Man Erg wrote: I voted for Miles as it is one of THE albums that defines a genre.

Which genre and how did it define it? 

As I've written many times Bitches Brew is not the precursor to jazz rock - there is at least 5 years of the music before Bitches gets recorded and closer to 7 by the time it was released. A landmark album of jazz fusion, no doubt, but jazz funk more likely - and giving the genre much greater public awareness than previous - while shocking the old farts of the traditional forms of jazz. 

Miles was interested in the James Brown or the Sly & Family Stone soul/dance thing, while in comparison his drummer Tony Williams was more interested in the rock thing; (Lifetime had two albums out before Bitches: Emergency/Turn It Over). While a large number of bands and groups spin out the direct association with Miles (from the period of In A Silent Way or even before), the music they went to played  in the 70's was  distant to that heard on Bitches Brew.  The obvious examples of Mahavishnu Orchestra or RTF, didn't sound like Bitches. You have to move forward to the 90's through to now before you hear real echoes of Bitches, but in modern jazz rock fusion e.g. Adam Holtzman (himself a former Davis sideman), Tom Browne, the nu-fusion of Nils Petter Molvaer, which itself sounds to be  derived from Jon Hassell's mid 90's albums, and in French jazz dance groups like No Jazz or Largo. Who would dare imitate Miles whilst he was alive? The ten years after Miles premature death, Wynton Marsalis held sway wrt trumpet. Thanks goodness young jazz musicians are no longer in such awe of what Marsalis says, and doing their own thing, and now jazz with all its sub-genres can move forward at a faster rate.

In passing there is new biography about the last years of Miles' life, which describes Miles being into Prince and rap (amongst other black music) - apparently there are recordings of Miles Davis and rappers (shock, horror, do I hear), that lay in the archives.

Dick Heath wrote: [QUOTE=Man Erg] I voted for Miles as it is one of THE albums that defines a genre.

Which genre and how did it define it? 

A landmark album of jazz fusion, no doubt, but jazz funk more likely - and giving the genre much greater public awareness than previous - while shocking the old farts of the traditional forms of jazz.



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Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb.

Clash : London Calling

Most important?  "The Beatles," without question.  (Though Bitches Brew was equally important within its genre.)

Favorite?  A toss-up between The Lamb and The Wall.  I would also have to include three live albums (none of which you include): Genesis' Seconds Out, ELP's Welcome Back My Friends, and Gentle Giant's Playing the Fool.

Peace.

maani wrote: Most important?  "The Beatles," without question.  (Though Bitches Brew was equally important within its genre.) Favorite?  A toss-up between The Lamb and The Wall.  I would also have to include three live albums (none of which you include): Genesis' Seconds Out, ELP's Welcome Back My Friends, and Gentle Giant's Playing the Fool. Peace.

 Maani : I don't agree with you, for me the White album is overrated, it is more a document in time, it was never conceived as a whole, even if there are some of the best Beatles songs on it. 

 Crimson Prince: it did not generated all the 2LP. That was either Zappa's Freak out or Dylan's Blonde on Blonde

 I voted for the Lamb, but then I don'think it's an "important" record in Rock history, for me the most important one is Clash: London Calling

Dave Brubeck Quartet's 1963 (or '4) double Live At Carnegie Hall, (trouble was you had to buy as separates, Volume 1 and Volume 2  - but the 2002 CD remaster put the gig into a single package). This would inspire Nice (eg. Blue Rondo Ala Turk - which Emerson rocked up as Rondo), and Joe Morello's shifting time signatures a lot of serious rock/prog rock drummers.

Who's Tommy and Quadraphenia (as mentioned above)

John Mayall's Diary Of A Band (yet another double sold as separates, Volume 1 and Volume 2) really rough around the edges recording but as a document of Mick Taylor growing up as guitarist, is invaluable

Cream's Wheels On Fire, one of those early rock jazz albums - Jack Bruce recently said: "Ginger and I were the jazz rhythm section in Cream, Eric played the Ornette Coleman part - but we didn't tell him!" (BBC4 Jazz Britannia part 2)

Chicago's Chicago Transit Authority (and then to a lesser extent Chicago and III)

Out of those, THE WALL.

All time? Hmmm... maybe QUADROPHENIA.

Cluster One wrote: I voted for "The Lamb" out of those offered, but there is absolutely NO DENYING that "The White Album" is a massive landmark in the history of music. Other faves: "Physical Graffitti" "Seconds Out" "Black Crowes - Live" "Quadrophenia" "The Wall" "TFTO" Was STING's "Nothing Like The Sun" a double album? (The copy I own, which I love, is only a single offering...)

"there is absolutely NO DENYING" ... There is, on the white there are some of their best songs, and of my favourite too but  as an album it stands no comparaison to Abbey Road, Revolver or Sergeants P.,it has no consistence if you listen to it from A-Z. these are mainly songs that everyone did in his corner and then they throw everything together, I would even go as far as saying it is not even a Beatles record it is a Lennon,Harrison, Starr& Mc Cartney record, just look at the cover ...

Alucard:

Vlado did not specify "concept" album, simply double-LP.  In this regard, despite the fact that The Bealtes was not conceived as a "whole," it is unarguably among the most important and influential albums ever.  Indeed, overall, it might be even more influential (musically) than Sgt. Pepper.  Given that it was released in 1968, it pre-dates virtually all "seminal" prog albums except Piper and Days of Future Passed, including In the Court.  In this regard, it contains more "proto-prog" material than anything they had done up to that time - and that material, in turn, was extremely influential in prog (as well as other genres).  Songs like Wild Honey Pie, I'm So Tired, Yer Blues, Everybody's Got Something to Hide, and especially Helter Skelter (to say nothing of Revolution 9!) were not simply ahead of their time, but you can hear their influence on the future of prog, including Court.

Historical "importance" is a very discernable thing, and has little to do with the conceptual nature of an album, or even whether one likes it or not.  The Beatles (White Album) is, as I said, without question, the most important of the albums listed.

Cluster One:

How on God's earth could I have forgotten Physical Graffiti!  Excellent call!

Peace.

maani wrote: Most important?  "The Beatles," without question.  (Though Bitches Brew was equally important within its genre.) Favorite?  A toss-up between The Lamb and The Wall.  I would also have to include three live albums (none of which you include): Genesis' Seconds Out, ELP's Welcome Back My Friends, and Gentle Giant's Playing the Fool. Peace.

Beatles Yes.

ELP no it was a triple album

No mention of a CD there maani

Aphrodites Child - 666

Mike Oldfield - Incantations

Tangerine Dream - Poland

Yanns wrote: I love Tales, The Lamb, and The Wall, but my vote has to go to the White Album. This is because I am a gigantic Beatles fan, and I believe that most prog acts would never have emerged if it wasn't for them. The White Album is such a legendary album.

Christ at last a saine person

marktheshark wrote: Karnevil, that lower photo is from the Let It Be sessions not the White Album. Good shot though! Is that album in the other pic yours? Looks like it's in pretty good shape.

Yes i know it is..Just the first late beatles photo i had

Another just for you mark

frenchie wrote: Unifaun wrote: godspeed you black emperor! - lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven - a defining piece of music of modern prog smashing pumpkins - mellon collie and the infinite sadness - this and the wall are the highest selling double albums i think i heard that too about wall and mellon collie, both great!

Great call Frenchie How could I forget "Mellon Collie.."?? To me it was perhaps the best dbl album of the 90's and the best that The Smashing Pumpkins/Billy Corgan ever did. If an album deserves to go classic from this era, this would have to be it!!

KE9:

You are right, of course: Welcome Back was a 3-LP set, and Vlado specifically said "LP."

Thanks for the correction.

Peace.

Cluster One wrote: I voted for "The Lamb" out of those offered, but there is absolutely NO DENYING that "The White Album" is a massive landmark in the history of music. Other faves: "Physical Graffitti" "Seconds Out" "Black Crowes - Live" "Quadrophenia" "The Wall" "TFTO" Was STING's "Nothing Like The Sun" a double album? (The copy I own, which I love, is only a single offering...)

1. Obviously, there were 1LP and 2LP versions released, but I do not know if the content was the same:

"Nothing Like The Sun - LP - A&M 1987 release 2 LP set with 4 page insert. - 10.49 USD"

2. Sorry, I have forgotten a lot of 2LPs in this poll, especiall, physical grafiti should have been in. But, collectively, it seems that for prog fans the most important is Beatles. I have been always telling that they vwere one of the most progressive.

maani wrote: Alucard: Vlado did not specify "concept" album, simply double-LP.  In this regard, despite the fact that The Bealtes was not conceived as a "whole," it is unarguably among the most important and influential albums ever.  Indeed, overall, it might be even more influential (musically) than Sgt. Pepper.  Given that it was released in 1968, it pre-dates virtually all "seminal" prog albums except Piper and Days of Future Passed, including In the Court.  In this regard, it contains more "proto-prog" material than anything they had done up to that time - and that material, in turn, was extremely influential in prog (as well as other genres).  Songs like Wild Honey Pie, I'm So Tired, Yer Blues, Everybody's Got Something to Hide, and especially Helter Skelter (to say nothing of Revolution 9!) were not simply ahead of their time, but you can hear their influence on the future of prog, including Court. Historical "importance" is a very discernable thing, and has little to do with the conceptual nature of an album, or even whether one likes it or not.  The Beatles (White Album) is, as I said, without question, the most important of the albums listed. Cluster One: How on God's earth could I have forgotten Physical Graffiti!  Excellent call! Peace.

Oops,I should read more carefully, in the list I agree,still I think it's overrated.There are great songs : While my guitar..,Back in the USSR,Dear Prudence,Blackbird, Julia, Happiness.., I'm so tired , RevolutionN°1(mostly Lennon)but a lot of weak songs too Martha my dear, I will, Rocky Racoon,Glass Onion,(mostly McCartney)  They should have cut it down to one record. So here are some more for "the Top of the 2LP":

Jimi Hendrix : Electric Ladyland, Stevie Wonder : Songs in the key of live, Rolling Stones Exile on main street

Supertramp's Paris

Jean-Michel Jarre's The Concerts In China

Physical Graffiti

Quadrophenia

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Magma - Magma (Kobaia) (1970)

Amon Düül II - Yeti (1970)

Can - Tago Mago (1971)

Are my personal favourites, I really don't know (and don't care) which is the most important (whatever that means) 2LP. 

Interestingly, the two double albums I see as the most important in prog aren't included here; 'Third' by Soft Machine and '666' by Aphrodite's Child. Both were, and still are, musically groundbreaking that can't be compared to other albums of the genre.

Of those there, I'd choose 'TFTO'. It's in many respects a watershed release for the band and for prog in general. I think it's a masterpiece and love every minute of it and in many respects was perhaps the most musically complex, dense and ambitious album in the genre that I've encountered thus far, but it seems to be the most controversial and critically mauled album of the whole genre. It was here, almost exactly, that the backlash against prog began and words like 'pretentious', 'pompous' and 'overblown' started to get trotted out. Prior to that, from reviews I've seen anyway, prog was considered a very vibrant, hugely innovative genre indeed. For me, albums like 'A Passion Play', 'Ummagumma' and 'Works Volume 1', even though these have some merit, are more worthy of the huge lashings of scorn TFTO received however...

Genesis-The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. When it comes to prog.

Deep Purple - Made in Japan. When it comes to related. (prog?)