I made a couple of mistakes on this video so before I get shot down in the comments: Mistakes: Phaedra is not a double album!!! What a mistake to make, so in 10th place I have Sing To God by Cardiacs, The Astonishing by Dream Theater is actually the third album Mike Mangini played on.
@@ericarmstrong6540 Andy said he didn't want to put live albums on this list. But TD did indeed make a double studio album, even long before they made Encore. It's the one that Steven Wilson often says is amongst his favourite albums, in which absolutely nothing happens, yet one that he listens to at least once a month: Zeit! But that one is even less prog than Phaedra, which imho is not prog at all. Ricochet and Stratosphere are more prog (but less interesting!) but Zeit was definitely their most ground breaking album.
Interesting, just shows how different people's taste can be even when they like the same genres of music. For me it's: 1. Yes-Topographic Oceans 2. Mike Oldfield-Incantations 3. Genesis-Lamb lies down on Broadway 4. Pink Floyd-The Wall 5. The Who-Quadrophenia 6. Motorsphyco-Death defying Unicorn 7. Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti 8. Frank Zappa-Joe's Garage part 2 9. Peter Gabriel-Passion 10. Klaus Schulze-X 11. Motorpsycho-The All is One These could be in any order depending on my mood but Topographic Oceans is my desert island disc.
Andy thank you for mentioning Tangerine Dream you should listen to Zeit this is a double album it takes you on a journey through the universe on a spaceship being totally alone like the film alien where all the crew are dead. Fantastic album a true prog masterpiece. The rest of your list totally bang on glad you put Genesis. The lamb no 1 epic 🎼🎼🎶🎶👍👏🎹
Zeit, probably more than any other album, got me to listen to music in totally new ways and it expanded my realization of what music could be. It's one of my favourite albums of all time.
The Lamb always NUMBER 1, seen it live twice AMAZING in the 70s and seen it live 2 months ago by the Musical Box AMAZING in the same venue Usher Hall Edinburgh, some days its great to be old and turn back the clock. Andy keep up the good work CHEERS.
The show by Musical Box was a superb show ... well worth the trip down / overnight stay from Aberdeen ... so many "moving parts" to enjoy on the album and it was great to see it brought to life .... live ... with the theatrics .... CMcG, Aberdeen, Scotland
My list would include several of from your list and also: Aphrodite’s Child’s 666 Mike Oldfield’s Incantations Kate Bush’s Aerial Pink Floyd’s Endless River (definitely not a popular opinion, but I don’t care) Renaissance’s Live at Carnegie Hall (I know it’s live, I don’t care, it’s my list)
The Who’s Tommy (double album) gets labeled rock opera or art rock or concept album, but I’ve always viewed it as very proggy, at very least a precursor to prog. How about a top ten reasons why Tommy is/isn’t prog? Thanks for the nod to Tangerine Dream, much deserved.
In no particular order: Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway Dream Theater - The Astonishing Spock's Beard - Snow The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute I.Q. - Road Of Bones Pink Floyd - The Wall Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat Haken - Aquarius Jeff Wayne - War Of The Worlds Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans
No harm ‘blowin your own trumpet’ occasionally Andy.. Not many prog musos can say they’ve played on a double album, let alone a really good one. I played on a (single) album for an artist in the 80’s and she sent a copy to Robert Wyatt.. and he said he liked the drumming.. Was well chuffed I can tell you…I think Kata, the artist/singer managed to sell, or at least give away, all 50 albums that were published! Look forward to your next exciting RU-vid vid.. thanks ✌️
Good choice for number one. When TLLDOB came out, I was 16 and Genesis, whom I'd discovered a year earlier, were already my favorite band. I loved their new album to an unhealthy degree, despite its single flaw, that the verse melody of "Lilywhite Lilith" was uncomfortably close to that of Harry Chapin's saccharine ballad "The Cat's In the Cradle," which had come out around the same time and was omnipresent on the radio. Tony Banks is fond of saying that the album suffers under a mediocre story, but I couldn't agree less. It's the story that gives it much of its great strength and that evokes so many rare and bizarre emotions, all of which are perfectly carried by the music. I don't listen to it every day like I did as a teen, but I still consider it one of the great masterpieces of rock, and an album that's pretty much unsurpassed for taking the listener on a sweeping emotional odyssey.
I'm good with your top three (in no particular order). Never heard Focus 3, so can't say. Rounding out my top five with Amon Duul II - Tanz Der Lemminge, and Pink Floyd - Ummagumma
It's a good list. Personally, I would include, "Similitude of a Dream," "Marbles," "Snow" & "Road of Bones." And of course, your correction of "Sing to God."
1- Magma : Kobaia 2- The Flower Kings : Stardust we Are 3- Spock's Beard : Snow 4- Neal Morse : Testimony 5- IQ : Subterranea 6- Ayreon : Into the Electric Castle 7- Yes : Tales From Topographic Oceans 8- Genesis : The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 9- Dream Theater : Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence 10- Soft Machine : Third
LOL, I had to come to see what you did with such a click-bait-y video. Not a bad list, although we all have our own faves. I do consider Tangerine Dream a prog group, just because you can hear much of their influence in the electronic music of later prog bands. And I do think it's right to include The Wall on the list. Just ask Steven Wilson if it's not prog. And nice of you to tip the hat to your former band-mates.
Andy, Alan Holdsworth appeared on the first Tempest album, which was before Bundles I think, so that might be worth a look on your channel. Also the second Tempest album where he was replaced by Ollie Halsall a hugely underated guitarist.
No quibble about your top two. A little surprised though that Tull didn't appear in your list. Also, pardon my ignorance, Andy, - and I do like the band I'm about to mention - but ... I never knew you were a former member of IQ !
I am so glad you put an uncle meat over freak out. I have dozens of zApp albums I just love him. But to me, freak out and never did much for me, and certainly not in the progressive, or a avant garde sort of way. But uncle meet I would agree is Zappa‘s greatest album maybe Grand Wazoo. The king Kong suite on site for still makes my head spin. It is so amazing. What’s interesting is I bought the album when I was a teenager because Rolling Stone records guide said it was a five star album. And my young brain absolutely hated it. But overtime it went from being my least favorite album in my collection two being in my top 10 in a massive collection.
'I made a couple of mistakes on this video...Phaedra is not a double album!!!' That's ok, Andy. Substitute 'Zeit' and you're sorted... Plus there's 'L'heptade' by Harmonium (Montreal) - a beautiful album you really should seek out...
I’ll have to check out these albums…we’ll except for Franks..I’ve had that one for decades. Great video. Oh, and congrats on approaching 9000 subscribers…very C👀L!
All the punk kids I knew (and I was one of them) secretly loved War of the Worlds. Funny how your mind plays tricks- Rush's Hemispheres was a double in my memory but it's a single, and a very short one at 36 minutes.
I think almost all double studio albums in rock, including prog, would have benefitted from a tighter cutting room edit, aka should have been released as a single album. That also applies to TFTO and the Lamb. And to the Wall as well, although that would have been my no. 1 choice. A strong double album is also Ayreon’s Into The Electric Castle.
I bought the Subterranea live DVD some time ago but held off watching it until I knew the album better. Watching Andy's video prompted me to buy the album. Tonight I am finally watching the DVD and it is incredible, if a little of it's time. I first saw them supporting Wishbone Ash in the early 80s and liked them but found Nicholl's voice a little too much. Must be a Peter thing! Like Hammill and early Gabriel I have grown to love his unique singing. The musicianship in this line-up is incredible, must check them out with that other drummer 😂
Of course, what with the technological changes over the years, most notably the change from vinyl to CD (and then streaming), the big question that hangs over videos like this is what constitutes a "double album." A double album, technically, makes up double of what is accepted as an "album." But since CDs can hold 80 minutes of music and a double vinyl album was usually 70-80 minutes in total, are these two formats comparable? Some albums that were released as double vinyl albums - like The Wall - were re-released as double CD partly because, at a tickle over 80 minutes, they wouldn't quite fit on one CD, but that doesn't necessarily make it a double CD album when comparing it to, say, the Dream Theater album. Another reason some double vinyl albums get released on 2 CDs is to continue the kind of "format recognition," so buyers can still accept it as a double album even if it isn't in CD terms. So I would argue for a separate list of double vinyl albums and one for double CD albums. That being said, take out the Dream Theater and IQ albums, and you've got pretty much the accepted list of prog double albums. By the way, back to The Wall, it IS a prog album, no question, but I was surprised to see it in your list if you don't consider it to be prog. Why put it in and then say, well, it's not really prog is it because it doesn't feature much in the way of soloing or noodling in the same way a Yes or Genesis album might? You might as well put in a single album even though it's not really a double album, or put in Out of the Blue by ELO even though it's too pop to be prog. Ah well, I'll keep this brief, but well done for making this list so that we can all discuss it and giving us the benefit of your knowledge and experience. x
I agree with you about The Wall. It's more like a Roger Water post-punk-pop solo album. Doesn't have any of the qualities of their music that I find interesting.
100% agreement on the No.1 position Andy. I am a massive Genesis fan, but like yourself my tastes are legit really broad and I feel I’m being as objective as I possibly can when I say that this album really does cover a lot of ground and tick a lot of boxes over and above any personal bias that I may have on the subjective level. When I first heard it I was taken aback as I was already very familiar with ‘the Genesis sound’ running from ‘Trespass’ and up to the later 70’s albums. This album really sounds like nothing they did before or after and is an anomaly in their arc as far as I’m concerned. People criticise the lyrical/narrative aspects but I think they’re as unique as the music itself. There’s obviously a lot of metaphor and allegory in there and when Gabriel appears to break the fourth wall in ‘It’,( many seem to miss this, or maybe it’s projection on my part, either way the lyrics are sufficiently ambiguous to leave this kind of interpretation open), and reveal a kind of Post-Modern exercise that has played out, I feel that contrary to a lot of criticism, it’s almost perfection on display. A kind of 70’s musical version of the 21st century TV series ‘Lost’,( which seemed to draw ‘exactly’ the same kind of criticism for it’s finale). To add to my assertion that I believe I’m being as objective as possible,( as opposed to just being a Genesis fanatic), I’ve noticed that many music publications,( and I’m as critical as anyone regarding ‘music journalism’), over the years have started to revise their opinions on it, with many citing it as being almost proto-punk in spirit and ahead of it’s time. So many epic musical moments and genuine experimentation whilst still keeping their eye on musicality. I think it’s a great work in British music history and beyond. Fully endorse your rating.
Groovy choices, Andy! *War of the Worlds* was a modest seller in the US, but Columbia thought enough of it to release an audiophile version in '79. It's an "experience" in sound! (Produce Like a Pro's channel has a cool "making of" documentary recently posted.) Jeff's *Spartacus* in 1993 was pretty spectacular as well. How can anybody not think *The Wall* is progressive music? It breaks into little radio plays at various points ("What a fa-abulous apartment!"), the closing section shifts dramatically from rock band to full orchestration & the LP includes all sorts of experimentation with sounds all in support of its overarching theme.
I love seeing the Lamb topping your list. There may have been some reissue of Phaedra which is a double album but the LP I have is not. Same thing with Soft Machine : Third. But Six is a double album.
Yeah!!!! FOCUS 3......total masterpiece!! Sounds even better in the remastered box set!! Love their European take on JazzRock and Prog. One over my desert island discs!!!! They are still touring....go see them!!!!!
Some really interesting points and new music to get in to. The lamb, I just can’t get into it. I find it painful, though I completely accept there are some good moments on it, maybe it’s the subject matter.
the following are double albums and are all classics .can-tago mago,amon duul ii -yeti ,tangerine dream-zeit,klaus schulze-cyborg,walter wergmuller-tarot,magma-first album.
Soft Machine was fusion before fusion was recognized as fusion. Personally, I think they were a better fusion band than Mahavishnu Orchestra and what came after. Even SM 4, 5, and 6 are unique works and they outpaced everyone, including KC, MO, and even the Jenkins period was unique. SM had three incredible drummers (Marshall is incredibly underrecognized; his work on 7 is incredible), incredible bassists (Hopper and Babbington), and soloists like Ratledge, Dean, Jenkins, Holdsworth, and Etheredge, all with unique voices. Zappa actually did advise them directly to use suites on Volume 2 for song writing credits and Hugh Hopper readily admitted Zappa's influence on his extended themes, like Facelift on Third. But they were a unique and extremely undervalued band. They were true pioneers of prog and jazz fusion, equal to Zappa, Davis, McLaughlin, Fripp. That's how I view them, anyway. Hopper was the Hendrix of the bass; Ratledge was the most unique organist (along with Larry Young/Khalid Yasin) of his time. (I don't view the first two SM albums as psychedelic, or any of the Nice albums, as psychedelic.) Really agree about Uncle Meat! And Lamb! I saw the Lamb tour and the album works as a whole
Dear Andy, interesting as always. Sorry that you made a couple of mistakes: The first mistake of course was that Soft Machine "Third" is better than all of the other albums combined. Regarding Tangerine Dream, as was already mentioned “Zeit” was the double album and there greatest album was “Rubycon”. Also, when you spoke of Focus's greatest album, there was a slip of the tongue as I am sure that you meant to say that it was "Hamburger Concerto". Another slight slip was that you forgot to mention that "Ian Underwood Whips It Out" from "Uncle Meat" is by far the pinnacle of an otherwise tepid catalog. Of course the main error was in making clear that there were 11 albums on the list and that number 1 was Hawkwind "Space Ritual". Yes it was recorded live but of course as you know it is not a traditional live recording of other album tracks. It is just one of the greatest pieces of prog. space rock, heavy rock...or whatever you want to call it. Discuss. P.s. I am joking about one of the things in my list. Can you guess which one? Love as always
Definitely an objective list, I guess. I do have a completely different list, of course. Tales would be there, Lamb would be there (quite far away from being no.1. It's was 1974 and I don't think this was their peak anymore), Uncle meat would be there. The Wall would probably not be there. I do love War of the Worlds from when I was a kid as well (It was super popular here although I'm not from the UK), but most of the picks here are very well desrved and well explained. My list would include Tago Mago by Can.
Andy, you say you don't like The Wall that much and that you don't know if it's prog...so why is it on your Top Ten Greatest Prog Rock Double Albums? I agree with both those points. Comfortably Numb is prog but probably not the rest.
I would totally have chosen 6DOIT over The Disappointing as far as representing DT is concerned. I think the comments you (mistakenly) make regarding the latter - that the band had something to prove following Portnoy's departure and pulled something special out of the bag - very much apply to the actual first post-Portnoy album, A Dramatic Turn Of Events but none of their subsequent releases have really grabbed me. Other more recent doubles that do it for me include; The Octopus by Amplifier, Marbles by Marillion. Totally concur re The Lamb... Unsurpassed in the double album stakes - no weak tracks for me; although I do think that the live take on In The Cage that they've performed over the years blows the studio version away. Thompson and Stuermer take it to another level.
This probably belongs in a different category because it's a double live album by a Neo-Prog band, but Heaven's Bright Sun by Iona is a favorite of mine.
Iona did record a double CD album (I haven't yet checked whether it would qualify as a double vinyl album but I think it would) called ANOTHER REALM in 2011, as it would turn out it was their final studio album to date. It's a FAB record and would be bubbling under my top ten if not just popping in at the bottom. x
Spock's Beard's "Snow" is an amazing double album....personally, I think critics ignore this because Neal Morse was now a Christian and it is a Christian metaphoric tale. I've noticed that some critics will poo poo anything spiritual, which is ironic, since so much prog is about mythical and magical lands, wizards, aliens, pseudo-spiritualized stories, fantasies, etc. But mention the name "Jesus" - uh oh, now you're getting personal....no worries....I love prog - whether it's Neal's solo stuff (and with the Neal Morse Band), Spock's Beard, IQ, Genesis, Floyd, Flower Kings....it's all amazing!
I got that record as a gift when I was a kid. Listened maybe 3 times, every time the "this is so profoundly un-hip and dated/forced", that vibe never left me regarding the Neal Morse universe of stuff. Ala Beavis and Butthead scowling at bad music videos back in the day. Couldn't care less about the worldview he brings, it's something else that makes me go "huh?!" with that band and Neal solo. Alot of the prog that's sort of in the Genesis/Peter Gabril discount isle is too derivative for me. (who cares though..)
Your lack of enthusiasm for soft machine third and Pink Floyd the wall. It’s very obvious. But I’m glad you overcame your personal taste to recognize just how important those two albums are. For me those are the two albums prog double albums, that I played the most. Two bands that started off at the same time in the same scene, and yet evolved off into a completely different directions. I do think soft machine hit another very High Point with Allan Holdsworth on bundles in 1975 as a classic Prog Fusion album.
Moraz should re-do the keyboards on Topographic Oceans, it would make that album the best of their discography and would sell millions throughout the wolrd!! I'm very surprised that you put it at number 2 because everybody bitches about this album. It has been for me not only the best YES album, but the best album of all and could be even better if Jobson or Moraz would re-do the keyboard tracks... IT IS POSSIBLE, They are still alive and well!!!!! Congratulations for your web capsules, I realy enjoy them! Keep on your fine work!
It's an opera tacked on the 3 or 4 tunes that have shaped FM rock radio is what it is. If you love Waters conceptual side, you love The Wall. If you don't, you like parts of The Wall, maybe find the concept it's self interesting-ish if over indulgent and would have liked more songs.
While I haven't spent much time thinking about it, I'd want to add _"Marbles"_ (2-disc version) from Marillion, _"The Similitude of a Dream"_ by the Neal Morse Band, _"Office of Strategic Influence"_ (special edition, with the extra disc) by OSI, and _"Lost in the New Real"_ by Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Although that last one is kinda cheating, because the second disc includes covers of some songs by other artists.
Lately I've been revisiting Motorpsycho and Ståle Storløkken - The Death Defying Unicorn (A Fanciful And Fairly Far-Out Musical Fable) from 2012. This has concept, whimsy, rock heft, a full jazz orchestra and the remarkable Kenneth Kapstad on drums. Motorpsycho are steeped in rock history knowledge but also their own thing. They've actually released three more epic double albums since 2017, but TDDU probably remains the most prog.
I'd say Zeit by Tangerine Dream is more of a landmark album. It's was probably the first ambient/electronic album of its kind. Very unique even for 1972. Plus it's a double album. And honestly, i think The Astonishing is an absolute disaster (coming from a big Dream Theater fan). Even if someone considers The Astonishing good, it should absolutely NOT feature in list of greatest ever double albums.
Love your videos but I respectfully disagree on Tales. It is an album whose reputation precedes people's first listen, so when it turns out to be listenable, at times beautiful, people go looking for a masterpiece that isn't there. Nobody would be talking about TFTO as some sort of forgotten masterwork if it was a single album. Close to the Edge (the song) has more ideas in 20 minutes than Tales has in 80. It feels like an album where the length was decided before the songs. That said i still like it, but it's b tier Yes for me (gorgeous gatefold artwork though).
Tales is an odd one. It's really, really overrated by it's fans. The band didn't even really like it beyond Steve who enjoyed getting to do so much acoustic work. The only part that I felt lived up to the billing, post CTTE and it's mind-blowing qualities is the start of The Ancient and that's the part most people cite as "too weird" or whatnot. Mostly it's just kind of boring and long. Rick knew it and said so. Chris knew it, gave the record almost no riffs (which is the building block of most quality Yes) and dodged the issue for decades. Bill left the band for fear of having to do a record like this. Jon called it the meeting point of high ideals and low execution.
@@colinburroughs9871 agree with pretty much all of that. I'd add that the very start of Revealing Science of God, before the drums kick in, is gorgeous.
So, differing from the above opinions here, I’d like to add my $0.02. Tales is one of the most beautiful pieces of musical achievement I’ve ever encountered. The imperfections humanize the compositions, and the whole thing is as unique and distinctive as anything the band, or any other band ever did. Critics at the time, and they were many, actually complained that it was(and Yes in general, btw) emotionless and mechanical, among other errant claims. The years, the decades since have wholly dispelled these fallacious criticisms, made by those who seem really to dislike music in general. The best Yes is more emotional and heartfelt than nearly all of their contemporaries, and those since. No album I am aware of rewards multiple listenings more. I’ve never stopped listening to it, and it just gets better with time. Yes, I’m an unapologetic Yesfreak, however this also means I’ve put in the time and done the earwork. lol I agree with opinions expressed nearby and elsewhere where that The Remembering is massively, monumentally under appreciated. The Revealing Science Of God has saved my life at least once, and probably multiply. In very tough times, I recommend Revealing to anyone. It could save your life, too. It heals. Somehow the entire recording is healing music. It took merely nearly a lifetime to figure it out. The Ancient is otherworldly and alien, before landing softly back on the Earth’s Topography for the sweet Leaves Of Green conclusion. The ending of Ritual is as sweet, gorgeous and heartbreaking as it gets. The defects others decry on the album, known to any bothering to read this far, wind up being bound up inextricably with it’s strengths, wonderfully. As beautiful as music gets, in any era. Centuries from now, should western civilization endure, this debate will still be carried on, while the question of the immortality of the work will be largely settled.
The Lamb by Genesis does not lag anywhere. Tony Banks's best work is on this album. I told Steve Hackett this album was as important as Sgt. Peppers. I can't think of one track I would cut from this masterpiece, especially the interludes. TFTO by Yes is also brilliant. I don't know why it has a bad rep. Side 2, The Remembering, could be their best work along with CTTE and Awaken.
Nah… Tales from Topographic Oceans takes the top slot for not only the greatest double album, but the greatest album of all time. Beyond that, yeah, definitely The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and I would throw in Works Volume 1, Incantations, Physical Graffiti and The White Album (for the prog they do contain), The Wall (and would consider The Endless River), Quadrophenia, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (and would consider The Astonishing), The Absolute Universe: Forevermore.
I found a copy of Phaedra at a Goodwill in Alice Texas (of all places). When I got it home I found a handful of explicit homemade Polaroid photos of the former owner (presumably) and his girlfriend in the cover. Party on.
They never sounded like Foreigner or Styx and they didn't call Classic Rock, Classic Rock in 1980. This is a bad take. You're allowed to have it, but it's wrong.
They nearly did with AFTK and Hemispheres with the Cygnus/Hemispheres saga.Neil had the sense to reign in his sci-fi dungeon and dragons ramblings to shorter concise offerings as did the band with their music.All credit to them for restricting 2112 to 20 minutes or thereabouts and not waffling on forever like DT’s Astonishing.
Punk isn't over till I say it's over. Oi! All caps. Obviously you don't live in a flat surrounded on six (a cube) sides by sapiens. You'd be punkin all of the day AND all of the night.
Interesting list....but The Astonishing is probably the weakest Dream Theater album (It is certainly one I am not keen on) , let alone in a top 10 prog double albums. And it was not Mike Mangini's first with them, it was the third one. With Soft Machine Third only Facelift is recorded live. The other 3 sides are studio. The one thing with the old double albums is they fit on one CD. Lots of modern prog albums would be doubles in this respect, and a lot of newer ones are triples on vinyl. One of my favourites is Viljan Oga by Anglagard. But it is a double 45 RPM album..does this count?
TALES?? Imagine if they repeated parts less and incorporated the best of FISH out of water and JOURNEY to the center of the earth!!! Mega prog masterpiece TRIPLE ALBUM!!! HAHAHAHAAA ⚛️☯️⚛️
Seeing The Astonishing was a surprise. I would have gone with Six Degrees personally, but it was a huge undertaking that just about pays off. My only real complaint is that the scream the character does in his grief and rage was… pathetic.
OK, here we go. Typing as I watch. Phaedra is a good choice. I can always live without Dream Theatre choices, not auditorily appealing to me . . . at all . . . too much cheese. Soft Machine Third is a great album. Don't know IQ, sorry. Don't know Jeff Wayne. Not a Wall fan either, but I enjoyed the film and occasionally hearing a couple of the songs. Focus, hmmm. Uncle Meat I like, but wouldn't have thought of it for a top prog list. Tales, yes! Yes! of course. Lamb!! I agree, it would be my number 1. OK, the one album I would have put in a top 10 prog double album list was The Who Quadrophenia. I've always felt it ticks all of the prog boxes and was a masterpiece of composition, with some kick ass songs to boot.
