Subject line limited by space limitations. What Prog-Rock albums that are not well regarded by the vocal Prog fans on the internet are still among your favorites, critics be damned? Nostalgia is OK. I'll start:
Strange Days -9 Parts To The Wind
Galaxy -Nature's Clear Well
These two are both desert island discs for me to the continual befuddlement of anyone I mention them to!
Quill: Sursum Corda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w_yX72fUok
Trespass: The Final Act
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr3FKONPufM
Epidermis: Genius of Original Force
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
I just had a look in my collection and was surprised to find this on my shelf. I have absolutely no memory of it, but I don't hang onto stuff I don't like. I need to give it a fresh spin. I have another album by them as well.Originally Posted by Progbear
As far as the original question, I'd say Il Trono dei Ricordi. This album seems to get at best a collective "meh" from Progland, but it is among my favorite albums from the 90s, and an overall top-tier classic for me. Some consider it Neo Prog, some don't like the vocals, some don't like the production (which surprises me, but whatever). I feel like if this album were released in the 70s, it would compete with the other big name Italian one-offs like Balleto di Bronzo and Museo Rosenbach. I actually like this album far better than most of those (Zarathustra, for example), and I think far too musically complex to be lumped in with the Neo crowd. So, I'm definitely an outlier when it comes to this one.
For bigger name bands, I'd say the evergreen punching bag that is Tormato, and the Dire Straits album that wasn't, good ol' Crest of a Knave. While I wouldn't call Tormato a "favorite," I do like it a lot, and think much of the material holds up to their 70s greatness. Crest actually is a favorite of mine. I get its flaws, but for some reason that one has always resonated with me, and I feel it showcases the very last true vestiges of the "Proggy" Tull, with extended instrumental interplay and longer compositions. I also just think the songwriting here is very strong, even if the treatment is a bit tepid rhythmically, and has a sort of "Dire Straits" feel. Personally, I'd like Dire Straits better if they wrote songs like this.
Bill
^^^^^ was just going to say Tormato. And I did!
'I would advise stilts for the quagmires"
I also dig Tormato and Crest of a Knave. Heck, I started with the US version of Crest w/o "Dogs in the Midwinter" and "The Waking Edge." Those songs just make it better.
So did I! I was still on vinyl back then, and it was actually the release of this CD with the two extra tracks that convinced me to finally make the switch. This was in the lot of the first CDs I ever bought, and I still have it. Those two tracks were definitely worth it!
Bill
Likewise!So did I! I was still on vinyl back then, and it was actually the release of this CD with the two extra tracks that convinced me to finally make the switch. This was in the lot of the first CDs I ever bought, and I still have it. Those two tracks were definitely worth it!
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.
Impera littera designata delenda est.
Tormato and Crest are good albums both. I listen to them regularly. But how many of you can happily sit through this entire album? I can.
I think it's Tull's best album of the '80s.
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
Camel - Breathless
Count me in as another Tormato apologist. I still like it better than anything the band has put out since ABWH and that technically wasn't even the actual band.
Also, not sure why this one has such a lukewarm reputation by many prog fans but I'm going to say Dust and Dreams by Camel. It took me a while to get into it (like with Tormato and Clutching at straws)but it ranks among my favorite Camel albums. I was just recently listening to Harbour of Tears and Rajaz (and I finally got around to hearing A Nod and a wink late last year or so) but nope D&D is still better than any of those in my book. I think maybe the really mellow parts put people off or something (not sure).
Oh and another one for me that(imo) definitely qualifies is Peter Gabriel's first solo album (car).
Last edited by Digital_Man; 06-03-2024 at 07:36 PM.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
A good one! I was listening to Rain Dances last night and that one is quite underrated as well. Maybe the only Camel album that deserves it's crappy reputation is the Single Factor but even that one isn't really that bad imo and actually has some good songs on it.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
Not me. I can't stand this record. Even if they removed the drum machine, I'm not sure it would do anything for me. But I know it has its fans, including Martin. To each their own.
I like it better than any Yes-related release that came after. Drama and ABWH are the two that come closest for me, but I still prefer Tormato. Nostalgia may be at play there a bit because Tormato and the ensuing tour was my introduction to Yes, but I do really like the album.
Yeah, terminally dull for me. I do like a little rock in my Prog Rock.
Bill
Well, then I guess most new age or new agey prog is not for you then.
Yeah, terminally dull for me. I do like a little rock in my Prog Rock.
Bill
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
You guess correctly.Well, then I guess most new age or new agey prog is not for you then.
First one that popped into my mind was Yes - Big Generator. I don't know many Yes fans that rank that one very high, but I have always loved it.
+1 - much better (IMO) than Talk
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Death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit
A very good album...
...with awful drums that have to be tolerated.
Anderson and Vettese should have stuck with the same approach to percussion that they used on Walk Into Light.
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.
I can, but it's a patchy set compared to the albums before/after. Of course, I like it better than Rock Island. "Later, That Same Evening" and "Apogee" are standout tunes.
Count me in as someone who also thinks it's very underrated although I admit at least part of it could be for nastalgic reasons. These days most prog fans and even most Yes fans seem to look down on it probably even more so than Tormato (although maybe not quite as much as Union or OYE). I still say it might even be better than 90125 and at the very least it leans more towards their classic sound than that one does. As far as comparing it Talk goes I'd say they are maybe about even. I think which one I prefer might depend on my mood. Talk has Endless Dream and that's tough to be beat but then again it's only one track (even though that one track is probably their best post 70s epic imo).
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
"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.
Under Wraps is notably the last recording of Ian before his vocal cords were damaged, although he does some pretty bizarre things with them on the album.
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
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