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Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all
I didn't see another thread discussing this elaborate and diverse genre of rock, so I figured I'd start one up. If there already is a place talking about prog (modern or classic), my apologies. I'm far from an expert on the subject and my goal is to learn more about it and pull others into the world of flutes, changing time signatures, ten minute long instrumentals, and old British guys.

Recently, I've been binging on "In the Court of the Crimson King" and I wanted more of it. I'm familiar with bands like Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult, but have only just become aware of acts like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

Once I've grown tired of "In the Court", where should I look next?

Edit:
I thought of a couple of things I wanted to add to "govern" the thread. From what I've read, the genre makes elitists out of everyone, but I don't really want this to devolve into arguments over what is or is not "progressive". If you think it's interesting and fits into the genre, feel free to mention it. The worst that can happen is that we listen to it and don't like it. Also, prog has a ton of sub and hybrid genres. If you want to talk about Opeth, please keep it in the context of prog and save the headbanging chat for the metal thread.

Atlas Hugged fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Mar 25, 2010

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solids2k
Mar 4, 2010
I advise any and all progressive rock fans to listen to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Modern prog-rock/metal from Oakland, California reminiscent of the dark epic sound of John Wetton era King Crimson with the quirkiness and multi-instrumentation of Gentle Giant. They get extremely heavy and mostly have aggressive vocals, though I am reluctant to label them as metal. If you have the opportunity to see their theatrical live show; DON'T MISS IT. Best 'show' your money will likely buy. My favorite album of theirs is 'Of Natural History' but all three of their studio albums are fantastic. The song 'The Donkey Headed Adversary of Humanity' is probably as good of a place as any to be introduced to their music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksutNW3HFT8

TheForgotton
Jun 10, 2001

I'm making a career of evil.

Haraksha posted:

Once I've grown tired of "In the Court", where should I look next?
I think a good place to start would be early Genesis like Trespass, Nursery Cryme, or Foxtrot. This stuff is light-years away from the poppy Genesis of the 80's. Trespass is more pastoral but full of intertwining 12-sting guitarwork. Foxtrot is a Mellotron-lover's wet dream and contains Supper's Ready, which is one of the must-hear side-long compositions that helped define the genre. If you can snag the remasters that come with DVDs, the surround mixes are excellent.

Other albums from the period I'd recommend are Close to the Edge by Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator's H to He Who Am The Only One, Mirage by Camel, and Nektar - Remember the Future. I feel like I should mention Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but only side one from Tarkus.

Sprint
Feb 4, 2006
I came to NMD wondering if a prog thread had sprouted, actually, so I'm glad to see one here!

If you're looking for something with similar stuff in In the Court, you could also check out Crimson's second release, In the Wake of Poseidon. It' not quite as much of a blockbuster, but there is still some good stuff on there, particularly "Pictures of a City".

Most of what my recommendations would be were covered by TheForgotton (though I would argue Fragile and Godbluff are better introductory albums for Yes and Van der Graaf Generator respectively, though it really is just splitting hairs), but I would also throw in Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick, which is an absolute prog rock classic, and made even better when you discover the whole thing was supposed to be a spoof of prog at the time.

Edit: For those interested in that sort of thing, the BBC put out a really good documentary on classic British prog called Prog Rock Britannia a couple of years ago. It mainly focuses on the 'Big Four' (King Crimson, ELP, Yes and Genesis), but gives a good insight into what was going on in the music at that time.

Sprint fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Mar 26, 2010

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all

TheForgotton posted:

I feel like I should mention Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but only side one from Tarkus.

Not that Wikipedia is anything to go by, but ELP are supposed to have several highly acclaimed albums. Why do you only recommend half of Tarkus?

Llyr
Mar 24, 2010

Music is the best
I find ELP can be overwhelming to listen to sometimes, but I enjoy their album Brain Salad Surgery. You are off to a good start with King Crimson. The 72-74 era is my favorite with my fav album being Starless and Bible Black.

MrWeight
Dec 9, 2006

by Ozma
I really enjoy King Crimsons 2004 live release Elektrik... I think it's their best work ever.

There's also many good "modern classic" sounding prog bands coming out of Nordic countries like Beardfish, Karmakanic, and Opeth (obviously). That's just some stuff I like.

TheForgotton
Jun 10, 2001

I'm making a career of evil.
Gentle Giant fans: I have everything from their first album through Free Hand. Should I quit while they were ahead? I've heard they tried for a poppier, more commercial sound near the end so I've stayed away from their last four albums.

Haraksha posted:

Not that Wikipedia is anything to go by, but ELP are supposed to have several highly acclaimed albums. Why do you only recommend half of Tarkus?
There are a couple of songs on the other side of the album I like such as A Time And A Place and Bitches Crystal, but the jokey stuff like Jeremy Bender and Are You Ready, Eddy sully the album as a whole. The Only Way (Hymn) is pretty good but the part of the lyrics that goes "Can you believe God makes you breathe?/Why did he lose six million Jews?" makes me roll my eyes every single time I hear it.

Trilogy has some fairly good stuff on it as well, but in addition to the goofy ragtime songs, the album gets bogged down in goofy classical arrangements like Aaron Copeland's Hoedown and Abbadon's Bolero.

E,L&P is somewhat of a paradox to me: they are three of the most talented musicians of the time, but it seems I like only about a tenth of their material. Take a listen to Works some time if you have a strong stomach.

I've recently heard a German band from the same period called Triumvirat that has enough E,L&P influence to be probably be labeled a clone. Nearly everything I've heard from Spartacus or Illusions on a Double Dimple have blown me away. Check this out for a taste.

Vulture Culture
Jul 14, 2003

I was never enjoying it. I only eat it for the nutrients.

solids2k posted:

I advise any and all progressive rock fans to listen to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Modern prog-rock/metal from Oakland, California reminiscent of the dark epic sound of John Wetton era King Crimson with the quirkiness and multi-instrumentation of Gentle Giant. They get extremely heavy and mostly have aggressive vocals, though I am reluctant to label them as metal. If you have the opportunity to see their theatrical live show; DON'T MISS IT. Best 'show' your money will likely buy. My favorite album of theirs is 'Of Natural History' but all three of their studio albums are fantastic. The song 'The Donkey Headed Adversary of Humanity' is probably as good of a place as any to be introduced to their music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksutNW3HFT8
I think you're better off starting with the performance art piece of their live music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stQOll7LDTc

andyouandi
Sep 23, 2005

TheForgotton posted:

Gentle Giant fans: I have everything from their first album through Free Hand. Should I quit while they were ahead? I've heard they tried for a poppier, more commercial sound near the end so I've stayed away from their last four albums.

Yeah, You can delve into Interview, the album right after Free Hand and then there are a handfull of good tracks on the Missing Piece, the album after that. Don't bother with anything else though.

Iucounu
May 12, 2007


TheForgotton posted:

Gentle Giant fans: I have everything from their first album through Free Hand. Should I quit while they were ahead? I've heard they tried for a poppier, more commercial sound near the end so I've stayed away from their last four albums.

You absolutely NEED Playing the Fool: The Official Live, and there are some worthwhile tracks on Giant for a Day. Other than those, I'd stick with the pre-Free Hand stuff.

Iucounu fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Mar 26, 2010

Iucounu
May 12, 2007


Haraksha posted:

Once I've grown tired of "In the Court", where should I look next?

If you want to stick with King Crimson, I would go to the album "Red" next.

Otherwise: "Close to the Edge" by Yes and "Thick as a Brick" by Jethro Tull would be cool places to go next.

Iucounu
May 12, 2007


Just want to promote my favorite band, Yes. It's kind of a nostalgic thing for me... my dad listened to an asston of prog while I was growing up. If you're into prog and haven't listened to any of their albums (or just have Fragile) you really owe it to yourself to give them a closer look. No other band that I have listened to creates such an otherworldy kind of sonic landscape through their music. Here are what I consider to be their essential albums:

The Yes Album: First album with guitarist Steve Howe, and the first where they really solidified their progressive sound. Great musicianship, very well crafted songs, no bloat. Pretty upbeat album overall.

Fragile: First album with keyboardist Rick Wakeman, solidifying the Yes classic lineup. The most famous of their 70s catalogue due to the hit singles "Roundabout" and "Long Distance Runaround". Each member has a solo piece, which are generally weaker than the group pieces and gives punk tards some "prog excess" to complain about. The group pieces are all excellent, and have an cool underlying dark feeling to them.

Close to the Edge: Advent of Yes' first sidelong piece, and considered by many to be their finest album. All songs are amazingly good, no filler at all. One of the best products of the entire genre. Wicked jazzprog drummer Bill Bruford left after this album to join King Crimson, to be replaced by john Lennon drummer Alan White.

Tales from Topographic Oceans: Double album consisting of four sidelong tracks. This is by far the most bloated and indulgent Yes ever became. There are some great moments on here, but they're surrounded by puff and boring soundscapeish interludes. The weakest of all the albums I'm listing here, but worth checking out if you like the others. I'm convinced this would have made a fantastic single album. Said bloat inspired keyboardist Rick Wakeman to scurry off and write terrible King Arthur fantasy concept albums to be performed on ice. Replaced by Swiss jazz-fusion keyboardist Patrick Moraz.

Relayer: The band returned to the Close to the Edge template, with excellent results. This album is a noisy, nightmarish jazz-prog cacophony. And it kicks rear end. Probably the most technically impressive album they ever did.

Going for the One: Rick Wakeman returns, inspired by the badassedness that was Relayer. this album is probably my sentimental favorite. No sidelong tracks, but each piece is excellent. Among them is the amazing "Awaken", a slightly middle-eastern tinged piece that really encompasses what Yes is all about.

Iucounu
May 12, 2007


Who says keyboardists cant be rock stars?

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Iucounu
May 12, 2007


Sprint posted:

Edit: For those interested in that sort of thing, the BBC put out a really good documentary on classic British prog called Prog Rock Britannia a couple of years ago. It mainly focuses on the 'Big Four' (King Crimson, ELP, Yes and Genesis), but gives a good insight into what was going on in the music at that time.

This is up on Youtube here.

TheForgotton
Jun 10, 2001

I'm making a career of evil.

Misogynist posted:

I think you're better off starting with the performance art piece of their live music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stQOll7LDTc
Great stuff. I'm not usually in the right frame of mind to listen to those guys but that looks like a drat fun concert.


starless posted:

This is up on Youtube here.
The first minute of this is priceless. I'll have to watch the rest of this later, but holy poo poo!


In other news, check out the title track from the new Big Big Train album here. Nick D'Virgillio from Spock's Beard and Jem Godfrey of *Frost guest on it. I'd say it's almost up there with Thick As A Brick as far as sidelong epics go.

Rollersnake
May 9, 2005

Please, please don't let me end up in a threesome with the lunch lady and a gay pirate. That would hit a little too close to home.
Unlockable Ben

TheForgotton posted:

Gentle Giant fans: I have everything from their first album through Free Hand. Should I quit while they were ahead? I've heard they tried for a poppier, more commercial sound near the end so I've stayed away from their last four albums.

Interview is I think their best album, and one of my favorite albums of the '70s. After that—I'd go as far as to say Civilian has some good tracks as well as Missing Piece, but overall they don't do the whole pop thing so well. Giant for a Day is pretty drat bad, but compared to other crap albums by formerly great prog bands, it's waaay better than, say, '90s Yes.

Edit: Random prog recommendations:
Gazpacho - Night (2007)

A moody, entrancing, strikingly beautiful blend of symphonic rock and post rock that I can't stop listening to. The band are heavily influenced by Marillion, and nowhere is this clearer than in their vocalist's similarity to Steve Hogarth, but this is just above and beyond anything Marillion have ever done, and I'm speaking as a Marillion fan. Manages to be dramatic and emotional without lapsing into cheesiness and pomposity. I've probably overstated the importance of Marillion here to describe their sound, so even if you have an aversion to or don't care about Marillion, check this out.

Magma - Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê (2009)

Magma are perhaps the only progressive band I know of that manage to get better and better with age. This is the concluding chapter to the album trilogy that also includes Köhntarkösz (1974) and K.A. (2004), and it's absolutely loving fantastic. There's quite a bit of material on here that found its way onto earlier albums (including iconic pieces like Zombies and Hhai), but in this context it's like hearing it all again for the first time. And on that note, I honestly can't think of a better introductory album to Magma than this one. If you haven't heard Magma, think Wagnerian opera melded with heavy jazz and soul music, sung in an invented language that lends itself equally to operatic and jazz scat vocals. And it's all ecstatic and terribly frightening.

Camel - Moonmadness (1976)

Camel are probably second only to Genesis when it comes to prog bands who write great melodies, and it's a close second at that. This is the last and (I think) best album by their "classic" lineup and probably the one with the broadest appeal among prog fans. If you like this, and wouldn't mind something a bit more poppy and ambient, I'd also highly recommend Nude—a concept album about a Japanese soldier stranded on an island after World War II, which I actually think is their best album.

Rollersnake fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Mar 26, 2010

teen bear
Feb 19, 2006

Rollersnake posted:

Gazpacho - Night (2007)


Is Night better or worse than Tick Tock? That's all I've heard by them so far and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Rollersnake
May 9, 2005

Please, please don't let me end up in a threesome with the lunch lady and a gay pirate. That would hit a little too close to home.
Unlockable Ben

teen bear posted:

Is Night better or worse than Tick Tock? That's all I've heard by them so far and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

It's waaay better than Tick Tock, I'd say. That was my introduction to them as well, and after hearing Night, Tick Tock suddenly became a disappointment, as I knew what they were capable of.

Rollersnake fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Mar 28, 2010

rikshot
Jan 8, 2006
Finally a prog thread!

I've been listening to stuff by Neal Morse and Kevin Moore lately and I'd like to highlight some of their best work.

Neal Morse

This dude can write music. I mean really write music. He does some of the best melodies and transitions from one part of a song to an another. He can also sing very well, plays the piano and guitar pretty nicely. He does tend to write a bit commercially, but its still progressive rock. Here is some of the things I think people should listen from him:

1. Sola Scriptura



Four songs, total length 76 minutes. That kinda tells it all. Tells the story of Martin Luther and the reformation. This album has it all, heavy stuff, light stuff, solos, long instrumental sections, second song even has a transition to some flamenco style music. Brilliant album, easily the best that Neal has ever done.

2. Transatlantic



A modern progressive rock supergroup formed by Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater. All of their music is excellent, two of the first albums are pretty similar in style and the latest album is a little bit different. Extremely long songs that just flow from one style to the next, from one feel to an another. Highly recommended! I'm even going to see them in London this May.

3. Spock's Beard (Neal Morse era)



The beginnings of Neal's career. Some of it is way more progressive than his later music. A mixture of pop rock and progressive rock for the most part. I would start with the album V and move on to The Kindness of Strangers. Long songs, alot of different styles within songs, smooth transitions, nice melodies, all the good stuff. Recommended!

Kevin Moore

Moving from Neal to a completely different planet. Kevin has a very unique style of writing music. He uses alot of ambient soundscapes and spoken-word lyrics on top of complex rythmic patterns and melodies. He also sings with a strangely likable monotone voice. If you are more into electronic music then you will probably like his stuff. It still progressive music with rock elements in it though. He is also the former keyboardist for Dream Theater.

1. O.S.I (Office Of Strategic Influence)



Weird at first, then interesting and finally extremely good music. Really hard to describe what this stuff is like, you have to figure it out yourself. Some metal influences, with alot of ambience in the background and a sprinkling of electronic instruments on top.

2. Chroma Key



More electronic and ambient and less rock. Still progressive as gently caress. Really mellow melodies. Interesting rythmics and themes. I wouldnt recommend jumping straight into this stuff at first as it is kinda crazy. Still very good music.

Iucounu
May 12, 2007


While I can appreciate Transatlantic and some Spock's Beard, I really can't get into solo Neal Morse. Not to say he isn't talented, it's just not my cup of tea I suppose.

Math Rocker
Sep 21, 2003

by Ozma
I like Neal Morse a lot, Spock's Beard has some great stuff, but I think as a solo artist his talents really show. He is a really good song writer, especially considering the genre he plays in. A lot of his songs have great melodies and he is a really good singer, he's got a great voice and you can really hear the passion and emotion. (atheist alert) I don't believe in the stuff he does, but he writes so well and doesn't preach in his lyrics - they're more like stories - so I don't mind. I've heard some comments before from people who say they don't like the religious nature of his songs, but that is pretty close minded. Reading back into Spock's Beard's lyrics there are lot of not so overtly religious and spiritual lyrics, especially on V (which is an awesome album). In Transatlantic, too.

rikshot
Jan 8, 2006
My only nag about Neal (besides the fact that it annoys the hell out of me that he turned to christianity) is that he tends to repeat alot of his earlier musical ideas. Some things are more subtle and some things are more noticable. For example the flamenco passage in The Conflict from Sola Scriptura is almost identical to the one in The Light from Spock's Beard. His music has always sounded pretty similar throughout his different projects, but sometimes it gets kinda old. Not to say that its a bad thing, but its noticable.

kliksf
Jan 1, 2003
Just saw Headshear last week and they got great new material plus the stuff off their first CD
http://www.myspace.com/headshear
if you like instrumental prog.

X-Ray Pecs
May 11, 2008

New York
Ice Cream
TV
Travel
~Good Times~

Haraksha posted:

Once I've grown tired of "In the Court", where should I look next?

Someone already recommended it, but Red is certainly a good choice for next. It's a bit heavier, but it's still good. Discipline is also highly recommended. It's probably my favorite King Crimson album. It's less jazzy than In The Court, but it's still King Crimson, and it's still good.

TheForgotton
Jun 10, 2001

I'm making a career of evil.
If you don't mind me plugging my wares, I have some Sunday night radio shows you may be interested in.

I do a weekly prog show called the Eleventh Hour, and I've recently expanded into the hour before it with Go Long starting at 10:00 PM. Go Long is leaning more towards the deep cuts of classic rock but I usually throw in a 20 minute plus epic like Tarkus or Supper's Ready. The Eleventh Hour is a mix of prog-rock and metal with some art-rock and the occasional zeuhl.

Go Long will have Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, and Roine Stolt starting in a few minutes. I'll have everything from Rush to the new Ihsahn on The Eleventh Hour (at 11:00 PM ET), as well as stuff like The Tea Party, IQ, and Riverside.

Stutes
Oct 13, 2005

Tonight's the Night
Echoing the recommendations for Fragile as a good introduction to Yes, but with one caveat: skip the second track, Cans and Brahms. I had a copy of Fragile for years, but never listened past Roundabout because the next song sucked so hard.

Has anybody mentioned Supertramp yet? I'm sure somebody will make fun of me for it, but Breakfast in America is a superb album from start to finish.

Stutes fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Mar 29, 2010

Rollersnake
May 9, 2005

Please, please don't let me end up in a threesome with the lunch lady and a gay pirate. That would hit a little too close to home.
Unlockable Ben

Stutes posted:

Echoing the recommendations for Fragile as a good introduction to Yes, but with one caveat: skip the second track, Cans and Brahms. I had a copy of Fragile for years, but never listened past Roundabout because the next song sucked so hard.

What are you talking about, Cans and Brahms is a great introduction to solo Rick Wakeman. :haw:

As someone who possibly loves Yes too much (I'm one of those few who thinks Tales from Topographic Oceans is their best album), I think The Yes Album is a better introduction to the band. It's less diverse than Fragile, and lacks that extra dimension Rick Wakeman brought to their sound, but it's a more solid album overall—if you like one track off The Yes Album, you're probably going to like all of them, whereas I think Cans and Brahms, We Have Heaven, and Five Per Cent for Nothing are going to test a lot of new listeners' patience.

Or, if you're already into progressive music and have somehow avoided Yes, feel free to dive right in and start with Relayer or something. Just avoid Tormato and basically everything they did from Big Generator onward—the few good tracks to be found among those albums aren't worth wading through the rest.

...and I don't care what anybody else says—Buggles Yes were loving awesome.

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all
Been listening to Red. It's awesome, but I think he slows down a little bit too much towards the end.

Tripplejol
Jan 1, 2006

The Power and The Ballin'
D'Aww yes, a prog thread! Where better to flaunt my new avatar? :c00lbert:

Haraksha posted:

Once I've grown tired of "In the Court", where should I look next?

Now, I'll be the first to admit, I do have a bit of a Gentle Giant boner (even the last 3 albums in their own right) & I will recommend them to anyone with half an ear but we've already gone down that road, so I’m going to fire out some of assorted prog recommends, in the hope that something catches yo' ear.

Gryphon - Red Queen To Gryphon Three A Synth-heavy instrumental album that skates a fine line between whimsical & cheesy. It's one of those albums you have to listen to as an album Just sit back and enjoy the little mind-journey it takes you on.

Echolyn - As The World
A Solid, 90s US Prog album with some beautiful melodies, complex time signatures & a sound which owes something to Gentle Giant without ever being derivative (also, hard to believe it came out the same year as 2 Unlimited's - Hits Unlimited :butt:)

Gnidrolog - In Spite of Harry's Toe-Nail
Echoic 70s prog, sometimes brooding & aggressive, sometimes light & flighty, not very polished, but that adds to the charm. Shame not many people know about them. I'd certainly recommend them if you like Jethro Tull/Van Der Graff.

Machine & The Synergetic Nuts - Leap Second Neutral
2000s instrumental Prog-Laced Canterbury Jazz thing from Japan. For all of it's "old-school" influences it sounds remarkably fresh & exciting, So much so that after I bought it, I listened to this album pretty much exclusively for about 2 weeks. It's a shame they haven’t released a new album in a while

Symphony X - V: The New Mythology Suite
One of my favorite Progressive Metal albums. A big pantomime concept album full of theatricals, Atlantean myths, and good wholesome metal.


Rollersnake posted:

Giant for a Day is pretty drat bad, but compared to other crap albums by formerly great prog bands, it's waaay better than, say, '90s Yes.

Owner of a lonely heart owns! :colbert:

Rollersnake posted:

Magma - Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê (2009)

Awesome album!:swoon:

HoldYourFire
Oct 16, 2006

What's the time? It's DEFCON 1!
I have a weird prog question. I have an issue of Classic Rock about Rush, and the cover CD is "Prog Spawn", a compilation of some new prog. The cover is frogs eating a pixie, and there's references to pixies inside. I can only assume this is referring to a particular prog song, but which one? Thanks in advance.

PS. Prog owns.

X-Ray Pecs
May 11, 2008

New York
Ice Cream
TV
Travel
~Good Times~
What are some good recommendations for prog that's similar to King Crimson's Discipline? It's probably my favorite King Crimson album, but I don't know much that sounds similar to it. Any ideas?

Rollersnake
May 9, 2005

Please, please don't let me end up in a threesome with the lunch lady and a gay pirate. That would hit a little too close to home.
Unlockable Ben

Tripplejol posted:

Owner of a lonely heart owns! :colbert:

It does, and it's also '80s Yes.

Here, have some '90s Yes. Warning: this is really loving terrible.

X-Ray Pecs posted:

What are some good recommendations for prog that's similar to King Crimson's Discipline? It's probably my favorite King Crimson album, but I don't know much that sounds similar to it. Any ideas?

Discipline is basically a new wave album, so my top recommendations would be Talking Heads' Remain in Light and The Police's Synchronicity. The latter's applicable as Andy Summers did a couple of albums with Robert Fripp, and the King Crimson influence is definitely there, especially on Mother. And Adrian Belew played on Remain in Light, of course.

Haraksha posted:

Been listening to Red. It's awesome, but I think he slows down a little bit too much towards the end.

Red's a good album, but with the wealth of live Crimson material that's now available, it seems a little weak by comparison.

Listen to the version of Starless on the rerelease of USA. It absolutely blows away the studio version, with perhaps the most passionate playing I've ever heard from Fripp.

Rollersnake fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Mar 30, 2010

X-Ray Pecs
May 11, 2008

New York
Ice Cream
TV
Travel
~Good Times~

Rollersnake posted:

Discipline is basically a new wave album, so my top recommendations would be Talking Heads' Remain in Light and The Police's Synchronicity. The latter's particularly applicable as Andy Summers did a couple of albums with Robert Fripp, and the King Crimson influence is definitely there, especially on Mother.

I've listened to Remain in Light before, and it had Adrian Belew on guitar, but I don't think it sounds too similar to Discipline. I guess I never really considered Discipline to be new wave, but I can see how that could be. But I'll check out Synchronicity, thanks.

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all

Rollersnake posted:

Listen to the version of Starless on the rerelease of USA. It absolutely blows away the studio version, with perhaps the most passionate playing I've ever heard from Fripp.

I'm always hesitant to get live albums because even when a band is great live, the album rarely conveys that. King Crimson live is good though?

Rollersnake
May 9, 2005

Please, please don't let me end up in a threesome with the lunch lady and a gay pirate. That would hit a little too close to home.
Unlockable Ben

Haraksha posted:

I'm always hesitant to get live albums because even when a band is great live, the album rarely conveys that. King Crimson live is good though?

Not always good, but it's not at all unusual for them to completely surpass the studio versions live. I'm not that much of a fan of USA as a whole, but that performance of Starless is just immaculate, and Asbury Park is a great improv. Absent Lovers I feel should be everyone's introduction to '80s Crimson, as almost every performance on that album surpasses the studio version. One of the best live albums I've ever heard.

The King Crimson Collectors' Club releases are more for the diehard fans and vary wildly in quality.

Rollersnake fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Mar 30, 2010

Punch Card
Sep 13, 2005

by Ralp

Rollersnake posted:

Red's a good album, but with the wealth of live Crimson material that's now available, it seems a little weak by comparison.

Listen to the version of Starless on the rerelease of USA. It absolutely blows away the studio version, with perhaps the most passionate playing I've ever heard from Fripp.

Although they're pretty often maligned and with good reason, if you feel like trying out the horribly self-indulgent prog wankery aspect of King Crimson, the early albums Islands and Lizard are a good bet. There are a couple good songs on Islands but most of both albums are everything that gets complained about with prog rock but I'll be damned if they don't make for a good guilty pleasure on occasion.

In the Wake of Poseidon is a legitimately solid early album as well, even if a good chunk of it is just a mediocre take off on Gustav Holst.

Tripplejol
Jan 1, 2006

The Power and The Ballin'
While we're talking King Crimson, I was wondering if anyone could give me a recommendation.

I have Court of the Crimson King & Discipline, and while I do enjoy both of the albums, the variation in sounds between the two has left me a bit cautious on where to go next.

Any ideas? What is considered a must-have King crimson album, outside of Hall of the Crimson King.


Rollersnake posted:

'90s Yes

Well, it's not terrible in and of itself, but compared to their older stuff, it is a pile of turd.

What really baffles me is the fact they ripped-off Monkey Island so blatantly.

Rollersnake
May 9, 2005

Please, please don't let me end up in a threesome with the lunch lady and a gay pirate. That would hit a little too close to home.
Unlockable Ben

Tripplejol posted:

What is considered a must-have King crimson album

Larks' Tongues in Aspic, definitely. Dark, subtle, beautifully textured album, my favorite by Crimson, and very different from either of the albums you've heard so far. King Crimson had so many different lineups—don't expect consistency from them.

I'd go into more detail, but maybe late for work.

Edit: Lizard suffers from uneven writing and Gordon Haskell's lovely voice, but Cirkus is a classic. Islands I'm more fond of, though I wouldn't put it in even my top five King Crimson albums. Sailor's Tale kicks rear end, Prelude: Song of the Gulls and the title track are very pretty, Ladies of the Road is a complete embarrassment.

Rollersnake fucked around with this message at 11:39 on Mar 30, 2010

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May 11, 2008

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Tripplejol posted:

Any ideas? What is considered a must-have King crimson album, outside of Hall of the Crimson King.

Red. The title track itself is quite amazing, and might be one of the best songs King Crimson ever wrote. It's a dark, heavy, loud instrumental piece, and it is great. It was also King Crimson's last studio album before their 7-year hiatus, after which they made Discipline. It still doesn't sound much like Discipline, but that's part of the fun of King Crimson.

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