Interactive Poll #-50 Lesser Known Prog

Thank you all for the nice comments about my choice of Roy Harper.

There are only a handful of musicians that I will cry when they leave this plane, and Roy is one for sure, as his words have always had some very valuable and direct meaning, unlike too many of rock music lyrics that somehow feel empty for me. The last one was Edgar Froese. 

Vangelis, Peter Hammill and Klaus Schulze are the others. I'm not sure how I will feel about Mani leaving us either, as a lot of his music is in my heart and deeply, even if the lyrics are just for fun. I suppose that I will have a really hard time getting my feelings in order when Renate, or John W leave our confines ... but as I/we get older, the greatest thing we have to do is enjoy the beautiful work they left for our memories.

This poll has given me a lot of memories and thoughts, and there are (STILL) a couple that I need to listen to and refresh in my mind. 

All in all, one of the best polls I have seen with some really far out choices. And for one, some folks explained their choices and likes, instead of it being just a favorite. That made it even more valuable to my eyes and heart.

Wow, this is a pile of great music! You are all crazy! Went through them all now for the first time but with not enough concentration, no way to do them justice in this way. Only criticism is that a number of bands have a singer that doesn't quite keep up with their instrumental skills and compositional qualities. This of course doesn't apply to singers called Marjana Semkina!

As I realised when listening to it in full, I already knew the super beautiful Charlie Cawood track, which is a welcome excuse not to vote for it, and makes the selection much easier. In fact it would surely have been top 3 material.

Otherwise, my top 3 are:

The Mercury Tree "Disremembered": Most sharp and fascinating stuff, more edgy than most of prog, and I love that.

Louis de Mieulle "Discoteak": I've got to admit that a number of nominations were stopped by their vocals from entering the top 3 and there's a natural advantage for instrumentals, anyway this one has a wonderful flow and I like that it strays somewhat away from a classical prog approach; I tend to appreciate the fringes of prog most.

Experimental Quartet "Spre univers": I like the "earthly" sound of this a lot. Also nice minimalist video, very good fit for the music, haha.  

Obviously there's far more very good stuff; El traspie, Faust, Ramblin Sailor, Jigaloda would probably be next on my list.

My votes have gone to:

* Advent - Ramblin' Sailor (I see now where this band's comparisons to Gentle Giant come from, and from this song I'd say they're a worthy successor. Well worth the full running time)

* Experimental Quartet - Spre Univers (Don't care too much for the vocals but the composition and performances are solid)

* Jonesy - Ricochet (Mellotron funk! Not exactly what I'm usually looking for in prog but a pleasant listen nonetheless)