When did the "Prog Door" open for YOU?

[Digital_Man]

What an awesome story! And what amazing choices you two made that fateful day.

Ditto for the guy who heard the first KC album at his friends house.

I'm not sure if there was one album or even two that really did it for me. Yes's relayer put a big cloud over my head for a while though. I remember thinking what the heck is this when I first heard it. It's still probably my favorite album by them.

[Mick]

It was the John Peel show on BBC radio which cracked the door open for me. Somewhere around 1966/7 he gradually introduced Britain to Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly, Buffalo Springfield etc. as well as The Nice, Tull, Family, Fairport, Floyd etc. John Peel then pushed the edges as more artists changed the sounds of Rock and Rhythm and challenged the "pop scene" in the UK.
Of course it wasn't called Prog or prog, it was art rock (or rock with psychedelic influences). Revolver into Sgt. Pepper started the ball rolling, Piper into Saucerful raised the ante, then all bets were off once ItCotCK came out.... and the genre became accepted as a separate style.
However this is only MY opinion... so please don't start any "what is prog" discussions... 'cos some of us weren't too stoned to remember that we didn't care what it was called, we just knew it sounded refreshingly different.

[squiz17]

1972.
Juvenile parties.
Joss sticks & way too much cider.(no dope)
Status Quo,Rory Gallagher - then someone puts on Nursery Cryme & next ..CttE.
Bloody hell – what’s this?
Suddenly wanting to suck some girls face seems irrelevant.
Hooked.
Still am.

[AncientChord]

John Peel then pushed the edges as more artists changed the sounds of Rock and Rhythm and challenged the "pop scene" in the UK.
Of course it wasn't called Prog or prog, it was art rock (or rock with psychedelic influences). Revolver into Sgt. Pepper started the ball rolling, Piper into Saucerful raised the ante, then all bets were off once ItCotCK came out.... and the genre became accepted as a separate style.
However this is only MY opinion... so please don't start any "what is prog" discussions... 'cos some of us weren't too stoned to remember that we didn't care what it was called, we just knew it sounded refreshingly different.

Excellent analysis of the music scene's expansion from psychedelic to art rock. I remember the transition of rock in a similar way during that time from about 1967 to 1969. Proto-proggers like The Moody Blues, Tull and The Nice certainly led the way, and as you said, when KC arrived, the full-fledged product in all aspects arrived. I hope John Peel is resting in peace. He really got interested in the early progressive scene, and certainly helped introduce many of the genre's up and coming artists to a wider audience.