Collaborators Top Prog Rock Albums 2009

Logan wrote: SaltyJon wrote: Yeah, the misheard lyrics aspect was one of the first things that kept me listening to Magma.  I mean, I still hear "Z's spooking them, Z smoked with them...etc." while listening to MDK.  "Soon, eh Gandalf, very soon". 'Robot and the boy". "My neighbours suffer whee, whee, whee, whee" is my favourite part. Those who still haven't seen this, really should: I actually heard many things quite the same, but after watching it, it now sounds very much like what they write. Except I hear" I wish to borrow Canada" in it.

Yeah, that's a great video.  It was one of my first introductions to the band.

It's a bummer not having ever heard the #1 album...the only Magma I have is MDK, which I like alot. But the cost and difficulty getting it in the U.S. sounds like more than I'm going to fight given how much great music is out there.

Well, according to someone, last year sucked in terms of prog releases...

I didn't vote for Magma, since I haven't even heard the album (though I am planning to). I am one of those who chose The Hazards of Love as their #1, and one of my top 5 isn't even featured here (it's an Italian album). Since nowadays I get most of my new albums as promos, I haven't yet had the opportunity to hear stuff like Osada Vida (which I'm going to get in the next few days), so my choices were somewhat limited.

Negoba wrote: Incident over ADHD and Crack the Skye is pretty silly, but they are PT and at the beginning of 2009 everyone thought they would get #1 no matter they put out so I guess we'll live with it.   I'm still unsure about getting Whirlwind. The samples I've heard haven't overwhelmed me...

GET IT

Logan wrote: rushfan4 wrote: harmonium.ro wrote: rushfan4 wrote: The sad thing in my mind is that if my readings of the forum are correct, they actually performed this music live in the 70's and even have a live recording of it from then, but it wasn't actually released as a studio release until 2009, so it would be kind of like being able to vote for the King Crimson remastered releases as the top album of 2009.  Part of the material was written a long time ago, but not all - I've heard E-Re two times live and none of the versions were as developed as the final, studio version. Anyway, the fact that part of the material was published previously does not make the case of E-Re similar to that of a remastered reissue, at all. What makes music a form of art is not the "what" but the "how", just like in any other of the arts, be it painting, literature, theatre, etc. The "how" on this album is new and fresh - actually both of Magma's studio albums from the 00s sound very little like the band used to sound in the 70s. BTW, if you ever want to check out Magma, I strongly suggest you try K.A, the previous album, then E-Re; I don't think you'd like their 70s music, but those albums have a very strong symphonic and fusion component, with a powerful modern sound, and with a less avantgardistic approach. The 70's Magma that I heard was musically decent.  I just find the made-up language and chants to be a deterrent for me.  I don't doubt that E-Re is probably very good at what it is.  I've seen enough 5-star reviews of it to see that it strikes the right chord for many.  Everyone who does enjoy it has my best wishes and cheers.  That is what we are here for, to find music that we enjoy.    Let's just say that I am disappointed that with all of the great new music that was composed and released in 2009, PA has chosen a cult album that was composed in the 70's and recorded in 2009 as its top album.  Just an opinion, which is apparently unpopular, but que sera sera.        The album was not composed in the 70's, it does adapt and incorporate themes from then.

Again this is just from what I have read in the forums, but it was my understanding that E-Re was performed live in the 70's and that there is a live recording of this musical piece available (possibly bootleg).  Is this incorrect?

rushfan4 wrote: J-Man wrote: Negoba wrote: Incident over ADHD and Crack the Skye is pretty silly, but they are PT and at the beginning of 2009 everyone thought they would get #1 no matter they put out so I guess we'll live with it.   I'm still unsure about getting Whirlwind. The samples I've heard haven't overwhelmed me...     GET IT Tread with caution.  I like the Whirlwind, so most other proggers will not.  It just is the way that it is.

I agree, but it's my favorite '09 album. I can't really recommend that one enough. I still prefer Bridge Across Forever (by a fair amount, actually), but they're both masterpieces IMO.

rushfan4 wrote:

Tread with caution.  I like the Whirlwind, so most other proggers will not.  It just is the way that it is.[/QUOTE]

I haven't heard The Whirlwind, but have the Transatlantic debut, and rather like it. There are worse things to listen to, though I wouldn't say I'm a fan in any way. I'd like to send you a few links to my reviews of albums you probably like, so you will see that I'm not such a bad person after all.

memowakeman wrote: First of all, a big THANK YOU to Ricochet for once again, making a great effort to compile this collabs list   Secondly, as I posted in the collabs zone when I gave my top, this year I did not really have a number 1 album, did not find that outstanding album that deserved the first place, but I was not  really interested in listening to 2009 releases either so I may have missed some really great albums.   Now that I see the final top 10, I realize that I have only listened to one of them (which did not like), I will listen to the Magma and Miriodor albums sooner or later, but I am not really interested in listening to the other ones, there are some bands I just don't like but may have released good albums, I don't know. But now I could say that the results does not make me happy at all, but well, all is matter of tastes.

Guillermo, I can't believe you haven't listened to the Delirium album... That should be right up your alley!

Raff wrote: rushfan4 wrote: Tread with caution.  I like the Whirlwind, so most other proggers will not.  It just is the way that it is. I haven't heard The Whirlwind, but have the Transatlantic debut, and rather like it. There are worse things to listen to, though I wouldn't say I'm a fan in any way. I'd like to send you a few links to my reviews of albums you probably like, so you will see that I'm not such a bad person after all.

Haha, methinks perhaps you're being a little tongue-in-cheek.  I'm pretty sure that, say, my top 30 "progressive rock"  (to use the umbrella term) albums would not be well-liked, or known at all, by most Proggers.  I don't really care about the majoity view anyway.  I don't care for Close to the Edge, but nothing wrong with other people liking it of course.  And so what that so few people would put  my particular favourites at the top of their lists (of course there are various people whom I share similar broad tastes with -- most of us can find that -- and a great many people who love various albums that I dig.

I wonder how many proggers here would rather hear a cosmic jazz/funk album, like me, than proggish AOR?

Transatlantic is not my cup of tea, but the band and that album certainly has a lot of admirers.  Number three on the collab list, number five on the 2009 top list, and a rating of 4.32 with 165 ratings is very popular.  I'd like to make a non-collab list, as I have in the past, to see which album would come top for them.  I'd put my money on Transatlantic beating Magma in that poll. Though E-Re, by comparison has a higher rating (4.50) it only has about half the ratings (85).

You know, Greg, the difference between me and many other people (not including you, of course) is that I rate an album according on whether I like it or not - nothing else. If it's proggish AOR and I like it, then I rate it highly, even if I am generally not crazy about that particular subgenre (or whatever you want to call it). Most prog fans think Foxtrot is a masterpiece, while I find it boring, and I'd rather listen to 90125 - even if most prog fans find it distasteful. Unfortunately, it seems I've got a mind of my own.