All-Time Top 10 Progressive Rock Bands
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Top 10s and lists
Forum Description: List all your favourites here
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=123802
Printed Date: July 17 2025 at 21:46
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Topic: All-Time Top 10 Progressive Rock Bands
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Subject: All-Time Top 10 Progressive Rock Bands
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 11:43
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Here's your chance to help determine the Top 10 Progressive Rock bands of all time. Simply list your Top 10 Prog-Rock bands below and then I'll assign points to your listings as follows:- 1st band - 30 points 2nd band - 20 points 3rd band - 15 points 4th band - 12 points 5th band - 10 points 6th band - 6 points 7th band - 5 points 8th band - 4 points 9th band - 3 points 10th band - 2 points Remember, this Top 10 poll is for *bands* only - I'll have a separate poll coming up soon for solo artists.  Here's my Top 10 to get the poll underway:- 1. Renaissance (30 points) 2. Camel (20 points) 3. Pink Floyd (15 points) 4. Yes (12 points) 5. Santana (10 points) 6. Mostly Autumn (6 points) 7. The Moody Blues (5 points) 8. Barclay James Harvest (4 points) 9. Genesis (3 points) 10. Caravan (2 points)  Good luck and may the best band win!
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Replies:
Posted By: Deadwing
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 11:57
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Pink Floyd Genesis Porcupine Tree Supertramp Rush Riverside Ozric Tentacles Big big train Leprous Pendragon |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 12:05
I just remembered: I can include Santana in my Top 10 list too, seeing as they're included in the Jazz-Rock/Fusion section of ProgArchives. 
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 12:18
I can't do this, I started making a list and gave up, i just can't do justice to a lot of bands i love 
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 12:21
Maybe I should have made it a Top 20 instead.
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Cristi wrote:Posted By: FatherChristmas
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 12:36
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1. Genesis 2. Pink Floyd 3. Rush 4. Marillion 5. IQ 6. Caravan 7. Yes 8. KC 9. England 10. Peter Gabriel ------------- "Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence" - Robert Fripp "I am an anti-Christ" - Johnny Rotten |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 12:44
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^ Just a reminder that this poll is for bands only, if you want to change your vote for Peter Gabriel. I'll have a separate poll for solo prog artists coming up soon.
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Posted By: Droxford
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 12:45
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1 ELP 2 Soft Machine 3 Yes 4 KC 5 Pink Floyd 6 Genesis 7 Gentle Giant 8 Focus 9 Caravan 10 Greenslade |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 13:17
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1. Jethro Tull 2. Pink Floyd 3. Yes 4. Moody Blues 5. King Crimson 6. ELP 7. Traffic 8. Genesis 9. Frank Zappa 10. Procol Harum ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 13:48
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1. Wigwam 2. Pink Floyd 3. King Crimson 4. Jethro Tull 5. Family 6. Faust 7. Magma 8. Can 9. Traffic 10. Yes
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 13:58
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^ Wigwam? Are they a Finnish band?
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Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 14:05
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Henry Cow Univers Zero King Crimson Thinking Plague Cardiacs Hatfield & The North Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Pink Floyd Radiohead Magma ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 14:44
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1. Magma 2. Genesis 3. Pat Metheny (Group) 4. Lonnie Liston Smith 5. Yes 6. Renaissance 7. Focus 8. Pink Floyd 9. Area 10. Gentle Giant 11. Caravan 12. King Crimson 13. Big Big Train 14. After Crying 15. Michal Urbaniak 16. Chick Corea 17. Don Ellis Orchestra 18. Midas Fall 19. Ulver 20. Anathema
------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 14:46
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King Crimson Soft Machine Van Der Graaf Generator Magma Henry Cow Univers Zero Present Jethro Tull Gentle Giant Yugen ------------- 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. |
Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 16:09
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Roughly approximated in a hurry at midnight: 1. Genesis 2. The Mothers Of Invention 3. Soft Machine 4. King Crimson 5. Brand X 6. Henry Cow 7. National Health 8. Emerson, Lake & Palmer 9. Area 10. Gentle Giant
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Posted By: iluvmarillion
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 18:26
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1. Genesis 2. Pink Floyd 3. Yes 4. King Crimson 5. Emerson, Lake & Palmer 6. Marillion 7. Porcupine Tree 8. The Flower Kings 9. Gentle Giant 10. Big Big Train
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 18:39
| Personal favorites or bands we think are the most important in prog? |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 20:15
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I can very easily identify my top 5, with only the top 2 in clear order, after that I don't really know how to go. I might just try it, I guess: 1. Pink Floyd. 2. Yes. 3. Rick Wakeman. 4. Mike Oldfield. 5. Dream Theater. 6. King Crimson. 7. Genesis. 8. Jethro Tull. 9. Renaissance. 10. Van Der Graaf Generator. |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 23:50
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 02:19
Personal favourites.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 02:23
Don't forget this Top 10 poll is only for bands. You can include Rick Wakeman & Mike Oldfield in my upcoming solo artists poll.
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Posted By: Spacegod87
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 03:16
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1. Genesis 2. Cardiacs 3. Gentle Giant 4. Yes 5. Jethro Tull 6. Ekseption 7. Renaissance 8. VDGG 9. ELP 10. Caravan
------------- Levitating downwards, atomic feedback scream. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 04:21
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This is how the Top 10 is shaping up so far after the first thirteen rounds of voting:- 1. Genesis (175 points) 2. Pink Floyd (174 points) 3. King Crimson (142 points) 4. Yes (111 points) 5. Jethro Tull (62 points) 6. Soft Machine (55 points) 7. ELP (53 points) 8. Magma (49 points) 9. Henry Cow (46 points) 10. Renaissance (40 points) While Genesis & Pink Floyd battle it out for first place, Rush are trailing way behind on just 25 points, surprisingly.
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Posted By: Deadwing
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 07:13
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Woah, wasn't expecting Rush to be so much behind |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 07:16
Me neither, and I was really surprised to find I was the only one who voted for Camel in their Top 10.  Who would have guessed that Henry Cow would be more highly rated here than Rush!??
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Posted By: Earl of Mar
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 07:23
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Genesis Rush Yes Renaissance Pink Floyd ELP Marillion. Tull Supertramp Kansas |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 08:02
Well you've still got relatively few voters, it's also a result of the heavy weighting you give 1st place versus other positions, my 30 points for HC plus a 5th & 6th counts high versus a number of people putting Rush in their lower rankings ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Gentle and Giant
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 08:12
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1. King Crimson 2. Gentle Giant 3. Van Der Graaf Generator 4. Genesis 5. Rush 6. Hawkwind 7. Jethro Tull 8. Camel 7. Caravan 8. Porcupine Tree 9. Premiata Forneria Marconi 10. ELP ------------- Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 08:32
It looks like Earl of Mar and Gentle and Giant have just helped to even up the score for Rush. You may already know this, but the reason I chose that particular points system for a Top 10 is because all of the numbers divide neatly into sixty.
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 10:27
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1. Yes 2. Rush 3. Genesis 4. King Crimson 5. Kansas 6. Camel 7. Pink Floyd 8. Porcupine Tree 9. Marillion 10. The Flower Kings Note: I like ELP, VDGG and Gentle Giant quite a bit but they didn't quite crack my top ten. Spock's Beard just missed my top ten also. I'm not familiar with most of the post Neal era so there's that. Also, I'm not familiar enough with as much IQ as I should be so they miss the top ten spot also. All are worthy contenders. The same with Big Big train and Magma who I only heard a couple of albums by.
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Posted By: Larkstongue41
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 10:32
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1. King Crimson 2. Can 3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor 4. Tortoise 5. Penguin Cafe Orchestra 6. Swans 7. Talk Talk 8. Popol Vuh 9. Magma 10. Radiohead ------------- "Larks' tongues. Wrens' livers. Chaffinch brains. Jaguars' earlobes. Wolf nipple chips. Get 'em while they're hot. They're lovely. Dromedary pretzels, only half a denar." |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 11:27
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Top 10 update after the latest four rounds of voting:- 1. Genesis (232 points) 2. King Crimson (214 points) 3. Pink Floyd (189 points) 4. Yes (156 points) 5. Rush (75 points) 6. Jethro Tull (71 points) 7. ELP (59 points) 8. Soft Machine (55 points) 9. Magma (52 points) 9. Renaissance (52 points) 11. Henry Cow (46 points) Rush have rushed straight into the Top 10 at number 5. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 11:52
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1. Yes 2. Genesis 3. Rush 4. Lifesigns 5. Pendragon 6. ELP 7. Tinyfish 8. I Am The Manic Whale 9. Opeth 10. The Tangent
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 11:55
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Top 10 update with Chopper's votes added:- 1. Genesis (252 points) 2. King Crimson (214 points) 3. Pink Floyd (189 points) 4. Yes (186 points) 5. Rush (90 points) 6. Jethro Tull (71 points) 7. ELP (65 points) 8. Soft Machine (55 points) 9. Magma (52 points) 9. Renaissance (52 points) 11. Henry Cow (46 points) |
Posted By: Olape
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 12:33
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1) Pink Floyd 2) Gentle Giant 3) King Crimson 4) Los Jaivas 5) Banco del Mutuo Soccorso 6) Porcupine Tree / Steven Wilson 7) Van der Graaf Generator 8) Anekdoten 9) Genesis 10) Eloy 11) Yes ------------- 
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 13:12
Oh well, just to make it even more difficult... |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 13:14
That's okay. I already added the points on for the eight bands in your Top 10.
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Posted By: Cactus Choir
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 16:03
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1. ELP 2. Yes 3. The Nice 4. Focus 5. Greenslade 6. Colosseum 7. Jethro Tull 8. Atomic Rooster 9. King Crimson 10. Pink Floyd I was very tempted to put Refugee in but in the end found it hard to include a band that made only one studio album, no matter how good it is. ------------- "And now...on the drums...Mick Underwooooooooood!!!" "He's up the pub" |
Posted By: tempest_77
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 16:57
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1. Pink Floyd 2. Yes 3. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 4. Big Big Train 5. The Dear Hunter 6. Genesis 7. Jethro Tull 8. King Crimson 9. The Mars Volta 10. Radiohead ------------- I use they/them pronouns (feel free to ask me about this!) Check out my music on https://tempestsounds.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - my bandcamp ! |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 17:12
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Top 10 update with Olape & Cactus Choir & Tempest77's votes added:- 1. Genesis (261 points) 2. Pink Floyd (251 points) 3. King Crimson (236 points) 4. Yes (226 points) 5. ELP (95 points) 6. Rush (90 points) 7. Jethro Tull (81 points) 8. Gentle Giant (68 points) 9. Soft Machine (55 points) 10. Magma (52 points) 10. Renaissance (52 points) 12. Henry Cow (46 points) It's a new entry in the Top 10 for Gentle Giant. |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 17:42
| I'm quite surprised ELP is doing so well. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 17:46
I just bought ELP's debut album on CD again this week, and it sounds a lot better the second time around. I gave my original copy away years ago, and then wished I hadn't. The Top 4 are so far ahead in the poll now that I doubt if ELP is going to make any more headway in the Top 10, but it's good to see them at #5 now after getting off to a slow start. Rush was another slow burner in the poll, but they were in no rush and they're now up there with the leaders.
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Posted By: efoman2
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 18:01
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1. Pink Floyd 2. Marillion 3. Yes 4. Porcupine Tree 5. Genesis 6. Rush 7. Jethro Tull 8. Camel 9. Kansas 10. Supertramp |
Posted By: Argo2112
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 18:04
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1. Yes 2. Rush 3. Genesis 4. Pink Floyd 5. King Crimson 6. Renaissance 7. Porcupine tree 8. Marillion 9. ELP 10.Camel |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 20:33
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Top 10 update with Efoman2 & Argo2112's votes added:- 1. Pink Floyd (293 points) 2. Genesis (286 points) 3. Yes (271 points) 4. King Crimson (236 points) 5. Rush (116 points) 6. ELP (98 points) 7. Jethro Tull (86 points) 8. Gentle Giant (68 points) 9. Renaissance (58 points) 10. Soft Machine (55 points) 11. Magma (52 points) 12. Porcupine Tree (51 points) 13. Marillion (50 points) 14. Henry Cow (46 points) Porcupine Tree & Marillion are just bubbling under the Top 10, and Pink Floyd have now taken the lead for the first time after the latest two rounds of voting. |
Posted By: mathman0806
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 20:48
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1. Pink Floyd 2. Rush 3. Yes 4. Porcupine Tree 5. Marillion 6. King Crimson 7. Magma 8. ELP 9. Genesis 10. Tool |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 16 2020 at 21:04
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Top 10 update with Mathman0806's votes added:- 1. Pink Floyd (323 points) 2. Genesis (289 points) 3. Yes (286 points) 4. King Crimson (242 points) 5. Rush (136 points) 6. ELP (102 points) 7. Jethro Tull (86 points) 8. Gentle Giant (68 points) 9. Porcupine Tree (63 points) 10. Marillion (60 points) 11. Renaissance (58 points) 12. Magma (57 points) 13. Soft Machine (55 points) 14. Henry Cow (46 points) Porcupine Tree & Marillion both make their first entry into the Top 10. |
Posted By: Gentle and Giant
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 07:37
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I'm quite surprised Van Der Graaf Generator aren't higher. ------------- Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 08:03
They're not doing too bad. Van der Graaf Generator are currently on 41 points, so they're just bubbling under. I'm surprised that Henry Cow currently have more points than VDGG though. They just need a small spark of energy (and points) to make their way into the Top 10.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 08:12
I am as well, but then they are a bit Marmite to a lot of people.
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Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 08:15
And why is that important? ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 08:17
Van der Graaf Generator are a Marmite band for me too. I bought their second and third 1970 albums after they were recommended to me here, but there's not much else that appeals to me about VDGG. Their acclaimed "Pawn Hearts" album is almost unlistenable to my ears.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 08:21
Well, it's important to me, even if it's important to no one else.
The points from my Top 5 polls all divide into the number 12 and the points from my Top 7 polls all divide into the number 24. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 09:18
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So why is it important to you? ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 09:20
Because I'm obsessed with lists and numbers. You may have noticed.
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Posted By: wiz_d_kidd
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 09:44
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King Crimson Yes Pink Floyd The Psychedelic Ensemble ELP Tangerine Dream Gong Jean Michel Jarre Ozric Tentacles UK |
Posted By: bender99
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 10:03
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1 Yes 2 Genesis 3 IQ 4 Pink Floyd 5 Spocks Beard 6 Beardfish 7 ELP 8 Transatlantic 9 Arena 10 Jethro Tull
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Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 11:08
I haven't posted my list yet. Van der Graaf Generator will get an extra 30 points when I do. ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 11:14
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Looking through the lists so far, no one has placed Van der Graaf Generator at the top of their list. ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 11:20
Then you'll be the one to give Van der Graaf Generator that much-needed spark of energy and power them up into the Top 10.
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 11:24
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Can Art Zoyd King Crimson Talk Talk Cardiacs Van der Graaf Generator Pink FloydCamel Amon Düül II Swans
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Posted By: Gentle and Giant
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 13:46
Paul, I'm surprised. That album is like nectar to my ears; but hey ho, each to their own. ------------- Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 15:00
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Top 10 update after the latest three rounds of voting:- 1. Pink Floyd (355 points) 2. Yes (336 points) 3. Genesis (309 points) 4. King Crimson (287 points) 5. Rush (136 points) 6. ELP (117 points) 7. Jethro Tull (88 points) 8. Gentle Giant (68 points) 9. Porcupine Tree (63 points) 10. Marillion (60 points) 11. Renaissance (58 points) 12. Magma (57 points) 13. Soft Machine (55 points) 14. Can (54 points) 15. Van der Graaf Generator (47 points) 16. Henry Cow (46 points) Van der Graaf Generator & Can make their first appearance. The Cardiacs & IQ are just bubbling under with 40 points each. There's no movement for Rush after this latest update, but they're in no rush. |
Posted By: emisan
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 15:39
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1. The Tangent 2. Transatlantic 3. Neal Morse 4. Spock's Beard 5. Yes 6. Genesis 7. Wobbler 8. Pink Floyd 9. Logos 10. Big Big Train |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 16:13
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Top 10 update with Emisan's votes added:- 1. Pink Floyd (360 points) 2. Yes (348 points) 3. Genesis (319 points) 4. King Crimson (287 points) 5. Rush (136 points) 6. ELP (117 points) 7. Jethro Tull (88 points) 8. Gentle Giant (68 points) 9. Porcupine Tree (63 points) 10. Marillion (60 points) 11. Renaissance (58 points) 12. Magma (57 points) 13. Soft Machine (55 points) 14. Can (54 points) 15. Van der Graaf Generator (47 points) 16. Henry Cow (46 points) |
Posted By: Progmind
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 16:57
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Genesis Cardiacs King Crimson Caravan Camel Jethro Tull Gentle Giant Rush Soft Machine Porcupine Tree |
Posted By: Sacro_Porgo
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 17:01
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I definitely can't do this for sure, but I feel like participating so here's a list of ten prog bands I love in rough order of how much I might love them right at this moment: 1. Rush 2. Genesis 3. Pink Floyd 4. Dream Theater 5. Yes 6. King Crimson 7. Premiata Fornerai Marconi 8. Gentle Giant 9. Le Orme 10. Jethro Tull
------------- 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! :) |
Posted By: Spacegod87
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 17:53
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Thank you Lewian and Progmind for giving more love to Cardiacs. They won't make it on the list, but it's good to see some appreciation for such a great band. ------------- Levitating downwards, atomic feedback scream. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 17:58
The Cardiacs will be on the list soon, after I've done the latest update. They're already on 40 points, even before I add on the points from the latest round of voting.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: August 17 2020 at 23:24
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1. ELP 2. IQ 3. Rush 4. Yes 5. Genesis 6. Eloy 7. Big Big Train 8. Tangerine Dream 9. Porcupine Tree 10. Gentle Giant (had to edit it as I included Eloy twice lol)
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 02:18
In fact if I could distribute my 60 points freely, I'd give around 10 to the top 5 including Cardiacs and split up the remaining 10 between the other five. Ranking is artificial, I only really know who are my five all time favourite prog bands, and Cardiacs are one of them!
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Posted By: thief
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 02:56
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If it has to be done, let's go... 10. Emerson, Lake & Palmer I had 3-5 bands fighting it out for the last spot, ultimately decided to go with a very safe pick and the one I'm acquainted with the longest. I appreciate their wizardry, showmanship, original formula and blazing solos. Lake ballads - not so much. They headlined California Jam '74 with Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Eagles and Earth Wind & Fire on board, that says a lot. 09. Anekdoten They require a specific mood to get into, sometimes their sadness is overwhelming (especially From Within and Gravity feel that way), but that's exactly the kind of heavy/mellotron prog I want to listen to in fall. I think Vemod is quite underrated. I'm glad they resurfaced with a terrific album 5-6 years ago, hope we'll see more of them. 08. Pink Floyd As years go by, I'm more and more appreciative of bands with soothing, relaxed music, perfect to listen to at work. Pink Floyd fit the bill and I come back to 1970-77 releases a lot (except Dark Side). So my fondness for ambient and chilled out synthesizers (be it vaporwave or dungeon synth) helped PF climb so high, while more complex music with interlocking guitars and weird time signatures fell out of TOP10, it seems. 07. Rush Another terrific work/car/dishwashing/gardening band. It's a praise! Fantastic blend of fresh riffing, positive vibes, prog tendencies and hard rock spirit, I just hope I'll never grow tired with this fantastic trio. I could see them ranked higher if I keep up listening to them on a daily basis. 06. Änglagård Unlimited talent, creativity, earthy-northern feel, and they never ever let me down. Seeing them live in 2013 was a dream come true really. Oh, and that Viljans Öga comeback, who would have guessed?! 05. Van der Graaf Generator Now it's "any band could be no. 1" territory. VDGG has a flawless album under their belt (Godbluff) as well as ultimate prog book of secrets (Pawn Hearts). There was a time I was dead sure all their 70s stuff is five stars worthy, that's how they fit my angsty 16 year old world view  But really, jokes aside, their sound is so unique, I haven't heard anyone aping their act - I guess it's doomed to fail if you're not Peter Hammill. I wish David Jackson has been a regular member, sax is crucial to VDGG sound imo.04. Yes Fourth place here but could very well be no. 1 when it comes to talent. They have a bunch of fantastic albums crowned with Close to the Edge and for many they're quintessential prog band. I don't listen to them regularly; actually it's a strange relationship, I could go on for months without a Yes song, but then I have a 2-4 weeks spree devouring their albums, and then having Wakeman/Anderson material for dessert. Not the best band to listen to at work - it hurts their stock a bit. 03. Jethro Tull If I'd go with # of listens, JT would be no. 1 hands down. There is just so much to sink your teeth in. Early Benefit era, days of prog glory, powerful folksy comeback (my favorite!), then quite respectable 80s... plus live material, Ian solo and The Christmas Album  My ultimate winter-feel-good group, and Ian Anderson gives splendid interviews, would love to meet him.02. Genesis Them and Yes are neck-and-neck in the Symphonic Prog universe, but Genesis are more lush, eerie, pastoral and English. I find this set much easier to get into on a daily basis. If I were climbing Himalayas or sailing across the Pacific, well, then Yes would be more listened to, I imagine As it is, Genesis are always there to cheer me up with quirky, but refined melodies back from Victorian Age. I know what I like!01. King Crimson Not much explanation needed I think. On the bubble: Gentle Giant, Focus, Camel, Wobbler. German and Italian bands aren't my regular listens, though I appreciate them a lot. I deem The Mothers = FZ so I'll just wait for solo list. Ah, and GY!BE would probably make my list, if I count them as prog.
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Posted By: Juaniz
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 08:03
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01-Yes 02-King Crimson 03-Genesis 04-Pink Floyd 05-Jethro Till 06-Gentle Giant 07-Camel 08-Renaissance 09-Rush 10-ELP |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 09:26
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Top 10 update after the latest five rounds of voting:- 1. Genesis (414 points) 2. Yes (412 points) 3. Pink Floyd (391 points) 4. King Crimson (358 points) 5. Rush (193 points) 6. ELP (151 points) 7. Jethro Tull (121 points) 8. Gentle Giant (85 points) 9. Porcupine Tree (68 points) 10. Renaissance (62 points) 11. Marillion (60 points) 11. Cardiacs (60 points) 11. IQ (60 points) 14. Soft Machine (58 points) 15. Van der Graaf Generator (57 points) 15. Magma (57 points) 17. Camel (55 points) 18. Can (54 points) 19. Henry Cow (46 points) There's a reversal of fortunes at the top of the poll with Genesis swapping places with Pink Floyd and there are three new entries in the Top 20:- Cardiacs. IQ & Camel. |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 11:09
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1. Spock's Beard 2. 5uu's 3. Genesis 4. King Crimson 5. Nexus 6. Gentle Giant 7. Izz 8. Beardfish 9. Magenta 10. Yes ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 11:36
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Top 10 update with ProgAardvark's votes added:- 1. Genesis (429 points) 2. Yes (414 points) 3. Pink Floyd (391 points) 4. King Crimson (370 points) 5. Rush (193 points) 6. Emerson, Lake & Palmer (151 points) 7. Jethro Tull (121 points) 8. Gentle Giant (91 points) 9. Porcupine Tree (68 points) 10. Renaissance (62 points) 11. Marillion (60 points) 11. Cardiacs (60 points) 11. IQ (60 points) 14. Soft Machine (58 points) 15. Van der Graaf Generator (57 points) 15. Magma (57 points) 17. Camel (55 points) 17. Spock's Beard (55 points) 19. Can (54 points) 20. Henry Cow (46 points) It's a new entry in the Top 20 for Spock's Beard. |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 13:01
| Ok, now we know who the most popular and well respected bands on progarchives are. ;) Unfortunately The Flower Kings and Kansas didn't make the list. I suppose we all have our favorites though. I'm actually surprised the Cardiacs made the cut since their albums are very hard to find(at least for a reasonable price). |
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 13:24
| ^Cardiacs albums can be found at a reasonable price from the bands website. They are slow in getting the merch out, but they do. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 13:59
Rush have rushed in and made an amazing comeback when they were behind Henry Cow with just 25 points after the first thirteen rounds of voting. There's no real surprises with the current Top 5 line-up and I'm glad my favourite band Renaissance are still hanging in there just within the Top 10. I'd never heard of the Cardiacs until recently so it was a surprise to see them nudging the Top 10. 
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Posted By: iluvmarillion
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 20:04
| Personally I don't think you can an all time top 10 progressive rock band list that doesn't include Emerson, Lake and Palmer, even if you have to squeeze them into 10th place. Kansas and The Flower Kings are up there but there are so many great bands, you can only list 10. |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 21:11
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1. Rush 2. Genesis 3. Pink Floyd 4. CAN 5. King Crimson 6. Yes 7. Marillion 8. Porcupine Tree 9. Jethro Tull 10. Soft Machine -------------   
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Posted By: Jaketejas
Date Posted: August 18 2020 at 21:23
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I can’t do it. Every time I make a list, there are groups that become left out from various subgenres. I love everything from soft or upbeat Alan Parsons Project music to technical metal like Watchtower and earlier Iron Maiden to whacky music like Primus to straight up Prog like Yes, ELP, Genesis, KC, JT, PF, Kansas, Rush to even more album oriented rock like Styx and Journey to some religious oriented stuff like old King’s X, Phil Keaggy, and Barnabas to New Wave oriented like Saga and Talk Talk to jazz / fusion like Allan Holdsworth and Santana to the moodier music of Kate Bush, Tori Amos, and Loreena McKennett and over to the more classically inspired Sky and Al Dimeola and around the corner to the quirky Kraftwerk and Gary Numan. I have no idea how to sort out this mess, let alone rank it or rate it. All of it ... and much much more ... floats my boat. L |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 19 2020 at 01:08
Maybe you'd find it easier to choose a Top 10 albums list in my more specific Symphonic Prog, Crossover Prog and Prog Folk polls.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 19 2020 at 01:14
I could have made it a Top 20, but that would have given me a real headache when it came time to add up the points. Emerson, Lake & Palmer are doing very well so far in sixth place after getting off to a slow start. The same goes for Rush, who were still behind Henry Cow after thirteen rounds of voting but are now right up there in fifth place.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 19 2020 at 02:22
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Top 10 update with Catcher 10's votes added:- 1. Genesis (449 points) 2. Yes (420 points) 3. Pink Floyd (406 points) 4. King Crimson (380 points) 5. Rush (223 points) 6. Emerson, Lake & Palmer (151 points) 7. Jethro Tull (124 points) 8. Gentle Giant (91 points) 9. Porcupine Tree (72 points) 10. Can (66 points) 11. Marillion (65 points) 12. Renaissance (62 points) 13. Cardiacs (60 points) 13. IQ (60 points) 13. Soft Machine (60 points) 16. Van der Graaf Generator (57 points) 16. Magma (57 points) 18. Camel (55 points) 18. Spock's Beard (55 points) 20. Henry Cow (46 points) It's a new entry in the Top 10 for CAN. |
Posted By: wiz_d_kidd
Date Posted: August 19 2020 at 12:16
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Interesting result so far. There is a lot of agreement on the top four (Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, King Crimson). Then a huge gap separates the next four (Rush, ELP, Tull, Gentle Giant). Then there's all the rest that have very few points separating them. I wonder how the results would change if you used a linear scale (10 points down to 1)?
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 19 2020 at 13:21
Yes, I think it was fairly easy to predict who the eventual Top 5 were going to be, and if the points were on a linear scale, the bands would probably still be listed in roughly the same order, although they'd obviously have a lot loss points between them. The Top 10 points system based on the number 60 has a nice mathematical symmetry to it:- 2 x 30 = 60 3 x 20 = 60 4 x 15 = 60 5 x 12 = 60 6 x 10 = 60 10 x 6 = 60 12 x 5 = 60 15 x 4 = 60 20 x 3 = 60 30 x 2 = 60
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 20 2020 at 10:11
I mentioned in another thread that a Top 10 points system based on the number 60 has a nice mathematical symmetry to it:- 2 x 30 = 60 3 x 20 = 60 4 x 15 = 60 5 x 12 = 60 6 x 10 = 60 10 x 6 = 60 12 x 5 = 60 15 x 4 = 60 20 x 3 = 60 30 x 2 = 60
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Posted By: wiz_d_kidd
Date Posted: August 20 2020 at 10:25
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That's an interesting property, but it has a big glitch in it between 5th and 6th place -- a big jump of 4 points, when the adjacent steps are only 1 or 2 points. If you change the point values from 10->9 and 6->7 it helps get rid of the big penalty place on the 6th place choice. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 20 2020 at 10:49
Yes, it's true there's a big difference in points between fifth and sixth place, but my way of thinking is it gives more importance to which bands you place in your Top 5.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: August 20 2020 at 15:41
| The top ten is pretty close to what I would expect. Perhaps the only surprises are that Camel and VDGG are not higher and that ELP are not a bit lower down, Massive fan myself but I don't get that positive vibe coming through generally when they are discussed on the board. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 20 2020 at 15:48
The biggest surprise for me was seeing Henry Cow way ahead of Rush after thirteen rounds of voting, even though I'm not a big fan of Rush.
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: August 20 2020 at 20:46
I'm surprised HC has any points.......Soft Machine is better -------------
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Posted By: Boboulo
Date Posted: August 24 2020 at 04:41
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1) Van der Graaf Generator 2) King Crimson 3) Genesis 4) Jethro Tull 5) Emerson, Lake & Palmer 6) Yes 7) Gong 8) Camel 9) Soft Machine 10) Family
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Posted By: Boboulo
Date Posted: August 24 2020 at 05:56
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 24 2020 at 05:59
I have the same problem. I know these threads are for fun, but I still can't do it.
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Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: August 24 2020 at 06:46
Subjectively? I assumed it was a matter of personal preference. HC are one of my favorite bands ahead of SM. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Grubert
Date Posted: August 24 2020 at 12:02
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1.VdGG 2. King Crimson 3. Soft Machine 4. Procol Harum 5. Pentangle 6. Velvet Underground 7. Beatles 8. Genesis (Gabriel phase, the rest is boring) 9. Pink Floyd 10. Family
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Posted By: Gentle and Giant
Date Posted: August 24 2020 at 12:20
Get in.
And again. ------------- Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: August 24 2020 at 12:59
I concur ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |