Proto prog thread

[nosebone]

While combing thru my itunes library, I stumbled upon the delightful album Room - Pre-Flight , which sent me into a proto-prog binge.

Many years ago, PE member Mogrooves put together a stellar top 100 proto prog list and I saved it!!!

Here it is , and lets hear from everybody's favorites !

2066 & Then - Reflections!
A-Austr Musics from Holy Ground
Abacus - s/t
Ache - De Homine Urbano
Ache - Green Man
Affinity - s/t
Aquila - s/t
Arc - At this
Arcadium - Breathe Awhile
Arzachel - s/t
Battered Ornaments - A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark
Battered Ornaments - Mantlepiece
Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You
Beggars Opera - Act One
Beggars Opera - Pathfinder
Beggars Opera - Waters of Change
Black Widow - Sacrifice
Bodkin - s/t
Bram Stoker - Heavy Rock Spectacular
Burnin' Red Ivanhoe - M144
Burnin' Red Ivanhoe - WWW
Catapilla - Changes
Catapilla - s/t
Cirkus - One
Colosseum - Daughter of Time
Colosseum - Valentyne Suite
Comus - First Utteranace
Cressida - Asylum
Cressida - s/t
Culpepers Orchard - s/t
Czar - s/t
Dear Mr. Time -Grandfather
Diabolus - s/t
Earth & Fire-same
East of Eden - Mercator Projected
East of Eden - s/t
Egg - The Polite Force
Egg - s/t
Fairfield Parlour - From Home to Home
Family - Family Entertainment
Fantasy - Beyond the Beyond
Fantasy - Paint a Picture
Fields - s/t
Frumpy - Frumpy
Fuchsia - s/t
Fusion Orchestra - Skeleton in Armour
Fuzzy Duck - s/t
Galliard - New Dawn
Galliard - Strange Pleasure
Gnidrolog - In Spite of Harry's Toenail
Gnidrolog - Lady Lake
Gracious - This is... Gracious!!
Gracious - s/t
Gravy Train - Ballad of a Peaceful Man
Gravy Train - Second Birth
Greenslade - s/t
Greenwood, Nicholas - Cold Cuts
High Tide - Sea Shanties
High Tide - s/t
Indian Summer - s/t
Jan Dukes de Grey - Mice & Rats in the Loft
Jody Grind - Far Canal
Jonesy - Growing
Julian Jay Savarin - Waiters on the Dance
Julian's Treatment - A Time Before This
Kestrel - s/t
Khan - Space Shanty
Kingdom Come - Galactic Zoo Dossier
Kingdom Come - Journey
Krokodil - An Invisible World...
Locomotive - We Are Everything You See
Love Sculpture - Forms & Feelings
Manfred Mann's Chapter Three Vol. 1 & 2
Marsupilami - Arena
Marsupilami - s/t
Mellow Candle - Swaddling Songs
Missing Link - Nevergreen!
Odin - s/t
Orange Peel - s/t
Out of Focus - Wake Up
Out of Focus - s/t
Pete Brown & Piblokto - Thousands on a Raft
Pete Brown & Piblokto - Things May Come and Things May Go but the Art School Dance Goes on Forever
Parlour Band - Is a Friend?
Procol Harum - Shine on Brightly
Quatermass - s/t
Quicksand - Home is Where I belong
Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By
Rare Bird - s/t
Raw Material - Time is...
Room - Pre-Flight
Samurai - s/t
Sandrose - s/t
Second Hand - Death May Be Your Santa Claus
Skin Alley - s/t
Spring - s/t
Still Life - s/t
Subject Esq - s/t
T2 - It'll All Work Out in Boomland
The Greatest Show on Earth - Horizons
Titus Groan - s/t
Tonton Macoute - s/t
Touch - s/t
Tractor - s/t
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Warm Dust - And It Came To Pass
Web - I Spider
Wind - Seasons

[philsunset]

Something overlooked---Listening -- S/T (1968)

[nosebone]

Something overlooked---Listening -- S/T (1968)

Cool, but bluesy psych to my ears

[philsunset]

Cool, but bluesy psych to my ears

Yes there's that too.but a few things that are ahead of most at the time. That list has things that because of the release dates aren't "proto" (but still good)

[JKL2000]

Egg is prog

[ashratom]

Mogrooves put together a great list of early 1970s progressive oriented music. Kudos to him, as it's an excellent selection of music to check out (I own just about everything in it myself). To get into what is precisely "proto" or not, I'd rather jump off a bridge than have that debate. To me, I see a great mix of Krautrock, psychedelic, progressive rock, and yep, what is generally known as proto-prog, though the definition of such is hazy at best. There's some overlap here, but not total coverage, to a list I put together a few years ago, but with a specific female vocal slant. Including Room - Pre-Flight... so probably worth checking out if looking for similar sounds... https://rateyourmusic.com/list/ashra...female_vocals/

[mogrooves]

Many years ago, PE member Mogrooves put together a stellar top 100 proto prog list

Mogrooves put together a great list of early 1970s progressive oriented music.

Just for the record, credit where credit is due, a few of us--Jim, Midnight-to-Six, and myself--compiled the list [and argued over some inclusions ]

[Svetonio]

(...) So "progressive" would include Cream, the Dead, Isaac Hayes, Dylan's "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", Velvet Underground, The Band, and all sorts of stuff that WAS "progressive" by the definition back then, (...)

Nope, it wasn't.

[mixfo]

No, the vast majority of these bands did not even issue singles, let alone get them in the Top 40. In most cases, their LPs didn't sell well either - most of these bands operated well under the radar.

I think what you're referring to is the fact that the Top 40 and album charts were becoming more varied and eclectic during this period, and a number of less mainstream artists were having unexpected successes. But ultimately these did not last.

[Svetonio]

This is an extremely important article regarding the birth of progressive rock:

"Revolution starts with a solitary idea that only builds into purpose when shared with others. In early 1967 three Scotsmen started a revolution when they played a legendary residency at the Marquee club in London. The trio was Ian Ellis (bass and lead vocals), Harry Hughes (drums) and a maverick keyboard player Billy Ritchie. Together they were called 1-2-3.

As a band 1-2-3 had a short lifespan—lasting around two years from 1965-1967. Yet, their impact—their musical idea—was remarkable as it spawned a whole new musical genre called Prog Rock. At the heart of their success was the unique talents of keyboard wizard Ritchie who invented this strange new soundscape that influenced the likes of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, the Moody Blues, Jon Anderson, and Robert Fripp. Among their fans was Jimi Hendrix and a young David Bowie who wrote a letter highlighting this new sound to the music press.

1-2-3 were loved by musicians but loathed by some of their “hippie” audience. Their impact was immediate. They were signed by Beatles manager Brian Epstein to his talent group NEMS—but his untimely death in August 1967 left 1-2-3 open to the fickle fate of the music business. While other musicians quickly adopted and adapted 1-2-3’s musical style, Ritchie and co. were left to languish by new management who did not know what to do with them.

Eventually 1-2-3 signed a new record deal with Chrysalis Records in 1968. Chrysalis wanted the band to change its name and fit in more with their label. 1-2-3 became Clouds and their unique trademark sound was distilled to fit better with the label’s roster. Three albums and two world tours followed—but it was all too late—The Nice had pinched their act and King Crimson and Yes were already on the horizon.

In the 1990s, David Bowie once again enthused about seeing 1-2-3 play in 1967. It led to renewed interest in the band and their follow-on Clouds.
Not so long ago, I wrote on this site about Billy Ritchie and his creation of Prog Rock. This led to contact with Ritchie who agreed to an exclusive interview with Dangerous Minds. I wanted to know more about the man who had started a revolution and what that had led to.
I started off by asking Ritchie about his earliest memories, his childhood and first interest in music (...)"

read more here: http://dangerousminds.net/comments/t..._billy_ritchie

[regenerativemusic]

Tea & Symphony The English Baroque Sound 1967-1974

01. Time To Wander - John Kerruish
02. Nowhere To Go - Graham Gouldman
03. Alice - Jon Plum
04. Stop - Vigrass
05. Strange Girl - Kate
06. Off To Find A New Land - Lea Nixon
07. For Where Have You Been - Honeybus
08. Captain Jones - Eddie Addenbury
09. Massie Jones - Nimbo
10. Summer Love - Almond Marzipan
11. Very Well - Les Payne
12. Nothing Else To Say - David Reilly
13. Here Before The Sun - Lori Balmer
14. Copper Coloured Years - Consortium
15. My World Turns Around You - Marc Reid
16. Watching The Boat - Roger Charles
17. Til The Sun Goes Down - The Tremeloes
18. Growing Older - Graham Gouldman
19. Seductress - Steve Elgin
20. Justine - Julian Brooks
21. If I Call Your Name - Junior Campbell
22. There Is A Mountain - Quiet World Of Lea & John
23. Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway - The Humblebums
24. Sewing Machine - Tuesday


Not saying I like this stuff much but never heard of them before and it's in the Proto-Prog realm.

[Calabasas_Trafalgar]

Tea & Symphony The English Baroque Sound 1967-1974

01. Time To Wander - John Kerruish
02. Nowhere To Go - Graham Gouldman
03. Alice - Jon Plum
04. Stop - Vigrass
05. Strange Girl - Kate
06. Off To Find A New Land - Lea Nixon
07. For Where Have You Been - Honeybus
08. Captain Jones - Eddie Addenbury
09. Massie Jones - Nimbo
10. Summer Love - Almond Marzipan
11. Very Well - Les Payne
12. Nothing Else To Say - David Reilly
13. Here Before The Sun - Lori Balmer
14. Copper Coloured Years - Consortium
15. My World Turns Around You - Marc Reid
16. Watching The Boat - Roger Charles
17. Til The Sun Goes Down - The Tremeloes
18. Growing Older - Graham Gouldman
19. Seductress - Steve Elgin
20. Justine - Julian Brooks
21. If I Call Your Name - Junior Campbell
22. There Is A Mountain - Quiet World Of Lea & John
23. Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway - The Humblebums
24. Sewing Machine - Tuesday

as opposed to Tea & Symphony, the band on Harvest LOL

[mogrooves]

it's in the Proto-Prog realm.

Mostly pop-sike to these ears.

[Svetonio]

Odin would probably make my Top 100 list if we extend the timeline to 1972, and they were not really from Germany. ;-)

Another overlooked 1970 album, this time from Germany but with English vocals, Hammond organ driven early prog.

As per your own merits, you can extend the timeline to 1975.



At Armegeddon s/t LP (1975), there's not Hammond organ though, but it's without any synths and there's a trippy harmonica and a harp by Renaissance co-founder Keith Relf (RIP) that the album in general sounds great, but - it was a "retro" sound already in the mid-seventies when I bought my copy.

[nosebone]

Mogrooves put together a great list of early 1970s progressive oriented music. Kudos to him, as it's an excellent selection of music to check out (I own just about everything in it myself). To get into what is precisely "proto" or not, I'd rather jump off a bridge than have that debate. To me, I see a great mix of Krautrock, psychedelic, progressive rock, and yep, what is generally known as proto-prog, though the definition of such is hazy at best. There's some overlap here, but not total coverage, to a list I put together a few years ago, but with a specific female vocal slant. Including Room - Pre-Flight... so probably worth checking out if looking for similar sounds... https://rateyourmusic.com/list/ashra...female_vocals/

Great list Tom!

There's a few there I haven't heard.

Julian"s Treatment and Mad Curry top my list !

[ashratom]

Great list Tom!

There's a few there I haven't heard.

Julian"s Treatment and Mad Curry top my list !

Thanks Chris. Unfortunately the Mad Curry has yet to find its way onto a legitimate CD (plenty of boots though). There is a legit vinyl press though on Wah Wah (Spain) if interested. Oh, and be sure to avoid the Julian's Treatment Plus CD on See For Miles, if you want to get both on one CD. They left off the best track from the Julian Jay Savarin album!

[Baribrotzer]

There's also retro-proto-prog: recent or relatively recent bands like EYE or Dungen, who recreate that sound from back when prog and psych and metal hadn't yet divided into separate genres. I don't know how much that division was made by fans and musicians gravitating toward one stylistic tendency or another, and how much by critics writing after the fact. Or when it began to matter, or if it ever mattered at all.

[Svetonio]

I'd like to recommend Vinum Sabbatum's new album that is recorded in proto-prog style >>> https://vinumsabbatum.bandcamp.com/album/apprehensions

[rcarlberg]

Off-Topic (OT) - discussions about other forms of music and arts. Inclusdes [sic] threads with Lists of ... whatever.

..

[Poisoned Youth]

..

SMH

[Svetonio]

Sadly missed early Deep Purple...

[Trane]

I'd put all three Warm Dust albums in the list...

[Scrotum Scissor]

I've got most of those, and I actually listen more to '68-71 "proto" these days than to, uhm, certain other stuff from right after. But I wouldn't really namecheck The Polite Force as such - that work was way more formally advanced than most of what came later in the UK.

And, of course, if we're to venture beyond the UK the list immediately starts to take up too much space. It was soon happening all over.

And where's Elias Hulk?

[Poisoned Youth]

Thanks for bringing this up again. Lots of great music here to discuss. What's great about this collection of music specifically is that it blends well together and really puts you into a specific time and place. I have created playlists out of this and put it on shuffle play. I suggest anyone who has that ability give your own "proto-prog radio" a try for a day.

Battered Ornaments - A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark
Battered Ornaments - Mantlepiece

I have never heard these? Who are they like?

Catapilla - Changes

I recently spun this one and it was even tastier than I had remembered.

Cressida - Asylum
Cressida - s/t

I like the Cressida albums, but they fall under the "average" category for me relative to this list.

Egg - The Polite Force
Egg - s/t

I have been meaning to re-spin these for months now. I'm going to do so today.

[moecurlythanu]

I have never heard these? Who are they like?.

They're Pete Brown albums. I haven't listened to them in a long time, but I think they're slightly jazzier takes on the Piblokto! albums.