This is going to take forever...

Any approach, systematic or otherwise, taken to absolute completion will never end, given that this is a living genre and new artists and albums are coming out all the time.  I myself take a semi-systematic approach at times, but usually it is pretty random.  The important thing is to have a clear idea of what you like while also being open to new artists, styles, and sub-genres.

Finnforest wrote: Just enjoy what does cross your plate by fate and try not to think about what you're missing.  Good luck.

Still going to start by going alphbetically for now; I have no problem with it and it will be an adventure for sure. It's not that I think it is daunting or anything like that, it's more awe-inspiring and mind boggling considering the vast amount out there based on the list alone hehe.

I've had plenty cross my path randomly already. Going alphabetically will be no less random and surprising for me because I each name will be just that to me: a name to be explored. It may be systematic Won't take quite as long as forever; I skip plenty of them because there are no previews ior the only stuff available is very expensive imports. Stuff to come back to someday when I have more disposable income. I'm also skipping stuff I am already familiar with. I would say I am looking more for the stuff I have not heard of yet. A good example of this is the first thing I came across I liked when going through the A's, A Headfull of Monsters. No videos on youtube, never heard them popup on any prog rock stations, not much material out and it nevre showed up in any of Amazon's "related: sections in the MP3 store although it should have. I'm not sure how else I would have come across this group other than the way I did. Their debut is pretty good though, right up my listening alley.

I would recommend going through each PA subgenre and checking out the top 5 or 10 albums first.  That way, you will get a good overview of prog without it taking years and years just to get to Genesis!  After that, you can further explore the bands and subgenres that fit your taste and dig deeper into each of them.  Just a suggestion.

I am not doing my search in such an orderly fashion, and still I feel it's taking forever. Still, being prog, I wouldn't be so sure about knowing what I would like at first listen. However, sometimes it's necessary, otherwise it would take even longer.

HolyMoly wrote: I've been at it for over 30 years, buying, listening, reading, getting advice, etc, and I'm still not running out of new stuff to try.  It's fun!

+1

I have no expectations I'll hear everything I need to hear before I die.  There is so much art to get to and such a finite time...

Just enjoy what does cross your plate by fate and try not to think about what you're missing.  Good luck.

I have been searching prog rock pretty hard lately as a recent discoverer of all the musical treasures to be found. Mostly my searching has been on Amazon looking for stuff related to stuff I have already bought or occasionally I come across a group mentioned somewhere else.