[Powerslave]

Welcome to the boards Andy!

Yes, I would have to agree that Van Der Graaf Generator is pretty dark, but that doesn't mean it's not worth listening to. One of my new favorite albums currently is Radiohead's "OK Computer," the most depressing and saddest collection of songs I have ever heard outside of a Godspeed You Black Emperor! album. But the music is so beautifully done, I can't stop listening to it. My favorite VDGG track, "Killer," falls under the same vein. However, VDGG is a much more acquired taste, I've found. I would suggest you try to download some MP3's of theirs to try out while you search for places to buy albums.

I don't really know if any of The Who's music qualifies as prog or not (or if I've really even thought about it all that much). I've never heard "Quadrophenia" but I'm not sure if "Who's Next" qualifies. I've always thought of that album as just a rock album with keys. To automatically classify it as prog or neo-prog because of that would be similar to saying any band that uses a keyboard is progressive, something I'm sure most prog fans know to be false. In the opposite vein of thought, just because a band doesn't use a heavy amount of keyboards (like Wishbone Ash), they aren't automatically disqualified from being a progressive band.

I first heard of Wishbone Ash from a progressive rock box set I purchased several years ago which had the track "Warrior" on it. The song fit in very well on the same disc as tracks by Yes, Genesis, VDGG, and other lesser known bands. I'll grant that they aren't overly symphonic in their arrangements, but I still think they can be considered progressive.