PROG – Ten Albums – An Introduction to Progressive Rock
Here are ten albums I feel are perfect to introduce somebody to the weird and wonderful world of progressive rock.
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@snowzone5
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
LOLOL "As infectious as a public lavatory seat" I luv your comments 🙂
@Harold_the_yeti
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Not sure where to write this but I’d love to hear a post on my favorite artist, David Bowie. 🙏🏻
@laurenceellis8311
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
…."as infectious as a public lavatory seat"…I'll keep that in mind…😂
@stevecarroll8256
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Is ‘Aqualung’ not a good choice?
@countdebleauchamp
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
What makes 'The Yes Album' so great is its almost Houdini – esque escape/freedom from the otherwise unavoidable trap of prog pretense.
@tkengathegrateful4844
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
I think I'd find a way to get Jethro Tull in there – Aqualung, Songs from the Wood, or Heavy Horses as their gateway albums – they were the gateway Tull albums for me, plus Stormwatch. Then came memorizing the lyrics to Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play.
@rickmilam413
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
My first thought was Prog what? Jazz or rock? Obviously rock but I went both ways, so to speak. The strange thing is how many albums and bands you discuss that I'm unfamiliar with. I sometimes feel like a complete buffoon. And yet I saw Yes on the Close to the Edge tour (Ace with Paul Carrack out front). UK with Mr. Holdsworth and Bruford. Chick Corea and Return to Forever on the Romantic Warrior tour. The Dixie Dregs. Weather Report w/ Jaco. Gabriel countless times. But it was my little brother, who I converted from southern Rock to Bruford/Holdsworth who later was into Gentle Giant, XTC before me, and many other prog albums like Espresso (Only the Holdsworth ones), etc. Love your thoughts but do feel something of a dullard at times. These days I list to a lot of often avant-garde classical, 20th century jazz like Corea's exquisite live Akoustic Band albums, John Sofied's subline En Route, etc. Thanks for the enjoyable view.
@johnlangley6449
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
King Crimson court of crimson king is my 1st choice
@surreyjohn
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
This is a great list as an introduction. I would never have considered ELO as prog & have never seriously listened to Rush or Marillion, just my preference, but perhaps I should give them another chance.
My introduction to prog was Pink Floyd Relics and then Caravan Girls who Grow Plump in the Night. This led me to the early albums of Curved Air, Greenslade, Renaissance and Atomic Rooster along with Wishbone Ash, Yes, Tull & ELP.
@FredBloggs919
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
After watching The Exorcist, Tubular Bells is in no way a chill-out album!
@kevinrombouts3027
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
I would've left ELO out and put in a Renaissance ( Turn of the Cards) or Camel's , Moonmadness, or something from Jethro Tull instead of Supertramp. However, you have many good choices here too.
@michaelbeaule1966
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Two points. To add the Marillion FEAR album in this list is insulting (my opinion). And its a list of old albums. An introduction to someone new to prog would probably be someone young. I doubt they would connect to these relics relatively speaking. Ironically, FEAR is the youngest of the group
@tago69mago671
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Love Floyd and Tull. Can't be doing with Yes or Genesis. I'm afraid I don't know what the rules are. What is prog?
@vtcabbit
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
this list has so many good albums.
@assininecomment1630
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Supertramp are "the thinking man's 10CC"..?! Ouch! 😩
For someone raised on Queen, Supertramp, MacFleet Wood AND 10CC, (and others of course) I contend that this is a slur and nothing less! [Mayhaps to be resolved by flintlock pistols at dawn!] Entirely unprovoked, and unwarranted – even if they were definitely in the Art camp, rather than the Prog camp.
In particular, whilst Messrs Godley and Creme were still part of the band, The Original Soundtrack and How Dare You albums are often brilliant, and sometimes even beautiful. (Just don't tell that now tedious twat, Gouldman, that I said so.)
[pun not intended]
@assininecomment1630
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
"Rock-uh-REE-uh" 😳 Wha… What the….?!
Surely, it's Rock-AHH-ree-uh!?
@Barbaste
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Late 70's it was all about the live albums: yessomgs, genesis love, bursting out, made in japan, pompeii, etc, exit stage left…
@Barbaste
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
I love and there were three, rutherford has a very lyrical guitar style
@JQLLC
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
That supertramp cover was the inspiration for the prison of Zod and his evil hero partners in Superman II
@mattleppard1970
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
9012Live. I had Fragile and CTTE then saw 9012Live on TV, maybe 1987. My first Starship Trooper before I even had The Yes Album. It was the finale. Those times cemented my love for that lineup 😊
@richards9407
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Would love to know you're thoughts on Camel.
@sarahtonin4649
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
That's your number one?! I did try to like it, a few times, and it just struck me as shallow and pretentious. I really don't understand the appeal. I mean, unusual is good, but not if that's it's main feature. Also, it seems terribly recorded. The vocal sounds thin, and distant, and the drums sound like cardboard boxes. I probably would've put a Yes record at the top, and for pure accessible musical genius, Frank Zappa's Overnite Sensation, or maybe One Size Fits All, somewhere on that list.
@threadnugent
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Confusing list to introduce some to prog
Gentle Giant Octpus
Camel Mirage
Tull Brick
Genesis Lamb
Yes Close
KC Court
Nektar Remember
ELP Brain
Lucifer FriendBanquet
Marillion Misplaced (for an 80’s example)
@wilhelmhagberg4897
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Great video as always and a good list. Personally I would swap the ”Yes album” with ”Close to the edge”. ”CTTE” is full-out Prog yet quite accessable. For ELP I would choose Tarkus, that IMHO is a superior album and also instantly intriguing with it’s artwork and weird story line. ”DSOTM” fits well into this list but is somewhat redundant given that it is one of the first albums classic rock listeners get anyway. I would replace it with an early Gentle Giant album like ”Acquiring the taste”, or maybe Moody Blues’ debut for an example of the more poppy/melodic side of prog! NEXT I would love to see a similar list of European (non-British) prog! There are so many great albums from Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Scandinavia that get overlooked! 🙂
@enkiitu
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 pm
agree with Hackett remark. 100 %. Tubular bells is very bad music though. Very irregular and disjointed.
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