Prog: Ten WORST Songs

[@gog583]

I wouldn't even consider Genesis prog at that stage of their careers.

[@charleswagner2984]

Who Done It from Abacab? Or Illegal Alien from Genesis has got to be worse than Invisible Touch. In fact, all the pop songs Genesis made were crappy, except Anything She Does, and Follow You Follow Me which wasn't very good, but listenable.

[@stephenposchmann]

And 'The Final Cut' was a Roger Waters album rather than a Pink Floyd album.

[@nectarinedreams7208]

But it's more respectable because it's a legitimate artistic statement whereas AMLOR is a blatant, lazy cash-grab. At least The Final Cut has three of the main four members featured prominently instead of AMLOR's one out of four.

[@deanevangelista6359]

“Love Beach” should be subtitled “Contractual Obligation,” which was the purpose of that entire album.

[@lynnbowers4722]

Did you know that Monty Python had a "comedy" album titled "Contractual Obligation" with such stinkers as 2 minutes of singing "string , string, string". Even as a middle finger to the record company it was dreadful for anyone who bought it.

[@tedwojtasik8781]

Kinda Like Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear album.

[@19trebor53]

Contractual Stinker.

[@marccaron6008]

The worst Genesis song is Illegal Alien (on Genesis) with Collins singing with a Speedy Gonzales accent. It's horrible.

[@KilroyWasHere83]

Invisible Touch isnt a prog song, its not from a prog album, it shouldn't be on this list.

[@AngryCalvin]

Domino is quite Proggy. Wish all 80’s Genesis was as good as that song. I despise the radio songs on the album as well as the follow up album. Those were the worst Genesis songs by far.

[@josedealbuquerquejr.941]

Union and Open Your Eyes has a lot of worse songs than Circus of Heaven

[@mcwulf25]

Agreed

[@charleswagner2984]

One thing about 1990s pop songs from Yes. Starting with Shock To The System, Yes has at least a half dozen more top 40 pop songs on Union alone. Sure most Yes fans don't like pop music in general. But Yes would have been kings of pop in the '90s had they had a record label that had the balls to release 20 singles, promoting all of them to radio pop stations. Granted, OYE had a couple crappy pop songs on it, but it has at least 3 good pop songs, including my 2nd favorite pop song of that decade LOVE SHINE. Only Mysterious Ways I love more than Love Shine. What a great pop song from Yes. Could have been another #1 on Billboard. Then we have another 4 great pop songs on The Ladder that would have gone to the top 10 around the world. A few singles could have done very well from Talk and keys 2, but they all would have to be butchered like what Atlantic did to get Roundabout on a single. Still, they were great pop songs that would have done well with 1990s teens, especially the intellectual type girls. Yes could have outsold Michael Jackson!

[@robertglisson6319]

@@charleswagner2984, this is the definition of a fanboi. Defending the indefensible. Even the hideous Love Beach has two creat cuts to along with the first five lame attempts to cross over at Ahmet Ertegun's insistence...

[@charleswagner2984]

@@robertglisson6319 I just went on a rant because I'm sick of the hate Union and OYE gets from all good people that are supposedly Yes fans. Those albums are poor albums when compared to all the other Yes albums with Anderson on them. But when you compare those pop songs Yes made to everyone else who was doing pop music in the 1990s, the Yes pop were great songs. Certainly a whole lot better than the garbage that Genesis had put out over two decades. That's what makes me mad. Genesis had the backing of the record label to promote 20 singles, 16 of which are crap. If Yes had 20 singles well promoted in the '80s and '90s, they would have had 16 hits and four duds. Two from OYE, one from Talk, and maybe one from Union. There is not a bad song on Keys 2 and The Ladder. Love Shine and New State Of Mind would have been top 10 singles. I don't understand why Yes fans dump on Yes' pop music that was great Yes music. Almost all of them could have been top 20 at least, including a half dozen number ones.

[@omegakhrio9268]

Rivendell is a fine song when in the right state of mind. Cannabis is probably helpful.

[@steeleye2112]

Prog is so fascinating for the way it affects people differently. I nearly always find myself agreeing with all the opinions expressed in this channel but completely the opposite with this one. Love the fact there is no explanation, just that art is so personal, each person's reaction to a song will always be unique and unpredictable. Really interesting video as always.

[@SwisstedChef2018]

Prog can only be understood in time, by understanding the notions of the musical chameleon and the fluctuation of sounds and beats. There were prog albums i had a very hard time to understand 35 years or more ago , which I love now after digging deep. I love cured by Steve Hackett but yes, it's not Hackett and the same with the ueber-commercial Invisible Touch, no prog in that at all. ELP dressed in Bee Gee's gear did not do them a favor. "written by Moetley Crue on a Bad day is simply brilliant. And yes the YES Tormato in the salad was not what one would expect but here we ARE, It's like food and wine - Subjective, folks

[@jorgevillalobos7382]

But the host of this videos did not put a bad album on the market, but the late and extraordinnaire Greg Lake did, so the public could ilke it or not. Your comment is out of context.

[@carlgemlich1657]

Barry, I think you may have hit a new peak with your writing on this one. I was smiling the whole way through.

[@JoeyBrunoMusicArchives]

Barry, I have to tell you, after you read those lyrics from Love Beach, which already had me in histerics, then just nonchalantly dropped I. "what a load of horshit !" I just about fell on the floor. I was laughing for a full five minutes. The timing was just absolute perfection. I know that myself, and probably everyone else watching this is thinking something similar, but you definitely brought it home. Thanks, man, I was having a crappy day and I really needed that.

[@classicalbum]

My pleasure.

[@kathyratino962]

That was Sinfield, who I'm convinced was trying to give ELP the finger, but the band should have known better. What he read wasn't even the worst of that song. At one point he tells the woman to get on her knees and face the wall. WTF?

[@simonbarnes8303]

I love Learning to Fly and as somebody who grew up in the 80’s was very grateful to Momentary Lapse of Reason as it was the first Pink Floyd album I heard and bought. I don’t get all the criticism. And incidentally some of us did realize that 80’s Genesis were crap and it’s only this year that I’ve bothered to go back and find out why people liked them before their awful 80’s efforts.

[@deansmith6593]

Found the album boring. Did not buy it, but was played in my art class when I went to high school quite a bit. Think most that did not like pop music hated 80's Genesis and Phil Collins solo stuff, I sure did.

[@simonbarnes8303]

@@deansmith6593 I think if you’d heard Pink Floyd before you may not have liked it but as it was the first one I heard I really liked it. Strangely I found the division bell boring (and still do) which I guess just shows that music is subjective.

[@mikearchibald744]

Music will likely appeal to you at different times and places in many ways. Prog music is often not appealing on the first hearing, but rewards 'closer inspection' whereas 'pop tunes' are DESIGNED to be 'easy llstening'. Thtas where lots of prog bands at least upped their lyrics game. Rush had some of their best poetry in that decade, invisible touch, if it were the ONLY song about a girl written would be pretty good. "No son of mine" and 'land of confusion' are political songs at a time when very few songs on radio were like that. I 'liked' learning to fly, a well accomplished musician won't fail with a simple melody, rumour has it Gilmour didn't want it but the executives insisted on something MTV friendly, which it was, pretty much the ONLY song on that album that was. You aren't going to play 'sorrow' at a frat party of even an evening with friends. "hey, lets all listen to this song about the death of a coal miner". 80's genesis were not crap, the music was always good, compared to what else was out there it was really all that was CONSISTENTLY good, and every album but their second last had long songs on it. But its a very different band from the seventies. Pop was good for what it was, I think MOSTLY what people would find bad about 80s pop was the fact that the industry had concentrated so much and with MTV it literally was the SAME songs, which is still the case with AM radio. "We play the most Queen" is a bilboard in my city, but they pretty only ever play five songs of theirs over and over and over again. And thats not really queens fault, they produced a LOT of stuff over the years. Genesis was like that. Don't you find it strange that in the music industry the ONLY thing that 'charts' is what is 'new'. In almost EVERY media interview with every band, the questions inevitable go "so whats next". To an artist thats "well you painted the sistine chapel, thats done, so what are you up to now". And Phil and Genesis are like that, its hardly THEIR fault only two tracks from an album are repeated non stop. And that seems a personality type, there ARE lots of people that can hear the same song twice a day every day and LOVE that about a radio station. Thats not me, but I don't think it reflects on a band. The Division Bell I agree was a step even further down. AMLOR did have a very definable energy that WASN"T commercial, and you have to respect them for that. DB was closer to 'radio music', which for Pink Floyd is a crime.

[@easterislandhead9579]

The last great floyd album before it all got a bit girly and Gilmour had his girlfriend, kids nanny and stepsister co-writing tunes for the band

[@mikearchibald744]

@@easterislandhead9579 Well, considering that they did a pretty good job. I'm all for that kind of nepotism, whatever works. But its really too bad Amused to Death wasn't a Pink Floyd album even for the simple reason that more people would have heard it.

[@stuarthecht8196]

This was hysterically funny, especially your comments on "Hot Mango Flush," and so true. Honestly, how can anyone sit and groove to a song that repeats "flush" in its lyrics? Regarding Genesis, I can tolerate "Invisible Touch," mainly because of the production on the guitar and the cool Synchonicity-like keyboards in the solo section, but "Whodunit," is IMHO the absolute worst Genesis song- it was even more dreadful watching them perform this live in the 80's. Also, if Genesis and Tull combined forces for the two works of art you mentioned, they might have written "Invisible Flush." Just sayin'

[@mikearchibald744]

Illegal alien was voted as one of the most inappropriate songs ever.

[@stuarthecht8196]

@@mikearchibald744 yes- I could see that. It would never fly in today's cultural/political climate.

[@mikearchibald744]

@@stuarthecht8196 But its true, 'its no fun being an illegal aliun'.

[@bradcrosier1332]

@@mikearchibald744 - I love it solely because you can piss off butt-hurt loonies by playing it. But you’re right, I think it’s actually worse than Invincible Crotch (my personal derisive term for that one), but I agree - Who Dunnit may indeed be their worst ever, ironic coming from an album I regard as a reasonably solid effort from the post-Gabriel era.

[@mikearchibald744]

@@bradcrosier1332 It was more funny to me because even at the time I was thinking "do they really have NOTHING left to sing about?" Phil always jokes about the crazy lyrics of the seventies, but at least they were poetic and allegorical, not just "hand me another beer....you know what, I bet its no fun being an illegal alien".

[@sameddington9072]

I love Invisible Touch, but I also think it's hard to make a case for the albums after Abacab and before Calling All Stations as being prog at all. I enjoy some good Phil Collins-sung pop cheese, but it's not exactly The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. I really loved hearing you talk about all these songs!

[@n8goulet]

"Domino" was brilliant. "Home by the sea" off the previous album one of their very best songs. Doesn't matter what time period they came out, or if their were pop songs on those records. Can't take away those tracks.

[@chrishuber3262]

I think that he seems to hold to a credo of "once a prog band, always a prog band". Genesis is one of my favorites of all time but by the time they got to Invisible Touch they were far from a prog band. Therefore I argue that Invisible Touch is not a bad prog song but a decent pop song.

[@TRANZEURO]

I would say after "*Duke*' and before 'Calling All Stations". I think 'Duke' is more proggy than 'Abacab".

[@sameddington9072]

@@TRANZEURO I’d agree that Duke could be conceived of as a prog record. Abacab, being the album after Duke, still feels to me like it has some prog elements (the title track is the prime example); it’s not until the self-titled album that I feel like they fully abandon it. But it’s a process that they went through, so YMMV.

[@TRANZEURO]

@@sameddington9072 Interesting how different people hear different things.For me the most proggy song on 'Abacab' is 'Dodo/Lurker' not the title track.I also feel that even on their self titled album that they didn't fully abandon prog. 'Mama' is a weird atmospheric track that I feel wouldn't sound too out of place on 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' Phil's growly laugh and vomiting noises reminds me of 'Colony of Slippermen'.Also you have the two part 'Home By The Sea/Second Home By The Sea' about a haunted house being broken into.It has some proggy instrumental sections.'Silver Rainbow' another weird and proggy track from that album.But of course it's all just my opinion.

[@theheadshot45]

Ahhhhhhh I *LOVE* Prozakc Blues. The Construkction of Light is actually my favourite King Crimson album... Shoot me.

[@ZB3000]

I have to disagree with Rivendell. I always found it quite relaxing to listen to, and it was a nice change of pace for the album. From a songwriting standpoint, I will attest that the structure leaves something to be desired.

[@clouddog2393]

A nice track l like too . A bit airy fairy maybe but a pleasant little ditty with lyrics any hobbit loving 70,'s old hippy like me quite enjoys and does,nt find too twee and embarassing .

[@marinhrabric6162]

It's far from the worst. It's definitely not for a video called "top 10 worst prog songs"

[@bradcrosier1332]

I concur. As opposed to most of the others on the list, this was from when they were first developing their craft. Peart was definitely still searching for his own voice, and as far as it it being a rocker, neither was “Tears,” which while not one of their trademark efforts doesn’t really warrant derision. If anything, I think it points to a band which was willing to take chances, experiment, and see what did and didn’t work. If it had been on Clockwork Angels or Moving Pictures I might agree with the criticism, but why not put “Need Some Love” on the list for being rather pedestrian?

[@4thinternational283]

Fly by night was an excellent album, I like all the tracks. Rush were more of a heavy rock band in the early years I would say who became more creative and progressive with each album.

[@johnhoran9840]

@@4thinternational283 Rivendell is the only Rush song I intentionally skip on any album.

[@FundamentalsUK]

I would say Tull’s Kissing Willie is worse than hot mango flush imo

[@arthurfarrow]

I had forgotten that one. That is not the only track of dubious lyrics on Rock Island, such as 'working girl'

[@smalltown4855]

love the Tormato album, and circus of heaven

[@pommelhorsepommelhorse8731]

no clowns

[@smalltown4855]

@@pommelhorsepommelhorse8731 toffee apple.....

[@saurian11]

Funny, because when the band played it live in the 78/79 "in the Round" tours, the crowds LOVED it!!!! The round, rotating stage added a great fantasy visual to the song as it was being played.

[@smalltown4855]

@@saurian11 Great Tour.

The first side is great, but IMHO Circus of Heaven is the worst song of the album

[@ezioauditore3128]

Circus of Heaven is my wife's favourite Yes track. Not my fault.

[@jeffhabermel4300]

Haven't laughed this hard in a long time. You are the king of adjectives.

[@vircasae]

Where´s Teakbois by AWBH? ;-)

[@bobhale7302]

Love the bit in the video description "Warning May Contain References To Love Beach". Perfect summary of the album.

[@paulcassidy8130]

Genesis in 1986 when they produced the execrable I.T. was not a prog band so it's arguable that material of this era belongs on this list just because Genesis previously had been a prog band. Now unarguably a pop band which made the occasional mod to its prog past.

[@karllux-d6g]

exactly, just like Yes going from Prog to Eurovision level, whilst, ON THE OTHER SIDE, the 70s dusk entwined with the dawn of the 80s brought us Throbbing Gristle/PTV, Killing Joke, Joy Division, Swans, Death in June, Coil ... we can trace down the hubris of re-inventing the wheel, while ex-giants fell down the bigbizpit. Nevertheless, the few assorted examples mentioned above have yet to prove it's also cyclic for them, if not the band anymore, at least their main songwriters or survivors. I doubt it, since it has been proven it's not in their Nature. I followed Genesis from 74 to 78 (from 11 to 15 yrs.o. ), and had to chase down most of their back catalogue. I guess ''ATTW3'' is a decent, nostalgic piece of ''simplified'' prog rock, very emotional, working as a sort of epitaph for the first decade, and still with some spare strengths from ATOTT from 75. I remember having just skipped over Duke, where jazzrock-pop-prog- rub elbows on some occasional pleasant moments, but ''that next album'', in 81, destroyed my Olde England dreamy visions that Olde Genesis used to motivate. I quit the fan-list.

[@richardmackinnon611]

My pick for Jethro Tull would be General Crossing, with the cheesiest 80's lyric "Lined up for world war one two three four". And I'd nominate One Slip over Learning to Fly. Who wants a rock song about the evils of lust? Sounds like something your parents would recommend.

[@babylemonade2868]

One slip is a great song,lyrics not great though

[@davidl570]

@@babylemonade2868 It'd be better if it was instrumental.

[@mr.bloodvessel260]

Considering I was very close in High School to one of the co-writers of “Learning to Fly” I was sadden and dismayed that this song made the list…many people love it!

[@classicalbum]

It's an ok song. But a bad pink floyd song

[@jamiethorstenberg1033]

I like Learning To Fly as well. It does suffer from 80's mixing but the new mix of Momentary Lapse Of Reason improves the album

[@sapinva]

I like it. But it was never prog, or Floyd.

[@babylemonade2868]

Gilmour’s voice and guitar make it a Pink Floyd song. Amazes me how people say it would be a better as Gilmour solo album. How could you like it more as solo album when the songs are the still the same?

[@sapinva]

@@babylemonade2868 Less is more?

[@robgronotte1]

Come on, Pink Floyd had many songs worse than ""Learning To Fly", even just considering songs on that same album. That was one of the best songs on the album. Have you ever heard "Ummagumma"?

[@classicalbum]

Good idea for a video. Ten Worst floyd numbers

[@GrizrazRex]

...starting with several small species of Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict.

[@mattlonnen8664]

Not sure invisible touch counts as prog - the last domino coming somewhere close and probably the best track on the album. Can’t argue with the rest though. Thanks for the entertaining video. Cheers

[@willyupshaw]

I agree. It's a non-prog song by a prog band that drifted far into pop music. The list should be reserved for songs that actually sound like prog.

[@garrydaniel5210]

Wonderful show as always!!!! I still have to listen to 'Love Beach'. Lol!!!!

[@bradcrosier1332]

Ditto. I knew of it’s reputation and have steered clear for over three decades!

[@jimmycampbell78]

4:00 Hackett somehow manages to look much younger, shorn of long hair and beard, in that album cover than he did in Genesis during the 70s

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

Early Photoshop ...

[@neurophile]

I like Gentle Giant's "Give It Back" !

[@troublesomecorsair]

Low-hanging fruit indeed! The higher the fruit, the proggier the tracks, the better the songs, and then it wouldn't be "worst songs" anymore. Great list Air Conditioned Nightmare, Funny Feeling, Overnight Sleeper are salvageable bangers

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

Invisible Touch is a pop song, not a prog song. I find it hard to believe that any song from Caravan's ironically named 'Better By Far' album is not on here.

[@moose6509]

Hilarious video ! Please, please, please do some more ´worst of´ rundowns. Comedy gold......

[@doxy4016]

back to the safe waters of Prog, eh, after the battering you took on the Nirvana video. It can't be too hard to find 10 stinkers amongst that load!

[@victorhawkins3461]

Did you actually say Floyd sailed "...perilously close to Fair Isle sweaters..." ??? Brilliant line! Best words I've heard all weekend! Thanks!

[@ER-me1ii]

This is a reference this Yankee doesn’t get.

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

@@ER-me1ii It means perilously close to folk music

[@ambientideas1]

Prozac, as they say, is a helluva drug. Good to hear my second favourite prog band, Van der Graaf Generator, escaped this list.

[@mikearchibald744]

Thats another band I keep hearing of, but never listened to, like Hawkwind, I only saw a documentary that they had a topless girl there and that got my interest.

[@BobDaniel]

I love Prozac Blues, not least because it name checks the Elephant Talk listserv which I was reading a lot at the time (as was Adrian, it seems, at his peril). I always appreciate when KC loosens up a bit, takes themselves a little less seriously, though I'm struggling to come up with another example... Catfood maybe...

[@theheadshot45]

King Crimson Barbershop Quartet from the extended edition of Three of a Perfect Pair.

[@bradtarr3283]

Ladies of the Road

[@JaminJim2010]

There seems to be an epidemic on KZbin! Seems thousands have decided to become music critics, judge and rate bands and albums.

[@classicalbum]

Indeed. So as a viewer you have to be discerning regarding what you watch.

[@tendraftsdeep]

Great video! However, funnily enough, I really enjoy that 80's production on Invisible Touch. It's like a nostalgic time capsule from times long gone

[@sapinva]

Genesis was never prog since Gabriel departed. Invisible Touch is a very good R&B song.

[@FundamentalsUK]

Genesis who dunnit is my top festering 💩 worst prog track

[@Rog5446]

In defence of Steve Hackett 'Cured' (or should I say a plea for mercy) The whole album was never a Prog offering, and if judged as prog, it does deserve a lambast. However, if you view it as a demonstration aimed at British Pop Music wannabes, as to what they should be aiming at, then all becomes clear. This album has the most important element, and that's musicality. Concentrate on the music and ignore the vocals, and you will be rewarded.

[@Cpayne30]

For Tull, I actually find Hot Mango Flush oddly entertaining but I suppose it's still an embarrassment. There are worse songs I'd say - Kissing Willie, Thinking Round Corners (my god...those vocals), and The Waking Edge. And probably something off Under Wraps...maybe one of the CD bonus tracks.

[@danaaronmusic]

I love The Waking Edge--it's a beautiful song! But I'm with you on Thinking Round Corners.

[@Cpayne30]

@@danaaronmusic Despite it sort of fitting the lyrics, the Waking Edge sounds really lazy in the vocals dept IMO. Thinking Round Corners has the "old man scowl" vocals so loud that they scare you...that's inexcusable.

[@GeoffCB]

I don't mind Hot Mango Flush either. I think the chorus of the Waking Edge is ok, but I've not listened for so long I'm not sure!

[@danaaronmusic]

@@Cpayne30 Roll Your Own is the one that really bugs me--it refuses to end!

[@dancalmpeaceful3903]

Yes..what the hell were they thinking with that "Kissing Willie" song.....bizarre.

[@NelsonMontana1234]

When you're going for epic -- and you miss -- it's especially embarrassing.

[@ilabelle1]

I always liked Tormato, I know it always gets slagged but something about it makes me feel good. It’s a happy record to me. I’m not so sure that Rush belongs on the list. Perhaps something from their latter day albums makes more sense. Fly By Night is where Rush let us know where they were going. It’s a very good Rush album. As far as the rest goes I can see where you are coming from.

[@torc7424]

I'm a huge fan of Tormato as well. Circus of Heaven isn't the best song; a little disposable but not in the top 10 worst for me. When I saw that Rush was on the list I got a little indignant and then he said 'Rivendell'. Yeah, it kind of is that bad, I've skipped it ever since I had a tape deck with a skip track feature. :)

[@ilabelle1]

@@torc7424 I don't mind Rivendell. It's a Rush song! I'll take Rivendell over Roll the Bones any day.

[@classicalbum]

I like 'Tormato' and hope the band perform it in its entirity one day

[@stevewhiteside4525]

Prefer Tormato to GFTO, Awaken notwithstanding. Circus might be somewhat whimsical and twee, and I did skip it even back in the vinyl days along with UFO but I'm happy to play the entire albums these days. Give me Circus any day over the AOR pretend prog of bands like Styx and Journey.

[@mikearchibald744]

I admit I'm a lousy prog fan, there is basically a small setlist that I listen to over and over and over. Tormato I didn't mind, but never went back to. Rush always had 'quirky' songs, people forget that. "I think I'm going bald" isnt something you'd think belongs on an album, and I love Rivendell, its very of its time and I love the idea of thinking of Neil Peart reading Lord of the Rings and thinking this was worth writing a song about. That very much influenced much of their mythic songs of the later decade, even 2112. But these guys are such great musicians and took it so seriously at the time that I'd never dare even second guess a track even if THEY said they didn't like it. As a non musician but somebody who likes musical theory, when you hear that level of artistry in music I can't do anything but be impressed by it, even if its not exaxctly my taste. I listened to some jazz the other day, and I know the name Theolonius Munk is well respected but I couldn't get through twenty minutes of listening to it. Its just not my taste but I'd never second guess what Miles Davis or any musician put down, even if they are not the nicest people in the world.

[@marklockey4434]

I have 8 of these tracks from their respective albums. Well done for pulling out “ Invisible Touch “ and “ Taste of my Love “; weak, poor tracks from 2 bands that I love. Your critique is delivered with your usual fabulous dry humour and wit….love it.

[@bigjohndavid1]

Prog fans often have a snotty snobbish squeamishness and pedantry about them. This oftentimes prevents them from hearing the spirit and character in music.

[@ParallelSyntax]

I’m surprised that Tull’s track ‘Kissing Willie’ wasn’t in the running. But I understand they made other utter tripe. The thing that got me about that particular track was that the song sat on that album like a dog turd sat on a trifle. An overall reasonably decent album, totally ruined by one track. Sometimes I think that makes it worse than a terrible number on a wholly dismissive album like Dot Com IMHO.

[@b2tall239]

"Rivendell" is the only reason Fly By Night isn't a perfect album for me. It'll always be a "Where did THAT one come from??" headscratcher song for me. Thanks, Barry.

[@MrSpandya22]

Rivendell isn't any worse than "I think I'm going bald off the Caress of Steel album"

[@b2tall239]

@@MrSpandya22 Maybe, but I think "Bald" was done tongue-in-cheek. I think they were trying to be serious on "Rivendell".

[@lonegroover]

I've always liked it.

[@funkster007]

@@b2tall239 It's definitely tongue-in-cheek. It was a poke at Kiss' "I'm Going Blind".

[@pmoran7971]

There is so much 'dodgy material' I can sink my teeth into with this category however I will offer most of the output of ELP into this category with Lakes commercial ditties through Emerson's extravagant tinkerings I think people who liked the output of ELP should familiarise themselves with the raw cutting edge of 'the Nice' who were the forerunners to ELP who were originally four members Keith Emerson Lee Jackson Brian Davison and David O' List so many highlights wit this band Karelia suite, Rondo, America, She belongs to me' the list is superb and totally unpretentious unlike ELP

[@pschroeter1]

Fun fact, spoken section of Circus of Heaven by YES was done by Jon Anderson's song Damion. I kinda like it. I must be in the minority, but I love Memoirs of An Officer and Gentleman by ELP on Love Beach.

[@hubbsllc]

“Memoirs” makes the album worth having. It was an interesting direction for them to have gone off in.

[@kathyratino962]

Memoirs is magnificent.

[@kenl2091]

Not much to disagree with there but can I put in a word for ProzaKc Blues without the vocals? Musically it's a basic blues but with some pretty clever guitar work going on. Might it pass muster as an instrumental? I think so. I don't mind the first couple of minutes of Circus of Heaven but it does veer into the tweeest of Jon Anderson territory after that despite the Howe guitar on the slower bits. The recent 'Minus the Man' from The Quest I find irredeemable though.

[@saurian11]

98% of "The Quest" is Awful. In my opinion, "Drama" and "From a Page" are the best "non-Anderson" Yes albums, and "ABWH" is the best "Squire-less" Yes album.

[@TomFazzini]

Great vid Barry - very erudite and amusing! (Three others that leap to mind : ELP 's Benny The Bouncer. Genesis - Robbery, assault and battery. (Mockney artful dodger cobblers.) Tull's recent offering - 'Sad City Sisters.' (Misogynistic drivel +++) Easy to see how the Stalinist ground zero mentality of punk happened in '77, rightly or wrongly, given the first two anomalies and some of the top 10 here.

[@ZPetro]

This was great fun, thanks. I think that the King Crimson number would have done well for Tom Waits, tho.

[@ThePhilmaywalt]

Thoughtfully finding the dustbin of prog with a STEALIE on. You have even more taste with your choice of apparel.

[@stevecowder4774]

Can't agree with you more about Invisible Touch. I hated that one from the very get go. Just way too ' bubble gum ' for Genesis.

[@jeffreycoy]

"More Fool Me" keeps Selling England from perfect 10 album status. It's dreadful. I'd rather hear "Invisible Touch" any day over that one.

[@keithf_]

Well I was going to include Genesis it wouldn't have been 'Invisible Touch'. It would 100% have been the truly awful 'Whodunnit' from their disappointing 'Abacab' album.

[@bobfitzpatrick8952]

::chuckles:: Being a huge Yes fan (I had their music in my wedding), I thought you were going to go for other bits of fruit. There are a few moments in the 3rd and 4th songs of Topographic Oceans, but the hardest for me to listen to is the middle of Sound Chaser where the lyric "Chatta-cha-cha" is sung; it's just truly weird. And other than that, the song is great. Enjoyed the video, BTW.

[@chrishuber3262]

I think anything from Tales could make this list. Yes is one of my all time faves but most of Tales is painful to listen to unless you are really stoned.

[@TheD4VR0S]

Hacketts photographer "whats that Steve you want a photo for the cover of your new record. Im in the Caribbean right now working with ELP on Love Beach why dont you join me"

[@MetalMan73100]

This is an angle I have often missed regarding ranking videos. People seem to forget that they can go both ways, best and worst, hence just about 99 percent of them seem to concern best of this and that.

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

Hey I'm and Olde Prog Baaaastad !!! 😂 66' And have seen all the Classic Prog Bands Many times starting in 1971' and many of the lesser known bands from many concerts in Boston, to NYC !! But this list could be a Hundred long, mainly from the lesser acts though !!

[@snowqueen_8958]

This channel is amazing and prog rock is a type of rock that has so many styles and have you ever mentioned the band bloodrock they are supposedly a prog rock band

[@scottengels4143]

Bloodrock was more of a 70s hard rock band than prog. They had a couple of proggish tunes like DOA, but not really a prog band

[@snowqueen_8958]

@@scottengels4143 I like their music especially Kool aid- kids and Jessica from their 3rd self titled album

[@keithdonald6583]

So agree on all of your choices but I could pick plenty of Yes stinkers from post Tormato.

[@bradtarr3283]

Oh God, space doesn’t permit. But he sure nailed it with “Circus of Heaven”. They sure must’ve been very low on material. I mean , they TOURED with it; less embarrassing as album filler

[@TRANZEURO]

I would say post 'Drama".

[@Anarchouettisme]

I watched a KZbin livestream the other day on the same suject and you have a few songs in common with theirs, that must be hard to have written songs that are universally disliked!

[@NigelFortune]

What the hell?! Rivendell is a fantastic song! As is Floyds Learning To Fly! This video is prog blasphemy!

[@classicalbum]

😂

[@jamescastelli]

The fact that you selected Give it Back above anything on Giant for a Day.... befuddling.

[@willyupshaw]

My least favorite prog songs are tie between Are you Ready Eddie and Benny the Bouncer.

[@ronaldchives2486]

They do stink those 2 don’t they. 🙂

[@GrizrazRex]

Nope. Some folks just need an attitude adjustment. The Beatles had their ditties too.

[@lonegroover]

There are several entire Rush albums composed of songs worse than 'Rivendell'. And wow, No-one Can is gorgeous.

[@bbchronicles736]

We’ll, if these are the worst songs from prominent prog bands you could find, it just goes to show how great prog is, as most of these are not bad at all, and the tracks from rush, Pink Floyd, Hackett, gentle giant, and yes are pretty darn good actually. Those Genesis and Tull tracks are pretty bad, but not their worst, and there are far worse ones from the other bands as well. Not familiar with the king crimson or elp tracks picked. I am much more interested in focusing on the great tracks than pointing out the few bad ones from these great bands

[@mikearchibald744]

Amen, but its fun to talk about. Learning to fly you can listen to now and it would seem like a great indy band track. This just makes me wish I could play a lute and a fiddle and do a tribute version of Rivendell because its such a great track. People are so hooked on Rushs instrumentation that they often overlook the songwriting abilities and lyrics of Peart. I can still remember a college paper in the nineties criticizing their concert "what do you expect from a band that wrote a song about trees". Whoosh, thats an allegory that went way over somebodys head. But I saw somewhere years ago that somebody said Peart was one of rocks WORST lyricists, which to my mind is like saying Dylan can't write worth crap or that Leonard Cohen didn't know poetry. But I do need to download some of these bands and broaden my prog setlist, its always been pretty restricted to Genesis, Pink Floyd, Strawbs, and some albums of Yes.

[@UFO1601]

🤣🤣🤣 Barry your descriptions always crack me up , keep them coming.

[@ArmandoMPR]

Very entertaining commentary here. Had quite a few laugh out loud moments! 😂

[@macsnafu]

The worst thing about Invisible Touch is that it was Genesis' only #1 hit song in the U.S. So after that, they couldn't ignore it or pretend it didn't exist. But at least you didn't call out Whodunnit, as so many others have before!

[@frankmarsh1159]

6:12 it wasn't Jon Anderson it was his son.

[@stevesmith3990]

I love Rivendell, and Learning To Fly is far from being the worst PF song imho.

[@nathanaelpeace9550]

Yeah One Slip from the same record is a bit worse

[@bradcrosier1332]

@@nathanaelpeace9550 - I personally like the album, I’d much rather listen to it than Waters pissing and moaning incessantly through The Final Cut. More like A Pile of Crap, but then I also wouldn’t piss on Waters if he was on fire - so I may be biased.

[@almorad981]

I like the fact that you admit (finally someone does !) that Momentary Lapse of Reason is a David Gilmour album, while everyone else spit on The Final Cut just because it is a Roger Waters album ; totally dishonest !

[@harryberry474]

Momentary Lapse is a great album and it put Pink Floyd back on top of their game. I don't give a damn if you call it a Gilmour album or a Pink Floyd album

[@almorad981]

@@harryberry474 They got on top of their game because of the brand name and the shows, not the album.

[@v1sionary100]

I was hoping for 10 bad prog songs but most of these are not prog songs so a bit misleading with the title

[@dougmcauliffe2253]

I think Rivendell and Give it Back are good songs, especially the latter. I don’t even think Learning to Fly is in my top 5 worst momentary lapse songs. I would personally rank Remote Romance by Camel and Betcha Thought We Couldn’t do it by Gentle Giant before either of those.

[@miccarbo7911]

Remote Romance is truly awful. Probably Camel's worst track ever!

[@TheDavidtk240]

I know it came out in the midst of the MTV frenzy, but GTR has to be a prime example of a pile of pseudo-prog poo. I guess the Steves saw their former bandmates raking in the loot and attempted to follow suit. Two very interesting and respected guitarists lay an 80's egg.

[@TheMister123]

I can understand the inclusion of "Invisible Touch" as the Genesis selection, and others have mentioned "Whodunnit?". However, my entry for worst Genesis song has to be "Illegal Alien". The song is bad enough on its own; but the video, featuring the trio dressed in the most culturally insensitive send-up of brownface that one could conceive, is truly cringeworthy. "Invisible Touch"'s crime was being a mere pop song. "Illegal Alien", on the other hand, was grotesquely offensive.

[@aurelius1964]

Great list, as ever. Shame about 'Give it Back' - which is, as you rightly say, awful. There's some great stuff on the admittedly very patchy 'Interview' - 'I Lost My Head' is one of my all time favourite GG tracks.

[@nathanaelpeace9550]

I’m honestly surprised you went for No One Can over say Most Toys or Hope For The Future.

[@huwadams9521]

Pointless picking Invisible Touch. This is a Pop song as Genesis themselves would admit.

[@JonPickles]

Oh god “Circus of Heaven”. Utterly dreadful with repeated words from Jon’s son. It really is crap. Love beach can go in the bin along with it. To think that LP space was limited and that some of the extra tracks added to ab extended CD of Tormato could have made it and provided a more cohesive album utterly ruined by Circus IMHO.

[@Alphadawg3571]

Totally agree, Circus of Heaven, yuck. I actually watched the video to see if that song made the list. The rest of Tormato is decent though.

[@JonPickles]

@@Alphadawg3571 too right add a different song then a great album

[@willyupshaw]

ELP's always had some dubious lyrics. Even the classic Take a Pebble is pretty cringe lyrically.

[@GrandFunker]

I think this has to be my favorite video of yours. You're usually so agreeable and polite. I howled when you said "what a load of horseshit". I like Prozac Blues btw lol

[@ProckGnosis]

Agreed with the majority on the list, with the exception of Yes' "Circus of Heaven". Musically, I thought it was a really interesting arrangement (especially the keyboard work) and just something different. This song, along with "Madrigal" were my 2 favorite on the album. I would DEFINITELY put "Arriving UFO" in the stinker slot before anything else on Tormato. All that being said, Tormato was ALSO one of my first 70s-era Yes albums, so I wasn't aware of Going for the One or Close to the Edge just yet, which were massively more consistent and jaw-dropping, IMO. Most agreed with on the list? "Invisible Touch". Holy shit! What an embarrassment...lyrics, melody, production...ALL stinkers. It barely edges out "Taste my Love" because it was actually popular. "Taste my Love" was quite (and appropriate) unknown except to ELP fans.

[@spiderbass65]

Love you’re lists! And the Dead t-shirt.

[@danaaronmusic]

I've always suspected that it went something like this: Martin: I've got this cool wacky instrumental piece. Can we put it on the album? Ian: Suuuuure we can. [aside] I'll just add a few touches of my own. [rubs hands]

[@lamecasuelas2]

I don't know, i feel that Prozac blues works better in concert. I also i like Learning to fly, i take It every day over something like Vera

[@Cpayne30]

Adrian "putting on" the voice in concert versus whatever the hell they did on the album is what makes the live versions actually work. Plus a great soloing vehicle for Adrian live.

[@mcwulf25]

The only songs I know well on that list are Invisible Touch (obvs) and Circus of life. I didn't like that era of Genesis anyway and I think there are worse examples that this too. Yes they sounded like Level 42 or many radio friendly bands. Circus of Life I actually quite like. Yes did worse music in the 80s. Picking late Tull and Floyd is just too easy.

[@aloysius6937]

Rivendell is a Classic love it!! Sweet wine and soft relaxing light! Lord of the rings in your ears! You feel there's something calling your wanting to return to where the misty mountains rise and friendly fires burn a place you can escape the world where the dark Lord can not go peace of mind and sanctuary by loud waters flow!! Fantastic!!!! Great Channel though 👏 KZbins very own not quite as whispering as whispering Bob but Just as good!! Good stuff 🍻

[@alienteknology5390]

I totally disagree with Momentary Lapse & Tormato being on this list. I don't really want to say much more in their defense other than I really liked them. Both albums featured strong playing & stellar songwriting.Both were produced with the bands still in their prime.

[@classicalbum]

I agree regarding these albums... but this is a list of specific songs

[@alienteknology5390]

Classic Album Review I like Learning To Fly but I can see what you mean by Circus of Heaven. The lyrics are a bit cringe.

[@pkats9093]

Aw c’mon man, I love that ELP album! Just kidding. Nice work, I’m sure there will be a 2nd installment on this theme

[@bigscarysteve]

The ELP lyrics you quote remind me of Spinal Tap.

[@rael2099]

Whodunnit for me as Genesis's main offender song. How did that abomination make the cut in Abacab and hasn't been yet edited out of existence boggles my mind. I have the vinyl and I wish I could bypass that song somehow when it's its turn to play. I agree with learning to fly. That song exemplifies the difference between Waters and Gilmour. You give way too much credit to Gilmour and Wright. As much as the guitar playing is stellar, the song is dead on arrival. Boring, unimaginative, soulless, too long, ugh. Indeed Gentle Giant's Give it away literally took the need from me of keep listening to that album to this day. GGs decline started here. I'm of the small group that actually like Prozac Blues. The Construction of Light is a indigestible amalgamation of half baked ideas and derivative scales and riffs. Prozac Blues at least has a coherent structure and not masturbatory scale meanderings that started to piss me off from King Crimson. It's just Below doing his stuff, like Dig Me in Three of a Perfect Pair or Neurótica, or Cage. Arriving UFO is the main offender in Tormato for me, and Don't Kill the Whale. As for Steve Hackett, all Cured and the next 3 or more albums are dreadful, until Guitar Noir. Such a lost decade for Hackett...

[@torgersontravis]

The sheer amount of hilarious shit talk with the most dry delivery ever really makes this video for me.

[@WalkingInYourShadow]

The live version of “Space Truckin’” from Made In Japan by Deep Purple is terrible. It is okay for about 3 minutes, then the last 17 minutes is the band fu*king around on their instruments and whatever drugs they were on. If you listen closely, the audience doesn’t even know when the song ends.

[@adamsenglish3894]

How many songs on Love Beach? Eight? I'd just list 1-8 according to the track list on Love Beach.

[@sapinva]

You lost me with Rush. Blasphemy! Love Beach is horrible in it's entirety. The circus song was obviously an Anderson solo for filler, so not fair. And Learning to Fly is correctly not really Floyd, but Gilmore, and not prog.

[@Beachgirl1]

This is the problem that I have with Rush fans. They are similar to a cult. Incredibly toxic and cannot take ANY criticism of their beloved band. For example, I’m a huge ELP fan, but I will be the first to laugh at “Love Beach”. Rush fans think their beloved band is perfect and that every Rush song is fantastic. Rush has a few good songs, but are incredibly overrated. There, I said it. Everyone has different tastes.

[@sapinva]

​@@Beachgirl1 That's a little extreme and toxic for someone complaining about the same. Anyway, there is a distinction between the worst Rush song and ELP's unfortunate foray into pop, Rush always sounded like Rush, but ELP was not true to themselves.

[@wkmac2]

All such lists are subjective, from our own to lists of others. Best or worst. This one no different. I made it to #6 and then realize I needed to take out the trash. Maybe another time.

[@fenderstratocastertelecast8479]

Any worst YES song Is by far better than hearing Shakira, come.on !!! And because hard fans, and purism It Is not.fair to.judge different lineups for ASIA, YES, GENESIS. Ok , a different taste but same good quality I love RUSH "hold your fire" too

[@craigdavidson4378]

Yamaha DX7 launched in 1983, not available in 1981. More likely a CS-80…