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The Ultimate Progressive Rock Top 50?
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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    Posted: July 08 2025 at 01:12
Compiled by Jerry Lucky for the 20th Century Rock & Roll Collector's Guide series, this is the Ultimate Prog Rock Top 50 of the 20th Century. Or is it? Are there any of these fifty listed prog artists you don't believe should be included in the Top 50, and if so, who would you replace them with?

01. Amon Duul II (Germany)
02. Ange (France)
03. Anglagard (Sweden)
04. Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (Italy)
05. Camel (England)
06. Can (Germany)
07. Caravan (England)
08. Cast (Mexico)
09. Deus Ex Machina (Italy)
10. Dream Theater (United States)
11. Echolyn (United States)
12. Eloy (Germany)
13. Emerson, Lake & Palmer (England)
14. The Enid (England)
15. The Flower Kings (Sweden)
16. Focus (Holland)
17. Peter Gabriel (England)
18. Genesis (England)
19. Gentle Giant (England)
20. Gong (Multi-National)
21. Grobschnitt (Germany)
22. Gryphon (England)
23. Happy the Man (United States)
24. Hawkwind (England)
25. Henry Cow (England)
26. IQ (England)
27. Jethro Tull (England)
28. Kansas (United States)
29. King Crimson (England)
30. Le Orme (Italy)
31. Magma (France)
32. Marillion (England)
33. The Moody Blues (England)
34. The Nice (England)
35. Mike Oldfield (England)
36. Omega (Hungary)
37. PFM (Italy)
38. Pink Floyd (England)
39. Procol Harum (England)
40. Renaissance (England)
41. Rush (Canada)
42. Soft Machine (England)
43. Spock's Beard (United States)
44. Strawbs (England)
45. Styx (United States)
46. Tangerine Dream (Germany)
47. UK (England)
48. Van der Graaf Generator (England)
49. Rick Wakeman (England)
50. Yes (England)
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Lewian View Drop Down
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Surprisingly this list isn't too bad, also for its attempt to cover a broad range of countries.

That said, how anyone could ever think Styx belong more in an "ultimate prog top 50" than Frank Zappa is beyond me. Also the list doesn't have 3 of my prog top 5 bands (Art Zoyd, Cardiacs, Talk Talk), and it doesn't have Kate Bush. Now that's just my personal taste, and I accept that the guy thinks differently... anyway... As a solo artists from already listed bands I'd choose Hammill over Wakeman.

Out of those in there I've never heard Cast (so can't argue they should be out but...) and I don't think The Enid should qualify, they're not the only ones, but I leave to other users to throw out more.


Edited by Lewian - July 08 2025 at 03:36
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Saperlipopette! View Drop Down
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Altohugh I don't know who he is, Jerry Lucky's personal taste shines through. Too much inessential Neo and first generation "Retro Symphonic". I would have kept about 20 of these. But if I try to look past my own tastes and preferences. I think these do not, almost objectively belong in a Ultimate Top 50 list:
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:


08. Cast (Mexico)
09. Deus Ex Machina (Italy)
11. Echolyn (United States)
14. The Enid (England)
15. The Flower Kings (Sweden)
23. Happy the Man (United States)
28. Kansas (United States)
36. Omega (Hungary)
43. Spock's Beard (United States)
45. Styx (United States)
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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I'd only drop four names from the list:- Cast; Deux Ex Machina; Henry Cow (obviously!) & Spock's Beard, and replace them with:- Barclay James Harvest; Pallas; Pendragon; & Supertramp!
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Grumpyprogfan View Drop Down
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Magma, Styx, The Flower Kings, and IQ could be removed and replaced with, The Aristocrats, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, and Thank You Scientist.
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

Magma, Styx, The Flower Kings, and IQ could be removed and replaced with, The Aristocrats, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, and Thank You Scientist.


Admittedly, I've never been a fan of Magma (no surprise there), but I think they have a well-deserved place in the Top 50.
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

Magma, Styx, The Flower Kings, and IQ could be removed and replaced with, The Aristocrats, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, and Thank You Scientist.


Admittedly, I've never been a fan of Magma (no surprise there), but I think they have a well-deserved place in the Top 50.


And Henry Cow dont?!!

Id add Univers Zero
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Saperlipopette! View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Admittedly, I've never been a fan of Magma (no surprise there), but I think they have a well-deserved place in the Top 50.
Yes I feel the same with Emerson Lake & Palmer, Marillion and Dream Theater. If my aim was to come up with an representative list where I at least attemped to set aside personal preferences, I couldn't really defend leaving them out. So that may be the replacement of the ten I threw out:).

Originally posted by Lewian Lewian wrote:

That said, how anyone could ever think Styx belong more in an "ultimate prog top 50" than Frank Zappa is beyond me.
Yes that's just wrong. For RIO/Avant I'd probably include Univers Zero over Art Zoyd. I love more music by the latter band, but I find the former more representative. I think I would have chosen Tortoise over Talk Talk for similar reasons. Kate Bush for sure. No one could replace her. But I'm guessing Jerry Lucky didn't take her into consideration at all (which I can understand somehow). Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, The Pentangle, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Curved Air and maybe Popol Vuh could have fulfilled a bigger picture. Those ten could have replaced the ten I threw out in my first post.

Edited when I noticed the original list was about 20th century prog only.

Edited by Saperlipopette! - July 08 2025 at 09:18
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No Curved Air or Pentangle?

Edited by Floydoid - July 08 2025 at 07:22
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Saperlipopette! View Drop Down
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^Love them both, more than the majority of acts actually featured on the list, but I can't say that I'm surprised. But it would be nice to have both more female vocals and prog folk included (I know only The Pentangle are considered folk)
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Shame Barclay James Harvest and Supertramp are not on that list.
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Hi,

It's a nice listing and features a lot of different things, and adding/subtracking one or another band, is the worst headache ever.

I might like to have this or that added, but it becomes a bit over the top, and the bad thing in my book, is how some folks in the jazz area get left behind. I'm not sure that considering Egberto Gismonti, or Terje Rypdal as "jazz artists" is fair or helps define their music legacy at all ... their work is a fusion of anything and everything, except kitchen utensils, though I seriously doubt that Nana Vasconcellos did not use a bunch of them on his, or Egberto's albums! And then, of course, we end up leaving behind The Trunk and His Coconuts! Either way we look at it, the list will always be incomplete.

Edited by moshkito - July 08 2025 at 08:11
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The very fact that PFM is missing and The Enid is listed tells me everything i need to know about this person's creds ;)

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Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

The very fact that PFM is missing and The Enid is listed tells me everything i need to know about this person's creds ;)




Edited by Cristi - July 08 2025 at 08:44
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^^Although PFM is listed I still largely agree:)
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Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

Magma, Styx, The Flower Kings, and IQ could be removed and replaced with, The Aristocrats, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, and Thank You Scientist.


The Aristocrats, Riverside, and Thank You Scientist didn't exist in the 20th century.
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Saperlipopette! View Drop Down
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^ Oh I missed that part (in the opening sentence:) too
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Originally posted by Saperlipopette! Saperlipopette! wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Admittedly, I've never been a fan of Magma (no surprise there), but I think they have a well-deserved place in the Top 50.
Yes I feel the same with Emerson Lake & Palmer, Marillion and Dream Theater. If my aim was to come up with an representative list where I at least attemped to set aside personal preferences, I couldn't really defend leaving them out. So that may be the replacement of the ten I threw out:).

Originally posted by Lewian Lewian wrote:

That said, how anyone could ever think Styx belong more in an "ultimate prog top 50" than Frank Zappa is beyond me.
Yes that's just wrong. For RIO/Avant I'd probably include Univers Zero over Art Zoyd. I love more music by the latter band, but I find the former more representative. I think I would have chosen GY!BE and Tortoise over Talk Talk for similar reasons. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard would have been included as they're probably the most essential Progressive/Psychedelic etc... recent band. Kate Bush for sure. No one could replace her. But I'm guessing Jerry Lucky didn't take her into consideration at all (which I can understand somehow). Radiohead has a place there obviously. Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and maybe Popol Vuh could have fulfilled a bigger picture. Those ten could have replaced the ten I threw out in my first post.

-Seems he let later Soft Machine and Gong represent all of fusion (and probably by "accident", as I'm guessing they're included for their earlier efforts). I don't really like them much myself, but Mahavishnu Orchestra seem a natural choice. Weather Report, Return to Forever, Santana and Nucleus would be strong contenders as well.


King Gizzard's first album didn't come out until 2012, bearing in mind this is a 20th Century Top 50.
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Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

The very fact that PFM is missing and The Enid is listed tells me everything i need to know about this person's creds ;)




The "Big 3" of Italian Prog are all listed and when I saw The Enid (one of my favourite prog bands) were listed in the Top 50 too, I knew this guy had great taste.   

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - July 08 2025 at 09:01
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Originally posted by Octopus II Octopus II wrote:

Shame Barclay James Harvest and Supertramp are not on that list.


My thoughts exactly.
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