Ten Greatest PROG ROCK Bands of all time | Ranked | Part 2 

To go one step further, it was Fripp and company (especially with the game-changer albums Larks through Red) that pushed me off the fence and headlong into jazz 30+ years ago. To acclimate my rock-addled mind slowly into jazz, I found the easiest entry points - Mahavishnu, Weather Report, Lifetime, Return to Forever AND the daddy of them all, Miles Davis' fusion. Following the branches backwards, I fell into a lifelong love affair with jazz. I guess you could say that I owe it all to Fripp, and to this day, King Crimson remains the only rock band I can listen to happily over and over again.

Man I swear you speak my mind with everything haha! I too much prefer the 67-73 era Floyd, absolutely magical. They had way more improvisation and exploration going on, especially the live shows from that time. I really love the avant garde psychedelia, and rawer edge they had. I never cared for the Wall either, just not my thing. I think the music really suffered in place of Roger getting his story across. Agreed on Marillion too, always thought they sounded like a watered down Genesis. But again we can’t deny what they did for the genre. Great content man, subscribed! Last thing, I don’t think theres a more versatile guitar player than Steve Howe! Jazzy licks, country, classical, and absolutely shred his ass off with a solo. Probably my single biggest inspiration as a guitarist. Yes was the band that made me want to seriously dedicate myself to the guitar and music. Fripp and Crimson showed me that anything is possible musically, imo Fripp is a complete musical anomaly. One of the most original, innovative, and interesting guitarists to ever live. I’ve tried to work out some of his parts and remember being completely baffled by his approach and what he was doing. To me no band encompasses what progressive music is about better than King Crimson, maybe Yes too lol.

Great top 5 Mr. Edwards... you are forgiven on the ELP miss lol. King Crimson is also my number one prog band. I also love Van der Graaf Generator... hope you do a deep dive on them one day. Best regards, Sal.

I'm glad you mentioned VdGG because.. well just because!

You gotta do a personal top ten, Andy. You know it’s going to be fun. Enjoyed this very much. Cheers.

Not having E.L.P. on your list tells me a lot! You didn't forget Marillion, Dreamtheater, and Frank Zappa! 🤣😂🤣 You dropped the ball Andy.

Have exactly the same story as to how I found Yes. To this day The Yes Album is my favourite of theirs. Cheers for doing these videos!

I went a concert at Winterland in San Francisco. The headliner was ELP and the opening act was Mahavishnu Orchestra. I had heard about Mahavishnu, but that’s the first time I heard them live. It was absolutely amazing performance.

Nice rank, I am always 100% in agreement with you.The only exception is the order of the top three bands that for me should be from third to first: King Crimson, Yes and Genesis. But of course this is just my personal debatable opinion. With regards to the first video I'm not quite so in agreement with you. I would have personally considered Van Der Graaf Generator, E.L.P. and Colosseum somewhere in the list. Having said that I find your videos very good and interesting.

My top ten list would likely be German and English bands, but King Crimson definitely belongs at the top. Robert Fripp always followed his muse and made connections with whatever was happening in music. I remember reading an interview with both Fripp and Joe Strummer in Musician Magazine back in '81. Fripp impressed me with how open he was and his take on where Rock was going. I was a huge Clash fan (still am), and the two got on really well. In fact, Strummer mentioned that King Crimson impressed him at a festival show he went to. I think he also said that The Who were godawful that day. Seek out the article, if you can.

Nice list, no real surprises in the top five. I waver between Yes and King Crimson, but believe that KC should win for the reasons you stated: fully realized prog early on, and truly *progressed* through the decades. As much as I love my 70's Yes, nothing grabs me beyond that except Magnification. Discipline era KC, on the other hand, was absolutely blowing my mind in the 80s. Funny stuff with ELP! I like the exact things you mention (especially the *song* Trilogy....amazing!) but it seems like they almost deliberately put a stinker on every album. Can't deny the "greatness"/importance, though. Some random comments: Jethro Tull absolutely belongs on the list. Thick As A Brick and Passion Play are both incredible, and I can't imagine how someone would argue that these are not "progressive". No problem with Pink Floyd being on the list. I personally love the early stuff through DSoTM. Wish You Were Here certainly has a sense of grandeur, but I honestly find it kind of boring. My wife has commented about latter era PF that "it sounds like a perfume commercial"...HA! I have tickets to see Nick Mason's Saucer Full Of Secrets...that is right up my alley! Out of all the list I have absolutely no use at all for Marillion or Dream Theatre. I love Rush, but am happy to hear them when they come on the radio, that's it. I think they are incredibly nice, entertaining guys....Geddy Lee is the poster child for "rock star aging gracefully".

The ELP bit made me a chuckle a lot. That was priceless.

In America ,bands like KANSAS, STYX , SAGA were also " prog metal " in the 70's, just like Rush. What separates them from the others is that they had really great singers that gave an " AOR " edge to their music. STARCASTLE also sounds like an AOR version of 70's Yes.

Yes and ELP at top 2! I believe you have it right. King Crimson is a nice choice based on your reasoning. I saw Fripp in a small farm town in Illinois. He was incredible. Someone had to remind me who he really was. I was stunned that he played that venue.

Thank's for mentioning ELP definitely one of the greatest and original prog bands ever three incredible musicians Emerson's keyboard playing and concept was in a different league

I love the style of your videos, Andy. Keep in all the second thoughts, changes of heart etc, as we can all identify with your struggle as those of us who listen to more 70's music than any other decade go through the same issues every time we have to decide what to put on the turntable. On a personal note, I'm so glad that I grew up with the 70's bands as it has to be the best music decade ever. That claim could be a future video subject! Richard

I know they are not incredibly popular, but you mentioned them and I would love to see you delve into some of the lesser known bands like Hatfield and Henry Cow...

Spot on analysis of Jethro Tull and how they changed from being a blues based. Genesis happen to be my favourite, from Trespass through the 80s. Like you say about Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot, there's an emotional depth that just hits, even now after all these years. I totally agree about KC at no.1, although when I first heard Discipline I thought it was a Talking Heads rip off. You could swap ELP for Rush (although Rush are the funniest band I've ever heard).

Oink Floyd was not growing musically but were growing conceptually. A big difference. Thanks for the effort. JT

From a personal point of view Gentle Giant would be my number one! But i pretty much agree with your list!

On Pink Floyd, there's one album they released that really stands out above the rest of their work (granted, with a lot of help from a professional classical musician), and which you've never mentioned at all, and that's "Atom Heart Mother", and specifically the suite on side one. If by any chance you skipped it in your listening to date, do spare it the 23 minutes. You won't regret it. It's essentially an orchestral piece, that doesn't quite sound like the rest of their output. And incredibly, that highly experimental album was actually at no. 1 on the UK album chart at one point.

Was not expecting KC as #1. Love the 1st 2 Adrian Belew CD's.

very well done. straight argumentation Edit: All 10 have the right to be in charts. And additional sure Vdgg and Camel. And don't forget Amon Duul. And the very special case Magma. The only vinyl i bought was KC/ In The Court (later Islands for other reasons) and FZ. I used my budget in the 70th for better and greater music directly(Sorry)

Absolutely hilarious presentation. Loved that you over-looked and then shoe-horned in ELP, one of the most iconic prog acts in history. Easy enough to get distracted: when I was guessing what your Top 5 might be, I totally forgot about Pink Floyd! I wouldn't necessarily argue with anything you've said. It's just that a Top Ten is so restrictive. There is so much variety in the genre that some favourites have to be missed. (How can one discuss progressive rock and not talk about TUBULAR BELLS or Aphrodites Child's 666 albums?) Oldfield and Vangelis certainly deserve mention. Like you, I've never warmed up to Marillion and Dream Theatre. The former because Genesis got there first and the latter because the musicianship overwhelmed the songs. Maybe someday I'll find my way in. Until then, I'd put Soft Machine on the list as representing the wondrous, so-called Canterbury sound that included Gong, Caravan and, possibly Camel. Are the Moody Blues prog? During their classic seven album run starting with DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, they certainly had songs about (inner and outer) space, poured in tons of mellotron and rocking guitar, and dressed their albums with covers that were as iconic as those by Yes. What about Procol Harem during their 'Sixties run? Both of those bands put prog songs into the Top Ten and had albums that would fit most definitions. I think The Strawbs are totally under-rated his this genre and Electric Light Orchestra don't get enough love from prog-heads, perhaps due to their massive radio success. If pushed to find one more act, I'd nominate Brian Eno. His contributions to early Roxy Music gave them a proggy edge. His solo albums are dense, witty and innovative. He's collaborated with many prog acts (including Genesis, Robert Fripp as well as several German bands). And now I've forgotten to include Hawkwind! Agh! The debate could go on forever! Thanks for this.

Funny - just as you were talking about Yes (and I figured KC would be number one), I was thinking “what about ELP?”. As far as importance, no problem putting ELP over Genesis. In the ‘70s here in the states, ELP were huge. Genesis, not so much. Not to be overly materialistic, but record sales do play into the importance of a band. When you can push albums like “Close to the Edge”, “Brain Salad Surgery”, "Dark Side of the Moon" and “Thick as a Brick” to the top of the charts, you’re having an impact on the culture at large.

What do u think about italian prog? For example band like: PFM, Area, CCCP, Diaframma, Banco del mutuo soccorso, Balletto di bronzo. Prog was one of the fews genres that we were able to do well in italy

Hey Andy, really enjoying your channel. Agree with your assessment of Jan Hammer! Curious what you think of another Jan - Jan Akkerman. Where does Focus land on your list of Prog bands? There output was inconsistent, but Live At The Rainbow was one of the most incredible Prog Live albums I've ever heard. IMHO

What an incredible series Andy. I think what makes this GREAT, truly a great review, is your honesty. I know you were not fond of ELP. Your psyche even blocked them until your #2 pick. Somehow ELP bubbled up like lava from a volcano. The #2 slot would be….# 2A - ELP, # 2B - Yes. I think you should follow thru with a review of ELP. It would be a psychological view into your mind as we witness you grappling with the subject. Ot’ll be good for you and for us. Fantastic video. 👍👍👍👍

I hated final cut too. If you ever wanted to give “the wall” another chance ... check out “is anybody out there?”. It’s them doing the entire album live 1980 with a 2nd band, choir etc... to recreate overdubs etc... and 4 tracks that didn’t make it onto the album (and rule) ... its more fully realized version of the concept album, even better playing and a decent amount of jamming

Jon is god. I played some Yes to a pro opera singer and she reckoned he has a great voice and wonderful vocal technique...and she said 'the band are good too,".

I've only just discovered your channel and so I don't know which other videos you've made, but maybe you need to do a top 10 Canterbury Scene band video. Then you could include your Gongs and your Soft Machines.

I think I had the same memory problem - we got to number 1 and I'm scratching my head. Then you mention Crimson and...! Of course. Easily done. 🙂

If this top 10 had been about the highest quality prog music, the bands National Health and Bruford would have been included - but probably not ELP, Rush or Marillion and definitely not Dream Theater! The pinnacle album of British prog is probably Bruford's One of a Kind album - finesse, tastefulness, astonishingly good tunes and virtuoso performances. The problem with some KC (and Yes) albums of the '70s is the lack of consistency from one track to the next.

Genesisness. Well done and accurate.

I love the 'mistakes' it means i am listening to a real person, a human .. As a Bowie fan I am used to them ... lol .. He requoted; the first time is a mistake, the second improv, the third an arrangement..

Rediscovering the genius that is king crimson. They are the only prog band that killed it in the 80s

Pawn Hearts-unbelievable! You can really hear how prog did actually lead to punk. Surely VDGG deserve a lot of credit; and hardly any guitar and so much angst! Camel?

Lol! Love the way you accidentally forgot ELP - I'm not a massive fan either. Not a fan of King Crimson beyond the first album either and maybe that's why I've tried but can't like the Mahavishnu Orchestra too - just don't get them, I sold my copy of The Inner Mounting Flame! :)

Spot on here. As you said, you can argue about placement on most of these bands, but it cannot be disputed that King Crimson is number 1. I will also make the case for VDGG being on the list somewhere.

In my opinion y'all didn't go back in time far enough Mr Peabody. Let's start with Atomic Rooster, The Flock, IF, just to name a few. These were the progressive bands with such great horns, except Atomic Rooster. But horn sections like CHASE, Well worth the listen. Maynard Ferguson comes to mind.. my 2 cents worth. K

What IS it about Elmo, Slink and Plumber anyway? I didn't notice you hadn't mentioned them either, until I was trying to figure out who #2 would be and realized that you hadn't mentioned them, Yes or KC. In 1974 I didn't hear anybody speak any evil about ELP. We all loved them and universally gave them even more credit for their musicianship than they deserved. Within a few years they had become a favorite whipping-boy, roundly chastised for being "pretentious," which was really a bit of lazy criticism, I think. They didn't pretend to be anything they weren't, their real crime was being ambitious. Sure they were grandiose, but grandiosity can be so much fun. Beethoven was as grandiose as they came. I would submit that the descent of ELP's output into mediocrity might well have been largely due to shaken confidence from the sudden denigration, along with the fiasco of their symphony orchestra tour, which seemed to many to confirm that denigration

Yes, Rush, Genesis, Crimson and Kansas. These are my top 5. And. lets hope Real Madrid will kick Barça's arse today! Hehe Cheers

The Heavyweights!!!

#1 Van der Graaf Generator

I'm curious, where would you categorise Moody Blues and Camel?

Between the buried and me

Van Der Graaf Generator 😁

Good list. King Crimson has to be number 1. As far as ELP is concerned, perhaps listing them at 2 or 3 is a bit high. I would put them in at 6 instead of Rush and push everyone else back. Marillion has never done it for me and putting them in front of the likes of Henry Cow, Hatfield and the North and others just misses the boat.

Didn’t Moody blues invent it in 1967?

Andy, I believe you've made a mistake. As you were counting down, I was holding out hope you'd just forgotten about Camel as well. Could/Should have been a joint number 1 there!

ELP should be on the list!

tarkus ???

Can we talk about Can?

I've never listened to a Jethro Tull album!

Andy is forever comparing ELP to Mahavishnu, but for me it’s King Crimson who’ll never measure up to the latter. Why listen to KC when Mahavishnu exists? 🥴

Trespass Genesis lot of emotion there

Trilogy.

Andy; I m really with you all the way ... Yes, Genesis and King Crinmson are the top 3 prog bands (and forget ELP, how can a band without a guitar player exist anyway ...) ... As a big Zappa fan never really thought of him as Prog, but actually you could be right ... Gonna check your Zappa countdown now ...

haha ... forgot ELP , well done ...do it all over

Pink Floyd may be prog in spirit but definitely not in practice. Cheers!

Lol. As I predicted then. I too have ELP but not the biggest fan. King Crimson are definitely THE number one band, THE best band of all time. 👍 Although I realise watching your videos and seeing comments you've made, you are not a fan of Van Der Graaf Generator but they definitely deserve to be in the top ten prog bands of all time, not Rush. That's just my opinion though, as I personally can't stand Rush. I've tried, I really have but I just don't get all the love they get. VDGG with Peter Hammill's unique voice are a far better prog band and far more progressive in the truest sense of the word. His voice can completely change an album, look at Robert Fripp's Exposure for proof of that. 👍 Interesting list, though a typical conclusion including Marillion, Dream Theater, Gentle Giant and especially Rush was different. Even though I wouldn't put those in my top ten. Lol. 1 King Crimson 2 Frank Zappa 3 Genesis 4 Yes 5 Pink Floyd 6 Van Der Graaf Generator 7 Camel 8 Caravan 9 Tangerine Dream 10 The Moody Blues Not so sure about the last three, it would take more thinking about than I'm prepared to give it but the top five are built in stone. 👋👌

ELP at nr 5 and leave that blues/folk band called Jethro Tull out of this prog list 😉

When you say King Crimson is #1 you are really saying Robert Fripp is the #1 prog band,

ELP!!!

KC :()

I think you may have missed out another band, not often perceived as progressive, but hugely successful, just not at all muso. Radiohead

ELP😂😂😂😂

There's a reason you forgot ELP, they're easy to forget. You stated King Crimson may possibly be your favorite Prog Rock band. Trust me, they are your favorite Prog Rock band.

How can you say Genesis "progressed" into pop? That's not progression - it's more like de-gression. He prefers the Barrett era of Floyd over the awesomeness of The Wall??? What a mampara (buffoon).

Not even an honorable mention, Kansas?

I totally agree with you about Pink Floyd, for the same reason. I need balls-to-the-wall, and Pink Floyd is much more chill and slow. That being said, I LOVE Dark Side of the Moon and Animals, my two favorite Pink Floyd records 😊

Pink Floy is not progressive Rock at all, sorry I have to disagree. They are their own entity style.

ELP wouldnt be on my list! i've been tryin to hear them for over 45 yrs. just doesnt resonate with me. king crimson too. i do love them when adrian belew and tony levin joined the band. my opinion is purely subjective. i appreciate and grateful for AE's objective and subjective insight's. renaissance, caravan and porcupine tree and the claypool lennon delirium would be on my list.