1981: top 25 prog albums at RYM - Progressive Rock Music Forum

My 3:
King Crimson - Discipline
This Heat - Deceit
Art Zoyd - Symphonie pour le jour....

If allowed more, I'd have gone with Art Bears & Los Jaivas.

Can't remember who or what I voted for, but it could've been one of these:

Discipline

4 Visions

Memento z banalnym tryptykiem

As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

Fourth World Possible Musics, Vol. II: Dream Theory in Malay

Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/

anyone of these:

King Crimson - Discipline

Los Jaivas - Alturas de Machu Pichu

Eskaton - 4 Visions

Eros – Dün

Kultivator - Barndomens Stigar

Eider Stellaire - Eider Stellaire

Art Zoyd - Symphonie pour le jour où brûleront les cités

let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword

jamesbaldwin wrote:

I could make a list of other reasons why I consider RYM's charts not useful, but I don't want to bore you.

Thank you, but I'm afraid that's too late. Edit: Sorry. That was unnecessarily rude.

jamesbaldwin wrote:

As I've already said, I dont consider RYM's rankings valid in any way. Every time I read one, I feel like crying. One reason, you say it yourself: their charts reflect the popularity of the records (or bands), not their quality, and the two things are often inversely proportional. I say often, not always, sometimes you can make very good records with great sales.

I'm the opposite. This list represent the tastes and preferences of internet's biggest music (geek) community. That's exactly why I find it to be interesting. Regardless of what I think about the albums or artists that are on it. It's validity lies in the collected data from thousands of people who are deeply into music. You don't have to like it. But you don't get to decide whether the result is valid or not. It is what it is.

-And you're wrong: RYM's most popular albums obviously shows that the community is A LOT more concerned with quality over sales. Come on, just take another look at the artists and titles in the poll. There's maybe four or five albums there that was anywhere near a sales chart at the year of it's release. The lion's share of these went under most everyone's radar 42 years ago. They've been rediscovered because of places such as PA and RYM. Music sites like these are a true blessing for forgotten and overlooked music that has proven to have a lasting quality. The fact that I find these charts better than any specialist/music journalist list, doesn't make me want to cry. It makes me smile. Amateur music lovers combined tastes' comes up with something both better and more open minded than Pitchfork, Prog Magazine, Allmusic, The Rolling Stone Magazine etc... All of them. Every time. That's wonderful. We don't need "professionals" to guide us anymore. We're better off without them. I also find RYM's general top 100 Progressive albums of a higher quality than your own attemnt here last year - or maybe two years ago. I don't find your subjective interpretation of what is quality very agreeable or convincing. Among other things you are too heavily colored by your political views and your nationality.

jamesbaldwin wrote:

I consider the site much interesting for how it ranks records, in this matter it's surely better than Progarchives.

But still you feel like crying?

Edited by Saperlipopette! - May 25 2023 at 00:33

Saperlipopette! wrote:

Some seem to think that the early 1980's were awful years for prog, but think it's packed with great albums. As someone who also love synthpop, new wave and all that stuff - it's an exceptional period for music in general. For me this poll is just as packed with classics as any year in the 1970's. Well, almost.

I know I post a lot of RYM* this and RYM that. But while PA has by far my preferred forum for music discussion, I find RYM superior in almost every other aspect. Such as:

-Album genres instead of one genre to represent a band or an artist's whole career is obviously more useful, correct and informative.

-Their algorithms seem to better reflect an albums actual (relative) populariy.

-I like to rate using half stars (which basically is a 1-10 ratingsystem)

-and that everyone's opinion while rating or reviewing is worth the exact same

-Their charts are easier to make use of and appear to make more logical sense...

-Plus I just seem to find an "all music" site's tastes in prog, more agreeable than the tastes in prog on a progsite.

-

Btw: Univers Zero - Ceux Du Dehors is listed as a 1982 album on RYM (where it would be fifth in a similar chart/list for that year). Appearently the record was finished in January 1981, but not actually released until the 30th of January the year after.

*as in Rate Your Music

As I've already said, I dont consider RYM's rankings valid in any way. Every time I read one, I feel like crying. One reason, you say it yourself: their charts reflect the popularity of the records (or bands), not their quality, and the two things are often inversely proportional. I say often, not always, sometimes you can make very good records with great sales.

I could make a list of other reasons why I consider RYM's charts not useful, but I don't want to bore you.

I consider the site much interesting for how it ranks records, in this matter it's surely better than Progarchives.

Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion.

Even the weakest of the three Art Bears albums gets my vote. That Art Zoyd album is a re-recording of their 76 debut. At the time, I bought 'Discipline' but never really warmed to it.

Steve Wyzard wrote:

How seriously can I take a "Top 25 1981" poll that doesn't include Saga's Worlds Apart

Honestly it's my fault. I checked and they should have been here. At the 20th spot. I seemingly make one mistake for every poll I make. World's Apart was this one's.

I never truly warmed up to any of the AOR/Prog-rock bands myself, but I suppose I understand the attraction. I seemingly prefer both Prog and AOR in a "purer" form, and not so much in combination.

How seriously can I take a "Top 25 1981" poll that doesn't include Saga's Worlds Apart?

PASS!

King Crimson - Discipline followed by Rush - Moving Pictures and Eros - Dün.

"PROG IS MY FERRARI".
Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Dear god this is brutally hard, can easily pick 8

This Heat
Eskaton
Eros

Edited by Nogbad_The_Bad - May 21 2023 at 19:40

Ian

Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/

Poll Question: Pick your three favorites, and let us know which ones!
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
King Crimson - Discipline	31	[20.67%]
This Heat - Deceit	8	[5.33%]
Rush - Moving Pictures	22	[14.67%]
Kraftwerk - Computerwelt	2	[1.33%]
Los Jaivas - Alturas de Machu Pichu	10	[6.67%]
Eskaton - 4 Visions	9	[6.00%]
ELO - Time	8	[5.33%]
Franco Battiato - La voce del padrone	1	[0.67%]
SBB - Memento z banalnym tryptykiem	5	[3.33%]
Brian Eno & David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts	5	[3.33%]
Eros - Dün	7	[4.67%]
YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra) - Technodelic	0	[0.00%]
Kultivator - Barndomens Stigar	2	[1.33%]
Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays - As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichit	6	[4.00%]
YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra) - BGM	0	[0.00%]
Oingo Boingo - Only a Lad	4	[2.67%]
Michael Stearns - Planetary Unfolding	0	[0.00%]
Eloy - Planets	11	[7.33%]
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Penguin Cafe Orchestra	1	[0.67%]
Roedelius (Hans-Joachim) - Wenn der Südwind Weht	0	[0.00%]
Jon Hassell - Fourth World Volume Two: Dream Theory in Malay	0	[0.00%]
Eider Stellaire - Eider Stellaire	1	[0.67%]
Art Bears - The World as It Is Today	4	[2.67%]
Art Zoyd - Symphonie pour le jour où brûleront les cités	12	[8.00%]
The Residents - Mark of the Mole	1	[0.67%]
You can not vote in this poll

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