Prog Rock

Here is a challenge for everybody frequenting this thread: Find some good prog-rock band from your own country and post it (Tough luck if you are British, that doesn't count)

As for my part, the equivalent of the massive epics like Suppers Ready or Close to the Edge in Estonian prog:

I love the fact that it makes use of a choir, harpsichord, reeds and odd homemade electronic instruments pretty thoroughly. Worth a full listen.

edited 14th Oct '14 1:52:12 PM by Yachar

Rush was too easy, so I went with this little known symphonic Quebecois group. This track is a much more classical/film score inspired track than is the norm for progressive rock and is almost completely instrumental.

edited 14th Oct '14 2:10:30 PM by StillbirthMachine

Yezda Urfa definitely is, they’re extremely wacky and fun. From Illinois, I believe. Two albums out: Boris and Sacred Baboon and while there is significant overlap between the two albums (songwise, the recordings are unique to each disc), both are worthwhile. Supposedly there is enough material recorded for a third disc, but it’s never seen the light of day.

Epidermis have one album of note: Genius of Original Force. I believe they have a second album, too, but I’ve never heard it.

Here’s a U.S. prog band of note: Maelstrom. From Florida, they recorded one album in 1973 which only received a test pressing in Canada, and remained in the vaults until finally getting a proper CD release in 1999. I am very fond of this album:

& Oh, Canada. What a place. I can say that, since I'm from there myself. Why did Maelstrom (and that song you linked is awesome, btw) only get test-pressed up here, of all places? The other two bands are definitely stuff I'll need to check out, then.

Also, Maneige are awesome- and on the subject of flim score-y Prog, you ever listen to Goblin- you know, the Italian band that did those horror movie soundtracks back in the 70s (most notably the Dawn Of The Dead soundtrack)? Great stuff right there...

Anyways, on to the challenge. I'll go with the spacey, sometimes-jazzy, synth heavy Toronto band FM- they may be somewhat poppy by Prog standards, but I think they still count as Prog.

FM - Black Noise from the album of the same name (1977)

Hm. America has its fair share, of course, but when I narrow the focus to my native South, things get scarcer. We're home to a huge number of jam bands, of course—Widespread Panic, Gov't Mule, Col. Bruce Hampton, etc., etc. But if you use a more restrictive definition of prog, the C.S. of A. is painfully underrepresented.

Even so, there are a few exceptions. But it says something that the very best-known Southern example I can think of is Zebra, from New Orleans. There's also Glass Hammer (Tennessee). Parallax (Mississippi), which is a pretty fun prog-funk outfit, and Exovex (South Carolina), whose upcoming album is generating a lot of buzz.

Mastodon are from my hometown of Atlanta, and I've generally seen them categorized as "progressive metal", if that counts.

edited 15th Oct '14 10:14:41 AM by djbj

Forgot all about Mastodon, and I was born and raised in Atlanta! They count, far as I'm concerned.

Also, jazz-rock fusion band Dixie Dregs have their roots in Georgia (Augusta). Compared to the other big 70s jazz fusion bands, the Dregs seem to have closer ties to the hard rock/prog rock scenes than the jazz scene. Dream Theater even covered one of their songs (John Petrucci considered Steve Morse to be a big influence).

I was actually gonna mention Dixie Dregs in the context of Prog-Rock from the South, though they also count as Fusion and Southern Rock. Great band, btw...

Some short lived Southern US prog bands of the 70s: Maelstrom (Florida, already mentioned), Babylon (Florida), Easter Island (Tennessee), Polyphony (Virginia), The Load (Louisiana), Lift (Louisiana). Also Hands, if you consider Texas “The South.”

I do, but I dunno if actual Southerners do as well...

There's Cathedral who have really awesomely prominent rickenbacker bass playing.

Now that is awesome. Not to be confused with the other Cathedral, of course- y'know, the Doom Metal band...

Not my own country, but I feel that it's a missed opportunity, if I don't point out that Italy has a very strong prog tradition with some amazing bands:

It's one of those big names in the genre, and I love early prog's obsession with psychedelia, but never did hear much of Gong. What's their thing?

Italy had some great bands- PFM, Banco, Goblin and Le Orme immediately come to mind.

Drugs and spaciness. In the best possible ways, though... Seriously though, I love Gong. Especially the early albums.

Though Prog-Rock wasn't so much obsessed with Psychedelia as it was an offshoot / descendant of the genre...

Well, I mean more the early bands. Seemed from 68-73 it was either folk or psychedelic, or both. Not that I'm complaining in the slightest.

I've tried liking Hawkwind, but they just seem a little bland to me. Maybe could just be they have so many albums I'm just not hearing the good ones.

Well, that is fairly true, I s'pose... I can name a few that had distinct Jazz or Classical roots, as well...

Try the early Hawkwind studio albums on for size- roughly from the self-titled to Warrior On The Edge Of Time. Also, the live records, especially Space Ritual- they always had an extra bit of heft, aggression and overall insanity live...

@Yachar: Coincidentally, I’m listening to that very track right now. Italy is one of my very favourite countries for progressive rock; there’s so much of it, and so much of it is so good!

Banco are one of my most-loved bands, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have seen them live in 2000. When I picked up their US Manticore LP release back in 1991, I thought I would never get a chance to see them in concert. When Francesco came out to sing the coda to “Metamorfosi,” I actually got a bit teary-eyed. Sadly, he died last year. In fact, going by the sheer number of famous Italians that have died in fatal car accidents, I’m guessing the roads in Italy are a very dangerous place!

We should not forget the number of excellent currently-active bands in Italy: Areknamés, Camelias Garden, Conqueror, Ego, Homunculus Res, Höstsonaten, Ingranaggi della Valle, La Maschera di Cera, Narrow Pass, Not a Good Sign, Oxhuitza, Pandora, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, Three Monks and Unreal City, to list just a few.

RE: Gong. Let’s not forget the jazz fusion element that’s been present in their sound almost from the beginning, and bubbled to the surface when drummer Pierre Moerlen (R.I.P.) was given the reins. I’m guessing their international lineage (French, British and Australian) helped contribute to their eclectic sound as well. Daevid Allen—the Australian beatnik/hippie who founded the group—was responsible for the “Planet Gong” mythos that made up most of their early albums. While I found the story to be incomprehensible (and more than a bit silly), at least they were self-effacing and not pretentious.

I'm most familiar with their Daevid Allen-era work, the later stuff is good, but it's less lyrically-oriented. They did have a strong Jazz element to their sound all along, though it bears mentioning that they were hardly the only Prog band to have that- hell, most of ;em were at least slightly Jazz-influenced, and some (like Soft Machine, or most of the other Catnerbury bands, really) were very into it indeed- hell, SM basically stopped having lyrics and went full-on Fusion starting on about their fourth album or so...