Progressive rock appreciation thread

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,029
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What are your favourite bands and albums?
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 477
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    Well, for me, the absolute Kings of progessive rock are The Pink Floyd. They were everything,imo, that progressive rock should be.It's quite amazing that the original album version of 'Dark side of the moon', still sounds so fresh and well produced as it did thirty years ago. Ageless.

    An honourable mention to Emerson,Lake and Palmer(ELP), Yes, King Crimson and Steve Hillage.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 307
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    Yep, I'd agree with those named so far, and add early Genesis (before Phil Collins ruined them). Also Tangerine Dream and Barclay James Harvest.

    Two good current prog rock bands are Transatlantic (I'm sure Marillion fan's aware of them, as one of Marillion is in it), and the excellent Porcupine Tree - highly recommend their "Stupid Dream" cd.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 477
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    Ah..how could I forget early Genesis!. (yes, agree about Phil Collins).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 606
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    Originally posted by another Duncan
    the excellent Porcupine Tree

    Thanks for mentioning Porcupine Tree: I'm looking to pick up a couple of albums after hearing Steve Wilson's work with Opeth... Damnation is a beautiful album and heavily prog influenced, not at all what you'd expect from a Swedish death metal band!
    I'm not that well up on prog to be honest - I come more from the metal side of things - but it's a genre I do enjoy when I discover it again from time to time :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19,538
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    You gotta love a bit of crazy Dream Theatre/Theater :D

    I recommend trying "the dance of eternity" and "endless sacrifice".

    They're amazing musicians, mostly improvise their stuff, no idea how they do it as the beat is usually all over the place!

    You'll like them a bit more as well if you dnot mind jazz, as they always seem to have little crazy rock/jazz elements in their tracks! The best bit for me has to be at 4 minutes 21 seconds on "dance of eternity", it sounds like something from a movie trailer building up :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 606
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    Originally posted by Exulus
    You gotta love a bit of crazy Dream Theater :D

    I recommend trying "the dance of eternity" and "endless sacrifice".

    They're amazing musicians, mostly improvise their stuff, no idea how they do it as the beat is usually all over the place!

    You'll like them a bit more as well if you dnot mind jazz, as they always seem to have little crazy rock/jazz elements in their tracks! The best bit for me has to be at 4 minutes 21 seconds on "dance of eternity", it sounds like something from a movie trailer building up :D

    Oh yes! They're amazing musicans, it's got to be said. Mike Portnoy is quite possibly the best drummer in the world at the moment....
    I think Metropolis II is the most obviously prog album, definately worth checking out... however I think the best starting points if you're new to the 'Theater would be Images and Words and Awake...
  • devo livedevo live Posts: 729
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    I love a bit of Rush myself, particularly the prog 70s stuff and the synthesized 80s albums. Currently I guess I'm not really listening to 'true prog' (whatever that may be ;) ), but Tool are always worth a listen.

    Other current bands with prog elements I like are The Mars Volta (kind of a psychedelic Led Zep take on prog...), and 30 Seconds to Mars.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,029
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    Thanks for your replies.

    I wasn't sure whether I'd get any, since I've not seen this kind of music mentioned on these pages before.

    Liking Marillion, I'm obviously more into the poppier, "lite" prog and am less familiar with the virtuoso stuff.
  • SlaneSlane Posts: 1,020
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    The only classic 70's prog band who seem to be still on the go at the moment is Yes.

    I saw them live twice last year and they're as good if not better than ever. They're due to tour this year too, so it's worth checking them out.

    I'm also really looking forward to the new Marillion album and tour. I've pre-ordered Marbles and can't wait to hear two CDs of new Marillion material.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,029
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    Originally posted by Slane
    I'm also really looking forward to the new Marillion album and tour. I've pre-ordered Marbles and can't wait to hear two CDs of new Marillion material.

    At last, I've found someone on this site who also likes Marillion!

    Though I must admit I haven't taken much notice of anything they've done since Afraid of Sunlight.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 942
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    I quite like Marillion's older stuff, the sort of 'Kayleigh' type stuff. Yeah they were OK. So they are still going then?
  • Dan27Dan27 Posts: 9,652
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    There was a 15 year old who wrote a review on Amazon for Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album. He said it all. "Genius transcends time". Im really into PF at the moment, just listened to Animals for the first time after buying it and A Momentary Lapse Of Reason the other day.. Wish You Were Here and Dark Side Of The Moon are just astonishing. Even before I read this thread today I had lent my work mate the Classic Album Making of DSOTM DVD, and had decided to listen to The Wall tomorrow. Awesome stuff.
  • sdaonlinesdaonline Posts: 34
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    Another big fan here on ds!

    First 6 Marillion studio albums are belters, goes slightly down from "Brave" onwards. Still good today though!

    I've got a whole rack of their stuff, including loads of bootlegs

    I must get round to ordering Marbles and Fish's new LP field of crows!

    I agree about DSOTM, could be the best album ever.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 606
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    I only own one Marillion album: Brave, which I love and adore... it's up there on my all-time list I think :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 57
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    I liked the Yes album with Tony Kaye on keyboards pre-Wakeman. Genesis were a great live band with Gabriel fronting but thought their albums boring. Pink Floydd are brill - "One of These Days" a great rock track - has to be played LOUD!! Dark Side of the Moon an alltime fave of mine.
    Barclay James Harvest were also gud live n I used to listen to a Welsh group Caravan who made a stonkn "concept" album - In the Land of the Grey and Pink.
    The Moody Blues made some gud music before disappearin up their own @rses with loooong album titles. The dutch group Focus were ok on their debut album then also faded.
    Don't hear much of this type of music these days - it depends how u classify it i spose - i agree Tool are good n Perfect Circle i also like.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 477
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    Originally posted by Pirate
    Don't hear much of this type of music these days - it depends how u classify it i spose - i agree Tool are good n Perfect Circle i also like.
    I read that the Darkness's next album is going to be an affectionate nod to seventies progressive rock groups.
    If they do that as well as they do seventies/eighties hair metal then I'll buy it! :)
  • MankoManko Posts: 4,730
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    Originally posted by devo live
    I love a bit of Rush myself, particularly the prog 70s stuff and the synthesized 80s albums.

    Ah, someone after my own heart. I was a massive Rush fan back in the late 70s and early 80s, and saw them live many many times. Progressive Rock though? I'm not sure. I'd say they have only two albums - A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres - which could possibly fall into that genre.

    Talking about Genesis, one thing I'd like to say is that in my opinion it wasn't the departure of Peter Gabriel that led to their massive change in direction, but the departure of Steve Hackett about 2 years later.
  • devo livedevo live Posts: 729
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    And 2112 of course. I wouldn't say many of their albums are prog all the way through, but what about tracks like The Camera Eye and YYZ on Moving Pictures, or Natural Science? They still use unusual time changes today as well.

    If anyone wants to check them out who is not familiar with them, Moving Pictures is quite often regarded as their high point, though I Iove the albums from Hemispheres through to Power Windows (Roll the Bones is great too).
  • MankoManko Posts: 4,730
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    Not so sure about 2112. I know it's a 'concept' album and hints at the future direction, but it's still very much a hard rock album. Even Kiss made a concept album, but that doesn't make them Prog Rock.

    You have a point with the other tracks though (YYZ includes the banging together of pieces of wood, recorded by the side of a lake, so I can't really argue with that one!!). Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures have a more eclectic feel though, and I'd say are the first signs of them edging towards their next direction.

    Like you, I go up to 'Power Windows' really, though I bought 'Hold Your Fire' and 'Roll the Bones' , but they never grabbed me the way the earlier stuff did.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 113
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    Personally - Huge Dream Theater fan.

    Also OSI (bits of DT and Transatlantic etc.) and Liquid Tension Experiment - Also mainly DT - but entirely instrumental, are fantastic - try them!!!!!

    Must admit - it's not my main genre of music (prefer it Pretty Heavy) but DT don't half belt it out when the mood takes them.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,029
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    How about Hawkwind, Asia or Arena?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,029
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    Originally posted by sdaonline
    Another big fan here on ds!

    First 6 Marillion studio albums are belters, goes slightly down from "Brave" onwards. Still good today though!


    My faves are

    1. Afraid of Sunlight - (thought it was boring at first, now think it's the most beautiful thing they have ever made, apart from tracks 2 & 3. The Q Magazine reviewer was spot on about this album)

    2. Seasons End - Is very special to me, helped me through some hard times when I was still at school (If it had been by a new band it would have been massive)

    3. Clutching at Straws
  • devo livedevo live Posts: 729
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    I had the first Dream Theater album when it came out, and it blew me away. Heavy and progressive, and fantastic musicianship. I enjoyed Images and Words and Awake as well (though not quite as much, to be honest). I bought the 'Infinity' album (Falling into Infinity??), and it pretty much bored me to tears. And I've not really bothered with them since. Though I heard the Metropolis album was very good. Could a DT fan give their opinions on the later albums? I'm basically wondering if I'd like them or not.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 113
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    I think they've been getting heavier over the last few albums - check out their website - if I remember rightly there're some sound clips on there.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 606
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    Metropolis II - Scenes from a Memory is fantastic: a very worthwile purchase... judging from what you've said I think you'll like it... :)
    I've not heard Train of Thought yet as it's only been out a couple of weeks and I can't afford it yet, but I have it on good authority that it's nice and heavy :D
    Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is a marvellous album as well: again pretty heavy in places. Don't let the fact that it's a double album put you off, although it is quite hard to get hold of for cheap... I'd say try and give it a listen before you buy as it's a lot of money to shell out if you don't like it.
    I think Falling Into Infinity is possibly the worst of the lot (still not a bad album though IMHO), so don't give up on 'em based on that one album...
    Like Opeth, they seem unable to make bad albums - long may it continue!
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