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QuoteReplyTopic: Top 300 Prog Rock Tracks (based on RYM ratings) Posted: July 19 2022 at 04:01
Hello, everybody. I have an unhealthy fixation with lists and statistics, one that frequently rears its ugly head into the hobby of listening to music and thinking about it. One question that I've recently asked myself was 'Which prog albums can be considered the best?' One possible way to answer that question is to look at our Top 100 or the manually generated Top 250 list, where the system favours the albums with a high average rating but few votes to a sufficient extent to let said albums compete with the genre's most critically acclaimed pieces. Many other such lists exist.
Things get more complicated when you want to narrow it down to Prog's greatest songs or compositions. It's not a task music critics of the past haven't embarked on by any means, and lists claiming to have been produced under coordination among multiple experts are out there. One such list was made by Magnum Vaeltaja here, which was a collaboration between 18 users, each of whom submitted a list of arbitrary length of their own. Quite an effort on behalf of every individual person involved, and the top of that list is sure to reflect the general situation, but it left me wondering whether any alternative was possible... and if I could do something about it. My intuition was that having many more votes was the key.
This led me to consulting an existing database of track ratings found on the website RateYourMusic. Each album's page contains the track ratings for all songs, visible to all RYM subscribers. Naturally, the popular albums, especially the newly released ones on this vibrant music fan website, have received the most attention, and its users' preference in liking certain things over others can be identified with certain trends being evident.
I looked for track ratings above 4.10 with at least 40 votes, the latter requirement unfortunately leading to some artists such as Motorpsycho, Big Big Train, Phideaux and Discipline being left out entirely, though they were nowhere close enough to competing with anything in the 4.40-4.70 range at the very top of the list. It does present a hurdle for more obscure - even if well-known - prog artists standing much of a chance against the so-called greats.
Behold, here is the list:
Rank
Rating
Band
Song
Vote No.
1
4.7
King Crimson
Starless
2043
2
4.68
Pink Floyd
Comfortably Numb
1593
3
4.67
King Crimson
21st Century Schizoid Man (Including 'Mirrors')
3639
4
4.66
Pink Floyd
Echoes
1972
5
4.65
Pink Floyd
Shine On You
Crazy Diamond (1-5)
3442
6
4.64
Yes
Roundabout
1065
7
4.63
Pink Floyd
Time
3452
8
4.62
Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
3455
9
4.62
Yes
Close to the
Edge
1598
10
4.61
King Crimson
The Court of the Crimson King (Including 'The Return of the
Fire Witch' and 'The Dance of the Puppets')
3561
11
4.6
The Moody Blues
The Night: Nights in White Satin
470
12
4.59
Pink Floyd
Dogs
2287
13
4.57
Can
Vitamin C
1017
14
4.57
Genesis
Supper's Ready
747
15
4.56
King Crimson
Epitaph (Including 'March for No Reason' and 'Tomorrow and
Tomorrow')
3570
16
4.53
Supertramp
The Logical Song
498
17
4.53
Rush
Subdivisions
346
18
4.52
Can
Halleluwah
1365
19
4.52
Frank Zappa
Peaches en Regalia
1093
20
4.52
Genesis
Dancing With
the Moonlit Knight
996
21
4.52
Genesis
Firth of Fifth
987
22
4.51
Frank Zappa
Watermelon in Easter Hay
135
23
4.5
Rush
The Spirit of Radio
541
24
4.49
Pink Floyd
Us and Them
3377
25
4.49
King Crimson
Fallen Angel
1966
26
4.49
Porcupine Tree
Arriving Somewhere but Not Here
438
27
4.48
Pink Floyd
Hey You
1522
28
4.48
The Mars Volta
Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus
696
29
4.47
Yes
Heart of the Sunrise
958
30
4.47
Jethro Tull
Aqualung
565
31
4.47
Genesis
The Musical Box
557
32
4.47
Camel
Lady Fantasy
555
33
4.47
Porcupine Tree
Anesthetize
437
34
4.46
Genesis
Carpet Crawlers
461
35
4.45
Pink Floyd
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (6-9)
3340
36
4.45
Can
Paperhouse
1379
37
4.45
The Mars Volta
L'Via L'Viaquez
683
38
4.45
The Mars Volta
Cassandra Gemini
642
39
4.45
Focus
Hocus Pocus
98
40
4.44
Pink Floyd
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
2248
41
4.44
The Mars Volta
Inertiatic ESP
754
42
4.44
Porcupine Tree
Trains
590
43
4.43
Can
Bel Air
1081
44
4.43
Jethro Tull
Thick as a Brick Part 1
562
45
4.43
Supertramp
Goodbye Stranger
490
46
4.43
Kansas
Dust in the Wind
131
47
4.42
Pink Floyd
Sheep
2228
48
4.42
Can
Future Days
1113
49
4.42
King Crimson
Frame by Frame
1045
50
4.41
King Crimson
Red
1975
51
4.41
King Crimson
One More Red Nightmare
1938
52
4.41
Rush
Tom Sawyer
977
53
4.41
Comus
The Herald
662
54
4.41
Comus
Drip Drip
650
55
4.41
Supertramp
Breakfast in America
481
56
4.41
Genesis
In the Cage
437
57
4.4
Pink Floyd
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
1580
58
4.4
King Crimson
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two
1040
59
4.4
Rush
La Villa Strangiato
568
60
4.39
King Crimson
I Talk to the
Wind
3554
61
4.39
Pink Floyd
Brain Damage
3314
62
4.39
Rush
2112
665
63
4.39
Genesis
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
468
64
4.38
Yes
Starship Trooper
630
65
4.38
Porcupine Tree
Blackest Eyes
586
66
4.38
Rush
Xanadu
492
67
4.38
Yes
The Gates of Delirium
479
68
4.38
Can
Mother Sky
369
69
4.37
Pink Floyd
The Great Gig in the Sky
3398
70
4.37
Haken
Celestial Elixir
70
71
4.36
Pink Floyd
Money
3440
72
4.35
Can
Oh Yeah
1334
73
4.35
Frank Zappa
Willie the Pimp
1050
74
4.35
Comus
Diana
658
75
4.35
Pink Floyd
High Hopes
609
76
4.35
Camel
Nimrodel / The Procession / The White Rider
542
77
4.35
Opeth
Windowpane
435
78
4.35
Bacamarte
Último entardecer
51
79
4.34
Pink Floyd
Eclipse
3269
80
4.34
King Crimson
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One
1061
81
4.34
Rush
YYZ
941
82
4.34
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Tarkus
314
83
4.34
Haken
Visions
76
84
4.33
Pink Floyd
One of These Days
1858
85
4.33
Genesis
Watcher of the Skies
729
86
4.33
The Mars Volta
Goliath
224
87
4.32
Can
Moonshake
1085
88
4.32
Can
Sing Swan Song
968
89
4.32
Genesis
The Cinema
Show
908
90
4.32
Yes
Yours Is No Disgrace
625
91
4.32
Mahavishnu Orchestra
Meeting of the Spirits
336
92
4.32
Mike Oldfield
Ommadawn Part 1
218
93
4.32
Kansas
Carry on Wayward Son
198
94
4.31
Yes
And You and I
1534
95
4.31
Yes
Siberian
Khatru
1528
96
4.31
Frank Zappa
Son of Mr. Green Genes
1010
97
4.31
Caravan
Nine Feet Underground
365
98
4.3
Can
Mushroom
1349
99
4.3
Comus
Song to Comus
617
100
4.3
Supertramp
School
366
101
4.29
Pink Floyd
Astronomy Dominé
1410
102
4.29
King Crimson
Elephant Talk
1047
103
4.29
Yes
South Side of the Sky
937
104
4.29
The Mars Volta
Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
730
105
4.29
Frank Zappa
Hungry Freaks, Daddy
522
106
4.29
Porcupine Tree
Lightbulb Sun
302
107
4.29
Frank Zappa
Inca Roads
301
108
4.29
Frank Zappa
Little House I Used to Live In
213
109
4.29
Renaissance
Trip to the Fair
194
110
4.29
Gong
Master Builder
166
111
4.29
Magma
De Futura
114
112
4.28
Jethro Tull
Locomotive Breath
511
113
4.28
Frank Zappa
Uncle Remus
412
114
4.28
Frank Zappa
Apostrophe
407
115
4.28
Genesis
Dance on a Volcano
352
116
4.28
Frank Zappa
Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague
225
117
4.28
Gentle Giant
Proclamation
183
118
4.27
King Crimson
Indiscipline
1021
119
4.27
Camel
Song Within a Song
264
120
4.27
Frank Zappa
My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama
191
121
4.26
Pink Floyd
Welcome to the Machine
3364
122
4.26
King Crimson
Thela Hun Ginjeet
1020
123
4.26
Rush
Limelight
936
124
4.26
The Mars Volta
Eriatarka
700
125
4.26
Frank Zappa
Trouble Every Day
498
126
4.26
Porcupine Tree
Fear of a Blank Planet
422
127
4.26
Genesis
The Knife
376
128
4.25
Can
I'm So Green
959
129
4.25
The Mars Volta
The Widow
695
130
4.25
King Crimson
Islands
648
131
4.25
Rush
Freewill
529
132
4.25
Van der Graaf Generator
Man-Erg
388
133
4.25
Amon Düül II
Soap Shop Rock
305
134
4.25
The Mars Volta
Day of the Baphomets
278
135
4.25
The Mars Volta
Viscera Eyes
273
136
4.25
Porcupine Tree
The Sky Moves Sideways (Phase One)
178
137
4.25
Gong
Flying Teapot
177
138
4.25
Supertramp
Give a Little Bit
171
139
4.25
Premiata Forneria Marconi
Impressioni di settembre
137
140
4.25
Renaissance
Mother Russia
89
141
4.25
Frank Zappa
Filthy Habits
73
142
4.24
Porcupine Tree
Lazarus
429
143
4.24
Frank Zappa
Cosmik Debris
412
144
4.24
Frank Zappa
Who Needs the Peace Corps
368
145
4.24
Porcupine Tree
Shesmovedon
308
146
4.24
Van der Graaf Generator
Killer
247
147
4.24
Camel
Rhayader
206
148
4.24
Frank Zappa
The Orange County Lumber Truck
185
149
4.24
Renaissance
Song of Scheherazade
181
150
4.23
The Mars Volta
Drunkship of Lanterns
708
151
4.23
Genesis
Fly on a Windshield
437
152
4.23
Van der Graaf Generator
A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers
383
153
4.23
Rush
Red Sector A
251
154
4.22
Pink Floyd
Have a Cigar
3349
155
4.22
Rush
Cygnus X-1 Book II - Hemispheres
557
156
4.22
Genesis
The Fountain of Salmacis
513
157
4.22
Porcupine Tree
Russia on Ice
297
158
4.22
The Mars Volta
Tetragrammaton
288
159
4.22
Van der Graaf Generator
Pilgrims
152
160
4.22
Gong
I Niver Glid Before
93
161
4.22
Magma
K.A III
81
162
4.22
Marillion
Afraid of Sunlight
62
163
4.21
Can
Spoon
938
164
4.21
Rush
Natural Science
503
165
4.21
Genesis
The Lamia
422
166
4.21
The Moody Blues
The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?): (Evening) Time to
Get Away
402
167
4.21
Yes
Awaken
282
168
4.21
Porcupine Tree
Even Less
253
169
4.21
Rush
Distant Early Warning
249
170
4.21
Wishbone Ash
Sometime World
232
171
4.21
Frank Zappa
King Kong (Live on a Flat Bed Diesel in the Middle of a Race
Track at a Miami Festival... The Underwood Ramifications)
197
172
4.21
Yes
Machine Messiah
196
173
4.21
Frank Zappa
Joe's Garage
149
174
4.21
Steven Wilson
Deform to Form a Star
133
175
4.21
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
R.I.P. (Requiescant in pace)
68
176
4.2
Pink Floyd
Interstellar Overdrive
1382
177
4.2
Camel
Freefall
541
178
4.2
Porcupine Tree
Deadwing
412
179
4.2
Gentle Giant
Pantagruel's Nativity
204
180
4.2
Camel
Rhayader Goes to Town
198
181
4.2
Frank Zappa
King Kong (It's Magnificence as Interpreted by Dom DeWild)
194
182
4.2
Camel
La princesse perdue
183
183
4.2
Harmonium
Histoires sans paroles
177
184
4.2
Camel
Never Let Go
169
185
4.2
Uriah Heep
July Morning
150
186
4.2
Renaissance
Ashes Are Burning
108
187
4.2
Return to Forever
Spain
79
188
4.2
Transatlantic
Duel With the Devil
45
189
4.19
Pink Floyd
In the Flesh?
1488
190
4.19
Yes
I've Seen All Good People
626
191
4.19
Robert Wyatt
Sea Song
533
192
4.19
Steven Wilson
Luminol
366
193
4.19
Supertramp
Crime of the Century
345
194
4.19
Frank Zappa
Camarillo Brillo
279
195
4.19
Camel
Lunar Sea
245
196
4.19
Frank Zappa
King Kong (The Gardner Varieties)
199
197
4.19
Frank Zappa
King Kong Itself (As Played by The Mothers in a Studio)
196
198
4.19
Frank Zappa
The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution
72
199
4.19
Marillion
Easter
67
200
4.19
Museo Rosenbach
Zarathustra
57
201
4.19
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
Canto nomade per un prigioniero politico
53
202
4.19
Magma
Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré II
47
203
4.18
The Mars Volta
Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt
680
204
4.18
King Crimson
Fracture
573
205
4.18
Rush
Cygnus X-1
469
206
4.18
Opeth
In My Time of Need
415
207
4.18
Genesis
it
407
208
4.18
Caravan
Winter Wine
368
209
4.18
Van der Graaf Generator
Scorched Earth
242
210
4.18
Marillion
Kayleigh
206
211
4.18
Frank Zappa
Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown
204
212
4.18
Frank Zappa
King Kong (As Motorhead Explains It)
194
213
4.18
Gentle Giant
In a Glass House
164
214
4.18
Caravan
Can't Be Long Now / Françoise / For Richard / Warlock
132
215
4.17
Pink Floyd
Lucifer Sam
1364
216
4.17
King Crimson
Easy Money
1048
217
4.17
Comus
The Prisoner
584
218
4.17
Jethro Tull
Thick as a Brick Part 2
546
219
4.17
Pink Floyd
Careful With That Axe, Eugene
531
220
4.17
Supertramp
Take the Long Way Home
454
221
4.17
Frank Zappa
What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?
368
222
4.17
Frank Zappa
Absolutely Free
352
223
4.17
Genesis
Entangled
351
224
4.17
Mike Oldfield
Tubular Bells (Part One)
344
225
4.17
Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Noonward Race
315
226
4.17
Camel
The Snow Goose
192
227
4.17
Supertramp
Fool's Overture
160
228
4.17
Frank Zappa
Bobby Brown
159
229
4.17
Rush
Headlong Flight
155
230
4.17
Renaissance
Can You Understand?
108
231
4.17
Frank Zappa
REDUNZL
79
232
4.17
U.K.
In the Dead of Night
64
233
4.17
Peter Hammill
(In The) Black Room / Tower
46
234
4.16
Pink Floyd
Mother
1496
235
4.16
King Crimson
Matte kudasai
1022
236
4.16
Frank Zappa
The Gumbo Variations
970
237
4.16
The Mars Volta
Cicatriz ESP
694
238
4.16
King Crimson
The Great Deceiver
596
239
4.16
Porcupine Tree
The Sound of Muzak
542
240
4.16
Genesis
The Return of the Giant Hogweed
519
241
4.16
Genesis
Counting Out Time
432
242
4.16
Frank Zappa
Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance
346
243
4.16
Rush
Fly by Night
320
244
4.16
Rush
The Analog Kid
318
245
4.16
Frank Zappa
Montana
271
246
4.16
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Karn Evil 9 1st Impression - Part 1
225
247
4.16
Gentle Giant
Playing the Game
185
248
4.16
Gentle Giant
The Runaway
166
249
4.16
Soft Machine
Hibou, Anemone and Bear
115
250
4.16
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
L'evoluzione
77
251
4.16
Caravan
L'auberge du sanglier / A Hunting We Shall Go / Pengola /
Backwards / A Hunting Shall We Go (Reprise)
75
252
4.16
Magma
Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré III
44
253
4.15
Pink Floyd
Atom Heart Mother
1151
254
4.15
Yes
Long Distance Runaround
936
255
4.15
Rush
Red Barchetta
917
256
4.15
King Crimson
Cirkus (Including 'Entry of the Chameleons')
642
257
4.15
Rush
A Farewell to Kings
478
258
4.15
Frank Zappa
Nanook Rubs It
413
259
4.15
Rush
Anthem
315
260
4.15
Tangerine Dream
Phaedra
311
261
4.15
Amon Düül II
Eye-Shaking King
290
262
4.15
Return to Forever
Return to Forever
167
263
4.15
Gong
The Isle of Everywhere
156
264
4.15
Steve Hackett
Shadow of the Hierophant
88
265
4.14
Jethro Tull
Cross-Eyed Mary
506
266
4.14
Genesis
Back in N.Y.C.
439
267
4.14
Genesis
Ripples
351
268
4.14
Steven Wilson
3 Years Older
249
269
4.14
Van der Graaf Generator
The Sleepwalkers
234
270
4.14
Jethro Tull
Bourée
234
271
4.14
Magma
Hortz Fur Dëhn Stekëhn West
201
272
4.14
Uriah Heep
Easy Livin'
166
273
4.14
Marillion
Script for a Jester's Tear
160
274
4.14
Rush
The Garden
157
275
4.14
Jethro Tull
Heavy Horses
138
276
4.14
Premiata Forneria Marconi
Appena un po'
121
277
4.14
maudlin of the Well
An Excerpt From 6,000,000,000,000 Miles Before the First, or,
The Revisitation of the Blue Ghost
98
278
4.14
Peter Hammill
A Louse Is Not a Home
93
279
4.14
Eloy
Poseidon's Creation
81
280
4.14
Kansas
Song for America
70
281
4.14
Hawkwind
Magnu
70
282
4.13
Pink Floyd
Fearless (Including "You'll Never Walk Alone")
1817
283
4.13
King Crimson
Lizard a) Prince Rupert Awakes
600
284
4.13
Frank Zappa
Any Way the Wind Blows
483
285
4.13
Supertramp
Child of Vision
428
286
4.13
Genesis
One for the Vine
241
287
4.13
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Karn Evil 9 1st Impression - Part 2
219
288
4.13
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
From the Beginning
153
289
4.13
Gentle Giant
Free Hand
137
290
4.13
Jethro Tull
Minstrel in the Gallery
131
291
4.13
Magma
Kobaia
90
292
4.13
Bacamarte
UFO
53
293
4.13
Magma
The Last Seven Minutes (1970-1977, Phase I)
50
294
4.12
Pink Floyd
Run Like Hell
1419
295
4.12
Genesis
I Know What I
Like (In Your Wardrobe)
954
296
4.12
Comus
The Bite
589
297
4.12
Robert Wyatt
Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road
503
298
4.12
Rush
Closer to the Heart
485
299
4.12
Genesis
The Chamber of 32 Doors
420
300
4.12
Frank Zappa
Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
417
Spotify playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/43Zbj754rIHgi8bZQ6V0UZ?si=afc478438c7f4ea7 (copy and paste)
One important question was what exactly should be considered; a cause of grief for members of this website and other prog communities. I approached the issue my own way, selecting albums from PA's Top 250 and looking up the RYM track ratings for the songs therein. Tracks from artists' non-prog eras like Genesis' pop period or anything from Opeth outside Damnation were left of (output from Heritage onwards would qualify, but the track ratings are far too low to make the list).
The list was formed by artists considered prog in classic mid-noughties era PA before prog-adjacent and other less obvious artists were added to the database, so I felt it right to exclude tracks by the likes of Miles Davis (whether it's fair to omit his fusion tracks while including the best ones by Return to Forever, you be the judge) as well as those by Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel and so forth, to have a more prog-oriented list. Nonetheless, prog 'hits' like The Logical Song, Tom Sawyer and Hocus Pocus rank very well on the list, perhaps more than they should against monumental epics like Karn Evil 9 and Cygnus X-1.
Another matter was what to do about all the progressive metal, some of which the userbase of RYM seems to have a way better familiarity compared to that of PA. I was initially including Dream Theater songs liberally, moving on to Opeth and Queensryche, and when I got to Death I started questioning how much metal, if any, I wanted on the list at all. The result was not including any at all. A similar list for Prog Metal is currently a work in progress, with even more questions to answer ('Do I include djent / techdeath / sludge / blackgaze / albums with a 'prog' secondary? / etc.'). I might post it later, alongside other lists for other prog subgenres.
Some of the choices may be deemed unfair by fans of specific bands on the list. For instance, there is a lot of Zappa appreciation, and the whole First Utterance album from Comus is on the list, but considerably less for Gentle Giant, VdGG, Marillion or IQ, with lower tracks average, to say nothing of new prog that isn't Steven Wilson or The Mars Volta. This is where the list loses to a critic-generated one that tries to acknowledge achievements in a diverse body of music. Still, that's what you get from the unholy union of looking up RYM track ratings based on ProgArchives' top albums and artists. You can argue that any list will neglect to include some of our favourite artists and subgenres.
At the end of the day, it's mostly there to provide an answer to the question of which of the big tracks is in fact the best one, though by users who are very likely to be outsiders to this country or any other that is united by interest in prog.
In my spare time, I like to unwind by making all sort of lists based on data to subsequently listen to it all in the form of carefully-made Spotify playlists, and I suddenly got curious if I could use it as something to talk to others about.
Which artists' contributions and achievements do you find the list to acknowledge most poorly? Would any choices in terms of what should be considered prog for the purposes of making the list lead to a superior resource? Very eager to hear any comments here.
Appreciate the effort you made to create this list. That said, it's no surprise most of the entries are from dinosaur prog bands and modern prog bands are absent. The entries provided seem to be the most commercial choices, not ones I would pick.
There's probably over 200 songs on that list that I love, so no "complaints" (and what use is there to complain about statistics anyway...). I'm guessing without checking with PA's top 250 albums, there would be more "post-rock" - mainly from Talk Talk, GY!BE, Swans and maybe Tortoise here? Also it seems Progressive electronic is left out? Or isn't anything from Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel Jarre... or Kraftwerk popular enough?
Close To The Edge at #9 and Suppers Ready at #14 tends to make this list seem less than awesome...
What are you talking about? Being in the top 10 and 15 of an entire genre (and songs even, not albums) is still extremely high. The songs that beat them are all classics.
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
I've always liked Supertramp, but the biggest surprise is The Logical Song at #16 in the list, which is Highly Illogical.
I mean, it's based on quality, not progginess, and The Logical Song is a damn high quality pop song, I'd say.
And here's the Excel sheet with all 350 files that qualified for the list, including fifty that didn't quite make it. You can download it to open on your device and sort them by band, and the like. Expires in 30 days, it seems (I tried sharing with Google Drive, but apparently it also makes you log in as me instead? That's creepy).
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
A nice list! I love all of the songs in the Top 12.
I guess you're not a Can fan. Considering the indie cred they have, I was a little afraid of adding any krautrock to the list, fearing they may take over the classic prog tracks many of us would rather see. I ended up only adding the four krautrock albums we have in our top 250 on PA. It turns out that measure was unnecessary as there are ONLY 30 songs in the entire krautrock genre that fulfil the criteria to be considered for the list (average rating 4.1+ / 40+ votes). So as important Can are for noise rock and other genres RYM users care about, the actual appreciation extends to an extremely restricted range of records.
Here's the full krautrock list, if you're interested:
1
4.57
Can
Vitamin C
1017
2
4.52
Can
Halleluwah
1365
3
4.45
Can
Paperhouse
1379
4
4.43
Can
Bel Air
1081
5
4.42
Can
Future Days
1113
6
4.42
NEU!
Hallogallo
640
7
4.38
Can
Mother Sky
369
8
4.35
Can
Oh Yeah
1334
9
4.35
NEU!
Isi
432
10
4.32
Can
Moonshake
1085
11
4.32
Can
Sing Swan Song
968
12
4.3
Can
Mushroom
1349
13
4.27
Popol Vuh
Aguirre I
55
14
4.26
Faust
Jennifer
435
15
4.25
Amon Düül II
Soap Shop Rock
305
16
4.25
Can
I'm So Green
959
17
4.25
NEU!
Negativland
598
18
4.25
NEU!
Für immer (Forever)
187
19
4.24
Faust
Krautrock
431
20
4.21
Can
Spoon
938
21
4.21
Faust
Giggy Smile / Picnic on a Frozen River
406
22
4.16
NEU!
Seeland
415
23
4.15
Amon Düül II
Eye-Shaking King
290
24
4.14
NEU!
Hero
418
25
4.12
Faust
Kanaan
181
26
4.11
Can
Spray
1066
27
4.11
Amon Düül II
Archangels Thunderbird
300
28
4.11
Can
Pinch
953
29
4.11
Faust
Sleepwalker's Timeless Bridge
80
30
4.1
Amon Düül II
Yeti (Improvisation)
285
Grumpyprogfan wrote:
Appreciate the effort you made to create this list. That said, it's no surprise most of the entries are from dinosaur prog bands and modern prog bands are absent. The entries provided seem to be the most commercial choices, not ones I would pick.
I wish there was a way to generate an esoteric playlist of less obvious choices as voted by users with more experience listening to bands' catalogue. But then who am I to say that increased exposure to, say, King Crimson's music causes one to abandon liking Epitaph in favour of Fracture? Still, a kind of music elitist/snob-driven list would be exciting, with the exact mechanics of getting users to partake being troublesome.
Saperlipopette! wrote:
There's probably over 200 songs on that list that I love, so no "complaints" (and what use is there to complain about statistics anyway...). I'm guessing without checking with PA's top 250 albums, there would be more "post-rock" - mainly from Talk Talk, GY!BE, Swans and maybe Tortoise here? Also it seems Progressive electronic is left out? Or isn't anything from Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel Jarre... or Kraftwerk popular enough?
Tangerine Dream's dicography was investigated fully for the list, resulting in a grand total of ONE track eligible with a sufficiently high rating. It's a shame, what can I say. The other progressive electronic artists either had no highly rated tracks or weren't on PA's top 250.
I felt that adding any post-rock would be too intrusive to the intention of focusing on a classic prog-oriented list, for the same reasons I didn't add any metal era Opeth or BTBAM to it.
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:
miamiscot wrote:
Close To The Edge at #9 and Suppers Ready at #14 tends to make this list seem less than awesome...
I agree. Plus other than Porcupine Tree and The Mars Volta there's hardly any modern prog on the list.
Perhaps we still need to wait a decade or two before the other new prog are considered classics? It might have something to do with the community not agreeing on what the good material is, as is possible with 70s material. Even Anglagard has low ratings on RYM and didn't make it to this list.
One solution is to go to RYM and rate the modern prog masterpieces highly, as they deserve.
I agree. Plus other than Porcupine Tree and The Mars Volta there's hardly any modern prog on the list.
Trickster F. wrote:
Perhaps we still need to wait a decade or two before the other new prog are considered classics? It might have something to do with the community not agreeing on what the good material is, as is possible with 70s material. Even Anglagard has low ratings on RYM and didn't make it to this list.
One solution is to go to RYM and rate the modern prog masterpieces highly, as they deserve.
It will never happen to Anglagard or Wobbler etc... You've chosen to focus on classic prog and leave out the modern genres. + check with PA's top 250 albums. All fine by me but that's why modern prog is missing. This is a conservative music site. This "new" retro prog will never be as popular outside of PA as it is on PA. Not a chance. It's mostly here that "we" want prog to sound a specific way. Recent genres such as post rock (I don't know in regards to prog metal) is actually more popular outside of PA than here. It not strange at all this is a "dinosaur heavy" list.
I'm guessing Radiohead, Swans and GY!BE would all have songs among the top 20 or 40 here if you only judged by RYM's song rating alone. You already mentioned Dream Theater but maybe Black Midi, Tool... would be somewhere in the 300 + Slint, Fishmans...?
I agree. Plus other than Porcupine Tree and The Mars Volta there's hardly any modern prog on the list.
Trickster F. wrote:
Perhaps we still need to wait a decade or two before the other new prog are considered classics? It might have something to do with the community not agreeing on what the good material is, as is possible with 70s material. Even Anglagard has low ratings on RYM and didn't make it to this list.
One solution is to go to RYM and rate the modern prog masterpieces highly, as they deserve.
It will never happen to Anglagard or Wobbler etc... You've chosen to focus on classic prog and leave out the modern genres. + check with PA's top 250 albums. All fine by me but that's why modern prog is missing. This is a conservative music site. This "new" retro prog will never be as popular outside of PA as it is on PA. Not a chance. It's mostly here that "we" want prog to sound a specific way. Recent genres such as post rock (I don't know in regards to prog metal) is actually more popular outside of PA than here. It not strange at all this is a "dinosaur heavy" list.
I'm guessing Radiohead, Swans and GY!BE would all have songs among the top 20 or 40 here if you only judged by RYM's song rating alone. You already mentioned Dream Theater but maybe Black Midi, Tool... would be somewhere in the 300 + Slint, Fishmans...?
Personally I'm perplexed that Anglagard doesn't have a single track with a rating average of at least 4.0. It is likely a good indication of the attitudes within the RYM community, which doesn't have very many people listening to any modern prog to cast positive votes.
If I were to judge by RYM's ratings, none of the post-rock bands (or most of them; there should be occasional albums listed as both post-rock and prog) would make it, as post-rock is a separate category on the website. A lot of experimental music indie fans like can be vaguely related to prog, and it's difficult to devise a plan how to decide which of it is prog. I guess you could manually check every artist on belonging to PA, after which you still need to decide which tracks of theirs you will consider for inclusion on the list. Black Sabbath are on PA, so should the tracks from Paranoid fill the top of our list as well?
Judging just by RYM's Top 40 albums of all time, you will find that for 21 of 40 of these albums, the artist is also featured on PA, though often as Prog-Related or similar. With RYM having a clear anti-commercial, pro-experimental attitude in music taste formation - something that they have in common with us - you can expect many of the artists on the charts to have "progressive" material in some sense of that word.
So it's a challenging task, but if we want to narrow down 'experimental music' to certain tags, it can be done.
I have been cataloging my CD collection on RYM for a while now (still far from being done) and have rated every album I own. I only recently noticed (about six months ago?) that you can rate individual tracks. Your post reminded me that I ought to start doing that though the task looks it could take me many years to finish (2000+ CDs, plus many re-listens are needed). Perhaps in doing so I could help a few more of the obscure acts reach that 40-vote threshold.
Interesting list and analysis. Thanks for sharing this with us.
---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions
Black Sabbath are on PA, so should the tracks from Paranoid fill the top of our list as well?
My list will never be made, but: All I was replying to is that by your rules it's no surprise there's hardly any recent progressive rock on your list. Black Sabbath are in prog related here, which means not really counted as genuine prog - and excluded from PA's album chart. Swans, GY!BE and Sigur Ros (Radiohead, Black Midi...) are on PA and placed in "fully prog" subgenres. By PA's own rules, the former band would not be included and the latter bands would.
I'm not that interested in such a list when you consider there are so many great prog tracks by artists that are not closely associated with the genre. 3 obvious ones are Bohemian Rapsody , Stairway to Heaven and Stargazer . I mention those because they were recently voted the top three by Planet Rock Radio listeners in their all time top 60 rock tracks. I would also be tempted to throw some Who in (Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled again) as well as some classic Purple (Child In Time). Attempting to remove subjectivity doesn't always lead to interesting results sadly.
Black Sabbath are on PA, so should the tracks from Paranoid fill the top of our list as well?
My list will never be made, but: All I was replying to is that by your rules it's no surprise there's hardly any recent progressive rock on your list. Black Sabbath are in prog related here, which means not really counted as genuine prog - and excluded from PA's album chart. Swans, GY!BE and Sigur Ros (Radiohead, Black Midi...) are on PA and placed in "fully prog" subgenres. By PA's own rules, the former band would not be included and the latter bands would.
Sounds like a good way to draw the line - by leaving out the prog-related artists. I've just made the effort of checking which RYM artists fulfilling the criteria (4.1+ average/40+ votes) are also present on ProgArchives. My eyes hurt after finishing.
Here's the list I got:
https://pastebin.com/prxhcU6K
If anyone who actively uses both PA and RYM could have a look what else could be added, I'd be mighty grateful. I've only been an occasional lurker on PA in the last decade or so, and my RYM use is very specific and repetitive.
91 unique artists, and that's not counting any Prog-Metal (which is a can of worms I'll open some other time). The List won't look the same with the prog classics being close to dethroned by the likes of Swans, NIN and GYBE!, but what can I say, it would be a fun list indeed.
I'm considering filtering out the obvious artists like Pink Floyd and Genesis from the original list and combining what remains with the list above + maybe prog-metal? We'll see, but the resulting Spotify playlist could be exciting either way.
richardh wrote:
I'm not that interested in such a list when you consider there are so many great prog tracks by artists that are not closely associated with the genre. 3 obvious ones are Bohemian Rapsody , Stairway to Heaven and Stargazer . I mention those because they were recently voted the top three by Planet Rock Radio listeners in their all time top 60 rock tracks. I would also be tempted to throw some Who in (Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled again) as well as some classic Purple (Child In Time). Attempting to remove subjectivity doesn't always lead to interesting results sadly.
I did make some arbitrary choices in the process of making the list. I suppose there are multiple ways of making things more fun; some ideas in the first post of this message, based on earlier exchange with the other users, offers some potential ways.
Black Sabbath are on PA, so should the tracks from Paranoid fill the top of our list as well?
My list will never be made, but: All I was replying to is that by your rules it's no surprise there's hardly any recent progressive rock on your list. Black Sabbath are in prog related here, which means not really counted as genuine prog - and excluded from PA's album chart. Swans, GY!BE and Sigur Ros (Radiohead, Black Midi...) are on PA and placed in "fully prog" subgenres. By PA's own rules, the former band would not be included and the latter bands would.
I’m replying to this, rather than the reply to it, because (Trickster F.) you seem to be completely missing the point over and over again. You express surprise over something that is not surprising at all given how you’ve created your list, and what you’ve chosen to include and, more importantly, what you’ve chosen to leave out, when it comes to modern prog.
Retro prog bands like Änglagård and Wobbler are incredibly niche, because they are catering to a very specific audience that longs for a very specific sound from long ago. But those sound being made long ago were popular music. Yes, Tull, Floyd, etc. we’re well known and well liked bands, with huge mainstream appeal. Their equivalents in modern times are not the Änglagårds and Wobblers. Not even the Porcupine Trees! Perhaps The Mars Volta. But the real equivalents are the Opeths and Tools. Regardless of whether or not you consider them prog, they are the closest you come. A huge number of modern day King Crimson fans were introduced to the band by Tool. Tool is a gateway band to prog. Opeth is the same, believe it or not - and yes, I’m talking about the Opeth before they lost their growls!
black midi are probably one of the most popular bands presently in PA. And if there have not been highly rated Radiohead songs on RYM, I’ll be very surprised. (And that’s without mentioning the other bands quoted above.) Starting from the bottom end of PA’s top 250 of all time, attempting to choose only more well-known/mainstream, and not too extreme, metal bands that probably should be considered are:
Fate’s Warning
Opeth
Devin Townsend
Mastodon
Symphony X
Anathema
Dream Theater
Riverside
Tool
Queensryche
By all means, avoid the Deaths and Atheists and Voivods if you want. But discounting all prog metal is always going to give a skewed picture. Especially when what genre a band is listed under in PA is often fairly arbitrary, and sometimes quite inaccurate. You have Haken and The Mars Volta in your list, who are heavier than some of the bands listed under the prog metal genres in PA!
I don’t like every metal band I listed above, but it seems odd to not include them, and then claim to be surprised by how little modern prog appears in your list. It quite possibly doesn’t appear, because you never included it, I mean, you mention Nine Inch Nails, and for sure I would include them if I were making a list of important and influential modern prog bands and artists.
Also, did you include Kate Bush? I guess it is possible she doesn’t have any songs that are rated highly enough on RYM to meet your criteria, but I would have thought she might have managed at least one of two? She is in the PA top 250.
That said, I have absolutely no issue with your list - or any list. There is never going to be a perfect list. You explained your criteria, and your list shows that which met it. The only reason I’m posting is because you still don’t seem to get why it’s not surprising that modern prog doesn’t really appear in your poll. You have pretty much ignored most of the modern prog likely to meet your criteria, choosing instead to focus on bands unlikely to have enough appeal outside then niche prog audience. Retro prog is great for fans of the original prog sound, but it’s not the modern equivalent of the original prog sound.
Black Sabbath are on PA, so should the tracks from Paranoid fill the top of our list as well?
My list will never be made, but: All I was replying to is that by your rules it's no surprise there's hardly any recent progressive rock on your list. Black Sabbath are in prog related here, which means not really counted as genuine prog - and excluded from PA's album chart. Swans, GY!BE and Sigur Ros (Radiohead, Black Midi...) are on PA and placed in "fully prog" subgenres. By PA's own rules, the former band would not be included and the latter bands would.
I’m replying to this, rather than the reply to it, because (Trickster F.) you seem to be completely missing the point over and over again. You express surprise over something that is not surprising at all given how you’ve created your list, and what you’ve chosen to include and, more importantly, what you’ve chosen to leave out, when it comes to modern prog.
Retro prog bands like Änglagård and Wobbler are incredibly niche, because they are catering to a very specific audience that longs for a very specific sound from long ago. But those sound being made long ago were popular music. Yes, Tull, Floyd, etc. we’re well known and well liked bands, with huge mainstream appeal. Their equivalents in modern times are not the Änglagårds and Wobblers. Not even the Porcupine Trees! Perhaps The Mars Volta. But the real equivalents are the Opeths and Tools. Regardless of whether or not you consider them prog, they are the closest you come. A huge number of modern day King Crimson fans were introduced to the band by Tool. Tool is a gateway band to prog. Opeth is the same, believe it or not - and yes, I’m talking about the Opeth before they lost their growls!
black midi are probably one of the most popular bands presently in PA. And if there have not been highly rated Radiohead songs on RYM, I’ll be very surprised. (And that’s without mentioning the other bands quoted above.) Starting from the bottom end of PA’s top 250 of all time, attempting to choose only more well-known/mainstream, and not too extreme, metal bands that probably should be considered are:
Fate’s Warning
Opeth
Devin Townsend
Mastodon
Symphony X
Anathema
Dream Theater
Riverside
Tool
Queensryche
By all means, avoid the Deaths and Atheists and Voivods if you want. But discounting all prog metal is always going to give a skewed picture. Especially when what genre a band is listed under in PA is often fairly arbitrary, and sometimes quite inaccurate. You have Haken and The Mars Volta in your list, who are heavier than some of the bands listed under the prog metal genres in PA!
I don’t like every metal band I listed above, but it seems odd to not include them, and then claim to be surprised by how little modern prog appears in your list. It quite possibly doesn’t appear, because you never included it, I mean, you mention Nine Inch Nails, and for sure I would include them if I were making a list of important and influential modern prog bands and artists.
Also, did you include Kate Bush? I guess it is possible she doesn’t have any songs that are rated highly enough on RYM to meet your criteria, but I would have thought she might have managed at least one of two? She is in the PA top 250.
That said, I have absolutely no issue with your list - or any list. There is never going to be a perfect list. You explained your criteria, and your list shows that which met it. The only reason I’m posting is because you still don’t seem to get why it’s not surprising that modern prog doesn’t really appear in your poll. You have pretty much ignored most of the modern prog likely to meet your criteria, choosing instead to focus on bands unlikely to have enough appeal outside then niche prog audience. Retro prog is great for fans of the original prog sound, but it’s not the modern equivalent of the original prog sound.
I didn't express surprise anywhere, I don't think. I might have expected specific bands to have higher ratings.
RYM has a lot of appreciation for niche music scenes; you could say it's THE community for them to succeed. Anglagard may not be getting people into prog, but they are a quality, to me tasteful, take on the style that has existed for a long enough time to have the classic status.
Black midi are popular indeed, but not among our members, judging by the rating number. I'll be sure to include them in the broader list when it is made. Same goes for Kate Bush and the other 90+ artists I linked to in a post above.
Not a hater of prog metal at all; used to be part of the PM team on PA back in 2006 in fact. The goal of the list was to find another, this time numerical, comparison of key tracks by the prog greats, which was accomplished successfully. I do intend to tackle the prog metal genre next, once I decide what to include in it. Going by what is included in PA seems reasonable enough.
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