RESULTS: The Top Prog Tracks Of All Time - 2016

mechanicalflattery wrote: Anyway, no immediate objections to the latest update, mostly understandable if not agreeable choices. I'm quite surprised at how high Prelude: Song of the Gulls is. Fine song I suppose, but not even one of KC's best, much less deserving to be just outside the top 100. Ah well, it's all random votes compiled together anyway. I'm pretty sure Herbie Hancock's Sleeping Giant has to have made the top 100, so that's good.

Edited by Magnum Vaeltaja - September 02 2016 at 09:23

Lewian wrote: mechanicalflattery wrote: Lewian wrote: Can the Camel fans please explain to me how on earth Slow Yourself Down can be ranked higher than Ice, Chord Change or Song Within a Song?? Song Within a Song was pretty high on my list, and I forgot Chord Change, but Slow Yourself Down is great. The vocals at the beginning are a bit... quiet, but the song overall is intense, complex, and rocks harder than prog has any right to. I've listened to it a disturbing amount of times (still not as much as Song Within a Song, probably the one song I've heard the most). Actually I admit it takes off quite nicely in the second half, although I find the songwriting and singing in the first half rather lame... anyway at the end of the day it of course boils down to taste but still I'm curious what motivates such to me totally counterintuitive ranking decisions.

mechanicalflattery wrote: Uh oh, The Battle of Epping Forest is higher than Animale Senza Respiro. Everybody take cover...

All I can say is, I'm sorry... I love Battle of Epping Forest, I assumed others loved it too until I started reading reviews of SEBTP lol Clearly some people don't appreciate as much as me.

^Yay! "You Can't Kill me" made it! Thanks a ton for the quote, Kevin!

90. Soft Machine - Third - Moon In June

 

840.5 points       Appears 3 times             Mean rank: 39               Ranked highest by ALotOfBottle (#8)

 

"The Robert Wyatt penned "Moon in June" actually defines the Canterbury sound alone, being both charming and challenging on the ear...Definitely a standout." - Bj-1

 

89. Gentle Giant - The Power and The Glory - Playing The Game

 

843.9 points       Appears 4 times             Mean rank: 80               Ranked highest by Zravkapt (#35)

 

"From start to finish, [Playing The Game] does it for me. From the insistent synth bass line, to the catchy melodies, to the terrific Hammond organ riffs, to the breezy, blinkered bravado of the lyrics, this is outstanding stuff. Lead vocalist Derek Shulman, in the role of the album's politico protagonist, likens politics to chess, claiming the part of "king," and pompously declares that "the other pieces are there for my art and my tactics now.... I'll play the game, and never ever lose." A multi-faceted, joyous pure prog track, this is the essence of Gentle Giant -- if you don't "get" this one, you just don't like the band!" – Peter

 

88. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - Us And Them

 

850.4 points       Appears 3 times             Mean rank: 34               Ranked highest by TheLionOfPrague (#17)

 

"Us and Them changed my life when it opened my smoke-filled eyes to the possibilities in the world around me more than thirty years ago. Is this an anti-war song, or something more? Yes and no, of course; it’s what you make of it, as is the rest of the album." – ClemofNazareth

 

87. Camel - Mirage - Freefall  

 

853.3 points       Appears 3 times             Mean rank: 38               Ranked highest by ALotOfBottle (#6)

 

"Freefall. The fact that this killer single was never introduced to me by classic rock stations only serves to further lower their usefulness in my mind. It's a shame, because hearing just this song earlier in life would have turned me into a Camel fan years earlier. Better late than never, I suppose. Latimer turns in a nice groove on guitar, and Ward SMOKES on the drums." – Flucktrot

 

86. Focus - Moving Waves - Eruption

 

859.0 points       Appears 3 times             Mean rank: 36               Ranked highest by A_Flower (#8)

 

"It's almost an impossible task to analyze this song part by part, because there are so many changes that go from the baroque introduction by Thijs Van Leer's keyboards, jazzy passages and psychedelic sections to progressive and even semi hard rock parts. Maybe the most important and unusual characteristic of this long track is that even when the changes are really dramatic, they manage to maintain the soft atmosphere across the heaviest parts. Definitely an underrated epic, almost never mentioned in progressive polls, but which deserves much more recognition, 23.04 minutes of pure progressive rock in the unique style of Focus." - Ivan_Melgar_M

 

85. Rush - Caress of Steel - The Necromancer

 

861.4 points       Appears 4 times             Mean rank: 91               Ranked highest by Micky/slipperman7 (#22)

 

"Rush's vision of high fantasy is Tolkien-inspired to the point of feeling like a cheap knock-off (in a sense, they paved the way for generations of power metal bands) but it doesn't matter. Regardless whether the content isn't original, Rush make you believe in it. The gloomy psychedelic distortions in "The Necromancer" paint a grim picture of a wasteland where nothing grows." - Conor Fynes

 

84. Camel - Mirage - Earthrise

 

869.0 points       Appears 4 times             Mean rank: 78               Ranked highest by Magnum Vaeltaja (#34)

 

"Earthrise starts out at a mild pace before deciding that they need to do something drastic. So, like Michael Myers of Halloween finding a big knife of some kind, they come after you at full force with amazing guitar solos throughout the song, which only slow off to allow for luscious keyboards which come in here and again. It bookends with another calmer part at the end of the tune and then it's all over, leaving you wanting more." - Queen By-Tor

 

83.  Camel - Camel - Never Let Go

 

872.4 points       Appears 3 times             Mean rank: 30               Ranked highest by Lewian (#9)

 

"Never Let Go is a Camel classic, full of every element that make Camel such a pleasure to listen to; the rich 6th-laden harmonies, flowing melodies and slightly funky bass and drums. Bardens really works it with Latimer's flute in the middle section to provide some beautiful, timeless prog. While Bardens might not have had the most notable voice in prog, it fits well here, the lyrics patch in well, and Latimer really lets fly with some classic air-guitar worthy soloing in the burn-out." - Certif1ed

 

82. Yes - Drama - Machine Messiah

 

874.3 points       Appears 3 times             Mean rank: 30               Ranked highest by aglasshouse (#17)

 

"The fun begins with 'Machine Messiah', a BUGGLES composition given the STEVE HOWE treatment. An appropriate mechanical rumble fades in, heralding a splendid riff. Yes, we get to hear this riff a lot in this epic track, but they do use it well. HOWE surrounds the riff with squeals, slides and snarls, hovering on the edge of discord, the sound echoing the lyrics in true epic style. WHITE thumps the tubs with more vigour than at any point in his YES career, and then it's vocals time...Nothing ANDERSON could have supplied would have had the compelling intensity of this material. A great finish rounds off this essential track." - russellk

 

81. Neu! – Neu! - Negativland

 

876.8 points       Appears 3 times             Mean rank: 30               Ranked highest by Guldbamsen (#15)

 

"Negativland is probably the most intense track [on "Neu!"]. The track, which to me reminds of 80's King Crimson in many ways (though of course this was recorded ten years before that). The drilling sounds lead into an absolutely mind blowing guitar by Rother, and the bass line just thumps and gives the whole track this "umph" that makes the it so intense." - frippism

Never Let Go and Freefall are both overblown, I've never understood why they get so much attention. Good on Negativland being so high, surprised someone else rated it higher. Comparing Neu! to King Crimson is somewhat odd, their influence and style go so much farther beyond that. The narration on Necromancer is ridiculous, nice music though. Haven't heard Drama, the rest are acceptable for the list. 

I listened to Machine Messiah (pretty good) and The Necromancer (it's growing on me). Now I'm just struggling to comprehend Never Let Go being higher than Moon in June. Absolutely incomprehensible...

oh you'll learn.... there is no rhyme or reason to things like this.  It isn't quality but popularity. Prog fan is as guilty of riding the bandwagons and liking genric plastic music as much as the much derided pop fan.

This is the only place in the universe where f**king Camel would win a poll over ELP. Not once but TWICE!  Well.. unless there is a niche forum for deaf music fans somewhere out there hahah.

You just shake your head and enjoy the show...

micky wrote: oh you'll learn.... there is no rhyme or reason to things like this.  It isn't quality but popularity. Prog fan is as guilty of riding the bandwagons and liking genric plastic music as much as the much derided pop fan. This is the only place in the universe where f**king Camel would win a poll over ELP. Not once but TWICE!  Well.. unless there is a niche forum for deaf music fans somewhere out there hahah. You just shake your head and enjoy the show...

loving the list so far. Can't wait to see the rest of it