20+ Minute Epics from the 1970's
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Forum Name: Prog Polls
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=135194
Printed Date: August 07 2025 at 03:46
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Topic: 20+ Minute Epics from the 1970's
Posted By: Floydoid
Subject: 20+ Minute Epics from the 1970's
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 09:03
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A selection of my personal 20+ minute epics from the 1970's here - two by each band. Which is your favourite? ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Replies:
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 09:10
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As long as Echoes is in a poll there's really not that much to think about:) -of course there are others as well. |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 09:20
| I picked other; Mister Ten Percent by Triumvirat |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 09:25
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Shine On ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Mormegil
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 09:37
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Other - Supper's Ready ------------- Welcome to the middle of the film. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 10:21
| Shine on You Crazy Diamond |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 10:46
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A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, of course! (Other 1970's epic) ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 10:54
I suspected that would come up sooner rather than later - as I hinted these artists are personal favourites of mine from my prog collection, but Genesis have never quite managed to press all the right buttons for me. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Mormegil wrote:Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 11:08
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Close to the Edge is less than 20 minutes. I'll choose other. Hatfield and the North "Mumps" |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 11:17
Well it's close enough for me, if you pardon the pun. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 11:32
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Yeah, I just wrote in the Echoes vs Tarkus poll how much Echoes means to me. Same thing here, most of these are very nice but they're not Echoes. ------------- 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: Hrychu
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 11:41
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Funny cuz the songs on the very list I find quite meh. Yeah, they're all classics but at this point in my prog rock journey, I've grown tired of "default" epics like those. Especially Close to the Edge and Tarkus. Whenever someone mentions these two, I'm like: "come on, give me something fresh to listen to. xD I need some deep cuts dammit". ------------- 
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Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 11:44
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Anyway, the epics Mumps by H&tN and Mr. 10% by Triumvirat that were mentioned here are some of my personal favorites. 👍 -------------
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Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 12:13
Hi, Just saw, last night, Dream Theater doing Echoes ... it was nice, to see the band going back to doing some far out encores like they used to ... I bet that is a Portnoy thing! While I love Echoes, Tarkus gets my vote. A Piano Concerto that too many folks here can not exactly hear ... as their ears are not desensitized from everything being way too electric ... turn on Rachel Flowers doing TARKUS on a piano ,and while Echoes is special .. Tarkus will be even more so. ------------- 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: Octopus II
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 12:13
Karn Evil 9 - ELP 
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Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 12:26
I have seen this on YouTube. It's quite impressive. ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 13:53
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6 of the mentioned epics are superb, but my favourite is Supper's Ready. ------------- 
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Posted By: Criswell
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 13:54
| KE9 trumps everything for me... |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 14:35
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ELP – "Karn Evil 9" OTHER: Tangerine Dream – "Monolight" OTHER: Todd Rundgren's Utopia – "Utopia Theme" Yes – "Close to the Edge" ELP – "Tarkus" ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Gnik Nosmirc
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 14:45
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Hatfield And The North's Mumps. ------------- Jazz Rock / Fusion · Canterbury · Psych / Space Rock · Krautrock · Prog Electronic · RIO / Avant-Prog · Post Rock |
Posted By: Gnik Nosmirc
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 14:46
Thanks for bringing up Utopia! ------------- Jazz Rock / Fusion · Canterbury · Psych / Space Rock · Krautrock · Prog Electronic · RIO / Avant-Prog · Post Rock |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 16:02
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Shine On. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 16:14
 ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 16:35
| Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning |
Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 16:51
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Technically, the aforementioned Utopia Theme is sub-15 minutes long so it doesn't meet the poll's criteria. ;p However, the epic that takes the entire B side of the album, The Ikon, has 30+ minute runtime. -------------
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Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 19:33
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Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 22:01
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CttE... although I love every track up there except for Revealing Science... ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 22:58
Anyway: The fact that Tarkus can be seen as a piano concerto, doesn't make it more special than Echoes. Not to me. If approaching Tarkus as a piano concerto, there's an endless supply of such concertos I much rather listen to. But there's really only one Echoes. I consider to among the true singular works within the realms of progressive rock. Nothing comes out of nowhere, but Echoes is one of those rare moments where I felt that I had never heard anything quite like it. Like King Crimson's debut album, many bands have taken inspiration - or used it as building blocks for their own, later creations. But (perhaps outside of Pink Floyd's own earlier work,) there aren't many works prior to Echoes, that points directly toward it. I could't say the same about Tarkus. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: July 07 2025 at 23:09
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Tarkus was equally inspirational as anything else in prog at the time. The overlooked side long (but not quite) classic is Aphrodites Child - And All The Seats Were Occupied. That was an insane work that overshadows most prog but no one talks about that. Doug is right to mention Triumvirat (ok it's in the job description lol) but Illusion On A Double Dimple is clearly a great example of a band taking inspiration from ELP and making it their own. Le Orme and Banco were also bands that were very inspired by ELP and Tarkus although they didn't try to do too much like that. ELP were untouchable. I am respectful of Echoes but it hasn't aged well imo. Tarkus still sounds amazing and the likes of Wobbler and Lars Fredrick Froislie still take cues from this piece years later. BTW calling Tarkus a piano concerto is toally wrong. It was a band piece that evolved from some piano works that Emerson had. Lake and Palmers contribution to making it something special is massive and should not be overlooked. I enjoy KE9 was well a lot and BSS is my favourite album by miles but it's nowhere near as perfect as Tarkus. Not a single wasted moment while KE9 does go round the mulberry bush a bit and kind of fizzles out. That last 5 minutes could have been better but it hits home better on live versions with the actual fireworks and Moog taking flight. On the album I would have liked a stronger climax. Still amazing and unique but I want the world and everything from ELP at this point. Just falls short but only by a tiny margin. Oh and BTW A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers also dwarfs everything on the list imo. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 00:02
| ^It was probably inspirational at the time. I know it was. But it did not come "from out of nowhere". It hasn't left a similar lasting impression - and does not keep inpsiring new generations of aspiring bands in the same way as KC's debut - or Echoes. I guess I was sidetracked by that concerto mention. But still, a classical piano concerto often evolved from some piano works a composer had lying about. it's not uncommon at all to hear reused themes from sonatas, string quartets etc... rearranged for an orchestra. The addition of a full orchestra can make it something special that is massive - and should not be overlooked:) |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 00:51
You're right. I got my track times mixed up. Therefore... OTHER: "The Ikon"! ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 01:37
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From my neck of the woods, the epic Stworzenia Świata Część Druga by Skaldowie is quite superb. I might be cheating by including it because it's just barely shorter than 20 minutes, clocking at 19:33. -------------
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Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 03:40
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Echoes. But can I say that it's better than CTTE or Tarkus? Maybe not, it's how it touches my mind. ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 03:41
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I would have put Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning and Song of Sheherazade in the list ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 03:45
Sheherazade yes.... Ashes isn't long enough? ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 03:45
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Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 08:16
Hi, I think the LIVE version at Carnegie Hall was much longer because of the Bass Solo in it. And it also felt like the band milked a few sections some. ------------- 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: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 08:23
| ^ That may be, but if I nominated the originally 2:44 long Grateful Dead song Dark Star, I would have specified that I a meant live version (and which one) |
Posted By: essexboyinwales
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 10:11
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I went with Echoes, but Supper’s Ready would certainly push it! ------------- Heaven is waiting but waiting is Hell |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 10:15
I was thinking of the 24-minute-long "Live at Carnegie Hall" version.
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 11:46
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There's a 30+ minutes live version of Ashes are Burning around on youtube. A great nomination in my view, Carnegie Hall version is the best. ------------- 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: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 08 2025 at 12:37
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I'm reminded of: Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused - 6:30 studio version; 29:19 live version on 'The Song Remains the Same'. Deep Purple -Space Truckin' - 4:35 studio version; 19:55 live version on 'Made in Japan'. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: Starfighter
Date Posted: July 09 2025 at 09:57
My picks would be Yellow Sunshine by Thirsty Moon and Grobschnitt's Solar Music |
Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: July 09 2025 at 10:24
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Four Moments (1975) and Windchase (1976) by Sebastian Hardie are imo hidden gems of 70s prog rock. They're both structured and arranged in such a way that I can't help but draw parallels to how 20+ minute epics by The Flower Kings would later be constructed. Definitely some of my personal faves. -------------
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: July 09 2025 at 23:39
Echoes didn't exactly ''come out of nowhere'' either , I would honestly reject that assertion. All music is influenced or coomes from something else. I like Echoes a lot but at this point in time I'm well and truly past it. It's fine but that all. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 10 2025 at 00:14
| ^Yes I wrote exactly that in the previous post. Whether you like Echoes or not isn't the point either. |
Posted By: A Crimson Mellotron
Date Posted: July 10 2025 at 00:56
| Oh, some really great ones here! 'Karn Evil 9' gets a vote from me, always amazes me. |
Posted By: Gnik Nosmirc
Date Posted: July 10 2025 at 11:54
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Eruption obviously, one of the best epic of all time. ------------- Jazz Rock / Fusion · Canterbury · Psych / Space Rock · Krautrock · Prog Electronic · RIO / Avant-Prog · Post Rock |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: July 10 2025 at 14:25
| Renaissance "Ashes are Burning" from Live at Carnegie Hall |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: July 10 2025 at 22:46
neither then is Tarkus |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 24 2025 at 02:51
| ^Of course not, but I never made a point out of my lack of enjoyment for Tarkus. |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 24 2025 at 13:35
Speaking personally it was Meddle that got me into prog back in 1972, so the whole album is special to me. Other than Echoes, I'd next pick CTTE and Eruption, all three of which I discovered just as I was just getting into prog back in '72. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: ThyroidGlands
Date Posted: July 24 2025 at 14:51
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CTTE ------------- ⋆la faulx⋆ |
Posted By: mellotronwave
Date Posted: July 24 2025 at 15:51
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Voted CTTE but I like all of them and lot of others ;-) ------------- "You must not talk to idiots, it instructs them" (Michel Audiard) " Je ne parle pas aux idiots , cela les instruit" |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: July 25 2025 at 05:50
I said I like Echoes but I think I was aiming at the comment that Echoes 'came from nowhere' but also that Tarkus is no longer an inspiration for modern musicians. That is an extremely debatable point on it's own. Echoes is very nice though. Hard not to like it, it's all very smoooth and serene and lovely. Ideal for getting off to sleep to 
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Posted By: King of Loss
Date Posted: July 25 2025 at 08:40
| Out of these, Close to the Edge. But Supper's Ready! |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 25 2025 at 08:58
| Weird that Supper's Ready isn't on the list. Oh well. I voted for CTTE even though I probably could have put in Gates of Delirium for other. |
Posted By: mellotronwave
Date Posted: July 25 2025 at 13:35
Leiwan is perhaps a veggie ? ------------- "You must not talk to idiots, it instructs them" (Michel Audiard) " Je ne parle pas aux idiots , cela les instruit" |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 25 2025 at 14:11
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^ I explained that in my original post. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: Hector Enrique
Date Posted: July 25 2025 at 21:11
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From the list: 1. Close to the Edge 2. Shine on You Crazy Diamond 3. Echoes/Karn Evil 9 --- And the mother of the lamb: Supper's Ready ------------- Héctor Enrique |