1000 Best Progressive Rock albums from late 60s & 70s worldwide

[MIO Records]

So,

My son asked this old bird to compile for him "my best progressive rock albums list".

I investigated progressive rock for too many years and always thought that most of my investigation was a waste of time and money because many groups i found were medium mostly.
Let me remind you that i started in the days internet wasn't yet available and the knowledge had to be found using friends in remote countries i made through out the years.

Still, I think 700-1000 albums are essential in this genre. I didn't include neo-prog nor prog-metal which i didn't like but can appreciate some of these groups.
Not all available on Spotify and i might need to clean up few things i put in the playlist and need to hear them again but if anyone will enjoy it? so be it.

Here it is....
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7j...edeaa52a754ade

enjoy or ignore ;-)

>M

[flowerking]

Thanks for spending your life putting together a list only a few people on the planet can actually appreciate! I went through the list very quickly so I may have flat-out missed some, and if so, my apologies. Below are ones that I didn't notice (and again, I went through so quickly they may be there and I just didn't see them).

More Nektar, particularly Remember the Future and Tab in the Ocean (the only one I saw was Journey to the Centre of the Eye)

Rick Wakeman Journey to the Centre of the Earth and 6 Wives

Ambrosia's first album (Ambrosia), maybe their second (Somewhere I've Never Traveled)

Genesis Trick of the Tail and Winds and Wuthering

Camel's Snow Goose

Renaissance Novella

And I was surprised to see Zappa's Hot Rats. One Size Fits All I consider prog, Hot Rats is more jazz to me. If you are willing to include some Zappa, I'd suggest Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, Studio Tan and maybe Joe's Garage.

Tull - Thick as a Brick, Passion Play, Songs from the Woods or Stormwatch

Kansas - just about all of their first four or five albums

Starcastle's first

Triumvirat's Illusions on a Double Dimple and Spartacus

And you said no neoprog, but you didn't include any prog since neoprog like Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Big Big Train, Glass Hammer, Karnataka, Mostly Autumn, Saga.

So, just some suggestions for your consideration. Again, my apologies if you had any of these and I just missed seeing them.

So, what did your son think of the list? Does he like prog?

[MIO Records]

Thanks for spending your life putting together a list only a few people on the planet can actually appreciate! I went through the list very quickly so I may have flat-out missed some, and if so, my apologies. Below are ones that I didn't notice (and again, I went through so quickly they may be there and I just didn't see them).

More Nektar, particularly Remember the Future and Tab in the Ocean (the only one I saw was Journey to the Centre of the Eye)

Rick Wakeman Journey to the Centre of the Earth and 6 Wives

Ambrosia's first album (Ambrosia), maybe their second (Somewhere I've Never Traveled)

Genesis Trick of the Tail and Winds and Wuthering

Camel's Snow Goose

Renaissance Novella

And I was surprised to see Zappa's Hot Rats. One Size Fits All I consider prog, Hot Rats is more jazz to me. If you are willing to include some Zappa, I'd suggest Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, Studio Tan and maybe Joe's Garage.

Tull - Thick as a Brick, Passion Play, Songs from the Woods or Stormwatch

Kansas - just about all of their first four or five albums

Starcastle's first

Triumvirat's Illusions on a Double Dimple and Spartacus

And you said no neoprog, but you didn't include any prog since neoprog like Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Big Big Train, Glass Hammer, Karnataka, Mostly Autumn, Saga.

So, just some suggestions for your consideration. Again, my apologies if you had any of these and I just missed seeing them.

So, what did your son think of the list? Does he like prog?

Thanks for your kind words.
Added more Nektar like you suggested, Tab was there.
Also Wakeman Journey, I did add 6 wives earlier.
Ambrosia, good recommendation.
Genesis Trick is there, Wind.... added
Snow goose is there for sure ;-) Also Novella.
Zappa indeed is not progish although i really love him so at least i added stuff to represent his more rock/solos stuff.
Tull thick is there, Passion i added. Its a great one, regarding songs from the woods or stormwatch.... i wouldn't say they are in top 1000 but will spin them again.
Kansas I never thought so high of them.... Will listen again.
Triumvirat added.
Starcastle was Yes clone IIRC, added the 1st you mentioned.

No NeoProg and beyond i should say lol, these might need their own playlists but to be honest i really don't know much about albums since 1984 or so....
Today i mostly hear Classical and Jazz music but was very happy to listen again to Progressive rock doing this list. I got many progressive rock artists and various playlists on subjects.

My little son is crazy about Krautrock, Progressive Rock and proto prog. He is 11 years old and knows more than i did at 25 ;-)

Thanks for your comments....

>M

[Zappathustra]

nice

[Baribrotzer]

Still, I think 700-1000 albums are essential in this genre.

That many? There are certainly 700-1000 good prog albums. But are all of those essential? Granted, prog is a particularly broad and amorphous category, resistant to any tight definition; and it includes at least a dozen sub-genres - most or all of which, to be fair, should be covered. But that's an awfully high number.

Zappa indeed is not progish although i really love him so at least i added stuff to represent his more rock/solos stuff.

What of Uncle Meat? Many people would nominate that as the first avant-prog album. Oddly enough, it predates the release of In the Court of the Crimson King - which many consider the founding mainstream-prog album - by some six months. There are certainly strong echoes of it within LegEnd and other avant or Canterbury bands and albums.

[MIO Records]

That many? There are certainly 700-1000 good prog albums. But are all of those essential? Granted, prog is a particularly broad and amorphous category, resistant to any tight definition; and it includes at least a dozen sub-genres - most or all of which, to be fair, should be covered. But that's an awfully high number.



What of Uncle Meat? Many people would nominate that as the first avant-prog album - which, oddly enough, predated the release many consider the founding mainstream-prog album (In the Court.....) by some six months. There are certainly strong echoes of it within LegEnd and other avant or Canterbury bands and albums.

Well.... I myself ended up with about 15K CDs of progressive rock and believe me that to reduce it to best 1000 was a task even in Spotify. Many albums are not yet on Spotify btw and my collection is still in warehouse ;-)
I didn't say all is essential, if i need to go with essentials the list will probably get down to 200 albums.
You are right about sub-genres but we are talking progressive rock high level which for me is rock combined with classical, jazz, avantgarde, folk.
I do have playlist for each country prog groups and playlists per genres (e.g. Canterbury, RIO etc...).

I love Uncle Meat of course and will add it, i need to make sure the talking part won't be there though ;-)

Funny: I didn't hear for many years Pete Brown & Piblokto!, this song came suddenly in my random play while i work and i could swear its Gentle Giant:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5sERf...445e27d7f3412a

Thanks.

>M

[Baribrotzer]

I myself ended up with about 15K CDs of progressive rock......

I wouldn't have dreamed there were that many.

[MIO Records]

I wouldn't have dreamed there were that many.

Yeah, wrong wording, progressive or complex music :-)

[chalkpie]

Zappa indeed is not progish although i really love him so at least i added stuff to represent his more rock/solos stuff.
>M

Zappa isn't proggy enough? Really?

[MIO Records]

Zappa isn't proggy enough? Really?

He is but its a matter of definition.
Progressive rock for me its not Zappa.
Zappa is a genre on its own ;-)

[Pragmatic]

Yeah, wrong wording, progressive or complex music :-)

First, Thank You for great compilation of the music!

I agree that progressive music covers a wide sweep of music genres. Thus, I agree with you that there are hundreds of albums that are essential to understanding and appreciation of progressive music.
And that me brings back yet again to Zappa. He may not be the best example of what people on this forum call prog but surely he is one of the most progressive musician of our generation.