Who are "The Beatles" of Prog? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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PrognosticMind View Drop Down

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 16:08

Besides the obvious "The Beatles" answer...

...King Crimson, Genesis, Yes...?

"A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?"

BrufordFreak View Drop Down

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 15:55

Scoppioingola wrote:

The Beatles of prog are The Beatles.

What he said.

Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/

Tristan

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 14:41

I think Pink Floyd must be considered in this mentioned group

peter parisius View Drop Down

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 14:41

To me, Genesis.

I needn't to explain why, I guess. Since their very first debut 'From Genesis to Revelation' they wrote the best melodies and worked them out in a way no other band could make in those pioniers' days: with fantasy, courage, and remarkable inventive power. We all know that everything run very quick in the 70s but Genesis stayed there like the columns of the Earth, with five-six albums that are the Bible of Symphonic Progressive Rock. At least three of them are among the absolute masterpieces of music (of all times): 'Foxtrot', 'Selling England by the Pound' and 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'. Sure, there were other great groups in the same years: Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson, Camel, Soft Machine, East Of Eden... you name them and I'll probably affirm that you are right: great, great bands... Gong, Focus... Pink Floyd obviously, and Jethro Tull, and Italian PFM and Banco... and... and... But no band like Genesis. Genesis tried to explore the limits of human sensibility offering not only nice melodies but complicated harmonies too. Cascades of beatiful notes, mainly driven by Tony Banks' keyboards and Steve Hackett's guitar, evoking a world of strange faibles, of everyday's crimes ("The Musical Box", "The Knife"...), and also of social troubles (including riots and injustice like in "Get 'em Out by Friday" and the "Battle of Epping Forest"...), interwaved with sweet, sweet ballads ("More Fool Me", "For Absent Friends", "Harlequin", "Lilywhite Lilith"...).
They are the very essence of prog.

brainstormer View Drop Down

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 13:32

As much as I hate sounding like an ELP fanboy, I don't think most people today understand the popularity of this band in the 1970s. At least it was that way in NY. High school jocks could sing much of Karn Evil #9 and it was a type of party drinking song (1st Impression). Most people who really enjoyed music knew about how wonderful ELP's synths sounded and how great Keith Emerson could play the piano. No matter how much prognoscentis may want to lift up various other bands, as far as being beyond the norm in music, ELP was it. People didn't look at Jethro Tull or Pink Floyd in the same way. I think people just looked at Floyd back then as a more drugged out band, even though that may not have been the case behind the scenes.

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chopper

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 13:28

Scoppioingola wrote:

The Beatles of prog are The Beatles.

That's all I can think of. There isn't really one band who have had the same impact in prog, except a few instances such as the first King Crimson album, The Yes Album, Foxtrot and a few others

Scoppioingola View Drop Down

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 13:22

The Beatles of prog are The Beatles.

SteveG

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Posted: August 23 2014 at 13:02

The Beatles turned the rock word upside down in the Sixties with all of their inventive musical styles and social fads. For my last question post for PA, I would like to ask: Who do you consider to be "The Beatles" of Progressive Rock music in regards the artist's influence and popularity on Progressive Rock music?

Edited by SteveG - August 25 2014 at 15:18