Thanks, your help is much appreciated! I'll definitely be getting some of
these in a couple weeks.
I've been a fan of Pink Floyd for quite a number of years. I saw them a
couple times, I think it was in '94. What a show, I wish they would so
another tour.
I also saw ELP with Dream Theater last August. They were pretty good. I
didn't know much about them at the time. As a result I got their Greatest
Hits and the ELP tribute album. They're both awesome!
I don't own any YES or Genesis yet, so they're next on my list.
Thanks again,
Eric
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Chew [mailto:schew@tislabs.com]
> Sent: Thursday, June 24, 1999 7:32 PM
> To: ytsejam@ax.com
> Cc: etrautmann@cds-net.com
> Subject: Classic prog-rock bands...
>
>
> >
> >> Someone raised the question about whether Genesis was prog or not.
> >> Listen to early Genesis . . . maybe even mid-Genesis.
> >
> >The recent postings on older prog groups like Genesis and Yes
> have peaked my
> >interest.
> >
> Glad to hear it. There's a lot of great stuff to be found.
> You mentioned that you're starting to like some older prog music --
> which bands?
>
>
> >My background mainly consists of listening to metal, but I'm starting to
> >really appreciate some older prog rock music. I'd love to know
> two or three
> >albums that some of you guys/gals consider to be the cornerstones of
> >progressive rock. I'm thinking along the lines of Genesis, Yes, ELP, King
> >Crimson, etc., but all opinions are welcome.
> >
>
> You'll get a different answer from everyone you talk to, but here's
> my take on the "classic" progressive rock bands. I'd say there are seven
> "cornerstone" prog bands from the '70s and I've listed what I'd recommend
> as a starting CD and follow-up CDs for each of them:
>
>
> Band Start with Album Follow Up with Albums
> ---- ---------------- ---------------------
> Yes Classic Yes Fragile,
> Close to the Edge,
> Relayer,
> The Yes Album,
> 90125
>
> Genesis Selling England by Foxtrot,
> the Pound Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,
> Trick of the Tail
>
> ELP Brain Salad Surgery Trilogy,
> Tarkus
>
> Jethro Tull Aqualung Thick as a Brick,
> Minstrel in the Gallery,
> A Passion Play,
>
> King Crimson Discipline Red,
> Thrak
>
> Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon Animals,
> Wish You Were Here
> The Wall
>
> Rush Moving Pictures Hemispheres,
> 2112
>
>
>
>
> There are of course many, many other older prog bands worth
> mentioning -- I had a hard time only choosing 7 -- but I think the
> above bands set the standard. They made the initial inroads on what
> prog-rock was all about and influenced much of what came after. They're
> the albums that you'll find in most prog fan's collections. It's
> interesting to note that all of those bands have released new material
> in the past few years, though arguably not up to their earlier standards.
> It was a fertile time for prog-rock.
> Here's a brief paragraph to give you an idea of what each band
> is like:
>
> Yes -- Complex music with great dynamics and vocals. Both guitar and
> keyboards are prominent and the bass playing is amazing. They
> have a kind of classical feel to them. I chose "Classic Yes",
> which is a collection of their songs, to start with because I
> think it has a good, representative selection of their work.
> "Fragile" and "Close to the Edge" are wonderful. "Relayer" is
> more experimental. For their eighties style, try 90125.
>
> Genesis -- They build a strong atmosphere and what seems simple turns out
> to be quite complex. Guitar and keyboards work together along
> with superb vocals. "Selling England..." is probably the most
> representative of the Peter Gabriel-era albums.
>
>
> ELP (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) -- These guys were the first to go all out
> with the keyboards. They have a classical style and even "cover"
> some classical pieces. They have a somewhat experimental sound.
> "Brain Salad Surgery" is their classic album, with the epic
> "Karn Evil 9".
>
> Jethro Tull -- Tull is less classically oriented with more influences from
> rock and blues. They can rock with tunes like "Aqualung" or "Cold
> Wind to Valhalla" and they can be quite proggy, like in "Thick as
> a Brick", with lots of dynamics. Ian Anderson's strong vocals
> are phenomenal, as is Martin Barre's guitar work. "Aqualung" is
> not all that proggy, but it's a strong album and is accessible.
> "Minstrel in the Gallery" combines many of their rock elements
> with prog complexity. "A Passion Play" is probably their most
> progressive album, but is harder to get into.
>
> King Crimson -- These guys set the standard for experimental progressive
> rock. Their music isn't necessarily that melodic which makes it
> hard to get into. They can be atmospheric and then very aggressive
> with their music. The vocals aren't as important as for most of
> the other bands in this list. Robert Fripp is the foundation of
> the band, and Tony Levin (see LTE) has been their bass player
> for a while. They have four distinct phases so it's hard to
> choose any single album to start with. I personally like
> Discipline the best, so I chose that one. "Thrak" is somewhat
> reminiscent of LTE (often very aggressive), but more
> experimental. "Red" is a good example of their second phase.
>
>
> Pink Floyd -- Most of you are probably familiar with these guys. They
> set the standard for the more atmospheric style of prog-rock.
> They didn't leave behind making great songs though. "Animals"
> is probably one of their most progressive albums, with long
> instrumental sections that build a lot of power. The vocals
> are superb, blending well with the music and lifting it beyond
> being just atmospheric.
>
>
> Rush -- Another band that most everyone probably already knows. These
> guys were among the first to take the heavier rock and make
> complex music out of it. Along with the earlier hard-rock bands,
> I feel these guys set the stage for prog-metal. They made some
> epic songs (like 2112) while also maintaining great melodies
> and strong music. Again the vocals fit very well with the
> music. They're probably the closest in style to DT of the bands
> listed. "Moving Pictures" is representative of both their
> strong song writing and their prog elements. For the more
> prog-oriented, try Hemispheres or 2112.
>
>
>
> One thing to keep in mind when trying out these bands is that
> they're not DT. They aren't generally as heavy or as modern sounding.
> Also, while these are among my favorite bands, you probably won't like
> them all -- I'm not as much into King Crimson for example. It will
> probably take some time to appreciate their styles, but it's worth the
> effort.
> Every once in a while I wish that I could be just discovering
> these bands again. It's great fun... Enjoy!
>
> Steve
>
>
>
>
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