The Best Prog Rock Albums Of All Time Ranked
In early references to the music, “progressive” was partly related to progressive politics, but those connotations were lost during the 1970s. On “progressive music”, Holm-Hudson writes that it “moves continuously between explicit and implicit references to genres and strategies derived not only from European art music, but other cultural domains (such as East Indian, Celtic, folk, and African) and hence involves a continuous aesthetic movement between formalism and eclecticism”. Cotner also says that progressive rock incorporates both formal and eclectic elements, “It consists of a combination of factors – some of them intramusical (‘within), others extramusical or social (‘without’).” One way of conceptualising rock and roll in relation to “progressive music” is that progressive music pushed the genre into greater complexity while retracing the roots of romantic and classical music. Sociologist Paul Willis believes: “We must never be in doubt that ‘progressive’ music followed rock ‘n’ roll, and that it could not have been any other way. We can see rock ‘n’ roll as a deconstruction and ‘progressive’ music as a reconstruction.” Author Will Romano states that “rock itself can be interpreted as a progressive idea … Ironically, and quite paradoxically, ‘progressive rock’, the classic era of the late 1960s through the mid- and late 1970s, introduces not only the explosive and exploratory sounds of technology … but traditional music forms (classical and European folk) and (often) a pastiche compositional style and artificial constructs (concept albums) which suggests postmodernism. Here are all of the best Prog Rock albums of all time.
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15. Brain Salad Surgery – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
“On their most ambitious album, Emerson, Lake & Palmer still found room for a novelty number, an English hymn, and a classic Greg Lake ballad – all to set up the main attraction, the 30-minute “Karn Evil 9.” The song’s narrative of a computerized, totalitarian future in which the masses are kept happy with splashy entertainment sounds more resonant every day.”
14. Fragile – Yes
“This late-1971 album marked the arrival of Rick Wakeman and the flowering of Yes’ musical ambitions; they were now confident enough to include a solo track by each member. But each of the four full-band pieces became a Yes standard; with “Roundabout” starting the album on a high and “Heart of the Sunrise” closing it epically.”
13. Red – King Crimson
“Red is heavy, ambitious and very Complex. Every piece of this 40 minute is Epic. Every song is memorable and amazing in a different way. Its heavy guitar riffs, it’s poetic lyrics and writing, great vocals and use of saxophone with jazz fusion influences, amazing drums parts especially on ” one more red nightmare ” by Bill bruford, amazing combination of Mellotron and Guitar… It all creates a Masterpiece record that is perfectly engineered and sounds amazing.”
12. Foxtrot – Genesis
“Arguably the first great Genesis album, Foxtrot took the eccentric worldview and symphonic grandiosity of 1971’s Nursery Cryme and upped the ante with more consistent songwriting and a tougher musical attack. It also added two prog-rock classics to the Genesis canon: the UFO-via-Mellotron fantasy “Watcher of the Skies,” which gave the album a bracingly powerful opener, and the 23-minute closer “Supper’s Ready,’ which would become a highlight of Genesis live sets for years to come.”
11. Tales from Topographic Oceans – Yes
“History tends to give this one a bad rap: With four side-long pieces based on Hindu Shashtric scriptures, it’s got to be dense and impenetrable, right? Wrong: Most of Tales From Topographic Oceans is as gorgeously melodic as anything Yes ever did, and the band charges hard, newly fortified by drummer Alan White. To name just one moment, Rick Wakeman’s climactic synth solo on “The Revealing Science of God” is positively celestial.”
10. Animals – Pink Floyd
“Loosely based on George Orwell’s book Animal Farm, Roger Waters’ third consecutive concept album replaced Orwell’s critique of Stalinism with a scathing indictment of capitalist oppression in contemporary England. The band derided by punks like the Sex Pistols as epitomizing “dinosaur” rock performed thick, rich protest music here, with some of David Gilmour’s most glorious blues playing amid bleak panoramas of processed sound.”
9. Hemispheres – Rush
“Hemispheres was the deepest into prog that Rush ever got, with a side-long piece full of interlocking musical themes and a fascinating storyline (about two civilizations that represent the left and right sides of the brain). Flip it over and there’s “La Villa Strangiato,” Rush’s longest, trickiest, and most impressive instrumental. There are also changes underway: The four-minute, hook-heavy “Circumstances” hints at Rush’s more streamlined direction to come.”
8. Moving Pictures – Rush
“Rush was progressing like mad in 1982, writing arena-ready anthems (“Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight”) alongside high-wattage thrill rides (“Red Barchetta”). But there are also signs of a more sophisticated touch on Moving Pictures, with the synth-driven “Camera Eye,” harking to the next decade. It’s no surprise that this was the only album they ever performed fully in order.”
7. Thick as a Brick – Jethro Tull
“So amazing, soothing, catchy, pleasant, light-hearted, memorable, diverse, intelligent… A beautiful experience front to back. I was listening to it on a train passing through the countryside the other day, and everything was perfect and beautiful. After the seventeen minute mark, I just couldn’t bear how good it was. At this point, if I cried to music, I’m sure tears would have rolled out of my eyes. Instead, I just lay back in gut-wrenching awe.”
6. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
“Alienation has rarely sounded as majestic as on this sentimentally psychedelic follow-up to the landmark Dark Side of the Moon. Inspired by Floyd founder Syd Barrett’s disappearance down a psychic black hole, Wish You Were Here sandwiched an extended nine-part ode to their bandmate (“Shine on You Crazy Diamond”) around a pair of songs castigating the music industry (“Welcome to the Machine,” “Have a Cigar”) and the haunting title track, also about Barrett. For Roger Waters, who wrote the album, Barrett was a “symbol of all the extremes of absence some people have to indulge in because it’s the only way they can cope with how fucking sad modern life is.””
5. 2112 – Rush
“This album was so far ahead of its time, and it explored new ways to make music. Most bands even today don’t come close to making something as epic as this album. The opening 20 minute piece tells an incredible story of a man standing up against the rest for what he believed in. What other band do you know of that made a bad ass song about The Twilight Zone? The amount of musicianship put into 2112 is absolutely impeccable. These 3 guys are the best at what they do.”
4. Selling England by the Pound- Genesis
“Though they were through with side-long tracks, Genesis’ imagination continued to run wild on Foxtrot’s followup, with Peter Gabriel inhabiting a rogue’s gallery of characters and the band’s playing getting more muscular; “Firth of Fifth” and “The Cinema Show” became oft-played career standards. And wonder of wonders, the whimsical “I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe)” became a UK hit single, their only one in the Gabriel era.”
3. Close To The Edge – Yes
“The most glorious moment among all of the best prog rock albums has to be the climax of the “Close to the Edge”, where Rick Wakeman’s Hammond organ solo ascends into the heavens, and then the song’s majestic closing chorus takes you along. The two shorter pieces are no slouches either: Prog rock never got more soaringly romantic than “And You & I,” or more joyful than “Siberian Khatru.” And did we mention Steve Howe’s amazing guitar tone?”
2. In The Court Of The Crimson King – King Crimson
“One of the most influential progressive rock albums of all time, King Crimson’s debut eschewed the bluesy bluster of late-Sixties British rock for a Mellotron-drenched mixture of jazz and classical influences, dragging psychedelia to a darker place than it had ever been before. “King Crimson will probably be condemned by some for pompousness,” wrote Rolling Stone‘s John Morthland at the time, “but that criticism isn’t really valid. They have combined aspects of many musical forms to create a surreal work of force and originality.”
1. Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd
“The Dark Side of the Moon is about madness and alienation, and it’s one of the best-selling albums of all time – further proof that everybody is drawn to the dark side at one time or another. Yet Pink Floyd makes the dark side a beautiful place to visit, creating a grand soundscape where the tape-loop experiments work right alongside the soaring melodies, the R&B workout “Money,” and the obligatory amazing solos from Mr. David Gilmour.”
