Loudersound's Ten Essential 80s Prog albums

Jaketejas wrote: Kraftwerk Computer World is amazing! I forgot King’s X, too. Anyone remember Zebra?

Compuer World is indeed! I've heard of the American band, Zebra. Hard rock/AOR acoording to RateYourMusic which, prog or not, might be be right up the alley of the guy who prepared the list for Loudersound used in the poll.

Rick1 wrote: ELPowell easily the best of this bunch. Just listening to Camberwell Now's Ghost Trade - such a fine album from 86.

Re ELPowell, which isn't saying much to be honest from this selection -- at least per my tastes. I'm totally with you on Camberwell Now. That is one of my favourite albums.

I really love the 80s. I prepared this list of some of my favourites early last year for a topic of David_D's (course probably too much quantity for his wonts). So many of my favourites are not in the list because I tried to mostly limit to ones in PA: see topic: 1980s' other Progressive Rock than Neo-Prog?


Or as I put it there:

I've read that the 80s sucks by more than one person, but I love the 80s. Focusing on what is in PA (and there is a heck of a lot that I love and think progressive outside of PA)...

1980-1984

    Abus Dangereux - Le quatrième mouvement (1980, Jazz-Rock, Zeuhl)
    Laurie Anderson - Big Science (1982, Art Pop, Experimental, Electronic)
    Aksak Maboul - Un peu de l'âme des bandits (1980, Rock in Opposition)
    Art Bears - The World as It Is Today (1981, RIO/ Avant Prog)
    Art Zoyd - Génération sans futur (1980, Rock in Opposition)
    Art Zoyd - Symphonie pour le jour où brûleront les cités (1981, R.I.O.)
    Art Zoyd - Phase IV (1982, R.I.O.)
    Art Zoyd - Les espaces inquiets (1983, R.I.O.)
    Adrian Belew - Lone Rhino (1982, Art Rock)
    Bobby Beausoleil and The Freedom Orchestra - Lucifer Rising (1980, Psych Rock)
    David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980, Art Rock)
    Glenn Branca - The Ascension (1981, No Wave) (don't think he is in PA, but felt kind of weird leaving this out)
    Kate Bush - Never for Ever (1980, Art/Progressive Pop)
    Kate Bush - The Dreaming (1982, Art/Progressive Pop)
    Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Doc at the Radar Station (1980, Exp./Art Rock)
    Cardiacs - The Seaside (1984, Art Punk)
    Codona - Codona 2, 1981, Jazz Fusion/ Indo Prog/Raga Rock)
    Codona - Codona 3 (1983, Jazz Fusion/ Indo Prog/Raga Rock)
    Lindsay Cooper - The Gold Diggers (1983, Avant Prog)
    Holger Czukay, Jah Wobble & Jaki Liebezeit - Full Circle (1982, Krautrock)
    Dead Can Dance - Dead Can Dance (1984, Darkwave, Gothic Rock)
    Dün - Eros (1981, Avant-Prog, Zeuhl)
    Eskaton - Ardeur (1980, Zeuhl)
    Eskaton - 4 Visions (1981, Zeuhl)
    Eskaton - Fiction (1983, Zeuhl)
    Fabio Frizzi - L'aldilà/ The Beyond (1981, Horror Synth/ RPI)
    Fabio Frizzi - Paura nella città dei morti viventi (1982, Film Score, RPI)
    Peter Gabriel - 3/Melt (1980, Art Rock)
    Patrick Gauthier - Bébé Godzilla, 1981, Zeuhl)
    Goblin - Tenebre, 1982, Film Score, Electro-Disco, RPI)
    Peter Hammill - A Black Box (1980, Art Rock)
    Itoiz - Ezekiel, 1980, Prog Folk)
    Kitaro - Silk Road II (1980, Electronic)
    Kraftwerk - Computerwelt (1981, Synth Pop, Electronic)
    Kultivator - Barndomens Stigar (1981, Avant-Prog, Zeuhl)
    Magma - Rétrospective Vol. 1 & 2 (1981, Zeuhl, Jazz-Rock)
    News From Babel - Work Resumed on the Tower (1984, Avant-Prog)
    Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Penguin Cafe Orchestra (1981, Chamber Jazz)
    Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Broadcasting From Home (1984, Chamber Music)
    Picchio dal Pozzo - Abbiamo tutti i suoi problemi (1980, Avant-Prog, Canterbury Sound)
    Jean-Paul Prat - Masal (Jazz-Rock, Zeuhl)
    Present - Triskaidékaphobie (1980, RIO/Avant Prog)
    Rahmann - Rahmann (1980, Avant Prog, Jazz-Rock, Zeuhl)
    The Residents - Mark of the Mole (1981, Experimental)
    The Residents - The Tunes of Two Cities (1982, Art Pop, Experimental)
    The Residents & Renaldo and The Loaf - Title in Limbo (1983, Exp. Rock)
    Terry Riley "Celestial Valley" (Shri Camel, 1980, Minimalism, Electronic)
    Slapp Happy "Charlie 'n Charlie" (Slapp Happy or Slapp Happy, 1980, Art Pop)
    Snakefinger - Greener Postures (1980, Zolo, Exp. Rock)
    David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees (1984, Art Pop)
    Tangerine Dream - Tangram (1980, Berlin School, Progressive Electronic)
    A Thinking Plague - ...A Thinking Plague, 1984, Avant-Prog
    This Heat - Deceit (1981, Exp. Rock, Post-Punk)
    Univers Zéro - Ceux du dehors (1982, Rock in Opposition)
    Univers Zéro - Uzed (1984, R.I.O.)
    Von Zamla - Zamlaranamma (1982, R.I.O.)
    Wha-Ha-Ha - Shinutokiwa Betsu (1981, Avant Prog)
    Yog Sothoth - Yog Sothoth (Avant Prog, 1984)
    Zamla Mammaz Manna - Familjesprickor (1980, Rock in Opposition)
    Zanov - In Course of Time (1983, Progressive Electronic, Berlin School)

1985-1989:

    After Dinner - Paradise of Replica (1989, Art/Avant Pop/Folk, Japan)
    Art Zoyd - Le mariage du ciel et de l'enfer (Rock in Opposition, 1985, France)
    Art Zoyd - Berlin (1987, Rock in Opposition, 1985, France)
    Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (1985, Art Pop, England)
    Kate Bush - The Sensual World (1989, Art Pop, England)
    Camberwell Now - The Ghost Trade (1986, Avant Prog, Art Punk, England)
    Cardiacs - Big Ship (1987, Art Punk, England)
    Cardiacs - A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (1988, Art Punk, US)
    Cardiacs - On Land and in the Sea (1989, Art Punk, England)
    Coil - Horse Rotorvator (1986, Industrial, England)
    Current 93 - Earth Covers Earth (1988, Neofolk, England)
    Dead Can Dance - Spleen and Ideal (1985, Neoclassical Darkwave, Gothic Rock, Australia)
    Dead Can Dance - Within the Realm of a Dying Sun (1987, Neoclassical Darkwave, Australia)
    Dead Can Dance - The Serpent's Egg (1988, Neoclassical Darkwave, Australia)
    Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Ecophony Rinne (1986, Tribal Ambient, Japan)
    Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Symphonic Suite AKIRA (1988, Tribal Ambient, Japan)
    Hellebore - Il y a des jours (1985, Avant Prog, France)
    Miriodor - Rencontres (1986, Progressive Jazz/Rock, Canada)
    Miriodor - Miriodor (1988, Avant Prog/Jazz, Canada)
    News From Babel - Letters Home (1986, Avant Prog, England)
    Present - Le poison qui rend fou (1985, Rock in Opposition, Belgium)
    The Residents - God in Three Persons (1988, Exp./Avant Rock, US)
    Shub-Niggurath - Shub-Niggurath (1985, Zeuhl, Avant Prog, France_
    Shub-Niggurath - Les morts vont vite (1986, Zeuhl, Avant Prog, France)
    Swans - Children of God (1987, Exp./ Gothic, Rock, US)
    Swans - The Burning World (1989, Neofolk/ Gothic Ruck, US)
    David Sylvian - Secrets of the Beehive (1987, Art Pop, England)
    Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden (1988, Post/Art Rock, England)
    Thinking Plague - Moonsongs (1986, Avant Prog, US)
    Thinking Plague - In This Life (1989, Avant Prog, US)
    Univers Zéro - Heatwave (1986, Rock in Opposition, Belgium)
    Robert Wyatt - Old Rottenhat (1985, Canterbury Scene, England)
    John Zorn - Spillane (Avant-Garde, 1987, US)

Edited by Logan - May 14 2025 at 09:54

I think by essential, I mean essential when they were released. People were buying a lot of records, tapes, and CDs back then and waiting on pins and needles for next albums to come out. I don’t mean essential looking in the rearview mirror. Nowadays it’s a giant Spotify haystack.

Big fan of Discipline and many other 80s albums but not of any album listed here. As I don't like to vote for "other" categories, I'll give my vote to 90125, which at least beats the rest in my book.

Voted other as my faves from the decade aren’t listed.
King Crimson - Beat
Solaris - Marsbelis…
SBB - Memento Z…
Kultivator - Barndomens Stigar
Jean-Paul Prat - Masal
Plus a slew of others I can’t remember right this minute.

I am leaving out all the wonderful fusion from the decade, but I can name a number of ECM artists that I prefer over the ones listed in this poll. Egberto Gismonti and Eberhard Weber to name a few

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Progosopher wrote: Marillion, ABWH, and one not listed: Discipline by King Crimson. It's pretty ridiculous that none of the 80s KC albums are on there. I can kind of see leaving out ToaPP and Beat but not Discipline. That's a real headscratcher for me.

Not really a fan of the Red, Blue and Yellow era of King Crimson, but yeah, taking my personal likes out of the equation, if there is a list of best / most important Prog Rock albums from the 1980s, Discipline and Moving Pictures are the two albums that have to be on that list.

Progosopher wrote: Marillion, ABWH, and one not listed: Discipline by King Crimson.

It's pretty ridiculous that none of the 80s KC albums are on there. I can kind of see leaving out ToaPP and Beat but not Discipline. That's a real headscratcher for me.

Cristi wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Cristi wrote: A few songs on the album i find progressive. Most people seem to cite Cinema and Changes but I would add Hearts to that list which to me sounds kind of like a sequel to Awaken. Overall, it's proggy but not full blown prog (ditto the first Asia album). The fact that it's not full-on prog does not affect my listening enjoyment. I enjoy the song-writing, that's all .

I'm pretty sure that's all was Genesis.

The sequel that ends the franchise maybe.

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Cristi wrote: A few songs on the album i find progressive. Most people seem to cite Cinema and Changes but I would add Hearts to that list which to me sounds kind of like a sequel to Awaken. Overall, it's proggy but not full blown prog (ditto the first Asia album).

The fact that it's not full-on prog does not affect my listening enjoyment. I enjoy the song-writing, that's all .

Edited by Cristi - April 28 2025 at 13:35