I'll Be The Roundabout. . .

Piett Open Your Eyes seemed real transitional to me. Billy Sherwood didn't seem very comfortable or confident, and I barely remember any significant guitar work on that album (I can't even remember is Howe played on it. . .). It also seemed like they were trying to write like Rabin and it just didn't come off real well.

Talk IMO is the most overlooked Yes album because it came after Union and everybody took the attitude that the band had 'broken up' again since Howe, Wakeman, and Bruford weren't on it. It's the 90215/ Big Generator line up- how can you go wrong? Anderson handles the majority of the lyrics on this so it seems a little more like classic Yes in that area, but the production and hooks are unsurpassed by any other Yes project IMO. It's really the culmination of everything from 90125 thru Union, almost like listening to a 'end of an era' Rush album as was mentioned above. The song 'State of Play' from Talk is probably one of the most beautiful and well written songs in Yes' history, and the rocker 'Real Love'is the heaviest guitar song they've ever done. There's not a bad song on it. Go get it right away.

I thought the songs 'Dog Years' and 'Virtuality' off of Test for Echo were a nice sounding throw back to the old days of Rush, but with a nice crunchy guitar sound. I also agree that Lee's bass tone was alot phater on Counterpoint. Has anyone noticed how great the artwork has been for the last two studio albums? Really good, conceptual stuff- they put alot of thought into it.

I'm really glad I started this thread- I thought I was alone in the world!

Anybody picked up the new Dream Theater album 'Metropolis Pt.2/Visions From a Dream' yet? I'm also curious to know how many of you guys are into King's X and the Galactic Cowboys. They're just barely prog rockers, but it seems like most prog fans really like them.

[This message has been edited by fett (edited 12-02-1999).]

 

Anybody picked up the new Dream Theater album 'Metropolis Pt.2/Visions From a Dream' yet?

I'm trying to find more sound clips of it before I decide. I'm a big fan of their Images & Words album but I was hugely disappointed in Awake because I thought they tossed out the more subtle and proggy elements of their sound for a harsher, thrash metal edge and I didn't think it suited them well at all (LaBrie sounds horrid when he tries to do a hard rock growl). What little I've heard of Falling Into Infinity sounds like more like generic rock than progressive rock and their A Change Of Seasons album had that nice try at an epic 20+ minute long tune but I thought it was contrived and not as interesting as the I&W material. I know that Metropolis Part II: Scenes From A Memory is a throwback to the I&W days and that they have keyboardist Jordan Rudess (who's musicianship on his solo album Listen was great, even if his songwriting was a bit on the commercial side) but I'm still hesitant, personally.

For my taste, Magellan is a more compelling prog-metal band. Their 3 albums concentrate more on songwriting than on flashy displays of musicianship but they do fine work. I'd say you'd like it a lot if you're a fan of both Rush and Dream Theater.

I'm also curious to know how many of you guys are into King's X and the Galactic Cowboys. They're just barely prog rockers, but it seems like most prog fans really like them.

Haven't really heard either except for the Cowboys' "I'm Not Amused" song. Sounded like Metallica meets the Beatles (as opposed to Spock's Beard, who sound like Yes meets the Beatles). It was something new for me to hear those kind of vocal harmonies over thrash metal guitars. If it was representative of their music, I'd say it was neat stuff.

Mostly, I've been listening to either more eclectic, diverse music or underground prog lately than anything. Things like Dead Can Dance (cinematic, medieval/classical music, like on the Xena show), Afro Celt Sound System (Celtic meets African music meets techno), October Project (fine folk/rock/pop that proggies seem to like), & Romantic Mode (Japanese synth pop). As for the underground prog, there's artists like Anglagard (Swedish prog for the new generation), Devil Doll (truly original dark, gothy stuff), & Magma (Wagnerian opera meets Pink Floyd?).

Thing that depresses me is that I haven't bought a new album in months because I haven't heard anything that's really caught my ears. I'm leaning more towards music that blends different genres though. Like the Afro Celt Sound System. If anyone has any recommendations, feel free to give them to me and I'll try and hunt down a few sound clips from the web.

[This message has been edited by Neo-Era (edited 12-03-1999).]

 

Regarding Yes' Open Your Eyes, I'm not a big fan of the album either but I think "Universal Garden" is excellent. To me, OYE is just a rehash of the material written by Squire and Sherwood for the ill-fated Chris Squire Experiment band.

But I agree with fett that Talk is a phenomenal album--especially "Endless Dream" (the best thing by YesWest, I think). The tour was a favorite of mine as well because the Talk album was performed almost in its entirety ("State of Play" was the only song missing). That's why I loved The Ladder tour so much because the band went back to playing more than 2 or 3 songs from the new album in concert.

Neo-Era: I've always thought of Spock's Beard more as a Genesis/Gentle Giant band. I know a lot of people are huge fans of theirs, but I think they're too derivative. I prefer bands like The Flower Kings (superb neo-prog band from the Netherlands) and Porcupine Tree (UK band that used to sound like pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd, but now they sound like Radiohead). But some great listening choices there. The latest Afro-Celt Sound System is an excellent release, as is anything by Magma (has anyone else here seen Magma live? Wow...). As for recommendations: if you would be interested in an ambient-hindi-Pink Floyd-like electronic music, I'd highly recommend Banco de Gaia. BDG's third album, Big Men Cry has some Floyd samples from Atom Heart Mother and an appearance by **** Parry (the JC is censoring his first name, but this is the Floyd's sax player whose first name starts with *D*). Very cool stuff. Otherwise, you should definitely check out the aforementioned The Flower Kings and Porcupine Tree.

[This message has been edited by klingklang (edited 12-03-1999).]

 

Yeah- I remember seeing the Talk tour in Little Rock at an outside amphitheatre- quadrophonic sound- it Ruled!! I've also got a bootleg of that show from New York and they play the entire Talk album (minus State of Play ). The great thing about Yes is that they don't seem to wallow in the old material as often as other 'classic' bands. They're always writing new stuff that the fans want to hear just as much as the old stuff- it's still relevant.

What's the name of that Chris Squire band? I must have missed it.

So there's no King's X or Galactic Cowboys fans in the crowd tonight?

 

October Project? Amazing; you're never truly alone . . . nice lil' band; too bad they didn't last. They liked 5/4 time; and I'm a sucker for 5's.

Speaking of which . . . Neo-Era, they're not around anymore but Pale Saints offered some nice prog sensibilities filtered thru the early-90's-progressive-London-"shoegazer" scene. Check out "In Ribbons" (4AD label) if you can find it.

Also, for sheer musicality and their apprenticeship under Fripp, I highly recommend the California Guitar Trio.
Three steel string acoustic guitarists (in Fripp's New Standard Tuning) that play everything from Bach to Dik* Dale plus their own stuff. Consistent eclecticism at its best. Check them out at http://www.cgtrio.com http://www.cgtrio.com or at Discipline Global Mobile's site (h-linked above...)

Nothing in the "new prog" generation has really caught my ear...though now per the above "Spocks Beard" and The Flower Kings sound intriguing. And though what I've heard of King's X (probably not enough, to be fair) hasn't caught my ear, I understand both them and Galactic Cowboys are the places to go for 8- and 12-string bass!

A big turnoff for me was Supper's Ready, the Magna Carta label's "Genesis Tribute Album". Anyone here have that? Really the only thing I liked was the late Kevin Gilbert's remake of "Back in N.Y.C." -- he actually took time to re-arrange and re-score the piece, whereas a lot of the acts involved just plain imitated Olde Genesis -- no creative take, and a bit indulgent in a sort of "actually become Genesis" fantasy. The whole "tribute album" rush of a few years ago seemed a bit silly anyway.

Any Mike Oldfield or Renaissance appreciators here?

**Piett**

P.S. *Ha!! Forgot about AutoCensor -- even despite the same occurrence above! You know, the "Miserlou"-playing Richard Dale, who goes by the Short Version of His First Name Starting with "D"...

[This message has been edited by Lieutenant Piett (edited 12-03-1999).]

 

fett: Do you have the Canadegua show or the Binghamton show? I like the Binghamton show because it's interesting to hear all the mistakes (it was the first show of the tour).

The name of Squire's band was The Chris Squire Experiment and they played mostly California in 1992. I saw the Redondo Beach show and it was excessively loud. But the notable thing about the show was that Billy Sherwood was in the band and they played early versions of "Man In The Moon" and "Love Shine." I haven't gotten around to trading a boot of the show, but there are at least 3 out there that I know of.

Piett: The CGT is amazing! They just played out here in Cali with Tony Levin! And I agree with you about that Genesis tribute on the Magna Carta label. Gilbert's remake of "Back In N.Y.C." was the best song on that release. Actually, are there any Magna Carta tributes worth listening to? I have the Yes one and the Dark Side of the Moon remake, but I don't really care for either one. There was one for ELP, wasn't there?

I like what I've heard of Renaissance, but I don't own anything by them. The same thing goes for Galactic Cowboys. As for King's X, I was into them for a while but lost interest after their third album. As for Mike Oldfield, he is a huge favorite of mine. I think he is the most underrated guitar player around today. His most recent release Guitars is pretty good and vastly superior to Tubular Bells III (which has its moments, but it sounds like watered-down techno to me). Amarok is the last album of his I consider to be flawless. Perhaps Mike should angry at Richard Branson more often. In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to his new album which comes out exactly on New Year's.

 

*watches the number of people in here dwindle as the artists we mention become increasingly obscure...*

October Project? Amazing; you're never truly alone . . . nice lil' band; too bad they didn't last. They liked 5/4 time; and I'm a sucker for 5's.

Actually, there's an offshoot band that just formed called November Project. The only two members from the first are main songwriter/guitarist Emil Adler and lyricist Julie Flanders. No Mary Fahl & no Marina Belica. They have a 5-track ep out right now. I haven't heard them yet but they have a website at http://www.novemberproject.com/ http://www.novemberproject.com/

A big turnoff for me was Supper's Ready, the Magna Carta label's "Genesis Tribute Album". Anyone here have that? Really the only thing I liked was the late Kevin Gilbert's remake of "Back in N.Y.C." -- he actually took time to re-arrange and re-score the piece, whereas a lot of the acts involved just plain imitated Olde Genesis -- no creative take, and a bit indulgent in a sort of "actually become Genesis" fantasy. The whole "tribute album" rush of a few years ago seemed a bit silly anyway.

I liked Gilbert's work there and I appreciated the album more than most progheads, probably. My personal favorite was Shadow Gallery's version of "Entangled". IMHO, it's a great, dreamy acoustic tune. I've never heard the original but I can only assume it's even better.

Any Mike Oldfield or Renaissance appreciators here?

I've had Renaissance's Tales From 1001 Nights, Part 1, the first album in their 2 CD greatest hits collection. I like it a lot. Heavily classically-influenced folk pop. Great use of orchestra, too.

Actually, are there any Magna Carta tributes worth listening to? I have the Yes one and the Dark Side of the Moon remake, but I don't really care for either one. There was one for ELP, wasn't there?

I have the Rush, Genesis, & Yes ones. The Rush tribute album is a total waste of talent as there's hardly an attempt to do anything new with the tunes. There is one for ELP (haven't heard any opinions on it) and one for Jethro Tull (which I've heard is the best of them, but that might not be saying much).

Mellow Records also put out a few tribute albums as well. One for Genesis (a 2 CD set, I think) and another for Van Der Graaf Generator. I've heard they're much better than the Magna Carta records but still lacking in real inspiration.


[This message has been edited by Neo-Era (edited 12-03-1999).]

 

klingklang I'm not sure which show it is but I want to say it was somewhere in New York. It's pretty tight except for a few vocal problems on 'Lift Me Up' (you know how Jon Anderson can get a little too excited sometimes...)

Hey guys- don't give up on King's X until you've listened to albums 2 and 3 -Gretchen Goes to Nebraska and Faith,Hope,Love. These are the most impressive of thier albums and definitly the most progressive. They're a little more radio friendly these days, but if you enjoy old Hendrix, acid era Beatles, and alot of turnarounds, odd harmonies, and 5/4 and 12/8, this is your band (and throw in a little Sly and the Family Stone for good measure). They're definitly a band that has to grow on you--most people I know had to really work thru the Gretchen album a few times before it 'clicked' for them. But it's definitly worth the investment of time. Galactic Cowboys are a little more to like a mix between Dream Theater(minus the keyboard) and Pantera, except they've got really thick,lush vocals ala Rabin era Yes. They've often been described as 'the Partridge Family on Acid'- pretty cool stuff, but definitly for headbangers only. If you're into severe prog thrash or hardcore stuff there's a great band from Sweden called Meshugga- alot of polyrhythms and bizzare time sigs/changes.

yeah Neo, you guys are losing me on some of the obscure bands, but I'm learning alot. More!More!

[This message has been edited by fett (edited 12-03-1999).]

 

Two helpful resources I used when I first started looking into underground progressive rock were The Progressive Rock Homepage (links to tons of artists) at http://www.progrock.net/ http://www.progrock.net/

And a great one (though it doesn't look as if it's been updated in the past year) is the Gibralter Encyclopedia Of Progressive Rock. A bazillion reviews for a bazillion bands, most of whom no one has ever heard of (including many of the artists mentioned in this thread). It's very helpful but assumes some familarity with the 5 "classic" bands I mentioned in my first 2 posts on this thread. It is a fantasic resource, however. Absolutely huge. http://www.calweb.com/~geprman/gepr.html http://www.calweb.com/~geprman/gepr.html

 

Well, I know nothing of Yes, or most of 70's progressive bands, I am kinda young for listening to that genre, but I love Rush. My best friend in high schools was into them, and his dad was way into 70's prog rock. He had all these awesome records of the bands ya'll have been talking about. Rush, however is one of my favortie bands, not only for their music, but for their performances. I saw them twice on the Test for Echo tour, and they were flawless. I'd never seen a band play like they did before. It really made me appreciate what they do a whole lot more.

My $.02

 

fett: I have those releases by King's X, as well as King's X--the one that lost me. But I agree with you that Gretchen... and Faith, Hope, Love are excellent albums. They are quite an excellent trio of musicians, and seemed to be the only opening act I ever saw for Rush that didn't get booed off the stage.

Oh, and fett, I was asking which Talk boot from New York you had. Or did they actually play "Lift Me Up" at that show you have a recording of? To my knowledge, Yes didn't play any Union material on that 1994 tour. I'm a bit of a Yes bootleg addict, so I'm always interested in these useless bits of information. Sorry!

And a hello to fett2112. I wish that Different Stages would have a video because I thought that was such a great tour too.

And on a prog-related note: Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey "Po" Powell signed their new album covers book in Santa Monica, CA tonight and I only just found out! I am so sad!

 

klingklang - the bootleg I have is from the 94 tour, it was recorded over the radio frequency that the soundboard was broadcasting to. They played the whole Talk album (except State of Play) and then did the standards from Generator and 90215 as well as 'Lift Me Up' and (I think) 'Shock To The System' from Union. They also did the classics- Roundabout, Good People, Troopers, etc. I'll have to dig that out and see where exactly the show was.

As for King's X I was also a little put off by the self-titled album as well, but the follow up Dogman was excellent (albeit heavier, and more radio friendly)- it reminded me of Rush's 'golden' era; progressive, but commercial. Brenden O' Brian produced (Soundgarden,Pearl Jam)- they've done Ear Candy and Tapehead since then and continue to move away from thier prog roots, but they're still very original and fresh to my ears. New album in February.
There's a King's X influenced band that's tons more progressive than they are called Atomic Opera if you can find their stuff anywhere. Sam Taylor, who produced the first four King's X albums, produced these guys and they sound great.

Welcome Rush2112; I knew you'd like it here!

p.s.-shouldn't we be the only one's allowed to use the little Boba Fett icon?

 

Ok- just got the new Dream Theater- Metropolis Pt.2;Scenes From A Memory. It appears to be a concept album about a murder/suicide that occured in the 1920's. How's that for obsure? Plenty of 11 and 12 minute pieces, and it all pretty much flows together. There's absolutely nothing on here that will ever get played on radio. I guess they don't care anymore. Anybody else into these guys or have thoughts on the new album?

 

..."Entangled". IMHO, it's a great, dreamy acoustic tune. I've never heard the original but I can only assume it's even better.

Gahhh!! Get thee to a CD store Neo-Era and get Genesis' A Trick of the Tail. It's makes you hatch theories that Banks, Collins & Rutherford were, sometime in the early '80s, captured and replaced by alien beings from planet Sugarpop. (Hackett has always just been himself ). I mean, they jump in and out of 13/8, 15/8, blah blah blah on incredible keys/bass/drums chops and just paint incredible soundscapes.
Collins's vocals are nowhere near as brassy as they are today (or rather, his alien replacement's are), but they sound great delivering those great lyrics..."Entangled" especially! The original here makes Magellan's version seem like a pale joke. TOTT a total magic-carpet ride, and my fave Genesis album. (I attribute that to having "discovered" them when I did . . . I wonder what I would have made of it had I been of age back in '74-76 when Gabriel left and the press apparently declared them done-for....) . . .

Similarly, I bet that if I had been a fan of this stuff back in its heyday, I probably would have hated, absolutely hated, Asia. But being that they were in bloom when I turned on to rock & pop (c. 1982), they have sentimental protection...

November Project? Thanks for the info! At least they kept the spirit alive . . . good for them. . .

klingklang -- did you see the CGT with Levin? If so, then {{{{**envy**}}}}}. I managed to miss them anytime they came around here (Mid-Atlantic).

*******

A good Renaissance general-intro CD is Tales of 1001 Nights, Vol. II on Sire/Warner Bros. It has the essential Big Orchestral tracks ("A Song for All Seasons") plus their Big Hit, "Northern Lights" (which they've recorded like eighteen different versions of over the years) . . . their bassist John Camp was a total Squirehead and so you have "up-front" melodic Rickenbacker bass all over the place...

I'm going to see Yes in Philly on the 12th! Orchestra-section seat. ...I'll have you know, this thread actually played a large part in prompting me to go . . .

**Piett**

 

fett: Please don't go to the trouble of searching for the Yes show. I have the two shows from New York (Binghamton, and Canadegua) and both were excellent FM broadcasts--definitely the best sounding boots from 1994. As for King's X, I guess I'll have to give them a second chance, check out Dogman and see what I missed.

Piett: No, unfortunately, I could not attend any of the CGT shows with Tony Levin out here in California. So you don't have to be envious of me. According to Levin's site, he only played 4 songs with the CGT, so I didn't bother (it would have been a 3 hour drive). I always keep missing Tony's recent California shows anyway: Seal, Liquid Tension Experiment...

And thanks for the Renaissance recommendation. One of my husband's friends has a complete Renaissance collection, so I'll try to borrow that CD from him.

And that's great that you're going to go see Yes in Philadelphia! That's the second to last show of the tour, by the way. There were rumors that the band was going to play Philly on New Year's Eve, but it didn't happen. But I hope you have fun! Hopefully this thread will survive long enough for you to post a review of the show.

[This message has been edited by klingklang (edited 12-05-1999).]

 

I just found a page that has a bunch of prog rock radio stations that broadcast over the web and have been having fun listening to all this stuff I've never heard before and recognizing some of my old faves. It's at http://www.etonnant.com/yurst/progrock.htm http://www.etonnant.com/yurst/progrock.htm

 

Congrats Piett- I can't imagine seeing Yes w/ an orchestra- that would be the ulitmate!

klingklang- be warned that Dogman came during the 'grunge' thing, and the album definitly reflects that. It's not near as progressive as Gretchen or FHL, but IMO just some of the most memorable, well played songs of the early 90's. These guys after all were one of the biggest influences on the Seattle bands, so I guess they just wanted to prove that they could do it as well and even better- it's really enjoyable though.

Am I remembering correctly that Yesdid those two 'Union' songs at one of the New York 'Talk'dates? Maybe I'm thinking of the Toronto Union concert,

Can you guys tell me some more about early Genesis or specifically a good 'average sounding' album of thiers I could look for? Is it true that there were no guitars on the early albums ala ELP- cause I don't think I'd be into that.

Still nobody up for Dream Theater huh? No headbangers in the crowd tonight?

 

Thanks for that link Piett. I've listened to a few of those programs. That site offers a nice selection of prog shows from around the world.

fett: Thank you for the warning on King's X's Dogman. I'll look around to see if I can test a copy at a listening station.

As far as I know, Yes didn't play any Union material on the Talk tour. "Lift Me Up" and "Shock To The System" were the only new songs performed on the Union tour.

As for Genesis, I'm more of a Gabriel-era fan so I would recommend Selling England By The Pound. Gabriel wasn't able to contribute much to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway due to family problems, which is why I think Selling England is a better album. Steve Hackett does some excellent work on this release, as well. After that, I would go for Foxtrot and Lamb Lies. As for Collins-era Genesis, I agree with Piett in that A Trick Of The Tail is absolutely brilliant. "Squonk" is my favorite track on this one (it's one of the earliest tunes I learned to play on drums!). Most of the Genesis releases have been remastered and can be picked up for $9.99 to $11.99 so you shouldn't have a problem located this music. And I know it's rather pricey, but the Genesis box set that came out last year is worth picking up (it features a live version of Lamb), as is the latest greatest hits CD just to hear the new version of "Carpet Crawlers 1999."

As for ELP, they are an acquired taste. I love them, but they are more of a technical than a song-writing band--this is something that ELP has been widely criticised for (there's a running joke that an ELP song consists of battling solos by Keith, Carl and Greg). There is no guitarist, but on occasion Lake, the bass player, will add guitar tracks on a song--no major leads, though. Like Genesis, all of their albums have been remastered. So if you feel like talking the plunge, I highly recommend Tarkus. But avoid Love Beach for your life!

I am a Dream Theater fan, but I don't have their latest release (I'm waiting for a used copy to show up). So far, I like everything they have ever done, with the exception of Falling Into Infinity. Their live album was superb and Awake remains my favorite studio album. I still think their first album is great, despite the fact that it was a blatant Rush rip-off (that was the reason I bought the album in the first place). Mike Portnoy is an amazing drummer and I greatly admire his work with Liquid Tension Experiment.

[This message has been edited by klingklang (edited 12-05-1999).]

 

Can you guys tell me some more about early Genesis or specifically a good 'average sounding' album of thiers I could look for? Is it true that there were no guitars on the early albums ala ELP- cause I don't think I'd be into that.

They had a guitarist for their first albums. Anthony Phillips, I think. Steve Hackett came in on Nursery Crime and I'd recommend that one as an introduction. The first time I heard the album, I was heavy into Rush and Yes and wanted to hear what the other 70's prog bands sounded like but I'd only known Genesis from their 80's pop tunes with Phil Collins. The 10+ minute song "The Musical Box", which opens the album, caught my attention immediately and remains a favorite of mine to this day. This song should be heard by everyone. Genesis' masterwork album is often claimed to be Selling England By The Pound. "Dancing Out With Moonlit Knight" and "Firth Of Fifth" are great tunes.

A lot of prog rock is keyboard-oriented and it seems as though a lot of proggies don't care much for prog bands that lean towards the rock (guitar-oriented) end of the spectrum. If you're a fan of Rush, Yes, and Dream Theater, I'd recommend Kansas. Their Leftovertures album has fine songwriting & strong prog tendencies. "Cheyenne Anthem", "Miracles Out Of Nowhere", & the well-known "Carry On My Wayward Son" all rock. The epic track "Magnum Opus" sounds very much like a 70's version of Dream Theater to me.

Still nobody up for Dream Theater huh? No headbangers in the crowd tonight?

I've heard some of the new one from the Net radio broadcasts and from the 4 tunes I've heard, it reminds me of Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime in the sense that the songs don't seem to be distinctive and kind of bleed into one another in order to make the concept album more cohesive. I like a good deal of what I've heard but want it to sink in more before I decide to buy it.

As for ELP, they are an acquired taste. I love them, but they are more of a technical than a song-writing band--this is something that ELP has been widely criticised for (there's a running joke that an ELP song consists of battling solos by Keith, Carl and Greg). There is no guitarist, but on occasion Lake, the bass player, will add guitar tracks on a song--no major leads, though. Like Genesis, all of their albums have been remastered. So if you feel like talking the plunge, I highly recommend Tarkus. But avoid Love Beach for your life!

The only track on Tarukus that I've ever really cared for was the mammoth title track. The rest of the album was always filler to my ears. I'm not sure if I'd recommend an ELP album if having a prominent guitar player is an issue. I still recomend Brain Salad Surgery as I've always felt that was their high point and is a well rounded prog album.

A band that's barely been mentioned here but might be worth checking out for fett is Gentle Giant. Their musicianship is impeccable. Each guy in their 5-person lineup sings and plays 4 or 5 different instruments. And the sheer architecture of their songs is simply stunning. It's so intricate but it all fits together. I once heard someone mention that there's no other rock band that's made as much use of counterpoint as GG. One criticism that's often leveled against them is that they're simply technicians but, while I agree that they are in many respects, they're simply entertaining to listen to. I'd say get their Playing The Fool: Live album.

I'd like to bring something else up. Many of the British prog bands of the 70's (with notable exceptions like King Crimson & Van Der Graaf Generator) had sort of a cheesy sense of humor that's never rubbed off well on me. Certain songs just bug me like Genesis' "Return of The Giant Hogweed" or "The Battle Of Epping Forest" and ELP's "Are You Ready, Eddy?". I always skip over those. I guess I'm not a big fan of humor in music.

[This message has been edited by Neo-Era (edited 12-06-1999).]

 

*watches the number of people in here dwindle as the artists we mention become increasingly obscure...* Yep, you guys lost me for a bit. I don?t consider myself a prog fan, though Rush and Yes are my two favorite bands. I do enjoy ELP, but am not really familiar with the Gabriel era Genesis or King Crimson. I guess I might check out Selling England by the Pound, A Trick of the Tail, and In the Court of the Crimson King. Any recommendations for Dream Theater?

 

I'm still here, too. I just don't have the breadth of knowledge/familiarity with some of these bands that the rest of you. But it's great to see so many bands/albums I'm not familiar with get recomended--it looks like it's time to broaden my horizons.

 

I say that Dream Theater's best is Images And Words by far and away.

 

Thanks, Neo-Era! I just check out some sound samples from Images And Words. I'll definitely check it out....

 

I'd like to bring something else up. Many of the British prog bands of the 70's (with notable exceptions like King Crimson & Van Der Graaf Generator) had sort of a cheesy sense of humor that's never rubbed off well on me.

I can't get into the humor as well, Neo-Era. I understand that these bands try to show that they're not that serious, but I think this only works when the band is like Primus or Faith No More.

Did anyone watch the half-time show last night for Monday Night Football? I didn't see it, but apparently Jon Anderson from Yes was in the ESPN bar in NYC and was waving to the camera. I thought that was amusing...

 

How did this fine thread fall so far? I say it goes up.