My List of Top 10 or 20 Progressive/art Rock Tunes

I have been thinking long and hard about Mahavishnu Orchestra. I would say in the broad sense of progressive music yes..but ...not sure about Prog Rock; however, this progressive music is so good and they were much at the forefront of jazz fusion. If they enter Progressive Rock category, then other jazz fusion artist pioneers would then be included...e.g. Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Stanley Clark and the rest of Return to Forever. oh yes, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Luc Ponty...Al Di Meola. Toss in Pat Metheny, ..and oh yeah, Bela Bartok (banjoist) of Bela and the Flecktones.

Of course, Soft Machine I agree with 100%

Of course all of this exercise underscores the absurdity of placing our beloved tunes in categories like Progressive or Art Rock. Much of this is progressive music or has caused musical art to progress further and hopefully to reach more people.

I think Return To Forever could crossover into prog rock...a little...as for Mahavishnu...I saw them on the Birds Of Fire tour..OMG is all I can say...of COURSE I was tripping and speeding at the time

Speaking of...don't forget UK.... Bruford's project...

Alan Holdsworth btw... originator of the right hand tap technique Eddie Van Halen popularized....

I would add The Alan Parsons Project to the list.

Nice catch, Butrfly. I'm thinking of 'I Robot' and 'Eye in the Sky'. I still have that on audio cassette. I understand that 'I Robot' was released on SEVERAL audiophile recording formats and the prestigious label MFSL so it's highly ($$$) thought of.

That was one of my favorites.

Also liked this one, Siren Song:

Ooh yeah, Alan Parsons. Thanks for the reminder.

Ragman said:


Yes, I agree that they were always easy listening enough to be considered commercial instead of progressive or arty, which is what I said in my first post to fountofwisdom...but I was curious as to why exactly I stopped liking them as much as of Hotel California and I think I figured it out.
Up until Hotel California - Bernie Leadon was in the band playing banjo. They also used more of other instruments I really like like the dobro, mandolin and slide guitar.
As of Hotel California - Bernie had quit. Their sound was different. I liked the less smooth, less polished, more countrified sound of their earlier stuff, and in fact, I think that's what initially set them apart from what most other band were doing at the time.
But I also understand what you're saying about the progression of their technical acumen via engineering in the studio. That's probably exactly what turned me off to them though you found it a positive change. Again, nothing more than personal preference.

I have to argue in favour of creativity first: tech ability second: Maureen Tucker is by no means in the world's top drummers, however VU wouldn't have functioned without her. She was the sensible one that held it together.
I find a lot of excellent musicians forget that entertaining is also part of the gig. Technical Ecstasy: it dont impress me much.

Any retro people out there dig Lynyrd Skynyrd?

Not since I was maybe 16.

You never mention owning these to cool people for fear of ridicule.

I'm quoting myself , which could be considered egocentric by some. lynyrd Skynyrd are therefore prog. really I just wanted to get away from the Eagles. Really, I'm sorry I meantioned Hotel Claifornia. Gusess its just a lovely place.
One of my arguments against technical ability is Interstellar Overdrive: Syd Barrett was consuming handfuls of acid tabs on a daily basis. It kinda took the edge off his ability.
Was Oxygene a hit in America? Its one of those albums that everyone owns; a bit like Tapestry. Or Pet Sounds.
Also I hate to harsh your gig. But I believe the correct expression is like man, that hat is so old it has holes ,dig?, I believe

Never heard of Oxygene. Sounds like an acne preventative.

Hotel California. I knew a gal who DJ'd on New Year's Eve, 1999. At the stroke of midnight, she played it. Ai yi yi, welcome to the millennium.

I was in Greenwich (london- not village for the Millenium) at midnight the song playing on the local radio was "Rock and Roll Suicide." Party on. I guess they figured no one would be listening.

Oxygene is half halfway between prog rock and modern music. It has synthesisers and a drum machine, but self indulgent tracks that last forever. I never tried it as an acne cure: It could have helped my sexual development.

especially along with some x...

I saw Skynyrd on their first tour...opening for Stories if you can believe it... they were greasy, dirty looking rednecks... it looked as though someone turned a trailer up on it's end and shook it. I thought they were **** and I don't mean the **** and predicted they'd never be heard from past that tour.... could I have been more wrong?

Later I did some studio work with a couple of them and their general group down in Jacksonville and they were great guys...although they were as hard living as you'd expect...but then so was I at that time.

You can't judge by first impressions. I don't own a Skynyrd cd but they have a large body of good work that I enjoy hearing when it comes on the radio. I even cover a couple of their tunes myself . Good songwriters and accomplished players. Prog rock? No.

Okay has anyone mentioned Fleetwood Mac? does Rumours count or is it too "poppy".

not prog....a blues band that went commercial to get a big paycheck. did a fine job, too. Nothing wrong with that...but not commercial.

I don't want to go back three pages but has anyone mentioned Spocks Beard or Porcupine Tree?

Funny you should mention Fleetwood Mac. Arguably, I would put early Fleetwood Mac (orignially billed as "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac) in there from an era before most people became aware of them. The natural category for early FM is blues-rock, but I do make an exception for them due to what I consider their progressive nature. Once they went with the lineup of Buckingham and Nix, they were pretty pretty much pop.

The early Fleetwood Mac (Bare Trees) included lead guitarist Peter Green. His tasty guitar work by many critics was second to none. Of Peter Green it was said by no less than B. B. King , "He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats." He filled in and then took over Eric Clapton's departure from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Incidentally, Green wrote the song "Black Magic Woman" that was eventually picked up by Santana. Unfortunately, by the early or mid-70s he went schizo after too much abuse from LSD. Basically, he went on a trip and never came back. Such a loss.

The revamped lineup made zillions of $$$ and often for some of us they're the voice of the '70s along with Linda Ronstadt, who I also didn't include. I will say my personal collection included them, but not on my list of Progressive or Art.