Top-rated RYM Prog albums by year 1969-2021

Thought it might be cool to compare the PA top list I made yesterday to a similar list from Rateyourmusic.com.  I'm including both the "Progressive Rock" and "Progressive Rock Influenced" categories, because that seems to include the same subgenres as on PA (such as Jazz Rock/Post Rock), but I excluded anything that is not listed on PA  (most of it seems to be only loosely related anyway) or listed as "Proto Prog" or "Prog Related". Again, the overall rating in the Prog/Prog Influenced category is listed.

Edited by zwordser - November 24 2024 at 16:32

I spend an insane amount of time making a series of polls going through the top 5000 or so albums in RYM and try to include ALL listed in PA regardless of how RYM classifies because one misses a lot in PA if one limits it by adding genres at PA. For instance, Radiohead in Crossover here is super popular at RYM, Bjork is popular, Godspeed is popular, Swans is popular....

if you take 1997 for instance for all genres (a fave year of mine), the top albums are (including ones included in PA):

1. Radiohead - OK Computer (#1 for 1997, #2 overall)
2. Björk - Homogenic (#2 for 1997, #47 overall)
3. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞ (#3 for 1997, #49 overall)
8. Stereolab - Dots and Loops (#8 for 1997, #227 overall)
17. Ground-Zero - Consume Red

18. (not in PA or Prog really but how can I resist?): Portishead - Portishead

I have all of those albums above.

Let's take 2000:

1. Radiohead - Kid A (#1 for 2000, #7 overall)
2. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! (#2 for 2000, #16 overall)
4. Boris - Flood (#4 for 2000, #169 overall)

Let's take 2014:

1. Swans - To Be Kind (#1 for 2014, #106 overall)
7. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (#7 for 2014, #969 overall)

I have all of those albums above, and to me they are all greats in PA.

Maybe I will do one of these (they don't take me long to do simply because I have done so many similar things and I have a very good idea of what is in PA without cross-checking). I have spent a lot of time with the RYM list and discovered lots of music that appeals to me. In fact, those gnereral/ all music lists are more useful to me than PA's top albums (especially as there is so much Proggy/ Prog adjacent/related music that is not in PA and my interests commonly align more with the so-called by some "hipsters" of RYM).

RYM community seems to really hate prog lol

Deadwing wrote: RYM community seems to really hate prog lol

Sorry, this is not a very thought-out or useful or perhaps relevant enough post...

I'd say that the userbase at RYM is very diverse, and might be thought of as communities or just users with diverse interests. Just using some other thoughts as a springboard:

I like the tagging system they use. Art Rock is a useful term. Prog is a nebulous label and so so are some others. A lot of what is included in PA, various so-called Prog purists have said is ridiculous and should not be included. Radiohead has, I think, a very large number of ratings, partially because the site got going when Radiohead was huge. It has been much maligned band here and has been controversial. A lot of people who are quick to dismiss aren't as familiar with the discography as they should be, nor the scope of this site.

Taking Radiohead's Amnesiac for example. I find this way more informative and useful:
Primary Genres: Art Rock, Experimental Rock
Secondary Genres: Electronic, Jazz-Rock, Art Pop

Descriptors: anxious, sombre, atmospheric, melancholic, cryptic, male vocalist, cold, abstract, lonely, surreal, mysterious, dark, nocturnal, eclectic, apathetic, complex, mechanical, avant-garde, progressive, alienation, pessimistic, death, apocalyptic, depressive, existential, longing

I find that way more useful than dumping all the albums under Crossover Prog here. But I digress. I have seen someone here complain that RYM is a joke because Radiohead is popular there. At least progressive gets mentioned as a descriptor, and i think those say enough for me. When I use the RYM charts, I do not limit to one included under Progressive Rock. Not only does that miss out on a lot of what is in PA, it misses out on a lot of music that I would be interested in. Art Rock is one of my favourite descriptors, as is art pop.... I'm an alumni of the Art Rock side of things at PA (older members will remember the category at PA which was later split up).

Even when I was familiar with the Prog term in the 80s, I would have sooner described Pink Floyd as Art Rock. I did have this kind of narrow view of what Prog-proper (so to speak) is, and I would not have called Radiohead Prog -- progressive, yes, but not Prog genre. Love Radiohead and happy to see it in PA, and I am big tenter for what could be included here.