Prog Rock Thread

Runicen wrote:

The real beef with getting into prog is that liking an album by a band is no guarantee that you'll like everything they put out.

Which is basically the entire point behind prog in the first place, to do something new instead of finding a sound and then recording the same exact album 15 times in a row.

Lovecraft wrote:

Runicen wrote:

The real beef with getting into prog is that liking an album by a band is no guarantee that you'll like everything they put out.

Which is basically the entire point behind prog in the first place, to do something new instead of finding a sound and then recording the same exact album 15 times in a row.  

Hell, if you're lucky, it's what makes liking ANY artist interesting, but particularly with prog, yeah.

Sadly, nobody passed that memo on to the "prog metal" bands...

Runicen wrote:

Btw, that Agusa track is AMAZING!    

the whole album is amazing. Great stuff!!!

So I've been wanting to collect me some Saga lately and I learn they have something like four hundred albums out! I ended up scoring one in the bargain bin, 20/20--I'm almost certain this couldn't be their finest hour, as it is one of the most horrible things I've ever heard. Recommendations, please?

corplhicks wrote:

So I've been wanting to collect me some Saga lately and I learn they have something like four hundred albums out! I ended up scoring one in the bargain bin, 20/20--I'm almost certain this couldn't be their finest hour, as it is one of the most horrible things I've ever heard. Recommendations, please?

I would recommend anything from Saga thru Heads Or Tail.

Sorry I had to run off for dinner, so I cut that short. I love this band, but none of their albums are 100%...... there is always 1 or 2 clunkers on each album. Heads Or Tails is really good despite its very slick production. Definitely avoid Pleasure And The Pain, Wildest Dreams and Steel Umbrellas(especially Pleasure And The Pain)! The Security Of Illusion is an excellent reunion album, not very proggy, just good songs. Of course, Worlds Apart has the "On The Loose" and Wind Him Up". If you like AOR based prog you'll dig it!

As usual, I found some samples:







That song has a killer ending section!

Love the atmosphere in that song.

^^Yeah that's more like it. 20/20 feels more like a straight-up AOR album with shoddy production and quasi-proggy moments. This stuff sounds much better, especially that Ice Nice number.

I'm not too familiar with Saga, but I think their first four albums are generally regarded as their best. Another of their albums that might be worth checking out is The Chapters Live - those first four albums and then some of their later ones had various chapters of a story, and the live album has a complete performance of the them in order (they were out of order on the original albums).

corplhicks wrote:

^^Yeah that's more like it. 20/20 feels more like a straight-up AOR album with shoddy production and quasi-proggy moments. This stuff sounds much better, especially that Ice Nice number.

Saga has always been more AOR than prog, in my opinion. I just got 20/20 the other day, in fact, and I don't hear much difference. Still proggy, the production is fine, and much heavier than the early stuff.

I saw a new album at Newbury Comics yesterday, though it came with a bonus live album so they were selling it for $20. Pffft!

What I've heard of Saga always came across more like a proggy version of Queen to my ears. Very slick and radio friendly. Actually, I'm kind of curious as to why they didn't achieve more mainstream success with that sound.

Oops. I got album titled mixed up. Full Circle is the album I'm talking about. I don't know if I've heard 20/20.

New Rocket Scientists album coming on December 9th!

Jazz Fusion/Progressive Rock band Special Providence has a new album coming out in March. I enjoyed their last album quite a bit so I'm looking forward to Essence Of Change.

Yeah, dig those guys.

S.D. wrote:

Jazz Fusion/Progressive Rock band Special Providence has a new album coming out in March.  I enjoyed their last album quite a bit so I'm looking forward to Essence Of Change.

The first 60 seconds of that I was thinking, nah, a bit too self indulgent for me but I'll admit to being quite into it by the end. I think that I still have a year or two until I'm officially required to love jazz fusion

S.D. wrote:

Jazz Fusion/Progressive Rock band Special Providence has a new album coming out in March.  I enjoyed their last album quite a bit so I'm looking forward to Essence Of Change.

That's nice!!!!!

I would love to play that kind of stuff with someone around here!

Some really good offers here: http://www.progrock.co.uk/acatalog/LOVE_PROG.html

A Magnum boxset with five albums for just £12! I can see myself spending a lot of money in the near future.

My fave prog:

Proto-Kaw
Yes
Rush
Dream Theater
Neal Morse
Transatlantic
Flying Colors (prog influences sprinkled throughout)
Kansas

And probably some I missed.

S.D. wrote:

Jazz Fusion/Progressive Rock band Special Providence has a new album coming out in March.  I enjoyed their last album quite a bit so I'm looking forward to Essence Of Change.

I like it quite a bit. Need to check this band out.

Medieval Torture Device wrote:

My fave prog:

Proto-Kaw
Yes
Rush
Dream Theater
Neal Morse
Transatlantic
Flying Colors (prog influences sprinkled throughout)
Kansas

And probably some I missed.

some great stuff mentioned there! Welcome to HoM!

Thank ya!

I'd thought that Alpha Flood (a project featuring members of Frost*, Threshold, Pain of Salvation and Darkwater) was dead in the water, but they revived it under the name of AudioPlastik and the album is now out.

New album from The Tangent is out soon.

Hotel of the Laughing Tree.

Might be a tough sell here by calling these guys prog at all, but I like to call them progressive alt-rock. Maybe not a perfect genre tag, but it works for me.

Anyway, fantastic band either way. The alt-rock tag is accurate, but give it a shot. They're like Flying Colors meets Franz Ferdinand. Excellent stuff.

My favorite prog record in quite a while.