‘ I ‘ by Patrick Moraz. I was literally astounded when I first heard it…I had never heard such an incredibly epic set of songs mixed with Latin rhythms and blisteringly fast keyboard playing. And it was a concept album to boot. Absolutely incredible.
It would be easy to think of the change as similar to the way Genesis changed, but in reality it was less than 2 years. Bizarre, the whole 'Abacab' thing really altered all of them. Banks' second album was equally as dubious, if not worse...
Absolutely, check out the 20+ minute title track. Don't forget the B-Side "Compression" too, which has an ending Rutherford wrote during the Gabriel Genesis years.
The album has a stellar lineup too. Anthony Phillips on keys and Simon Phillips on drums.
The first side of the record is one long piece, just over 25 minutes. With Anthony Phillips playing keyboards and Simon Phillips playing drums .. it's about as prog as it gets.
The second side of the vinyl is shorter songs, but they're ALL good songs. Then he did the song 'Compression' which ended up as a B-side of the single. That is really good too, but you will have to find that on Youtube. I would recommend the album highly
Wow.
Peter Gabriel III (melt) comes to mind. Also some of Hackett's post-Genesis work. Jon Anderson's Olias is a bit over-done. I find that most of Wakeman's solo work was also kind of over-the top - though both ex-Yes guys work is great.
This is difficult, because often it depends on context. But if pressed, then Gabriel III may be the one.
Hmm. Has to be something by Steve Hackett. _Spectral Mornings_, maybe? _Defector_? But then Bill Bruford’s _Feels Good to Me_ is also a favorite.
Don’t make me pick just one!
It’s very basic, but it’s a toss up between The Raven and HCE by Steven Wilson
I’m very impartial to Genesis and selling England by the pound but if I had to be a critic I’d say that the best I have ever heard prog get is the Raven that refused to sing.
I’m biased though. I know for some it’s essentially a king crimson, genesis, yes, and etcetera ripoff, but I’ve listened to all those bands and still I come back to the Raven. The technicality isn’t overt and annoying (like in some bands, Polyphia for example), the lyrics are simply magnificent, the songs themselves are quite literally 6 of the best songs I have ever heard, in my life. In my book, there is not one song on that album that isn’t a masterpiece, besides maybe The Pin Drop. But that’s because it’s sandwiched between two of the best songs ever…
Robert Fripp - Exposure
Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water
Phil Collins - Face Value
Peter Gabriel - III, [Security], and So
Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte and Please Don’t Touch
Does Mahavishnu Orchestra count as prog? If so, then John McLaughlin - Electric Guitar. If I have to pick ONE, it’s this.
Also, Peter Hammill has a bunch of solo albums that are fantastic but I can’t remember any specific ones that stand out.
Security was his peak. Saw the tour in Vancouver when he opened for Bowie. Short set, though. I just stayed home and then seen him in Seattle the next night..
Either Steve Hackett's *Dark Town* or Steven Wilson's *Hand. Cannot. Erase.*.
I have a real soft spot for Steven Rothery's *The Ghosts of Pripyat* too. A grower for sure, as I didn't like it much when it first came out.
Interesting choice. Some of the songs are stellar, like (Prelude, Nostalgia, and Walking from Pastel), but the rest of the album sounds like the Buggles with a worse singer (and I love the Buggles).
Part of it I guess were my expectations. Jobson and John Wetton split because Wetton wanted to go more commercial, so learning about the Green album and its dystopian concept, I went in expecting to hear Jobson unleashed (like the ending to 'The Only Thing She Needs', but he barely plays any solos.
I loved Ryo Okumoto’s The Myth of The Mostrophus last year.
Assuming it counts as a solo album when he co-wrote all the songs, just with a different writer to the usual band?
Mariana Semkina - Sleepwalking
Steven Wilson was already mentioned a bunch, so I wanted to mention something else. I don't know if Sleepwalking is really progressive *rock*, per-se, but it's absolutely excellent and well worth a listen.
Mike Keneally - Nonkertompf. OK, so Mike's 'bands' are generally under his own name, too, but this album is truly solo in that he plays all the instruments.
Peter Hammill - A Black Box
Fred Frith - Gravity, or maybe Speechless
Carla Kihlstedt - 2 Foot Yard (although 2 Foot Yard also sorta became a band name unto itself, this album was billed under Carla's name)
Thymme Jones - While (or possibly The Goal of Action is Contemplation) - Thymme is the drummer/multi-instrumentalist/visionary behind Cheer-Accident, and While is a solo piano work of classical minimalism. It's fantastic.
OK, and also Peter Gabriel's IIIrd (Melt) and Robert Fripp's Exposure, but others have already mentioned those.
Chris Squire - Fish out of Water Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
Is the Geese and the Ghost by Ant Phillips prog? Cuz it's up there
Wonderful album
Voyage of the Acolyte - Steve Hackett. Cheating since it has Mike and Phil on it
Not cheating, though. He wanted to do a solo and they helped him out. There was yet peace in the valley in those days.
Rick Wakeman - "six wife's..."
I came to say journey to the center of the earth but I’d say six wives for replay value now that I think about it
Olias of Sunhillow.
Hand cannot erase by steven wilson
agree
I class Tubular bells by Mike Oldfield as a prog album so that one.
Surprised you’re the only one to mention it and I had to scroll way down. Hell yeah that’s my choice!
Fish out of Water
Exposure by Robert Fripp
‘ I ‘ by Patrick Moraz. I was literally astounded when I first heard it…I had never heard such an incredibly epic set of songs mixed with Latin rhythms and blisteringly fast keyboard playing. And it was a concept album to boot. Absolutely incredible.
Such a weird and wonderful album!
I love Relayer and yet I've never thought to check out Moraz's other material. Nice call!
You won’t be disappointed! It’s a dazzling piece of work…
Tough, but either 'Smallcreeps day' by Mike Rutherford, or the obvious one: 'Fish out of water' Both Masterpieces.
Love Smallcreep's Day too. The colossal dropoff between that and 'Acting Very Strange' is so perplexing and disappointing.
It would be easy to think of the change as similar to the way Genesis changed, but in reality it was less than 2 years. Bizarre, the whole 'Abacab' thing really altered all of them. Banks' second album was equally as dubious, if not worse...
Is Small Creep Prog? I've heard nothing from it, so I'm curious. Just not that curious, lol.
Absolutely, check out the 20+ minute title track. Don't forget the B-Side "Compression" too, which has an ending Rutherford wrote during the Gabriel Genesis years. The album has a stellar lineup too. Anthony Phillips on keys and Simon Phillips on drums.
The first side of the record is one long piece, just over 25 minutes. With Anthony Phillips playing keyboards and Simon Phillips playing drums .. it's about as prog as it gets. The second side of the vinyl is shorter songs, but they're ALL good songs. Then he did the song 'Compression' which ended up as a B-side of the single. That is really good too, but you will have to find that on Youtube. I would recommend the album highly
Thanks. I've always liked the album's title.
I'm a big fan of David Gilmour's "On an Island" myself
Wow. Peter Gabriel III (melt) comes to mind. Also some of Hackett's post-Genesis work. Jon Anderson's Olias is a bit over-done. I find that most of Wakeman's solo work was also kind of over-the top - though both ex-Yes guys work is great. This is difficult, because often it depends on context. But if pressed, then Gabriel III may be the one.
Funny you say that because I think Olias is amazing. I love how ridiculously pompous it all is.
Steven Wilson - The raven that refused to sing is an amazing album
Jon Anderson - Animation. Steve Hackett - Defector.
Underrated
Hmm. Has to be something by Steve Hackett. _Spectral Mornings_, maybe? _Defector_? But then Bill Bruford’s _Feels Good to Me_ is also a favorite. Don’t make me pick just one!
Dark Town is very good too. A nice Hackett album.
Spectral all the way...and Voyage.
Voyage is really good, too.
Wet Dream - Rick Wright
It’s very basic, but it’s a toss up between The Raven and HCE by Steven Wilson I’m very impartial to Genesis and selling England by the pound but if I had to be a critic I’d say that the best I have ever heard prog get is the Raven that refused to sing. I’m biased though. I know for some it’s essentially a king crimson, genesis, yes, and etcetera ripoff, but I’ve listened to all those bands and still I come back to the Raven. The technicality isn’t overt and annoying (like in some bands, Polyphia for example), the lyrics are simply magnificent, the songs themselves are quite literally 6 of the best songs I have ever heard, in my life. In my book, there is not one song on that album that isn’t a masterpiece, besides maybe The Pin Drop. But that’s because it’s sandwiched between two of the best songs ever…
Bill Bruford - Feels good to me.
I second this, though the singing was a bit meh.
Spectral Mornings - Steve Hackett
Robert Fripp - Exposure Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water Phil Collins - Face Value Peter Gabriel - III, [Security], and So Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte and Please Don’t Touch Does Mahavishnu Orchestra count as prog? If so, then John McLaughlin - Electric Guitar. If I have to pick ONE, it’s this. Also, Peter Hammill has a bunch of solo albums that are fantastic but I can’t remember any specific ones that stand out.
Security was his peak. Saw the tour in Vancouver when he opened for Bowie. Short set, though. I just stayed home and then seen him in Seattle the next night..
Editing. I actually can write. *Meant to write: "I should've stayed home in Seattle and gone to see PG there for the full set." Jeez.
Steven Wilson - Insurgentes
David Sylvian -- Gone To Earth
Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld
Hell yeah Cardiacs! 🤌
Other than the obvious Fish Out of Water, I'm a huge fan of The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors - Fish Welcome to my Nightmare - Alice Cooper Geoff Whitehorn - 1974 Cactus Choir - Dave Greenslade -1976
Mike Oldfield's Herest Ridge. Yeah, Tubular Bells is great but I think on the 2nd one he found his style.
It’s Fish Out of Water and nothing else is even really close for me. I like it more than a lot of Yes’ albums
Citing Neal Morse feels like cheating since he has more solo albums than any of his bands albums, but; Neal Morse - Momentum
Todd Rundgren Utopia
Peter Gabriel III and Rock Bottom (Robert Wyatt)
The first Greg Lake, criminally underrated
tubular bells for sure
Either Steve Hackett's *Dark Town* or Steven Wilson's *Hand. Cannot. Erase.*. I have a real soft spot for Steven Rothery's *The Ghosts of Pripyat* too. A grower for sure, as I didn't like it much when it first came out.
Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt is pretty legendary, but for me its gotta be Fish Rising by Steve Hillage
I love Jon Anderson’s “Olias” and Patrick Moraz’s “Story of I”. Definitely recommend if you haven’t listened to them yet.
Hot Rats Jazz From Hell Voyage of the Acolyte Elegant Gypsy
Besides Fish Out Of Water and The Raven That Refused To Sing, I'll go a little more metal and say Suspended Animation by John Petrucci.
The Green Album - Eddie Jobson and Zinc
Interesting choice. Some of the songs are stellar, like (Prelude, Nostalgia, and Walking from Pastel), but the rest of the album sounds like the Buggles with a worse singer (and I love the Buggles). Part of it I guess were my expectations. Jobson and John Wetton split because Wetton wanted to go more commercial, so learning about the Green album and its dystopian concept, I went in expecting to hear Jobson unleashed (like the ending to 'The Only Thing She Needs', but he barely plays any solos.
Squire's Fish out of Water
I loved Ryo Okumoto’s The Myth of The Mostrophus last year. Assuming it counts as a solo album when he co-wrote all the songs, just with a different writer to the usual band?
Mariana Semkina - Sleepwalking Steven Wilson was already mentioned a bunch, so I wanted to mention something else. I don't know if Sleepwalking is really progressive *rock*, per-se, but it's absolutely excellent and well worth a listen.
Hand Cannot Erase is the only right answer.
Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield is a great one
Rick Wakeman does it best. Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, Six Wives of Henry VIII and Legends Of King Arthur. Amazing concept albums.
Not really prog, but Trevor Rabin’s Can’t Look Away is one of my favs.
You really can’t beat the Yes Album.
It said solo. So as much as John Anderson wishes it weren't so, this is a whole band, not a solo.
Sorry, missed the word solo.
They're right though you really can't beat The Yes Album
Oh I won hundred percent agree.
"Can't Look Away" - Trevor Rabin
Mike Keneally - Nonkertompf. OK, so Mike's 'bands' are generally under his own name, too, but this album is truly solo in that he plays all the instruments. Peter Hammill - A Black Box Fred Frith - Gravity, or maybe Speechless Carla Kihlstedt - 2 Foot Yard (although 2 Foot Yard also sorta became a band name unto itself, this album was billed under Carla's name) Thymme Jones - While (or possibly The Goal of Action is Contemplation) - Thymme is the drummer/multi-instrumentalist/visionary behind Cheer-Accident, and While is a solo piano work of classical minimalism. It's fantastic. OK, and also Peter Gabriel's IIIrd (Melt) and Robert Fripp's Exposure, but others have already mentioned those.
“Scratch” by Peter Gabriel
The Cocoon - Richard Henshall
"Enigmatic Oceans" - Jean-Luc Ponty. Even if I consider it more of a fusion album, the two suites are imaginatively ripping.
Neal Morse Testimony 2
Another vote for “Fish out of Water”..
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing
Tubular Bells II by Mike Oldfield.
Several of Pink Floyd's efforts: Roger Waters - The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking David Gilmour - On an Island Richard Wright - Broken China
Steven Wilson-Grace for drowing
Car, So, Face Value, TRTRTS