Progressive Rock
I need to change the subject!
Something completely different for now. I wonder who among you are fans of progressive rock? Now, the term "progressive" kind of gives me the chills as I picture Hilary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg plotting the overthrow of the Constitution...(deep breath, shakes head).
I digress. No, I mean music. I want to throw out some possibilities for those who get into the genre. I am willing to believe that the Beatles began the genre with two cuts off of the Revolver album and followed up with increasingly progressive influences in their later albums. But you can't say they were really a progressive rock band, I don't think. Groups like Led Zeppelin are just too blues-based for me to include in the genre.
PROGRESSIVE ROCKERS
Jethro Tull. Was Aqualung their best, or just biggest success?
Pink Floyd. I suppose Dark Side Of The Moon is their classic.
Focus. Moving Waves is a masterpiece.
Traffic. Dear Mr. Fantasy or Low Spark of High Heeled Boys?
Moody Blues. They made seven albums in six years that were all very strong. My personal pick is A Question Of Balance.
There are some other fine choices. Groups like Rush, Gentle Giant, Kansas, Uriah Heep, Kraftwerk, Colosseum, Soft Machine, Atomic Rooster and Procul Harem. You could argue for Genesis in the early days and Chicago in the very early days.
BEST PROGRESSIVE ALBUM
Anyway I would vote for King Crimson's first album. IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING AN OBSERVATION BY KING CRIMSON. The musicianship was superb, Sinfield's lyrics were voiced wonderfully by Greg Lake and it not only had several memorable songs but hung together as an album thematically. Court begins raucously with 21st Century Schizoid Man, mellows down and smooths out into dreams and meditations in the middle of the album and then builds to the climactic In The Court Of The Crimson King.
"Said the straight man
to the late man
where have you been?
I've been here and
I've been there and
I've been in between
I talk to the wind
my words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
the wind does not hear
the wind cannot hear
I'm on the outside
looking inside
what do I see?
much confusion
disillusion
all around me
I talk to the wind
my words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
the wind does not hear
the wind cannot hear"
I believe my favorite current progressive group that does not hail all the way back to the 70's would have to be Dream Theater. They seem to have carried on the tradition and moved things forward a bit with the metal edge they display. But it was, in my opinion, the earlier groups who are the hall-of-famers, After some deliberation, my choice for best Progressive Rock Group:
Pink Floyd. They began in 1967 with Piper at the Gates of Dawn and continued to put out great music that never sold out to commercialism (see Chicago and to an extent Genesis) nor fell victim to a tendency to just noodle around (Yes in later years).
I am curious as to what other people think. Or am I just a lone ProgRock afficianado in a sea of Blogs?
Something completely different for now. I wonder who among you are fans of progressive rock? Now, the term "progressive" kind of gives me the chills as I picture Hilary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg plotting the overthrow of the Constitution...(deep breath, shakes head).
I digress. No, I mean music. I want to throw out some possibilities for those who get into the genre. I am willing to believe that the Beatles began the genre with two cuts off of the Revolver album and followed up with increasingly progressive influences in their later albums. But you can't say they were really a progressive rock band, I don't think. Groups like Led Zeppelin are just too blues-based for me to include in the genre.
PROGRESSIVE ROCKERS
Jethro Tull. Was Aqualung their best, or just biggest success?
Pink Floyd. I suppose Dark Side Of The Moon is their classic.
Focus. Moving Waves is a masterpiece.
Traffic. Dear Mr. Fantasy or Low Spark of High Heeled Boys?
Moody Blues. They made seven albums in six years that were all very strong. My personal pick is A Question Of Balance.
There are some other fine choices. Groups like Rush, Gentle Giant, Kansas, Uriah Heep, Kraftwerk, Colosseum, Soft Machine, Atomic Rooster and Procul Harem. You could argue for Genesis in the early days and Chicago in the very early days.
BEST PROGRESSIVE ALBUM
Anyway I would vote for King Crimson's first album. IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING AN OBSERVATION BY KING CRIMSON. The musicianship was superb, Sinfield's lyrics were voiced wonderfully by Greg Lake and it not only had several memorable songs but hung together as an album thematically. Court begins raucously with 21st Century Schizoid Man, mellows down and smooths out into dreams and meditations in the middle of the album and then builds to the climactic In The Court Of The Crimson King.
"Said the straight man
to the late man
where have you been?
I've been here and
I've been there and
I've been in between
I talk to the wind
my words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
the wind does not hear
the wind cannot hear
I'm on the outside
looking inside
what do I see?
much confusion
disillusion
all around me
I talk to the wind
my words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
the wind does not hear
the wind cannot hear"
I believe my favorite current progressive group that does not hail all the way back to the 70's would have to be Dream Theater. They seem to have carried on the tradition and moved things forward a bit with the metal edge they display. But it was, in my opinion, the earlier groups who are the hall-of-famers, After some deliberation, my choice for best Progressive Rock Group:
Pink Floyd. They began in 1967 with Piper at the Gates of Dawn and continued to put out great music that never sold out to commercialism (see Chicago and to an extent Genesis) nor fell victim to a tendency to just noodle around (Yes in later years).
I am curious as to what other people think. Or am I just a lone ProgRock afficianado in a sea of Blogs?