Mr Mister, Toto and Stewart and Gaskin

I would like to suggest these bands for either the Crossover Prog or Prog Related sections. Take your pick!

Reasons:

Mr Mister: Accepting that their first two albums are pretty much pop, there was a change in direction after their hits with Kyrie and Broken Wings. Their next album "Go On" moved significantly into the area of progressive rock. In fact the album's lack of commercial success was blamed on this very fact. Arrangements, Composition and Lyrics are all very much in a progressive vein. Anyone who has listened to "Dust" will surely agree that this is at least a classic crossover prog track. Please note that Paul Mastelloto (King Crimson) started his career in this band, and their final two albums his technique and imagination really impress. The final album "Pull" was even more progressive, so much so that their record label refused to release it. The album was finally self released by the band in 2009 (20 years after it was recorded). All the tracks on this album are classic crossover prog or better. Anyone who has accepted Kevin Gilbert has a rightful place on this sight should certainly listen to "Pull" and "Go On" before rejecting on the basis of the earlier "pop" hits

Toto: While I accept no Toto album, in it's entirety, could be described as prog, as many tracks are more pop, r&b, and AOR than prog. However on every Toto album there are several classic prog masterpieces. Starting with the pure prog rock intro of the first album "Child's anthem" to stunning works of Prog rock like "Better World" "Home of The Brave" and "No End In Sight" on later albums there is enough Crossover prog here to keep the most dedicated Neo-Prog/Symphonic Proger satisfied. Listen to Instrumentals like "Jake To The Bone" and "Dave Gone Swimming" for stunning Jazz/Prog Fusion and then listen to the complex arrangements, stunning solos, excellent musicianship and moving Lyrics on tracks like "Hydra", "Carmen", "Mindfields", "Caught In The Balance", "Isolation", "Mr Friendly" and "Kingdom Of Desire". Many of these tracks come in at 6 to 7 minutes in length are at least prog related. If Todd Rundgren is in (and he definitely should be) then so should Toto.

Finally Stewart and Gaskin still seems to suffer from the sins of having produced pop hits in the early 80s. Will they ever be forgiven for this? We all know Dave Stewart from his work in Hatfield and The North, National Health, Kahn and Bruford. He is one of the classic progressive rock giants. Gaskin is recognised in this site for her work with Spyrogyra, but no one at Prog Archives can seem to forgive them for those pop hits. However if we look (listen) to their last three albums "Spin" and the "Big Idea" (in the 90s) and "Green and Blue" (released in 2009) we find that the vast majority of these albums are pure progressive rock. Hard to classify as "Canterbury" but most definitely crossover prog. Where to start with these albums? With the number of 6 minute plus progressive rock masterpieces here, I still can not believe they are still shunned by this site. If Jakko J. Jaskzyk (long time collaborator with Stewart and now with Fripp) is on this site (and he should be) then surely Stewart and Gaskin should be. For proof please listen to "Grey Skies", "Shadowland" and "Deep Underground" from "The Big Idea" (1988), or "Walking The Dog", "Trash Planet", "Star Blind (with Jimmy Hastings on flute) and the finale "The Curve Of The Earth" from "Spin"(1991) and then listen to recent classics from the latest "Blue and Green" cd like "The Sweetwater Sea" and "Blue and Green" which both come in over 9 minutes. Finally "New Jerusalem" from "The Big Idea" is without doubt a monstrous piece of classic Progressive rock, the best track that ELP never recorded.

If anyone thinks that any of these bands do not meet the rigorous qualifications needed to be classified as Crossover Prog ("It Bites" anyone?), please please at least consider them for the "Prog Related" grouping.

I'll happily put up the bands bios etc.

Brian Steffensen

I have Mp3s. Where do I post them?

Without offering any views on the suggestions, they are certainly well considered and well presented.

I could certainly go with Stewart/Gaskin.  The Big Idea and Green And Blue are quite good crossover type stuff.  Never really got too far into MM or Toto.

Toto were also discussed several times and the consensus is that they're not PA material.

That leaves Mr. Mister. Posting here some YouTube videos of their most progressive works should suffice for starters.

Easy Livin wrote: Without offering any views on the suggestions, they are certainly well considered and well presented.

very 10cc like this song




Edited by aginor - September 19 2011 at 11:19

just an opinion, but no to all them three from me.