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Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s.
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- Yes, "Close to the Edge" From: Close to the Edge(1972) How did Yes do this? Seriously? Even beyond the vast emotional impact of "Close to the Edge," this 19-minute rock symphony is a marvel of construction — like any towering skyscraper or suspension bridge.
- Genesis, "Supper's Ready" From: Foxtrot(1972) It's a guaranteed eternal perfect prog-rock song. But it's also demented: Peter Gabriel delightfully inscrutable text nods to Egyptian pharaohs, Christian theology, Greek mythology, "Winston Churchill dressed in drag" and shadowy, supernatural beings; meanwhile, the band cooks up everything from layered 12-strings to treated pianos to carnivalesque pop hooks — and somehow it all hangs together, adding up to a 23-minute spectacle longer than most sitcom episodes.
- King Crimson, "21st Century Schizoid Man" From: In the Court of the Crimson King(1969) We'll all be debating "the first prog song" until we're dead, but it's hard to argue against "21st Century Schizoid Man."
- Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody" From: A Night at the Opera(1975) Queen are one of those classic fringe-prog bands. A good portion of their early work fits the bill of grandiosity — on the other hand, no one's mistaking "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" for a Yes tune.
- Soft Machine – Nettle Bed
- Focus – Hocus Pocus
- Barclay James Harvest – Poor Man’S Moody Blues
- Dream Theater – Octavarium
- Nektar – Remember The Future
- Gong – You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever
- The Tangent – Jinxed in Jersey
- Kansas – Miracles Out of Nowhere
- Can – Yoo Doo Right
- Caravan – Nine Feet Underground
The words “ridiculously catchy” are seldom applied to Soft Machine, a band prone to complex and challenging jazz compositions. But the opener of their Sevenalbum is, well, a ridiculously catchy progressive rock song: Composer Karl Jenkins anchors it with a sprightly riff on electric piano, which keyboardist Mike Ratledge (by now the only original m...
Focus was (and is) essentially a progressive rock band of serious players with classical and jazz leanings. But they also had an eccentric sense of humor, which often got aired on their rare vocal tracks. “Hocus Pocus” started as a rehearsal joke, with Jan Akkerman playing a crunching arena riff and organist Thijs van Leer responding with his best ...
This began as singer/guitarist John Lees’ revenge on a journalist who’d called his band the “poor man’s Moody Blues”: He was miffed enough to go home and rewrite “Nights in White Satin,” using the same rhyme scheme and the same tempo, plus a chorus built around “I love you.” Against all odds, he came up with a beautiful tune in its own right, so th...
Dream Theater are the kings of prog metal, but this 24-minute opus lands solidly on the prog side: If you thought they were always into shredding, you need to hear the tasteful, melodic touch of this prog rock song’s first twelve minutes. (Fear not, the shredding comes on the second twelve, and it’s perfectly thrilling.) You could spend weeks decod...
Nektar was among the most melodic prog bands, with clearer Beatles roots than most. The title track and centerpiece of their best-known concept album, this borrows a bit of its spacey groove from “Sun King” – which in turn borrowed from Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross.” Nektar’s song can stand proud besides those two classics, with its anthemic chorus a...
Gong’s merry prankster Daevid Allen ends the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy the best possible way, with an eleven-minute prog rock song that throws absolutely everything into the mix: Endless tempo changes, dazzling solos (take a bow, Steve Hillage and Didier Malherbe), out-of-nowhere pop hooks and boundless optimism. Absurd and wonderful.
The Tangent’s leader Andy Tillison is one of the sharpest writers in modern prog, and he’s at his wittiest on this sung/spoken 16-minute track. The lyrics detail everything that went wrong when he tried to visit the Statue of Liberty on a US tour, including meeting a cop who thought he was in Rush. Musically it references early Genesis and vintage ...
Side one of Leftovertureopened with the breakthrough hit “Carry On Wayward Son,” but its finale may be the definitive Kansas track. “Miracles” glides seamlessly from its pastoral verses to its complex instrumental workout, like most Kansas songs it’s all about spiritual searching and the rewards that can be uncovered. Also makes great use of Kansas...
We’ll let you decide if Krautrock is part of prog, or something else altogether. But this is one of its definitive tracks, as Can subvert pop by writing a bubble-gummy love song, stripping it down to its core, and playing it for 21 hypnotic minutes. It’s downright perverse – and improbably enough, it’s also a lot of fun.
The original, four-piece Caravan’s finest moment. For a side-long piece this is remarkably tight and accessible, thanks to the easy-rolling groove of the instrumental sections and the sublime melodies of the two vocal parts. The second vocal bit, sung by bassist Richard Sinclair, makes especially lovely use of an English folk influence.
- Brett Milano
- 23 min
Jun 17, 2015 · The 50 greatest progressive rock albums of all time, including Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Rush and more
Jun 7, 2021 · Music. Progressive Rock Guide: A Brief History of Prog Rock. Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 4 min read. Since the 1960s, progressive rock has pushed the boundaries of rock n' roll music to incorporate longer song forms, conceptual lyrics, and advanced composition techniques.
