RESULTS!!! The Ultimate PA Album List - 2009 Ed.

Damo,

Well then, I'm sorry to say there's much prog, by those standards, that you'll never like.  Your call of course, friend. 

I'm glad that you spoke your mind.  I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but many of the things you pointed to as flaws are just what some others of us are into, and things you called unmoving can be the things that move others of us.  Even the lyrics have something to recommend them: the lyrics are highly resistant to interpretation, and what can be pulled from them only makes a circumlocution of a wide, impersonal meaning, in the tradition of a lot of poetry.  It's imagery of a type, not a message at all.  That being said, yes, I won't sit here and tell you that it's great poetry (just that it aspired).  And of course I agree that Gabriel by far exceeded Yes as a lyricist.  And anyway, CttE is chiefly about the music.

So, taste wins again (much as I struggle through a fruitless life, increasingly aware of absurdity, to define aesthetics).

I honestly can't see how you could think of More Fool Me as flawed. It's a fine pop song, one of my favorites by Collins. Just because it's humble doesn't mean it's bad.

As for CTTE, here are a few random reasons:

-This mostly applies to the title track: The lyrics are ridiculous. Not that I understand most of them due to Jon Anderson's annoying voice/accent, but if I look them up and read them I find that they are: "A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace, and rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace". I'm sorry, but look up superfluous in the dictionary and you might find that entry under it. At least Genesis had a real message in their lyrics.

-Overlong. Ok, so And You And I is a nice song, and it's great how it builds up with the synth/guitar parts to a climax... only to have the same theme reprised and ANOTHER synth build up. Rather than repeating old ones, why not come up with new musical ideas? Siberian Khatru also rocks for about four minutes, but just gets repetitive.

-Self indulgent. Ok, so each member of Yes is very talented, that's something everyone can agree on. But complex musical ideas are pretty useless if you're just talented. You need to put soul and emotion into your playing, and I don't get that feeling at all while listening to Yes. When Rick Wakeman does his Hammond solo, I do think "Wow, what a great player," but it certainly doesn't move me, which is why I prefer Keith Emerson or Rick Wright. This also adds to the overlong songs factor.  
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Edited by DamoSuzuki - December 07 2009 at 00:28

Ok, someone will probably get angry at me for this, but I really think Close to the Edge doesn't deserve to be at number 1. 5 or 6 maybe, but 1? It is a great album, but it has so many flaws... I still maintain that the best prog album ever is Selling England by the Pound or Wish You Were Here. 
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Why can't I get rid of this?
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Edited by DamoSuzuki - December 06 2009 at 16:35

Obviously it's a great idea. Which ones do you want to take?

Alright let's split it up.

^I was actually thinking about this:

WOW! CTTE number one??? Shocking!... but true

f**k, I came too late this year, I was about to post my top 100 right now...

American Khatru wrote: moreitsythanyou wrote: 81. Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans (8 votes - 1596 points) Last Year - 118    Highest rating: #15 by npjnpj PA Top Chart - N/A Tales From Topographic Oceans is definitely not your typical Symphonic Prog album, however, such brilliance forged into this album, must not be ignored by any means. If you like to go through deep listens again and again to a album, to really get what the band has created, this one is definitely for you. (The Quiet One #22) First let me say great job and thanks for the effort.  But now... Either I don't understand the "Highest rating" number or my list was not included, because I listed TfTO as my #1 all time prog album.  Do I misunderstand?  Thanks. Of course I didn't expect Tales to take #1 in the end, but it's #1 with me and probably always will be.  Glad to see Close to the Edge win in its stead though!

I don't believe you had a submission to this poll. Perhaps you are thinking of Negoba's Prog Only one which is currently giving out results.

moreitsythanyou wrote: 81. Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans (8 votes - 1596 points) Last Year - 118    Highest rating: #15 by npjnpj PA Top Chart - N/A Tales From Topographic Oceans is definitely not your typical Symphonic Prog album, however, such brilliance forged into this album, must not be ignored by any means. If you like to go through deep listens again and again to a album, to really get what the band has created, this one is definitely for you. (The Quiet One #22)

First let me say great job and thanks for the effort.  But now...

Either I don't understand the "Highest rating" number or my list was not included, because I listed TfTO as my #1 all time prog album.  Do I misunderstand?  Thanks.

Of course I didn't expect Tales to take #1 in the end, but it's #1 with me and probably always will be.  Glad to see Close to the Edge win in its stead though!

88melter wrote: mostly not prog recordings. This site includes WAY too much stuff, that is not prog, that is not rock, Steve Reich  for instance, and too much electric jazz, which is not prog, its'...you guessed it, Electric Jazz!    Maybe the next list will stick to progressive rock, and not every interesting thing that interests every interested person, and thus must be part of this interesting site. 88melter