Top 5 Prog Rock Albums

[Lemur]

I usually don't post on the forums, but I saw this thread in the front page and mulled it over in my mind. I thought about it in the shower this morning, and I think I have a general idea of what my favorite prog albums are:

Kenso - Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptis
Gryphon - Raindance
Gentle Giant - In a Glass House
Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black

It's actually really hard to choose just 5 albums.

[Goodsall]

I'm new too. What about...?.....

U.K. - U.K.
Gentle Giant - In A Glass House.
Fire Merchants - Landlords Of Atlantis.
Transatlantic - SMTPe
Yes - Relayer

....not necessarily in that order

[Ginjeet]

Originally Posted by Q-bert

2. Silent cries and mighty echoes - Eloy,

wow never thought that anybody will choose from Eloy. Good taste.

[yorksrvc]

70's PROG:

Genesis: The Lamb
YES: Topographic Oceans
Pink Floyd: Dark Side
King Crimson: Red
Gentle Giant: Power and the Glory

CURRENT PROG: I don't know yet.......I'll list groups

Pendragon
Porcupine Tree
Transatlantic
Neal Morse
Flower Knings

Brand New: and sinking in real fast......

Magic Pie
Frost
Moon Safari
Auroris

[jnighting]

Not top five of all time, just my top 5....for the moment
Genesis: Trick of the Tail
ELP: Trilogy
Yes: Tales of.....
Yes: Going for the One
King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King
I am sure this list will change over the course of the next day or two....it always does.

[dinosaur]

I think there is truth to the idea of favorites coming out of a particular time in one's life...couldn't stop playing the following when I was young (of course I couldn't afford a wide variety at the time).

1. Relayer - Yes (played this over and over for years)
2. Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield (played this, and then the Allman Brothers, and then Jimi Hendryx, then repeated for a whole summer)
3. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull (what can I say?)
4. Tales of Mystery and Imagination - Alan Parsons (truly classical)
5. Countdown to Ecstasy - Steely Dan (OK, perhaps not prog, but progressive...)

We tend to identify with the music and its messages, its (counter) culture--so it becomes 'favorite'. I lost track of good music in the wasteland they called radio in the ensuing two decades --remember disco? Plus, I was way too busy working for a living...
Then in the nineties I was happy to discover prog alive and kicking by both 'seasoned' and new! Such as:
1. Subterranea - IQ
2. Hubris - Anglagard
3. Second Life Syndrome - Riverside
4. Alone - Clepsydra
5. Thrak - King Crimson

[ViolinCyndee]

How can you pick 5??????? I bet I am the only one here who would NOT pick any of the following: Yes, Genesis, GG!!


Cyndee

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Originally Posted by Yesspaz

So arbitrary, but here we go.

1. Yes - Relayer
2. Yes - Going for the One
3. King's X - Faith Hope Love

Faith Hope Love is a fine album but it's NOT prog

Originally Posted by ViolinCyndee

How can you pick 5??????? I bet I am the only one here who would NOT pick any of the following: Yes, Genesis, GG!!


Cyndee

So what WOULD you pick???

[fugazi]

hi there people, prog fan from Romania here .. here comes my vote:

1. The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
2. Close to the Edge - Yes
3. Selling England by the Pound - Genesis
4. Islands - King Crimson
5. Misplaced Childhood - Marillion

[lamour]

Let's see...

1) King Crimson - Red
wow, only 1 Bruford album in my top 5. who knew...

2) Gentle Giant - Playing the Fool
An excellent selection of songs. Excellent performances.

3) Peter Hammill - Silent Corner and the Empty Stage
On some days, this could be #1.

4) Echolyn - As the World
I played this CD in my car for close to 6 months at one point.

5) Djam Karet - Burning the Hard City
Have to love the jams.

[Beowulfs_Kin]

What I found interesting is that the most critically acclaimed albums by Genesis and Pink Floyd are apparently not the favorites of Moon listeners. After all, Dark Side of the Moon is considered the best Pink Floyd album by most critics I've seen, but Moon listeners who picked a Floyd album overwhelmingly favored Wish You Were Here.

With Genesis, Lamb Lies Down has always been considered their best album (critically speaking) but most of the Moon listeners identified Selling England by the Pound as their favorite Genesis album (it's mine, too).

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on why there's such a difference?

BK

[Thor]

TOP 5/ Original Old Style Prog:
1. YES- Close to the Edge remaster ed.
[actually a tie with their Tales From Topographic Oceans remaster ed.]
2. Genesis- Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
3. King Crimson- In The Court of the Crimson King
4. Nektar- Remember the Future
5. Caravan- In the Land of Grey and Pink

and if I fall through a door into an alternate universe
somewhere these may be the top 5...
6. ELP- Tarkus
7. Renaissance - Ashes are Burning
8. Hawkwind- Hall of the Mountain Grill
9. Camel- Moonmadness
10. Mahavishnu Orchestra- The Inner Mounting Flame

TOP 5/ New Prog Revival:
1. Marillion- Script for a Jester's Tear [tied with Fugazi] remaster eds.
2. Ozric Tentacles- Strangitude
3. IQ- Dark Matter
4. Aryeon- Electric Castle
5. Colin Masson- Isle of Eight

[Rick and Roll]

lamour......I like your choices

Thor that's 15! You cheat!

Anyway, lol, Grey and Pink is a true classic. A great choice.

And you will hear the "Electric Castle" in its entirety this week on my show!

Beo, I'm not a die hard Floyd fan, Maybe that's why I like "Animals" the best. It gets into it and never lets up. "Wish You Were Here" is a perfectly constructed record. Maybe "Dark Side" is just overexposed - it was for me.

I never thought of the Lamb as their best work. I, for one, am ecstatic that I differ from what is critically acclaimed. That being said, Lamia, Cage, Scree, Anyway, 32 Doors - all five some of their best songs. But I like Nursery Cryme and Trespass a bit better than the Lamb as a whole. Some of the songs like Lifeless Packaging and Back in NYC really annoy me.

"Selling England" to me is their masterwork.

[Hawksun]

Originally Posted by Beowulfs_Kin

What I found interesting is that the most critically acclaimed albums by Genesis and Pink Floyd are apparently not the favorites of Moon listeners. After all, Dark Side of the Moon is considered the best Pink Floyd album by most critics I've seen, but Moon listeners who picked a Floyd album overwhelmingly favored Wish You Were Here.

With Genesis, Lamb Lies Down has always been considered their best album (critically speaking) but most of the Moon listeners identified Selling England by the Pound as their favorite Genesis album (it's mine, too).

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on why there's such a difference?

I see DSOTM as PF's gateway album, a great introduction to their music, but a bit thin on content.(It's still a great album, of course). My favorite Floyd is a three way first place tie between Animals/Atom Heart Mother/Meddle.

I personnally do not like LLDOB, and prefer much more Nursery/Selling. The lamb is too unfocused and tries to push too much song ideas on too much albums (all my opinion again).

As for why people do not prefer these critics' favorite, it's probably a subject of great debate. I don't like The lamb because of reasons stated above and then some more. However, I also have a pathological repulsion against enormous mainstream success, and I can't explain why. This is probably why I don't think of Dark Side as the definitive Pink Floyd album. And, yes, I know it's dumb. I don't think we could get a homogenous answer from the community as to why these get pushed down the top 5.

Originally Posted by Rick and Roll

And you will hear the "Electric Castle" in its entirety this week on my show!

Rick, you rock.

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Originally Posted by Beowulfs_Kin

What I found interesting is that the most critically acclaimed albums by Genesis and Pink Floyd are apparently not the favorites of Moon listeners. After all, Dark Side of the Moon is considered the best Pink Floyd album by most critics I've seen, but Moon listeners who picked a Floyd album overwhelmingly favored Wish You Were Here.

With Genesis, Lamb Lies Down has always been considered their best album (critically speaking) but most of the Moon listeners identified Selling England by the Pound as their favorite Genesis album (it's mine, too).

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on why there's such a difference?

BK

Critics are idiots.

[progdirjim(Admin)]

And for the record, I love DSOTM. I can understand ANY objections to it because of the overplayed factor, but it's a great album. Perhaps the best understated prog album ever. Genesis, my fave is probably Foxtrot, but I can see Nursery Cryme and Selling England easily. Trespass is great, a bit more raw but worthwhile. Yes I have to stick with Close To The Edge. Tales is far too bloated before anyone suggests it ;-)

[Rick and Roll]

how did I slide over Foxtrot?

[podakayne]

just taking a stab...been staring at this thread on the front page and thinking about it

chris squire – fish out of water
yes – close to the edge
king crimson – larks/red
pink floyd – animals/meddle
tangerine dream – rubycon/alph centauri

okay i know, i know i got double albums on there but i just couldn't choose (i put the maybe i like betters first) fight me!

didnt we do this once before?...i'll have to see what i put then

pod

[Lemur]

Oh! I left Thick as a Brick off my list. That means it needs revising...

1. Kenso - Kenso II
2. Gryphon - Raindance
3. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
4. Gentle Giant - In a Glass House
5. Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream

King Crimson belongs up there, but the list isn't long enough.

[dark magus]

my top 5 are with difficulty,1 Erpland-Ozric Tentacles.2 Pungent Effulvent-Ozric Tentacles.3 Moving Pictures-Rush.4 Relayer-Yes.5 Passion and Warfare-Steve Vai.