25 tracks from 25 generally less classic bands

I chose 25 quite well-known less classic bands included in PA as Prog, and then used Rate Your Music's top ranked song for each band (that ranking is based on an amalgamation of ratings and a particular algorithm).

This was harder to pair down as I thought quite few more, I generally wanted more than just a few albums (like more than three), to get some variety, and to go with pretty well-known and/or popular names. Leaving out, say, Anglagard was hard. I wanted Death, would have liked black midi, and quite a few others.

Please list and vote for up to five of these tracks (only one vote per song).

I should have included the album list in the OP before as that can help with response.

Anekdoten - Karelia
Arena - The Hanging Tree
Art Zoyd - La ville
Big Big Train - The Underfall Yard
Cardiacs - Dirty Boy
Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons
The Flower Kings - World of Adventures
Haken - Cockroach King
IQ - Sacred Sound
Kayo Dot - The Manifold Curiosity
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - The Dripping Tap
Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear
Motorpsycho - Sinful, Wind-Borne
Opeth - Ghost of Perdition
Pain of Salvation - A Trace of Blood
Pendragon - Paintbox
Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize
Present - Promenade au fond d'un canal
Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Riverside - Second Life Syndrome
Spock's Beard - At the End of the Day
Swans - Helpless Child
Thinking Plague - Lycanthrope
Tool - Parabola
Univers Zero - Jack the Ripper

ThyroidGlands wrote: Amazing poll! Dirty Boy Lycanthrope Jack the Ripper Karelia Promenade...

Thanks, and I love your choices. :)

I'll go with:
Art Zoyd - La ville
Cardiacs - Dirty Boy
Swans - Helpless Child
Thinking Plague - Lycanthrope
Univers Zero - Jack the Ripper

Incidentally, I have considered both Dirty Boy and Helpless Child to be like my signature songs at different times.

Five clear favorites this time:

Art Zoyd - La ville
Univers Zero - Jack the Ripper
Kayo Dot - The Manifold Curiosity
Swans - Helpless Child
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - The Dripping Tap

Also like

Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Present - Promenade au fond d'un canal
Anekdoten - Karelia
Thinking Plague - Lycanthrope
Tool - Parabola
Opeth - Ghost of Perdition

The RIO bands plus Cardiacs...and Marillion!

Big Big Train Under fall Yard. One of my very favorite epics. Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree would follow BBT.

Lewian wrote: La Ville (for once Metropolis comes up, very strong album, rarely mentioned), Dirty Boy, Paranoid Android, Helpless Child, Lycanthrope, Jack the Ripper. Oops, that's six. I kick out Jack the Ripper as this currently has most votes.

I have not listened much to Metropolis so did did not think to specify. It's actually the "La Ville" off Génération sans futur (the almost 17 minute track), and the title track off that album (which might well have been my Art Zoyd choice) is the number two ranked track there. Génération sans futur, Le mariage du ciel et de l'enfer (adore the Sortie[s] 134) and Faust (Gates of Darkness[es] is awesome) for some reason have been the three Art Zoyd albums that I have returned to the most. Tangentially, at rateyourmusic, the ratings for the albums Génération sans futur is 3.64, for Le mariage 3.63, for Faust 3.16, and for Metropolis 3.08.

So many great songs but decided on:
Karelia
A Change Of Seasons
World Of Adventures
Anesthesize
Lycanthrope

The Anekdoten track was easy as they are a top three band. DT's long piece was the first song I heard from them other than Pull Me Under. I just love this track and can still picture myself flying(as usual) in my Trans Am with this cranked.
World Of Adventures is not one I'd usually pick but there's something about it that makes me content. Weird. The PT track didn't click with me until I saw them play it live.

Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear
Pain of Salvation - A Trace of Blood
Anekdoten - Karelia
Riverside - Second Life Syndrome

^ I have really enjoyed reading some of the threads at PA complaining about Radiohead as Prog or fit for the archives. Those kind of discussions used to really liven up the place. I like the Krautrock/Kosmische influence in various Radiohead (and it is quite eclectic). It's a very exciting band to me and unlike some who vilify Pablo Honey, I think it was making great music from the start. Much as Radiohead has a reputation for being loved at RateYourMusic -- Lorenzo, for instance, was highly critical of the RYM charts having Ok Computer at the top (it's Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly now) -- Pablo Honey has a 2.72 rating. I love its hit Creep and find Blow Out to be excellent.

Of my favourites in the list from thos acts I know best, these would or might have been my track choices:

Art Zoyd - Generation sans futur (RYM's second highest ranked track)
Cardiacs - Dirty Boy (same)
Kayo Dot - Calonyction Girl
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Crumbling Castle
Motorpsycho (& Ståle Storløkken) - La Lethe
Present - Promenade au fond d'un canal (same)
Radiohead - Exit Music (For A Film)
Swans - Helpless Child (same)
Thinking Plague - Lycanthrope (same)

EDIT: Speaking of Helpless Child, I love this.



They became a meme. And I love the BTS (aka Bring The Sun) shirts. "Bring the Sun / Toussaint l’ouverture" is another of my very favourite Swans tracks.


Edited by Logan - 7 hours 31 minutes ago at 10:43