Rock: well recorded bass...60s/70s

One last note on a related matter, that of a musician's "taste". When a musician has attained a certain level of technical proficiency, he will (hopefully) come to realize that technique is of value only in the service of playing what that musician thinks will be a good musical part; a means to an end, not the end itself. Some musicians never have that realization, and their playing tends to be viewed as "vulgar" by more musically-minded musicians (such as Jim Gordon, who was very musical, though also possessing a high degree of technique). Along with that, the "tone" a musician is able to produce out of his instrument is determined by the musician's taste.

You would think that tone is a subjective matter, but you would be surprised by how much agreement there is on the question of the quality of tone some musician's are known for. For instance, Ry Cooder's tone is universally considered unsurpassed amongst electric guitarists. Not to be insulting, but the guy in Blue Cheer's tone was about as bad as it gets (really "cheesy"). It might also surprise you, but the assessment of a musician's taste in playing is also not as subjective amongst musician's as it is amongst civilians (;-). The caveat is that a musician has to have acquired a sufficient degree of taste to be able to recognize it in another. Ry Cooder is universally acknowledged in that regard as well. Again, the guy in Blue Cheer (sorry Ghosthouse, nothing personal!) was considered extremely vulgar.

Amongst drummers, Jim Gordon is universally considered amongst the all-time greats, with as good a sounding instrument (drums and cymbals) as I have ever heard. On the other end of the spectrum, Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart) is certainly as vulgar a drummer as I can imagine. That the appreciation of another musician's taste is determined by he doing the appreciating, consider that Eric Clapton asked Jim to be his drummer, and would NEVER have asked Carmine, Clapton's got taste!

Jeff Beck formed a band with Carmine Appice. So does Beck got no taste?

Bdp: I have no issue with your tone but I think technical proficiency has to be mixed with soul or something that conveys emotion. Maybe less of an issue with drummers since I tend to like good jazz drummers playing rock better than a lot of rock drummers. ( though I like Ringo on the early stuff). Some of those old blues guys convey with what I assume are pretty rudimentary skills. Tone and skill: add David Lindley to the list. Leslie West, who was not as technically proficient as a lot of guitarists could get amazing tone and emotion. Don't know where Chris Whitley fits on the skill-o-meter, but listen to Dirt Floor. His voice and guitar playing give me goosebumps. I get the difference between musicians' musicians and less skilled players. Unfortunately there are so many hugely talented players that are unknown. When we heard Little Richard a few years ago in Manhattan he had one of the best bands- with some of the best individual players- I ever heard. They were not credited on the bill or even on his tour website. I saw the show with somebody who is a pretty famous and skilled multi instrumentalist - his words; "those guys were hired killers."

I wouldn't throw Cream in with Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, etc. but they certainly had songs with a nod in that direction--As You Said, Passing the Time, Deserted Cities of the Heart, for instance. The use of orchestration and time changes is consistent with Progressive Rock. But they still had their bluesy/jazzy feel so the overall effect is different.

The psychedelic movement and associated interest in experiments in music in the mid to latter sixties was what initially spawned early examples of "progressive rock" as per King Crimson, the Moody Blues, etc. Cream was part of all that, but came at it like the Yardbirds and many other British rockers from an original strong base formulated on the blues. So while Cream may not be strictly considered "progressive rock" in their time, they no doubt participated on the road that led to the more purely "progressive" acts that soon followed.