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Grumpyprogfan View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Top 12 American Prog Albums
    Posted: November 12 2021 at 11:43
We have had several top European prog polls. Let's celebrate those across the pond this time. What are your top 12 American prog albums?

In no order.

1. Bubblemath - Edit Peptide
2. Dream Theater - Images and Words
3. Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior
4. Kansas - Leftoverture
5. Dixie Dregs - Unsung Heroes
6. Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All
7. Izz - Don't  Panic
8. Todd Rundgren - Nearly Human
9. Mike Keneally - Sluggo!
10. Steely Dan - Aja
11. French TV - The Violence of Amateurs
12. Pat Metheny Group - The Road to You

Edited by Grumpyprogfan - November 13 2021 at 07:48
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote suitkees Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 11:49
With "American", you mean USA or North and South America?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rednight Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 12:18
^

Edited by Rednight - November 12 2021 at 12:18
"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 12:18
^ It's good to see this long-awaited poll and I'm pretty sure Grumpy means bands from his native USA and not the whole of North & South America. Smile

 

5 stars 1976: ALBATROSS - Albatross (Symphonic Prog  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaBZNBUOPdk
5 stars 1980: ALSHIA - Alshia (Progressive Rock  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrioMKTbdng
5 stars 1980: ANOTHER WORLD PRODUCTION - The End of the Age (Progressive Rock  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cctfgc3VJE
5 stars 1976: FRENCH LICK - Glider (Progressive Rock  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTp9TOOxUlY
5 stars 1973: FROGGIE BEAVER - From the Pond (Progressive Rock  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVgc5h2XAGA
5 stars 1978: HAPPY THE MAN - Crafty Hands (Eclectic Prog  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRera802pUU
5 stars 1975: KANSAS - Song for America - (Symphonic Prog  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mv5TwSEUFcCEzc4A5b8yoR5Iw7-g7kMCQ
5 stars 1977: QUILL - Sursum Corda (Symphonic Prog  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w_yX72fUok
5 stars 1981: REAL EYES - Real Eyes (Progressive Rock  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_M4U69-HIs&t=2090s
5 stars 1977: SANTANA - Moonflower (Jazz Rock/Fusion  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mVc03JLfC3VDtNDwR-PvnzaEc50jFkSGQ
5 stars 1977: SURPRISE - Assault on Merryland (Symphonic Prog  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qzNyRVPxDA
5 stars 1982: TRANCE FORM - Stranger in the Same Land (Progressive Rock  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFuVoKWv9wY
5 stars 1977: UNIVERSE - Universe (Space Rock  United States) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VtxzyHTZYM&t=1s
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 12:22
Some US albums:

Perry Leopold - Christian Lucifer
Bobby Beausoleil - Lucifer Rising*
Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind
John Cale & Terry Riley - Church of Anthrax
Laurie Anderson - Big Science
Terry Riley - A Rainbow in Curved Air
David Axelrod - Song of Innocence
The Residents - Duck Stab / Buster & Glen
Secret Chiefs 3 - Book of Horizons
Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tim Buckley - Starsailor
U Totem - U Totem

Bonus:
These Trails - These Trails (from Hawaii so not in North America but American in a sense)
Thinking Plague - In This Life
Doctor Nerve - Ereia (with The Sirius String Quartet)
The Muffins - Manna/Mirage
Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies
Pavlov's Dog - Pampered Menial
Far Corner - Endangered

Adding this JR/F list separately (alphabetical by artist).

Miles Davis - Get Up With It
Herbie Hancock - Crossings
Eddie Henderson - Realisation
Benny Maupin - The Jewel in the Lotus
Julian Priester - Love, Love
Weather Report - I Sing the Body Electric
Lenny White - Venusian Summer
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

Non-Prog (but related to me) bonus : The Velvet Underground and Xiu Xiu Plays the Music of Twin Peaks

* I know someone might object to having a convicted murderer in my list, but I really like the album and did before I knew his story with the Manson family.

Edited by Logan - November 12 2021 at 12:46
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 12:46
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:


^ It's good to see this long-awaited poll and I'm pretty sure Grumpy means bands from his native USA and not the whole of North & South America.
Thanks, Paul! USA only. I'm sure there will be a South America poll soon.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 12:57
Hi,

Djam Karet
Dream Theater
Return to Forever
Frank Zappa
Happy The Man
Laurie Anderson
Kansas 
Spirit
It's a Beautiful Day
The Doors
Herd of Instinct

Jefferson Airplane ... 50/50 since some stuff we go ... what?
Todd Rundgren ... 50/50 since half his stuff is pop crack!
Santana ... another 50/50

I consider Chicago, progressive, specially in the first 6 or 7 albums with the long cuts and very nice material, despite the hit songs. 

(I'm missing a couple and have to look at my collection first!)


Edited by moshkito - November 12 2021 at 12:57
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Progmind Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 14:07
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Love - forever Changes
Touch - Touch
Jimi Hendrix - Are you Experienced
The Doors - The Doors
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Mahavishu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
The Left Banke - Too
Queenrysche - Operation Livecrime
Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry
Tool - Aenima
Tortoise - TNT




Edited by Progmind - November 12 2021 at 14:09
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 14:37
Very good idea, Grumpy.
Here are my favourites, in chronological order:

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats  (1969) 

Captain Beyond  -  Captain Beyond   (1972)

Santana - Caravanserai  (1972)

      or     -  Abraxas  (1970) , if considered as Prog

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire  (1973)

Return to Forever - Where Have I Known You  Before  (1974)

Weather Report - Black Market  (1976)

Fates Warning - The Spectre Within  (1985)

Djam Karet - Reflections From The Firepool  (1989) 

Psychotic Waltz - Into the Everflow  (1992)

Tool Undertow  (1993) 

The Mars Volta De-loused in the Comatorium  (2003)


A couple additional:

Gordian Knot  Gordian Knot  (1998)

OSI - Office Of Strategic Influence  (2003)

Isis   In The Absence Of Truth  (2006)



Edited by David_D - November 30 2021 at 13:59
                      quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 14:43
very good with your naming of "sub-genres", Paul
and I guess, well prepared


Edited by David_D - November 12 2021 at 14:45
                      quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 15:00
Originally posted by Progmind Progmind wrote:

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Love - forever Changes
Touch - Touch
Jimi Hendrix - Are you Experienced
The Doors - The Doors
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Mahavishu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
The Left Banke - Too
Queenrysche - Operation Livecrime
Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry
Tool - Aenima
Tortoise - TNT

That might easy be the broadest Prog definition, I've ever seen, Progmind.
Edit:
- That is with all respect to Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Love.
- While Beach Boys are just not mine cup of tea, whatsoever.


Edited by David_D - November 13 2021 at 06:16
                      quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldFriede Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 15:03
My favourite album from America is "Eskimo" by The Residents.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Nogbad_The_Bad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 15:38
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of Natural History
Cheer-Accident - Fear Draws Misfortune
Alec K Redfearn & the Eyesores - Sister Death
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Far Corner - Risk
5UUs - Hungers Teeth
Thinking Plague - Decline & Fall
Electric Masada - At The Mountains Of Madness
Upsilon Acrux - Sun Square Dialect
Herbie Hancock - Crossing
Mr Bungle - California
Jack O The Clock - All My Friends
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Dan Weiss - Starebaby
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Sean Trane Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 15:38
a quick dozen

14           Coltrane, John  A Love Supreme              USA       1964     

14           Santana               Caravanserai     USA       1972     

14           Spirit     The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus   USA       1970     

13           Buckley, Tim      Starsailor             USA       1970     

13           Coltrane, Alice  Ptah, the El Daoud          USA       1970     

13           Davis, Miles       Bitches Brew     USA       1970     

13           Espers  Espers USA       2003     

13           Hendrix, Jimi     Electric Ladyland              USA       1968     

13           Jefferson Airplane          Crown of Creation          USA       1968     

13           Mingus, Charles               Black Saint & The Sinner Lady    USA       1963     

13           Return to Forever           Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy     USA       1973     

13           Riley, Terry         A Rainbow in Curved Air              USA       1969     

13           Tyner, McCoy   Sahara USA       1972     

13           Washington, Kamasi      The Epic               USA       2015        

13           Zappa, Frank / The Mothers of Invention            The Grand Wazoo           USA       1972     

12           Allman Brothers Band, The         At Fillmore East                USA       1971     

12           Baku Llama         Eris         USA       2007     

12           Buckley, Tim      Lorca     USA       1969     

12           Byrd, Donald     Ethiopian Knights            USA       1971     

12           Chango Chango                USA       1975     

12           Chicago Transit Authority            Chicago Transit Authority            USA       1969     

12           Coryell, Larry     Barefoot Boy     USA       1971     

12           Creedence Clearwater Revival  Bayou Country USA       1969     

12           Doors, The         L.A.Woman        USA       1971

12           Evans, Gil            The Individualism of Gil Evans   USA       1964          

12           Gale, Eddie        Eddie Gale's Ghetto Music         USA       1968     

12           H.P. Lovecraft   Live May 11, 1968            USA       1968     

12           Hancock, Herbie              Crossings            USA       1972     

12           Hancock, Herbie              Sextant                USA       1973      

12           Journey               Journey               USA       1975     

12           Kravitz, Lenny   Let Love Rule    USA       1990     

12           Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd              USA       1973     

12           Meat Loaf           Bat Out of Hell USA       1977     

12           Moondog           A New Sound of an Old Instrument       USA       1979     

12           Muffins, The     Manna / Mirage              USA       1978      Avant

12           P.G. Six The Well of Memory     USA       2004     

12           Pearls Before Swine      The Use of Ashes            USA       1970     

12           Phish     Slip, Stitch, and Pass      USA       1997     

12           Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service                 USA       1968     

12           Red Hot Chili Peppers   Blood Sugar Sex Magik USA       1991     

12           Red Hot Chili Peppers   One Hot Minute              USA       1995     

12           Rudolph, Adam / Moving Pictures          Glare of the Tiger            USA       2017     

12           Smith, Lonnie Liston / Cosmic Echoes    Astral Travelling               USA       1973     

12           Van Halen           Van Halen           USA       1978     

12           Vanilla Fudge    Renaissance      USA       1968     

12           Violent Femmes              Violent Femmes              USA       1983     
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 15:39
Chances are I left out the odd band because I haven't put them into the American box in my mind. Anyway, here we go. Still a big country and enough to feel the pain to leave out Secret Chiefs 3, Don Caballero, Echolyn, Tim Buckley, Primus, Tool, Mars Volta, Kansas' live album, Hendrix, Zorn,...
One per band once more.

Edit: I've got to add some albums I forgot about... unfortunately this means that Grumpy's favourites Bubblemath are kicked out of the list, but such is life.

Swans - The Seer
Tarentel - From Bone to Satellite
Slint - Spiderland
Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Mr. Bungle - s/t
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
From Monument to Masses - On Little Known Frequencies
Tortoise - Standards
Adrian Belew - Side Three
Thinking Plague - In This Life

Challenge League:
Tim Buckley - Happy Sad
Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy
Bubblemath - Edit Peptide 
Salaryman - Karoshi
Kansas - Two for the Show
Don Caballero - American Don
Secret Chiefs 3 - Perichoresis
Echolyn - As the World
Primus - Antipop
Tool - Fear Inoculum
Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland


Edited by Lewian - November 14 2021 at 04:21
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Easy Money Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 15:54
Santana I
Miles Davis "Big Fun"
Miles Davis "Agharta"
Miles Davis "Get Up With It"
Herbie Hancock "Crossings"
Herbie Hancock "Sextant"
Herbie Hancock "Thrust"
Velvet Underground "White Light White Heat"
Chick Corea "Return to Forever"
Sun Ra "Atlantis"
Sun Ra "Angels and Demons at Play"
Jimi Hendrix "Electric Ladyland"

Edited by Easy Money - November 12 2021 at 15:56
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote progaardvark Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 15:55
1. Yezda Urfa - Boris
2. Thinking Plague - In Extremis
3. Birds and Buildings - Bantam to Behemoth
4. Spock's Beard - The Kindness of Strangers
5. Far Corner - Risk
6. Quill - Sursum Corda
7. The Red Masque - Fossil Eyes
8. Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior
9. Discipline - To Shatter All Accord
10. Bubblemath - Edit Peptide
11. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire
12. The Underground Railroad - The Origin of Consciousness

Honorable mentions:
Astra - The Black Chord
Deluge Grander - August in the Urals
Babylon - Babylon
Echolyn - As the World
Glass Hammer - Shadowlands
Horse Lords - The Common Task
Izz - Everlasting Instant
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
Little Atlas - Surface Serene
Pentwater - Out of the Abyss
Primus - Pork Soda
Thinking Plague - Hoping Against Hope
Spock's Beard - V 
Phideaux - Snowtorch
The Mercury Tree - Spidermilk
Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories
Dan Weiss - Natural Selection
Upsilon Acrux - Galapagos Momentum


Edited by progaardvark - November 12 2021 at 15:57
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 16:15
I can tell you this:

If we consider prog the music by Tim Buckley, 

possibly Starsailor, Lorca (and Happy Sad) would enter my Top 10 (Starsailor maybe on the top of the ranking).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 20:25
What, no Starcastle???  

BLASPHEMY!! 

I know, many/most of you on PA trash Starcastle as a "Yes clone," but they were much more than that. 

Also, where's The Dixie Dregs?  

And, I'm curious why Mahavishnu Orchestra is considered a US band? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Progmind Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 12 2021 at 21:42
Originally posted by cstack3 cstack3 wrote:

What, no Starcastle???  

BLASPHEMY!! 

I know, many/most of you on PA trash Starcastle as a "Yes clone," but they were much more than that. 

Also, where's The Dixie Dregs?  

And, I'm curious why Mahavishnu Orchestra is considered a US band? 

Starcastle and Dixie dregs never click on me.

Mahavishu Orchestra are from Queens, NYC
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