I'm a folk fan but a lot of my listening is prog or prog related such as Yes, Genesis, Tull, Floyd, Renaissance, Marillion, Procol Harum and numerous unknown one offs.
I'm on a Procol Harum kick since you posted this. It's been a while since I listened to them, now I'm addicted again.
Renaissance is such an underrated band, IMO. Good to see some love here! Ashes is probably my favourite track from them, but in a live setting. The 10 minute extra jam is just superb! To me, Scheherazade is the greatest of the bunch!
@Bill Hart and I had a discussion on this album in another thread on its CD mastering, I played it this week, one of my favorite albums from the early 70s is Comus' First Utterance. Bill has a great interview with the band here: Comus: First Utterance + Interview with Members of Comus - The Vinyl Press
Funny that you suggested that, when I was getting the link for my post I saw the Cologne 94 video and watched it after I posted here, a fabulous performance and Clem really shreds at the end, what a solo, amazing stuff.
Longtime prog fan here, although my interest has waxed and waned over the years. It's currently waxing, though, so this thread comes at a good time. I guess my first exposure was probably hearing "Roundabout" and "Karn Evil 9" on the radio when they came out. I can't really recall what I thought of them at the time (I was pretty young) but hearing either of those songs now (especially "Roundabout") is still like a direct jolt to the pleasure center of my brain. Pure pleasure. A few years later, when I was in high school (early 80s), I started buying prog albums (on cassette, initially). I had already bought a couple of Yes/ELP cassettes when I was in the store one day and ran across In the Court of the Crimson King. I flipped the cassette over to read the song list and realized that I recognized the title "21st Century Schizoid Man" from the radio (the late, great WBCN-FM in Boston). Instant buy, and it turned me into an instant Crimson fan. Same thing happened shortly thereafter with the song (and album) "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". Kind of extraordinary in retrospect that I had heard that song on the radio enough times to recognize it, but that's what it was like at the time. Deep cuts by bands like Crimson and Genesis played alongside superstars like the Stones and Zeppelin (lots of deep cuts there, too) and the latest new wave from England. Gone are the days. Anyway, my tastes run mostly to the classic British symphonic groups and 70s Krautrock (especially Can and Tangerine Dream). As I say, my interest waxes and wanes, and there have been long periods (years-long in some cases) where I probably didn't listen to any of those groups (except maybe Crimson and Can). Then a few years ago, I found myself listening to a lot of early Jethro Tull (also a high school favorite) and a friend of mine sent me some MP3s of Camel's The Snow Goose, which sparked my interest in some of the "second-tier" groups of that period (primarily Camel and Nektar). Since then, I've been on a real prog kick, and am looking forward to discovering some more bands via this thread. I'm not actually listening to prog at the moment (today has been a day for early reggae for me), but I recently picked up this awesome compilation (two double-LP sets) and am loving it:
And how about a bunch of Japanese avant-gardists paying a lovely tribute to classic Italian prog in the late 80s? Pazzo Fanfano di Musica's sole album (1989) is a kind of prog I love because it completely defies easy categorization cruising gracefully among pastoral folksy arpeggios, contrapuntal chamberesque ostinatos, melodramatic symph crescendos and angular avant staccatos. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQG6yrE2X6E
Happy to hear it. One thing about Procol Harum is that they have such a characteristic sound, hardly anybody sounds like them. And even though their material sometimes went into more straightforward territory, any fan of progressive rock will find something on each album to love, I believe. Caught a concert of theirs a few months back and the musicianship was just impeccable. Truly one of the most original bands.
Never heard of this album, so I streamed it at the gym. Nice mix of jazz, blues and other things on side 1. But,man, the Valentine Suite kicks it off of the park, IMO! Is this their peak?
Colosseum made just a handful of albums or less, but this one is probably their best. Their second album. The kick-ass bass/drums groove on The Kettle just jumps at you. Colosseum are often forgotten when talking about progressive rock. Some label them jazz-rock or even psychedelic rock, but I don't know... It fits perfectly within the progressive mould.
My winter prog playlist: Jethro Tull Anglagard (perfect for twenty below) Djam Karet Riverside (new album is sensational) Sonus Umbra Sanguine Hum Gosta Berlings Saga
Post Punk practitioners were sometimes "rocking the classics" no worse than their Prog counterparts. Just think of the girls from Miranda Sex Garden who were capable of pulling of a full set of English madrigals a cappella for the indie/goth audience on Madra (1991). Madra [Mute Records] :: Beatport
Hey Mark, have you ever gotten into the band Focus? Check out Moving Waves and Focus III. Two of my favorites of all time.
Transatlantic are probably my favourite prog band. All their studio and live albums are great, with Bridge Across Forever being slightly ahead of the pack for me. In fact, any prog-related album with Neal Morse on is fine by me.
I've just bought and am hugely enjoying the Portnoy Sheehan MacAlpine Sherinan Live CD: Portnoy-Sheehan-MacAlpine-Sherinian - A Change Of Season / Acid Rain (from 'Live In Tokyo') 2012 It's a bit like Dream Theater without vocals and includes some Dream Theater tunes. Plus, you can actually hear the bass!
