Your favourite Prog Rock Band and album

[HOFNSKIN]

Curved air (air conditioning)

 

[ChicagoRichie]

I'll second. Perhaps the most obvious, but it is still the most bloody awesome album to listen to. Got to say, also love The Wall. I think I've come to understand that differently with age.

I think Pink Floyd was an unbelievably talented band, and made some fantastic music. I really respect their body of work. However, I've never been able to really get into them on a personal level. When I hear them in passing, I enjoy it. I have just never gone out of my way to listen to their stuff much. Perhaps that will change, as my taste does tend to grow in different directions as I age.

 

[rocker959]

https://youtu.be/Qae7k321nVo

 

[jakarta]

Rush are my favourite band of all-time and '2112' stands the test of time as a brilliant concept album.

Also, I can't believe there's not more love on this thread for HAWKWIND! 'Space Ritual', 'Quark, Strangeness and Charm' and 'Sonic Attack' are classics.

Hawkwind are more their own genre (Space Rock) than prog I would have thought.

 

[Binney on acid]

Keith Relf's Renaissance was an amazing album. I saw them Supporting Canned Heat at 'The Dome' in Feb 1970. Renaissance's 'Ashes are burning' and Illusion's 'Out of the mist' were also exceptional albums. Steamhammer's 'Mountains' was great. They always used to play it at 'The big apple'.

 

[jakarta]

Camembert Electrique - Gong

I'll see your Camembert Electrique and raise you with Angels Egg, You and Gong Live etc.

 

[mreprice]

Love the thread. I have a theory that everybody born in the 60s has a secret prog rock band they love but think they can't tell anybody about.
I have all the Genesis albums except the first and last couple on Vinyl. Still regret the day I saw the first one in a shop and thought it was too expensive. Lamb lies down was the favourite that came to mind before opening the thread so I'll vote for it. Also have all of Floyd but got into them a bit later so on CD.

Saw Jethro Tull live last month at Byron Bay Bluesfest. Tent was absolutely packed for an amazing performance. Still got it!

 

[Superphil]

I'll see your Camembert Electrique and raise you with Angels Egg, You and Gong Live etc.

All great albums, but Camembert Electrique was the first I heard, and remains in my top 3 albums of all time.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

and the immense Demis Roussos The Four Horsemen from Aphrodite's child 666

 

[Dave the OAP]

Anyone remember going to see tangerine dream at the dome 1970's. couple of days after one of the many visits by wishbone ash.

I actually liked their music until this concert. They played a track with animal noises in it and they started going mooooo. And cluck cluck...as farm noises. That wa sit for me and actually quite a lot of people in the audience.

Still listen to Focus albums regularly. Hamburger Concherto (sp?) is a quite brilliant album.

 

[Icy Gull]

Anyone remember going to see tangerine dream at the dome 1970's. couple of days after one of the many visits by wishbone ash.

I actually liked their music until this concert. They played a track with animal noises in it and they started going mooooo. And cluck cluck...as farm noises. That wa sit for me and actually quite a lot of people in the audience.

Still listen to Focus albums regularly. Hamburger Concherto (sp?) is a quite brilliant album.

Nope but I do remember being able to think mid afternoon, oh so and so is playing the Dome I think I'll go and unless it was a very in vogue band of the moment, you could just turn up and pay. How things have changed, well for the bands I want to see anyway.

 

[Surf's Up]

(As per the first word of your post): Yes : "Close to the Edge"

https://youtu.be/GNkWac-Nm0A

This, part of the soundtrack to my yooof.

 

[jakarta]

Anyone remember going to see tangerine dream at the dome 1970's. couple of days after one of the many visits by wishbone ash.

I actually liked their music until this concert. They played a track with animal noises in it and they started going mooooo. And cluck cluck...as farm noises. That wa sit for me and actually quite a lot of people in the audience.

I think a lot Krautrock of the 1970's was 'difficult' - thinking especially about Can, Faust and Neu! The Tangs started out that way but by the time of Encore etc. they were far more shall we say, tuneful. That reminds me - working from home today so will have to look it out...

 

[BBassic]

Then don't. I do.

That said, as I said, he made full use of his ability, and in many cases his bass playing would be much more fitting than some technically much superior bass players. Sometimes less is best - and he was a good example of that.

I'm a bass player myself and I pretty much agree with this. You don't need to be all technically gifted, with your fingers flying all over the neck, to be a good bass player. My favourite example of this, and my favourite bass player, is James Jamerson. Nothing about his playing was really "difficult" in the technical sense but his sense of groove, timing and just his style are utterly magnificent.

 

[Official Old Man]

I worked at Scotts Radio in London Road (fire station end). There were two guys with long hair who worked the Hi Fi repair department who played nothing but Genesis all day every day. I got to like it and still have to this day my tape copies they made me.
Also I could sit all day and watch Rick Wakeman from the 70's playing 6 piano/organs at the same time. How does he do that?

 

[Dave the OAP]

Nope but I do remember being able to think mid afternoon, oh so and so is playing the Dome I think I'll go and unless it was a very in vogue band of the moment, you could just turn up and pay. How things have changed, well for the bands I want to see anyway.

very true...did that with 10cc and also Blue Oyster Cult

 

[sully]

It has to be a Genesis album for me. Probably A Trick of the Tail, as it has my favourite ever track on it - Mad Man Moon. Very close thing with The Lamb and Wind & Wuthering, though.

Rush are up there, too. Grace Under Pressure probably just gets my vote as their best. 2112 is very close, though.

Cant believe there's been no mention yet of Manfred Mann's two prog masterpieces - Watch and The Roaring Silence.

Marillion's first three albums were also exceptional.

Currently, I'm looking forward to the release of Lifesigns' second album, Cardington. I saw them live last year and they are superb.


And all that without mentioning Floyd! Animals gets my vote from their catalogue of exceptional albums.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Then don't. I do.

That said, as I said, he made full use of his ability, and in many cases his bass playing would be much more fitting than some technically much superior bass players. Sometimes less is best - and he was a good example of that.

If you genuinely think that all he did was play root notes then you obviously don't. No point in any further discussion.

 

[Norman Potting]

..Shouldn't this really be the "..bands we reminisce about from our lost youth" thread? MC5 Prog Rock !??!, we need to define the parameters - Solo/track duration, hairiness of members and incomprehensibility of lyrics would be my suggested benchmarks

Seriously though, great to see some of the names mentioned. Rainbow was my first ever "Big Gig", Brighton Centre 79/80 perhaps?, Hawkwind much later at the Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall (had/have some good bands there) sadly no Stacia with them, couple of girls in glittery jumpsuits cavorting on stage was the best they could manage. Rush, great musicians but live a bit "meh!" - might just as well listen to the albums at home. Good to see Renaissance get a "shout out", saw the Annie Haslam fronted version from the "Northern Lights" era at Eastbourne Congress Theatre early '80's - also saw a couple of bewildered elderly ladies being ushered out - we assume because they thought they were going to see a "Renaissance music concert" and not because they were being unruly!

Heard the aforementioned "Northern Lights" on this legendary radio station earlier in the week.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Radio+caroline&oq=Radio+caroline&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i65j0l4.4288j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Dave the OAP]

Can't believe how many people only bought the single CD of Marbles and missed this all time classic!

After hearing that start, I was expecting ". Something solid forming in the air...."


Christ that is a brilliant track!