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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 16:22
by Matt Wilson
C wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:Top Five

1 Yes
2 Genesis
3 Crimson
4 Floyd
5 Tull


That's not bad Matt but GG need to be in there too.

They are certainly more 'prog' than Tull





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That's true, Stephen. But is there a better GG album than Aqualung or TAAB? GG were very consistent from '70 - '76 with no mediocre LPs, but were any of them five-star? Anyway, my list is my list. Write up your own and submit it!

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 16:24
by robertff
C wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:Top Five

1 Yes
2 Genesis
3 Crimson
4 Floyd
5 Tull


That's not bad Matt but GG need to be in there too.

They are certainly more 'prog' than Tull


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But Tull are widely perceived as being prog, look at any list of prog bands or books about prog and they are high up in the reckoning C, higher up than GG in many cases and far more popular.



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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 16:27
by Matt Wilson
Robert, tell everyone to submit their list of five (or ten even) in the order importance. Then begin the tally.

What do you think?

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 16:32
by Neil Jung
Yes
Genesis
Floyd
Tull
Steven Wilson / Porcupine Tree

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 19:02
by C
robertff wrote:
C wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:Top Five

1 Yes
2 Genesis
3 Crimson
4 Floyd
5 Tull


That's not bad Matt but GG need to be in there too.

They are certainly more 'prog' than Tull


.




But Tull are widely perceived as being prog, look at any list of prog bands or books about prog and they are high up in the reckoning C, higher up than GG in many cases and far more popular.



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All good points well made Matt



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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 19:02
by C
Neil Jung wrote:Steven Wilson / Porcupine Tree


Ya soft lad!




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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 19:03
by C
Matt Wilson wrote:Robert, tell everyone to submit their list of five (or ten even) in the order importance. Then begin the tally.

What do you think?


He'll need to lubricate his abacus!




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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 19:27
by robertff
C wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:Robert, tell everyone to submit their list of five (or ten even) in the order importance. Then begin the tally.

What do you think?


He'll need to lubricate his abacus!

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Seems to be the only way to determine a consensus of any value, so will do although it may take me time as I have commitments.

So send me a PM with your top 5 prog acts in order of importance, no half baked orders, but ordered 1-5. Consider the acts in order of importance and influence to the world of prog and not just your personal favourites, otherwise this will become a pretty useless exercise.

Post your top 5 here as well but I shall only tally the ones that come to me by PM. You've got until Monday 10th October, no later than 1:00 p.m. GMT.

Off you go.


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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 20:16
by yomptepi
1. VDGG
2.Gentle Giant
3. Yes
4. King Crimson
5. Genesis.

All dependent on their most prog stuff. There is nothing more prog thatn Pawn hearts, Octopus, Close to the Edge, Larks Tongues in Aspic and Foxtrot. I don't see how bands like Pink Floyd figure at all. The were psyche /Blues weren't they?

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 20:17
by Matt Wilson
Send that list to Robert, Mike.

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 20:19
by C
robertff wrote:Consider the acts in order of importance and influence to the world of prog and not just your personal favourites, otherwise this will become a pretty useless exercise.

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That's the tough bit....

How influential were VdGG, compared to GG compared to Yes...

This is gonna end in tears

Mine I feel




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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 20:20
by Matt Wilson
If it's influence you're looking for, Crimson would top the list.

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 20:50
by Hightea
slightbreeze wrote:
C wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:But are all of those Tull albums progressive rock?







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That's why I didn't include the Decemberists. Although "The hazards of love" is 100% prog, the rest of their output, although brilliant, is far more eclectic

Crane Wife is more proggy than Hazards. NOt sure about the rest of their catalog.

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 20:52
by Hightea
robertff wrote:
C wrote:
robertff wrote:Are Strawbs prog, I wouldn’t have thought so?

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Well Rob, this is the discussion we knew we were going to have to have!



Genesis became bland pop.


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Agree totally but for a while and for a number of well received albums (as you have already posted) they were prog incarnate, forget the pop bland. Trying to be fair-minded here and you know how much I like Genesis, NOT!



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Strawbs are 100% prog maybe not their first album.

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 21:10
by C
Matt Wilson wrote:If it's influence you're looking for, Crimson would top the list.


More influential than Tull - that's for sure...




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Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 21:12
by Hightea
seeing the typical silly comments about who is prog. Yeah some delve in other genre but all the bands I see listed are prog or at least crossover or prog related.
see here
http://www.progarchives.com/

My list is going to drop bands down if they had some crappy albums.

Gong Family(I'm including Pierre's Gong, Steven Hillage Band and Daevid Allen's solo and other projects) - this isn't even close Gong is my premier prog band.
KC - brilliant stuff from 70-2020 -
Pink Floyd - brilliant space rock from 66 until Animals - not a fan of the Wall but its still good.
Strawbs - another band all good.
Genesis/Peter Gabriel-they would be higher but after W&W so add in the Gabriel solo to up them on the listing
Gentle Giant
Soft Machine - If you don't think they were prog you don't know what your talking about.
VDGG/Peter Hammill
Porcupine Tree/SW - finally a newer band that deserves the credit
Marillion - fan of both Fish and H singers and eras - extra points for still going
Magma - mostly for being unique
Yes - interesting how much they have dropped on my lists, I just don't listen to them much. They also lost me after Going for the One although the next one had its moments
Jethro Tull- love or hate by album for me
Zappa - love plenty of Zappa maybe he should be higher, dropped because its not all prog
Renaissance
Kraftwerk
ELP - love early hate late
Renaissance
Roxy Music
Camel

Honorable mention
The Decemberists - I consider them very prog
Henry Cow - just not enough material
Radiohead - they have their prog elements
PFM, Blanco, LE Orme - italian prog giants
Hawkwind
Ozric Tentacles - another great space rock band

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 21:13
by Hightea
C wrote:
Neil Jung wrote:Steven Wilson / Porcupine Tree


Ya soft lad!




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nope he is modern!

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 21:30
by Matt Wilson
Pick your top five and send Robert a PM, Steven.

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 22:01
by John_K
I am but a child to the world of Prog, but enjoying the thread so far and looking forward to spending some proper time making notes.

My simplistic Top 5 has been PM'd...

Genesis
King Crimson
Yes
Pink Floyd
Jethro Tull

Re: The Prog Premier League - Create

Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 22:28
by Hightea
Matt Wilson wrote:Pick your top five and send Robert a PM, Steven.

still thinking that one thru.

When it comes to other things like influence and mass appeal it changes things
YEs, Pink Floyd, Tull and Genesis are hard calls because they are prog but have other tendencies

On a side note:
see a bunch of Pink Floyd were not all prog?
I question this because they are the inventers of space rock which is a prog sub-genre. Their early stuff had some psyche but its how they turned that into a trippy space rock which makes them even more prog.

I think a big problem with people who think prog is only just SYMPHONIC PROG.
Mixture of elements from different genres.
Complex time signatures.
Lush keyboards.
Explorative and intelligent lyrics, in some cases close to fantasy literature, Sci Fi and even political issues.
Non commercial approach
Longer format of songs

but that is just one form.