Ameriprog

[TheH]

The recent thread about the Maelstrom album made me realise that although I'm
a great Kansas fan I have no real idea about the U.S. 70s and 80s scene (apart from the obvious).

I stumbeld over the following 2 beauties during researching,
so what else is out there???

[NogbadTheBad]

There is a very strong Avant scene in the US with bands like Thinking Plague, Hamster Theater, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Cheer Accident, 5UU and the like. For some reason there seems to be loads of interesting bands.

Recently been getting into Herd Of Instinct and Nerve Institute, plus loads of experimental Metal bands around like Tool and Animals As Leaders and Behold The Arctopus

[TheH]

There is a very strong Avant scene in the US with bands like Thinking Plague, Hamster Theater, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Cheer Accident, 5UU and the like. For some reason there seems to be loads of interesting bands.

Recently been getting into Herd Of Instinct and Nerve Institute, plus loads of experimental Metal bands around like Tool and Animals As Leaders and Behold The Arctopus

Thanxs for the reply Nogbad. I of course know most of those bands and own some product at least from most of them.

I was rather looking for some info on the "before internet" times.

[JKL2000]

For some reason there seems to be loads of interesting bands.

For some reason? It's because we're the most powerful country in the world, thank you very much! And you can't deny it, because you moved here.

I've always thought of the term Ameriprog as referring to bands a little bit more from the past than the ones you mentioned, Ian. Like the OP refers to - bands from the 70s and the 80s.

One I always like to cite is Carnegie:



And of course, Manakin:

[Yanks2014]

When I think of the term "Ameriprog", I think of bands that seem to have this distinctly American sound, meaning you can tell where the band if from fairly easily, maybe its a . I would say prog with some type of blues or even american pop or rock influences. I think thats why Kansas is pretty much the first band people mention. While Starcastle had the obvious Yes influence, there is definitely aspects of them are are clearly very American sounding. Happy the Man also sounds quite American to my ears. From recent bands, I'd add Salem Hill, Glass Hammer and Syzygy. The avant bands mentioned don't fit the bill, as they seem much closer to European music, I don't hear anything closely resembling American sounds in their music. Not a criticizm, just a description of their sound. So, just being an American prog band does make a group part of the "ameriprog" sound. If that were the only requirement, prog metal like Fates Warning or Dream Theater would have to be included.

[JKL2000]

I suppose when we're discussing American prog bands from the 70s and 80s, we should refer to them as "classic Ameriprog."


THE UNITED STATES OF AMERIPROG

[TheH]

For some reason? It's because we're the most powerful country in the world, thank you very much! And you can't deny it, because you moved here.

I've always thought of the term Ameriprog as referring to bands a little bit more from the past than the ones you mentioned, Ian. Like the OP refers to - bands from the 70s and the 80s.

One I always like to cite is Carnegie:



And of course, Manakin:

Oh you got it JKL2000. Thats the Kind of stuff I'm looking for!

When I think of the term "Ameriprog", I think of bands that seem to have this distinctly American sound, meaning you can tell where the band if from fairly easily, maybe its a . I would say prog with some type of blues or even american pop or rock influences.

I was aware that using the term Ameriprog would be somewhat misleading, but I'm from a country that has to live with the term Krautrock for anything proggy,so what?
Everything Prog from the USA will do it for me here.

[Progmatic]

The recent thread about the Maelstrom album made me realise that although I'm
a great Kansas fan I have no real idea about the U.S. 70s and 80s scene (apart from the obvious).

I stumbeld over the following 2 beauties during researching,
so what else is out there???

I would recommend to check the following bands

[Paulrus]

I remember a discussion not that long ago about Eric Johnson's 70s band, the Electromagnets. I thought I heard that their album was also not OOP, but I could be wrong.

[TheH]

Thanks to everyone for the recomandations.

Other interesting stuff

[Progbear]

Wow, Carnegie, that’s a band I haven’t thought of in a long time. One of the few rock bands I know of with two pianists. Plus a third keyboardist for “orchestrations.” Ah, the glorious excess of the 1970s! They had an earlier release as The Mark & Clark Band. Apparently, their single “Worn Down Piano” was a pretty big hit in the Netherlands.

Did Manakin ever actually release anything?

Other bands of note:

• Albatross: OK Yes clone band. One track blatantly cops the organ part from the middle of CTTE. The long 14-minute track is worth the price of admission.
• Angel: The ridiculous mirror-image of KISS started out as an over-the-top pomp-rock act, LZ/DP-style hard rock with glorioisly overdone proggy keys. Only their first two are worth investigating, beyond that, beware!
• Asia: Like Angel, more of a hard rock act that flirted with a pomp-prog style. They had an earlier album under the name White Wing but it was pretty lame. Not to be confused with that other band of the same name, of course.
• Atlantis Philharmonic: Surprisingly good two-man band.
• Babylon: Pompous and theatrical synth-prog. I found this unbearable but a lot of people really seem to like them. Try before you buy.
• Cartoon: Avant-garde leaning band from Arizona, relocated to San Francisco. They later metamorphosed into PFS, and then Trap.
• Cathedral: Lots of Yes and KC influence in this mega-symphonic band. Loved by many, I find them just OK. The instrumental passages make this one worth the effort, the vocals are pretty dreadful.
• Celluloid: One-man band doing experimental music mostly using Mellotrons (Neptune is just Mellotron!). Weird stuff, and I can’t believe these came out in the early 80s!
• Chakra: Synth-heavy prog from SoCal. Hardly essential, but I always had a soft spot for it.
• Earthrise: Symphonic band with slight space and fusion leanings. OK, not great.
• Easter Island: Sympho-prog with an AOR-ish sheen. They sort of sound like the genuine 70s precursor to Spock’s Beard to me. They’re well-liked by many, I am not one of them.
• Ethos: Frustrating band who are about 50% incredible, complex prog and 50% embarrassing cheese. Both tendencies tend to sit side-by-side on each track, which is what makes them so frustrating. The good news: their LPs were released by Capitol, so unlike many listed here, they are not mega-rarities.
• Fireballet: A Night on Bald Mountain is highly derivative prog that directly lifts riffs from British bands left and right. I actually seem to be one of the few who prefers their second album, Two, Too, which isn’t all that less derivative, but at least seems to be trying.
• Flight: Over-the-top symphonic fusion fronted by an electric trumpeter. The debut has moments that approach a more stripped-down version of Chick Corea’s symphonic experiments like My Spanish Heart. Incredible Journey is absolutely ridiculous from start to finish, but is nonetheless highly entertaining. Like the Ethos albums, these were released on Capitol, so if you have a record player they’re not hard or expensive to find.
• Flying Island: Two albums of violin-fronted jazz fusion. Neither is particularly original, influenced by the usual suspects (Mahavishnu, RTF, Zappa), but pretty good just the same. I prefer the first slightly over the second.
• Galaxy: Referring to the Day Without the Sun group. Anyway, this band is insane! 50% lame bluesy bar-band stuff and 50% cosmic space-prog. Totally amateurish stuff but the proggy stuff is surprisingly effective stuff loaded with synths, effects-pedal guitar and Echoplex effects that rocket you right to the galactic center. Apparently, they were three girls and a guy.
• Hands: Texas band that tried to emulate the Gentle Giant sound without being out-and-out clones. All their stuff is archival, get the self-titled one first, it has their best stuff.
• Harlequin Mass: Laid-back hippie prog from the Pacific Northwest featuring mellow female vocals. Listenable but bland.
• James Newton Howard: His first album from 1974 (with the “perspective keyboard” cover) on Kama Sutra records was pretty cool keyboard prog. An underrated disc.
• However: Avant-leaning prog with chamber music and jazz touches. Quite cool.
• International Touring Band: An American answer to the War of the Worlds concept album. I found that to be unbearable, so you can imagine what I think about this. The best thing I can say about it is at least it avoids the disco drumbeats of the WOTW album. Lots of money and talented folks were wasted in this project.
• Ivory: The one from 1974, released on Playboy Records. Actually pretty good and unique keyboard prog that for once isn’t just another ELP knockoff...though it takes a while for their fuse to go off (the B-side is a lot more interesting than the A-side). Includes a version of “Theme for an Imaginary Western” which totally blows Greenslade’s out of the water (the Gullickson brothers were damn fine singers).
• Lift: Talented teenaged Yes-wannabee band. Probably inessential but so very tasty, their energy is infectious.
• The Load: ELP-like band. I found it uninspired.
• Mirthrandir: Another young prog act bursting with inventiveness and talent. I’m surprised by how good these guys were. Definitely worth your while. Beware: the singer could be a bit strident and isn’t for all tastes.
• Moolah: Freaky electronic prog with sinister, treated vocals. Unique and, well, scary. In a good way
• The Muffins: Another avant-jazzy band, with an out-and-out Henry Cow influence at times. Still going strong.
• October: Nice space-fusion with violin. Two albums, both are good.
• Pentwater: A rather underrated band with a varied style, strong writing and chops to spare. The archival release Out of the Abyss is highly recommended.
• Polestar-1: Highly Floydian space-prog.
• Michael Quatro: Suzi’s brother did several albums of kitsch classical-rock in the ELP mould. In Collaboration With the Gods is probably the best of them but none of them are a must. A lot of his stuff is the dictionary definition of “cheesy.”
• Quill: One album, Sursum Corda, a vanity pressing of B-grade ELP-style keyboard-prog. Inessential.
• Nik Raicevic (Nik Pascal): Some of the most extreme electronic music ever produced in the USA. Some of this guy’s stuff is pure space-bleeping. All his LPs are rare today.
• Ram: The first half of their one album (Where (In Conclusion)) is pretty much straight hard rock (though featuring a sax/flute player). On the “Aza” suite, they go off into cosmic wonderland, with lots of spacey guitar and effected woodwinds. Absolutely worth it for that totally unique suite, one of the highlights if US prog.
• Surprise: Gets my vote as one of the lamest US sympho albums, Assault on Merryland is a silly pomp-rock concept album.
• Universe: Christian band, apparently (the multi-coloured crosses on the cover are a bit of a giveaway). The long track “Rock in the Sky” is a really spectacular synth/space prog mini epic. The rest of the album has its moments, but none approaching that outstanding first song.
• Yezda Urfa: Gentle Giant/Yes/Zappa-influenced band. Absurdist and highly eccentric, with high complexity. They’re the real deal. Recommended.
• Zazu: I guess they started off as a Byrds-style folk-rock act that started flirting with prog, which accounts for the split personality on this album: 50% strummy folk-rock, 50% keyboard prog epics. Hardly a must-have, but pretty enjoyable all the same. This was on the Wooden Nickel label, so I guess they were from the Chicago area.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

"Siento que debemos saber para el sueño de quién brillará esta luz
o consagrar una propia estrella" --Alberto Felici

N.P.:“Love Song for the Dead Che”-The United States of America

[SteveSly]

Glass Moon was a cool band out of North Carolina. I don't know if I would call them prog, but they had prog elements and some similarities to bands like Kansas:



Steve Sly

[Paulrus]

[*]Quill: One album, Sursum Corda, a vanity pressing of B-grade ELP-style keyboard-prog. Inessential.

Ooohhh, yeah... those guys that played at the first Progfest.

That brings to mind other bands who weren't necessarily around in the 70s but were still obviously influenced by the symphonic heavies. This would include Episode (the original lineup that put out a cassette called Fourtunes was way better than the Nick Peck led ensemble that out out Into the Epicenter), Citadel (featuring later sex change patient Gary Whitman), and Utah's Kalaban.

[JKL2000]

And when you say Ameriprog, I want to see a snappy salute!

[helicase]

Intra (sorry, can't find a video or samples)
Arabesque

[Plasmatopia]

And when you say Ameriprog, I want to see a snappy salute!

I buy my prog from TD Ameriprog!

[moecurlythanu]

If you click on the RYM link in my sig line, click on tags, then click on USA Prog, you'll see quite a few examples.

[Sputnik]

• Atlantis Philharmonic: Surprisingly good two-man band.
• Babylon: Pompous and theatrical synth-prog. I found this unbearable but a lot of people really seem to like them. Try before you buy.
• Cartoon: Avant-garde leaning band from Arizona, relocated to San Francisco. They later metamorphosed into PFS, and then Trap.
• Cathedral: Lots of Yes and KC influence in this mega-symphonic band. Loved by many, I find them just OK. The instrumental passages make this one worth the effort, the vocals are pretty dreadful.
• Hands: Texas band that tried to emulate the Gentle Giant sound without being out-and-out clones. All their stuff is archival, get the self-titled one first, it has their best stuff.
• However: Avant-leaning prog with chamber music and jazz touches. Quite cool.
• Lift: Talented teenaged Yes-wannabee band. Probably inessential but so very tasty, their energy is infectious.
• Mirthrandir: Another young prog act bursting with inventiveness and talent. I’m surprised by how good these guys were. Definitely worth your while. Beware: the singer could be a bit strident and isn’t for all tastes.
• The Muffins: Another avant-jazzy band, with an out-and-out Henry Cow influence at times. Still going strong.
• Yezda Urfa: Gentle Giant/Yes/Zappa-influenced band. Absurdist and highly eccentric, with high complexity. They’re the real deal. Recommended.

I'd second the recommendation for these. I particularly like Mirthrandir, Yezda Urfa, The Muffins, and Lift's first album. The However and Cathedral are very good as well. And I like the Babylon a lot, definitely give it a shot (though I admit it won' tbe for everyone).

I would add a few:

• Aurora- Bit of a fusiony feel on this one, IIRC, but still pretty proggy.
• Bondar & Wise - An ELP inspired band. They actually have some very cool stuff, if you can get past their obvious ELP-isms. The stuff is recorded live, and they just burn.
• Castle Canyon - Not technically from the 70s, though I believe most of the tracks for this album were written in the 70s and only released recently. Really no matter, this one might as well be from 1973, as the title of their albu, Gods of 1973, implies. Highest recommendation, a really great album of interesting instrumental Prog.
• Now - This one is from the mid 80s, but still has a very strong 70s vibe. Not dissimilar to the Babylon, it has some sort of crazy moments. But this one has been a favorite of mine for a long time.
• Polyphony - Sort of Proto Prog, but often gives ELP a run for their money. A real surprise from 1971.
• Pre - Pretty good band from the 70s that has a heavy Yes vibe at times, but also has some Zeppelin aspects.

A couple that aren't from the 70s/80s are Pye Fyte and Volare, but they really sound like they are from the 70s and are worth looking into.

Bill

[nosebone]

Space Opera is an interesting 70s proggish band from Texas, like Byrds/Crosby Stills stuck through the prog blender

[Calabasas_Trafalgar]

Citadel (featuring later sex change patient Gary Whitman).

At least it wasn't Kiki who got the change :=)

[ashratom]

There's so much great music from the 1970s American scene - but because it wasn't consolidated, or even a "scene" per se, much of it has gone far under the radar forever. I'm going to repeat many bands that Mike, L, and others have mentioned, but since you're scanning YouTube, my personal suggestions (somewhat in order): Chango, Cathedral (Stained Glass Stories), Del Jones Pos'tive Vibes (Philly ghetto Krautrock mind melt), Pentwater (Out of the Abyss), Ram (Where in Conclusion - listen to 24 minute track), Atlantis Philharmonic, Babylon, Friends (1973 with John Abercrombie), Guns & Butter, Hands, Micah (I'm Only One Man), Mirthrandir, The Muffins (Chronometers in particular may surprise you), Phase (Midnight Madness), Tom Nehls, Polyphony, Pre (1973 Kentucky), Probe 10, Ra Can Row, Yezda Urfa

Believe me - that's just scratching the surface, but those are many of my favorites. I presumed you already knew bands like Happy the Man...

[JKL2000]

Manakin cracks me up so much, every time. I love the look on the announcer's face. You can tell he's getting a load of the mask the singer's wearing and thinking WTF is this? I forget that announcer's name. I think I was actually in the audience of a kid's show he hosted once. Not Wonderama (I was in that audience once too).

[Progbear]

• Castle Canyon - Not technically from the 70s, though I believe most of the tracks for this album were written in the 70s and only released recently. Really no matter, this one might as well be from 1973, as the title of their albu, Gods of 1973, implies. Highest recommendation, a really great album of interesting instrumental Prog.
• Now - This one is from the mid 80s, but still has a very strong 70s vibe. Not dissimilar to the Babylon, it has some sort of crazy moments. But this one has been a favorite of mine for a long time.
• Polyphony - Sort of Proto Prog, but often gives ELP a run for their money. A real surprise from 1971.

I forgot about these. Well, not Now, but they were 80s/90s so I thought they were a little past the border. I have Everything Is Different Now and kNOW Reason and am glad I do, as they are both quite rare now, especially the latter one (I can’t remember the name of the second, but it’s also crazy rare nowadays). EIDN is definitely the best, though, even if I’ve never been super thrilled with them, at least they were trying something different, and carrying the prog flame in a musically hostile time. Incidentally, they were one of the bands cut from the original Progfest ’93 lineup, unlike the other bands (Djam Karet, Episode and Kalaban) they never returned, as they broke up soon after.

Polyphony’s Without Introduction is a must, they always struck me as a bit of crossing the streams between ELP and Nektar; if that sounds appealing then absolutely do not hesitate. I had forgotten about Castle Canyon and even though they were new recordings, they definitely sounded like 1973. I seem to remember they were recording on all vintage equipment, part of the reason it sounded so authentic.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

"Siento que debemos saber para el sueño de quién brillará esta luz
o consagrar una propia estrella" --Alberto Felici

N.P.:“Dear Boy”-Mirror/Daybreak

[Progmatic]

Other albums you may like:

Paul Winter Consort "Icarus"
White Noise "An Electric Storm"
Alice Cooper "Pretties for You"
Perry Leopold "Christian Lucifer"
McDonald & Sherby "Catharsis"
Oho "Okinawa"
Grodeck Whipperjenny "Grodeck Whipperjenny"
Random "Nothin' Tricky"
Hermann Szobel "Szobel"
Bulbous Creation "You Won't Remember Dying"
Euclid "Heavy Equipment"
Flock "Flock"
Friendsound "Joyride"
Glass Harp "Glass Harp"
Morgen "Morgen"
Stark Reality "Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop (aka Now)"
Shadowfax "Watercourse Way"

[helicase]

If you don't mind Christian lyrics:
http://chosen-az.bandcamp.com/