Quality vs Quantity

 I was looking at the 10 Ten Progressive Band thread going around now. 

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. 

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - August 17 2020 at 11:29

^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.

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.

You need quantity and consistent quality.

I prophesy disaster wrote: Grumpyprogfan wrote: A band with only one spectacular release?   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.

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. 

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.

First quality, of course, and then quantity too.

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.