Most Epic, Bombastic, Triumphant Prog Bands/Albums

e.g.

Triumvirat - Spartacus

Rick Wakeman - The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

ankhora wrote: e.g. Triumvirat - Spartacus Rick Wakeman - The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

When I think of epic, I don’t think of Bill & Ted going “epic, dude!” I think of an epic. In ancient literature, there is the Epic of Gilgamesh.   LOTR nerds would cite The Silmarillion. The Four Ancient Books of Wales …
etc. etc.

In that sense, I don’t know of too many real epics in Prog Rock music. I’m sure there are many that exist of which I am unaware.

But, two bonafide epics I know about … which come crashing through with triumph … are Cygnus X-1 … Book 2 from Hemispheres by Rush, and the first half of Feel the Fire by Barnabas, including Prelude, The Dream, and Breathless Wonderment. I must have listened to both at least a thousand times. The first was released in 1978 and the second in 1984, a timeframe which spans the pinnacle of refreshing fearlessly creative music. I say that because these folks were unafraid of taking real risks.

Unfortunately, CDs tend to chop up these masterpieces, while tapes and lps allow one to experience the entire epic in one sitting without abrupt stops that ruin the listening.

Definitely Spartacus.
Then there is ELP’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’p.
A little different: Phillip Glass’s ‘Koyaanisqatsi’.
Perhaps Vangelis’ ‘Heaven and Hell’?

ankhora wrote: Rick Wakeman - The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Edited by Sean Trane - May 18 2022 at 08:50

People seem so divided with Rick Wakeman solo.... unless it was when he was doing stuff with Yes.

Reminds me of the love/hate for Yngwie Malmsteem...

Ayreon - THE, ITEC and TTOE😎😎😎

ankhora wrote: People seem so divided with Rick Wakeman solo.... unless it was when he was doing stuff with Yes.

Duddick wrote: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I can never understand why “bombastic” is used as a positive adjective by many prog fans. My view of the word has always been that it’s a negative and this is confirmed by the the Oxford English Dictionary which describes it as “high-sounding language with little meaning, used to impress people.” Hardly a recommendation to me……..

To the mainstream, I think the word bombastic is correctly used to describe much about prog. And, it does have a negative connotation. But, prog rock folks are a funny lot. They like what the mainstream considers bombastic. To them, what the mainstream considers bombastic is interesting. The prog people are often nerds, and by nerds I mean that in a positive way. But, sometimes the mainstream misconstrues them as being dorks. What mainstream person is going to care about the story behind Cygnus X-1 by Rush (with the signature Rush chord ... F# major pattern with the high strings left open). No, they are going to think it is bombastic drivel written for dorks. But, it is actually quite interesting, entertaining, and based on mythology. It is really written more for esoteric nerds (again, positive connotation). So, I think the "bombastic" part is a matter of perspective.

Bombastic prog is synonymous, for me, with Emerson, Lake and Palmer.