Weirdest Album by the Big Six
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Music Lounge
Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=135261
Printed Date: July 23 2025 at 19:07
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Topic: Weirdest Album by the Big Six
Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Subject: Weirdest Album by the Big Six
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 11:03
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Some time ago there was a "Weirdest Album You've Ever Heard" thread with lots of very obscure titles receiving a mention. If we narrowed the topic down to just the "Big Six", which albums would you nominate for their weirdest? And before anyone comes back and says, "Define weird", let's just take for granted that it means different things to different people and go from there. My choices: 1. YES - Tales from Topographic Oceans (although I'm wondering if anyone will mention Open Your Eyes). 2. GENESIS - When I first heard The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway as a teenager, I thought it was very weird. Today I would say either Trespass or Nursery Cryme. 3. E.L.P. - Some will say Brain Salad Surgery or Pictures at an Exhibition, but I will put forward Tarkus, if only for Side 2. 4. PINK FLOYD - Piper at the Gates of Dawn (for Syd). 5. KING CRIMSON - Islands, just for being very different. I would also mention A Scarcity of Miracles, but Fripp insists that's not really Crimson. 6. JETHRO TULL - I am emphatically NOT a fan of this band. I've heard bits and pieces over the years, but so very little that I cannot honestly contribute a suggestion for weird. |
Replies:
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 11:15
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Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother for me. Weird album by a big non-big 6 artist, Amarok by Mike Oldfield. ------------- 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: July 18 2025 at 11:18
Yes - I'll mention Open Your Eyes.  Genesis - Calling All Stations - which doesn't even sound like a Genesis album, but I still like it all the same, even though it's more Mike & the Mechanics than Genesis.  E.L.P. - Brain Salad Surgery - the album that put me off E.L.P. altogether in the 1970's, at least until Love Beach came along. Pink Floyd - Ummagumma - the studio album is just as strange and unfathomable as the title suggests.  King Crimson - every album after their second.  Jethro Tull - Under Wraps - Jethro Tull's forlorn attempt at Synth-Pop. 
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 11:18
I don't think these six bands did weird music. maybe early Pink Floyd a little bit, but in a good way, interesting, entertaining. 
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Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 11:20
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If you stretch this to 'big six related' albums then 'Music from the Body' by Waters and Geesin takes some beating for weirdness. Otherwise I'd nominate the studio album of Ummagumma. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 11:24
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Otherwise Tull's Passion Play, might not necessarily be 'weird' but it is certainly one of those albums that leaves you thinking 'WTF was that all about' - especially after the sheer brilliance of TAAB. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 11:26
Yes, Amarok is a very weird album. I would also say it's the greatest thing he ever did! (I know, very unpopular opinion!) |
Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 12:14
I love it ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 12:50
| The Story of the Hare..., on Passion Play is weird and adds 4 minutes of rubbish on an otherwise great album. |
Posted By: xhouse
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 16:10
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I must concur on Tull's Passion Play. Without the very strange interlude, it would be a very fine release. In fact I did not listen to it for years. Other than that, what constitutes weird? Unlike all others in their catalogue? More psychedelic? Yes, one could say Calling all Stations because it is so unlike what we know of as Genesis, but it's not weird. Boring maybe. ------------- Between Thought and Expression Lies True Perception |
Posted By: Disconnect
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 16:42
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I....like weird music. ------------- "My own response to King Crimson is one of quiet terror." - Robert Fripp |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 17:31
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Yes- Overall probably Relayer. Only Ancient from Tales is weird and only the live version of Ritual is really weird (the studio version not so much). Siberian Khatru is kind of weird too with the last few minutes. Genesis - From Genesis to Revelation (I agree parts of Lamb are weird though especially lyrically. With FGTR I can't really explain why it's so weird I just know that was my initial opinion when I first heard it. It was kind of like the Moody Blues, The Bee Gees and Cat Stevens on acid. Pink Floyd - Ummagumma (for the studio side although the title track to AHM is pretty weird too) King Crimson - Islands (although I suppose Lizard is pretty weird too) Not sure about ELP. I don't think anything they did was that weird except parts of BSS (especially the ending with the computer voice). |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 17:44
666 by Aphrodite's Child and First Utterance by Comus are pretty weird too imo. Amarok is kind of weird but I found it more "herky jerky" than anything else. Don't listen to it while drinking coffee unless you want to spill it on yourself. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 17:50
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Good call on First Utterance ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 18 2025 at 18:10
Well, I wanted to keep it with the big six but since someone mentioned M.O.'s Amarok.... 
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Posted By: Deadwing
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 12:03
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Pink Floyd - Ummagumma Genesis - Abacab |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 12:50
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ELP's candidate for weirdest album IMO would probably be Works vol.2 - essentially cobbling together discarded tracks from previous albums and passing it off as a 'new' album, tho parts of it are interesting to listen to. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 12:54
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As for YES TFTO is in the unenviable position of following a prog masterpiece (akin to TAAB / APP) - to me TFTO is pleasant enough a listen, but it haw always struck me as the watered down version of CTTE. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 13:00
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...if they weren't "weird," they wouldn't be progressive! I'd be more tempted to point out "weird sides" or "weird songs" than entire albums. "We Can't Dance" by Genesis, "Love Beach" by ELP, "Cirkus" by KC are all somewhat weird in my book. "The Ancient" by Yes gets my vote for their weirdest side, and "Circus of Heaven" for song. ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: Floydoid
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 13:17
Fair point! Tho some prog is weirder than others. ------------- "Christ, where would rock & roll be without feedback?" - D. Gimour |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 19:27
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Yes - Tormato Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway ELP - Tarkus Pink Floyd - Ummagumma King Crimson - Lark's Tongue in Aspic Jethro Tull - A Passion Play ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: ELPmasters
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 20:58
| Opus Avantra (1974) definitelly, is not a álbum what to play in soundbox... |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 21:06
"We Can't Dance" is an album not a song. You are probably thinking of the song "I Can't Dance." I don't think the album WCD is weird but I can see the song ICD being considered as weird. |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: July 19 2025 at 23:28
Read my post again, I meant what I said. All three (WCD, LB and C) were LPs. ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: projeKct
Date Posted: July 20 2025 at 00:01
C is not an album. You probably mean L.
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Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: July 20 2025 at 00:47
OOPS, thanks!  ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: July 20 2025 at 02:10
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I really don't know... I don't think any of the big 6 released a 'weird' album and I also find that most albums you initially think are a bit weird, gradually become more mainstream in your own mind, the more you listen to them... I suppose I'd go for VDGG: Alt, Vangelis: Invisible Connections... both of which I really struggle with. ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 20 2025 at 15:35
I don't need to re-read it. You said you would be more tempted to point out songs and sides than albums so I wasn't expecting albums to be mentioned. That plus the fact that "Cirkus" is a KC song and not an album (although I think it is a bootleg album too but didn't think you meant that) is what threw me for a loop.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: July 21 2025 at 05:02
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I'm not sure I have any strong candidates but listening to ELP - Pictures At An Exhibtion when I was 14 was a real head scratcher. Trying to match all the track titles to the music was near impossible aside from Nutrocker. I hated it although it didn't stop me becoming a fan eventually. Yes teaming up with the Buggles aslo seemed very weird although the album wasn't. I hated the Belew/KC team up in the 80's and that wasn't somewhere I wanted them to go. Belew is annoying and a bit weird for my liking. Outside the big Six it would be Alan Parsons - The Sicilian Defence. As a chess player this is interesting as he uses the moves of a chess opening for the track titles. Kind of fun but we know this to be a contractural obligation album and not a serious effort. |
Posted By: RockHound
Date Posted: July 21 2025 at 11:11
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YES - Relayer GENESIS - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway E.L.P. - Love Beach PINK FLOYD - Ummagumma KING CRIMSON - Larks Tongues in Aspic JETHRO TULL - A Passion Play Sound Chaser is probably the weirdest Yessong. The Lamb certainly captures Peter Gabriel's weirdness unlike any other album. Love Beach is a whole 'nother kind of weird, and not in a good way. Very disturbing, right down to the album cover. Ummagumma is so weird, I had to play it for my grandparents, who were completely shocked that living humans would do something like that, not to mention that their grandson would expose them to that kind of thing. All King Cwimson albums are wonderfuwwy wiewd according to Elmer Fudd. Tull is never particularly weird, but A Passion Play is certainly out there, and in a great way; the hare properly honors the intermezzo, which served as a farcical intermission during many great baroque and classical operas. There's a reason the intermezzos didn't go down in history like their enveloping operas. |
Posted By: A Crimson Mellotron
Date Posted: July 22 2025 at 01:30
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Let's give this a go: Yes - Union Genesis - Lamb Lies Down ELP - Works Vol. 1/Love Beach Jethro Tull - J-Tull Dot Com Pink Floyd - Ummagumma King Crimson - Lizard |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 22 2025 at 01:52
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When I first heard Supper's Ready I thought it was really weird especially the part in the middle that sounded like it was from some musical. Overall, definitely the Lamb though. I do find the PG era has far more weirder stuff than the PC era though (although parts of Abacab are weird and also "mama."). The following in particular are weird Genesis songs (imo): The Knife Harold the Barrel Get Em Out By Friday The Battle of Epping Forest The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging The Waiting Room Also the entire Lamb album (especially lyrically) and even the first one FGTR are weird. Who Dunnit Mama Weird Yes songs: Astral Traveller Perpetual Change We Have Heaven Siberian Khatru Ancient (Giants Under The Sun) Ritual (especially the version on Yesshows) Sound Chaser The Gates of Delirium (well the middle part anyway) Arriving UFO King Crimson: 21st Century Schizoid Man Moonchild Cat Food Devil's Triangle Indoor Games Happy Family and really almost all of Lizard Formentara Lady Sailor's Tale Ladies of the Road Larks Tongues in Aspic Part 1 Larks Tongues in Aspic Part 2 Easy Money Thela Hun Ginjeet Elephant Talk Industry Dig Me I'm having trouble thinking of anything really weird off of Beat but I'm not as familiar with that one as the others and ditto for anything after TOAPP. Other songs are dark or maybe a little out of the ordinary but not necessarily weird. For example, I almost put in Machine Messiah but it didn't quite make the cut. Most of Trespass might also fit this category. I did put the Knife in but it's actually not that weird compared to the others I listed. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 22 2025 at 02:55
| What's weird about Perpetual Change? |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 22 2025 at 09:31
You know, I knew someone was going to challenge that. To me the weird part is the part in the middle with the funky rhythm section and then the panning of speakers from one side to the other before the synth solo kicks in.Many might not call it weird but that funky part in particular just seems to come out of nowhere. Watch you tube reaction videos of it and you see a lot of wtf responses (well, at least one anyway since I haven't seen that many).
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Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Date Posted: July 22 2025 at 09:39
Thanks for mentioning this one. As Steve Howe would tell us, a lot of the material for this album was originally intended for solo projects. "Angkor Wat" is one the strangest things the band has ever done. |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: July 22 2025 at 14:50
I never thought of Union as being weird, just bad! I need to give it another listen sometime. ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: xhouse
Date Posted: July 22 2025 at 18:41
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No, don't do it. ------------- Between Thought and Expression Lies True Perception |