Your Favourite Prog Album Of All Time (excluding the Big 6)

[mogrooves]

Don Bradsham-Leather ‎– Distance Between Us

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Blue Vino - S/T

[NogbadTheBad]

Blue Vino - S/T

[Sputnik]

Blue Vino - S/T

Total Zeppelin clones.

[mozo-pg]

Blue Vino - S/T

I have the MFSL version of the CD.

[Zappathustra]

Don Bradsham-Leather ‎– Distance Between Us

Thank you. I was unawares of this. It's great.

[alucard]

Hatfield & the North : First

[alucard]

Yes, it is ludicrous to even compare GG with the vast commercial success of PF. GG only had 4 albums barely break the Billboard 100 with Free Hand by far the most successful in the US peaking VERY briefly at #48 in 1975 before sinking without a trace. They were entirely absent from the US charts in 1973 and I can assure you that the typical PF fan had never heard of GG either then or now. In fact back, apart from a few like-minded friends, back in the day I NEVER met a single person outside of a concert situation or employee/proprietors at a couple of record stores that had ever heard of them!

They may even be better known now than in their heyday but at a time when PF could fill stadiums, GG were playing smaller clubs and venues in the US unless they were opening for a (then) mainstream act. I can still remember kids in High School looking at my GG shirt and laughingly asking "Who the fuck is that?". Jeesh, I guess next somebody will claim that Univers Zero filled stadiums in Montana in the 80s.

I saw GG in Germany in 76 as headliners with Banco as support act in a big venue half full from memory I would say about 2000 ( the first side from Playing The Fool comes from this show). GG toured heavily between 74 and 77 and that allowed them at least in Europe to fill up medium size venues. The German tours 75 to 77 were organized by a big promoter who did heavy advertising. For some time they were definitely playing in the " major league" . I saw Caravan in 77 in a small venu without any advertising at all with about 200 fans. The support from a major record label and tour support made a big difference.

[wideopenears]

Gentle Giant's "Playing the Fool" has been a fave of mine since I first found a used copy on vinyl back in the early 80's.
But......these days I'd probably lean toward, say, National Health Complete.

Those Hatfield albums, though....and Soft Machine......to say nothing of "Jazz-rock" or early "Fusion" which I, personally, more often lump in the "jazz" ubergenre. Ah feck, this is impossible.....

[chalkpie]

Hmmmm......

Looks like either:

Cardiacs - Sing to God
Hatfield - The Rotters Club
FZ - Joe's Garage

I'll take all three please.

[mozo-pg]

Hmmmm......

Looks like either:

Cardiacs - Sing to God
Hatfield - The Rotters Club
FZ - Joe's Garage

I'll take all three please.

I can respect that! I'd be close to picking either Joe's Garage or The Rotters Club - maybe Zappa.

[StarThrower]

Bruford - One Of A Kind
Mike Keneally-Dancing
Zappa - Shut Up...

[Joe F.]

Total Zeppelin clones.

Only if they were jammin' with Sinatra, while The Doors lived next door, and they were sharing a crockpot with Sabbath.

[mogrooves]

Henry Cow - Unrest

[Tangram]

Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Alan Parsons Project - I Robot

[kid_runningfox]

Gentle Giant - Live: Playing the Fool

[NogbadTheBad]

Only if they were jammin' with Sinatra, while The Doors lived next door, and they were sharing a crockpot with Sabbath.

Well played Sir

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Gentle Giant - Live: Playing the Fool

Excellent choice! After 41+ years this album still knocks me out.

[Mister Triscuits]

Yes, it is ludicrous to even compare GG with the vast commercial success of PF. GG only had 4 albums barely break the Billboard 100 with Free Hand by far the most successful in the US peaking VERY briefly at #48 in 1975 before sinking without a trace. They were entirely absent from the US charts in 1973 and I can assure you that the typical PF fan had never heard of GG either then or now.

Just for the record: if you dip below the top 100, they were on the U.S. charts even in the earlier '70s.

Three Friends - #197, 1972
Octopus - #170, 1973
The Power and the Glory - #78, 1974
Free Hand - #48, 1975
Interview - #137, 1976
Playing the Fool - #89, 1977
The Missing Piece - #81, 1977

They did get some radio airplay in my neck of the woods--which is how I found out about them myself, with the release of Three Friends. (Actually I had seen the name earlier, in an ad in Rolling Stone for Acquiring the Taste.) There was a record shop in town that sold bootleg Gentle Giant t-shirts. (They also had Camel.) So sure, a long, long way from DSotM levels of success, but not totally obscure, either.

[Buddhabreath]

^^^
OK, I stand corrected, they weren't entirely absent from the US charts in 1973, but compared to DSotM a few days at #170 doesn't amount to a hill of beans. It's like being a lifelong criminal, stealing millions of $ and aiding and abeting murderous dictators and adversaries of your own nation and having Judge Ellis tell you you've lived a "blameless life". You just can't get the credit you're due in this world it seems...

[Hal...]

Not sure how I missed this the first time around, Greg, so I apologize for being 4+ years late. But then, I'm always late to the party.

For me, this is the easiest "what's your favorite..." type thread I've ever run across. And my pick:

Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water

...which I consider better than 81.81% of Yes' oeuvre.

[mozo-pg]

Hal, no problem! I love FoW.