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Prog: When The Debut's Their Greatest! |
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presdoug 
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Joined: January 24 2010 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 8874 |
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 Topic: Prog: When The Debut's Their Greatest!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 Edited by presdoug - June 25 2025 at 11:47 |
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verslibre
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Posted: June 25 2025 at 11:23 |
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 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). |
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Psychedelic Paul
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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 Edited by Psychedelic Paul - June 25 2025 at 11:42 |
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presdoug
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Posted: June 25 2025 at 11:46 |
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I don't know Audion too well; will check that.... |
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AFlowerKingCrimson
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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. |
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Saperlipopette!
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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 |
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richardh
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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. |
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Grumpyprogfan
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Posted: June 28 2025 at 06:00 |
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Sean Trane
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Posted: June 28 2025 at 06:36 |
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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... . |
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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 |
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BrufordFreak
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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 |
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Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
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Nogbad_The_Bad
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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 |
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Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
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Hrychu
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Posted: June 28 2025 at 16:14 |
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Taļ Phong - s/t (1975)
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AFlowerKingCrimson
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Posted: June 28 2025 at 16:30 |
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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). Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - June 28 2025 at 16:31 |
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Floydoid
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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. |
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"Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour
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presdoug
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Posted: Yesterday at 04:44 |
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Good point; having the debut as a favorite is not meant to dismiss the value of later releases... |
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Saperlipopette!
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Posted: Yesterday at 05:04 |
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Whoa... Filth is your favorite Swans-album? |
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Logan
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Posted: 23 hours 48 minutes ago 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. |
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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.
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moshkito
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Posted: 22 hours 60 minutes ago at 12:53 |
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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! Edited by moshkito - 22 hours 56 minutes ago at 12:57 |
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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 |
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moshkito
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Posted: 5 hours 48 minutes ago 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 Edited by moshkito - 5 hours 42 minutes ago at 06:11 |
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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 |
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presdoug wrote: