The Masterpieces from the ’Big 5’

What do you think are the masterpieces (ie. flawless 5 star gems)  from the big five?? I reckon -

Yes - The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Relayer and Going for the One.

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and Animals (Meddle and The Wall i'd give 4 and a half as they both have weak points)

Genesis - Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and A Trick of the Tail (Nursery Cryme, IMO, Does not deserve 5 stars)

ELP - Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery

King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic (This one is the only one that I'd consider flawless, and it's just amazing!! Lizard follows closely behind - 4 and a half. I know Red and In the Court.. will come up a lot, but I feel they have big gaps in quality at some stage)

I thought this would be an interesting topic of discussion, to see what albums by the big 5 people consider to be the masterpieces of the groups.

Yes- None that I've heard yet (and theres a lot I havnt heard)

Genesis- Foxtrot, Sellinmg England By The Pound (still makeing my mind up on Trespass)

Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here, Animals

King Crimson- (still makeing my mind up on the 2 albums I have of theres)

ELP- Brain Salad Surgery 

Yes:

• CTTE
• Yes Album
• GFTO
• Fragile
• Relayer

Genesis:

• Foxtrot
• Selling England...
• ATOTT
• W&W

PF:

• DSOTM
• Meddle
• Animals

King Crimson:

• Larks'

ELP:

• BSS

Yes:

• Close To The Edge (1972)

Genesis:

• Foxtrot (1972)
• Selling England By The Pound (1973)

Pink Floyd:

• Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
• Wish You Were Here (1975)

King Crimson:

• In The Court of The Crimson King (1969)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer:

• Brain Salad Surgery (1973)

All 5 stars, except for 'Brain Salad Surgery' - which is a 4.5 star album, IMO!

Genesis:

1. Selling England by the Pound
2. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Yes:

1. Close to the Edge

Pink Floyd:

1. Dark Side of the Moon
2. Wish You Were Here

King Crimson:

1. Red
2. Discipline
3. ThraK

ELP:

1. Brain Salad Surgery
2. Side One of Tarkus

Winter Wine wrote: What do you think are the masterpieces (ie. flawless 5 star gems)  from the big five?? I reckon - Yes - The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Relayer and Going for the One. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and Animals (Meddle and The Wall i'd give 4 and a half as they both have weak points) Genesis - Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and A Trick of the Tail (Nursery Cryme, IMO, Does not deserve 5 stars) ELP - Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic (This one is the only one that I'd consider flawless, and it's just amazing!! Lizard follows closely behind - 4 and a half. I know Red and In the Court.. will come up a lot, but I feel they have big gaps in quality at some stage) I thought this would be an interesting topic of discussion, to see what albums by the big 5 people consider to be the masterpieces of the groups.

Yes - Fragile, Close to the Edge, Yessongs

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here (maybe Animals)

Genesis - Foxtrot (maybe Lamb Lies Down)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus, Brain Salad Surgery

King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King, probably Larks' Tongues in Aspic

There you go.

King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic (This one is the only one that I'd consider flawless, and it's just amazing!! Lizard follows closely behind - 4 and a half. I know Red and In the Court.. will come up a lot, but I feel they have big gaps in quality at some stage)

I loved King Crimson and have all the early albums of the boys and Fripp, and the solo stuff. I loved that Bruford and Holdsworth stuff. Fripp and Gabriel made a good pair. I hate to say this but I think you're right, so few are really flawless, if any. I like two you mentioned The Court and Lark's Tongues best; but as with most of the music I like, I play devil's advocate to actually how good it really is objectively.

Pink Floyd: like the Moody Blues, I often put on the ambient stuff late at night before I go to bed.  Dark Side is the defining epic of the 1970s.  Someone should make a movie about it like they did with that Kiss movie for the Destroyer tour or Dazed and Confused, which I guess was not about Zep. I never got to see them live because I was too young to go into Manhattan to see them in '77.  I could not get tickets when they came to the Naaau Coliseum to do The Wall.  Years later my uncle, who was one of the the arresting officers in the Son of Sam case, said to me, " Oh, you like, Pink Floyd, I was the head of security when they came to the Nassau Coliseum."  Gee, thanks.

ELP Trilogy, Brain Salad, of course. I would add Tarkus simply because it is a piece that grew and changed throughout the trios tenure and one of the prog essentials. The live version is better. Bitch's Cystal also a great piece, the jazz waltz.

Genesis.  I love Foxtrot, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, oh, and also Trick of the Tale, don't whoot me, there must be some Misunderstanding. but for the life of me cannot see the why Selling England is number two or Nursery Crime is a top ten prog essential.   

Yes, as I just said elsewhere. Not to be underrated because of the popularity they acheived. They were great.  I've seen them six times, never with the same line up. Those three classic albums defined the genre.

Jethro Tull, bigger than many but always forgotten.  You'll see whose remembered in one hundred years.