Rolling Stone Top 10 Progressive Rock Bands

[Magic Mountain]

Here is Rolling Stone's list of the top 10 prog rock bands of all time (Reader's Poll):

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ph...110720/0318489

Hell must have frozen over for Rolling Stone to do this. Isn't this the magazine that has hated progressive rock since, uh, forever? Now maybe Rush, Yes, Jethro Tull and King Crimson will finally get into the R&R HoF.

Note to jim: you call your station a progressive rock station and you don't have any album from the #8 top progressive rock band of all time.

[TheFish]

#1 is Rush? A pretty down the middle list. Oh well, It could have been worse.

Rolling Stone is a POS rag anyway. What could you expect?

[mailotron]

[quote=Magic Mountain;46715]Here is Rolling Stone's list of the top 10 prog rock bands of all time (Reader's Poll):


Hell must have frozen over for Rolling Stone to do this. Isn't this the magazine that has hated progressive rock since, uh, forever? Now maybe Rush, Yes, Jethro Tull and King Crimson will finally get into the R&R HoF.

I confirm , they gave prog rock the cold shoulder all the time . Now rock music is losing speed , so RS recalls the prog troopers :-)
i see Lester Bangs skull smiling :-)

[Diff_Drummer]

On ELP they claim people said "they signified everything wrong with the bloated arena rock of the late 1970s.". However, they fail to remind us that RS was the one saying it. Oh well - mellow with age.

[Yesspaz]

I actually think it's a decent list. Being a RS readers' poll, and knowing who RS's readers are, it's no surprise Rush is #1 and Floyd #2. I'm just shocked they got The Mars Volta right. Tool is a shocker, even given it being RS. I'd drop Tool, replace with Kansas, Mike Oldfield (though he's not a band), or The Moody Blues.

[emperorken]

OK, it's subjective, but Rush #1? Come on. And Yes should be higher. At least one thing they got right. No VDGG.

[mariocc]

Ive never been RS reader,,Not a important source to me, to my musical interests I mean. This list is basic,,,all these 10 top something I don t buy them...maybe the guy or guys did it ..were typing listening Beyonce.
Mars Volta,,mmm I pass.
Tool, not listen very often but two of their albums are in my place. I dont believe they defines 90s prog. I don t think they consider themselves a prog band either.
A good list came from a true source..

[mariocc]

true source..to me of course,,,something from progressive listeners...like us..I ve read some issues UK prog magazine..Rock Prog.very good....but with AM don t need more
regards friends

[mailotron]

Originally Posted by emperorken

OK, it's subjective, but Rush #1? Come on. And Yes should be higher. At least one thing they got right. No VDGG.

No VDGG ? I would say 'as expected' , followers are music magazine stock in trade

[Magic Mountain]

Originally Posted by mariocc

true source..to me of course,,,something from progressive listeners...like us..I ve read some issues UK prog magazine..Rock Prog.very good....but with AM don t need more
regards friends

Reader's poll's are of course just a popularity contest. I just posted for some fun, and the fact that a magazine that has hated prog since its existence took the time to do this. I also wanted to poke a little fun at Jim as we always have the debate about whether Tool is progressive. I think that Tool is a very progressive (small "p") rock band. It certainly isn't a symphonic prog band (large "P").

Take the poll for what it's worth, and that is a whole lot of nothing

Karl

[mariocc]

hola Magic..I know you share it cause it s fun..maybe my english sounded too serious..sorry amigo..I m trying to get better..and you must know I enjoy a lot your post and good mood and thanks...TOOL ..
I have Undertow and Aenima both with very solid tunesI really enjoy them..Undertow has a couple of tracks powerful well played sung and definitely a band with something to say

[VAXman(Admin)]

Originally Posted by Yesspaz

I actually think it's a decent list. Being a RS readers' poll, and knowing who RS's readers are, it's no surprise Rush is #1 and Floyd #2. I'm just shocked they got The Mars Volta right. Tool is a shocker, even given it being RS. I'd drop Tool, replace with Kansas, Mike Oldfield (though he's not a band), or The Moody Blues.

I didn't think people who subscribed to RS *could* read.

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by VAXman

I didn't think people who subscribed to RS *could* read.

Well, there's a difference between reading and reading at a college level.

[ErikM]

If You want a decent all time proglist you have to read prog magazines like iO Pages from The Netherlands. Last april they made their number 100 magazine and also asked their readers the best all time prog albums. The band with the most albums in this list was CAMEL with "Moonmadness" (1976) at the highest position. En these are the best 30 albums from the Top 200 list. Enjoy and forget the RS list.

30. Pendragon - The Window of Life (1993)

29. Pendragon - The Masquerade Overture (1996)

28. Transatlantic - The Whirlwind (2009)

27. Yes - Going For The One (1977)

26. Genesis - A Trick of the Tail (1976)

25. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)

24. Marillion - Brave (1994)

23. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)

22. IQ - Ever (1993)

21. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (2005)

20. Roger Waters - Amused to Death (1992)

19. Genesis - Foxtrot (1972)

18. Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)

17. Sylvan - Posthumous Silence (2006)

16. Genesis - Seconds Out (1977)

15. Arena - The Visitor (1998)

14. Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever (2001)

13. Marillion - Marbles (2004)

12. Rush - Moving Pictures (1981)

11. Ayreon - Into the Electric Castle (1998)

10. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)

9. Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)

8. IQ - Subterrranea (1999)

7. Dream Theater - Images and Words (1992)

6. Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear (1983)

5. Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (1985)

4. Yes - Close to the Edge (1972)

3. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

2. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)

1. Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (1973)

Greetings,

ErikM

[Magic Mountain]

Originally Posted by ErikM

If You want a decent all time proglist you have to read prog magazines like iO Pages from The Netherlands.

Geez, you guys don't read prior posts do you (See post #10). The initial thread wasn't to give credence to the RS poll. I assume that if you are a listener of AM that you are more than a casual fan of progressive rock and you would know that such a poll by that magazine is nonsense. In addition, serious fans don't need any lists. We already know what are the important bands/albums of the genre.

Of course there are much better lists out there from much better sources. The point of the thread was not so much the list, it was that a magazine that has hated progressive rock since its inception actually printed a top 10 progressive rock list (and I wanted to poke a little fun at Jim over Tool).

If you want a good poll go to www.progarchives.com and select their top 100 list. However, since music is a matter of personal taste, no matter what poll that you see, it will never be universally accepted by all. For instance Erik, your poll is heavily weighted on the Symphonic/Neo subgenres and doesn't include any of the seminal Italian symphonic bands, Jazz/Rock Fusion, Zeuhl, Canterbury, etc. nor does it have one of the greatest progressive rock albums of all time "Thick as a Brick."

Karl

[ErikM]

Hey Karl,

You didn't read my prior post very well.
It is actually only the highest 30 albums of a TOP 200 list.
And you can find Jethro Tull's "Thick as a brick" at position 47.
And it's true that the list contains many symphonic rock acts but that's because prog music in The Netherlands always have heavy focused on that style. But it isn't a bad list at all imo.

Greetings,

ErikM

[Magic Mountain]

Originally Posted by ErikM

Hey Karl,

You didn't read my prior post very well.
It is actually only the highest 30 albums of a TOP 200 list.
And you can find Jethro Tull's "Thick as a brick" at position 47.
And it's true that the list contains many symphonic rock acts but that's because prog music in The Netherlands always have heavy focused on that style. But it isn't a bad list at all imo.

Greetings,

ErikM

See I did read it. You're playing right into my point. I know many progressive rock fans that think the Tull album is in the top 5. I know many progressive rock fans that would rather a hot poker shoved up their a$$ than listen to neo prog. They would never have a neo album in their top 1,000 let alone their top 200. Are they wrong? No! It is only their opinion. That list is a good list to you, but might not be to someone else. I never could understand the need by people to have others justify what they like to listen to.

For the record, I never said that your list was a bad list. My point is that any poll no matter the bands or the source will always have detractors even amongst fans of the genre, as music listening is very subjective experience.

Karl

[Yesspaz]

Annnnnnnnnnd, the RS readership is largely American, so pretty much only American and British bands, and a Canadian band, would be on the casual prog fan's radar. So, something like Kraftwerk or Latte e Miele will be off the radar anyway, as will British bands that never really made it over here, like most Canterbury bands. So, each list is relative to itself. Take an Italian music magazine reader's poll and it'd have 7 Italian bands.

[lamour]

Originally Posted by Magic Mountain

I know many progressive rock fans that would rather a hot poker shoved up their a$$ than listen to neo prog. They would never have a neo album in their top 1,000 let alone their top 200. Are they wrong? No! It is only their opinion.

well, that puts things into perspective. I mean, I thought that I didn't like neo prog, but I'd rather deal with the worst neo prog than that hot poker thing. lol

I only even OWN 9 of that top 30 list, and I'm a bit surprised some of those are even that high. lol. and if I made a top 30 list, there's probably not another listener here who would think I was sane. Hell, we can't even agree on what prog IS, much less which albums are good. Still, it's fun to make lists. Occasionally, it's informative and helpful to people to help find other stuff to listen to.

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Debate over a Rolling Stone article on prog? Everyone who posted (except for me :P ) should be ashamed. Oh, and Magic for posting the article in the first place is fine, for ridicule