Progressive rock is one of the most beloved and ridiculed of rock music’s sub genres. As a hilarious piece at Cracked.com says, it is “categorized by a sacking of traditional song structure, complex rhythms, odd time signatures,” and insane song lengths betraying the creators’ lack of awareness of when to stop a song.
The players tend to be average singers and extremely skilled musicians, often working with wacky instruments. As the piece amusingly states, it is “the only rock genre in which the term ‘flute solo’ has any meaning.”
Also prevalent are a propensity toward concept albums built on half-baked themes and philosophy. There tends to be plenty of drug inspiration and “a sense of inherent superiority over other rock genres.”
All kidding aside, it is a difficult genre to absorb. The stereotypes detailed at Cracked.com lean toward the truth more often than not, but prog rock is largely defined by not being definable. It is an experimental form which doesn’t play by the rules. Even as I compiled the list below, that became apparent as some albums crept into the list which didn’t fit my idea of prog rock.
I was inspired to put this list together for two primary reasons. First, the kings of prog rock – Yes – are promoting Fly from Here, their first studio album in ten years. Second, I posted earlier this week about my favorite album (Marillion Misplaced Childhood Hits #1 in UK: June 29, 1985). It finds its way onto this list at #19.
Depending on where you fall on the spectrum of loving or hating prog rock, you can use this list either as a guide to what should be in your collection or what to avoid at all costs. Either way, here’s hoping you get something out of the list. Note: this list was created by compiling more than 25 prog-rock lists (see links at bottom of page) into one aggregate.
1. Yes Close to the Edge (1972)
2. King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
3. Jethro Tull Thick As a Brick (1972)
4. Genesis Selling England by the Pound (1973)
5. Rush 2112 (1976)
6. Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
7. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
8. Yes Fragile (1971)
9. Jethro Tull Aqualung (1971)
10. Emerson, Lake & Palmer Brain Salad Surgery (1973)
11. Van Der Graaf Generator Pawn Hearts (1971)
12. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975)
13. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
14. Genesis Foxtrot (1972)
15. Yes The Yes Album (1971)
16. Kansas Leftoverture (1976)
17. King Crimson Red (1974)
18. King Crimson Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973)
19. Marillion Misplaced Childhood (1975)
20. Rush Moving Pictures (1981)
21. Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells (1973)
22. Yes Relayer (1974)
23. Rush A Farewell to Kings (1977)
24. Gentle Giant Octopus (1972)
25. Camel Mirage (1974)
26. Pink Floyd Animals (1977)
27. Frank Zappa We’re Only in It for the Money (1968)
28. Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970)
29. The Moody Blues Days of Future Passed (1967)
30. Caravan In the Land of Gray and Pink (1971)
31. Rush Permanent Waves (1980)
32. Rush Hemispheres (1978)
33. Gentle Giant In a Glass House (1973)
34. Queensrÿche Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
35. Dream Theater Scenes from a Memory (Metropolis Part 2) (1999)
36. Pink Floyd Meddle (1971)
37. Tangerine Dream Phaedra (1974)
38. Porcupine Tree In Abstentia (2002)
39. Kraftwerk Autobahn (1974)
40. Dream Theater Images and Words (1992)
41. Marillion Script for a Jester’s Tear (1983)
42. Gong You (Radio Gnome Invisible Pt. 3) (1974)
43. Tool Aenima (1996)
44. Supertramp Crime of the Century (1974)
45. Peter Gabriel So (1986)
46. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
47. Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel 3 (aka “Melt”) (1980)
48. Frank Zappa Hot Rats (1969)
49. Queensrÿche Empire (1990)
50. Camel The Snow Goose (1973)
Resources:
As posted on Amazon.co.uk. List only of 25 albums.
Focus on a dozen albums with a paragraph about each.
Dead link; had recommended essentials in multiple genres, including 25 for progressive rock.
As posted on listal.com. List with links to more info.
Dead link; did have fundamental albums listed for multiple genres, including 12 for prog rock.
As posted by Internaut at Discogs.com (2010). List only.
Hilarious piece about understanding prog rock.
Paragraphs about each album.
List only.
Focus on 30+ albums with paragraphs on each.
List with links to more information about albums and acts.
Five-part piece with detailed reviews of the top 50 albums.
Top-ten list only.
List of 23 albums posted on Amazon.com.
Paragraph about each album.
Bios of several groups followed by a top ten prog-rock album list.
As posted at Squidoo.com. Unranked list with commentary.
List of 17 albums posted at Amazon.com.
List of 46 albums with links to details about albums.
List of 46 albums with links to details about albums.
As posted on Sputnikmusic.com. Ranked list with links to reviews.
List as posted on avforums.com.
Ranked list based on user ratings as of 3/13/2011. List of 100 albums with links to detailed information and reviews about each.
As posted on rocklist.net. Sections on prog and avant-garde each have 10 entries in an unranked list.
List only of 23 ranked-albums followed by an unranked list of another 90+ albums.
List of 14 albums posted at Amazon.com.
Voter-based list with 30 ranked albums. No commentary.
Unranked list with commentary.
Top 25 with sentences about each album.
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