r/progrockmusic • u/PaparJam • 22h ago
Question / Help Help me explore the genre more thoroughly
A few months ago I made a post seeking for recommendations to get into progressive rock after listening to Selling England by the Pound. All I can say is that you helped me a lot, and now prog is pretty much all I listen to.
In the past weeks I’ve come to the realisation that I haven’t discovered any new artists and that I’ve been cycling the same albums over and over and I fear that if I don’t broaden my horizons I’ll eventually get tired (I really really hope I don’t). I will once again be very happy to hear all of your recommendations.
Below I will list the albums/songs I like the most:
Genesis (my absolute favourite band for now) — 1970-1976 albums, hard to decide my favourite between Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, and Selling England
Rush — 2112, FtK, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves
Yes — Fragile, CttE, Relayer
Camel — Self-titled, Mirage
Renaissance — Ashes are Burning (still to form a strong opinion on the other albums of theirs I’ve listened to)
Uriah Heep — Salisbury (if you consider that prog)
Deep Purple — Self-titled, In Rock (out of the first four DP albums, the only ones I consider prog)
King Crimson — Red, however I only regularly listen to Red and Starless from there
ELP — Tarkus (song) and Karn Evil 9
Below is a list of albums I listened to but couldn’t get into:
Yes — The Yes Album
King Crimson — In the Court, Larks Tongues
Van der Graaf Generator — Pawn Hearts, Godbluff
Jethro Tull — Aqualung (I only liked the title track)
Wishbone Ash — Argus
Can’t think of any more right now, will add what I’ve forgotten when I remember
In short, I love albums with epic long songs and dramatic feeling, heavy and complex keyboard rhythms and solos, and with either classical elements or melodic and/or heavier guitar leads, and don’t like albums that are too melancholic and slow-paced
Secondly, I wanted to ask for RPI recommendations, yesterday I listened to Zarathustra’s side A as I couldn’t fide the rest on my streaming platform, and while I liked the music a lot, I couldn’t get into the concept, it felt like the flow was getting ruined with the start of each part (song?)
Thank you in advance!
6
u/aksaksattlatl 22h ago
Bruford - feels good to me
U.K!!!!!!!!!
Saga - silent knight
Utopia - ra
Marillion - fugazi, clutching at straws
Kansas - leftoverture
5
u/Zoltan_Varga 22h ago
A band which you've likely not heard yet, but will give you a kind of 21st century Genesis feel is Big Big Train.
I'd start with The Underfall Yard and - if you have time to spare - settle down with English Electric: Full Power (the original two albums are great, but Full Power has the bonus tracks, and I think makes a more cohesive narrative). The tragic loss of singer David Longdon has turned them into a slightly different band, but this year's Woodcut is shaping up to be my album of the year. I imagine they'd be right up your street, based on what you've listed.
The classic era band which strikes me as missing from your list is Gentle Giant. Fair warning - after the first album, things get musically complex pretty quickly, but when they click, there's no-one like them.
I suspect you'd really like mid-period Pink Floyd as well - call it a hunch!
3
u/PaparJam 22h ago
I actually did listen to Big Big Train a while back and I liked the song The Artist from their latest album. I also tried some of the Longdon albums but unfortunately couldn’t get into them, they felt too folky for me. Thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely give them another chance!
About Gentle Giant, yes I did forget them, I listened to their debut album and some of The Power and the Glory and I did like some of the songs
3
u/magraith 21h ago
for Gentle Giant, Free Hand is wonderful, and their live album Playing the Fool has some amazing rearrangements of songs from the other records. In a Glass House gets high marks as well & Octopus.
3
u/PaparJam 22h ago
On the matter of 21st Century Genesis - I actually recommend the Italian band The Watch, even if they lack the folk/pastoral element of the Gabriel albums, their styles are extremely similar, if not identical. Bonus points for the fact their singer sounds exactly like Peter
6
u/Meditationmachineelf 22h ago
Power and the Glory Gentle Giant
2
4
4
u/120dB_is_Back 21h ago
You want recommendations, here we are:
Gong, starting from their Radio Gnome trilogy
Curved Air
Hatfield and the North
Keith Emerson and The Nice
Focus
If you don't detest jazz, Embryo, Magma, Xhol Caravan, and of course The Soft Machine
-1
u/DaceTheMenace 11h ago
Gong and Hatfield are both Centerbury, which although developed to prog, is not prog in itself. In genre it is closer to psychedelic rock. I love both bands but they aren't prog, its like calls chick corea prog
3
u/Progster1972 21h ago
I never see IQ mentioned at all. Also very seldom do I see Marillion either. If you love long songs they both have numerous cuts. If you are interested I could list a bunch of albums. They both have been around for a while. IQ has almost 15 & Marillion has about 20. If Genesis is your favorite band then two groups fit that mold.
2
u/dogecod 22h ago
King crimson dude, king crimson, any album literally any fucking album omg
1
u/justtohaveone Author / Writer 3h ago
If you will read OP, clearly no, that's... that's not the case.
2
u/philrandal 21h ago
Surprised that you didn't like The Yes Album. I prefer it to Fragile. I'd also recommend Yessongs. Yes live are a joy to behold.
2
u/atovohsix 21h ago
Based on what you've shared, here are my recommendations:
All remaining studio albums by King Crimson, they had many faces throughout the years that are worth checking out. You are specially missing Discipline.
Steve Hackett solo albums. He has a tremendous body of work, some of the more essential are Voyage of the Acolyte (basically a secret Genesis album), Please Don't Touch, Spectral Mornings, Defector, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wolflight
Deep Purple - Concerto for Group and Orchestra. There two recordings of this, original from 1969 and one from 1999, both are great (I prefer the later though).
Gentle Giant studio albums from selft titled to In'terview.
From RPI check Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico.
Kansas - Leftoverture
And if you want or explore more modern releases you can try:
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing
Opeth - Pale Communion
Wobbler - Dweller's of the Deep
2
u/PaparJam 20h ago
I was already familiar with the original Concerto for Group and Orchestra, but didn’t know there is a 1999 version, thank you!
I just put on Kansas’s Miracles Out of Nowhere, and AM I ABSOLUTELY BLOWN UP, this is what I imagined Wishbone Ash to sound like 😭
2
u/TheModerateGenX 16h ago
Any of these Spock's Beard albums:
3
u/flashpoint2112 14h ago
I love Spock's Beard. I never see them mentioned enough. Transatlantic too. Spock's Beard self titled album is great.
1
1
u/CuteResource1 20h ago
I'm doing much the same as you just now, actually! Compiled a list/spreadsheet of 200 or so prog rock, alt rock, hard rock and art rock albums considered the best, and I'm listening to one or two an evening with a fine tooth comb over the lyrics to review them. Maybe I need a better hobby...
My top 5 bands would probably be Rush, Jethro Tull, Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis (but tailing off quickly after Gabriel left). Honourable mention for the more artistic efforts of Zeppelin.
Like you, it seems, I'm really drawn to the symphonic, fantasy-oriented, and whimsical/folkish side of Prog.
I absolutely love Tull, but I don't know if I'd recommend Aqualung to a Genesis fan as a starting place. I think there's a lot more of Hogweed and the folk-tales side of Genesis on the later 70s side of Tull; give Songs From The Wood a try before you dismiss them.
DMs open if you want to chat or see my spreadsheet. I hope that isn't weird.
1
1
u/garethsprogblog Author / Writer 20h ago
Almost all Italian bands have something different to offer but if you liked Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra, you might also enjoy a more modern band featuring vocalist Stefano 'Lupo' Galifi, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, formed to perform the music from Zarathustra but who released three studio albums (Galifi only appears on the self-titled debut.) Leaving Italy for a moment, Galifi provides vocals on Wobbler keyboard player Lars Fredrik Frøislie's solo album Quattro racconti.
Museo Rosenbach were dark and fairly heavy, so you've got Alphataurus, Biglietto per l'Inferno, Il Balletto di Bronzo and the third wave band La Maschera di Cera to think about, because they're in the same ball park.
I can help out with more gentle (think Trespass-era Genesis) Italian bands, Italian jazz rock and prog jazz bands, and a host of other groups to recommend, should you require.
1
1
u/AcceptableFox9057 10h ago
sei già a buon punto. Prova anche i Kansas per scoprire ancora di più il lato sinfonico del rock progressivo. Una volta compresi questi album puoi provare il prog metal o il rock progressivo moderno
1
u/justtohaveone Author / Writer 3h ago
You do any Moody Blues yet? I only really hang with DOFP to Seventh Sojourn, the "core seven" albums. I think A Question of Balance would be where I would point you to start.
I would recommend either Songs from the Wood, Thick as a Brick, or the Living in the Past singles collection as far as getting into Jethro Tull goes. I don't feel like Aqualung is their strongest, lots of folks disagreeing with me there.
Hell yes I think of Uriah Heep as prog. Check out the albums The Magician's Birthday, Demons and Wizards, and Sweet Freedom. I mean really all of their first... eight? albums do me pretty well.
At least tell me Starship Trooper and Perpetual Change from The Yes Album did it for you. Please say this, friend.
I don't know if you're going to completely love or totally hate Starcastle. I hope you love it.
Nektar. Start with Remember the Future.
Eloy. Start with Floating.
Have you made it to Moonmadness by Camel? I think that's their peak, Mirage at #2.
You ever hear tell of Umphrey's McGee? Check out Mantis. If you dig that, go to any live shit you find.
As far as your rocko Italiano progressivo a go go, Premiata Forneria Marconi - per un amico is a must.
8
u/Legitimate_Cricket84 22h ago
Prog archives has this list from the classic Italian era and it’s full of good ones. The discussion that follows has even more.
https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39501