Favourte acts at their most and least accessible..

Of course accessible depends on the audience, but I am thinking of very general audiences and more mainstream society.

What are some of your favourite acts (bands/ artists) included in PA's band/artist pages at their most accessible, melodious, simplest, friendly, approachable, conservative, safe and/or commercial, and also at their most experimental, out there weirdest, challenging, brutal perhaps, distancing, disturbing, dissonant, and/or indigestible or some such things? It needn't be "most", actually, and it needn't be all those things. Perhaps think of it as an album and/or song by an act in PA that you are into which you think could have a wide potential appeal, or if not appeal, has or could have a certain accessibility as you see it, and an album and/or song/ track from that same act that would or could have a much more limited potential appeal from your perspective when it comes to a very general music audience. I know I could be phrasing things much better and more simply. This can be taken from a music and lyrics perspective.

I've been very into Swans lately, and I would think of the debut album Filth as less accessible, mainstream, safe and socially acceptable (depending on the social group of course) than The Burning World even if Filth is the more celebrated album by those into Swans generally -- I have seen The Burning World described as a sell-out album. I'd sooner have played The Burning World to my grandma than Filth... if she weren't so into Cradle of Filth that is (j/k). As a song, methinks "Young God" or "Freak" would probably be harder for most people to endure than their cover of "Can't Find My Way Home".

With Comus, I would say that To Keep from Crying is a more mainstream-ish and commercial-sounding album than First Utterance, and again the safer one is not held in as high regard by people who rate Comus generally. As a song, I would feel more comfortable having "Perpetual Motion" playing during a Sunday afternoon after-church get-together than "Drip Drip", and "Figure in Your Dreams" may not get as much thematic complaint as "The Bite".

With Magma the "Ooh Ooh Baby" song from Merci might be called more mainstream sounding than Theusz Hamtaahk" and the gentle melodious sounds of "The Night We Died" might go down a little better at a bar mitzvah than "Stoah".

With Art Zoyd I would think that the song "Unsex Me Here" would be easier on more audiences than "La ville".

You might like to share a video for one of your acts when being on the more readily approachable as you see it side and one for when it is not.

My favourite band is Symphony X.

Their most accessible is their V: The New Mythology Suite album, I guess. Their stuff thereafter are a bit "harsh". I love them too, but V's sound seems to have an appeal for a wider audience, I presume.

Their least accessible... that should depend. I guess their debut is the best candidate for that. As the singer is different and the sound is not ripe. Yet, one can find Paradise Lost too loud, Iconoclast too "mechanical" etc. too.

Logan wrote: O With Art Zoyd I would think that the song "Unsex Me Here" would be easier on more audiences than "La ville".

Thanks for all the responses thus far.

Lewian wrote: Logan wrote: O With Art Zoyd I would think that the song "Unsex Me Here" would be easier on more audiences than "La ville".   Konzo Bele from Marathonnerre I is strikingly beautiful and fairly straight. Unfortunately I don't find it on yt. They also have done this album Pure Noise that is exactly what it says on the tin. Can: Accessible: I Want More Inaccessible: Aumgn They have a good number of stuff that could top both of these categories for many prog bands.

Good choices, and the Can is close to my heart. In that case I love both of those tracks on their own way, and both got under my skin quickly. The groove of I Want More is so fun (and I love the Galaxis disco version), and strangely perhaps, Augmn was the instant love track for me Tago Mago when I first heard the album. The rest of the album, including the glorious Halleluwah took longer to really click at the time for some reason. That’s a very good song example, as are others by people here.

For another, and because this track can be compared with the likes of Augmn, with Tangerine Dream I would call on Journey Through a Burning Brain from Electronic Meditation as a similarly inaccessible one (and may be likened to things like Floyd’s Saucerful of Secrets) and Le Parc as a more accessible TD song, and I love both of those in their own way.   And as TD album, I’ll mention Zeit as a less accessible one and Legend (with Jon Anderson as I recall) as the more accessible.

VdGG:
Most accessible: The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome
Least accessible: Pawn Hearts

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Dream Theater Accessible  - Images and Words Inaccessible - The Astonishing

I think Dream Theater's most accessible album overall can be SFaM, as well as I&W.

Their most inacessible... Well, The Astonishing seems to be so for the prog fans in general, as it was a disappointment for most. But, for a person who is not into prog and who likes Disney soundtracks, it can work like a charm. Anyway, considering the music listeners with a myriad of musical backgrounds, Systematic Chaos seems like a better candidate for that, I think. Even its title per se sounds inaccessible, lol.

Archisorcerus wrote: I think Dream Theater's most accessible album overall can be SFaM, as well as I&W. Their most inacessible... Well, The Astonishing seems to be so for the prog fans in general, as it was a disappointment for most. But, for a person who is not into prog and who likes Disney soundtracks, it can work like a charm. Anyway, considering the music listeners with a myriad of musical backgrounds, Systematic Chaos seems like a better candidate for that, I think. Even its title per se sounds inaccessible, lol.

Anyone who likes Disney soundtracks is inaccessible in my book. I think Systematic Chaos is a great album and should appeal to fans of metal and prog.

Dream Theater (agree with most)
SFaM accessible, also 6 degrees has some very accessible songs.
Self titled album to me is the most inaccessible, but now that I am a fan it is hard to tell.

Beardfish as well is very accessible in general,
Sleeping in traffic part 1 most accessible
Mammoth most inaccessible from what I have heard but I love it.

Big big train most accessible is probably folklore and English Electric pt. 1
most inaccessible is probably common ground so far for me.

Genesis
Accessible foxtrot
Inaccessible lamb lies down

Obviously opinions may vary.

John Zorn.

Which of these do you guys think is more inacessible? Relayer or Tales?