RS Readers' Poll Ten Best Prog Albums of the 1970s

[Powderfinger]

Think Rush made the list?

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-the-10-best-prog-rock-albums-of-the-seventies-20130821

[Xanadoood]

No E.L.P or Crimson...No List. And 2112 is overrated as a prog album, Hemispheres, sure.

[Maverick]

Holy shit!

[RushBoingo]

Well once again another article by someone who forgot there was another side to 2112.

[goose]

Description of the album Hemispheres: "The first side of the LP is taken up by "Cygnus X-1," a six-part song about an explorer that goes into a black hole." :eyeroll: Nailed it.

[goose]

1 Genesis...1 Yes...1 Tull...2 RUSH...and Floyd. Not a very adventurous list.

[bathory]

wont load at school but I'm guessing it's 4 Floyd records, 2112, fragile, the lamb, aqualung, and then dark side of the moon two more times

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

It's a readers list, the lack of imagination is staggering, which is kinda ironic.

[Lerxster]

Hey, Rush is #1. Yay.

[GeddyLeeRoth]

I guess being inducted into TRRHOF was all the validation RS needed to jump on the bandwagon 40 years later. Its awesome Hemispheres and 2112 is on there, but probably could have dropped a couple Floyd albums to add exposure to other bands.

[ShlappinDahBass]

Well, I mean, to be fair..Genesis, Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd are probably the main progressive rock bands that have shaped it into what it's become. When you think of prog rock, you think those bands. There isn't a lack of imagination, it's more of logic. It's not saying "What are prog rock albums you should listen to." It seems to be what prog rock albums are the most significant to the genre.

[TheWinslowOfWillowdale]

Just glad to see the boys getting props in any way, shape or form ... after all these years!!

[sitboaf]

We all love Rush, but we know in our heart of hearts that 2112 isn't the best prog album of the 70s.

Let's lop that one off, kill one of the 4 Floyds, represent some King Crimson and oh, I dunno... ever heard of a weird little band called Yes that released a couple of albums named Fragile and The Yes Album?

Are we surprised that Rolling Stone effed this up?

Edited August 27, 2013 by sitboaf

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

We all love Rush, but we know in our heart of hearts that 2112 isn't the best prog album of the 70s.

Let's lop that one off, kill one of the 4 Floyds, represent some King Crimson and oh, I dunno... ever heard of a weird little band called Yes that released a couple of albums named Fragile and The Yes Album?

Are we surprised that Rolling Stone effed this up?

 

Their readers effed this up. Which isn't surprising. They haven't been at the cutting edge of anything for 40 years, so it makes sense for their readership to be similar when it comes to prog. Safe.

[Powderfinger]

We all love Rush, but we know in our heart of hearts that 2112 isn't the best prog album of the 70s.

Let's lop that one off, kill one of the 4 Floyds, represent some King Crimson and oh, I dunno... ever heard of a weird little band called Yes that released a couple of albums named Fragile and The Yes Album?

Are we surprised that Rolling Stone effed this up?

 

Their readers effed this up. Which isn't surprising. They haven't been at the cutting edge of anything for 40 years, so it makes sense for their readership to be similar when it comes to prog. Safe.

 

Exactly. Many of you are failing to realize that this was a readers poll. I don't agree with aspects of the list either—especially The Wall making the top ten. (While I agree that Pink Floyd was a prog group, I do not consider The Wall a prog album). For me, the value of the poll is in its indication of what general Rolling Stone readers identify as great prog albums, and with that caveat in mind, the list isn't half bad. For all of Rolling Stone's faults, I just think it's cool to see Rush at the top of a poll. I'm a glass-half-full guy, I suppose.

[goose]

wont load at school but I'm guessing it's 4 Floyd records, 2112, fragile, the lamb, aqualung, and then dark side of the moon two more times

:clap:

[goose]

Well, I mean, to be fair..Genesis, Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd are probably the main progressive rock bands that have shaped it into what it's become. When you think of prog rock, you think those bands. There isn't a lack of imagination, it's more of logic. It's not saying "What are prog rock albums you should listen to." It seems to be what prog rock albums are the most significant to the genre.

Yeah...if you ask the masses to name a prog band, this is who comes up.

[rushgoober]

it's GREAT to see Rush on their TWICE! of course hemispheres is far more worthy than 2112. and selling england by the pound should be #1. and where the f*ck is in the court of the crimson king? take out the wall and stick that in there.

 

as was said before, not a very imaginative list, but at least some fantastic albums are represented. my list would be something like:

 

genesis - selling england by the pound

pink floyd - dark side of the moon

the moody blues - on the threshold of a dream

rush - hemispheres

king crimson - lizard

yes - tales from topograhic oceans

amon duul II - dance of the lemmings

pfm - per un amico

king crimson - in the court of the crimson king

yes - close to the edge

robert wyatt - rock bottom

can - tago mago

banco del mutuo soccorso - io sono nato libero

 

yeah, a couple or so more than 10, but that's about right.

[Ged Lent's sis]

Prog Rock? I mean, Fripp always hated that moniker, and they are largely credited with founding it, along with The Moody Blues. Speaking o' which, In Search of the Lost Chord gets my vote and if Crimson gets one 70's album, I'd make it Larks' Tongues.

 

If I were gonna put The Floyd on a list, it'd be Pipers - it doesn't have to be all space ships and unicorns, though I think the readers nailed it with Close to the Edge. And RUSH? How about Permanent Waves? Not the 70s, you say? Okay, Caress of Steel. And Fly be Night. No, wait...

[OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan]

I don't really agree with everything there. but HEY!!!! RUSH was #1!!!!

[Squeaky4377]

and where the f*ck is in the court of the crimson king?

 

It's in 1969.

[LedRush]

Prog Rock? I mean, Fripp always hated that moniker, and they are largely credited with founding it, along with The Moody Blues. Speaking o' which, In Search of the Lost Chord gets my vote and if Crimson gets one 70's album, I'd make it Larks' Tongues.

 

If I were gonna put The Floyd on a list, it'd be Pipers - it doesn't have to be all space ships and unicorns, though I think the readers nailed it with Close to the Edge. And RUSH? How about Permanent Waves? Not the 70s, you say? Okay, Caress of Steel. And Fly be Night. No, wait...

 

Permanent waves is a 70s album for all intents and purposes. Nothing on it happened in the 80s, except that when doors opened on Jan 1, people could buy the record.

[sitboaf]

Prog Rock? I mean, Fripp always hated that moniker, and they are largely credited with founding it, along with The Moody Blues. Speaking o' which, In Search of the Lost Chord gets my vote and if Crimson gets one 70's album, I'd make it Larks' Tongues.

 

If I were gonna put The Floyd on a list, it'd be Pipers - it doesn't have to be all space ships and unicorns, though I think the readers nailed it with Close to the Edge. And RUSH? How about Permanent Waves? Not the 70s, you say? Okay, Caress of Steel. And Fly be Night. No, wait...

Except Lost Chord is 1968. And On the Threshold of a Dream, as well as To Our Children's Children's Children were released in 1969. Their 1970s albums aren't prog enough, or great enough, to make the cut.

[Tony R]

They should have named the poll The 10 Favourite Prog Rock Albums By English Speaking Bands. Very parochial. Absolutely ludicrous that 2112 came out top, it's barely Progressive Rock by the standard of the classic Prog era.

 

 

[Ged Lent's sis]

If I were gonna put The Floyd on a list, it'd be Pipers - it doesn't have to be all space ships and unicorns, though I think the readers nailed it with Close to the Edge. And RUSH? How about Permanent Waves? Not the 70s, you say? Okay, Caress of Steel. And Fly be Night. No, wait...

 

Permanent waves is a 70s album for all intents and purposes. Nothing on it happened in the 80s, except that when doors opened on Jan 1, people could buy the record.

Yeah, that's kind of funny. I hadn't realized the extremity to which is was, officially at least, so barely an 80s' release.

 

Prog Rock? I mean, Fripp always hated that moniker, and they are largely credited with founding it, along with The Moody Blues. Speaking o' which, In Search of the Lost Chord gets my vote and if Crimson gets one 70's album, I'd make it Larks' Tongues.

Except Lost Chord is 1968. And On the Threshold of a Dream, as well as To Our Children's Children's Children were released in 1969. Their 1970s albums aren't prog enough, or great enough, to make the cut.

Huge oversight on my part, which is pretty embarrassing considering that I was fully aware of it. Though, now that I think of it, I didn't hear any of those, or Days of Future Past, until the late seventies, and by then, it was easy to slag off everything they were doing at the time because 65-69 was so so so vastly superior, imo.