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Top 10 Purely Instrumental Prog Albums
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GKR View Drop Down
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Points: 1376 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GKR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 25 2015 at 13:26
Everything from Marco Antonio Araujo, especially his two first albums - which I left a good reminder of his great musicianship above. And of course Bjorn J:son Lindh.
- From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
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Originally posted by Nogbad_The_Bad Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:

Forgas Band Phenomena - L'Axe Du Fou
Top, top choice!
 
If I'm going to do a proper reply on this thread it'll take ages to work out the list. I seem to buy more instrumental-only albums than any other kind. Partly due to my hatred of bad lyrics - curse of the prog genre!  Which is also a reason why I like bands who sing in languages I don't speak (and why I have to pretend to myself that I don't speak English when I listen to Yes Wink).
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Originally posted by Mascodagama Mascodagama wrote:

Originally posted by Nogbad_The_Bad Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:

Forgas Band Phenomena - L'Axe Du Fou
Top, top choice!
 
If I'm going to do a proper reply on this thread it'll take ages to work out the list. I seem to buy more instrumental-only albums than any other kind. Partly due to my hatred of bad lyrics - curse of the prog genre!  Which is also a reason why I like bands who sing in languages I don't speak (and why I have to pretend to myself that I don't speak English when I listen to Yes Wink).


One of my top albums of the 21st century for sure, though its follow-up, Acte 5, is none too shabby either.
As a lover of instrumental music, I would also need a long time to come up with a list, though Ian's original post (over 2 years old nowWink) already listed some of my favourites. On the other hand, some of my top albums of the past few years - for some odd coincidence - feature one vocal track:

Herd of Instinct - s/t
D.F.A. - 4th
Accordo dei Contrari - Kublai
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Though not all is prog, Jeff Beck's There and Back.
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This is really tough.  But based on only having one album from any artist, sticking to what is strictly prog within the meaning of this site, and in alphabetical order:
 

Bondage Fruit, VI

Guapo, Five Suns

Herbie Hancock, The Crossing

Jade Warrior, Kites

Last Exit, Iron Path

Pekka Pohjola, B. the Magpie

Jean-Paul Prat, Masal

Tipographica, God Says I Can't Dance

Univers Zero, Ceux du Dehors

Yochk'o Seffer, Ghilgoul

 

Bubbling under, and sticking to the same principles, I think that 11-20 look like this:

 

AKA Moon, Rebirth

Cyclobe, Wounded Galaxies

Flying Luttenbachers, Cataclysm

Maneige, Maneige

October Equus, Permafrost

Pivixki, Gravissima

Tape, Luminarium

Present, Triskaidekaphobie

Vespero, Subkraut

Yeti, Volume Obliteration Transcendence

 

Some of these do contain the human voice, but wordlessly, so I count the choral elements as instruments.

EDIT: Took out Western Culture, I'd forgotten the vocals on Viva Pa Ubu Embarrassed



Edited by Mascodagama - October 26 2015 at 03:21
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10+10 favorites:

Univers Zero - 1313
Herbie Hancock - Crossings
Miles Davis - Big Fun
Klaus Schulze - Mirage
Dedalus-Dedalus
Sensations Fix - Portable Madness
Terje Rypdal-Whenever I Seem to be Far Away
Guapo - Five Suns
Zanov - Green Ray
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Weather Report - Weather Report
Rahmann - St
Cluster - Zuckerzeit
Flamen Dialis - Symptome Dei
Lard Free - I'm Around Midnight
Ragnarok - St
Continuum - St
Agitation Free - Malesch
Popol Vuh - Brüder Des Schattens / Nosferatu
Embryo - We Keep On
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Interstellar Overdrive & A Saucerful of Secrets (Live at Pompeii version) - Pink Floyd
YYZ & La Villa Strangiato - Rush
Cinema - Yes
Hocus Pocus - Focus
One of These Days - Pink Floyd (don't it counts cause of that spooky line in the middle)
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Parts One and Two & Fracture - King Crimson

afraid that's all i got...
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Originally posted by Raff Raff wrote:

On the other hand, some of my top albums of the past few years - for some odd coincidence - feature one vocal track:

Herd of Instinct - s/t
D.F.A. - 4th
Accordo dei Contrari - Kublai
 
Those guys are really good! (So are the other two.)
 
Originally posted by Bitterblogger Bitterblogger wrote:

Though not all is prog, Jeff Beck's There and Back.
 
Blow by Blow and Blue Wind, too.
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Liquid Tension Exp - S/T
Return To Forever- Romantic Warrior
Al Dimeola -Elegant Gypsy
Jeff Beck- Blow By Blow
Jeff Beck Wired
Ozric Tentacles-The Floor's Too far Away
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats ( Ok, one song w/ vocals here)
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Bird of Fire
Dixie Dregs - Bring em Back Alive
Bozzio Levin Stevens - Situation Dangerous


Edited by Argo2112 - May 08 2018 at 13:44
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Camel - Snow Goose
Ozric Tentacles - Waterfall Cities
Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior
Uzva - Uoma
Ragnarök - Ragnarök
Hidria Spacefolk - Symbiosis
Taipuva Luotisuora - 8
Wintergatan - Wintergatan
Juha Kujanpää - Kultasiipi
Mike Oldfield - Hergest Ridge

These are the ones I could name instantly. I listen to a lot instrumental music so I have dozens of favorites, mostly folk, fusion, spacerock and a lot of ambient, dub and psytrance.
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It's surprisingly tough to come up with a good list, especially if you take JR/F or Prog Electronic albums out of the equation. My list of favourites would look something like this:
  1. Maneige - Maneige
  2. Gotic - Escenes
  3. Alas - Pinta Tu Aldea
  4. Gryphon - Red Queen To Gryphon Three
  5. Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior
  6. PFM - Stati Di Immaginazione
  7. Syrinx - Qualia
  8. Jukka Gustavson - Valon Vuoksi
  9. Dedalus - Dedalus
  10. Anglagard - Viljans Oga
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Mine favorites would include, generally in order: 

  1. Brand X, "Masques" 
  2. Tangerine Dream, "Phaedra" 
  3. Jeff Beck, "Blow by Blow" 
  4. Return to Forever, "Where Have I Known You Before?" 
  5. Al Dimeola, "Land of the Midnight Sun" 
  6. Mahavishnu Orchestra, "Birds of Fire" 
  7. Larry Fast, "Synergy" 
  8. Gong, "Espresso" 
  9. Fripp & Eno, "No Pussyfooting"
  10. Fripp & Summers, "I Advance Masked."  
Lots of good choices out there!  


Edited by cstack3 - May 08 2018 at 23:12
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Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Herbie Hancock - Man Child
Herbie Hancock - Thrust
Weather Report - Heavy Weather
Billy Cobham - Total Eclipse
Billy Cobham - Crosswinds
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Wow, this is the first thread where I love each and every single album posted <3
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There are so many great instrumental albums out there, it's nearly impossible to pick and rank just 10.  Part of what makes it difficult is my fairly recent foray into the Berlin School where I have found many great ones. What I can do is put a line of demarcation in an arbitrary chronological coordinate; say, 1990? 
Additionally, these are all ranked with A caveat of mood dependence. I also include some outside of PA. 

Pre-1990

1. Banco -...di Terra
2. Univers Zero - Used
3. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire
4. Tangerine Dream - Stratosphere 
5. Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries
6. Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior
7. Bill Bruford - One of a Kind (I give a free pass to the Alice in Wonderland recitation on "Fainting in Coils")
8. Kitaro - Oasis
9. Richard Pinhas - Chronolyse
10. Brand X - Livestock

Post-1990

1. Exivious - Exivious 
2. Nebelnest - Nova Express
3. Happy Family -Tosčco
4. Bondage Fruit - VI
5. Alex Machacek (McHacek) - Featuring Ourselves
6. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones -UFO TOFU
7. Gordian Knot - Gordian Knot
8. Squintaloo - Über Bord
9. Djam Karet - Heavy Soul Sessions 
10. Spastic Ink - Ink Complete

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Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

4. Bondage Fruit - VI
Nice to see I'm not the only fan of VI. They are all great really, but I do love that one.
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Originally posted by The.Crimson.King The.Crimson.King wrote:

I don't have much purely instrumental prog in my collection so wanted to find out what others favourites are...my list:

1) Pictures at an Exhibition - Tomita
2) Symphonic Pictures - SFF
3) Phaedra - Tangerine Dream
4) Sketches of Satie - Steve & John Hackett
5) Symphonic Holocaust - Morte Macabre
6) UZED - Univers Zero
7) Red Queen to Gryphon Three - Gryphon
8) Marscape - s/t
9) Black Light Syndrome - Bozzio Levin Stevens
10) The Snow Goose - Camel

objection, Your Honor. "The Snow Goose" is not purely instrumental; there is singing on several tracks, even if these contributions are only vocalizations (a musical term for "singing without lyrics", like "la-la-la")


Edited by BaldJean - May 09 2018 at 09:47


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Originally posted by Mascodagama Mascodagama wrote:

Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

4. Bondage Fruit - VI
Nice to see I'm not the only fan of VI. They are all great really, but I do love that one.

Definitely the best of the instrumental BFs. Though I still think II is the best overall.

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Ghost Dance - Jaimie Muir, Michael Giles, David Cunningham
Fred Taylor - Court of Circe
PSI - Horizonte
Pierre van der Linden - Drum Poetry
Terry Bozzio - Live in Japan 2007
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In no particular order:

Romantic Warrior by Return to Forever
Handmade Cities by Plini
The Way Forward by Intervals
Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield
The Joy of Motion by Animals as Leaders
In the Region of Summer Stars (1984) by The Enid
The Migration by Scale the Summit
Gazeuse by Gong!

And if I only do one per band, that's all I've got ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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