Vocal Harmonies in Prog

[viukkis]

If he likes Yes, he can't go wrong with Magma.

[flowerking]

Ambrosia is a no-brainer
Phideaux on occasion
Renaissance

And I agree with polmico on Zappa, although most of the time they are doing nice vocals on his shorter, rock oriented songs, not the proggier stuff.

I'll throw in an odd one: Camel. Never high on people's radar when it comes to vocals, but they have had some nice instances of vocal harmonies (Hymn to Her, Rose of Sharon immediately come to mind, some tracks off of Rain Dances and Breathless as well)

[jupiter0rjapan]

Banco were not known for vocal harmonies, but the Live Album "No Palco" has some amazing vocal harmonies in those arrangements.

[Dana5140]

Stella, Isabelle and Herve of Magma, for sure.

[Scrotum Scissor]

If he likes Yes, he can't go wrong with Magma.

Ahem. Well... Long live the latter.

Harmonium sported some of the finest vox harmonies (no pun) that I have heard. French band Malicorne had lots of them, as did the little known one-off Ilous & Decuyper duo from there.

And Steve F. is absolutely right about Time of Orchids; they displayed some of the most daring harmonies (and not only vocal ones) that I ever encountered in contemporary rock music - and they were progressive (as in actually creating radical and *new* music of their own).

[interbellum]

Moon Safari

When I heard "Two, Too" from Fireballet I thought: those harmonies sounds as if Moon Safari must have heard this record.

England did some fine harmonies on "Garden Shed" too:

[polmico]

Could you squeeze a Big Big Train in here?

I would. I think the band in its current state has a lot to offer.

[arise_shine]

Heh .. yeah .. I was catching up on the responses in this thread, and I thought about Magma. It's worth tossing out there. Incidentally, I got my sister's boyfriend Magma's "TH Trilogie" for Christmas in response to her suggestion of "drum-focused prog". Perhaps not coincidentally, I haven't heard a word from him since.

Anyway .. Thanks for the rest of the suggestions. I haven't heard Moon Safari, but it sounds like that'd be right up his alley. I think he mentioned liking Floyd, so he'll probably like Porky T as well. I'll check out some of the others. Thanks!

[Dana5140]

I think this is one of the most gorgeous bits of music Magma ever did, the Blum Tendiwa part of Wurdah Itah. Just superb!



And then there is this piece of astonishing vocalese:

[Progbear]

All right, not really their most progressive moment, but you said CSNY were one of his favourite groups!

[Progbear]

But seriously...

[act]

i think that many progbands of today has great vocal harmonies.

neal morse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0UjeJvw4Xs

magic pie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gDPjL4oNVo

A.C.T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5sAPPXjEDU

just to name a few

[Digital_Man]

YES
Echolyn
Genesis (early with PG, PC etc)
Moon Safari
Beach boys (not prog really but what the heck)
Some Italian prog

[bigbassdrum]

Does the multi-tracked vocals of Greg Lake count?

Same question for Phil Collins

[arise_shine]

I think it's more about multi-part harmonies between singers. But I think the way Steven Wilson does the really lush stuff with his own multi-tracked vocals would qualify. And he's already a Phil Collins fan.

And dang, I like what I've heard of Moon Safari. ALL the major keys. Oddly very comforting. Or maybe it's the sertraline kicking back in.

[progholio]

EDIT : At least 4 other people have told me that they share my opinion that Moon Safari's vocals are on a par with the Beach Boys!

ok, you've got my interest

[Baribrotzer]

And Steve F. is absolutely right about Time of Orchids; they displayed some of the most daring harmonies (and not only vocal ones) that I ever encountered in contemporary rock music - and they were progressive (as in actually creating radical and *new* music of their own).

Yes indeed.

And some of the most profoundly disorienting music I've ever heard: Imagine Beach Boys harmonies over unpredictable through-composed songs in a "difficult" Thinking Plague harmonic palette - usually not in quite the same key, and sometimes not in any easily identifiable key - and all played with a Downtown NYC punky rawness quite foreign to either band.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Imagine Beach Boys harmonies over unpredictable through-composed songs in a "difficult" Thinking Plague harmonic palette - usually not in quite the same key, and sometimes not in any easily identifiable key - and all played with a Downtown NYC punky rawness quite foreign to either band.

Very, very true. What still amazes me to this day, almost eight years after they folded, is the sense that you're essentially listening to a near live-in-the-studio performance - which was probably the only way to get this rawness across. Rarely - if ever - have I heard rock music with this degree of focus on dissonance still emphasize the downright melodic as part of that very dissonance. And they remained a "post-hardcore avant-prog-ROCK" band...

Shit, they were beyond good - and IMO they even marked a 'point of no return' for the concept of contemporary progressive rock music as just that: i.e. sans the damn quotation marks. This was where the ventures of a joint force from Yes to Beefheart eventually ended up.

[Baribrotzer]

Very, very true. What still amazes me to this day, almost eight years after they folded, is the sense that you're essentially listening to a near live-in-the-studio performance - which was probably the only way to get this rawness across.

I don't think that's how they did it, though. Reason being, I saw them live just before they broke up, and they had considerable trouble reproducing the Namesake Caution material on stage. Which is hardly a surprise - the vocal and instrumental parts were each of the sort that take a lot of concentration and listening to get right, and trying to do both at the same time.....

[ThomasKDye]

ok, you've got my interest

Don't take OUR word for it:

[happytheman]

Moon Safari

OK listened to a few snippets.. Where do you start with this band.. Amazon has live in Mexico for a great price.. good starting place?

[progeezer]

OK listened to a few snippets.. Where do you start with this band.. Amazon has live in Mexico for a great price.. good starting place?

More recently recorded than their other live album The Gettysburg Address (recorded at Rosfest). Get something that has "The Other Side Of The Sky" on it.

[bill g]

More recently recorded than their other live album The Gettysburg Address (recorded at Rosfest). Get something that has "The Other Side Of The Sky" on it.

Which originally is on 'Blomljud', which is a great place if you want a studio album.

[Jubal]

Yep

/thread

Ditto

[progeezer]

I'm truthfully not one to ask. As an old doo-wop accapella singer, the first time I heard them, I thought, "how can these 20 somethings from a town of 35,000 in Northern Sweden "get" the harmonies of not just the Beachies, but the intricate harmonies of vocal groups like The Hi-Los, 4 Freshmen and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, with a smidge of CSN also thrown in the pot. And they're not playing re-worked Chuck Berry solos while they're doing it.

Many of the "they're too sweet & syrupy" mindset (just as valid a mindset as mine, and I understand it) have changed their mind after seeing them live.