Seven long tracks from 1970

Pioneers Over C easily here.

Man you got me stumped! It's between the first two and the last two and they are all so different that it almost depends what I'm feeling like at the time. Well from my first look at this poll(and I'm still feeling it) I have to go with Gentle Giant. 

^ Very nice. :)

Lewian wrote: Whassup with all these long track polls at the same time? Not the wisest strategy to put them all up more or less on the same day if you want to get people into listening to what they don't know...  Anyway I have to check but I think I know them all (can't memorise most Magma song titles). Vote for Mother Sky.

Well, you know what I say about wisdom (see sig, so what would you expect?) Anyway, explained how I got here, was just going to be the Crimson album vs Third, but then I thought this would be more interesting potentially, and I like that there are other long tracks polls going on by Saper (I have a huge affinity and respect for Saper's tastes -- has helped me to discover lots of great music).

Oh, I meant to note, I'm fine with people voting even if they only know one, but since these are well-known bands in prog circles, I figured enough people would know enough of these already not to feel the need to invest time or much time into listening. When I do more than two, I usually don't expect people to know all. If people want to listen to ones they don't know, that's great, but I don't expect it. This is one of my can't sleep polls -- not some strategic campaign to illuminate the masses. I find such list-making fun in an of itself and I like that it gets gets me returning to music and re-appraising it, and of course I like reading the positive comments (a kind of affirmation) and discussing the more negative or critical ones (hopefully still affable) as that can shift or broaden my perspectives.

Edited by Logan - September 14 2021 at 16:02

Anyway I have to check but I think I know them all (can't memorise most Magma song titles). Vote for Mother Sky.

I like all of these. Even Can's dated trippy jam could count on a warm welcome since my neighbour was busy irritating me, working with a hammer and a drill while I was doing my daily job on the same floor.

Edited by someone_else - September 15 2021 at 00:04

CAN rulez, everyone else drulez.....its a proven fact  

Atom Heart Mother, but it only a hair better than Moon in June

VDGG of course.  

VDGG for me just ahead of Floyd.

When I first thought of doing this poll, I was going to do it as King Crimson's album In the Wake of Poseidon against Soft Machine's Third. I was curious how a lower rated and rather divisive in its way album by a recognised giant in Prog with over twice the number of ratings would fare against an album that gets much respect and a fair amount of disrespect as it is also divisive enough amongst Proggers generally for me to want to use the term divisive, ;) , and while being a giant of Canterbury Scene (not as known as Caravan), Soft Machine hardly gets as much recognition as King Crimson generally. I like In the Wake of Poseidon very much, and much more than many. I'm more likely to re-play that than the debut and it is very interesting to me with how it fits in KC's oeuvre, but I really, really love Third. As is common, with me, I then planned to include two tracks as examples, the longest ones. That KC track would be a particularly inaccessible track to many, whereas "Moon in June", while having experimental qualities, would I think be generally more accessible (I like The Devil's Triangle" more in the context of the album than on its own). As one review put it regarding Third, "Setting aside 'Moon in June' for the moment, there is nothing remotely musical here ... 'Moon in June' does have suggestions of a tune...." To me it is very tuneful, and I find the whole album musical, but different brains interpret sounds and use language differently.

Then I changed my mind and decided to include those long tracks and various other long ones as well. I do like track against track polls, and tend to prefer albums vs album than band vs. band because I tend to like to move towards the more specific when comparing....

For me the poll choices would come down to "Mother Sky" (for a long time my most favoured Can track and still one of the very top -- love at first listen), "Moon in June" (not my favourite off Third on early listens, but it came to be and may be my favourite Soft Machine track), Magma 's "Naü Ektila" (my fave Magma album and I love this track), and Atom Heart Mother may well be my favourite Pink Floyd. That GG has a very special place in my heart. I like the VdGG one very much too but I have to be in the right mood, and I generally do prefer the albums that bookend H to He, although H to He is still a five star album to me.

Right now I'm leaning towards "Moon in June", "Mother Sky" and "Naü Ektila". Those first two probably do stand out more for me both on their albums and in their oeuvre. "Mother Sky" and "Halleluwah" were two tracks that wowed me when I first started getting into Can.

Of course the Atom Heart Mother suite is a major standout on its album for me....

Okay I voted "Mother Sky", partially because I love the groove and also because it had no votes.

Edited by Logan - September 14 2021 at 06:03