Originally posted by wikipedia The genre was intended to be less "wild" than rock music at the time, and a less commercial, more serious and "mature" offshoot of the genre. Baroque pop may be distinguished from progressive rock, which also uses classical instrumentation, by its generally simpler song structures closer to standard pop song writing, and also by its more mainstream lyrical content as opposed to the generally conceptual lyrics associated with later progressive rock

The Moody Blues, Yes, and Jethro Tull may very well be the most influential bands. 1) The Moody Blues were among the first to incorporate orchestral instrumentation in an innovative, progressive fashion into the rock vein. Their fourth album On the Threshold of a Dream ( a personal favorite ), was released in 1969 even before King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King. 2) Yes' sound I find to be particularly unique: A male lead singer with a soprano voice who blends his almost perfectly with the rough baritone of Peter Banks/Steve Howe, and the tenor of Chris Squire (who was a choir boy in his youth); in a related topic, there is also the matter of incredible simultaneous multiple-lyric/vocal polyphony such as Close to the Edge, And You and I, Wonderous Stories, I've Seen All Good People, etc; Virtuosity galore! Peter Banks was a great guitarist in his own right, and Steve Howe was voted by readers of Guitar Player magazine five years consecutively from 1977-81 as "Most Versatile Guitarist". Readers could no longer vote for him after this time because his popularity disqualified him; in recognition of his talents and work he was the first inductee into the "Guitar Player Hall of Fame", and to this day there are only two others; Chris Squire is one of the most dynamic and melodic bassists I have ever heard. Chris Squire is often described as a bassist writing counterpoints to the vocals and as a matter of fact was a source of much frustation to Bill Bruford because Mr. Squire did not necessarily consider himself to be part of the rhythm section. In certain Yes songs, such as Siberian Khatru, The Fish, Heart of the Sunrise, and On the Silent Wings of Freedom, Squire plays the bass in the capacity of a lead or solo instrument. His first solo album, Fish out of Water, has a number of tracks that feature this type of arrangement; Bill Bruford was extremely influential even in the early seventies: Phil Collins of Genesis has cited him as his favorite percussionist, and Neil Peart of Rush (considered by some to be the greatest rock drummer, thought not by me) has also acknowledged elements of Bruford's playing to have been inspiring to him; Rick Wakeman's keyboard equipment was a remarkable spectacle in the seventies - really unlike anyone else's. And let's not neglect to discuss his playing style, which is usually fast-paced and convoluted (and far superior to Keith Emerson's, in my opinion). Besides Yes, Rick Wakeman has also played for other very influential artists such as David Bowie and Lou Reed. 3) What band other than Jethro Tull has done the most to highlight the flute in a rock context? Maybe Focus, or Genesis. And let's not just discuss unusual instrumentation for a rock group such as soprano saxophone, flute, and mandolin. Let's talk about the music. Jethro Tull released a monster of Progressive Rock symphonic poetry in Thick as a Brick, and then again in A Passion Play. How could their music be described? -Bluesy in albums like This Was and Benefit; jazzy in albums like A Passion Play, and Warchild; rocking and folky in albums like Aqualung and Thick as a Brick; metallic and medieval in albums like Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses, and Stormwatch. Such diversity of output!