justin pate

I've never really heard it before, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
Which is the first Progressive album I should buy?

Are Genesis any good? I'm thinking of starting with them.

jj \(uk\)

PROG ROCK CAN BE WONDERFUL (in no particular order):

'Close To The Edge' by Yes
'Fragile' by Yes
'Going For The One' by Yes
'Drama' by Yes
'Nursery Cryme' by Genesis
'Selling England By The Pound' by Genesis
'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' by Genesis (at least sides 1 and 2 and most
of side 3)
'Wind And Wuthering' by Genesis
'A Trick Of The Tail' by Genesis
'Gentle Giant' by Gentle Giant
'Trilogy' by Emerson, Lake And Palmer
'Brain Salad Surgery' by Emerson, Lake and Palmer

PROG ROCK CAN BE AN ACQUIRED TASTE (in no particular order):

'Tales From Topographic Oceans' by Yes
'Relayer' by Yes
'Tormato' by Yes
'Foxtrot' by Genesis
'Tarkus' by Emerson, Lake and Palmer
'Pictures At An Exhibition' by Emerson, Lake and Palmer

So, you want to start with Genesis? Well I guess it depends upon what you
already know about them but I reckon you should go for 'The Lamb...' or
'Wind And Wuthering' then 'Nursery Cryme' and 'Selling England'.

Otherwise, I think most people regard 'Close To The Edge' by Yes as the
ultimate Prog Rock album (watch the flame war start!) and that's certainly
the one I'd recommend.

Please note, I've only listed those Prog Rock artists/albums that I know
about (there's more than a few Yes albums I've not included , mainly because
they're not very 'proggy' albums) so I've not been able to rate any other
Gentle Giant albums (although the clips I've heard might get their albums
rated under a 'PROG ROCK CAN BE BLOODY AWFUL' list!) and I've not even
mentioned Jethro Tull or Camel because I've not heard any of their stuff
apart from a couple of Tull singles.

Check out http://www.progressiverock.com for a great timeline and reviews
and/or http://www.progarchives.com/ (which promises MP3s to download or
play). Also, http://www.allmusic.com is a great site for balanced and
un-biased opinions and reviews.

--
JJ (UK)

jj \(uk\)

Or you could always listen in to www.progradio.net ...

JJ (UK)

asg

I'd second Close to the Edge, Brain Salad add Thick as A Brick (Tull) for my
fave prog albums. Not a Genesis fan myself

I like Gentle Giant but I prefer a compilation say Edge of Twilight, GG are
an acquired taste because they're so strange, but that's half the appeal.

Regards


Andrew

Here are some very good progressive bands.

The Flower Kings
Transatlantic
Spock's Beard
Tempest
Platypus
Camel
Porcupine Tree
Ozric Tentacles
IQ
Threshold

david meadows

Everyone has made good suggestions, which I won't dispute, but I'll try to
give a different approach.

Start with any of the following (given in rough order of recommendation):

Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Nice - Five Bridges
Deep Purple - Deep Purple (third album)
Yes - Yes (first album)
Genesis - Trespass
The Zombies - Odyssey and Oracle

These aren't necessarily the best albums from each of these bands but they
are all very early examples of prog. Start with these and you will see bands
being truly experimental (remember these were all made in the 60s) and
trying to find new, undiscovered ways of making music -- which is the whole
point of being "progressive".Everything that came later just built on work
like this. For example, Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best-selling
prog albums of all time -- but it didn't really break ground very far from
what Floyd had already been doing for the last 8 years. Compare it with
Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which was so different from anything else
anybody had done in 1966/7, and you'll see which one was really progressive.
I don't think music has ever, before or since, made such a dramatic paradigm
shift in such a short period as it did in the period 1967-9.


--
David Meadows
"The hand of God slipped when it was pouring the talent
into Ritchie Blackmore." -- Paul Mann

halmyre

I reckon 'Foxtrot' is more accessible than 'Lamb...' myself.

You also need King Crimson "In The Court Of The Crimson King", "Larks'
Tongues In Aspic" and "Red".

--
Halmyre

ceci, n'est pas un signature

harrie hendriksen

This being a DP newsgroup, and me guessing your a big fan of THEIR
progressive feels,
you might wanna try:

IQ - Dark Matter
Pallas - The Cross And The Crucible
Pallas - Dreams Of Men
Arena - The Visitor
Arena - Smoke & Mirrors
Landmarq - Infinity Parade
Landmarq - Solitary Witness
Transatlantic - all they did
Kayak - Merlin
Jethro Tull - Brick By Brick
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

They are all easy bridges between DP's music and the misty realms of True
Progressive Rock

Greetz,
Harrie

wereo_supremacy

Hah MIDDIE Moe! Han MIDDIE Moe!

jj \(uk\)

Perhaps, but the trouble is I don't really rate it very highly so find it
difficult to recommend.


King Crimson are one of those bands I've not heard any thing like enough of,
so once again, difficult to recommend them.

BUT that doesn't mean your recommendations to Justin are not worthy! :-)

JJ (UK)