Gospel in Prog

The only song that springs to my mind is Queen's Somebody to Love from A Day at the Races.
Great track, I wish I knew more like it.

One of my favorite moments from Pain of Salvation's "Be".

I think a more fruitful search might be in a period of Black Gospel from 1965 to

Edited by brainstormer - September 21 2014 at 22:32

dodur wrote: Padraic wrote: dodur wrote: And wow. Just found out Kerry Livgren was in Kansas. Really?  (no offense) Yeah as I said... not a Kansas fan. I listened to their "The best of Kansas" album a couple of times since I downloaded (sshhht) it 6 or 7 years ago but apart from Closet Cronicles live and Song for America I thought it was not that special and a bit to southern for me. To conclude: I actually know nothing about Kansas.

Please for the love of God get a studio album from the 70s.

The debut has this:



and this:





Edited by Epignosis - September 19 2014 at 21:44

I don't have super proggy suggestions. I really like backing vocals that add a spiritual quality in a spacey church-like way , rather than in a soul/funk gospel way. I guess there are different characters of gospel since it relates to different music styles. But I've tried to find gospel elements.

Demis Roussos ‎– My Face In The Rain        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRfm5tbmjcw        some of roussos songs have great backing vocals. this is more towards the church thing rather than soul-funky, but there is some of that towards the end too.
        (edit: originally a Vangelis song from 1973)

GNP - Love Must Be The Answer        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYJS1KraGXw     Side project from two members of Saga. This album is quite unknown, but I like this kind of cheesy song.

The Alan Parsons Project - You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOM51Im-Kes   I'm not so excited about this song, but I thought I could throw it in.

Bruce Cockburn - Bright Sky            http://tinysong.com/1jQ1v    has verses were a vocal choir sings a refrain at the end of each verse, in a folky gospel way I guess.

Bruce Cockburn - Lament For The Last Days    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqL3lOvgxvs    more country/blues/singer-songwriter with a lot of verses and spiritual gospel singing later on. Maybe too low key though.

Barclay James Harvest - Sideshow http://tinysong.com/zyBK    Straightforward song, but have a nice souly backing vocals and orchestral stuff, like pizzicato strings, and I particularly like the last two minutes.

Automatic Man - "There's a way" This is more a funky/souly/ feeling with harmonized vocal parts. Don't know if it's enough gospel, but there are a lot of vocal parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOvaLLITG_Y

Pete Bardens - On the air tonight   Weak album, but I like this song because of the backing vocal parts interplaying with the main vocals. But maybe it isn't enough of gospel character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5_2icf323A

Pete Townshend - Give Blood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT-GrwawwRM With David Gilmour, guitar and, Simon Phillips, awesome drumming.


Edited by wilmon91 - September 20 2014 at 07:20

Good suggestions with Magma.  There's also the very obvious suggestion of Pink Floyd, especially their mid-period stuff ("Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Hear").

Edited by kenethlevine - September 17 2014 at 21:15

Padraic wrote: dodur wrote: And wow. Just found out Kerry Livgren was in Kansas. Really?  (no offense)

Yeah as I said... not a Kansas fan.
I listened to their "The best of Kansas" album a couple of times since I downloaded (sshhht) it 6 or 7 years ago but apart from Closet Cronicles live and Song for America I thought it was not that special and a bit to southern for me. To conclude: I actually know nothing about Kansas.

dodur wrote: And wow. Just found out Kerry Livgren was in Kansas.

Really?  (no offense)

And wow. Just found out Kerry Livgren was in Kansas.