Greatest Prog Songs by non Prog Bands

[Progbear]

late to the party with this one...
Nazareth-Hair of the Dog. pretty much all of it... to single out one number - Please Don't Judas Me.

Was that the one that Dave Stewart played organ on?

[Fracktured]

Neil Diamond - Be

I love that song

[GuitarGeek]

Sometimes it simply doesn't come down to what certain folks "consider" - but what their argument amounts to and which level of insight is backing it. John Barleycorn Must Die in 1970, Low Spark in '72 - this was nothing but progressive rock music at that point. It was not about fitting a template to designate or limit a given idiom.

I remember Frank Marino once saying that back in the early 70's, Mahogany Rush were considered "progressive rock", but then added that, now "progressive rock" means a very specific type of music, and I think he used the examples of Yes and King Crimson. I guess his point being, he wasn't sure what to call his music, since apparently it's no longer "progressive rock".

[Trane]

Sometimes it simply doesn't come down to what certain folks "consider" - but what their argument amounts to and which level of insight is backing it. John Barleycorn Must Die in 1970, Low Spark in '72 - this was nothing but progressive rock music at that point. It was not about fitting a template to designate or limit a given idiom.

To my ears, Traffic is "prog" right from their first album

From the horses mouth....

i'll watch this ASAP, thx

What album is that Weller song from, please?

As for H&O, they copied Steely & Dan

I remember Frank Marino once saying that back in the early 70's, Mahogany Rush were considered "progressive rock", but then added that, now "progressive rock" means a very specific type of music, and I think he used the examples of Yes and King Crimson. I guess his point being, he wasn't sure what to call his music, since apparently it's no longer "progressive rock".

Mahogany Rush's 70's output can be considered "prog" in the wider sense of the word, IMHO

certainly the first 3 or 4, but as far as TalesOf The Unexpected as well.

[Skullhead]

[JJ88]

^What's 'prog' about that? Pure blues rock.

[Skullhead]

Couldn't resist!

[Lino]

If that orchestration at the end isn't magical, not sure what is.

[Garden Dreamer]

Such a wonderful time when even the most mainstream rock artists like McCartney brought great prog to the mainstream. This benefited all the other bands that were focusing more on prog than pop of the time. Paul is an example of an artist that put song first before chops, but he was a hell of a bassist that could have held weight in any prog band in my opinion.

I'd add "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", always sounded like prog to my ears, especially in the context of the album it appeared on (the acoustic, low-tech "Ram").

[Rarebird]

Such a wonderful time when even the most mainstream rock artists like McCartney brought great prog to the mainstream. This benefited all the other bands that were focusing more on prog than pop of the time. Paul is an example of an artist that put song first before chops, but he was a hell of a bassist that could have held weight in any prog band in my opinion.

It's a good song, but I don't hear any prog in it, unless one wants to consider everything one likes as prog.

[Mister Triscuits]

It's a good song, but I don't hear any prog in it, unless one wants to consider everything one likes as prog.

I would say that the multi-part structure and the prominent synthesizer bits make it at least a little proggy.

[GuitarGeek]

Talking about Paul McCartney's bass playing, I think he certainly would have made a great funk bassist. Funk music is at least as "difficult to play" as progressive rock is. Getting a tight groove to happen the way you hear on the records of Chic, The Ohio Players or Heatwave is a lot harder than it sounds. Playing a song like Good Times and making it sound as good as the record I imagine is at least as labor intensive as playing something like the stop/start section of 21st Century Schizoid Man or some of those Zappa charts. I think Sir Paul demonstrated on Goodnight Tonight that he was up the challenge, though. And he had cool bass lines on other songs too, like Silly Love Songs.

And he was a hotshot of a guitarist too. It's now a well known fact that's him playing the solo on Taxman (George even said so), the intro of Sgt Pepper it/himself, and of course he, George and John traded solos on The End.

[The Dark Elf]

[Trane]

^What's 'prog' about that? Pure blues rock.

exactly

the only two proggy tracks on that compilation album are Kashmir and In The Light

============

As for Fairport, I find that their longer jammy tracks are priggish, but they usually get settle into a groove, stay in it and solo away.
Tam Lin is in 5/4.

[BravadoNJ]

Paradise By The Dashboard Light- Meat Loaf

[Progbear]

A sort of classical guitar overture from Pennsylvania singer-songwriter Cheryl Dilcher (R.I.P.):

[clauper]

pathway to glory logginsand messina

[bill g]

If I was a cynic I'd pick 'Do The Neurotic'.

[dropforge]

What album is that Weller song from, please?

https://www.discogs.com/Paul-Weller-.../master/836354

As for H&O, they copied Steely & Dan

Not Jan & Dean?

[Mythos]

Once again 12 pages proving we pretty much ALL don't agree on exactly what "Prog" is...

If someone could make a thread about "Identifying the elements that define Prog music" that would certainly be a start! Not sure would agree though, cause they is always gonna be a contingency the will swear the Beach Boys, Rush and the Beatles were Prog...lol

[Mythos]

Is this Prog? It is long, has some strings and synth...

https://youtu.be/ar7DgREshAk

[Rarebird]

Nits - Torni (can't find it on YouTube, only released on a free CD-single)
Nits - Hjuvi (alas I could only find some parts of it)

[Trane]

Once again 12 pages proving we pretty much ALL don't agree on exactly what "Prog" is...

A fair amount of what's been posted in this thread has been included in PA's DB under prog-related

Is this Prog? It is long, has some strings and synth...

https://youtu.be/ar7DgREshAk

Well not that I'm a huge fan of SE, their first four (70's) albums contain many proggy momments, including some Genesis clone tracks.

But this track is from the 80's and TBH, I think the symphonic intro has been added to the song for the videoclip

[arabicadabra]

That measure of 5/4 that leads to the hook every time in Long Time Gone. That whole song is not at ALL "pure blues rock".

^What's 'prog' about that? Pure blues rock.

[Rarebird]

Once again 12 pages proving we pretty much ALL don't agree on exactly what "Prog" is...

If someone could make a thread about "Identifying the elements that define Prog music" that would certainly be a start! Not sure would agree though, cause they is always gonna be a contingency the will swear the Beach Boys, Rush and the Beatles were Prog...lol

I suppose prog is when elements from other musical styles, which weren't traditionally present in rock are used in rock-music.