Rocklist Discography

Rocklist Discography's

A Consumers Guide to:
Prog Rock

The best prog rock album/tracks of all time?

There seems to be a fine line from where progressive rock stops becoming brilliant and start becoming self indulgent crap? What is prog rock? No arguments over bands like Genesis, Yes, ELP and the undisputed kings of prog, Pink floyd. But what about Deep Purple, Can, Van Der Graaf Generator? My morning jacket’s Z, could they be considered prog rock?

Some bands occasionally drifted into prog from other genres. From their blues roots, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven is the classic example. Even the last Dexys Midnight Runners album ‘don’t stand me down’ (who coincidently had Vince Crane from Atomic Rooster in their line up by then) seemed to drift there. From their funk beginnings via Celtic swing to prog?

In the late 70’s prog metamorphosed into ‘art rock’. Bands scared of being tarnished with the same brush as some of the above mentioned ‘dinosaur’ bands, re invented the genre. Still the same criteria, unconventional chord and rhythm changes, and a nod to classical and jazz, and bordering avant-garde. But instead of tracks lasting 15-20 minutes, they were trimmed them down to a respectable 4 – 6 minutes and sampling became a main stay of the genre – a good thing?

But there is no mistaking the sound. Perhaps an easier way of defining the sound – if it don’t fit into any other genre, it’s prog!

Here is a list of a few of my suggested contenders. All the tracks listed would sound at home sequenced next to one and other in any order. What is the best prog rock album of all time? Just as important, what is the worst?

The list is presented as an alphabetical listing from my personal collection. I have kept it to one entrée per artist.

© Julian White 2006

The Best 85

Artist – Album – Track – Year

• 10 CC – Original Soundtrack – Une Nuit A Paris – 1974
• 808 State – Ninty – Pacific 202 – 1989
• A Certain Ratio – To Each – Felch - 1980
• Add N To X – On The Wires Of Our Nerves – Gentle Germans - 1998
• Alice Cooper – Killer – Halo Of Flies – 1970
• Amon Duul II – Dance Of The Lemmings – Race From Here To Your Ears – 1971
• Atomic Rooster – Death Walks Behind You – Tomorrow Night – 1973
• Bent – Programmed To Love – Always – 2000
• Brian Eno & David Byrne – My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts – The Jezebel Sprit – 1981
• Brian Wilson – Smile – Surfs Up – 2004
• Can – Tago Mago – Paperhouse – 1971
• Canyon – Empty Rooms – Sleepwalker – 2002
• Coldplay – X & Y – Fix You - 2005
• Cornelius – Fantasma – Clash – 1998
• Deep Purple – In Rock – Child In Time – 1970
• Delakota – One Love – 555 – 1998
• DJ Shadow – Endtroducing – Stem – 1998
• Doves – Lost Souls – The Cedar Room – 2000
• Edgar Broughton Band – Sing Brother Sing – No Vibration But Wait - 1970
• Egg – Egg – While Growing My Hair – 1970
• Elbow – Cast Of Thousands – Grace Under Pressure – 2003
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer – ELP – Knife-Edge – 1970
• Eno – Here Come The Warm Jets – Needle In The Camel’s Eye – 1973
• Family – Music From A Dolls House – The Chase Mellowing Grey – 1968
• Focus – Moving Waves – Eruption – 1971
• Frank Zappa – Waka/Jawaka – Big Swifty - 1972
• Fripp, Robert – God Save The Queen – Under Heavy Manners - 1979
• Genesis – Trespass – The Knife – 1970
• God Speed You Black Emperor - !Xxxf#A#8xxx – 1998
• Golden Earring – Golden Earring – Big Tree Blue Sea - 1970
• Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain – Lonely Head – 2000
• Greenslade – Bedside Manners Are Extra – Bedside Manners Are Extra – 1973
• Hawkwind – In Search Of Space – You Shouldn’t Do That – 1971
• Holgar Czukay – Movies – Hollywood Symphony - 1980
• Hope Of The States – The Lost Riots – Enemies/Friends - 2004
• Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow – White Rabbit - 1966
• Jethro Tull – Aqualung – Locomotive Breath – 1972
• Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love – The Ninth Wave Medley – 1985
• King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King – 21st Century Schizoid Man – 1969
• Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (IV) – Stairway To Heaven – 1971
• Little Feat – Time Loves A Hero – Day At Dog Races – 1977
• Man – Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day – C’mon - 1972
• Matching Mole – Matching Mole – O Caroline – 1972
• Mercury Rev – Boces – Meth Of A Rockette’s Kick – 1993
• Mew – Frengers – Comforting Sounds - 2003
• Mike Oldfield – Ommadawn – Part Two -1975
• Moody Blues – On The Threshold Of A Dream – Watching And Waiting – 1969
• Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride - Nantucket Sleighride - 1971
• Muse – Absolution – Stockholm Syndrome - 2003
• My Morning Jacket – Z – Off The Record - 2005
• Peter Gabrieal – (1) – Here Comes The Flood – 1977
• Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here – Shine On Your Crazy Diamond (Pt2) - 1975
• Pretty Things – Parachute – She Was Tall, She Was High – 1970
• Propaganda – A Secret Wish – P-Machinery - 1984
• Queen – A Night At The Opera – Bohemian Rhapsody – 1975
• R. Kane – Sixty Nine – Baby Milk Snatcher - 1987
• Radiohead – Amnestic – Pyramid Song - 2001
• Roxy Music – Every Dream Home A Heartache – For Your Pleasure - 1973
• Sigur Ros – Agaetis Byrjun – Suefn G Englar – 2000
• Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation – Teen Age Riot - 1988
• Spritualized – Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space – Cop Shoot Cop - 1997
• Stereolab – Sound-Dust – Captain Easychord - 2001
• Supertramp – Crime Of The Century – Bloody Well Right – 1973
• T2 – It Will All Work Out In Boomland – In Circles – 1970
• Tangerine Dream – Phaedra – Movements Of A Visionary – 1974
• Ten Years After – Stonedhenge – No Title - 1968
• The Art Of Noise – Who’s Afraid Of.. – Beat Box - 1984
• The Beatles – Abbey Road – Side 2 Medley – 1969
• The Beta Band – The Three Ep’s – Inner Meet Me – 1998
• The Boredoms – Vision Creation Newsun – Track 2 (No Track Listings) - 2000
• The Earlies – These Were The Earlies – 25 Easy Pieces - 2004
• The Flaming Lips – Transmissions From The Satellite Heart – She Don’t Use Jelly – 1993
• The High Llamas – Cold & Bouncy – Hiball Nova Scotia - 1998
• The Mahavishnu Orchestra – The Inner Mountain Flame – Meeting Of The Sprits - 1972
• The Mars Volta – De Loused At The Comatorium – Eriatarka – 2003
• The Nice – Elegy – America – 1969
• The Polyphonic Spree – Together We Are Heavy – When The Foot Becomes A King – 2004
• The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters – Where Damage Isn’t Already Done – 2004
• Those Bastard Souls – The Wake Of Your Flood - 1999
• Tortoise – Millions Now Living Will Never Die – Glass Museum – 1996
• TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes – Staring At The Sun – 2004
• Uriah Heep – Very ‘Eavy Very ‘Umble – Gypsy – 1970
• Van Der Graaf Generator – Pawn Hearts – A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers - 1971
• Yes – Time And A Word – No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed – 1970
• Yo La Tengo – Electra-O-Pura – The Hour Grows Late - 1995

The Worst?

• Rick Wakeman – 6 Wives Of Henry VIII
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Tarkus
• Curved Air – Air Conditioning
• Jethro Tull – Thick As A Brick
• Camel – Anything
• Caravan – Ditto!
• Barclay James Harvest – Mockingbird
• Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

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