Recent discovery of classic prog albums

I think for most of us there are many artists we have not discovered or gotten into, I could probably list 20 artists.

I still haven't bought any Genesis album, but I have (and like) Hackett, Rutherford, Brand X, Anthony Phillips and Peter Gabriel. 

I must have something wrong because the Gabriel's album I like the most is Ovo.

Considering how tough so many things were at the time in 1972 and beyond, other than the albums that already had splashed the newer FM radio dial in full stereo and showing how great music could sound ... something that was not there before in radio as the AM band was cheesy sounding, not to mention the quality of the music that supposedly sold ... so yummy yummy sold millions? ... I'll take that dis-belief to my grave in the sky, thank you!

But one thing that was obvious then, was that the list for "imports" at Moby Disk, or the late Twoer Records in the Strip, or even the Warehouse in Westwood, was that all of these "imports" were not released domestically, and our buying started concentrating on the things that we could not get in America, or better said, were not released here.

As such, I would like to think that the number of "progressive" and "newer" material that we heard was far above the average and involved a lot of folks listed here, from those days, way before they were added to any database. Thus, we heard TD, KS, and a lot of the German and experimental scene in England (specially the HARVEST label stuff from the listing in the Hipgnosis Breakfast Cereal "ingredients" from an inner sleeve, of a Kevin Ayers album I believe ... not sure of that, but it was either that or Roy Harper.

In essence, between the early days of Guy Guden/Space Pirate Radio, we did not miss a whole lot, and a review of the listings I have of many of his shows between March 1974 (show started in January 1974) until the end of 1978 (over 300 hours!), when I had to go to the University ... show an incredible number of bands that no radio show EVER, before or after, has even come close to, and unlike many of the shows around the Internet, Guy has a touch for music and always seems to find some amazing things, and play them, and he genuinely enjoys and appreciates a lot of this music, which is to say a hell of a lot more than most "DJ's" around the Internet that think they represent "progressive" music.

There are many things I have heard that I didn't get, as the money was limited (imports were expensive!!), and it was nice to see them listed and considered ... but I do not have them in my collection, and even though I have heard them since, I still have not added them.

All in all, I would say that having been one of the few folks (along with Guy) that was not afraid to play the NEW MATERIAL and show it to an audience, really means that we missed very few opportunities since then ... but yes, there is always one or two bands missing, and in my case, believe it or not, it is almost always some American band ... !!! But when it came to a lot of European materials, we probably had for a while the best collection of music in the West Coast. And it really was more "thorough" than today's "collecto'files" whose tastes tend to be oriented to their favorite style, Rio, this or that. We had them all!

Not everyone. I have come to appreciate pre-Abacab Genesis only within the last 5-6 years. Before that it didn't click with me. Now I love it

Triumvirat - Illusions of a Double Dimple

Tull - Songs From The Wood, Heavy Horses, Minstrel in the Gallery, (next up A Passion Play)

ELP - First album, Tarkus, Trilogy

Porcupine Tree - Up The Downstair, The Sky Moves Sideways, Signify, Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape, Voyage 34: The Complete Trip 

And your life will be much better as a result!!!

 

Well, it was a 5-star album to me anyway, but then again, I've been accused of overrating albums before.