What's your favourite old prog rock

[Ferryman]

just one word zaireeka http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:d9frxqrjld0e flaming lips are aboutone of my favourite current band, i am not dissing them when i refer to them as prog, but imho they are definetley in the prog spectrum.

Nah, that's no prog album. It's a clever idea but a concept album involves spaceships, passages from the bible, journeys into imaginary worlds and lots of sixth form lyrics with a gatefold sleeve and some looney like Michael Moorcock writing stuff all over it

brian eno (genuis) no pussyfooting with robert fripp

Not prog again, that's ambient, Eno's first ambient foray. Used Frippertronics IIRC.

that may be your description of prog, my definition is someone that is progressing or moving music on and forward.vdgg are pretty much described as prog but i cant think offhand about them dabbling in wizards, pixies and cloaks and 20 minute guitar solo tho the flaming lips mmmmmmmmm think about it your firming up my case. lol.

Ah, here's the rub. You have a different definition of prog - your own! Prog as in moving the boundaries forward continuously and doing something different. Not prog rock as in the true sense of the word, ie stuck in overblown, classically inspired, rather pretentious but deep down rather fun stuff from the 70s. Here's a definition from Wikipedia that nails it for me:

"Progressive rock (often shortened to prog or prog rock) is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." The term was applied to the music of bands such as King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Soft Machine and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Progressive rock came into most widespread use around the mid-1970s."

Altho for me think King Crimson went beyond "prog" after Larks Tongues. I know Flaming Lips get a bit hippy drippy from time to time and certainly have done "kind of" concept albums (Like Yoshimi vs the Pink Robots), but they still lack the persian carpets, silk kimonos and samurai swords through keyboards that would mark them out as "true" prog!

Cheers,

Nigel

[Oldrottenhead]

"mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility

i think that sums it up, but check this out and i think  my argument still holds up. http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive-rock.asp#definition  but i'll agree to disagree.

soft machine now theres a band, prog rock too, jazz fusion rock deffo, but prog by your definition?mmmmmmmmm.

[Ferryman]

Yeah, I wouldn't class Soft Machine (or Kevin Ayers or Matching Mole for that matter) as prog. Those guys on Prog Archive are just trying to big up the genre and make it seem cool  Mind you, I should talk, as I'm back playing in a band that has heavy prog overtones and even does ELP covers (ulp!). But I have a real soft spot for prog as I grew up with it, even though the punk side of me says I wouldn't dare admit it. Seeing flared jeans still makes me feel uneasy.......

For me, prog always has to be a bit pretentious in a public school sixth form type way. Those guys at Prog Archive proved it when they said "For example, Leitmotif is used to represent the various characters in Genesis' "Harold the Barrel" and "Robbery, Assault and Battery." " Blimey! I thought Peter Gabriel just liked doing funny voices!

Cheers,

Nigel

[Ferryman]

Here's a nice definition someone posted on an Amazon discussion:

"IMO prog = long tracks with several time changes, heavy overtones of classical and or jazz, incomprehensible lyrics, cant dance to it, huge amounts of guitar/keyboard/flute widdling, not exactly a laff, popular among public schoolboys, induces feelings of suicide in non fans."

nails it for me! (but I still secretly enjoy prog in limited doses)

Cheers,

Nigel

[guitarron]

an acquired taste for sure-

[Oldrottenhead]

But I have a real soft spot for prog as I grew up with it, even though the punk side of me says I wouldn't dare admit it.

me too lol.

[SteveB]

Pointless starting a New Thread for one post, but a group from the similar era as your esteemed Proggers, is the woefully-underated Atomic Rooster.

[Blooby]

I know this isn't from the classic prog-rock era, but I really dig older Spock's Beard back when Neal Morse was in the band.

The piano introduction of this tune ends about 1:05.

Blooby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nbXl1gX7TQ

[guitarron]

Here's a nice definition someone posted on an Amazon discussion:

"IMO prog = long tracks with several time changes, heavy overtones of classical and or jazz, incomprehensible lyrics, cant dance to it, huge amounts of guitar/keyboard/flute widdling, not exactly a laff, popular among public schoolboys, induces feelings of suicide in non fans."

nails it for me! (but I still secretly enjoy prog in limited doses)

Cheers,

Nigel

lmao-didnt miss anyone didiya?-funny-true but funny
it's not for everyone for sure

[Bosko Schwartz]

Can you suggest a Yes album i should check out?

I enjoy stuff from their entire career, including post-Drama and their first couple albums, but without reservation, I would start with Fragile, The Yes Album, and Close to the Edge.  I think most fans would agree this period represents their peak.

I don''t think Going For the One, Relayer, and Tormato were quite as consistently strong (although Fragile has some odds and ends for sure), and Tales From Topographic Oceans is just too much for a lot of folks (especially as an introduction).   

Two cents for the day.

Blooby

How odd, Blooby -- I wrote almost the exact same thing about Yes on a completely different thread (you'll have to read through a few posts starting with this page to see it all):

https://songcrafters.org/community/micro-br-b65/'white-flag'/msg33150/#msg33150

Maybe it's not all that odd, actually ... great minds think alike, sir!