Most Controversial Albums (not sellouts)

This antipathy towards DSOTM is bizaare.

Look at the facts:

1.It is loved by the majority of Prog Rock fans (and we like to think of ourselves as discerning)

2. It sold in bucketloads to the plebs (who we like to think of as morons)

3.People still go out and buy it in the 1000's 30 years later.

I know just because something is popular and sells in vast amounts, that doesnt make it good.But this album proves that you can be popular and maintain your integrity.

And suggests what a bloody good album it is as it succeeds intellectually and commercially!

Edited by Reed Lover

Fragile wrote: Totally agree Batts it was a very good album, great pity We didn't get a second and you are a absoloutely right again ABWH was the best Yes album of the 80's but then that wouldn't have been hard would it Batts!!!!

That really true Fragile!! But I must admit that I did like some of the song on Big Generator and 90125 even though I can't file those albums under the label "prog". BTW Happy New Year to you and your daughter

Mike Oldfields - AMAROK

Isotope's - ISOTOPE

Vangelis - SOIL FESTIVITIES

 

Now thats controversial music...

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Lunar after the hangover ! ! !

Cinema wrote: Probably two of the most controversial prog albums I can think of come from the same highly controversial band: Yes. Of course, Tales from Topographic Oceans was controversial, but I think even more controversial were: -- Drama -- Tormato Also extremely controversial was: -- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe Remember back when it came out ... it was Yes, but it wasn't really Yes at all. And something tells me we haven't seen the last of controversial moves from Yes.

 

What do you mean by saying that the Anderson Bruford Wakeman & Howe album wasn't really Yes at all???? I think the album is as close to the Yes sound you can get considering the release year was 1989. By far the best Yes album in the 80's

Syzygy wrote: DSOTM is prog's Sergeant Pepper - for sure, there are better Floyd albums, but it's still a great piece of work and was hugely influential. For me, the Wall was utterly reprehensible. 'Comfortably Numb' is a superb song, and I quite like 'One Of My Turns', but overall it was the plodding, uninspired, tedious, self indulgent whining of a narcissistic, solipsistic, misanthropic songwriter who had started to believe in his own hype. If EXACTLY the same album had come out as an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical it would be about as popular on this board as Evita. Had Roger Waters released his portrait of how awful life was as a rock star, and then retired to become a farmer, or had given away all his money to charitable causes and joined the priesthood, then it would be possible to take it seriously. Instead we got 'The Final Cut' and his solo career.

Sorry, but Sgt. Peppers denotes change for the better. It meant a freeing of chains that Record Companies shackled artists with. DSOTM did nothing like this. So why do you make that anology? It makes no sense.

Syzygy wrote: DSOTM is prog's Sergeant Pepper - for sure, there are better Floyd albums, but  If EXACTLY the same album had come out as an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical it would be about as popular on this board as Evita.

haha love the comparison

The Wall and DSOTM were quite contreversial because they appealed to the masses as well... Here, I see countless people with Dark Side T-Shirts, because they are sold at trendy, popular, mainstream clothing outlets. Hell, you wouldn't believe how many of these people haven't even listened to the album!

I took a while, but someone finally mentioned "The Wall". There are are many who are not crazy about Roger Waters' overbearing influence on some of Floyd's music. "The Wall" has excellent portions and a great concept, but is very slow and boring in part, and I think, very controversial. Nowhere near as controversial  as Tales which I happen to love. Admittedly, Tales gets slow in portions, but not boring if you are in the mood to immerse yourself in it.

Alucard wrote: tuxon wrote: Prog_Bassist wrote: richardh wrote: [QUOTE=Joren]For me, Dark Side Of The Moon is the most controversial. EVERYBODY thinks it's one of the best prog records ever, except for me. I think it's good pop, nothing more. I don't think it's that great either.So there's 2 of us then! 3 of us. I mean, I think it's a really good album, but it's VVVEEERRRYYY overrated. Pink Floyd is good, I like them, hell, Im getting them live in pompeii dvd this christmas, and a cheap dsotm t-shirt, but, I don't agree that they're musical GENIUSES or anything, they're not even close to as good as people hype them up to be. 4 of us. and counting. Make it 5! I think it was the first record where the production was far more important than the music itself.Must have been for a long time number One in "Let me show you how great this HiFi system will sound in your living room."Get any bootleg of their tour, they are much better "musically", Gilmore doing more interesting solos, they got more edge, and they played tighter.

 

5 of us.

Dark Side.., just because it splits opinions of prog fans so dramatically into the elightened (those who just enjoy it for the pure work of art that it is) and the blinkered (those who criticise it for being overrated).

Tales is only controversial because it's loooong noodly rubbish dressed up as prog in a Roger Dean cover. I've owned my copy for 23 years, and never been able to find much to enjoy about it, except, maybe, the trademark rich bass sound and tight drums.

The harmonies are (typically of Yes) utterly naff, ultimately stem from Crosby Stills and Nash, and lack drive and dynamic. The precision and intention behind the compositions is impressive, but the actual music leaves me cold - possibly because of that precision. I prefer the early Yes albums, but I'd still choose to listen to almost any other prog band, given the choice.

Aphrodite's Child is far more controversial in the real sense, as is much of Zappa's back catalogue.