Quality vs Quantity |
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Mirakaze
Special Collaborator Eclectic Prog & JR/F/Canterbury Teams Joined: December 17 2019 Location: (redacted) Status: Offline Points: 3613 |
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I find that quantity can make a difference in a negative sense as well. I chose not to include Yes in my top 10 list, because while I think they have some spectacular albums to their name, I'd also say that about half of their large discography is worthless, and I just cannot think of them as a favourite band of mine for that reason. Likewise, some Zappa albums are absolutely magnificent and hugely influential on my own musical adventures, but the sheer amount of crap that his library is saturated with in addition to those (some of which I find to be absolutely repugnant and offputting) usually makes me think twice about including him among my favourites as well.
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Frenetic Zetetic
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
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Interesting! My mind almost always defaults to "If there's a lot of it, most of it probably sucks", lol. Quality for me all the way. U.K. is the perfect example to me; they only needed that one killer record, and it's one of my favorites of any artist in progressive rock - and you never hear about them. Contrast with some of the bands on here with 15+ albums, where the pattern is the first four usually have their high points, a bunch of mid-tier rankings, a few 2+s, etc.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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richardh
Prog Reviewer Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Online Points: 26341 |
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I look for quality first. Consistency is so way overrated especially around here! Camel were probably the least inspired prog band of the seventies for me and would never make my top ten even though Mirage and the Snow Goose are undoubtedly great albums. I do like bands that take a chance and don't just peddle a 'sound'. Admittedly some bands I love were incredibly consistent but they had exceptional releases and also made some attempt to change. Rush are a great case , over a number of years they produced exceptional albums but managed consistency. I feel like I'm waffling a bit now though. I do love Big Big Train and they are probably the most consistent band of all time. When you analyse these things it just falls apart lol.
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HolyMoly
Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: April 01 2009 Location: Atlanta Status: Offline Points: 26133 |
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I fall more on the quantity side. Often large discographies have a quality trajectory of their own - different phases of development that make them interesting to study. Maybe there are a few misfires in there, but if they’re all pieces that fit together and make a cool whole, that has value for me. Of course some level of quality/consistency is required, but overall I respect bands more that can build a rich and interesting legacy than those who put out 1-2 great albums and then disappear.
Edited by HolyMoly - August 17 2020 at 21:39 |
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Dellinger
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First quality, of course, and then quantity too.
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Spacegod87
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I think that the more albums a band/artist has, it's a better chance that there will be less quality (depending on the band, but you have to be really damn good to have consistently decent albums one after the other) with each given album.
If you're a band who only has 1 or 2 albums, and they're bangers, then they have left on a high. Kind of like a TV show that knows when to stop at season 3 or 4. But then again, if there are even a few songs from a mountain of sub-par material that are exceptionally good, that elevates a band for me. So long story short...I don't know. |
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Manuel
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When a band has been around for a long time, is quite obvious that they will have an extensive catalog. That also implies that some albums will have a better quality music than others, you can see that not only in the prog universe, but in other genres also. Historically, most bands reach a certain era of high creativity and inventiveness, and then they tend to go into a hit or miss period. That does not mean the music will not be good, but it will not match their high quality period.
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Man With Hat
Collaborator Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team Joined: March 12 2005 Location: Neurotica Status: Offline Points: 166178 |
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Yeah...this is where I am as well. As much as love, say Hatfield & The North's two albums, I would never put them in my top 10 bands, just because there are other bands that produced similar ranked material, just more of it. More of high quality will always be ranked higher than less of high quality in my mind. I also feel I must count a band's entire discography, so if they have say 3 great albums out of 12, they will rank much lower overall, even if I love those three albums dearly.
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Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
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Sacro_Porgo
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Quality. Quantity makes things extra great, but look at all the greatest Italian prog bands and compare how many of them only put out one or two albums (often only one during their original heyday) to how many managed to stick around long enough to assemble something of a full catalogue.
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Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :)
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AFlowerKingCrimson
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Anglagard is another one that comes to mind.
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Nogbad_The_Bad
Forum & Site Admin Group RIO/Avant/Zeuhl & Eclectic Team Joined: March 16 2007 Location: Boston Status: Offline Points: 20296 |
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My point was only one release however spectacular not more than one release of which one is spectacular, I'm thinking more of Weidorje, Dun, Hermann Szobel and the like. I personally wouldn't consider any of those for a top 10 best of all time list on the basis of only releasing one album.
All Traps On Earth & Lost Crowns are likely to release follow up albums so don't really count. Dun & Szobel are great examples as would be Weidorje.
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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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Jeffro
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Quality is in the eye, err ear, of the beholder. My quality may be someone else trash so I don't have a problem with quantity.
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Hercules
Prog Reviewer Joined: June 14 2007 Location: Near York UK Status: Offline Points: 7024 |
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You need quantity and consistent quality.
So my top 10 bands (prog and non-prog*) 1) Camel 2) Runrig* 3) IQ 4) Horslips 5) Mostly Autumn 6) Wolfstone* 7 Strawbs 8) Marillion 9) Genesis 10) Riverside As you can see, I'm a huge fan of Celtic Rock! |
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Awesoreno
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This is why I like Zappa. For the few recordings or albums of his I can't really get behind, there's a treasure trove more that I do enjoy, many of which were released after his death. Plus he's an interesting character and much of his stuff grew on me. I'm sure eventually there will be very little of his that I don't enjoy.
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Progosopher
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I have both my top album and top bands, but they are not always the same. Don't get too caught up in lists and ratings, though, yours or those of others. The important thing is that you enjoy the music, and that you define what 'enjoyment' means to you. For some it is music that is intellectually stimulating to them, while to others it is the emotional charge they feel from listening. Use ratings and reviews as guides only - you do not have to like or dislike anything simply because of others.
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The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"
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I prophesy disaster
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Dün - Eros Hermann Szobel - Szobel are two that come to mind. EDIT: All Traps On Earth - A Drop Of Light Lost Crowns - Every Night Something Happens are another two that come to mind. Edited by I prophesy disaster - August 17 2020 at 12:23 |
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Grumpyprogfan
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^A band with only one spectacular release? First UK album. Sure UK continued without Holdsworth and Bruford but weren't the same. Nova Collective, a project with players from other bands, did a one off album that is killer.
So for me, quality over quantity. |
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Nogbad_The_Bad
Forum & Site Admin Group RIO/Avant/Zeuhl & Eclectic Team Joined: March 16 2007 Location: Boston Status: Offline Points: 20296 |
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Depends on the band, you look at Magma or Tangerine Dream and they have many albums of good to great quality but also some lesser albums. Whereas Henry Cow essentially have 4 studio albums and Hatfield and The North have two but those 6 are of such brilliance they can't be ignored. However I would have trouble picking a band with only one release however spectacular.
I say go with your gut, if it feels like they are great to you then that's what they are, don't apply arbitrary rules about number of releases.
Edited by Nogbad_The_Bad - August 17 2020 at 11:37 |
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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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Psychedelic Paul
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Ideally, I'm looking for both Quantity AND Quality, and my Top 10 prog bands have all recorded at least 10 albums each, and with the exception of Mostly Autumn, they've all been around for fifty years or more, so I'm looking for Longevity too.
1. Renaissance 2. Camel 3. Pink Floyd 4. Yes 5. Santana 6. Mostly Autumn 7. The Moody Blues 8. Barclay James Harvest 9. Genesis 10. Caravan Edited by Psychedelic Paul - August 17 2020 at 11:29 |
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Lewian
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I'd say a certain minimum quantity is required to qualify. Talk Talk are in my personal big 6. They have five albums of which I don't like the first one a lot, and the second one is pretty good but not at top level. Numbers 3, 4, 5 are in my top, dunno, 50? albums of all time, and that's good enough. Based on two stellar albums I wouldn't allow a band in. (On the other hand, Art Zoyd, another one of my heroes, have a catalogue that is bigger than that of all original RIO bands combined, which I also count in their favour.) Ultimately I'd compare bands on their best 3-5 albums, with an added bonus if bands have more than 5 at that level. So-so material on top of that wouldn't influence my decision in either direction. |
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