Best progressive rock album side


My intent is to seek albums which I may not own from the recommendations of you all. I ranked best sides of progressive rock albums on vinyl that I own and came up with the following list. I don't want it to undermine anything else that an artist has created. I love it all but as far as start to finish on one side this is what I came up with.

#1: Supper's Ready

#2: Terrapin Station

#3: Atom Heart Mother

#4 The Court of the King Crimson

#5 Echoes

Of course there are many more. Some may not be complete sides like Atom Heart Mother but the intent of the artisan was to make it a complete side. I had a very hard time deciding between #1 and #2. Both are very worthy in my mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ricmci

@ricmci

Wow, this thread turned out way better than I expected it to. Some great recommendations to search for. I much more enjoy searching in record stores than ordering on line. Many mentioned, I already have. I think of those listed that I don’t have, I am going to start looking for Renaissance, Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief, Godley & Creme, and the Marilyn Manson suggestions. They might be obtainable locally. Thanks again for the great posts.

Please do yourself a favor, and DON’T ignore the Italian bands!

Some of the best prog ever, came from (and still does) Italy.

PFM - Storia di un Minuto, Per un Amico, and L’isola di niente are as good musically as any of the better known Brits.

Same with, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - S/T, Darwin!, Io Sono Nato Libero

Plenty of others are right up there, too.

Il Balletto di Bronzo - YS / This is considered an acquired taste, due to being a bit dark and intense, but it is also brilliant. With a keyboardist as good as any of the Brits.

Museo Rosenbach - Zarathustra

Arti e Mestieri - Tilt / This is an incredible album, that kind of straddles the line between beautiful prog and fusion.

Le Orme - Uomo do Pezza, and Felona e Sorona

As much as I like Porcupine Tree and Pineapple Thief, for my tastes, they are a bit ’watered down’, maybe a bit too close to the mainstream for my tastes. I like Steve Wilson’s first 3 albums (Grace for Drowning, The Raven That Refused to Sing, Hand Cannot Erase) better then any Porcupine Tree albums.

For modern bands, check out:

Riverside (Poland)

All Traps on Earth (Sweden) Only 1 album, but it’s pretty amazing.

Echolyn (USA) I like their earlier stuff (Suffocating the Bloom, As The World) than their later stuff. Great complex vocal harmonies, quite complex, world class musicianship.

After Crying (Hungary) Kind of chamber-prog sort of stuff, with amazing melodies and musicianship.

Anglagard (Sweden) Uncompromising, full on prog, with some Genesis, Gentle Giant and King Crimson influence. Quite complex, lots of dynamic contrasts, lots of changes. Despite the 70’s influences, they make it sound fresh. This is the band most often credited with beginning the 2nd golden age of prog, beginning in the early 90's.

Anekdoten (Sweden) Began life in the 90’s a King Crimson cover band, so their first 2 releases are in that vein. But then they went in their own direction. Went a bit in ambient-prog direction for a while, but their latest from 2015, Until All Ghosts are Gone, is more intense.

Deus ex Machina (Italy) One of the best Italian bands from the more recent era. Ridiculous musicianship. The lead vocalist has a 5 octave range, and great intonation, but can be a bit of an acquired taste. They also can lean a bit toward the avant-garde side every once in a while, so, YMMV. But they are not trying to pander to the mainstream side of prog. Just pure, no holds bared, prog.

Have you ever checked out the site: Gnosis2000

Great site for searching out great prog by year.

One person mentions “modern bands”.

As for the rest, they prove that “audiophiles” are dudes in their 60s or 70s who believe that music peaked 40 years ago on major labels. Or are they stick bass players who think that Tony Levin is the height of taste and skill?

How many hZ/kHz of hearing have they lost? Did they ever have taste?

If I was 25 and interested in audio, I’d just buy a soundbar and stream Spotify from my phone after reading this thread.

Aren’t 90% of copies of Brothers In Arms owned by people who like good recordings more than they like good music?

 

@larshepping - Considering how many millions of copies 'Brothers In Arms' sold, I would say the answer to your last question is a distinct 'No'. 

I'm 70 and I've always liked to try to keep up with contemporary music. Some I like, some I don't, just like any other decade you'd care to name. What's 'good' or not depends on tastes, and mine differ quite a bit from most in my demographic.....