The first prog album ever?????

I know we've discussed this in the Shoutbox but I don't think it's been in the forums before (if I'm wrong forgive me).

There are (obviously) different views on this. This months Classic Rock magazine has an article on this and I was interested to note that The Beatles got mentioned a lot with "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper". What do you think of that? Personally if The Beatles could ever be classed as Progressive I'd plump for "Rubber soul" being in there too.

Someone even mentioned Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony (No. 3). I can see what they mean in a way. That really blew the lid off Symphony writing in it's day and could have been classed as Progressive at the time.

What, then, do you all think could be classed as the "First" Prog Rock album?

Taking "Established" bands I'd go for "Days of Future Past" by The Moody Blues - 1967.

Anyone got any more suggestions? Flame on!!!!!!!

[Rick and Roll]

Originally Posted by KeithieW

Anyone got any more suggestions?

I'm not qualilfied to really weigh in here (after all, we can't define the term so how can we tell it's the first)...the Moodies is as good as any.

but I've heard others mention "Pet Sounds". Did that precede the Moodies?

[kevishev]

...I've heard others mention "Pet Sounds". Did that precede the Moodies?

Hmmmm....The Beach Boys......Progressive Rock......like the opposing ends of two magnets, I just can't put the two together no matter how hard I try. I know all about the supposed genious of the heavily drugged Brian Wilson and all that, but seriously folks...

I suppose if the initial offering that defines this genre is deemed to have come from the Beach Boys, we should all take a moment and reflect.

[zvinki]

I'll play.

2112 by Rush. The first always has a permanent place in your heart. I remember hearing for the first time Neil's sticks hitting the edge of the drum and thinking "wow, this is new and exciting!" The whole experience of hearing a long single theme piece that goes up and down like a breathing organic thing completely shifted the way I was going to listen to music in the future. And words that mean something...

"See how it sings like a sad heart and joyously screams out its pain. Sounds that build high like a mountain or notes that fall, gently like rain"

[Sintetista]

I would venture to say that Stravinsky's use of the changing rhythmic patterns constantly is very progressive like "Dumbarton Oaks" concerto. Probably the moodies is a good start for prog rock. Who knows, this might be like discussing politics or religion it is the never ending story and it depends upon taste.

ELP and Pink Floyd were my first contacts with prog rock. And I've been a fervent fan ever since.

It certainly marked my life as a musician and composer since my bands have always been progressive at heart.

[mailotron]

.. the first I bought prog LP I bought was Foxtrot followed soon by NUrsery Cryme and Genesis LIve....In those teen years I was a Led Zep fan ( I dislike this word) ..

One of the first Prog LP is perhaps SF Sorrow ( a concept) LP by the ¨Pretty Things" in 1967 ... this is just an info or an idea .. don't flood my e-mail box with your pro and cons .. thx.. mailo

[Hawksun]

I see the history of prog as this following allegory: Brian Wilson and The Beatles were the field where the seeds of prog have been planted. Their innovations are too important to be ignored.

Procol Harum and the Moody Blues were the seeds of prog. They brought key elements (instruments/sounds) of the genre into play while not using these in a Prog goal/environnement.

King Crimson's first album was the sprout. It was the first album where all the elements of Prog were assembled in a coherent package with a definitive sound.

ELP, Yes, Tull and the 70's bands were the plant/trees. They are the foundation of what is prog.

Then finally came the fruits. These are the prog bands who do not come from the "classic" era. Some years produced good fruits, while some others had rotten harvests or no harvest at all.

And I hear you ask "Where's Pink floyd?". Well, in the 60's, PF was the farmer who decided one day to do an Acid drop and then proceeded to water the seeds of prog. The years passed, the drops continued, and one day, the farmer awoke to see the trees of prog. He thought that it would be great to be one with the trees, and thus proceeded to do an astral voyage and became one with the trees.

The end.

Yes, I know, none of it makes sense and there's probably around fifty historical mistakes in there. I just thought about it for fun.

My point is that I think KC's first album is prog's real starting point. See, that sentence alone would have made a pretty boring post.

Originally Posted by Hawksun

I see the history of prog as this following allegory: Brian Wilson and The Beatles were the field where the seeds of prog have been planted. Their innovations are too important to be ignored.

Procol Harum and the Moody Blues were the seeds of prog. They brought key elements (instruments/sounds) of the genre into play while not using these in a Prog goal/environnement.

King Crimson's first album was the sprout. It was the first album where all the elements of Prog were assembled in a coherent package with a definitive sound.

ELP, Yes, Tull and the 70's bands were the plant/trees. They are the foundation of what is prog.

Then finally came the fruits. These are the prog bands who do not come from the "classic" era. Some years produced good fruits, while some others had rotten harvests or no harvest at all.

And I hear you ask "Where's Pink floyd?". Well, in the 60's, PF was the farmer who decided one day to do an Acid drop and then proceeded to water the seeds of prog. The years passed, the drops continued, and one day, the farmer awoke to see the trees of prog. He thought that it would be great to be one with the trees, and thus proceeded to do an astral voyage and became one with the trees.

The end.

Yes, I know, none of it makes sense and there's probably around fifty historical mistakes in there. I just thought about it for fun.

My point is that I think KC's first album is prog's real starting point. See, that sentence alone would have made a pretty boring post.

Excellent allegory Hawk..........nice post.

[Yesspaz]

which came out first? Moody Blues' Days of Future Past, Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn, or The Mother's of Invention's Freak Out!?

The answer is the first prog rock album, in my opinion.

[Rick and Roll]

Freak out? Prog? Interesting idea. I think. I'm confused.

Mailotron, I would flood your email if I knew you're email and I knew what you were talking about

Hawk....nice story!

[coyote]

wow tough one..top of my head...things like beatles..Revolver(Tomorrow Never Knows)...Jefferson Airplane..Surrealistic Pillow.....Hendrix...Are You Experiencesd...Cream Disraeli Gears...who knows....Floyd..Piper at the gates of Dawn..lots o candidates

[roger]

(sorry, this is an aside)

hey Spaz. any chance we can get you to get rid of that sig? big annoying green commercial thing....

[VAXman(Admin)]

Originally Posted by roger

(sorry, this is an aside)

hey Spaz. any chance we can get you to get rid of that sig? big annoying green commercial thing....

I have no idea what "surge" is other than some soft drink with the color of a squashed aphid according to the link attached to the big banner. I think there are more important things in life to promote and stand behind than a commercial soft drink. Come on man, it's just a soda.

[jtmckinley]

Originally Posted by Yesspaz

which came out first? Moody Blues' Days of Future Past, Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn, or The Mother's of Invention's Freak Out!?

The answer is the first prog rock album, in my opinion.

I agree with Yesspaz, although unlike some folks, I would definitely include some of The Beatles stuff as prog. Actually, I think all the psychedelic stuff in the 60s (and not just the big name bands) is what evolved into prog rock. To put dates to Yesspaz's 3 picks we have (according to Amazon.com, I don't have my CDs here at work):

Freak Out = July 1, 1966
Days Of Future Passed = January 1, 1967
Piper At The Gates Of Dawn = August 5, 1967

and I'll add since it was mentioned above and close in date

Are You Experienced = January 1, 1967

So Uncle Frank wins that contest by 6 months. However, if you allow earlier Beatles releases like A Hard Day's Night (07/1964) or Help (08/1965) or Rubber Soul (12/1965) or whatever (after all, given the recording techniques available and the kind of chordal harmony being used in rock back then, the Beatles were pretty progressive IMHO) or other maybe lesser known psychedelic records from the mid 60s, you might get a different answer, but trying to define what is prog is a pretty futile excersize, it's way too subjective. Could The Rolling Stones Paint It Black or 19th Nervous Breakdown be prog? How about The Doors or Jefferson Airplane or The Byrds or Strawberry Alarm Clock or or or...? I dunno, here's a list of the top 100 singles from 1965 and as FZ would say "You figga it out!". It's kind of interesting to see the singles charts from back then, I didn't see anything that I thought was DEFINITELY prog from 1965 (Ticket To Ride or Turn, Turn, Turn maybe?), or maybe something that didn't chart...

http://musiclab.co.jp/billboard/at/n...hits_1965.html

My first prog record was Yes Fragile, which is not my favorite Yes record today, but it blew my head off at age 10 when I first heard it.

[Rick and Roll]

[quote=jtmckinley]http://musiclab.co.jp/billboard/at/n...hits_1965.html

I vote for Buck Owens.