Big 5 band I stopped listening to years ago.

[Poisoned Youth]

I'm being a little liberal about Big 5-10, but tried to pick some of the larger groups.

Still play frequently:
King Crimson
Pink Floyd
Gentle Giant
Camel

Still play on occasion:
Yes
Rush
VdGG
PFM
Banco
Magma
Soft Machine

Rare or never:
ELP
Genesis
Jethro Tull
Zappa

[PeterG]

Blimey! I'd forgotten about Zappa, very rarely play any Zappa nowadays, but if I do it is an instrumental album - Hot Rats, BWS, Perfect Stranger- Boulez, Yellow Shark etc.

As for Rush - they are in my hard rock category and I listen to them regularly. PFM also still gets a good amount of playing.

[Garden Dreamer]

I still give the non-radio-airplay Yes albums a yearly spin (Tales and Relayer). Still plenty to discover there when tunes haven't been worn ragged by incessant radio play (even though I don't listen to the radio I'm forced to hear classic rock stations occasionally).

Wasn't a huge ELP fan - Trilogy was my favorite from them and I might play that once/year also.

Didn't have any Genesis or Floyd albums (except for Wish You Were Here), not interested in hearing anything from them now.

I still listen to Thick as a Brick as its probably my Desert Island Disc. In fact I still listen to 70's Tull and Rush in the context of playing along with them on my bass guitar.

[zombywoof]

I haven't listened to a complete ELP album by choice for about 6 years. I overplayed Genesis in high school to the point where I can't really enjoy them anymore.

I've been having somewhat of a revival in my Pink Floyd interest. So far, Final Cut, Animals, and Atom Heart Mother.

[Trane]

Haven't played an ELP, Camel, Rush or Yes album for years

Can't say I played a Genesis or Gentle Giant in the last two years, if not more

And if I heard a VdGG album this year, it's because of the two double live albums (Merlin & BBC Tapes) that were released early this year

I played most likely two or three Crimson album, and I'm sure I will listen soon to Tull's RtB album after the recent thread

I still play some Supertramp and Floyd albums in the car when travelling on long distances (like going tpo mu mom or RIO Fest, mailnly for my GF

[Scrotum Scissor]

I play Magma and Zappa and the Henry Cow family regularly. They were - to me - the quintessential "progressive" rock artists in terms of eclecticism, transcendence and the sheer hubris of modern musical art.

Lately I've been returning to the "prog" side of Rush quite often. I still don't find them either great composers or those purported "vurtuosos" they're made out to be, but they remain one of the defining "proggy-prog" groups - perhaps for that precise reason of cartoon'ish pretension. Meaning they're all about fun. And smurfy voice about crashing stars, Mongolian warlords, silly objectivism and desperate hairloss, topics that appear all too naturally related when coming from these cats.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Was listening to 5UU - Crisis In Clay today and a section of a piece screamed Yes at me.

Don't tell me - was it that middle section of "Bought the Farm", with the mock choir and grand cymbal design?

5UU's, Thinking Plague and Time of Orchids were the only bands I ever heard that not only developed convincingly on the classic Yes formula but actually redefined it completely. Which of course was always the main problem in these bands' lack of appeal with the "progs", seeing how that exact 'classic Yes formula' for goodness' sake should never be seen as an object of possible improvement.

[Zeuhlmate]

Somewhere on this board, or the previous version, Bob Drake explains the YES quotes on Crisis in Clay.
Cant find it though

As far as I remember its on "What Price Virtue?" there is a Steve Howe quote on a steelguitar which sounds Howe something he did on "The Ancient"

[No Pride]

I don't listen to any of them that often and I'm not a fan of some of the "Big (fill in the blank)____," like Tull, Pink Floyd, VdGG and Rush. I probably listen to Gentle Giant and Genesis the most, followed by Yes, KC and ELP. But once I've got every second of an album memorized, it's not as fun to listen to anymore, so even with my favorites, I'll listen to them once or twice a year.

[NogbadTheBad]

It was in What Price Virtue.

[Scrotum Scissor]

As far as I remember its on "What Price Virtue?" there is a Steve Howe quote on a steelguitar which sounds Howe something he did on "The Ancient"

I think it might have been Mike J. who explained that, and I remember it now. Both Mike and Bob were (are?) Yes fans, so the link is comprehensible. But more importantly the fact that 5UU- and Plague-musics elaborated quite firmly on the basics of "Yes logic" - which again renders it an awkward riddle as to why more Yessists wouldn't ever "get" said two bands.

[Sputnik]

the Big 5, in my option: Yes, ELP, Genesis, KC, Jethro Tull

I spin albums by these bands regularly, but infrequently. Usually an album by each of them every 6-8 months. I think this year I've gotten off that cycle a bit with Yes and ELP. Two of my faves, but man I've just heard these albums to death. But Genesis, KC and Tull still get some attention, and I'll make my way back to the others at some point.

Bill

[Fracktured]

Big 11, my friend. Big 11.

I have to admit that I never listen to Floyd at all except for Piper.

I've never even heard Piper. Maybe I'm missing out on something here.

[hippypants]

Don't listen to much:
Zepplin
ELP
Tull

Still listen to:
Crimson
Floyd
Genesis
Yes, etc.

[Jerjo]

Still play frequently:
Rush
Pink Floyd
Jethro Tull
King Crimson
Kansas

Still play on occasion:
Yes
Genesis
Caravan
Camel
Nektar

Rare or never:
ELP
Gentle Giant
Zappa

[BigSixFan]

I still enjoy the peak period of ELP very much, love TaaB and aPP, and can tolerate Floyd's WYWH and Animals. Like Crimson's stuff from any era, and occasionally listen to Yes, but mostly from the Bruford era. Drove from San Antonio to El Paso and back recently and endured TftTO and was exhausted by the filler, but then played their post YesWest stuff and found myself missing Tales. Actually listen to more jazz fusion and classical than anything else...

[at least 100 dead]

Was listening to 5UU - Crisis In Clay today and a section of a piece screamed Yes at me.

Note to self: Check out 5UU...

Lately I've been returning to the "prog" side of Rush quite often. I still don't find them either great composers or those purported "vurtuosos" they're made out to be, but they remain one of the defining "proggy-prog" groups - perhaps for that precise reason of cartoon'ish pretension. Meaning they're all about fun. And smurfy voice about crashing stars, Mongolian warlords, silly objectivism and desperate hairloss, topics that appear all too naturally related when coming from these cats.

The Rush guys would be the first to agree with you that they were neither great writers nor “virtuosos” during the 70s. In fact, if it were up to Peart, their 70s output would be deleted, which would be a real shame since it is such goofy, over-the-top fun.

Arguably, only Mr. Lee ever really attained that elite muso status. As a drummer, Peart is both over- and underrated (the former by his fans, the latter by his detractors). As someone (Phlakaton?) on this board has mentioned before, his approach to drumming was mostly athletic; besides, he never claimed to be in a league with, say, Trilok Gurtu.

IIRC, when Peart first met Peter Erskine to take lessons from him, they had the following exchange:
“Well Peter, if you're a surgeon, I’m just a butcher.”
PE: “No, no, no, you’re a lot better than that.”
NP: “Hey, I didn’t say I was bad butcher!”

EDIT: But "Mongolian warlords"? Which song would that be?

[Scrotum Scissor]

"Mongolian warlords"? Which song would that be?

Hints; title starts with an 'x' and the "piece" essentially consists of four consecutive introductions plus some other rather random dispositions of intended tune. They were experts at committing somewhat substanceless or incoherent efforts at "composition", but yeah - these too were often quite amusing or entertaining.

[at least 100 dead]

^
Of course! *slaps forehead*

I still like to think of it as an ode to Olivia Newton-John, though.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^

You know she's actually Georgie Born's cousin, right? For real? They should've formed a blonde duo, I think; Olivia & Georgina

[Galactic Bulldozer]

I never stopped, I spin them once in a while (at least yearly), but again, I never overplayed any of them.

Me too, AHM over 1000 plays and I'm asleep before the choir starts.

[at least 100 dead]

^
You know she's actually Georgie Born's cousin, right? For real? They should've formed a blonde duo, I think; Olivia & Georgina

I actually had to look up Georgina Born on Wiki, only to notice that she’s on two albums I have.

That would have been a kick-ass duo!

[spacefreak]

Lately I've been returning to the "prog" side of Rush quite often. I still don't find them either great composers or those purported "vurtuosos" they're made out to be, but they remain one of the defining "proggy-prog" groups - perhaps for that precise reason of cartoon'ish pretension. Meaning they're all about fun. And smurfy voice about crashing stars, Mongolian warlords, silly objectivism and desperate hairloss, topics that appear all too naturally related when coming from these cats.

Yes, their early stuff is about creative and enjoyable fun, till they start giving me the creeps with all their begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry for more Ayn Rand influenced Peartian bullshit.

[PeterG]

I've never even heard Piper. Maybe I'm missing out on something here.

If you like the heavy/spacey/psych-pop side of PF then you should give it a spin. If however you prefer the AOR/prog side of PF then you can give it a miss.

[at least 100 dead]

Everyone should own & love The Piper at the Gates of Dawn!