Is There Anybody Out There

Welcome! Is this title indicative of possible Floyd fan-dom as well?

Anyways, this is a great place to find new music, most of my purchases musicwise in the past year or so have been heavily if not totally influenced by this site

progismylife wrote: Yeah it is indicative of possible Floyd fan-dom. I picked up Wish You Were Here on a friend's recommendation and then I got The Wall. I plan on getting Dark Side Of THe Moon next.

  DSOTM is good though I prefer WWYH. Also, be sure to pick up Animals, a great album

I plan on getting those albums. My friends that introduced me to Pink Floyd recommended those albums as well.

progismylife wrote: Oh and I'd thought I would mention that I am a huge Rush fan. I currently have 17 Rush albums. I plan on moving to other bands. One question though, my friend mention these albums: In A Glass House (Gentle Giant), Pawn Hearts/Godbluff (VDGG), Fragile (Yes), and ***Red*** (King Crimson)   Are they good introductions to the bands?

Red by King Crimson definitely yes. An alltime classic, and the best album they made in my opinion. Also it doesn't go too nuts anywhere!
Going For The One is my favourite Yes album, with Relayer and Close To The Edge just after. Fragile has some great tracks too. I'd say maybe your freind is right if you are new to Yes and maybe it's best to start with something slightly less challenging. Avoid Tales of Topographic Oceans until you're really sure you like them!
Van Der Graaf - I'd recommend  Vital - Van Der Graaf Live as it's a live album, lots of material from lots of albums on it so a good all round introduction. It's probably quite cheap too for what was originally a double album on vinyl. It was my introduction to the band and I think it helped to hear the live versions with somewhat more energy than the original studio recordings which are at times really quite depressing ( in a good way of course!)
Gentle Giant - Every album is a must have! In A Glass House is as good as any place to start, or Freehand, Octopus and Three Friends. Acquiring The Taste is also a possible first listen, particulrly when you consider when it was released. One of the most under-rated bands of all time, so rewarding every time you listen and challenging enough to always offer more with every listen. Very highly recommended!

If you get these and end up liking them then here are a few more I'd recommend as must buy albums

Classic Prog:- Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
                  Premiata Forneria Marconi - Chocolate Kings
                  Emerson Lake & Palmer - Tarkus
                  Il Baletto Di Bronzo - Ys
                  Happy The Man - Crafty Hands

More recent:- Spock's Beard - The Kindness Of Strangers
                    Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
                    IZZ - I Move
                   Discipline - Unfolded Like Staircase
                  Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity

with these and those you already have you would have a good grounding in the fundamentals of prog. Then you can move on to Canterbury and Fusion/Jazz Rock! Happy Shopping!


                 



Edited by baldy flapstick - October 20 2006 at 12:41

After Pink Floyd, the next steps are Porcupine Tree and Mostly Autumn, just to remain on the same athmospheres. 

For Porcupine Tree, definitely get In Absentia and Deadwing, then continue backwards with their discography if you like those.

Its really bad when the only Dream Theater album recommended here was FII. For Dream Theater you really need to get Images and Words, Awake, and Scenes From A Memory.

norbert88

Great picks you've there; your friend seems to know what he is talking about. Some comments from my very personal point of view.

The Fragile is great as a Yes starter, I'd say. Close to the Edge and Relayer are a bit different in way that these two masterpieces are symphonic also in a way that side A is the "symphony" and the side B is made of single songs. I'd say that Close to the Edge is one of greatest "symphonies" (with ELP's Tarkus) ever composed and Sound Chaser one of the greatest Yes's "single" songs (and I can guarantee than a Rush fan goes for Sound Chaser).

Also I would pick Pawn Hearts as the first Van Der Graaf album but when it's about King Crimson everything becomes much more difficult. We cannot forget that Robert Fripp (= King Crimson) is a genius who is capable to rinnovate the sound from album to album. Red is marvelous piece of prog but I couldn't live without 'In the Court of the Crimson King" or "Larks Tongues in Aspic"... and then there are also Lizard and Island...

Well, welcome to the world of prog... the beauty of it is that it is endless...

Ursinus

PS Of PFM I recommend the Italian works..




Edited by Ursinus - November 03 2006 at 10:52

mystic fred wrote: some of us are nearer than you think!!

    
What do you mean by that?
    

Edited by progismylife - November 03 2006 at 11:55

I do but London's a BIG place.

Now I wish I had some money.