Any Prog Rock/AOR Fans?
 

I'm a consummate Prog and AOR fan. My latest find is RPWL's newest album Beyond Man and Time. FYI, it is worth your time and $15. Perhaps the best Neo-Prog album.

The solo project by RPWL's singer/keyboardist (Yogi Lang - No Decoder) is pretty good too but its story line is not as developed/coherent story line IMHO.

It has traces of Floyd, ELP, Transatlantic, ... with musical landscapes and lyrics that are not as brash or forced as some of Dream Theather or Spocks Beard (or most of the rest of Magna Carta's catalog). Story line better than Saga's chapters, Triumvirat's work or other of the most obscure prog rock epics.

An online reviewer at Prog Archives describes it: The protagonist is on a travel, meeting various characters partly adapted from Nietzsche's "Zarathustra", as means towards new insight. The basic idea is a so-called 'revaluation of values' in terms of a new way of thinking. In this world 'beyond man and time' as said Nietzsche, there are creatures of higher knowledge: the keeper of the cave, the willing blind, the scientist, the ugliest human, the creator, the shadow, the wise man in the desert and the fisherman.

There are some videos on YT.

Any leads? There is only so much ELP, PF, (old) Genesis, Yes, Mars Volta, King Crimson, Rush, Focus, Jethro, Van der Graaf Generator, .... to keep my tubes hot and my speakers moving...

BTW, if you prefer edgier more metal in your Prog, Edison's Children is pretty good (ex Marillion members).

Thanks for the heads up on Edison's Children. I am a big fan of Marillion and Fish. I will check them out.

Then you will like it Steve. Enjoy....!

Ah, yes - I was growing up through the hey day of what is now called "prog rock". Only no one called it that back then - it was "acid rock". Not sure I would include Tull on that list (as I always saw (see) them as a folk rock band), but oh well - fantastic band anyway.

I see one of my favorite bands of that era missing from your list - if you have not listened to Gentle Giant, you should check them out. Aquiring the Taste is a good place to start.

Here's my guitar instructors Prog Rock band apparently they are making quite a name for themselves in Europe, what do you think ? Presto Ballet | Facebook

Am a huge Yes and Dream Theater fan. Headed up to Boston to check out a DT show with some friends at the end of the week, in fact.

If you like DT also check out Liquid Tension Experiment, which if memory serves is about 3/5 DT members but a little more 'out there' and a little less metal.

I have Gentle Giant and Liquid Tension Experiment, Stevens guitar work is quite interesting, especially as one would think it would be more of his work with Billy Idol. Tony Levin is awesome no matter which project he is playing on.

Agree on Tull but when you search online databases they now show JT as Prog. My collection is much more extensive than what I listed here (too lazy to list it all).

Just received the Storm Corrosion CD (members of Porcupine Tree and Opeth). Going into player at office now....

I saw DT when they were out here at the beginning of their tour to support the new album (best album yet, IMHO). Now that Portnoy is gone they actually appear to be having FUN on stage. It was a great show, you'll enjoy it!

Tull has always been a prog band, in my view. I submit Thick as a Brick as corroborating evidence.

Someone once told me that Mastodon was a prog metal band, but IMHO they're just a sucky metal band with some guy screaming incoherently over repetitive guitar riffs.

Yes, two thumbs up for Tony Levin. A very rare talent.

Kinda figured you must have had some Gentle Giant. Not for everyone, but a lot of talent in that band.

The last album was amazing, agreed. Took me back to the Images and Words/Awake days. I felt bad about the whole Portnoy situation and am not sure what he's doing now, but he did seem to be a bit Napoleon-like. Much like Jon Anderson was in Yes (and they are also now touring without him :( ).

I will miss the Portnoy/Petrucci combo, though. Years ago the two of them did a guitar clinic in Boston - we got tickets. It was a pretty amazing experience, being in a small room with two musicians with pedigrees like theirs, being able to ask questions and talk and just watch them play. They seemed to really be into their fans. It was like a Star Trek convention - some of these guitar nerds were asking some really highly technical and esoteric questions. Then this one guy just hauls off and says to Petrucci, "Uh, dude, like, how do you play so fking fast?" and the crowd erupted. But then Petrucci proceeded to show him - which was extremely cool.

Can't wait for Monday :)

Good evidence, other albums have been more folky (perhaps an oversimplification from my part due to the instrument choice).

Ja ja on Mastodon. Reminds me of working from an overseas location on a project and my Ipod got around to Ayreon (Into the Electric Castle) one of my guys (20 years my jr) couldn't take it anymore and asked me to stop playing "that drug induced crap".

I had a colleague ~5 years my junior ask me to stop playing my "psycho freak-out music" :D

Wait, so prog rock = acid rock? I always thought of Jefferson Airplane as acid rock. So confused now. But then, my tastes can be considered confused. :D

Acid rock = Iron Butterfly. In-a-gadda-da-vida, baby....

Whatever, man. It's all good! :cool:

(Though some are better than others...)

Try these guys...local Atlanta Instrumental Prog Band that actually won an award for "Best Instrumental Song by an Unsigned Band" from the Prog Rock Hall of Fame.

SPEECHLESS | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos

How about some Grateful Dead?

The Dead, not my cup -o-joe.

BTW, most everything from Kevin Moore is A OK! (OSI included)

Thanks for the tip on this. Only 1/2 way thru the album but it's pretty cool stuff (Amazon MP3 downloads will eventually bankrupt me).

Great !!!!! It's playing in my office now.

I just finished listening to Squackett (Chris Squire and Steve Hackett). I must give it another listen, its a bit forced.

On a more spacey / Yes style, has anyone listened to "Headsets" by Jim Ladd (yes the disk jockey) and Billy Sherwood? I like it, various remakes of Conspiracy (Sherwood/Squire) and Yes tracks.

Thanks for translating the OP into English Jeff!

I have seen Yes a bunch of times... more than I can remember... my friends were fans of Gentle Giant so I developed a taste for them (never saw them live) also listened to a lot of Genesis, there was a band named Camel Saw them at the Roxy)... if I dig into my vinyl I could probably come up with some other bands.

You might like Porcupine Tree. And I was listening to some old King Crimson today....

Having made it through, I would have to say "atmospheric" is the best description I can come up with. On a second run-through I found myself waiting eagerly for the heavier tracks to emerge. I noticed a few interesting trends from track to track that I'm going to have to listen to more closely.

Cool stuff. I never got into Marillion (despite a college buddy who was heavily into them) but now I may have to listen to one or two of their albums. Any recommendations for the "heavier" stuff?

Thanks for that ! I was a big Marillion fan (fish era) and you are right, Edison's Children is very good... I would never have found them without that post !

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Blind Ego on the player today. Very cool. Try it and let me know what you think.

Any opinions on Anathema?

Riverside.

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Any of Neal Morse's projects. Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, etc. His solo stuff is awesome as long as you don't have an issue with the Christian subject matter. I love it.

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Pete, I love Neal Morse's music too! We all need some light is very powerful

Here's another Neal Morse project called Flying Colors. Prog with strong pop melodies and some of the best musicians in the world IMO. Steve Morse on guitar, Portnoy on drums, a guy from Austin named Casey McPherson on lead vocals.

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This one is old school prog, reminds me of Yes crossed with Peter Gabriel maybe.

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Sweet! I find his music very uplifting, it makes me happy.

Also a cool dude. He recently decided to create a band of his fans. He listed a few of his songs and if you wanted to audition, post your version on Youtube and send him a link. He brought the top dozen or so in for auditions and jamming and viola, instant band of people who are living out the fantasy of playing for their favorite band. Very cool idea.

Here's one of the auditions.

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OK a new one for us Prog Fans. RPWL's Wanted. Try it, wont regret it.

I have and cant get it out of my player.

Review: "RPWL: Wanted" - Sea of Tranquility - The Web Destination for Progressive Music!

Damn, that's the second time you do this to me.. Edison's children, now this... Very nice... Thanks - I'd never have heard of them otherwise...brings me back to Marillion/pink floyd etc...

You're welcome! ;)

Try Beyond Man and Time also; different (not as edgy) and tracks like Holes in The Sky, 3 Lights, etc. you wont regret dedicating some time to these. Plus they are all on You Tube.

Oh, iTunes kindly gifted me $45 or so in settlement for an Ibook lawsuit of some sort, so I'm blowing a chunk of that going through most of their albums now and picking songs here and there... ;-)

Nice! Checkout the previews on Amazon (for example) and YouTube. They have a lot of good stuff.

I'm a huge Yes fan, but can't get into anything more out there than that. BTW, they're coming to Phoenix later this summer. I never could "get" King Crimson. If anyone is in Phoenix next weekend, come check out my Rush tribute Friday night at The Blooze Bar. We don't have time to play the whole Hemispheres and 2112 albums, but we'll do plenty of old school, deep cuts.

Wish i were there Rick.