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Progressive Beatles albums

Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Proto-Prog and Prog-Related Lounge
Forum Description: Discuss bands and albums classified as Proto-Prog and Prog-Related
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=60020
Printed Date: January 30 2025 at 19:26
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Topic: Progressive Beatles albums
Posted By: Okocha
Subject: Progressive Beatles albums
Date Posted: July 31 2009 at 12:22
 
 
***********Vote only for the albums you consider Prog.****************************
 
 
 
 
***********One vote for each album (you consider Prog) per member.***************



Replies:
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: July 31 2009 at 13:52
Revolver inducted psychadelia into songwriting (though did not create it), Sgt. Pepper's perfected psychadelia, while Abbey Road, the pinnacle of their career, moved beyond psychadelia and set the stage for much music to come later.  Psychadelia is emblematic of late 60s rock, but is not prog in itself; it was a significant movement in which helped lay down the foundation for what we have come to call prog.

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The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"


Posted By: terransage
Date Posted: July 31 2009 at 17:53
I just saw part of a Peter Gabriel interview talking about how much the Beatles influenced him.  I know Robert Fripp and Phil Collins often talked of their influence.  When Fripp first heard Sgt. Pepper's, he said that he'd never heard anything quite like it before, and it opened his mind up to the possibilities of what could be done with rock music.

As far as pure prog goes, I think only Abbey Road, especially the second side, can be considered for that, though a lot of their earlier music, experimental as it was, widened the boundaries.  Within You, Without You (raga/rock fusion--and a long song with a fairly long sitar/orchestral instrumental in the middle of it), Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite, with its time changes, The Sgt. Peppers "overture" and "reprise" at the end, and A Day in the Life, with its use of orchestra, unusual structure, time changes, sound effects and sometimes complete disregard for pop music conventions--all share a lot in common with prog music.

I forgot to mention Roll Over Beethoven, which makes reference to a classical musician.  (Kidding.)  That's Chuck Berry, anyway....


Posted By: Abstrakt
Date Posted: July 31 2009 at 17:58
Poll Question: Which Beatles albums you consider Progressive Rock?
Vote Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
< name="votice" value="76188" id="P76188" =""> 1 [2.63%]

Someone's having fun LOL


Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: July 31 2009 at 21:12
Sgt. Pepper, I suppose.


Posted By: earlyprog
Date Posted: August 01 2009 at 06:07
None of their albums were prog but certainly parts and sections were, hence their classification as proto-prog  Consequently, I don't cast my vote on any of their albums.


Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: August 07 2009 at 02:42
Where is Number Niner Progiest track they did.

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Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours


Posted By: Conor Fynes
Date Posted: August 07 2009 at 03:51
Revolver and Sgt Peppy =)


Posted By: J-Man
Date Posted: August 07 2009 at 11:58
Abbey Road is their only full blown prog album IMO, but many other albums have relations.

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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 07 2009 at 12:04
Most of these are obviously proto and some not even that though great pop, Sgt. Peppers is certainly psychedelic, Abbey Road, crossover?  I get bored with the categorizations, there's good music, music I don't care for, and stuff I don't bother with, which must automatically be bad.

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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...



Posted By: Tsevir Leirbag
Date Posted: August 07 2009 at 15:48
Revolver is their proggiest album, I think.
Rubber Soul is the other that comes to my mind.


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Les mains, les pieds balancés
Sur tant de mers, tant de planchers,
Un marin mort,
Il dormira

- Paul Éluard


Posted By: Conor Fynes
Date Posted: August 07 2009 at 16:05
Revolver was their most progressive, thats when they REALLY started experimenting and being idfferent


Posted By: henge
Date Posted: August 07 2009 at 20:40

Foe me Sgt. Pepper's is the proggiest. Odd time sigs, found sounds, tape loops, stunning harmonies,recurring themes it's got it all! The first time I heard that album it scared the crap out of me and fascinated me all at the same time.



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Posted By: Abstrakt
Date Posted: August 09 2009 at 18:07
Originally posted by Tsevir Leirbag Tsevir Leirbag wrote:

Revolver is their proggiest album, I think.
Rubber Soul is the other that comes to my mind.


Honestly i don't think Revolver is all that progressive. Confused
Sure, "Love you to" is clearly influenced by indian music & "Tomorrow Never Knows" is really psychedelic. But everything else are 2-3 minute simple 60's rock songs. Not bad by any means, though.


Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 10 2009 at 06:15
Originally posted by tamijo tamijo wrote:

Where is Number Niner Progiest track they did.
 
That's a song, this is an album poll.


Posted By: ten years after
Date Posted: August 10 2009 at 06:41
Sgt Pepper was certainly very progressive for 1967 and should not be overlooked.  However, i've always felt it a bit of a missed opportunity. 
 
Strawberry Fields and It's All Too Much were both available and Penny Lane would have worked very nicely too.  These 3 tracks would have elevated it into the stratosphere but it is, instead, dragged down by the inanity of "When I' m 64" and "Lovely Rita" - the first 20 seconds of Rita are so good the rest of the track is one of musics biggest disapointments for me.  Also, She's Leaving would be a really nice track on the White Album but is totally incongruous on Pepper.
 
Against all this Abbey Road is almost perfect (except Maxwell's Silver Hammer). 
 
Come Together and I Want You are strongly in the Progressive mould as is almost all of side two.  The Beatles ended on their highest note which is appropriate. We can only dream of what the next album may have produced.
 
 


Posted By: Rank1
Date Posted: August 10 2009 at 11:56
Originally posted by Abstrakt Abstrakt wrote:

Originally posted by Tsevir Leirbag Tsevir Leirbag wrote:

Revolver is their proggiest album, I think.
Rubber Soul is the other that comes to my mind.


Honestly i don't think Revolver is all that progressive. Confused
Sure, "Love you to" is clearly influenced by indian music & "Tomorrow Never Knows" is really psychedelic. But everything else are 2-3 minute simple 60's rock songs. Not bad by any means, though.
 
For 1966 "Love You To" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" were very progressive with it's experimental/avant tape and microtonal Indian melodies. Both very bizarre sounding pop songs if you want to call it pop. Both tracks recorded before Pink Floyd and the Doors.  I would not count out the strings only "Eleanor Rigby", the very classically influenced "For No One", and the tricky time signatures of "She Said She Said".
 
 Sgt Pepper was very progressive on how the album was structured. Sgt Pepper was a non narrative concept album unlike Freak Out and the Kinks Face to Face. Sgt Pepper whose structure was unlike previous concept albums. The overture, the reprise, the finale, and hidden track was unlike previous rock concept albums. The tracks being linked with artificial sounds like crowd noises was also a future progressive rock trait. I have to say "A Day in the Life" is very close to being progressive rock and "Within You and Without You" is very progressive and basically alien to what rock groups were doing at the time.
 
 Really the most progressive album of the Beatles was Abbey Road with "I Want You", the synth Beethoven influenced "Because" and the big medley.


Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 10 2009 at 12:47
Originally posted by ten years after ten years after wrote:

Sgt Pepper was certainly very progressive for 1967 and should not be overlooked.  However, i've always felt it a bit of a missed opportunity. 
 
Strawberry Fields and It's All Too Much were both available and Penny Lane would have worked very nicely too.  These 3 tracks would have elevated it into the stratosphere but it is, instead, dragged down by the inanity of "When I' m 64" and "Lovely Rita" - the first 20 seconds of Rita are so good the rest of the track is one of musics biggest disapointments for me.  Also, She's Leaving would be a really nice track on the White Album but is totally incongruous on Pepper.
 
Against all this Abbey Road is almost perfect (except Maxwell's Silver Hammer). 
 
Come Together and I Want You are strongly in the Progressive mould as is almost all of side two.  The Beatles ended on their highest note which is appropriate. We can only dream of what the next album may have produced.
 
 

Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane would have been on Sgt Pepper had the record company not pushed them for a single. What an album it would have been with those 2 tracks!!!
I have to disagree about She's Leaving Home - it's one of the best tracks on the album and possibly Macca's best lyric.

And "Octopus's Garden" is perfect???


Posted By: mystic fred
Date Posted: August 11 2009 at 07:47

When you look back and remember the impact the Beatles had  in the 60's you could say ALL their albums were progressive, but in the context of this poll i would say Revolver was the most progressive, as this album was a springboard for the band's ideas for years to come.

Believe it or not "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys was  a significant influence on the Beatles during the recording of "Sgt.Pepper" both from a technical as well as musical point of view, but "Sgt.Pepper" would not have been the same without  the precedence of  "Rubber Soul" (to some degree) and "Revolver". 
 
From a personal viewpoint in June 1967 i had enough birthday money to buy an LP, and was deciding between "Revolver" and the newly-released "Sgt.Pepper" - my brother's girlfriend already had a copy of "Revolver" so i plumped for "Sgt.Pepper" and hardly had it off the turntable for the next few weeks!  Many years later i still give it a spin and am still intrigued with it more than many other albums, but i still voted "Revolver" the most progressive for the foundations it laid for the future of Beatle music and rock.  Smile


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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: August 11 2009 at 16:21
Most albums from Rubber Soul to Abbey Road, especially Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, s/t (the White Album) and Abbey Road. Some of them contain stem cells of prog.

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