Prog: When The Debut's Their Greatest!
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=135134
Printed Date: July 20 2025 at 05:36
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Prog: When The Debut's Their Greatest!
Posted By: presdoug
Subject: Prog: When The Debut's Their Greatest!
Date Posted: June 25 2025 at 10:49
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Thought I would start a thread on progressive rock groups whom you feel had their greatest album being their debut record. Obviously, artists with one album only is a no brainer, but otherwise, who qualifies? From any era, or prog category.... Of course, this is pretty subjective, as beauty "is in the eye of the beholder"... My entries for prog groups whose best, for me, is their debut, are: King Crimson Mahavishnu Orchestra Brainstorm Libra Dedalus Beggar's Opera Atomic Rooster Spyro Gyra Synergy Badger Ambrosia Flash Pell Mell Starcastle Alan Parsons Project |
Replies:
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: June 25 2025 at 11:23
 For me, it's a tie with Audion. Both get played more than the others (but they're far from left out). I'd agree with you about Libra, but I love Schock (with future Goblin alum Maurizio Guarini). ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
presdoug wrote:Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: June 25 2025 at 11:37
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Top 12 Debut Prog Albums Asia - Asia Geoff Downes & New Dance Orchestra - The Light Program Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Emerson, Lake & Palmer England - Garden Shed The Enid - In the Region of the Summer Stars Fantasy - Paint a Picture Fruupp - Future Legends King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King Magenta - Revolutions Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed Rare Bird - Rare Bird |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: June 25 2025 at 11:46
I don't know Audion too well; will check that.... |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: June 25 2025 at 13:09
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Asia (although to be fair I haven't heard all of them) ELP Anglagard Not King Crimson because my favorite is LTIA. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: June 25 2025 at 15:19
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It only means that the debut is a/my personal favorite, and not in any way that I don't enjoy more of the ones listed: Return To Forever Weather Report Neu! Ash Ra Tempel Magma Area High Tide Eskaton PFM Kayo Dot Steve Hackett Family (except in this case, I only like this one album) Arti E Mestieri Nektar Elephant9 Univers Zero Abus Dangereux Kraan Agitation Free A.R & Machines Deuter East of Eden Rainbow Peter Bardens Black Widow |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 05:35
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As far as ELP goes it is stellar debut but I'm not a big fan of Knife Edge which although not ruining the album does bring it down a notch for me. So BSS is my favourite by them (but admittedly BTB doesn't do that any favours either) King Crimson gotta be Red and I don't listen to ITCHYCOCK as much as I used to (terrible dated production?!) Asia's debut I would certainly go with. The Nice - The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack. I think with the guitarist David O'List they were more exciting than without. I'm struggling to think of many bands in the modern era for this. Lifesigns debut sticks out above their other 2. That's a stellar release. Dave Kerzner's debut New World is a masterpiece imo and sticks out way ahead of his future offerings which have been signifcantly underwelming to me. That's all about I can think of for the moment. |
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 06:00
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 06:36
I find very little to argue with this list (I've taken some out)
Yesss fot Thoughts of ED This said, within the realm of "prog", it's indeed much harder to find debuts that are their best albums, since indeed, the bands generally took one or two albums before reaching their strides. Outside of prog, there are hundreds of bands where the debut (or their second album) is the best they did, because that's when they were still fresh and saiying most everything they needed or wanted to say: Journey, Aerosmith, Meatloaf, Triumph, Doors, Sabbath, etc... . ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 10:04
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The Doors Picchio Dal Pozzo Homunculus Res U.K. Utopia Charlie Mariano U2 Anthony Phillips The Nice Strawberry Alarm Clock David Axelrod Ptarmigan Seven Impale Boston Hatfield and the North Kayo Dot The Mars Volta Swans Spirogyra Bondage Fruit Cynic ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 16:08
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Anglagard - Hybris elephant9 - Dodovoodoo Dave Gilmour - s/t The Muffins - Manna/Mirage Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 16:14
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Taļ Phong - s/t (1975) ------------- 
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 16:30
You consider The Doors, U2, Strawberry Alarm Clock and Boston to be prog? I'll say that the Doors should be considered proto prog but usually aren't (I think they are proto on this site though). |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: June 28 2025 at 16:45
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Off the top of my head: ELP - s/t King Crimson - ITCOTCK Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells I'll have to think about further examples. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: June 29 2025 at 04:44
Good point; having the debut as a favorite is not meant to dismiss the value of later releases... |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: June 29 2025 at 05:04
Whoa... Filth is your favorite Swans-album? |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 29 2025 at 12:05
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Favourite, not greatest: For a band that lasted many years and released many albums that I love, Magma's debut is the most obvious choice to me. I don't feel that Magma ever battered its debut and it is my desert island Magma pick. I might call MDK it's greatest from a certain perspective, but the debut is more special to me. And what a kick-ass double album to debut with. Wow. There are a great many bands with a handful of albums where I appreciate the first album the most, and various artists whose debut I love such as William Sheller with Lux Aeterna (1972), but am not very much interested in any of the later albums. As for Swans, I much prefer all of the Children of God until now albums to its debut, Filth. But I do appreciate Filth now. If I were forced to choose one greatest Swans album, then it would be Soundtracks for the Blind. ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: June 29 2025 at 12:53
Hi, The Doors I would consider progressive in some form, however, I would think this should be considered "poetry rock" for the most part ... PA is not exactly a place for very strong and emotional works in the poetry area, as the music tends to work about the feelings and words, rather than a riff or some other pop/rock idea. This makes it difficult to address, and it is an issue that I'm not sure the folks that helped define the areas for "progressive" music were well versed in other areas of music that did not fit the places that were easier to place the majority of the bands. Heck, if Jim and the Doors are there, Meatloaf also fits ... and as he says "I'm an actor, that also sings" ... and many others fit the bill ... Robin Williamson (Incredible String Band) specially in his solo albums which often have some neat vocalizations for his stories. This was also clear in the Incredible String Band, and as Robin has said, they were about the poetry more than anything else. And poetry requires EXPRESSION for it to be heard and appreciated more often than not. One example, that is different, reading Allen Ginsburg is only interesting, but when you hear him giving it to us directly, all of a sudden his words seem to stand up ... one of the odd poets out there. Roy Harper is another one, that some folks won't listen to much, because it's all bout his words ... but he ain't no hacker, let me tell you! I'd even suggest he is the Dylan Thomas of rock music, so to speak! But he does deserve to be in "Prog/Folk", where you will find him on PA. It's a tough area ... and most rock singers are not good actors, and they could use getting some lessons from Mick, at least! Instead of thinking that the audience is going to pick up on the lyrics. Rock audiences don't listen to lyrics much, as they are there only for the solos from the hits! Well, they can quote one or two things, I suppose! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: June 30 2025 at 06:05
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Hi, Had a hard time finding only "prog" ... so I went to the SPR listings starting in 1974/1975 and 1976 from which some tapes survived. Already Mentioned: Alan Parsons Project, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Marillion, PFM and The Doors From the SPR listings, though some might not be exactly "prog": Iron Butterfly - Iron Butterfly It's a Beautiful Day - It's a Beautiful Day Carmen - Fandangos in Space Seventh Wave - Things to Come Kayak - See See The Sun Tomita - Snowflakes Are Dancing Third Ear Band - Alchemy Plus - The Seven Deadly Sins Vivian Stanshall - Men Opening Umbrellas Aqua Fragile - Aqua Fragile Ramases - Space Hymns Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte Ange - Caricatures Sensation's Fix - Fragments of Light Daevid Allen - Banana Moon Steve Hillage - Fish Rising Heldon - Electronique Guerilla National Health - Of Queues and Cures Banco - Banco PFM was a compilation of their actual first 2 albums in America on Manticore Vivian Stanshall was the lead singer in The Bonzo Dog Band Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage came from Gong Seventh Wave is the band after Second Hand ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: June 30 2025 at 11:55
Funny that these two are right next to each other. I prefer Green and Stand By, respectively. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 30 2025 at 12:19
Me too on both counts.  ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: June 30 2025 at 12:44
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Great call on Fish Rising, love it ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: June 30 2025 at 13:43
Hi, I only took a look at the spreadsheets for 3 years of SPR ... will take a look at the others today or tomorrow, and see how many more we can add. Guy was excellent at new things, and specially if they had never been there before and were brand new ... The one thing that you folks can't see, is that the regular shows during the week, or Friday and Saturday Nights, are not even mentioned, and they have just as much new stuff in there, though I do not have any more shows that survived otherwise. Most of them were "specials", like the Halloween one (three times and really cool stuff), and some fun stuff, like the April Fool's show with the Real Don Robot, which is a magnificent hour and was already repeated on the current SPR ... a very special show, though folks will still freak at "Let's take a trip down Whittier Boulevard" ... or better yet ... "Close To You" by the Clams (related to Tony Levin I think!!!) and some other neat stuff, but his fake commercials were the best part! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: June 30 2025 at 16:49
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I agree on Fish Rising and ELP and a few others where I don't know the rest of the catalogue that well (I didn't have much time for any Neu! album after the debut for example; of National Health I only know the first two albums and yes, the first one is better). An example of an artist of whom I love a lot of albums is David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees. ------------- I make typos so you see I'm not a machine, but I may be a machine pretending to not be a machine. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: July 01 2025 at 13:24
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Hi, Was going to add more to the list, but while looking at Discogs for many of them, some were not debut albums, and for the show SPR, they were the first album by that band that was played, but, if anything, it gives you an incredible idea of the variety of the stuff that Guy played on his Sunday Night opus. I'm still working on the list and hopefully will have by tomorrow or so ... gosh, I ended up finding bad spelling mistakes on the spreadsheets I'm having to fix!!! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: July 01 2025 at 14:51
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I'd vote for Todd Rundgren's "Utopia" debut, ITCOTCK, Captain Beyond, and maybe Flash! Not sure about ELP's debut, I'd lean to "Tarkus." Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" was amazing! ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 01 2025 at 15:01
Yeah, TR'sU is the best thing he was ever involved in (I like the next two a lot, too). ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |