Your all-time favorite TRACK
 

OK, this one is exceptionally tough. You can only pick ONE. What is the one single track that you enjoy the most in all of Progdom? Name the track, the artist, and the album it came from.

Several tracks come to mind for me-
Pink Floyd's Echoes, Genesis' Watcher of the Skies, and Renaissance' Ashes Are Burning. But the one track that most consistently keeps my attention is :

Close To The Edge-Yes
from the album Close To The Edge.

My favorite part is "I Get Up, I Get Down, where the vocals counterpoint and harmonize over the mellow continuo Rick creates, and then the pipe organ crescendo absolutely gives me goosebumps. I also like the way it starts and ends with the estuary effect.

Tough call...

I think my candidate is King Crimson's "Starless" on Red. It has everything...

Anekdoten's "Karelia" on Vemod is also exceptional, although it's slightly derivative.

Why must this mental anguish continue?
 

Well if you can count Part 1 and Part 2 as one 29-minute track, then I would say Rush's "Cygnus X-1" is my favorite. I like having the most bang for my buck, so if I can't do that I would say it's a tie between "The Gates Of Delirium" by Yes and Genesis's "Supper's Ready."

How's THAT for bending the rules! :D

Rush on!!!!
 

I would have to say La Villa Strangiato from Rush's Hemispheres disc. It has motivated me to pursue greatness for many years.

A Toughie
 

Very hard!!!

It would have to be Ritual from Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes.

I heard them do this in 1973/4 and it blew me away completely. I've been in love with it ever since. The build up that ends in the "At all, At all" section is breathtaking and when they performed it on the Magnification tour recently I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

Bless you Jon Anderson!!!!

Hmmm... for me, id would have to be Ommadawn Part 1..

For me It's got to be "Supper's Ready"; Genesis-Foxtrot.

mmmmmm really hard, but i think the one that made the biggest impression on me is "No tree will grow (on too high a mountain)" from To the Highest Bidder by Dutch band Supersister.

this lyrics: "Life is no good friend
good friendship never ends.
the more you feel you've grown
the more you feel alone.
start boasting your friends away
you think that is life 'your way'
though you know no tree will grow on too high a mountain"

jut got me thinking for a looong time.

Slipperman-

I considered "Supper's Ready" also. Overall, it is a fantastic track. My one complaint with it is the cold vocal at the very beginning. It just doesn't feel right to me. If it had an instrumental intro like "Firth of Fifth", it may have made it.

That track has some very engaging grooves in it.

clactdj-

I can see how jumping right into the piece with vocals ("Walking across the sitting room...") rather than having an instrumental intro might be bothersome ot some; I kind of like it myself. To each his own.

Stil, Picking "Supper's Ready" as the best teck seems kind of like cheating, since it's really several tracks rolled into one. If that were to disqualify it, Firth would also be a good choice.

I could also go with Thick As A Brick- but that kind of seems like cheating too due to the length.

Oh, and how do you folks get the album covers to go with your posts?

Click on user cp (next to the Aural Moon logo); click on edit options; scroll to the bottom and select your avatar (there are pages of them).

Have fun!

OK, just one ...
 

For me, it's gotta be: Yes - Gates of Delirium, from Relayer.

brand new avatar
 

thanks progdirjim!!

Just to show you my avatar

Thanks, progdirjim, for the instructions on the avatar.

So how do you like it?

This is difficult...but
 

It is virtually impossible for me to pick a favourite band/album/track OF ALL TIME, mainly because I haven't probably heard it yet. There is so much good prog stuff out there....

This is my choice (it just came to me)

IN THE CAGE - GENESIS (from THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY)

I also like the version on THREE SIDES LIVE, even though it incorporates bits of THE CINEMA SHOW and SLIPPERMAN.

The track is great because every time I listen to it, the rhythm instruments seem to be totally at odds with each other. But it works!

A tough call!!!

Where's the Zappa?
 

Zappa's RDNZL (Redunzel) goes down as my favorite prog.

Tommy

For me, I think it should be "Pais Dos Sonhos Verdes" form the "Grande Espirito" album of the band "Sagrado". When you listen attentively to the song, you can elevate yourself and get a glimpse of heaven ! ;)

I'm BAAACCCK!
 

Awaken - Yes

close second - Gates of Delirium - Yes
close third - Echoes - Pink Floyd

I believe that Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd has to be one of the best pieces of music.

Alright, it was supposed to be just one but since no one else is able to contain themselves to just one.... (not that this makes it any easier ;}

Echoes - Pink Floyd (My very first prog album when @ the age of 12)

Runner-ups:
Suppers Ready - Genesis
Close to the Edge - Yes

The Analog Kid - Rush

MY FAVE TRAX:

KC:
- early - Circus /1971/;
- with J.Wetton - Starless /1974/
- reincarnated with A.Belew - Two Hands /1982/, Sleepless, Nuages /1984/;
- 4th incarnation - One Time /1995/.

Yes:
- Yours Is No Disgrace /1971/;
- Close to the Edge /1972/;
- The Gates of Delirium /1974/.

Genesis:
- Musical Box /1971/;
- Dancing with the Moonlight Knight /1973/.

Jethro Tull:
- Wounded, Old & Treacherous /1995/.

Van der Graaf Generator:
- Pilgrims /1976/.

Rush
- before "2112" - not for this list;
- before "Moving Pictures" - La Villa Strangiato /1978/;
- after "Power Windows" - Cold Fire /1993/;
- between "MP" & "PW": Tom Sawyer, Vital Signs /1981/, Subdivisions /1982/, Between the Wheels /1984/, Territories /1985/.

Kansas - Magnum Opus /1976/.

Dream Theater - Learning to Live /1992/.

Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman /1981/.

Metallica - Outlaw Torn /1996/.

Iced Earth - Dante's Inferno /1995/.

Led Zeppelin:
- metal blues - Since I've Been Loving You /1970/;
- prog-hard - Rover /1975/.


The quantity-per-group-ratio doesn't signify my attitude to one's musical legacy in whole.
Actually, the question of favourite track is just A MATTER OF FORMAT.

Hah! You ask what you can't deliver!
 

You ask us to name just one favourite yet you can't do that yourself, naming severqal in your own post.

Well, I would go with Awaken by Yes.

But there are several others that I could go for depending on my mood.

Tubular Bells part 1 is right up there as a contender, not to mention several other Yes Classics.

Just one????
 

"Green-Eyed Lady", by Sugarloaf.

Green eyed lady? that's a joke, right? but I don't get it....

Actually, there is an album version of Green-Eyed Lady. It's close to seven minutes long and has some extended jamming on it. This was definitely "progressive" back when it was released. Some great jazzy organ work on this one. I know it was a "hit" and was overplayed, but that does not make it "not progressive".

Another great track by this band is "Bach Doors Man/Chest Fever". Nothing earth-shattering, just good organ-based early 70s prog rock.

I could think of better examples of prog, but Prog, like everything else has its fringes. They didn't have the term "neo-prog" back then....

you are a program director?
 

Regarding you response to "Green-Eyed Lady" -

How could you possibly classify that a joke? You could read my postings to some other questions, too!

Progressive music does not mean weird - why don't you just play only "Thinking Plague" or something like that? Oh and don't worry - I listen to plenty of progressive stuff that fits your category.

I'm sure that you played newer Genesis, older Supertramp, post-Fish Marillion, too many other examples of to mention.

Where would you classify a band like XTC? And is Iron Maiden automatically metal?

Try to act a little less pompous next time!

To clactdj - Thank you for the mention of the 7-minute album version, but that's what I was referring to! I am not responsible for what the radio does to songs. Those cut versions of tunes are disgusting (like the old "light My Fire", etc.)

Wow, I meant no offense, really. I apologize.

I've always liked the track, but I still wouldn't call it progressive. You might, and neither of us is wrong - different opinions, and I respect yours. It is surprising to me that someone would list "Green Eyed Lady" as a favorite prog song, but I don't mean that in any pompous or superior fashion, honestly. I responded out of curiosity, and I tried to inject some humour - I am sorry that it seemed like an insult, that was not my intention. I actually wanted to hear why you chose that song - if I truly was pompous, I wouldn't have even responded.

Welcome, Rick and Roll
 

As an occasional participant in these running converstaions, I can tell you that very few of us is pompous (on purpose). I believe this is especially true of progdirjim who has been very much open to all ideas, and forthcoming with his own about programming direction.
Hang in there Rick and Roll. This is a great place for musical exploration and discourse.
I also like Green Eyed Lady. I often gaged the mettle of a radio station by whether it played the extended version or not.

Hey, I'm not mad!
 

Thanks for your replies - you ask why I consider that song "progressive" - should I have picked a 10 minute plus tune? If so, go with the "Musical Box", "In A Glass House", "Canto IV" (a great Discipline Track), "Birth" by Focus (actually 8 minutes), or in my view the best song ever written, "Pirates" by ELP. Green-Eyed Lady is my favorite song.

I have never seen an adequate definition of "progressive" - man I hate labels - and I'm sure it is not defined - I don't consider "Progressive Metal" bands such as Ice Age or Braindance any more progressive than Sabbath or Maiden.

Maybe this could be a future discussion topic - my earlier question about XTC (Progressive Pop?) may be a place to start.

Food for thought.

Definition of "Progressive"
 

>>>
I have never seen an adequate definition of "progressive" - man I hate labels - and I'm sure it is not defined - I don't consider "Progressive Metal" bands such as Ice Age or Braindance any more progressive than Sabbath or Maiden.
<<<

When the term was first in popular currency I read a definition a couple of times that seemed to make sense. It defines progressive as using classical structures and forms which progress from one "tune" to another without returning to the same place it was before i.e. as distinct from the "verse chorus repeat" format of more conventional songs.

I'm not certain if this is true, but it does seem to fit with the concept as it originally evolved.

By that definition most classical music would qualify almost by definition. Green Eyed Lady, technically wouldn't, because it's fairly straightforward and repetitive structurally. The same goes for some (not all) of the jazz which gets played here, a lot of which is complex improvisations around a simple and repetitive structure. i.e. not structurally progressive.

That said, the definition did (and to some extent still does) go a little over my head.

Frankly, I wouldn't want to get pedantic over format. I want to hear music structurally complex enough to be interesting and to retain that interest over multiple listening.

"Progressive" is a good place to start but I'll happilly listen to anything from classical to reggae so long as it's got that added musical depth that takes it out of the mainstream and, in fact, like to have some variety within those broad boundries.

I think the essence of 'progressive rock' boils down to complexity which challenged - and still challenges - the traditional rock concept.

An even more generous definition would allow also "non-complex" rock music to be called progressive, for example music that comes with the label 'ambient or 'post rock', which - of course - also contests the notions people have of rock music.

What is prog?
 

The dictionary defines "progressive" as, amongst other things, "FAVOURING NEW IDEAS".

With Time signatures other than the usual 4/4, with track lengths other than 3-4 minutes and subjects other than Boy meets Girl, Musicians who write and perform pieces that encompass these and other new ideas could all be termed "Progressive". One of the earliest Prog musicians, then, was Beethoven who, when his 3rd Symphony timed in at about 45 minutes stunned the world who were used to the 20-25 minute symphonies of Schubert and Haydn. When Stravinsky came up with "The Rite of Spring" with it's discords and weird and wonderful time signatures all overlaid upon each other to create a beautiful cacophany that, too, was Progressive. Likewise when Yes and Jethro Tull, Pink floyd and PFM, Genesis and, dare I say it? Celestial Navigations.......sorry Davin, come up with 'New Ideas' that is Progressive Rock.

Whatever definition we give it, Prog Rock is one of the most spell binding, awe inspiring and downright beautiful genres in music and I thank god that there are still musicians out there willing to experiment with New Ideas and take chances.

Long may they do so.

As Frasier Crane says, I'M LISTENING!!!

Progressive Rock

If the esteemed Mr. Gates has it right, and at least in this case, I believe he has, it's much less esoteric, complicated and hifalutin than we all thought.

Well...I guess I might quibble about the early 70s part. I think prog started in 1967 with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. But that's a subject for another thread.

JRV-

I would be inclined to agree except for the fact that The Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed" was released prior to Sgt. Pepper.

But that's a subject fro another thread....
:p :p :p :p :p :cool:

....but I decide which is right, clactdj, and which is an illusion...

a never-ending tale...
 

How very interesting that when defining Progressive, one contradicts themself (that has to be poor grammar somehow). I just listened to "Stagnation" coming back from from work - very repetitive, very mellow - and a hell of a tune.

Jethro Tull (my favorite band) - 90% non-Progressive - many repetitive moments. I really don't think Ian Anderon considers himself "Prog".

Moody Blues and Beatles, very song-oriented - yet Prog in their own way - and I agree with them being the start of it all - however, some would argue "Pet Sounds" as Progressive.

Classical music prog? Could be, but I think they were just really high.

Isn't this fun?

Actually, it's Progressive Grammar. Technically elaborate and sometimes experimental. But that's a subject for another thread.

If we were to debate fully the first progressive album, how about The Mother's of Invention! That, I believe, was 1964.