What is your number 1 prog band?

70-77 Genesis and Rush second best.

I'd have to say King Crimson is the quintessential prog band. I know this sounds extremely cliche for this site but they've basically covered every genre listed on this site (even Electronica if I could stretch it).

As far as my personal favorite, I'd say Genesis.

frankbostick wrote: King Crimson Pink Floyd VDGG Genesis Gentle Giant

Pick one.

Best not to think about it too much - for me, it's either Henry Cow or ELP.

dr wu23 wrote: It has been King Crimson since the very early days....

Likewise.

There can only be one.

This song spoke to me in my youth, with all of the concern about the Viet Nam war, environmental destruction etc.

Epitaph

Edited by cstack3 - May 29 2025 at 22:07

It has been King Crimson since the very early days....

Rush

It would be King Crimson if it were just their live stuff though... every live recording from them Ive heard is pure fire and superior to the studio recorded versions.

For me, bands are relational. I love eras of bands, but hardly never their entire catalog (unless, of course, like Hendrix, the Doors or Nick Drake, their careers were cut short tragically). My tastes change and the band goes in a different direction to those tastes, and we part ways.

So, I'm not sure I have a number one prog band. Tull for 13 albums over a dozen or so years, Genesis up until Hackett left, Yes up to Going for the One, etc.

My brain has become hard-wired in storing and cataloguing music, and I have my lists at, say, awesome prog that I spent time making and were based on earlier lists that I can draw on at any time. The more you list, the easier it gets. I have a good memory for such things, and a bad memory for more important things, such as I forgot my wife's birthday last year (it's tomorrow, but she'll be in California for her work. There's always next year, hopefully). Those lists focus much more on albums that I have been playing over the last few years. I don't just knee jerk react to say, polls, I try to consider all of the ones I know and like from the poll and compare, and then decide. And I often try to check out music I don't know from them (a reason I can like track-based polls, easier to check out the music). And I almost always vote after thinking through my posts even if I tend not to think them through as well as I would like.

That decision on what to vote for often depends on the day, my current mood, or which album I listened to last. I'm more likely to choose an album that both excited me and is fresher to my ears than one I have known for many years but haven't played recently. I don't have a favourite today yet, but later on I might. My fave du jour. I want some new musical passion now. I can say that in recent years bands like Boards of Canada, Swans, Portishead, Fishmans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Stereolab, Beach House, Natural Snow Buildings, Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Broadcast, Pram and artists like Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens, Weyes Blood, Lingua Ignota, Nick Cave (and the bad Seeds) have been very important. And my usual suspects for 20 or so years such as Air, VdGG, Art Zoyd, Magma, Can etc. are still getting played regularly.

Tomorrow it might be something different. Like I was trying to say to Pedro, and then took the idea for my signature, my favourite can be that which I am listening to right now or is freshest in my mind because that's what most excites me in the moment. That does not lessen all of the others I have appreciated and I can continue to think of and play the music in my head fondly since I often feel that I know them so well that I don't feel the need to hear them externally. Some music affects me more emotiuonally at different times, and those tend to be my top picks at a given time. Even just thinking of them, and specific music comes to mind (plays in my head) off the mentions, some will resonate with my mood and most current interests more. Like many here, I have listened to and enjoyed thousands of albums over the years, but I commonly still have particular favourites at different times (it might be the newest discovery that I am passionate about).

Edited by Logan - May 18 2025 at 11:08

Normally I would say Yes but lately I've been thinking that Rush may have taken over the number one spot for me.