Big 5 Bands

It´s a bit strange that the big 6 are all British, there´s a big world out there.

I've always heard of a big 6

In the ideal world:

• Magma
• Amon Düül II
• Henry Cow
• Van der Graaf Generator/Peter Hammill
• Robert Wyatt/Soft Machine/Matching Mole
• Gentle Giant

Reality:

Probably:

• Genesis
• Yes
• ELP
• Jethro Tull
• King Crimson
• Pink Floyd

 

 

Edited by ummagumma08

1. YES
2. GENESIS
3. ELP
4. GENTLE GIANT
5. KING CRIMSON

Italian Prog Bands (TOP 5):

1. PFM
2. LE ORME
3. BANCO
4. NEW TROLLS
5. METAMORFOSI

Pink Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson, Rush, ELP

But thats just me.

OK, let's look at the contenders for the big 5:

Genesis: unarguable; look at the ratings and the sales. YES

Yes: Likewise! YES

VDGG: their sales were never up with the big boys although they have lasted a long time. They haven't really gone beyond a cult following. NO.

ELP: for a while (3/4 years) they were huge and they sold shedloads of albums, but they faded quickly. On balance, just YES

Jethro Tull: in every sense, sales, ratings, acclaim, longevity, they qualify. YES

Pink Floyd: Sales alone get them in, but they qualify in all respects. Live 8 proved it. YES

Gentle Giant: They never sold shed loads of albums and were never critically acclaimed (largely because they refused to pander to the whims of the critics!) but they had a huge cult following. Didn't last long enough, though. NO

Rush: Huge sales, great longevity, some critical acclaim. The only trouble is, whatever we think, they don't consider themselves prog! Great hard rock band but big 5 prog? NO

King Crimson: arguably the creators of the genre, they have lasted and sold steadily throughout. YES

Camel: came a couple of years after the rest when prog was becoming unfashionable. Still made it regularly into the charts, were critically acclaimed and have lasted longer than almost anyone else with consistent quality. Look at the ratings. YES

Dream Theater: They would qualify as new boys in terms of volumes of sales, but again, they don't like the prog label. (Petrucci visited a Sound Control store last year and, when asked if he thought their success meant prog was back, he said "we're metal, not prog".) NO

So I'm up s**t creek since 7 qualify. So it's a big 7:

Genesis
Yes
Pink Floyd
Jethro Tull
King Crimson
Camel
ELP

Rush would qualify if they themselves were happy with the prog label, as would Dream Theater.

Gentle Giant are amongst my favourites and would boot out Crimson in my own list. VDGG don't come close on any criterion.

Ther isn't in fact a big five, only a big four:

1. YES
2. ELP
3. GENESIS
4. PINK FLOYD

wHETHER YOU LIKE THOSE BANDS OR NOT, WHEN HISTORY TALKS ABOUT THE PROGRESSIVE ROCK MOVEMENT THOSE ARE THE BANDS THAT WILL BE TALKED ABOUT MORE THAN ANY OTHERS. THOSE WERE THE GIANTS!

For me the Big Five are:

Yes

Pink Floyd

King Crimson

Genesis

ELP

 

I would recommend these five bands to any person who doesn't know anything about prog rock, as they are the quintaessential prog bands.

But I have to say I prefer Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull over ELP.

Edited by eddietrooper

hawkbrock wrote: Just as long as ELP don't feature on that list, I'm happy!

you suck

 

I don't know exactly, but Pink Floyd is certainly in the first place.

Symphonic Prog Big 5:

Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd

Progressive Metal Big 5:

Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Queensryche, Pain Of Salvation, Pagan's Mind

and your sig gives me the creeps... (except for the cross eyed part)