Best Prog Rock album ever?

[Norris]

Not an easy call to name the best. Close To The Edge is up there, but I'll throw Selling England By The Pound (Genesis) in the ring

[steve-soar]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UeybNQyUG0&list=PLw1xjBOrV-NpstZ_KX4zm5Cu1OvHccnoR"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UeybNQyUG0&list=PLw1xjBOrV-NpstZ_KX4zm5Cu1OvHccnoR[/url]

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1438979858' post='2839227']
Voyage of the Acolyte by Steve Hackett. It has songs with titles like 'Hands of the Priestess, Part I' and '"Shadow of the Hierophant'. It doesn't get much more prog than that!

[/quote]

Good call. It's a great album, and the production is amazing for the time.

[spectoremg]

I seem to recall that Prog mag's readership had Selling England By The Pound as number one. That's a hell of an album (blatant Genesis fan here) but you'd have to offer up an album that both defines the genre and would be the start of it. And I don't know what that album is.
I consider The Moody Blues to be the fathers (unintentionally) of prog.

[spectoremg]

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1438979858' post='2839227']
Voyage of the Acolyte by Steve Hackett. It has songs with titles like 'Hands of the Priestess, Part I' and '"Shadow of the Hierophant'. It doesn't get much more prog than that!

Honourable mentions; Power and the Glory by Gentle Giant, Minstrel in the Gallery by Jethro Tull and Fragile from Yes.
[/quote]Good call with Voyage of the Acolyte - Steve just went and did it!

[ezbass]

Best prog rock album? Hard, very hard. For me, it would have to be one with a theme/concept for at least half of the album (so one side of vinyl). My contenders, using that premise, would be:

Close To the Edge
Six Wives of Henry Vlll
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Lamb Lies Down
2112
Clockwork Angels
Tubular Bells

Gah! Too much prog overload in my head! Now I want to include others that don't fit my criteria.

[Oopsdabassist]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1438972748' post='2839156']
Second Album, Curved Air. Probably.
[/quote]

Shell..I think I love you, so rare to hear another Curved Air fan waxing lyrical!! Young mother done live is excellent, but on that album I have a soft spot for Piece of Mind. 15 odd mins of prog goodness

[Oopsdabassist]

All time fave? Hmm I think I'm with Ezbass, Tubular Bells was the one album that made me realise music doesn't have to be 3 min pop songs, and at the tender age of 12 that was quite a revelation! I discovered Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, soon after and was hooked for life on this stranger side of music. Strange when you consider my diet of Slade and Sweet up to that point anyway.

[ead]

Close To The Edge for me.

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1438962104' post='2839034']


That goes some way to defining the perennial question, "what is Prog?". Lots of keyboards and a sh** vocalist.
[/quote]

Strange you mention this I was only just recently listening to Rick wakeman with Ashley holt on vocals

Here's one for you ... Todd Rundgrens Utopia, The Ikon

[KevB]

Prog fills quite a few slots in my collection so 'best ever' is just too big a task for me to seriously consider. I'll chuck in a slightly contentious one as it even divides the band's fans:
[url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_Topographic_Oceans"]Tales From Topographic Oceans[/url]
Wildly over ambitious, double album containing just four pieces of music covering quite abstract mystical quasi religious bases, Not for the faint hearted.

Edited August 8, 2015 by KevB

[seashell]

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1438983231' post='2839262']


Shell..I think I love you, so rare to hear another Curved Air fan waxing lyrical!! Young mother done live is excellent, but on that album I have a soft spot for Piece of Mind. 15 odd mins of prog goodness
[/quote]

I met Darryl Way at a party once. Well, I say 'met' though I didn't actually speak to him. But I was in the same room as him! I regret not speaking to him now, but I was too shy in those days.

[Guest bassman7755]

In no particular order, and possibly blurring the distinction of prog with "concept" albums ...

Images and words
Farewell to kings
Operation mind crime
The wall

Edited August 8, 2015 by bassman7755

[ubit]

2112. nuff said!

[Oopsdabassist]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1439018531' post='2839375']
Prog fills quite a few slots in my collection so 'best ever' is just too big a task for me to seriously consider. I'll chuck in a slightly contentious one as it even divides the band's fans:
[url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_Topographic_Oceans"]Tales From Topographic Oceans[/url]
Wildly over ambitious, double album containing just four pieces of music covering quite abstract mystical quasi religious bases, Not for the faint hearted.
[/quote]

But......utterly brilliant. Daft, mad, dense, but brilliant, still on regular rotation in the car for those long business trips!

[Oopsdabassist]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1439019565' post='2839383']
I met Darryl Way at a party once. Well, I say 'met' though I didn't actually speak to him. But I was in the same room as him! I regret not speaking to him now, but I was too shy in those days.
[/quote]

Went to see him play in Windsor back in about 1979, he was sat at the bar before going on, so egged on by my then girlfriend (now wife ) I went up to him, bought him a drink, starting gassing re Curved Air songs/arrangements.... and he was late starting..oops Lovely chap, still had the wild hair then.

[ezbass]

How could I forget Dark Side of the Moon?

[BassTractor]

Thanks for drawing my attention to "A Curious Feeling".
I've never heard it, but am sufficiently intrigued now.

As to the the greatest prog album, I wouldn't be able to choose at all, but for me the most [s]archetypal[/s] edit: iconic one would probably be "Close to the Edge".
However, I don't trust my choice there, as CttE happens to be the album of my life.

Others:
Gentle Giant: The Power and The Glory
Van der Graaf: The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome
Frank Zappa: Jazz from Hell
The (Dixie) Dregs: Unsung Heroes

Edited August 8, 2015 by BassTractor

[seashell]

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1439023017' post='2839413']


Went to see him play in Windsor back in about 1979, he was sat at the bar before going on, so egged on by my then girlfriend (now wife ) I went up to him, bought him a drink, starting gassing re Curved Air songs/arrangements.... and he was late starting..oops Lovely chap, still had the wild hair then.
[/quote]

It was about 1989 when he turned up at this party in Slough. Must have been a friend of a friend. His hair was less wild by then IIRC. :-)

[alyctes]

I think it would have to be Pawn Hearts. I love Fragile, but it's not really an album. Godbluff is a contender, but it hasn't got quite the same ambition, somehow.

[Mikkoantt]

Yes :Relayer
Genesis: Lamb lies down on Broadway

[discreet]

Oh God, I'm familiar with an awful lot of the albums mentioned but never considered myself a prog fan...

Edited August 8, 2015 by discreet

[KevB]

It's OK, prog's a broad church they will let practically anyone in.

[dmccombe7]

Would have to say :-
Genesis - Seconds Out is my all time fav album
Floyd - DSOTM is 2nd

I play these 2 albums regularly since buying even after 40yrs.

From modern era :-
Arjen Lucassen - Lost In The New Reel.
Steve Wilson - Hand Cannot Erase
Minor Giant - On The Road

The list could be endless but these are few favs. Prog being my fav kind of music.

Dave

[discreet]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1439046993' post='2839642']
It's OK, prog's a broad church they will let practically anyone in.
[/quote]

Hee, hee. I'm sure 'progressive rock' meant something different back in the day than it does now... for example, Deep Purple were considered 'progressive' then, but not so much now... or am I talking out my arse again?