Most representative prog track

Imagine you are at home with a friend who isn't into prog music, and you want to explain him what progressive music is. You think that the better way is giving him a listening, but you have just few minutes. Which are the songs you choose to demonstrate what prog genre means? 

"Roundabout" or "All Good People" from Yes.

"Time is Right" by Manfred Mann's Earthband.

I don't want to scare them off with anything too complex.  You have to have a song that immediately sticks, get them humming the chorus. Careful of odd-metered stuff. If they can't tap their foot, they won't get it.

Of course, if they are musicians, you can go for something which they will appreciate. I don't know how many drummers I've got into Prog with Bruford's drumming technique. Guitar players enjoy Howe's "Mood for a Day" or Holdsworth's intro to "Nevermore."

I've also created a few CD's of "various artists" stuff to give them an overview. I try to keep it upbeat, not too complex, and always with vocals. There are not a lot of people who like instrumental music. I love it, but that not the issue, is it?

Since Prog tunes are long and the CD-R is only 80 minutes, give them a good cross section of artists and songs you think THEY may like. You've got to catch there interest, not show them the stuff you like first. That comes second.  

Hopefully you've just created a proghole and not lost a friend.  

Kay.  If I had an hour I'd regale them with "Roundabout", "Supper's Ready", "In The Court Of The Crimson King", "Xanadu" and "Minstrel In The Gallery".

Then while they were sitting there glassy-eyed, I'd try to explain what those songs had in common.

 

danbo....i'd agree with Roundabout" or "All Good People" from Yes. and i'd also include Fanfare For The Common Man or Tarkus from ELP!!!!!!!!!!

Time (Dark side of the moon), Awaken (g4t1), Musical Box (nursery cryme). That's what did it for me.

Then Firth of Fifth, Echo's and if there was time, the Icon (Utopia).

Or maybe Six Wives, Animals and Angels Egg (GonG) in their entirity.

 

I would start with:

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King  

followed by:

Genesis - Suppers Ready

and then:

ELP - Tarkus (live version)

finishing with:

Yes - Close To The Edge

 

Take no prisoners!!!

 

Ease them in with Camel - First album is a good choice, tho' Snow Goose might be better - especially if the person has classical pretensions. DSOTM is something everyone's got, so Echoes from Meddle might convince them that they're into prog. Next, play the Marillion Hammersmith Odeon concert from 1984 - available on BBC transcript. If they're still with you - and they should be, they're ready for Supper's Ready. Don't skip Horizons, though! Lastly, play Ship Arriving Too Late (Zappa). Now they should be ready for anything - yes, even GG!

Mekanik Kommandoh by MAGMA!

 

...

well, maybe not.

corbet wrote: Mekanik Kommandoh by MAGMA!   ... well, maybe not.

I think this would disgust them from prog rather than make them want to dig further ! Submit them instead something lighter and more accessible, such as Yes' "And you and I" for the seventies, Marillion's "Heart of Lothian" for the eighties, Echolyn's "Currents of me" and Dream Theater's "Raising the knife" for the nineties.  

I'd try 21st Century Schizoid Man. I remember hearing that for the first time (I downloaded it from the website and bought the album soon after). I was simply AMAZED!