4 CDs to Get

For one thing, 1. what do you have by the aforementioned bands, and 2. what kind of new stuff are you interested in?

KC - Red, ITCHYCOCK, Lark's Tongues
VDGG - Pawn Herts, H to He, Godbluff, Still Life.

Also TMV - Frances The Mute and Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante. Both in my top 3 albums ever, strongly recommended if you still don't have.

If you have no other KC, you probably should get "In the Court of the Crimson King." If for nothing else, as a reference point. Apart from that, "Lark's Tounge in Aspic," or "Red."

For VDGG, get "H to He, Who Am the Only One." You won't be disappointed. There is also a very good remaster available now.

If you are short on Genesis, "Foxtrot" is a must.

Then, to mix things up, get some Italian Symphonic (although, you will probably have to order this). Pick any of these;
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - "Banco del Mutuo Soccorso," "Darwin"
PFM - "Per Un Amico," "Storia di Un Minuto"
Le Orme - "Uomo di Pezza"
Museo Rosenbach - "Zarathustra"

Luckily, I do have Foxtrot. And thanks for the recommendations, guys.

Arsillus wrote: King Crimson: Get ITCHYCOCK and Lark's Tongues first VDGG: ???? (I don't like them) but Pawn Hearts and H To He are supposedly their best. Yes: Get Fragile and Relayer Other recommendations: Rush- (A Farewell To Kings, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures) Jethro Tull (Aqualung, Thick As A Brick) Genesis (Selling England, Foxtrot) Those are some good starters. All are great albums, so you can't go wrong with any of them.

You make me angry!!  You don't like me when I'm angry

Anyways, H to He, Pawn Hearts, Godbluff and Still Life are all essential (especially the last three), but Godbluff and Still Life are more accessible than the first two.

And please, whatever you do, don't ask any of the staff if they have ITCHYCOCK!

The album is actually called "In the Court of the Crimson King" (ItCotCK).

Anyway:

King Crimson: Itchycock, Red, Larks' Tongues in Aspic
VdGG: H to He Who Am The Only One, Still Life, Pawn Hearts

Get some Caravan!

I'm into a lot of the English symphonic/concept prog-rock, so I'll have a go at steering you there.

Yes: Dude... Just go for the anthology, these guys are the kings of symphonic prog. You already have the crown jewels in "Close to the Edge", but there is much more gold to be found. Here are the highlights in my opinion.
[1971] The Yes Album - Yours is No Disgrace, Starship Trooper, Perpetual Change
[1971] Fragile - Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, Long Distance Runaround, Mood for a Day, Heart of the Sunrise
[1973] Tales From Topographic Oceans - The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn), The Remembering (High the Memory), The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun), Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)
[1974] Relayer - The Gates of Delirium, Sound Chaser
[1977] Going for the One - Turn of the Century, Awaken

If I had to recommend only a handful of records from Yes:
- The Yes Album
- Fragile
- Tales from Topographic Oceans
That, coupled with Close to the Edge which you already own, takes you right through the peak and zenith of Yes.

What have you got in terms of say, ELP? Like I said, I'm a specialist really on English symphonic, so let me know what you've got in that sort of area. I'll try help you fill any gaps.
    
    
    

Edited by Wishbone_x - August 18 2006 at 00:47

You probably want to look for Trilogy then as well.
I like to think of Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus and Trilogy as THE three ELP records. Then you have Debut and Pictures at an Exhibition, but the other three come first.

Haha yes, don't we all.
The Sheriff is also great, there are some masterpieces on there for sure.

How about Genesis? You say you've got Foxtrot, so I guess you might have some of the other staple Gensis records?

XD don't worry, I'm only 16.
I wasn't around for any of this stuff either, but doesn't give me any less ability to appreciate it.

My Genesis collection goes about as far as:
[1971] Nursery Cryme
[1972] Foxtrot
[1973] Selling England by the Pound
[1974] The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
[1976] A Trick of the Tail
All of that is fantastic stuff, and I'm on the lookout for Win and Wuthering.