Loudersound's Ten Essential 80s Prog albums

verslibre wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: I would add Hearts to that list which to me sounds kind of like a sequel to Awaken.

You have a better description there buddy?

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: I would add Hearts to that list which to me sounds kind of like a sequel to Awaken.

Cristi wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Cristi wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Well, there's no way I could vote for 90125 over ABWH. I suspect those who voted for 90125 and not ABWH have either not heard ABWH or are on this site by accident and are not real prog fans. :p I also voted for Misplaced Childhood and Moving Pictures. I disagree here. I for one could never get into ABWH. And I've tried a few times. Wasted time... I've always loved 90125. That's fine as long as you don't consider 90125 a prog album. A few songs on the album i find progressive.

Most people seem to cite Cinema and Changes but I would add Hearts to that list which to me sounds kind of like a sequel to Awaken. Overall, it's proggy but not full blown prog (ditto the first Asia album).

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - 14 hours 23 minutes ago at 13:29

Voted Other:

Solaris - Marsbéli krónikák
Present - Triskaïdékaphobie
Present - Le poison qui rend fou

If forced to vote for those listed, I would choose these:
Rush - Moving Pictures
Emerson Lake & Powell - same
Supertramp - Brother Where You Bound

Special mentions:
Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear
Social Tension - Macbethia
King Crimson - Discipline
IQ - Tales From the Lush Attic
Scott Walker - Climate of Hunter
This Heat - Deceit
Bacamarte - Depois do Fim
Het - Let's Het

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: I've been looking for a similar list for 90s prog but can't seem to find one. If anyone finds one let me know and I'll do a poll for that or you can do it yourself.

maybe something here will help.

I did not find one for Loudersound, but I did find this from Album of the Year which is yet another list based on charts, but then one could do Prog Archives or rateYournmusic:

https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/user-highest-rated/1990s/progressive-rock/

More like what you posted in terms of approach, I found this. I think this one might fit your bill fairly well (a reasonably comparable approach I have seen to the Nick Shilton of Loudersound list you posted) from John Cunningham at WhatCulture :

https://whatculture.com/music/10-essential-1990s-progressive-rock-music-albums

Number one is Hybris, which seems very sensible to me.

And here is Jordan Blum's article of Loudwire's 12 best progressive metal album of the 90s:

https://loudwire.com/best-prog-metal-albums-1990s/

It has Dream Theater, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory in top spot and Opeth's Still Life in second spot.

And here is list of the top 90s albums that I think that guy from loudersound might want to cover (what a year 1991 is):

Asia - Aqua (1991)
Rush - Roll the Bones (1991)
Yes - Union (1991)
Supertramp - Some Things Never Change (1997)
Marillion - Holidays in Eden (1991)
ELP - In the Hot Seat (1994)
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell (1994)
It Bites - Thank You and Goodnight (1991, live)
ABWH: An Evening of Yes Music Plus (1993, live)
World Trade - Euphoria (1995)

Cristi wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Well, there's no way I could vote for 90125 over ABWH. I suspect those who voted for 90125 and not ABWH have either not heard ABWH or are on this site by accident and are not real prog fans. :p I also voted for Misplaced Childhood and Moving Pictures. I disagree here. I for one could never get into ABWH. And I've tried a few times. Wasted time... I've always loved 90125.

That's fine as long as you don't consider 90125 a prog album.

BTW, I think that Loudersound should've listed Floyd's last great album Final Cut, instead of listing that Floyd-travesty Permanent Lapse of Reason (a Gilmour solo album)

richardh wrote: Big Sky wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: I still haven't heard Brother Where You Bound even though I own all of the 74-79 Supertramp albums on cd. Is Brother typically considered to be the best post Hodgson ST album? Barry Robinson ( Classic Album Review) rates Brother Where You Bound quite highly. I remember another Prog reviewer giving Brother good marks, although I can't remember exactly whom ( maybe Scott from The Prog Corner, but don't quote me on that). Apart from the longish track on the album I don't find Brother Where You Bound that interesting personally. A lot of the magic walked out the door with Hodgson. Rick Davies was certainly the anchor in the band but it would be a bit like The Beatles carrying on without Macca. IMO.

BWYB is the only post-Hodgson album (and it's a monster) just like Roger's Eye of the Storm is the only album worth having around.

BWYB is a (very) musically-brilliant and politically-angry album (Cold War & Reaganomics) much in the same mould that Floyd's Final Cut was. (the link is David Gilmour, who played on both). Lyrics-depth-wise, only Crime of the Century rivals with BWYB.
Both albums should also be viewed via the videos, for a better understanding of what is meant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N15Bos4O9KI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE_dA479MCs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvfoyXfcwVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-4hU43Wowk

TBH, I don't miss Roger at all in that album... and sadly, he's not really needed (Gorham & Gilmour played guitars) and Helliwell doesn't even try to sing like Hodgson at all.


Hodgson's ITEOTStorm is rather good as well, but the mood is depressing - whereas it's angers that dominate BWYB. The constant whining seems to echoes Roger's mood in FLW with Raining gain, Don't Leave Me Now, etc...).
Both albums are quite proggy, IMHO.


Soooo, BWYB is Davies' magnum opus, and as such, it's only even more of a shame that he f**ked up with the following Free As A Bird (only the album's name is good and its better track is ironically called An Awful Thing To Waste)











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Edited by Sean Trane - 20 hours 56 minutes ago at 06:56

Another I would add is the Dream Theater debut, When Dream And Day Unite😎

Big Sky wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: I voted for that Marillion too even though I prefer Clutching At Straws. Is it much better? I can't say for sure but I've listened to it more and it grew on me more. Clutching took quite a while for me to get into when I first heard it back in the early 90s.I think M.C. is more immediately accessible while C.A.S. is more of a slow burner. I still haven't heard Brother Where You Bound even though I own all of the 74-79 Supertramp albums on cd. Is Brother typically considered to be the best post Hodgson ST album? Barry Robinson ( Classic Album Review) rates Brother Where You Bound quite highly. I remember another Prog reviewer giving Brother good marks, although I can't remember exactly whom ( maybe Scott from The Prog Corner, but don't quote me on that).

I started having a serious issue with Barry when he put The Bends at the top of his best albums of the 90's list and then the last video I watched of his was the best of 1970 list which did nothing for me. Although he likes a certain amount of prog I don't think it's his favourite genre (he likes Yes a lot though and Pink Floyd). Apart from the longish track on the album I don't find Brother Where You Bound that interesting personally. A lot of the magic walked out the door with Hodgson. Rick Davies was certainly the anchor in the band but it would be a bit like The Beatles carrying on without Macca. IMO.



Edited by richardh - April 26 2025 at 22:33

I've been looking for a similar list for 90s prog but can't seem to find one. If anyone finds one let me know and I'll do a poll for that or you can do it yourself.

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - April 26 2025 at 17:04