy playing it every once in a while but I wouldn't give it more than four stars. If I had to choose between those two I'd go for the oddball. Oddball is good.

Cristi wrote:

Triceratopsoil wrote:

obviously it's Merci

maybe Giant for a Day?

In the Hot Seat?

YES!!!! THat's it! Giant for a Day is the best album of all eternity!!!!!!

I actually do like the album a lot more than most proggers :)

https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy

Snow Goose, as someone pointed out, or maybe Soft's, or perhaps Fish Out Of Water, or ... let me think - a double album with orchestra (not that many, pick one) - NO, it has to be:

GODBLUFF !!!

It's the old "favorite" versus "best" argument.

The "best" Prog LP is going to be one a majority can agree on: Close To The Edge works for me.

But my "favorite" Prog LP's rarely appear on any list...

richardh wrote:

BaldFriede wrote:

"And You And I" is a bit too sugarcoated for my taste, which is why "Close to the Edge" is not the masterpiece that most people think it is. I prefer pepper to sugar.

Obviously you have your taste but for me it's just Anderson being Anderson. All about cosmic and spiritual love and not really about 'boring' common of garden human love.

I would also argue that it gives the album a bit of balance and in any case it just wouldn't be Yes without it.

I'm not convinced that anything is really a masterpiece if you let taste get in the way. I mean I hate improvised tracks but I still reckon that Red is one of the best albums ever ( only behind Brain Salad Surgery and CTTE in my list) even if Providence is a hard sell to me personally. Can taste really decide these things? Sometimes applying an intellectual criteria is a better approach.

But even intellectually I can't consider "Close to the Edge" as the top prog-rock masterpiece. My choice would be "Pawn Hearts".

BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.

BaldFriede wrote:

richardh wrote:

BaldFriede wrote:

"And You And I" is a bit too sugarcoated for my taste, which is why "Close to the Edge" is not the masterpiece that most people think it is. I prefer pepper to sugar.

Obviously you have your taste but for me it's just Anderson being Anderson. All about cosmic and spiritual love and not really about 'boring' common of garden human love.

I would also argue that it gives the album a bit of balance and in any case it just wouldn't be Yes without it.

I'm not convinced that anything is really a masterpiece if you let taste get in the way. I mean I hate improvised tracks but I still reckon that Red is one of the best albums ever ( only behind Brain Salad Surgery and CTTE in my list) even if Providence is a hard sell to me personally. Can taste really decide these things? Sometimes applying an intellectual criteria is a better approach.

But even intellectually I can't consider "Close to the Edge" as the top prog-rock masterpiece. My choice would be "Pawn Hearts".

Yep definitely a contender. Probably I'm a bit late to the VDGG party but this is certainly a massive album. The PA top ten is close to bang on when I step back from my personal taste.

Originally posted by I prophesy disaster

I prophesy disaster wrote:

Although Tarkus is high on my list of favourite albums, it is not a perfect album because it has "Are You Ready Eddy?" at the end, which is short enough and positioned not to affect the greatness of the album, but it does prevent it from being perfect (as required by the opening post).

The OP asks for "best" album with no bad tracks. Best is not the same as perfect. In fact best is often imperfect, e.g. the White Album, Led Zeppelin ll, Trespass, Electric Ladyland, The Yes Album, Tarkus, etc.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy

Hrychu wrote:

I can't pick my absolute alltime favorite but Wobbler - Rites at Dawn has no bad songs on it. Also, Once and Future Band's self titled album.

Rites At Dawn.....one of my favorite prog albums...... Clap

but like some one else said farther down the thread..there is no such thing as one greatest album......

I will always go with ITCOTCK...for many reasons but I'm not sure it's the 'greatest'.

One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin