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Which Prog Band Made The Best Pop?
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Atavachron View Drop Down
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    Posted: November 01 2011 at 04:19
Originally posted by Atoms

Jethro Tull
Good call, especially for a band that's been most successful with music that wasn't necessarily meant to be either catchy or progressive, anything from TaaB and A Passion Play to WarChild and Crest of a Knave.   Yes hit big with CttE which was as much timing as great music; but you have to be damn clever to be a "prog rock band", sell a ton of records but not your soul, and come out the other end with your identity intact.   Seems to me Tull has achieved this.
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Posts: 544 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Atoms Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 01 2011 at 06:27
Originally posted by Atavachron

Originally posted by Atoms

Jethro Tull
Good call, especially for a band that's been most successful with music that wasn't necessarily meant to be either catchy or progressive, anything from TaaB and A Passion Play to WarChild and Crest of a Knave.   Yes hit big with CttE which was as much timing as great music; but you have to be damn clever to be a "prog rock band", sell a ton of records but not your soul, and come out the other end with your identity intact.   Seems to me Tull has achieved this.

Exactly, most of the time when people refer to prog and pop they are directly starting to think in the lines of Yes and Genesis selling-out in the 80s. While they are more or less not thinking of bands like: Jethro Tull. They never sold-out yet they maintained their popularity. Which is why, I feel that the best prog pop was in fact made by Jethro Tull. I also like how Ian disregards their popularity, if he wants to make a concept album he does so, if he wants to play folk music he does so. Which is kinda similiar to what Fripp is always doing, the only major difference is that Ian is not trying to glorify his changes, like Fripp does.
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Posts: 26007 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Slartibartfast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 01 2011 at 06:55
What about Giant For A Day?  Poor for a Gentle Giant album, but how about as just a pop album?
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Posts: 26 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Flimbau Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 01 2011 at 17:50
 I really enjoy some of the later more pop oriented Camel albums especially Nude and Breathless.
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Porcupine Tree. Their straight ahead pop songs are better than anything I've heard on the radio.
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Dredg!
Catch Without Arms and Pariah Parrot, Delusion are some of the most beautiful indie-prog-pop albums ever.
Chuckles & Mr Squeezy is a pure 100% pop album and wonderful at that.
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This is a very interesting question! Let's do some appreciation instead of bashing LOL Many prog artists and bands tried their hands at making Pop music, and some not very unsuccessfully. But three best examples come in mind; I think they've created masterpieces.

Electric Light Orchestra - As much as I love their early stuff, actually "Time", from 1981, is my favourite. This is simply the flawless album with impeccable and forward-thinking arrangements.

The Alan Parsons Project - Many will say that they were pop-inclined from the beginning, but anyways, writing songs like "Old & Wise" takes genius.

Mike Oldfield - Although he has had some less successful commercial experiments too (think "Earth Moving"), he has still made some timeless pop songs, like "Moonlight Shadow", "To France" etc.

To make a generalisation, I think bands who featured more strong melodic elements in their Prog music, eventually made better Pop music than their more sophisticated and dissonant colleagues. It's easily explained because, when you move towards simpler mode of music, it affects arrangements and dissonance more than melody. So, ELO's pop music features band's strong side more than Yes' or Gentle Giant's.
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Posts: 69 		Post Options Post Options   Quote sideburndude... Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 02 2011 at 20:59
Good question many progressive rock artists fail at making pop music but some don't.  The two best would probably be.

Alan Parson's Project, they always had a very distinct pop side from the start.  But also had pretty heavy prog epics like Fall of the House of The Usher.

Or.

Supertramp.
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Posts: 947 		Post Options Post Options   Quote dreadpirateroberts Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 02 2011 at 21:26
Originally posted by Thandrus

Electric Light Orchestra - As much as I love their early stuff, actually "Time", from 1981, is my favourite. This is simply the flawless album with impeccable and forward-thinking arrangements.

 
 
Yeah, I'm with you on ELO, shoulda thought of them. And Jethro Tull has already been mentioned, so I'll second them
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Pink Floyd. I don't even like ABITW-2 all that much, but it is anthemic in a way not a lot of Rush is.  It is quintessential pop, a song written around a simple but fascinating idea. Also, Steely Dan, but they aren't full blown prog to begin with. Tori Amos made an excellent pop album called Little Earthquakes. Tongue

Edited by rogerthat - November 02 2011 at 22:14
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Posts: 13 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Batty Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 02 2011 at 22:45
Kayleigh was monster pop. Supertramp's Logical Song - pure pop. ELO went almost totally pop with Disco Very, even the name screams pop. Does Delilah by SAHB count as pop, yes I think so.
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Posts: 4612 		Post Options Post Options   Quote bytor2112 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 02:28
I 100% agree!
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Posts: 167 		Post Options Post Options   Quote omphaloskepsis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 02:51
Yes did on 90125 and The Big Generator.  "Your Move"  "Long Distance Run Around" 
   and Steely Dan had some groove pop tunes.   I count the Beach Boys "Smile" Album as  progressive rock whenever I listen to "Heroes and Villians,"  and "Good Vibrations."
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Posts: 3677 		Post Options Post Options   Quote frippism Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 08:59
Originally posted by Triceratopsoil

Art Bears

Clever, but not pop. Or is it? I don't know anymore.... 
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Posts: 3677 		Post Options Post Options   Quote frippism Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 09:00
Originally posted by Slartibartfast

What about Giant For A Day?  Poor for a Gentle Giant album, but how about as just a pop album?

it's much worse as a pop album.
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Posts: 195 		Post Options Post Options   Quote TheLionOfPrague Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 09:15
Genesis I think....

ELO, Jethro Tull, ELP, Gentle Giant and Yes have some good songs in their pop era but a lot of boring stuff too.

Queen in the 80's made some good albums comparing to other prog bands during that period but of course they were much better in the 70's.
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Posts: 31154 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Bj-1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 09:25
Originally posted by Atoms

Something that just crossed my mind, am I the only one who can enjoy Merci (Magma) on these boards?
 
Nope, I think it's a very good and enjoyable album. I don't care what everyone else says, it ranks right up there with Hackett's pop releases (Cured and Highly Strung), close to four stars actually. Smile
 
Best "pop-prog" band have to be Supertramp, with Alan Parsons Project just behind. Mr. Bungle's 'California' is also a good call.
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Posts: 296 		Post Options Post Options   Quote spknoevl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 09:47
I guess you could argue that the post-Gabriel version of Genesis was a very successful pop band with the number of singles they charted.
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Posts: 4993 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Negoba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 10:04
Peter Gabriel solo, naturally.
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Posts: 36 		Post Options Post Options   Quote treebeard Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2011 at 10:22
If you can call ELO prog, then they did the best pop songs
Xanadu is a great pop song, about a place of fantasy
Mtr Blue sky was part of 4 songs about the weather
Prog and pop combined!


Edited by treebeard - December 19 2011 at 10:35
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