Here's the deal: the world ends. Everything that the human race has ever accomplished completely disappears. By incredible chance, one piece of music survives, the single record of our species' existence to whoever else may be out there...

...what would you want it to be, and why?

It can be a song or an album, prog or non-prog.

The Planets - Gustav Holst

Not only excellent, timeless music, but proof that the more sensitive among us did contemplate the space beyond our own world.

Wish you were here- Pink Floyd

good suggestions so far. I was kinda thinking of Lennon's "Imagine" except that it's a bit too simple to really represent what we were capable of, musically.

I'd anticipated an ELP suggestion  but I'm surprised that "From the Beginning" was your choice (although I like it).

And surprisingly few people took the humorous route! I thought by now we'd have seen a plug for Napoleon the 13th or Barnes and Barnes...or even Zappa or Mr. Bungle...

James Lee wrote: Here's the deal: the world ends. Everything that the human race has ever accomplished completely disappears. By incredible chance, one piece of music survives, the single record of our species' existence to whoever else may be out there... ...what would you want it to be, and why? It can be a song or an album, prog or non-prog.

jiggajake wrote: Wish you were here- Pink Floyd

If you think about it, that is ironic and very fitting, hahaha. 

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR's "Pawn Hearts"  -- an amazing testimony of the fractured essence of human being, this is what we are. Both lyrically and instrumentally, a self-reflective portrait of our sorry fragmented being, yet in the end, always looking for the ultimate redemption.

It's true that I'm a big fan of Hammill's stuff, yet when the question for this topic was proposed, the first thing I thought was: which prog album would best capitulate the human being as a whole entity? I would have chosen this album even if I were not a big Hammill fan; I intend to be as objective as a human being can be. No one can be absolutely objective, but regarding this topic, my main goal was to keep myself apart from the trappings of absolute acritical subjectiveness, as well.

PAWN HEARTS it is!!

Regards.

I think Pain of Salvations - Be would be quite appropriate, this is what Daniel Gildenlow says its about

The album deals with the great mystery of earthly existence. “I consider the story of ‘Be’ as a kind of modern fairy tale about the genesis of life. It deals with mankind, with God, and our relationship with faith and science. The most important question of all questions is: How is everything connect with each other? Science gives us a few hints regarding this, however we are not able to really comprehend the whole system of life and emotions. As part of the system we cannot view it in it’s wholeness from outside.”
 

and of course its a darn good listen too, with a brilliant mixture of Folk, Rock, classical and with Daniels divine vocals too!

James Lee wrote: I'd anticipated an ELP suggestion  but I'm surprised that "From the Beginning" was your choice (although I like it).

Well if we are no longer here... and we need to start someplace then starting "From the Beginning"  is probably the best place....

I don't get why "Wish you Were Here" would be appropriate.  The person who finds it is evidiently already here... and we will evidenlty no longer be swimming around the fish bowl....

YES: And You And I

It's a near perfect tune. Intricate musical parts interwoven in an elegant patchwork quilt of aural color and thoughtful spiritual lyrics. It's my favorite YES tune and supports the prog movement, as well as the human creature. Except for James mention of "Imagine," I can't think of any other tune to capture that spirit.

I. Cord Of Life

A man conceived a moment's answers to the dream,
Staying the flowers daily, sensing all the themes.
As a foundation left to create the spiral aim,
A movement regained and regarded both the same,
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you.

Changed only for a sight of sound, the space agreed.
Between the picture of time behind the face of need,
Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid,
Emotion revealed as the ocean maid,
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you.

Turn round tailor,          ;           ;           ;   Coins and
Assaulting all the mornings of the         &nb sp;      Crosses
Interest shown,                                      Never know
Presenting one another to the cord,         & nbsp;     Their fruitless worth;
All left dying, rediscovered                        Cords are broken,
Of the door that turned round,                     Locked inside
To close the cover,                                  the mother earth.
All the interest shown,                             They won't
To turn one another, to the sign         &n bsp;        Hide, hold, they won't
At the time         &n bsp;         &n bsp;         &n bsp;         Tell you, watching the world,
To float your climb.                                Watching all of the world,
                                                      Watching us go by.

And you and I climb over the sea to the valley,
And you and I reached out for reasons to call.

II. Eclipse

Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid,
Emotion revealed as the ocean maid,
As a movement regained and regarded both the same,
All complete in the side of seeds of life with you.

III. The Preacher the Teacher

Sad preacher nailed upon the coloured door of time;
Insane teacher be there reminded of the rhyme.
There'll be no mutant enemy we shall certify;
Political ends, as sad remains, will die.
Reach out as forward tastes begin to enter you.
Ooh, ooh.

I listened hard but could not see
Life tempo change out and inside me.
The preacher trained in all to lose his name;
The teacher travels, asking to be shown the same.
In the end, we'll agree, we'll accept, we'll immortalise
That the truth of the man maturing in his eyes,
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you.

Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid,
As a moment regained and regarded both the same,
Emotion revealed as the ocean maid,
A clearer future, morning, evening, nights with you.

IV. Apocalypse

And you and I climb, crossing the shapes of the morning.
And you and I reach over the sun for the river.
And you and I climb, clearer, towards the movement.
And you and I called over valleys of endless seas.

Lucky Man by Greg Lake. I'll just keep it that simple.

i chose it (wish you were here) not because of the one title line, its a moving piece of music, it showed the fears and sadnesses of mankind as well as the brillance that is showcased in the music.

although i guess i agree with whoever said something about mozart and whatnot, i think that musically, they are far better than anything else and, i doubt aliens could understand what we  were saying so the music is all they could hear

^ that's exactly why I thought Holtz was a great suggestion. Instrumentals might be a better choice to overcome the language issue.

I suppose one could argue that any entity that could figure out how to power up and play a CD (or whatever) could probably work out the language sooner or later...but just imagine someone having only Jon Anderson's lyrics for their Rosetta Stone

It would certainly give a pleasant impression of what humanity was like. I wouldn't mind being remembered (however mistakenly) that way.

Trail Of The Lonsome Pine - Laurel & Hardy

Having just music really wouldn't be representation of our culture tho.  Our language, the tones of our voices... this is a lot more personal than the sounds coming from instruments... so I don't agree on instrumental music, no matter who's playing it.