The Quatermass Thread

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I'd be satisfied if someone else just admitted this band existed.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Should anyone have reason to deny it?

 

Listening to King Crimson lately has put me in the mood for more prog. I downloaded a Yes album yesterday! I also did a blind purchase of Soft Machine's Third, which I'd been meaning to do for awhile, anyway. I like it. I'm willing to go further with prog, but I realize this a genre in which one must tread carefully.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Well, Quatermass released one album, so they're easily forgotten or unnoticed. Having no guitar was pretty fatal considering their one album was released mid-70s (I don't know the exact year, but am fairly sure about the general area.) It's bass and keyboard driven. Pretty fun.

 

I've been meaning to listen to Magma. I never have, but have heard good things.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

1970, according allmusic.

 

The British band Soft Machine's Third—which also came out in 1970—features no guitar, which I didn't realize the first time I listened to it. What I thought was the guitar turned out to be a heavily processed organ. They did have a guitarist early in their career, but after he was deported due to visa problems (he was an Aussie), they never bothered replacing him.

 

Even though there's already a King Crimson thread, I'll mention here I picked up Larks' Tongues in Aspic the other day. I like it quite a bit, but I'm still not convinced that Wetton is much of a singer; technically, he's fine, but there's nothing very distinctive about him. Not a knock on his fabulous bass playing, though.

[Slayer 0]

Been an on-and-off prog fan for the last decade or so. There are so many different band names I could toss out, some of which are definitely prog, and others who have "proggish" elements but I'm not sure if I'd call them an actual prog band.

 

I'd like to hear thoughts/opinions on any of the following:

 

Genesis (Gabriel-era only. Feel free to include Gabriel's solo work, as well as Steve Hackett's)

ELP

Jethro Tull

Yes

Camel

Saga

Marillion (primarily the older stuff)

IQ

Flower Kings

Arena

Spock's Beard

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

I checked out The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway several months back. It was good, if a little too much to take in. Foxtrot appears to be a better place to start. Thoughts? (As for solo Gabriel, I'm a fan, but I can't lump him in with the prog crowd.)

 

Right now, I'm digging that Yes album I mentioned earlier, Close to the Edge. This, coupled with his stint in King Crimson, is giving me a high appreciation for Bill Bruford. He didn't play an 80-piece kit, did he? It doesn't sound like it, but you can never be too sure with these prog bands. (Mainly, I hope he didn't, so I don't have to stop hating Neil Peart.)

 

edit: Yes' borderline choral vocal harmonizing grates a little. Oh well.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

 

Nothing outrageous there. I've seen other pictures with him sitting behind a pretty large set of electronic pads, but nothing Neal Peart/Stryper levels.

[Slayer 0]

The Human Drum Machine

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Flo Mounier?

[Red Baron 0]

If there was a Genesis greatest hits that featured Phil Collins stuff, I might get it, but theres nothing worth of his stuff mentioning.

 

Though definitly check out Seconds Out or Genesis Live for their live stuff. Or Selling England by the Pound

[Slayer 0]

If there was a Genesis greatest hits that featured Phil Collins stuff, I might get it, but theres nothing worth of his stuff mentioning.

What?

 

Anyways, they made a GH compilation for Genesis back in '99, but it's 95% Collins-post-Hackett-era. Nothing from the Collins-with-Hackett CDs (Trick of the Tail and Wind and the Wuthering, both worthwhile pursuits) and only one-and-a-half Gabriel songs in "Watcher of the Skies" and a remade "Carpet Crawlers" with dual vox from Gabriel and Collins.

 

The two live CDs RB mentioned are good starting points. I haven't heard the first two albums (FGTR and Trespass, which had Anthony Phillips instead of Steve Hackett), so I'd rank the Gabriel-Hackett albums as such

 

1. Selling England by the Pound

2. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

3. Foxtrot

4. Nursery Cryme

[ArkhamGlobe 0]

It<'s been quite a while since I last listened to it, but as far as I remember, outside of "The Knife" Trespass is rather underwhelming. Foxtrot is probably my favourite Genesis album (though it should be mentioned that I haven't heard Nursery Cryme and haven't listened to Selling England by the Pound in ages).

 

As for ELP, I feel this way: when they're good, they're enjoyable; when they're bad, they're excrutiating. Pictures at and Exhibition is probably my favourite among their albums (I can't remember if I've heard Tarkus in it's entirety). I also think Greg Lake's voice is bland and boring (I also have similiar problems to John Wetton's vocals to those stated earlier by Inc). Nothing I would recommend to anyone new to prog, however.

 

As for Yes, I like both The Yes Album, Fragile and Close to the Edge, though I could do without the rest (what I've heard of it, anyway). Steve Howe's guitar playing has a way of getting on my nerves at times, but Bruford's and Chris Squire's playing can usually make up for it. Also, Jon Anderson is one of the prog vocalists I've heard who actually has a pretty distinct voice.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Anytime I do a google image search on my name I get tons of those Bill Bruford pictures. I think one of his frequent photographers has my exact name.