Top 25 Progressive Rock Albums

[@KurodaKyousuke]

38:20 Yikes. Peter Green is from Fleetwood Mac! I of course meant the great Gary Green on guitar. Sorry folks... -Rob.

[@bateriaeletronica]

Do you know a band called Power of Omens, the CD is Rooms of Anguish. The second CD is Eyes of the Oracle. This is my second favorite band, the first is Jethro Tull.

[@somestupidwithaflaregun7149]

Nothing wrong with Peter Green, though... Great list. I like how you recognise the existence of "gateway" albums. Interestingly, Pawn Hearts was my introduction to Van D.G.G. Dark Side for me is tied with Meddle. If you are not familiar with SRC, check out their first album. They were Peter Gabriel's biggest youthful influence.

[@KurodaKyousuke]

@@somestupidwithaflaregun7149 thanks! I haven't but I'll check them out. Also, love your username.

[@TukaSlave]

No worries. Where have you been all my life? I thought I was the only one. The moment I first heard Last Autumn’s Dream, I was obsessed. I bought 3 LPs because I kept wearing them out playing them constantly. I am onto my 3rd cd version. I have bought The Piolite …? by Egg on your recommendation. I have most of the other albums. I love Gong, too. Dave Allen refused entry to the UK as an Undesirable Alien, splitting up the Soft Machine. Their first demo album was my favourite, btw. Definitely subscribed.

[@scotslater]

For anyone who just wants to see the list... 25 - Gong - You 24 - Ambrosia - Ambrosia 23 - Porcupine Tree - The Sky Moves Sideways 22 - Styx - The Grand Illusion 21 - Egg - The Polite Force 20 - Nektar - Remember the Future 19 - Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come - Journey 18 - Procol Harum - Live With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra 17 - Jade Warrior - Last Autumn's Dream 16 - Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes From A Memory 15 - Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts 14 - Rick Wakeman - The Red Planet 13 - The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed 12 - Hawkwind - Space Ritual 11 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Emerson, Lake & Palmer 10 - Gentle Giant - Octopus 09 - Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All 08 - Camel - Moonmadness 07 - Genesis - Foxtrot 06 - Eloy - Ocean 05 - King Crimson - Red 04 - Jethro Tull - Songs From the Wood 03 - Rush - A Farewell to Kings 02 - Yes - Close to the Edge 01 - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

[@daengzool6023]

How about Agus - Wishbone Ash?

[@russellthechemist8291]

If you start including Pink Floyd, then they would have the top 4 places.

[@josekuhn2819]

Actually the moody blues to our Children’s Children’s Children is a perfect concept album. It’s all about Space.

[@fourseasons4105]

My top 20: (there's plenty of amazing prog offerings post the 70's, just sayin'...) 1. Devin Townsend project- Deconstruction 2. Opeth- Blackwater park 3. Dream theater- Six degrees of inner turbulence 4. Genesis- Foxtrot 5. Yes- Relayer 6. Frank Zappa- Hot rats 7. Mastodon- Crack the Skye 8. Between the buried and me- Future sequence 9. Steve Vai- Fire garden 10. King Crimson- Lark's tongues in aspic 11. Pink Floyd- Animals 12. Meshuggah- ObZen 13. ELP- Trilogy 14. Devin Townsend- Empath 15. Gorillaz- Plastic beach (yep, it's prog in my book) 16. Kansas- Leftoverture 17. Peter Gabriel- Melting 18. Cynic- Traced in air 19. Animals as leaders- The joy of motion 20. Marillion- Clutching at straws

[@soundofmuzak3469]

Cool list! Dig some of your modern picks especially! I use to love Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence! Crack the Skye and Blackwater Park will always hold a special place in my heart. Yeah, I bust my fellow co-host all the time about that. There is great music past 1980 haha. We’ll get him there though! -Andy

[@sexytasmin]

Absolutely agree with the Camel, Genesis, Yes and Eloy albums. Excellent progressive rock.

[@piputek]

I agree tooo ;)

[@franksullivan1873]

Thank you for putting the Moody Blues as sort of the Godfather of Prog Rock.I have often thought it was setting up the movement in music to come in the early 70s.When, I think of Prog Rock,I always think of the album “Days of Futures Passed”.

[@Dirgnimai7]

"overblown and pretentious" is a subjective point of view, and I, personally, am sick of hearing it. Even those who supposedly like and support Prog Rock frequently feel they have to use those words for some reason. I find use of those terms to be overblown and pretentious. But even if those words were objectively true (which they are not), then good. Give me overblown. Give me pretentious. I love it.

[@emdiar6588]

Back in the 80s, The Enid (one of my favourite symphonic neoclassical Prog bands ever) got a scathing review in Melody Maker that had within it the words "pretentious grandiosity", like that was a BAD thing. My Prog inclined mates and I (16 years old and still at school, surrounded by New Romantics and synth pop fans) leaned into it and started rating our LPs on how "pretentiously grandiose" they were - The more so, the better in our book.

[@Dirgnimai7]

@@emdiar6588 Excellent! I love it!

[@gregdales4701]

YES..Brilliant

[@deansusec8745]

Exactly! What exactly is the meaning of overblown or indulgent??? Isn't the point of art and music to make what you like, not to make what the masses want to make more money for the record companies?

[@Dirgnimai7]

@@deansusec8745 Thank you. Great points!

[@markrobertdevison1227]

My first Tull concert was in 79. Saw RUSH 18 times. I saw original Wall shows in 1980 in L.A. Best concert in the history of live shows. I was fortunate enough to see the Yes lineup you mention, it's my fav line up too. I've seen quite a few of the bands on this list. I love prog rock, it's my favorite genre. Great list, thanks.

[@michaelscheuerman2501]

Saw the Wall in NYC in '80 & couldn't agree more: Best Concert in the History of Live Shows!..😊

[@CharlesREllis-kd7xu]

Wishbone Ash- Argus for us guitar lovers

[@MatthewMcVeagh]

10. Aphrodite's Child - 666 9. Camel - Moonmadness 8. Jethro Tull - Songs From the Wood 7. Gong - You 6. Rush - A Farewell to Kings 5. Hawkwind - Levitation 4. Genesis - Foxtrot 3. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon 2. Yes - Close to the Edge 1. Steve Hackett - Please Don't Touch Gratified to see we agree on a lot. :) If I could have an honourable mention it would be Grobschnitt - Ballermann.

[@user-xq1bc5qx2p]

No King Crimson? 😢

[@MatthewMcVeagh]

@@user-xq1bc5qx2p I quite like In the Court but the rest of it is just 'OK' in my book.

[@user-xq1bc5qx2p]

Maybe you just haven't listened enough of them. I didn't like them quite that much at first, too, but over time they became my favorite band

[@MatthewMcVeagh]

@@user-xq1bc5qx2p Maybe, or maybe it just reflects my taste and personality? Because that's how it is, no artistic creation is objectively great or terrible, it's all relative to one's subjective taste. Very few prog fans would put Steve Hackett at #1, but to me he's the acme of prog - but I understand others will feel differently.

[@SunFellow941]

Today is the 47th anniversary of my first Genesis concert: the second of the two opening nights of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour, November 20-21, 1974, in Chicago. I had just discovered the band in 1973 when I couldn't resist the album cover of their then-new GENESIS LIVE: the cover's bizarre costume of lead singer Peter Gabriel amidst an all-white stage intriguing me, and a surreal vignette on the back cover sealing the deal. I had to know this band. I then spent the entire next year slowly immersing myself, in reverse order, into their past studio albums: Selling England by the Pound (1973) back to From Genesis to Revelation (1969). I fell so in love with Peter Gabriel's voice what to speak of Tony Bank's nonstop arpeggiating chords, it was beyond insane. It all climaxed with their two shows in Chicago for THE LAMB-- I caught the second night when they played the entire double disc concept album plus encores "Watcher of the Skies" and "The Musical Box." THE LAMB had not been released yet (ugh), but fortunately Chicago's artsy radio station, Triad Radio, played the entirety of side one. (Triad even had its own hippified music magazine complimenting other counterculture news sources.) Having recorded it onto cassette, I played it incessantly-- loving every minute of it-- immersed in Gabriel's erudite lyrics for the next week before the show (fans would eventually write an annotated version of the lyrics to clue everyone in). I even called the radio station and begged them to play side 4, but they gave me a stern "No" which made me think they got into trouble with the record company, taping albums with its loss of revenue being a sensitive issue in those days. To put it simply, sitting in the front row of the balcony in front of Mr. Banks in the city's most beautiful venue (or at least the most beautiful theater they would let us dirty dope smoking hippies into) was one of the most exciting nights of my life. They provided us with a replica of the album cover's short story by Gabriel, and we sat mesmerized as three screens projected slides telling the story of Rael's metaphysical journey from trials and tribulations to jubilant enlightenment. Or so it seemed everything did in those days of hippie spirituality, lol. I shouldn't laugh-- I'm still situated right into that mental space. ⭐☀🌈💥🕉🕉 "It is walking on the moon/ Leaving your cocoon."

[@19tonami57]

Tooo bad GENESIS never recorded the whole show professionally and put it out on DVD 😢

[@bierdlll]

I agree, I think progressive rock culminated in it's evolutionary peak with the 18-minute Close to the Edge. The composition and the melding of all five musicians is miraculous. Where else can you go from there? It exhausted the limits of the genre. A second pinnacle was reached with Gates of Delirium. But King Crimson is my favourite, constantly experimenting and bringing the music to completely new territory.

[@deansusec8745]

Agree about the two yes songs, Awaken is up there also. I think King Crimson goes too far jazz fusion for me. Which is wanking music, not you know classical+ rock.

[@dimitrispapadimitriou5622]

A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers

[@clouddog2393]

Yes , Genesis , Jethro Tull and King Crimson were at their creative peaks in the early to mid 70's with a slow decline as the decade drew to a close . From the 80's onward this decline became more pronounced with Genesis especially taking the term "selling out" to it's logical conclusion . l'm not saying all the bands l've mentioned did'nt still produce good music in the 80's and beyond just that no way did it reach the heights that they once scaled .For me "Close to the Edge" ," Fragile " by Yes and "Crimson King "and "Lizard" by Crimson are Prog at it's finest and sound as good today as when l brought them on their release many moons ago . All personal favourites . Cheers .

[@crimsonwizard2560]

Bollocks. ELP were the best group in th e70's Brain Salad Surgery was the best ever prog album. ELP never got the recognition they deserved.

[@dimitrispapadimitriou5622]

@@crimsonwizard2560 That's a matter of personal taste, as always... In my opinion ELP were great musicians, but not so great composers/ songwriters. Their first album was the best. Tarkus and Trilogy also very good. But Brain salad... lots of cheesey moments, especially in the first side...

[@snotpu]

Unless I missed it, I did not see Focus on the list. Moving Waves a great album, I'd put it in the top 10, A few of these I had not heard so I will be checking them out. Thanks for making this list. Close to the Edge might be my number one prog album, but I wore out 2 vinyl copies of Dark Side of the Moon, so not saying that is a bad choice either.

[@davidgagen9856]

Hamburger Concerto deserves to be on this list

[@cobyward2878]

Awesome list! First time seeing your content and I’ve been really getting into prog lately. I listened to Close to the Edge for the first time because a friend I met at a concert recommended it to me. I will never be the same.

[@MrMjp58]

Great video. My personal fav's are Genesis (PG era), Camel, ELP, Renaissance and Focus. I couldn't single out particular albums. For me, prog is the sort of music I find the most relaxing. This is mostly because I feel more in common with it than any other form.

[@classicalbum]

Thank you for putting the Floyd album at number one, as I took some stick for having this top my list.

[@fabio5995]

Pawn Hearts should be in the first place

[@soundofmuzak3469]

Thank you for watching! I love your channel and thought your list was great!

[@pensadores-reflexoessobrer4581]

Italian Prog, is fantástic, great bands, great songs, great musics

[@bateriaeletronica]

Felona and Sorona. Le Orme.

[@richardmorgan1588]

Nice list. I’m a major Yes fan and I didn’t even know about Rick Wakeman’s The Red Planet! Immediately went to Amazon and ordered the vinyl version. There were only two left and I got one of them! I’m intrigued by the suggestions I’d never heard of as well as the ones from bands I had heard of but had not explored yet! I will be referencing this video again!

[@shanepurcell8116]

PF might not be the most proggy band out there. But you can't deny how influential they were to introducing prog rock to alot of people who otherwise might not have been attracted to the genre. To say one of the biggest bands to ever live is a prog rock band, is a huge feather in the cap of prog rock.

[@rightchordleadership]

Massive Tull fan here for 40 years. No question that SFTW is a masterpiece and my favorite JT album. I just don’t see how it could be considered prog by any reasonable definition of the genre.

[@imaseeker100]

'And the ragged dawn breaks on your battle scars As you walk home cold and alone upon velvet green'

[@andyourbirdcansingfrankrya1280]

The beautiful thing is Tull can be all things to all people. SFTW is indeed a treasure.

[@paulhart3812]

I would classify SFTW as progressive folk… a combination of folk music (ala Steeleye Span) and progressive music (ala Thick As a Brick).

[@6792pk5]

Great effort in compiling this extensive list.Even though I am a prog rock fan,I haven't heard of all these bands,so very informative video for me. Bit surprised at #1_ obviously a watershed album but to me doesn't hold up over time as well as "Close to the edge" does,which to me will always be quite pure and timeless. As an ELP fan ,I'm glad you've placed them fairly high, and yes like you say Brain Salad Surgery could be there instead. Thanks again for such an awesome video!

[@hermannschaefer4777]

Missing: Renaissance, PFM, Banco, Marillion, both Oldfield, ...

[@willsonnett6693]

Great list, I'd swap Styx with Kansas Song for America. Agree totally with Porcupine Tree.

[@richard127gm]

One of the most interesting facts about Dark Side of the Moon is that it has the correct Six colours of the rainbow, not seven. That level of knowledge and detail is typical of this album.

[@madcyril4135]

Hello from u.k. I’m 65 now, and have 2 sons around your age,who went on to play bass In bands up until recently. A nightmare for me unpaid roadie! They were obviously influenced by my prog collection. September 1972 I was 15, you could leave at age 15 in those days! I was on day release from my apprenticeship as a stonemason at my local Tech college. My friends older brother had a good job with an oil company, so used to buy 5 or 6 albums a week English prog, Tull, yes, floyd, crimson, e.t.c. U.S. Spirit, mountain, Hendrix, doors, German stuff can,and obscure stuff I can’t remember. So i was just starting to get into the good music, and I saw a poster advertising Arthur browns kingdom come, the journey tour! On the wall of the canteen, so I thought I remember the crazy world of Arthur brown From 1968! So 4 of us went to the college auditorium to watch him, brown played the drum machine Himself, Andy Dalby, and Phil shut, on bass and lead, and of course brown singing as well Living close to Liverpool I have seen most of the decent bands back in the day. Genesis, foxtrot, selling England tours, Santana! Gentle giant, Tull, etc Saw Martin barre, just before covid in a small theatre in New Brighton called the pavilion Just across the river from Liverpool. After all these years, and music listened to, their was something special about the Arthur brown gig! Very theatrical as well, came onstage with a traffic light on his head! Then came walking on inside a 6 foot long pirate ship, complete wit sail! Then later in a suit of a telephone receiver! Out of all the kingdom come albums, I think journey is the best. I still play it these days. Something in the journey album, that keeps me going back! One of my all time favourites. It’s good that someone your age, has great taste in music like My lads, I’ve done my best! Sorry for rambling on, but I don’t meet Arthur brown journey fans Every day! They are dying off! Great channel. Take care in these strange times.

[@DamnableReverend]

Great list, and thanks for actually talking about the albums rather than just running them down. Also I'm persoanlly very glad Hawkwind is here. Theyv'e beena very special band to me for over twenty years now, and if I had a time machine oone of the first things I'd probably do is travel to 1973-75 and attend a hawkwind gig. I do n't care that much whether people consider them prog or not. They can be one of the few bands that appeals to both progheads and punks alike, and that is f***in awesome.

[@SmartDave60]

Yes a very thoughtful list.

[@deanwolfechannel]

Love your top 25. Its going to be my guide, lots of stuff I'm embarrassed to say I still have to explore!

[@imaseeker100]

I bought the first ELP album when I was 13 (1972). I still listen to it occasionally front to back. It's from freekin 1970! Light years ahead in my opinion.

[@rmn3186]

Just seeing this now. I love ELP, first 6 albums including live albums Pictures...& Welcome Back.... If it wasn't for ELP, Yes, & Moody Blues I wouldn't have ever tried other Prog groups like King Crimson, J Tull & Hawkwind, Gentle Giant, etc. ELP is very special & they were ahead of their time.

[@williamlambrecht916]

Hey Moon madness is my favorite Genesis album too In all seriousness, it’s awesome to see someone around my age (I’m 17) that’s as into this type of music as I am. One band that I would totally recommend getting into is Focus, they’ve got some awesome instrumental piece.

[@soundofmuzak3469]

This was a fantastic video Rob! Gentle Giant and Van der Graaf Generator especially are two bands that I really need to further explore. Gong as well! - Andy

[@ExecuMutant]

Big fan of Progressive & Fusion music. I worked in a record store in the 70s- 80s which exposed me to lots of genres. Apparently Jordan Rudess was on track to becoming a classical pianist when a friend put Tarkus on the turntable. The rest is history!

[@kevinogracia1615]

As an old geezer I gotta say You hit it on the nail. "Relayer" was the sh@t, too. Peace on earth.

[@Sarhamnjo]

Great Video, Thank You! Special Thanks for including Gong and Eloy! And Yes, Pink Floyd are the greatest band of all time, only I´d have chosen Animals, which doesn´t take away from the fact, that Dark Side is a perfect album. Two bands I´d like to recommend: Motorpsycho Norwegian Trio / Quartett with some additional musicians now and then. They´ve put out an opus of over 30 albums since the early 90s (Counting only the Studio Works) and i can say for the nearly 20 i´ve heared, there´s no stinker among them. They have a very special style impossible to describe sometimes sounding more proggy sometimes more space Rock, sometimes a bit pop sometimes a bit of Metal or Punk (especially in the earliest works), sometimes a little classical, and, hey, they even produced 2 Country albums. So a very diverse band with a big output. So where to begin? - I´d say their 90s works are a good point to start, I´d say anything from "Demon Box" until their 2002 album "It´s a Love Cult" - You can´t do anything wrong with these. They are all amazing. Just don´t skip after the first or fourth listen, all of their works are growers, so don´t give up early. Or if You just want to test one song, I´d recommend "Vortex Surfer" or the incredible "Un Chien d´Espace" - especially the live versions of this are always Killer - Check "A K9 Suite" from their first Live Album, which is this Song in a 30 Min Version - absolutely incredible trip to go on. Don´t miss out on this! Second recommendation is another scandinavian Neo Prog Band called Anekdoten A band not many people know about. They began as a King Crimson Cover Band, so that tells a lot about their musicianship, and about their love for the Mellotron, which indeed is one of the instruments they use quite a lot. They don´t nearly have the output Motorpsycho have, and i also can´t tell that all of their stuff is fantastic. "A Time of Day" is kind of a stinker in their discography, too pop, too polished, it doesn´t suit them well, i feel. They also represent a bit of the dark side of Prog, very melancholic, and the distorted bass on their first two works hits really hard, but that´s what i like a lot about them. Indeed their second work "Nucleus" is really my favourite work of them, especially the 10 minute epic "Book of Hours". Music for the mood, but in the mood simply amazing. And if You ever feel like giving Prog Metal another shot: Try Psychotic Waltz - Into the Everflow - Best Metal Album ever made in my not so humble opinion. Thanks again!

[@JoyDivision88]

Impressed you picked a Procol Harum album. I saw them several times over the seventies and was lucky enough to see them when Robin Trower was still their guitarist. For me they were equally as good and inventive as bands such as Pink Floyd etc.

[@richdisilvio4591]

Nice to see Nektar mentioned, but YES's "Relayer" is easily #1 with others like ELP's "Tarkus", Renaissance's "Turn Of The Cards" & "Scheherazade" competing against Pink Floyd's "DSOTM" and Tull's "Thick as a Brick" & "Aqualung" for top 10 positions.

[@JWPanimation]

Gates Of Delirium, Yes at their most brilliant.

[@javierllerena5756]

To me the best progressive rock album is Passion Play from Jethro Tull.

[@Wallnetto]

Absolutely right about Tull's folk trilogy. Really happy to see Eloy so high on the list. Overall great list, I'm going to go back and check out Jade Warrior again. I would have included Caravan's "For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night," I think you should give them more of a chance. It's milkshake-smooth prog!

[@martinkdoorstoperception.1913]

2 great bands that not on your list the groundhogs, and Jane amazing progressive rock bands..great video. Enjoyed that journey.

[@emersonperin4109]

Great list! Our tastes align. I had the privilege of being a teen in the early 70's and buying a lot of these albums as they were released. You would probably like Focus - Hamburger Concerto. Of newer bands IQ is awesome - try Road of Bones.

[@mrdemocracy7106]

URIAH HEEP British LEGENDS

[@LucyOLastic]

Well done for giving Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come a shout. They are one of my favourite bands from that era and still listen to them. More influential than anyone would ever know.....all three albums are incredible and recommended listening.

[@minsterhill]

You got me as a subscriber with #24. Ambrosia was great prog in the day! And still a great band when they went more mainstream. Thank you great video!

[@minsterhill]

Grand Illusion was not cliche when it was released in 77'

[@andysmith8902]

Alan Parsons was the producer and sound engineer of that album… “Parsons was involved with the production of several albums, including the Beatles' Abbey Road (1969) and Let It Be (1970), Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), and the eponymous debut album by Ambrosia in 1975.” - Wikipedia. (And don’t forget the Alan Parsons Project and their excellent early albums.) 👍👍👍

[@jefffoster3557]

Don't forget too that Ambrosia is really the band playing Parsons Tales album.

[@mochimochi82]

I probably heard DSOTM for the first time in 1977, when I was 16. 44 years and dozens of musical eras and genres later, and I still consider it to be the best album of all time. Thank you for this beautiful walk down memory lane. I had so many of these albums in the wooden orange crate that took me through high school and into college. My older siblings had some of the rest. I have no doubt this music played a significant role in making me the person I turned out to be.

[@emdiar6588]

I was thinking "Yeah, yeah... another hack list of all the usual suspects... I know where this will go.... Then you come out of the gate with GonG! YOU! My all time favourite band, and together with the rest of the trilogy and Camembert Electrique, one of the best albums ever to be pressed into a petroleum byproduct. Suddenly I'm like, OK, let's see what this guy has to say. edit: Jade Warrior??!! You fckin LEGEND!!!!! Last Autumn's Dream is the best. Everyone goes for Floating World or Waves, but you picked my fave. You just cemented my respect, and earned a sub!

[@AndrewMoore58]

My all time favourite is UK, their debut album with the lineup of John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson and Alan Holdsworth. I enjoyed your list. Glad you put Red up as I think that is their masterpiece. The Red Planet also took me by surprise as I love it too. Good to see Jade Warrior in there. I was beginning to think no one else got them. The Island releases are a little different to those early records. I have to agree about the heaviness of the guitar. There’s a track on Floating World, I think is called Monkey Chant, that sounds like Hendrix jamming with a Maori Haka.

[@AndrewMoore58]

Love that too.

[@Paul-by2nz]

Renaissance Turn Of The Cards ?

[@jakelawson222]

I really enjoyed this. I am glad you gave props to Songs from the Wood, that is my favorite as well. That record, as well as many other prog records (Greenslade being one that I have discovered recently) was recorded at Morgan studios in London. I have been trying to find some kind of documentary about this particular studio and the Cadec mixing desk they had, but I can find nothing about this studio aside from the Wikipedia page and a Way Back Machine archived page about it. I wish there was a documentary about those London recording studios: Morgan, the Basing Street Island Record studio, Olympic studios, etc.

[@themikentimcomedyshow3343]

Agreed! SFTW is very prog in its own way. It is indeed a great example of Tull at its best.

[@clouddog2393]

Anything from the early 70's by Van Der Graaf Generator , Gentle Giant , Caravan and Soft Machine and you're there . Prog perfection in some classic albums by these four great bands .

[@asianhippy]

I was glad to see that Gentle Giant and Eloy made your list. Some of the albums you picked may not have made my list but that is all subjective. All in all. this is a great compilation. Also I hadn't heard of Jade Warriors but I will give them a listen.

[@DickWrath]

You should check out a German band called Lake. They are sort of a combination of Yes and Steely Dan. Their first five albums from 1976-1981 are the best. You won't find a single prog rock song, but overall they are a Progressive Rock band. If you are into Hammond B3, then the first few albums are the best. Hot Day is a great guitar LP. James Hopkins-Harrison had probably the most unique voice in Rock. RIP James.

[@davidschecter5247]

Really well-done! I appreciated the way you went in depth with each album without getting too pretentious. Especially liked your take on The Moodies. I'm with you on it being the first progressive rock album. What makes it flow musically is Ray Thomas' flute and Mike Pinder on Mellotron, because those instruments are often present when the orchestra enters or departs, and they provide the "overlap" between pop and classical that makes the segues work.

[@coadmiller5010]

Touch: 20-20 Sound... 1969. Nuff said!...

[@coadmiller5010]

Styx... Bleagh!... suck much?... Love Gong's You though.. And Egg's the Polite Force... Visit to Newport Hospital is superb... But then I'm a huge Soft Machine fan since I saw 'em open for Hendrix just days after I turned 14, couldn't get enough of thier albums, all the way through the seventies. Also saw Crazy World of Arthur Brown, same year as Hendrix/Softs... He had Vincent Crane (Atomic Rooster) and Carl Palmer on drums-- need I say more?.. also got into Brown's Kingdom Come in the seventies, and like Jade Warrior as well.. That's all I've heard so far, so I may have more comments later...

[@coadmiller5010]

True day with Pawn Hearts... Didn't Fripp play on that? Yeah cuz I used to have it --- thier other stuff's great too...

[@coadmiller5010]

Hey, just an irrelevant aside... Grow a moustache to go with that soul patch and you'll really look the part-(like me I guess) Back to topic, I really dug all the Moodies' albums from In search of the Lost Chord onwards back in the early 70's.. kudos to the Hawkwind and Lemmy comments as well...

[@coadmiller5010]

E L &P... like, but prefer Egg, but then I'm a Canterbury guy anyway... From the Beginning a great hit...

[@vimfuego8827]

What a great presentation from a person that has real insight into the music of 'Prog' , Great stuff young man, keep it coming. Subscribed.. oh btw, it's Gary Green in 'Gentle Giant' 🙂

[@falcodog2917]

Great video and I agree with most. Camel, Nektar and Gentle Giant are all criminally overlooked.

[@baruyero]

Really good video. I saw the whole thing. But why don’t you like the lamb lies on broadway?

[@soundofmuzak3469]

I don't dislike the album by any means, there's a ton of great stuff there. I have a bit of a problem with double albums as a whole which is really my only main issue. I just find after about 45 or 50 minutes my attention span seems to start wandering, and prefer the sort of standard 35 - 45 minute format.

[@Ricardohomsy]

1 Hot Rats- zappa 2 Thick as a brick -tull 3 Bundles-Soft Machine 4Larks tongues in aspic-Crimson 5Close to the edge-Yes 6Physical Graffiti-Led 7Three Friends-Gentle Giant 8South Saturn Delta-Hendrix 9Meddle-Pink Floyd 10Third-Soft Machine 11Waka Jawaka-Zappa 12Are you experience-Hendrix 13 Heavy Horses-Tull 14In the court of the crimson-king-crimson 15Presence-Led 16Going for the one-Yes 17The soft Parade-the doors 18Construção-Chico 19O clube da esquina-Milton 20Alagbon close-Fela Kuti

[@lexx8856]

Great video! I wonder if you are familiar with progbands from other parts of the world? A lot to discover in Sweden: Anglagard or Kaipa. In The Netherlands: Finch or Alquin. In Norway: The Windmill of Wobbler and above all Italy: Unreal City or Il Bacio della Medusa.

[@nolanbrody6234]

he literally picked eloy as his number 6

[@alwayscasesensitive]

PFM from Italy,one of my fave prog bands

[@phatzwave4424]

Prog didn't die in the 70's, Porcupine Tree proved that.

[@noumenon6923]

Italian prog is just a good as English prog…… Alphataurus, Arti & Mestieri, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Maxophone, Museo Rosenbach, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Quella Vecchia Locanda,….. etc

[@andysmith8902]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@fredhuybens2783]

Very good ranking. You are right on the spot about Jethro Tull. Some albums I’m missing are Happy the Man, UK, Bruford - One of a kind, Kansas - Leftoverture and Steve Hackett Spectral mornings or Defector.

[@prockrog5219]

Great list, great video! So happy I stumbled upon your YT-channel!

[@wayne287]

Thank you for this exhaustive list. You obviously have a good ear and a great passion for progressive rock. I would have placed Yes as number 1 and Genesis and ELP much higher, but I concede that this is YOUR list. Have you ever listened to Flash with Peter Banks. They put out three great albums. There "In the Can" is probably their best, but I liked all three. Also Utopia with Todd Rundgren with their debut album in 1974 was not perfect, but it had some great songs. Thanks again for the list. You had some that I had never heard of before. I will have to check them out.

[@stever7732]

What, no Kate Bush!? Any one of three of her albums would have graced that list - ‘Never Forever’, ‘The Dreaming’ or ‘Hounds of Love’.

[@mclarsj]

Good comments on this prog-list. But in my opinion...where is the beautiful first album by (underrated I guess) Pavlov's Dog? And one album I treasure is "Tales Of Mystery and Imagination" from Alan Parsons Project. Cool top nevertheless.

[@wayne287]

Yes, Alan Parsons Project could have been there some where.

[@iadorenewyork1]

Jade Warrior is one of my very favorites. They can’t be pigeon holed - they are beyond categories. I think they have a link to New Age music, but they have rock influences. Good review!

[@abrahamlincolnjones2922]

So glad you gave the proper accolades to the fantastic Journey album by Arthur Brown and Kingdom Come. The band had just added Victor Peraino on keyboards to compliment Brown, bassist Phil Schutt and guitarist Andy Dalby. A brilliant and underrated band with excellent musicians and ground breaking musical talent. Journey is a MUST! Pleased to see Octopus by Gentle Giant as well. This was the last album to feature founding member Phil Shulman and the first with John Weathers on drums.

[@disconnected22]

I found this before my computer died, enabled me to go out and find some cool Prog I hadn’t heard. I revisit this now and then to polish up. I always appreciate your breakdowns. I’ve come to wonder, have you come to listen to any Italian prog bands? I had my mind blown by Le Orme several years ago! Or Krautrock/hard prog bands like Cosmic Jokers or OMEGA?

[@utgfy]

Cool list, especially as it highlighted some things that were only at the periphery of my listening. In return, I did want to urge you to try more Magma. If Gentle Giant's Octopus grew on you after multiple listenings, you will definitely have the same experience with Magma--and those things that take longest to enter usually stick around longest! Start with Kohntarkosz, as it's less driven by unworldly vocals.

[@ZalMoxis]

Looking at today's music, it is way more self indulgent, over blown and verbose than anything the old proggers ever were.... Some great choices in there....although I absolutely detest Dream Theatre.

[@frankpentangeli7945]

Though it's arguable, I would put both Wish You Were Here and Animals ahead of The Dark Side of the Moon, Fragile ahead of Close to the Edge, Aqualung ahead of Songs From the Wood, Selling England by the Pound ahead of Foxtrot, In the Court of the Crimson King ahead of Red, Trilogy ahead of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Three Friends ahead of Octopus, Hall of the Mountain Grill ahead of Space Ritual and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour ahead of Days of Future Passed. The ones I totally agree with are One Size Fits All and A Farewell to Kings. Amazing albums!! And I would move a few of the more obscure choices aside and replace them with Crime of the Century by Supertramp, Hero and Heroine by Strawbs, Stratosfear by Tangerine Dream, China by Vangelis, Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield and Oxygene by Jean-Michel Jarre.

[@seanwelch71]

Nursery Crime and Foxtrot were sold as a double LP, and it works as a double album.

[@dh3279]

Fantastic segment! You definitely know your stuff. . . And you turned me on to a few I’d never even heard of . . . But will be checking out now. Completely agree with your NUMBER ONE choice, but for me, In The Court of The Crimson King would be NUMBER TWO on the list.

[@soundofmuzak3469]

I absolutely love Court. In terms of trying to do a more objective list, Court might even need to be number one, but I just love the darkness/heaviness of Red!

[@bonniecollum3037]

I may be watching this a bit late. It's 2024 now but I enjoyed your podcast. Your voice & delivery is good. You are not screaming or being silly. You have a great energy & sense of humor. I am looking forward to listening to your recommendations! I grew up loving Yes, PF Rush, Tull, ELP & King Crimson. Back in the 70s we did not even call it prog rock. We just knew we loved it. I enjoyed your commentary and you're very knowledgeable. Looking forward to exploring the Prog-Rock which I have never heard before. Thanks Rob!

[@brianallen8091]

What is your take of the band Crack the Sky?

[@richard127gm]

By far the best Top# list I've watched. Great job, and top kudos for Jade Warrior.

[@fingersmaster]

Since you asked... in alphabetical order since I am unable to rate them. And yes, there are more than 25 ! All Traps On Earth : A Drop Of Light Ange : Cimetière des Arlequins, Au delà du Délire, Emile Jacotey & Tome VI (live) Aphrodite's Child : 666 Camel : Mirage Dream Theater : Images & Words, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Octavarium ELP : Tarkus Fish : Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors Focus : III Peter Gabriel : I (1977) & Up The Gathering : Mandylion & Nighttime Birds Genesis : Selling England by the Pound Steve Hackett : Voyage of the Acolyte Harmonium : Si On Avait Besoin d'une Cinquième Saison Hawkwind : Doremi Fasol Latido, Hall of the Mountain Grill, Warrior on the Edge of Time IQ : Dark Matter Iron Maiden : Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Jethro Tull : Stormwatch & Aqualung Kansas : Leftoverture King Crimson : In the Court of the Crimson King & Red Magma : Mëkanïk Dëstruktï? Kömmandöh Marillion : Grendel, Script for a Jester's Tear, Misplaced Childhood, Brave, Marbles (2CD), FEAR Moody Blues : Days of Future Passed Anthony Phillips : The Geese And The Ghost Pink Floyd : Wish You Were Here, Animals Porcupine Tree (can't choose) Pure Reason Revolution : The Dark Third Queensrÿche : Operation Mindcrime & Promised Land (with Someone Else? full band version, not piano) Renaissance : Scheherazade and Other Stories Patrick Rondat : Amphibia Rush : 2112, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures Supertramp : Crime of the Century & Even in the Quietest Moments... Taï Phong 1975 Therion : Vovin Tool : 10,000 Days Transatlantic : SMPT:e U.K. 1978 VDGG : Still Life Roger Waters : Amused to Death 1992 Xaal : En Chemin Yes : Close to the Edge, Relayer & Going for the One

[@LeLapinAgile]

Correct title: The 25 Best Progressive Rock Albums sung in english

[@soundofmuzak3469]

Very fair. I left out Krautrock on purpose to be honest, and I'm only just starting to dip my toes into Italian prog.

[@andysmith8902]

@@soundofmuzak3469 The truth is in the 1970’s the whole Earth was full of excellent prog. rock bands. They existed in every continent of the Planet Earth. I am over 60 now and I am a huge prog. rock fan but I have to tell you I don’t know them all. (I have approx. 12 thousand albums in my library)

[@vincenzonapoles4371]

Italian prog needs its own video

[@ajones957]

Some interesting choices. Good top 5. I would have changed the order a bit but who can complain with a top 5 of Genesis, Yes, Rush, King Crimson and Pink Floyd? At that point it all comes down to personal taste...

[@stephenwade5534]

Absolutely no problem with your choices in this compilation, some beautiful music. However no Fish or Marillion makes it hard to hear. Try out Script for a Jesters tear, or Vigil in a wilderness of mirrors. Beautiful music that should be up there. Also I agree, Moonmadness for the win with Camel

[@uckbee]

To my taste, no band, including the Beatles, beats Genesis, especially the Hackett period ('71 to '77).

[@rudikikkert1728]

Kansas? One of the best ever in my opinion

[@waterboys3001]

I really enjoyed the list. I grew up with this music. I saw Gong in 1974 when I was in high school in England. They looked like a weird bunch of hippies, but they could really play. They sounded like Hawkwind who I also saw that year. I also saw Gentle Giant and Supertramp in 1974. Crime of the Century is a great album and they were the best live band I saw that year,

[@soundofmuzak3469]

I'm so jealous you got to see some of these bands in their prime. Thank goodness the music itself will live on forever.

[@wayne287]

Yes, I forgot about Supertramp! They should have been on the list!

[@douglasanderson8636]

Gong were/are amazing.

[@markoliver630]

Ok Darkside #1 I can go along with that. Also The Wall yes a masterpiece. Myself I believe YES is a way more talented group. Also their music is more positive and uplifting. Yes has WAY more talent. Also thanks for including Remember the Future by Nektar. I really got into that back then . I even saw them live.

[@dertraumwanderer7740]

the following albums are my Top25 of progrock... 25.) MOTORPSYCHO: Roadwork 1 --- 24.) MARIA MENA: Mitt lille Land @ the Funeral of The Utøya Victims --- 23.) CHRIS FORSYTH & THE SOLAR MOTEL BAND: Dreaming In The Non-Dream --- 22.) DREAM THEATER: Falling Into Infinity --- 21.) THE GATHERING: Mandylion --- 20.) NEKTAR: A Tab Into The Ocean --- 19.) STEPHAN EICHER: Carcassonne --- 18.) PETER GABRIEL: Secret World Live --- 17.) GENESIS: Foxtrot --- 16.) KHAN: Space Shanty --- 15.) SATIN WHALE: Lost Mankind --- 14.) JANE: Expectations (Live @ Essener Grugahalle): The Brain Box --- 13.) JETHRO TULL: Stormwatch --- 12.) FISSION TRIP: Volume One --- 11.) RADIOHEAD: I Might Be Wrong (Live Recordings) --- 10.) CARAVAN: In The Land Of Grey And Pink --- 9.) FRANK ZAPPA: Apostrophe' --- 8.) BLACK MOUNTAIN: In The Future --- 7.) FRUMPY: Frumpy 2 --- 6.) KING CRIMSON: Red --- 5.) AMORPHIS: Elegy --- 4.) YES: Close To The Edge --- 3.) PINK FLOYD: Animals --- 2.) TIAMAT: Wildhoney --- 1.) STRAWBS: From The Witchwood

[@jackknife8317]

Hey man, nice that you included Ocean in the top 10, so many brilliant moments achieved there. Wanted to ask you, have you ever checked out Pulsar-The strands of the future, a masterpiece in my opinion.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

Great to see Egg mentioned, very rare to hear them talked about and even rarer their music.

[@seanwelch71]

1994 is sort of the end of underground British psych's boom, and Sky Moves Sideways is a transition.

[@Truthasvictim]

I know naming any best of is something you can't ever please all, but good for you taking a stab at it. I'm not here toargue, ideas only. Gentle Giant I find impossible to cite a best, they put out so many consistently great ones. Their vocal arrangements and harmonies can rival their instrumental virtuosity, saying a lot. Also, the first 4 ELP lps are incredible. I hope you give Broadway more listens because it's full of amazing songs, the keyboard work, synth sounds, are fantastic. It's such a big vision as a whole and Peter's lyrics are poetically brilliant throughout the whole album.

[@soundofmuzak3469]

I completely, 100% agree with you about Gentle Giant. The more I hear that band the more I like them. Even some of their less well regarded material like Civilian, Giant for A Day and The Missing Piece I enjoy quite a bit. Not a smear or a turd in their whole discography as far as I'm concerned.

[@simonwilliams6140]

Completely agree that Lamb needs a lot of work to enjoy but then fully repays the effort. So different from the other albums, I get why it doesn’t get liked but it’s absolutely Gabriel’s masterpiece. Sit down on front of a decent stereo with the lyrics in front of you and on the tenth or eleventh listen it will all suddenly make sense and there’s no going back. Musical Box have forensically recreated the live show and are about to start touring it. Well worth seeing.

[@Truthasvictim]

@@simonwilliams6140 Rael was real!

[@antonyjohnson4489]

Really great video. There's so much that corresponds to my own all time favourites, such as "Red" by King Crimson and "Pawn Hearts" by VdGG. Plus, there are several other lesser known albums which sound like they are really worth exploring. Many thanks for giving us this brilliant insight 👍

[@luissegovia8205]

My favorite prog rock album by far is ...las alturas de macchu Picchu 1981 , from a chilean band " los jaivas "

[@JohnnyRecently]

Great list, Dude! Enjoyed your heartfelt cerebral take and surprises Jade Warrior and Kingdom Come. Very cool. Subscribed!

[@markiosty8748]

Speaking of Yes.....what about 'Tales' or 'Relayer' if were talking 'Prog'

[@scottjackson163]

I love that first ELP album. I used to get my granddaughter to sleep playing Take a Pebble.

[@pliesj]

Renaissance - Ashes are Burning?

[@rgreed20081]

Origins of Progressive as a recipe The Beach Boys and two other pre-British invasion bans set the ingredients and mixed them. The Beatles bake the cake and forgot about it. The Moodie Blues ate the cake. Because the Moody Blues had enjoyed the cake, they decided to share the recipe.

[@ArjayELevin]

I'm a boomer. I listened all the way through and I suspect we share similar tastes across the expanses of our generations. I can't argue with any of your choices. For me, it was Focus that pushed me down the prog rabbit hole. 1972's Moving Waves gave us the 23-minute-long B-side Eruption, while 1974's Hamburger Concerto's B-side-long title track, was itself a 20-minuter. Put those both on an LP and it would absolutely make my top 10. As for more modern prog, you also mentioned Spock's Beard. From their 1995 debut The Light through their 2-cd-long epic the 2002 album Snow, it would be very hard to pick a single entry for the list. Their chief composer and front man Neal Morse left in 2002, and a lot of what he and his best friend, ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, have done since then is also worth checking out. Great job! Keep it coming. Subscribed. P.S. For someone who is more or less cool on Porcupine Tree, you sure have captured the Steven Wilson look! 😉

[@seanhutchinson6722]

I first saw Genesis on the Selling England by the Pound tour, first saw Yes on the Topographic Oceans tour where they also played the complete Close to the Edge album, and first saw Supertramp on the Crime of the Century tour, so those albums will always be special to me. In the Court of the Crimson King is also a big favourite because I had tea in the kitchen where Greg and Robert rehearsed the songs for that album, with Greg's parents.

[@michaelscheuerman2501]

"Crime Of The Century' is my Fav Album of Al Time😊

[@hangonsnoop]

Your knowledge about music that was made before you were born is impressive! This is a good introduction to this genre. Thanks from an old man.

[@geoffclarke8934]

Not a fan of all prog rock but DSOTM is my favourite album of all time.