Hi everyone

I'm VERY new to Prog Rock - ie. less than 3 mths.  Since then I've bought some Genesis, Jethro Tull, Yes, King Crimson & Floyd 70's albums.  I've heard about Caravan, Gentle Giant, and ELP but I'm looking for more suggestions... what are some other staples? I was very disappointed with 'Kindness To Strangers' by Spock's Beard.  The vocals are unlistenable and weak... are Flower Kings or Transatlantic better?  I don't like any hard rock or metal.

Any help would be appreciated.   I also recently purchased Return to Forver's 'Romantic Warrior' from Amazon & am waiting for it to arrive.

My two fave albums right now are 'Selling England By The Pound' and 'The Court Of The Crimson King'.

Cheers.

Jim Garten wrote: Your current favorites remain favorites of many of us 'old guard', 30 odd years after they were released, but as for recommendations, I'd go for the following: Caravan - Land of the grey & pink ELP - Brain salad surgery Gentle Giant - Aquiring the taste Focus - Focus III

I agree that these are basic. But I should point out that the best way to start with Gentle Giant could be 'Octopus': this one and 'Free Hand' was voted by the GG fanlist as the the best albums for newcomers to the band (while they voted 'The Power and the Glory' as the best, although I tend to disagree with that)

Avoiding the obvious how about these:

Kayak - Royal Bed Bouncer (great early to mid seventies prog rock,one of my favourites!)

Pink Floyd -Animals (better than Dark Side... or Wish You Were Here IMO)

Lone Star- LS/Firing on All Six (Both of their seventies albums are available on one CD.Prog Metal cum Led Zep stuff.Extemely underrated band)

Tangerine Dream - Force Majeure (best 'synth prog' album ever!!)

Aphrodite's Child - 666 (double concept album from Vangelis driven Greek combo that blows all the other doubles out of the water IMO)

IQ - Tales From The Lush Attic (great eightes symphonic prog album,influenced by Genesis)

Par Lindh Project - Gothic Impressions  AND/OR  Anglagard - Hybris (both great examples of the important early nineties Scandanavian prog rock scene) 

Magenta - Revolutions/Seven (Yes/Genesis influenced symphonic prog.Few better bands around at the moment.Excellent female vocals!) 

Hi MC. You must check out:

Moonmadness & Mirage - Camel

Moving Pictures & Hemispheres - Rush

Godbluff - Van Der Graff Generator

The Lamb lies down on Broadway & Trick of the Tail - Genesis

Once Around the world - It Bites

Fugazi - Marillion

Hot Ratz - Frank Zappa

Moonchild74, based on what you have listed as liking, I suggest that you also listen to some Italian Progressive bands. The most famous is PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi) who made some sublime music. Their first two albums: Storia Di Un Minuto and Per Un Amico are 5-star albums and I unreservedly recommend either. Italian Prog bands were a very important part of the overall Prog genre. I'll restrain myself from listing more Italian Prog bands here, although it's hard!

If you like music with plenty of organ and synthesizer, I personally would listen first to Emerson, Lake & Palmer's album Trilogy before Brain Salad Surgery (although the latter is a great album too, I think Trilogy is more subtle, shall we say, and a better introduction), and also to Triumvirat's Illusions On A Double Dimple, both of which are superb albums.

One thing about the Progressive Rock genre: you'll never be short of choice. And this Web site is a great source of information.

Everyone:  Thanks for the suggestions and advice...

Richardh: I have Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of..' & 'Wish You Were Here'.  'Animals' happens to be the next on the list...

Focussed: I have Genesis' 'Trick Of The Tail', 'Foxtrot' & 'Selling...'.  'Lamb..' was the next on the list...

diddy: I have heard about & was planning on getting Camel's 'Snow Goose'.

Again, thanks all - A lot of these 'basics' will be added to my collection soon.  I have a lot of CD's to buy!! 

My recommendations - all at the less technical but more lyrical end of prog;

Camel - Mirage, Moonmadness and Snow Goose.

Marillion - Script, Fugazi and Misplaced Childhood.

Twelfth Night - Fact And Fiction, Live and let Live.

For something a bit more esoteric, try Gong's "Angel's Egg" or "You", Amon Duul II's "Wolf City" or Can's "Ege Bamyasi".

Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts (very dark, but fantastic)

Camel - The Snow Goose (an instrumental album)

Yes - Close To The Edge

Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (not everybody likes this one, some say it's not progressive enough, but I don't agree. It's a fantastic album!)

Strawbs - Hero And Heroine (very sweet, maybe too sweet, but I love it!)

Good luck!

I hope you have LOTS of MONEY, Moonchild74, cause this site will engage your bank account to the nth degree, not to mention your sanity.

I'm surely into the 50's on purchases this past year. Actually 3 every two weeks multiplied by 26 weeks, puts me at about 78 cd's since I joined this group, the largest group I've heard, of Progressive Nerds on the planet. 

Every suggestion above is excellent, but don't forget to pick up U.K.'s first, aptly named, U.K. Even a dancing Brit could agree with me on that point, wot?

Beware of your fellow Aussie; Dudezan the kangaroo master. Word is, he's planning to overthrow the Austrailian Government and imprison all the sheep for his own pleasure.

Welcome to the forum!!!!

Some cool progressive metal bands:

Star One

Ayreon

Dream Theater

Shadow Gallery

Symphony X

But really dude, judging from what you said you bought you have some brilliant music! Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, KC, Yes oh yes my friend some fine music there!

Moonchild74 wrote: I was very disappointed with 'Kindness To Strangers' by Spock's Beard.  The vocals are unlistenable and weak... are Flower Kings or Transatlantic better?  I don't like any hard rock or metal. Any help would be appreciated.   I also recently purchased Return to Forver's 'Romantic Warrior' from Amazon & am waiting for it to arrive.

Welcome and as a newcomer I think you are brave  to state that the vocals of Spock's Beard are "unlistenable & weak" - you'll have the SB and especially the Neil Morse fans after you.  Personally I like that Beard album, but your comments are valid elsewhere for SB catalogue (IMHO). That opinion is reinforced by a dreadful unplugged album of Morse in Europe I found and was daft enough to buy secondhand - the dreadfulness coming largely from the "unlistenable & weak" vocals (note: I'm more than willing to exchange this double CD with a Beard fan). Morse does the vocals on Transatlantic................

You clearly have picked up on the obvious bands and albums. There are some publications worth tracking down - Q magazine did an essential prog top ten albums about  4years ago with all the obvious suspects listed, and most recently Record Collector (2 months ago) listed 15 essential prog albums, of which there were a couple of surprises. Beware of the 5 star rating here in the reviews, statistically there are too many for comfort - however, I suggest you look out for the reviews that indicate similarities in other groups/albums, you like already and prefferrably having had a listen, purchase what you like (that does mean find a specialist store nearby).

For example from Crimson, then I would recommend (the earlier) Anekdoten . From Yes  go to Starcastle. Some of us hear similarities between Genesis and Marillion earlier recordings. (In fact there are a lot of bands with roots clearly back to Genesis and Yes). Gentle Giant  to perhaps, the more obscure bands, like Advent. I've only heard one band suggest themselves in the mode of Van Der Graaf, the Swiss band Island. Perhaps too,  one fo those sampler albums listed here in the reviews maybe worth getting to get some breadth of sounds - but  it is not worth getting more than the one sample for risk of repetition. And check out Ed Macan's book "Rock The Classics" for some limited guidance in the subject.

 BTW I hope you find RTF's ""Romantic Warrior" different from what you've heard so far, with their proggie jazz rock mix.

Everyone, Great sugestions,

 Here Are mine,

Omega, 200 Years After The Last War

King Crimson, Larques Tongues In Aspic

Guru Guru, Dance Of The Flames

Grobschnitt. Solar Music Live

ANY GENTLE GIANT AND I MEAN ANY.Read my wife`s review in the archives for Octopus.

Focus, Hamburger Concerto.

Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Inner Mounting Flame.

I invite you also to go to my callabborator section in the archives to read some of my reviews.

richardh wrote: Avoiding the obvious how about these: Kayak - Royal Bed Bouncer (great early to mid seventies prog rock,one of my favourites!) Pink Floyd -Animals (better than Dark Side... or Wish You Were Here IMO) IQ - Tales From The Lush Attic (great eightes symphonic prog album,influenced by Genesis)

Very cool!  I was just going to suggest these albums myself when I read the first post. I bought Royal Bed bouncer about a year ago and love it. I knew Kayak all along but never listened to their early 70s stuff. RBB is brilliant.

Animals was my first introduction to Pink Floyd and still is my favourite Floyd Album.

Tales from the lush attic is rather good, but the sound is awful. It's an 80s album that sounds like a demo. It was of course released on some independant label and probably a very low budget production. But the music is good.

Moonchild74:

First, welcome to the craziest, but most wonderful, prog site on the Net.  You'll get to know our "regulars" (or is that "irregulars?"...) pretty quickly.  Most of them are harmless (their barque is worse than their byte...), and, as the saying goes, "opinions are like noses - everybody has one."

That said, you seem to be in the right direction as a "newbie."  Historically, the eight "seminal" prog bands - those who are generally accepted as the true forerunners of the genre - are the following, along with what are generally accepted as their best albums (some of which you've heard), so this becomes a really good starting point:

King Crimson: Court, Larks Tongues, Starless, Red

Pink Floyd: Piper, Meddle, Atom Heart Mother, DSOTM, WYWH, The Wall

Moody Blues: A Question of Balance, Threshold of a Dream

Genesis: Foxtrot, Selling England, The Lamb, Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering

Gentle Giant: Three Friends, In A Glass House, Octopus, Power & The Glory

Yes: Time and a Word, The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales

Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick, Minstrel in the Gallery

ELP: ELP, Trilogy, Brain Salad Surgery

Another early group was Van Der Graaf Generator.  Their albums "H to He" and "Pawn Hearts" are usually considered their best.

And, of course, Frank Zappa is an early progenitor of prog, and almost anything he did (and he did about 648,000 albums...) is worth getting.

Among the "neo-prog" bands, I like Marillion best (particularly Misplaced Childhood, Clutching at Straws, Brave), along with Anglagard, IQ, Dream Theater (try Metropolis) Spock's Beard (try The Light; you may have simply picked a bad album), and a few others.

One album you must pick up is the first album by U.K. called simply "U.K."  It features Bill Bruford (Crimson, Yes) on drums, John Wetton (Crimson) on bass, Eddie Jobson on keyboards, and the amazing Allan Holdsworth on guitar.

I agree with Fitzcarraldo that you should also consider the Italian prog scene, as it is arguably the most active (and influential) after England.  My faves include Deus ex Machina (any album), PFM, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Alusa Fallax, and Museo Rosenbach.

Ultimately, as Danbo the Manbo suggests, this site may be hazardous to your financial health: all of us, I'm sure, have spent hundreds of dollars on CDs since joining - with no end in sight!!   Maybe you should put your money "in trust" and have your wife (or whomever) co-sign when you want to buy CDs!!

Anyway, enjoy the site, and take full advantage of it: we expect to see some reviews from you soon!

Peace.

ELP:     EVERYTHING IS GOOD   (except In The Hot Seat!!)

YES: Close to the edge, Fragile, Magnification and Symphonic live DVD..(thats the best music DVD i have seen in a while)

Pink Floyd: The Wall, Momentry lapse of reason, Division Bell

actually...all prog...its all good!!!!

If you have any of these, just ignore them.  These are what I would consider some of the essencial prog albums.  They aren't nessecarily my favoruties, but you have to hear them.  These are in no particular order.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here, Animals, Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall

Jethro Tull - Aqualung, Thick as a Brick

Rush - Hemispheres, 2112

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery, Trilogy

Soft Machine - Volume 2, Third

King Crimson - Red, Thrak

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats, We're Only In It For the Money, One Size Fits All

Can - Tago Mago, Future Days

Gentle Giant - Octopus

Genesis - Foxtrot

Marillion - Script For a Jester's Tear, Brave

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Commatorium

Opeth - Blackwater Park, Damnation

Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun, Stupid Dream

Yes - Relayer, Fragile, The Yes Album

I probably should have listed what I already have first.  I bought these after researching them on this site.

Okay, this is the beginning of my Prog collection:

Can - Tago Mago

Yes - Fragile

Yes - Close To The Edge (On order from Amazon.com)

Genesis - Foxtrot

Genesis - Selling England By The Pound

Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson - Red

King Crimson - Discipline

Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

Jethro Tull - Aqualung

Jethro Tull - Passion Play (On order from Amazon.com)

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior (On order from Amazon.com)

Regarding my criticism of Neal Morse and Spock's Beard - Kindness To Strangers... I just felt his voice was out of it's depth against the music. The music is too big for the voice... something like that...

HI, THIS IS CÉSAR INCA.

You might as well expand your collection by purchasing some Camel classics ('Mirage', 'The Snow Goose', 'Moon Madness'), Facous classics ('Moving Waves', 'Focus III', 'Hamburger Concerto'), and ELP classics (any of their first five). If you want some hard rocking prog stuff, try Kansas (any of their first six, including their live 'Two for the Show'); or if you eant some symph with a jazzy twistm you might try the wonderful Happy the Man (self titled, 'Crafty Hands').

If you were awesome impressed by King Crimson's 'red', you might try their other two 73-74 era recordings: 'Larks' Tongues in Aspic' and 'Starless and Bible Black'.

regards.

I was new to Prog too up until about 4 years ago. Then we joined the Classic Rock Society and I began to realise that prog was not all meandering strange sounds!!!

I still prefer the more melodic structured kind of prog with maybe a bit of rock thrown in for good measure.

These are my favourite bands here in the UK, we have seen all of them live at some stage. I think it's important to appreciate the wonderful musicians there are still out there today struggling to get their music out to people who will listen. Most of them are lovely people who love to play live and talk to their fans after the show.

Greenslade- http://www.greenslademusic.com - www.greenslademusic.com They have been going for about 30 years and still play occasionally in the UK and sometimes overseas. Very keyboard orientated but amazing to see live. John Young joined them about 4 years ago and has added an up to date sound.

Jadis http://www.jadis-net.co.uk - www.jadis-net.co.uk Lovely laid back prog, wonderful musicians and they've just played the Rosfest over in the States

Strangefish http://www.strangefish.co.uk - www.strangefish.co.uk Great enthusiastic band recently voted best new band by the Classic Rock Society here in the UK.

Mostly Autumn http://www.mostly-autumn.com - www.mostly-autumn.com Pink Floyd influenced but with folky elements, this band are really making a name for themselves over here.

Manning http://www.guymanning.com - www.guymanning.com The band of very occomplished singer/songwriter, Guy Manning. Wonderfully strucutred and uplifting, prog at it's best in my opinion!!

John Young Band http://www.youngjohn.co.uk - www.youngjohn.co.uk My favourite band (as you will all be discovering) JY, as he likes to be know, creates lovely layers in his music, he is a very talened and versitilie keyboard player/ singer/songwriter. He has chosen a band made up from former FISH members, Dave Stewart (drummer) Robin Boult (guitar) and Steve Vantsis (Bass)  they sound amazing live!!

Well there are lots more but I think that's enough for you to be going on with.

I see you've already discovered Karnataka and Tr3nity, I can also recommend these bands for their talent and musicianship.

Lynn  

I would suggest some non-english speaking prog bands. 

Some essential italian prog albums : 

-Le Orme : "Collage" (1971), "Uomo di pezza" (1972), "Felona e Sorona" (1973), "Contrapunti" (1974), "Florian" (1979), "Il fiume" (1996), "Elementi" (2001). All these albums are gems and pure beauty. I think Le Orme is the best italian prog band. They return to form with "Il fiume" and still play top-notch music.

-Banco (del mutuo soccorso) : "Io sono nato libero" (1973)

-PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi) : "Per un amico" (1972).

-Locanda delle fate : "Forse le lucciole non si amano piu" (1978)

-Museo Rosenbach : "Zarathustra"

-Metamorfosi : "Inferno" (1974)

One essential chilean prog album :

Los Jaivas : "Alturas de Macchu Picchu" (1981), a beautiful mix of symphonic prog with traditional folk.

One essential spanish prog album :

TRIANA : "El patio" (1974)

Some polish artists (who should be added to the progarchives files) :

-Czeslaw Niemen : "Enigmatic" (proto-prog) or with his prog band "Aerolit"

-Marek Grechuta : "Magia oblokow" (see the album cover in my signature)

The greatest brazilian prog band with the late phenomenal violinist/keyboardist/vocalist Marcus Viana :

Sagrado Coraçao da Terra : "Sagrado" (1986), "Farol da libertade" (1991), "Espiritu" (1994). Evident influences include Marillion (circa "Misplaced childhood") and Yes (circa "Close to the edge") plus traditional brazilian folk.

And among the english-speaking prog bands check out :

Ambrosia : "Ambrosia" and "Somewhere I've never traveled" (fantastic vocals by David Pack and Joe Puerta with not less fantastic music)

Can - Tago Mago: If you liked this, go for Future Days and Ege Bamysai, as they are the two Can albums that most resemble that psychadelic sound.

Yes - Fragile,Yes - Close To The Edge: If you liked these, go for Relayer and The Yes Album.  If you still are interested in the band after those, check out Tales From Topographic Oceans, but make sure to save it for later, as it could easily scare you away if you aren't already a fan.

Genesis - Foxtrot, Genesis - Selling England By The Pound, Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail: I'm no expert on Genesis, but if you liked A Trick of the Tail, go for Wind and Wuthering.

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King. King Crimson - Red, King Crimson - Discipline: If you liked Court, get In The Wake of Poseidon.  If you liked Red, get Larks' Tongues In Apsic.  If you liked Discipline, get Beat or Three of a Perfect Pair.

Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick, Jethro Tull - Aqualung, Jethro Tull - Passion Play: You've got the JT essencials covered, but check out Minstrel In the Gallery and Songs From the Wood if you want to hear more.

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here: Animals and The Wall are absolutely essencial, and if you like those go for Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, Obscured By Clouds and The Division Bell.  PF is an amazing band, and you should be sure to check out more from them.

Other bands I would look into are Marillion, who sound quite a bit like Genesis, Van Der Graaf Generator, who I'm personally not a big fan of but who you have to hear, Frank Zappa, who is quite simply a genius, and Hawkwind, who are like a more rocking version of Pink Floyd.  I'd also look into some Emerson Lake & Palmer, although if their overwhelmingly pompous approach to music scares you off, don't let it prevent you from exploring the wonderful world of prog rock.

Joren wrote: Hawkwind is not just a more rocking version of Pink Floyd... They are much less experimental... I think there SOUND is somewhere between Pink Floy and Motörhead...  REALLY!  It's pretty cool, actually, but also a little noisy...

The reason for the Motorhead link is, of course Lemmy, who played bass for Hawkwind for a while before getting nicked for speeding - and I don't mean driving (necessarily...).

Ian Kilmister got his nickname because he was addicted to fruit machines, and kept asking his mates to "Lemmy" a fiver (UK Five pound note). He is also the son of a vicar. Odd but true

Hawkwind are/were a great band (depending on which "era" you're into). I would recommend "Warrior on the Edge of Time", "Levitation" or "Sonic Attack" as great starter albums.

If you like Hawkwind and Motorhead, you might also like the Pink Fairies. "Kings of Oblivion" is a work of twisted, amphetamine-drenched, chrome-plated art! The Fairies and Hawkwind once did a gig together that they entitled "Pink Wind". Interesting - huh?

It's quiet... to quiet.

Lets put on some Leo Sayer and get this party swinging!

No! Thats just what they would expect us to do!

maani wrote: Moonchild74: First, welcome to the craziest, but most wonderful, prog site on the Net.  You'll get to know our "regulars" (or is that "irregulars?"...) pretty quickly.  Most of them are harmless (their barque is worse than their byte...), and, as the saying goes, "opinions are like noses - everybody has one." That said, you seem to be in the right direction as a "newbie."  Historically, the eight "seminal" prog bands - those who are generally accepted as the true forerunners of the genre - are the following, along with what are generally accepted as their best albums (some of which you've heard), so this becomes a really good starting point: King Crimson: Court, Larks Tongues, Starless, Red Pink Floyd: Piper, Meddle, Atom Heart Mother, DSOTM, WYWH, The Wall Moody Blues: A Question of Balance, Threshold of a Dream Genesis: Foxtrot, Selling England, The Lamb, Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering Gentle Giant: Three Friends, In A Glass House, Octopus, Power & The Glory Yes: Time and a Word, The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick, Minstrel in the Gallery ELP: ELP, Trilogy, Brain Salad Surgery Another early group was Van Der Graaf Generator.  Their albums "H to He" and "Pawn Hearts" are usually considered their best. And, of course, Frank Zappa is an early progenitor of prog, and almost anything he did (and he did about 648,000 albums...) is worth getting. Among the "neo-prog" bands, I like Marillion best (particularly Misplaced Childhood, Clutching at Straws, Brave), along with Anglagard, IQ, Dream Theater (try Metropolis) Spock's Beard (try The Light; you may have simply picked a bad album), and a few others. One album you must pick up is the first album by U.K. called simply "U.K."  It features Bill Bruford (Crimson, Yes) on drums, John Wetton (Crimson) on bass, Eddie Jobson on keyboards, and the amazing Allan Holdsworth on guitar. I agree with Fitzcarraldo that you should also consider the Italian prog scene, as it is arguably the most active (and influential) after England.  My faves include Deus ex Machina (any album), PFM, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Alusa Fallax, and Museo Rosenbach. Ultimately, as Danbo the Manbo suggests, this site may be hazardous to your financial health: all of us, I'm sure, have spent hundreds of dollars on CDs since joining - with no end in sight!!   Maybe you should put your money "in trust" and have your wife (or whomever) co-sign when you want to buy CDs!! Anyway, enjoy the site, and take full advantage of it: we expect to see some reviews from you soon! Peace.

Regards

Vibe.

I don't know if anyone's mentioned these yet, I haven't read all the posts, but I'll add a few

Marillion up to Fish's leaving, that's the first... 4? albums, this being a BIT like genesis,

Anglagard, if you can find them, this sounding something like a modern version of King Crimson, with some very nice flute,

Mostly Autumn, very accessible, very folky in places,

Spock's Beard's "Snow" album. I don't know if you'll like this if you don't like the Kindness to Strangers album, because I haven't heard that one,

regarding the Flower Kings, they're a more retro styled band than a lot of the more popular around today, I don't like them all that much, but they're a worthwhile diversion

That would be quite a nice start.

Aquarius wrote: richardh wrote: IQ - Tales From The Lush Attic (great eightes symphonic prog album,influenced by Genesis)   Tales from the lush attic is rather good, but the sound is awful. It's an 80s album that sounds like a demo. It was of course released on some independant label and probably a very low budget production. But the music is good.

I can get past the sub standard production quite easily as the music is so good!

I have to say, it is a wonderful world we live in that someone, ANYONE can be 'new to prog'. I am an old bastard and grew up with this music. I fell in love with it before it even had the 'progressive' label. I have had the pleasure of living through the 'Golden Age' and having the opportunity of experiencing Yes, Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd and others performing their art live on numerous occasions. I have exposed everyone I know (that would allow it) to the wonder that is progressive music and, until recently, I had pretty much given up on finding others who shared my appreciation for this unique and beautiful art form.

Moonchild, I envy you. There is a brave new world of music just waiting for you to discover...wonderful, amazing musicc that many people have no knowledge of or experience with. However, as you make your discoveries, follow the example of others here and share them with others. The fraternity of the lovers of progressive music is a exclusive, and slightly twisted, bunch...but they are always happy to add new members.

VB:

Re Three Friends, "one man's meat is another man's poison."  I'm not sure what your "bad experience" with this album was, but I can't believe you would put it below GFAD (!) or even Civilian (which I do like).

Re the cover, that's easy: like many debut albums by bands outside the U.S.(especially "prog"), the first Gentle Giant album didn't appear in the U.S. until after Octopus.  Thus, we never saw the cover of the first album until Three Friends had been released.  So the U.S. release of Three Friends simply "lifted" the cover of the first album.

Given time, I could probably come up with at least four or five more examples of this happening during that period.

Peace.