King Crimson vs Frank Zappa vs Steely Dan
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Polls
Forum Description: Create polls on topics related to progressive music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=91478
Printed Date: April 25 2024 at 01:28
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Topic: King Crimson vs Frank Zappa vs Steely Dan
Posted By: Icarium
Subject: King Crimson vs Frank Zappa vs Steely Dan
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 10:16
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three session musician or schools of music/musicians if you cans ay that, many who have played with KC, FZ and SD have had good careers since or had their best playing in the three bands, also people are expected to "know" their chops if ever gonna appear in a session, if your not on they ill just find another guy to replace you if you fail fit the slot. I love both Steely Dan and King Crimson is yet to delve into Zappa but will one time do that
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Replies:
Posted By: friso
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 10:27
| Frank Zappa is the most innovative musician of the 20th century. This isn't really a poll. |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 10:46
Please don't make me choose!  All three are among my favourite artists. I voted King Crimson, but seriously, they're all amazing. And Chris, if you're gonna try out Frank Zappa, I recommend One Size Fits All for starters.
 ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 11:19
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Zappa's accomplishments make even King Crimson look like small potatoes. Three great, great artist/bands, but my choice is clear here: Demi Lovato. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 12:16
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I don't like Crimson or Zappa much, though I understand their importance in the development of prog.
I love Steely Dan, though. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: Wanorak
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 12:45
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KC by the widest margin possible. I've always thought Frank Zappa doesn't belong on this site and Steely Dan does little for me. ------------- A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!! |
Posted By: Sumdeus
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 12:56
....have you actually listened to Hot Rats? ------------- http://sumdeus.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - Sumdeus - surreal space/psych/prog journeys |
Wanorak wrote:Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 14:29
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Oh boy. Certainly not steely dan... Of the other two...as much as I love KC I must vote Zappa. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 14:29
That was heavy sarcasm wasn't it? ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Sumdeus
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 14:39
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not sure if that counts as sarcasm, I was being pretty serious because I don't see how one could say Zappa isn't prog after hearing Hot Rats.
------------- http://sumdeus.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - Sumdeus - surreal space/psych/prog journeys |
Posted By: smartpatrol
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 14:47
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1.King Crimson 2.Frank Zappa ------------- http://bit.ly/1kqTR8y" rel="nofollow">  The greatest record label of all time! |
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 14:50
I beg to differ with this pole position, as much as I love KC, I love Zappa way more no doubt. My vote therefore goes to Zappa. 
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Posted By: QuestionableScum
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 15:07
| I like all three, but I like KC the most. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 16:53
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Overall, I think Zappa the most innovative. I prefer King Crimson, but have to give props here to Uncle Frank. Steely Dan has done a lot of great music, but I am not too keen on them. ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Wanorak
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 19:35
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Yes Sumdeus I have, but I can't get past all the silly, novelty songs Zappa did!! ------------- A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!! |
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 20:13
Hello Wanorak  silly is good I love silly because it's fun, life is serious enough plus The Beatles for me in my opinion where the forefathers of prog and they too had silly song titles  "I am a Walrus" among others  also they promoted peace and love too, so do I  Another
to you, Wanorak |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 20:27
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for songsmithing it's gotta be Becker & Fagen, they knew how to take a simple phrase or idea and distill it into something singular and special |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 22:18
Same for me. I can't believe I have to choose between King Crimson and Frank Zappa. I think Zappa is more innovative (this is hardly a knock against Crimson, it's a compliment to Zappa). And Zappa had a greater lifetime achievement that few can match. Is Steely Dan Prog? I like it when they come on the radio. They have some nice jazz rock stuff, but have they ever done anything to stretch the bounds? |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 22:32
Then listen to Shut Up N' Play Yer Guitar. Zappa was chronologically way ahead of the rest of Prog, and then when Prog took a nose dive in the mid 70s, Zappa was still trotting out his stuff. |
Posted By: Wanorak
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 22:33
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Thank you Kati ------------- A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!! |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 01:29
They ain't really prog, though they have their prog moments: ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 01:31
That's irrelevant (ha) considering all the densely composed material he did for a long time. ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: crimhead
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 01:32
| Between Bobby Fripp and Frank Zappa for me. Another no vote for me. |
Posted By: The-time-is-now
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 01:49
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King Crimson. -------------  One of my best achievements in life was to find this picture :D |
Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 02:13
Zappa zaps them all
------------- “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” ― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four "Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart |
Posted By: Josef_K
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 02:38
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King Crimson, no contest for me. They have had some of the best musicians I've ever heard of, yet still they are overshadowed by the most impressive aspect of the group, the compositional skill (mainly of one Robert Fripp of course, but also other members of the group on several tracks, especially from the debut). ------------- Leave the past to burn, At least that's been his own - Peter Hammill |
Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 07:12
Josef, I love your avatar, I have one of the same keyboards in my closet. The Arp String Ensemble was a classic. Mine was my first real keyboard that I ever got. I'm half way surprised that the stand is able to hold it. Regarding the actual topic . . . I easily went with the minority on this one. Steely Dan for me with no hesitation. I love some Zappa, I like some Crimson, but I love just about everything that Steely Dan has done, I was just listening to Pretzel Logic last night. I accept that both Zappa and Crimson were proggier, but give me Steely Dan any day.
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Posted By: Josef_K
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 08:03
Nice that you noticed it :D I bought it quite recently, I already owned a great digital keyboard for organ and some piano/clav sounds along with a Moog Little Phatty. I lacked strings however and none of the modern keys could deliver what I wanted for a decent price, so as soon as I had saved enough money I went full prog-nerd mode one day as I was listening to Floyd's "Animals". Like, I'm going to buy that keyboard. Not one that sounds like it, I'm going to buy THAT model. It's only made it to one gig so far but it is actually not impossible to gig with (the sound tech was a bit stunned I guess, but still). As for the stand, I think it is supposed to be able to take up to at least double the weight of the Solina so it's really no problem, and I do have the heavier version also. I don't dare to have the Moog on top of the Solina though, that's just asking for the stand to break I guess ^^. If you're interested, you can hear the Solina in action if you visit the link in my signature, on all tracks except "The End". It's not featured that much, but it will become increasingly important in my music.
Returning to the topic, maybe I should give Steely Dan some more listens, I made up my mind that they were pretty much meh quite a long time ago. Frank Zappa however I can respect but feels way too dadaistic for me. ------------- Leave the past to burn, At least that's been his own - Peter Hammill |
Posted By: digdug
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 10:55
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My fave album from the three artists is In the Court of the Crimson King and I love Larks Tongue but the rest of the Crimson Catalogue doesn't thrill me as much. I love Hot Rats and the jazzy Zappa, but I'm not really a big fan of the rest of his stuff Steely Dan is consistently amazing. I love all of their stuff, so I will vote for them I guess ------------- Prog On! |
Posted By: aldri7
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 22:58
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this is like comparing apples to oranges to grapes... If I want to listen to something that makes me feel upbeat, young and lusting for college again, I'll go with Steely Dan If I want to listen to something that makes me dream and travel to exotic places and times in my mind, I'll go with King Crimson. If I want to listen to something that challenges me, makes me think and shake my head in amazement or dismay, I'll go with Zappa. Sometimes you want apples. Sometimes you want oranges. And sometimes you want grapes.. EDIT: and Steely Dan is fusion with an asterix. :) I mean, thats where they can be found here, but to me its more crossover prog. I think its the way they incorporate jazz into their music. They pay homages to it with a little intro, lick, progression or theme here and there, but its kind for adding color to their music, not a basic component of it. Just IMHO... aldri7 |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 23:02
I'll go along with this. |
Posted By: hobocamp
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 11:20
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LOVE this poll How someone picked three artists whose complete discographies I have is beyond belief Needless to say that makes this a hard choice so I'll give the Dan a boost Third World Man has actually moved me to tears |
Posted By: wehpanzer
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 11:09
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If I want to listen to something that makes me feel upbeat, young and lusting for college again, I'll go with Steely Dan If I want to listen to something that makes me dream and travel to exotic places and times in my mind, I'll go with King Crimson. If I want to listen to something that challenges me, makes me think and shake my head in amazement or dismay, I'll go with Zappa. Sometimes you want apples. Sometimes you want oranges. And sometimes you want grapes.. I couldn't have said it better.
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Posted By: Bj-1
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 12:58
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On an enjoyment level, KC and Zappa are tied for me considering they're both in my top 10 of all time. I really like Steely Dan though. Most innovative? Zappa, though KC really did push some serious limits at their peak. ------------- RIO/AVANT/ZEUHL - The best thing you can get with yer pants on! http://www.last.fm/music/Exerior" rel="nofollow - EXERIOR Experimental tech/death/progmetal from Norway! |
Posted By: BMANCAUS
Date Posted: April 08 2013 at 21:52
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Comparing FZ, KC, And Steely Dan is like comparing burning man to Bonaroo. No comparison. Any band from the 60s or 70s was unique. Any mainstream stuff now days is all BS. Its all a matter what you like at the time. If want want Sexy its all Steely, If I want Funky Jazzy, Crimson and if I want all around super hareder than all of it to play and yes I do play. ZAPPA... |
Posted By: Phillips
Date Posted: April 09 2013 at 17:35
And waka jawaka, and the grand wazoo... |
Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: April 09 2013 at 17:55
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Fripp vs Zappa as composer/band leader/guitarist. Both created monstrously envelope-pushing music with some amazing sidemen/bandmates. I love Zappa but my vote goes to Crimson. ------------- https://wytchcrypt.wixsite.com/mutiny-in-jonestown" rel="nofollow - Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987 |
Posted By: thwok
Date Posted: April 21 2013 at 07:28
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This is a very tough choice, because KIng Crimson and Steely Dan are probably my two favorite bands in the world! I have a ton of respect for Frank Zappa based on what others have said. I just haven't listened to a lot of his music. There's so much of it it's difficult to know where to start. I think "progressiveness", the framework for this site, should be based on creativity, innovation, and combining musical elements that aren't normally combined. By these criteria, I think Steely Dan, as brilliant as they are, fall a little short of the other two acts. By the aforementioned criteria, I think Zappa would have to get the top spot. ------------- I am the funkiest man on the planet! |
Posted By: brainstormer
Date Posted: April 21 2013 at 10:46
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I like Frank Zappa a lot, but probably like many people who have heard much of his body of work, I get a little put off by some of his vulgarity. It's not just like he jokes around on the more popular humor songs, but he really goes off the deep end. ------------- -- Robert Pearson Regenerative Music http://www.regenerativemusic.net Telical Books http://www.telicalbooks.com ParaMind Brainstorming Software http://www.paramind.net |
Posted By: Earendil
Date Posted: April 28 2013 at 13:25
| I've only listened to a handful of Zappa albums, but I'm always puzzled when I hear him described as the most innovative or most avant-garde rock musician (both of which I've heard multiple times). He's a phenomenal musician and composer, but frankly I think these people either don't listen to a very wide range of music or don't realize that a somewhat avant-garde musician being popular does not automatically make him the most original. |
Posted By: King Crimson776
Date Posted: May 02 2013 at 04:20
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The things that pass for prog, I can't understand... The Dan are talented, whereas KC and Zappa are genius (no individual in Crimson is a genius, but the group is... well, I suppose Fripp might be).
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