What Prog Albums That Are Not Well Regarded Among Prog Fans Are Still Your Favorites?

[mozo-pg]

"Sad Wings" always seems to be rated
high by most Priest fans I know.

Speaking of Priest. An album most fans seem to hate is "Nostradamus". I have always liked it. In fact I gave it another spin about a week ago. Yea, it is kind of cheesy and over the top, but I think most of it works.

Steve, most Priest fans aren't necessarily prog fans. I was thinking about folks on PE.

[Progbear]

It isn't technically a prog album, more of a pop album with occasional proto-proggy bits, but ... From Genesis to Revelation. These are really quite good pop tunes with the occasional proto-proggy bit.

I have to say that until Invisible Touch, Genesis never released an album I disliked as much as FGTR. I remember one reviewer over at RYM went into FGTR hoping for "pscyh-Genesis" only to be highly disappointed, which made me laugh. They never sounded so much like what they were—i.e.: a bunch of snooty upper-crust private school* boys who decided to form a band. Listening to it always feels like a chore to me, and I only keep it in my collection for completeness.

More albums I could list here:

- Rare Bird: Born Again. Has a reputation as the band's worst album, but I think it's a marked improvement over the very mediocre and forgettable predecessor, Somebody's Watching, despite being mostly a straight pop-rock album. The songs are great, the performances are first-rate, and Steve Gould's voice is in fine form. "Last Tango in Beulah" (which returns to the keyboards/bass/drums format of the first two albums) is one of my favorite songs off of any of this band's albums.

- Renaissance: Azure d'or. No epics (or orchestra) this time, but I think it's a solid album with some fine tuneage. I'd scrap "Only Angels Have Wings" and "Friends," but every other song is a winner. "Forever Changing" and "Kalynda" are particular favorites, and "The Flood at Lyons" is a solid attempt at cramming an epic into half the space. Come to think of it, while I don't love it, Camera Camera isn't as bad as its reputation, as long as you don't mind an album of second-rate Kate Bush imitations in lieu of the usual Renaissance sound.

- PFM: Passpartù. Which has the band concentrating on the home market, making what's more of a Mediterranean folk-rock album than full-on prog (though there's still quite a lot of prog influence). I think the tunes are quite good (better, or at least more memorable, than Jet Lag, in fact) and Bernardo Lanzetti sounds much better to me singing in Italian than in English. I'd put Canto di primavera in this category as well; i.e.: poorly-regarded late-period Italian prog albums that I actually quite like.


*Speaking of things that make me laugh, I have long found it amusing that the British term for a private school is "public school." That is some serious Orwellian doublespeak right there!

[Digital_Man]

FGTR was one of the first Genesis albums I heard believe it or not. It almost turned me off of them for a while. I bought it on vinyl for a reduced price of 2.99 or something like that. I bought Foxtrot on tape maybe soon after and for a while I was almost scared to listen to anything between the two albums. I remember wondering if Trespass and Nursery Cryme were going to sound more like FGTR or more like Foxtrot. I bought Nursery Cryme next and was relieved that it wasn't too weird. Next up I finally bought Trespass and while it was kind of creepy sounding to me (at least I thought so at the time) at least it didn't sound much like FGTR. I still have a soft spot for all of those early Genesis albums though and I even eventually learned to like FGTR on it's own terms. I have yet to hear an album that sounds like the missing link between FGTR and Trespass though (Geese and the Ghost by Anthony Phillips is more like a missing link between Trespass and NC imo).

[Trane]

This type of thread that was the run-of-the-mill on RYM and more recently on PA.

Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny. Most prog fans would dismiss this album as metal trashing but, to me, it's has distinct prog overtones. Love it.

"Sad Wings" always seems to be rated high by most Priest fans I know.

Steve, most Priest fans aren't necessarily prog fans. I was thinking about folks on PE.

Sad Wings is a great proggy-metal album and normally ranks amongst progger's top metal albums (along with Rainbow Rising).

I'd say this would always be a top 5 favorite with most Priest fans as well

[Mr.Krautman]

FIREBALLET: "Two,too" their 2nd , I find it more original and interesting than "Night..."

Not my favorites in their catalog but I like A.D II's later records "Hijack" and "Made In Germany" very much. Not Prog or Kraut but well made pop/rock albums. The full version (double LP) of "Made In Germany" is actually very good.

Metal freaks usually dismiss and/or hate it but URIAH HEEP's "Salisbury" is a very pleasant record (and one of their most proggiest too).

[Czyszy]

And Then They Were Three by Genesis and Fly from Here (original edition not Return Trip) by Yes spring to mind right away.

[Sputnik]

FIREBALLET: "Two,too" their 2nd , I find it more original and interesting than "Night..."

Good call. I agree with you on this. I like both albums, but definitely prefer Two, Too, frightening cover and all.

Bill

[battema]

Probably the best/worst is Genesis: Calling All Stations. I loved the album when it came out and still enjoy it now even with all the flaws.

Also
Yes: Union
Magma: Merci (not sure how poorly rated this one is now so this could be wrong)
PFM: Miss Baker (for the title track)
Atomic Rooster: Headline News

[noisynoise]

I listened to Union recently, it had been a long time, and I'd say it held up much better than I expected. I know it's a studio concoction but it works for me, I like it better than most "Yes" albums released afterwards.

[Boceephus]

I’ve always liked Union. I thought the naysayers were overdoing the negative comments.


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[Mister Triscuits]

Magma: Merci (not sure how poorly rated this one is now so this could be wrong)

That's a good one. It's a weird as hell anomaly in the Magma catalog, but I think it's still really good and interesting.

[Digital_Man]

I’ve always liked Union. I thought the naysayers were overdoing the negative comments.


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I think the criticism is mostly because of how the album was made rather than so much how it sounds. It kind of reminds me of how people criticized the Flower Kings' Flower Power when it first came out because it was another double and thus "too much too soon." If you don't like the album then crticize the music and not how or when it was made. Geesh.

[battema]

I think the criticism is mostly because of how the album was made rather than so much how it sounds. It kind of reminds me of how people criticized the Flower Kings' Flower Power when it first came out because it was another double and thus "too much too soon." If you don't like the album then crticize the music and not how or when it was made. Geesh.

To be fair, Yes themselves (especially Wakeman) were openly critical about both the process and the end result with Union. That certainly didn't help the fanbase embrace the album warmly.

I only just kind of discovered Yes around that time (I knew of them from 90125 and remembered seeing/liking Brother of Mine on MTV) so I was largely oblivious to just what a contentious entity the band actually was. So for me, it was just a cool album by a newly-discovered-soon-to-be-favorite band

[Progbear]

FIREBALLET: "Two,too" their 2nd , I find it more original and interesting than "Night..."

Hard agree on this. NOBM is symptomatic of the main issue I have with American prog acts even as far back as the 70s; i.e.: their music is largely a patchwork of riffs and ideas pilfered from European prog acts with little meaningful personality of their own. Two, Too has a little of that as well (just listen to "Carollon") but it at least shows the band trying to forge its own identity. Cheesy and doesn't rock as much as the first, but I find it more musically satisfying.

Not my favorites in their catalog but I like A.D II's later records "Hijack" and "Made In Germany" very much. Not Prog or Kraut but well made pop/rock albums. The full version (double LP) of "Made In Germany" is actually very good.

Made in Germany is quite a respectable conceptual album, even if far removed from their "Krautrock" roots. I'll also stick up for Vive la trance, even if it's a lot more song-oriented and commercial than what came before (though there might be a little nostalgia involved since it was my first album by them).

Metal freaks usually dismiss and/or hate it but URIAH HEEP's "Salisbury" is a very pleasant record (and one of their most proggiest too).

One of the few nice things I have to say about this band: they did a much more credible stab at orchestral rock with this album's title track than any of Deep Purple's (to whom they're often compared) attempts at same. Getting a boost from veteran orchestral arranger John Fiddy helps tremendously, if only Jon Lord could have checked his ego for as long. And thus ends me saying nice things about this album, really about this band in general. My main issue is with David Byron's vocals, which frequently sound like someone pinching the neck of a balloon (I never want to hear "Bird of Prey" or "The Park" as long as I live). I also, in spite of the one exception, can't take them seriously as a "prog band," considering their preference for dumb boogie rhythms and campfire singalong triad chords. Yes, "July Morning" is ten minutes long, but almost nothing musically significant happens.

Magma: Merci (not sure how poorly rated this one is now so this could be wrong)

Attahk is not as poorly rated, but it's generally to be agreed to be inferior to what came before it. It's one of my favorite Magma albums (maybe ahead of Kohntarkosz and the first, and definitely ahead of 1001° Centigrades).

[auxfnx]

For me there are plenty that I really like (not necessarily favourites however), though it's kind of difficult to try to remember them off the top of my head (essentially it's hard for me to remember which albums are not well regarded 'generally').
I tend to check out reviews on ProgArchives when I'm out at a record fair or some second hand record store picking up prog albums.
In my experience I have found many albums I LOVE that have very poor reviews on that site. There are certain key things I can look for in a negative review that will tell me I might really like it.
I will try to recall which ones I can over the next while, but the first one that I remember is this Dave Greenslade solo record:


edit: just remembered this Tony Banks album 'The Fugitive' which I really liked:

[Mr.Krautman]

For no specific reasons I recently picked up STACKRIDGE's "Mr Mick" in my huge prog collection to give it another listen.
I know it's not very well rated in the prog community and even Stackridge fans dismiss it, considering their weakest.
But what a great surprise ! "Mr Mick" is actually a very good concept-album including refined subtle musical arrangements, use of many (acoustic and electric) instruments, great playing and singing and very good (melodic) songs/compositions.
Of course, it's not stricto sensu a "prog" album, rather "Art-rock", closer to (the best of) 10CC and similar bands.
Another forgotten gem, and (IMO) Stackridge's best effort.

NOTE: you should get the complete (Angel Air or Esoteric) version, not the aborted/shortened 1976 LP version. This is how the band wanted it to be released but it was rejected by their record company. Now you have the original correct songs sequence, extra (spoken) words and songs, the logical conceptual story-flow. Also, the (totally out of context) Beatles cover is gone.

In a similar (soft art-rock concept album) style there's also the obscure and often maligned RIGONI/SCHOENHERZ "Victor" concept album. Dismissed by most proggers only because it received 2 (TWO !) very poor ratings on P.A, but who did actually listened it ? I did, and can confirm it's an excellent and well-produced album with great (symphonic/orchestral) parts, etc... MUCH better than many well respected "concept albums" (don't ask for names, please !) Give it a try if you like this lighter side of prog.

[Proglodite]

In a similar (soft art-rock concept album) style there's also the obscure and often maligned RIGONI/SCHOENHERZ "Victor" concept album. Dismissed by most proggers only because it received 2 (TWO !) very poor ratings on P.A, but who did actually listened it ? I did, and can confirm it's an excellent and well-produced album with great (symphonic/orchestral) parts, etc... MUCH better than many well respected "concept albums" (don't ask for names, please !) Give it a try if you like this lighter side of prog.

I think I have a CD-R of this that I've been meaning to break out again and give a listen to see if I should track down an original copy...especially now that I've listened to so much Classical music, I feel I might better appreciate what they were aiming for. --Peter

[Nijinsky Hind]

Steeleye span albums. Especially hark the village wait and all around my hat. very pleasing albums that don’t get enough mention lately.

[Digital_Man]

Victor by Rigoni and Shoenherz isn't really THAT obscure. I have it on cd and think it's actually pretty good. I think one of the complaints about it is that the classical parts don't intersect with the band parts very often (if at all). To be fair you can say that about the Moody Blues Days of Future Passed and apparently also Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra (which I don't actually own and only heard parts of). Speaking of rock band and orchestra a personal favorite of mine that is not typically considered to be one of the bands very best is Di Terra by Banco. As far as I'm concerned that's the rock band and orchestra to end all rock bands and orchestra. It not only mixes rock (well, actually prog) with classical but also jazz and maybe a few other things as well.

[Digital_Man]

Summers & Fripp - Bewitched

I haven't heard it in a while but I always liked this one despite it not being rated very highly.

[moecurlythanu]

^ Never heard that one, but I did hear I Advance Masked.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Steeleye span albums. Especially hark the village wait and all around my hat. very pleasing albums that don’t get enough mention lately.

In the 1970s, they had a run of albums that was just bloody amazing, from Below the Salt to Sails of Silver. Not that the earlier albums or the later ones I've heard (they're still around, or at least some of them plus new musicians), are in any way less than good; but dayum, those nine albums (counting Live at Last!) form one of the most incredible runs of albums by any band.

[Mister Triscuits]

(counting Live at Last!)

That one and the studio album that preceded it, Storm Force Ten, are extraordinary for simultaneously going back to their trad-folk roots with the return of Martin Carthy and the addition of John Kirkpatrick on squeezebox, and going all out prog with the epics "The Victory" and "Montrose."

[Digital_Man]

^ Never heard that one, but I did hear I Advance Masked.

That seems to be the more popular of the two but I probably prefer Bewitched. Both are very good though.

[JJ88]

Camel - Breathless

That 1978-81 period has some of their best stuff IMHO. I think Nude is actually their best album overall. I'm also very fond of I Can See Your House From Here.

Talking of Uriah Heep, I'm a fan of the John Lawton period.

And Then They Were Three by Genesis and Fly from Here (original edition not Return Trip) by Yes spring to mind right away.

ATTWT I've always loved.

Fly From Here- the original- is actually the last Yes album I own (I have never owned the later ones). It's decent enough on its own terms.