What is your number 1 prog band?

Just another rambling, tangential and rather pointless post by me. I wish I were much better at communicating my thoughts, feelings, perspectives and that those would connect with more people. I came to this forum looking for connection as I tend to feel isolated and alienated. I don't much like to get together with people in person as it is so draining for me. I have OCD, probably on the spectrum, and actually appreciate that I can obsess over certain things and hate it that I obsess over things.

If this were a classical music (to use the broad term) forum, then one might be saying that about those others. All of those composers have moved me very deeply (well, never been as into Tchaikovsky nearly as much as those others). I don't agree with the difference or like generalised we statements, better to speak for oneself from one's own perspective as I often say). And I have had favourites from those. While classical music was my first love, and my main love in the 90s again, I moved away for it in part because I am a very emotional person and it affected me too deeply.

I'm going off on tangent and flights to wherever...

Not sure that many here would be all about a song, although a song (or a track) can be very, very meaningful to me. I'll be listening to an album and a song or track or a theme or a moment (doesn't need to be a "song") sings to my proverbial soul. For everyone it is a quite unique experience, and I think we should be careful about not denigrating, invalidating another's experience, or to think that we fully grok what's going on in another's psyche or think we know how they feel and what they think. Asking questions to try to understand what others think and feel can help (but questions really can be burden to others). It's important to try to show a genuine, non-judgmental interest in others, I feel. To actively listen instead of projecting what one already thinks generally onto others.

Hopefully over time we get to know, empathise with, and understand others better here. Side note: to me the individual is important, not just the idea, and we are all unique even though we all share attributes that make us human.

I cannot put into words how much music can affect me (the form is not so important) and I know that no others will be affected in exactly the same way. I am an emotional person and I am passionate about music. Often it is transcendent experience, and what saddens me sometimes is feeling that I am alone in this. Others have their own interests and passions. I can never really share my experience and I find trying to share that often makes me feel more isolated. Lots of people just don't seem interested to explore and chat about feelings (their own and others).

I believe in taking meaning from the moment, appreciating the moment, and living in the moment as as well as preparing for the future and appreciating the past. I can be watching a sunset and be moved and transfixed with it, that I am most appreciating that sunset as I watch it does not lessen the others sunsets I have seen. It's like that with music for me. It is sad to me how difficult it is for others to grok not just how one feels but what one is trying to express -- very alienating. I come to the forum in large part to hopefully connect with, laugh a bit with, and maybe grow with others. It's nice to share one's passions when others can appreciate the passion and express that appreciation even if they have their own passions.

Edited by Logan - May 04 2025 at 11:31

When I had fewer albums in my teen years, this was a much easier task to determine my favorite prog band. Even so, it wavered between two or more bands. As the collection grows over time and the listening experiences expand, this becomes a much harder task. I would say picking a number 1 band is more of a "in the moment" kind of thing than anything else. Sometimes the number 1 is fleeting, sometimes it stays for a prolonged visit. Sure, I could be methodical about it, but that takes time and often leads to boredom pondering over statistical analyses of ratings I've done over the years. Even the ratings change over time.

I'm sure I've had about 50 or more different number 1 bands over the course of my life. Some of them make repeated visits. I think at this very moment, my favorite is Present. And I think this one is going to last for a good while before I change my mind again.

Normally I would say Yes but lately I've been thinking that Rush may have taken over the number one spot for me.

My brain has become hard-wired in storing and cataloguing music, and I have my lists at, say, awesome prog that I spent time making and were based on earlier lists that I can draw on at any time. The more you list, the easier it gets. I have a good memory for such things, and a bad memory for more important things, such as I forgot my wife's birthday last year (it's tomorrow, but she'll be in California for her work. There's always next year, hopefully). Those lists focus much more on albums that I have been playing over the last few years. I don't just knee jerk react to say, polls, I try to consider all of the ones I know and like from the poll and compare, and then decide. And I often try to check out music I don't know from them (a reason I can like track-based polls, easier to check out the music). And I almost always vote after thinking through my posts even if I tend not to think them through as well as I would like.

That decision on what to vote for often depends on the day, my current mood, or which album I listened to last. I'm more likely to choose an album that both excited me and is fresher to my ears than one I have known for many years but haven't played recently. I don't have a favourite today yet, but later on I might. My fave du jour. I want some new musical passion now. I can say that in recent years bands like Boards of Canada, Swans, Portishead, Fishmans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Stereolab, Beach House, Natural Snow Buildings, Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Broadcast, Pram and artists like Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens, Weyes Blood, Lingua Ignota, Nick Cave (and the bad Seeds) have been very important. And my usual suspects for 20 or so years such as Air, VdGG, Art Zoyd, Magma, Can etc. are still getting played regularly.

Tomorrow it might be something different. Like I was trying to say to Pedro, and then took the idea for my signature, my favourite can be that which I am listening to right now or is freshest in my mind because that's what most excites me in the moment. That does not lessen all of the others I have appreciated and I can continue to think of and play the music in my head fondly since I often feel that I know them so well that I don't feel the need to hear them externally. Some music affects me more emotiuonally at different times, and those tend to be my top picks at a given time. Even just thinking of them, and specific music comes to mind (plays in my head) off the mentions, some will resonate with my mood and most current interests more. Like many here, I have listened to and enjoyed thousands of albums over the years, but I commonly still have particular favourites at different times (it might be the newest discovery that I am passionate about).

Edited by Logan - 44 minutes ago at 11:08