New Prog Pick 7

For a pick that was going to end with volume 4, it sure has gone on for awhile. New Prog 6 was four days ago. Two tracks from bands I've posted up here before. One artist (Fish) that was the singer of Marillion, so sort of posted him up before. And two tracks of bands that I haven't posted before. Galahad has some great tracks. Their first album was in 1991, but they had some amazing ones including one with John Wetton has a guest vocalist. This track was the title track of their 2007 album and it got a lot of attention. Really though, it's hard to find an album of theirs that isn't quite good if not excellent. Wobbler is from Norway and sound like Yes and King Crimson and ELP combined at times. This 20 minute plus track from 2017 is amazing. The rest of their four other albums are worth checking out!

New Prog Pick 7

40 Galahad - Empires Never Last

41 Transatlantic - Duel With The Devil

42 Fish - A Gentleman's Excuse Me

43 Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize

44 Wobbler - From Silence To Somewhere

Pol's Prog Pick 13

This will be the last one for a while of my Prog Pick series. Don't despair, I have afew more picks coming up with prog music, but tomorrow it will not be prog. Thirteen has always been good luck for me, so for now it will end. The first track (or track 81) could and maybe should have been in the Not Prog, Prog series. Definitely a band not known for prog, the Eagles have a song that arguably is prog. You tell me. The rest are fairly prog. Catapilla not as well known as the others, but classic prog. Renaissance had many tracks that were prog. Nektar and Camel for sure. Uriah Heep I would consider a hard rock band, but this track is prog! I'm happy with this. I like to listen to it on random play: all thirteen volumes. I do have another one, but its not quite ready. Later.

Pol's Prog Pick 13

81 Eagles - Journey Of The Sorcerer

82 Catapilla - Naked Death

83 Uriah Heep - Salisbury

84 Renaissance - Ashes Are  Burning

85 Nektar - A Tab In The Ocean

86 Camel - Lady Fantasy (Encounter-Smiles For You-Lady Fantasy)

Pol's Prog Pick 12

Just a couple more left. This is pick number 12 of prog rock. I tried to get a bunch of songs I like that were from bands I hadn't picked yet. That didn't quite work out. Another Camel Track, another Crimson track, another Yes track, another Genesis track, and even a second Van Der Graaf Generator track. I failed that. But it's okay all of those are amazing prog picks. I did add Eloy, a German band that still exists today. But this is from their 1977 album Ocean. The Far East Family Band track came from a 1976 album called Parallel World. The band is known for being an early band of Kitaro's. This does not sound like Kitaro! The other band I hadn't put on before was Quill (no "The" before the name, that's another band). They kinda got gypped. They were at Woodstock, but there were problems with the equipment and they never made it onto the movie. They put out one album in 1970 (which now has cult status). I love this track, but it's short. There are two other bands called Quill with no "The". One is also sort of prog, but the other is ELO lite.

Pol's Prog Pick 12

73 Eloy - Poseidon's Creation

74 Camel - Ice

75 King Crimson - Starless

76 Yes - Awaken

77 Far East Family Band - Kokoro

78 Quill - Yellow Butterfly

79 Genesis - In The Cage

80 Van Der Graaf Generator - Killer

Pol's Prog Pick 11

This eleventh one of the Prog Pick series is a good example of how sometimes it seems random how I got to know music. These prog songs  may not be the most popular or from the most popular bands, but all of them had at least one great (to me) prog song. Probably Red Rider, Black Keys or Gary Moore are the most well known of these bands. The Red Rider with it's comparisons to Pink Floyd definitely made it available on the radio. All the others came because of people introducing me to the songs or band. That's why I love sharing this kind of stuff here. Somebody else may go, "Wow! I need to get this album, This is amazing!" Maybe you hate it or maybe you already know of all these, but I hope you get at least one "WOW!" when you are on this site. If you do, you're welcome. I envy you.

Pol's Prog Pick 11

61 Pure Reason Revolution - Aeropause

62 Airbag - All Rights Removed

63 Red Rider - Lunatic Fringe

64 RPWL - The Gentle Art Of Swimming

65 Crippled Black Phoenix - The Heart Of Every Country

66 Dworniak Bone Lapsa - Funny Farm

67 Mothership - High Strangeness

68 Desert Sessions - Girl Boy Tom

69 Gary Moore - The Prophet

70 John Lodge - In My Mind

71 Wax Fang - Majestic

72 The Black Keys - Weight Of Love

Pol's Prog Pick 10

WIth this pick getting to volume 10, we only have a few more to go. This volume of prog has just four tracks. Magma has the shortest track at just over nine minutes. I had a 21 minute Magma track on volume six. The last track is from Tangerine Dream. Most of their stuff is Electronic Music, but the Mellotron on this track definitely give it a prog feel. I consider it prog. Utopia, Todd Rundgren's band, was kinda progressive. At least on their first couple of albums. They became pretty rock later, but this thirty minute track is as prog as you get! The Yes track is one that most prog fans may not include in their picks, but I like it. This is the version that was redone with Trevor Horn and is basically one side of their album. They divided it up into several tracks for ease on the CD, but really it's meant to be heard as one and that's how it's presented here. 

Pol's Prog Pick 10

57 Magma - Hortz Fur Dehn Stekehn West

58 Utopia - The Ikon

59 Yes - Fly From Here (Complete Return)

60 Tangerine Dream - Cherokee Lane

Pol's Prog Pick 9

Coming around to the last few rounds of this prog rock pick. We're still numbering as if it's one long playlist, but each one is about a CD length, so several of these have few tracks. This ninth volume has medium amount of tracks. Robert Berry starts us off. He only appears once although his band band Hush is on my Pomp Rock compilation. Trillion is mostly considered Pomp rock, but I think this song kinda works in the Prog space. Mike Oldfield, Moody Blues and the Nice are on here again with other tracks. FM and Starcastle are two more bands that had more tracks that were considered AOR or Pomp Rock, but I think these songs could easily fit here.

Pol's Prog Pick 9

49 Robert Berry - Last Ride Into The Sun

50 Trillion - Child Upon The Earth

51 Triumvirat - Across The Water

52 Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn Part One

53 Moody Blues - Legend Of A Mind

54 FM - Phasors On Stun

55 Starcastle - Fountains

56 The Nice - America-Second Amendment

Pol's Prog Pick 8

I can't believe that we're on number 8 already. It's crazy! This pick has another one from Hawkwind and Gentle Giant, both great tracks. A visit from The Nice. We've heard from ELP, but this extended version from the Nice tells you where they were headed. A track from Gong. And side one from Jethro Tull's masterpiece. I put the full album as one of my "long tracks" pick which I will have to post someday. Basically 17 tracks but really long tracks. I'd have to go against my one cd length rule. Oh well.

Pol's Prog Pick 8

43 Gentle Giant - The Advent Of Panurge

44 Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick (Part 1)

45 Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells Part One

46 Hawkwind - You Shouldn't Do That

47 Gong - Master Builder

48 The Nice - The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack (Extended Version)

Pol's Prog Pick 7

The seventh one in a row. A CD worth of prog tracks on this pick. The shortest track on here is the Deep Purple. We had Van Der Graaf Generator here before, this time it's Peter Hammill from that band. Germany's Grobschnitt (for fun just say that name over and over again). Another Hawkwind track and you can bet there will be more. And, I said it was coming, more Yes. I saw them do this track (and the whole album in it's entirety) on the Yes cruise. Very fun and amazing shows. I have seen them live many times before. Mostly very good.

Pol's Prog Pick 7

38 Peter Hammill - Flight

39 Grobschnitt - Rockpommel's Land

40 Deep Purple - Child In Time

41 Yes - Close To The Edge

42 Hawkwind - Orgone Accumulator

Pol's Prog Pick 6

This will be a short write up for a short pick. So short I almost just typed "hort" (but caught it in time.) Prog picks of mine. Has nothing to do with anything except for I like these songs. All long songs except for the last one which is really short and that's the only artist today that is here for the third time. Knowing me, probably not for the last time. Magma from France. Don't hold it against them. The Flower Kings from Sweden. Focus from The Netherlands. BTW, they have some killer albums and even their 2019 album was pretty darn good. And Yes, whom we all know and love.

Pol's Prog Pick 6

34 Magma - Riah Sahiltaahk

35 The Flower Kings - The Truth Will Set You Free

36 Focus - Eruption

37 Yes - The Fish (Shindleria Praematurus)

Pol's Prog Pick 5

Just five tracks on this volume. And it also is volume five of this prog pick. Yesterday I told you that I would post Hatfield & The North, well, here they are. Great track and it's twenty minutes long. Some Jethro Tull (we'll have more later). Rick Wakeman, Marillion and Steve Hackett round it out. All just brilliant tracks. Notice that the tracks all have shorter titles on this one. Is it coincidence? And the cover is following in just the same vein as before.

Pol's Prog Pick 5

29 Hatfield & The North - Mumps

30 Jethro Tull - Baker St. Muse

31 Rick Wakeman - Battle-The Forest

32 Marillion - Grendel

33 Steve Hackett - Ace Of Wands

Pol's Prog Pick 4

This is the fourth one of the prog pick series. Each is one CD length long. The first few volumes in the last few days. I feel bad for the few people who don't like prog, because the next week or so will be all prog. And then who knows? Another King Crimson track today as well as a Yes track from Relayer. The Soft Machine is from the very first Soft Machine album I ever listened to. I wore out that side of the album. Brand X I always liked even though I had no idea that Phil Collins was in the band for some time. You can't go wrong with Hawkwind. And less known is National Health. But Bill Bruford was in the band in the very beginning (not long) and Dave Stewart from Hatfield & the North (who we will hear from in a later volume.)

Pol's Prog Pick 4

23 Soft Machine - Slightly All the Time

24 King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part I

25 Yes - The Gates of Delirium

26 National Health - Tenemos Roads

27 Brand X - Nuclear Burn

28 Hawkwind - Silver Machine

Pol's Prog Pick 3

Volume 1 and 2 of this prog pick was the last two days. I have another Pink Floyd and another Emerson Lake & Palmer and another Genesis. But the first Fank Zappa track. A more well known Caravan track (actually the first Caravan track I ever heard.) Some people might question my inclusion of these tracks by Colosseum, Traffic and Wishbone Ash, but I say they are prog here. Just listen to all of them in context of each other. Btw, are you starting to see the pattern in the covers?

Pol's Prog Pick 3

13 Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-7)

14 Colosseum - The Kettle

15 Moody Blues - Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)

16 Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Inca Roads

17 Gentle Giant - A Cry For Everyone

18 Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus

19 Traffic - Paper Sun

20 Genesis - The Carpet Crawlers

21 Wishbone Ash - Warrior

22 Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink

Pol's Prog Pick 2

Part two of this Prog pick starts with Rush. Over 20 minutes of classic prog. The second shortest on this disc. Van Der Graaf Generator is next. Notice that main protaganist Peter Hammill will show up again in volume 7. Caravan shows up here and also on volume 3. Yes shows up afew more times. This track from Yes is with the special lineup featuring Patrick Moraz. I have to say one of my favorite lineups. Relayer is one of my top three albums of Yes. You will notice that there is a similarity in covers, but they are different. Try to put them together. All the volumes do have it in common.

Pol's Prog Pick 2

09 Rush - 2112 (I. Overture II. The Temples of Syrinx III. Discovery IV. Presentation V. Oracle The Dream VI. Soliloquy VII. Grand Finale)

10 Van Der Graaf Generator - A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers

11 Caravan - Nine Feet Underground

12 Yes - Sound Chaser

Pol's Prog Pick 1

I'm not going to get into what prog is, or how I define it. You'll figure it out from these picks. And I don't say pick, because there are at least 13 or 14 of these ready to go. But that being said. Some of these will have just a couple of songs, because I limit the size by the time of the tracks. If it fits on a CD, then it fits in my compilation. The first volume has eight tracks. These are the prog songs I like. There will be duplicate bands as we go. Yes, for example, Pink Floyd, ELP, King Crimson all will appear more than once. Most are probably bands you know, if you know prog. Perhaps a few new ones. I hope so. Here we start.

Pol's Prog Pick 1

01 Genesis - Supper's Ready

02 King Crimson - 21St Century Schizoid Man

03 Pink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive

04 Yes - Starship Trooper

05 Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Karn Evil 9 1st Impression, Parts 1 & 2

06 Camel - Rhayader Goes To Town

07 Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

08 Quiet Sun - Mummy Was An Asteroid, Daddy Was A Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil

Not Prog, Prog 3

The last one of this series pick. Volume one and two were the last few days. Mostly songs that are from bands that are not known for prog rock, but did a song (or some a few) that could be considered prog. It's Not Prog, but it's really Prog. Mostly rock bands today (even Funkadelic which most people consider a Funk band, but they could really rock). A couple of newer tunes and the rest going back at least a few years. What am I talking about all of these were a few years back, I'm just thinking of when I first heard them. They were new then, but I'm old and these songs are all older now. Some way older.

Not Prog, Prog 3

14 Scorpions - Fly To the Rainbow

15 Funkadelic - You Hit the Nail on the Head

16 Radiohead - Paranoid Android

17 Led Zeppelin - In The Light

18 Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

19 Midnight Oil - Scream In Blue

20 Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By The Light

21 Black Sabbath - Megalomania

22 Styx - Lords Of The Ring

Not Prog, Prog 2

Part two and the Pick is short. One song (Billy Joel) is short too the rest are long. I like them all. Not much more to say, see yesterday and tomorow for more of these prog songs by bands not known for being prog.

Not Prog, Prog 2

10 Billy Joel - Prelude , Angry Young Man

11 Incubus - Follow (1st Movement Of The Odyssey)

12 Nobuo Uematsu - Dancing Mad

13 Dire Straits - Telegraph Road

Not Prog, Prog 1

These are Prog songs from non-Prog bands. And I suppose it's all some genre twisting by me to make these prog songs, but they are prog. Just listen to them. They are long. They are maybe AOR or Pomp Rock, but not really. Go back a few days to see the Pomp Rock picks. There are a few of them. And this Pick will have a few volumes, too. Remember, I divide these up by CD length. So over the course of the next few days there will be over twenty songs. Some you will automatically know, but listen to them today from a Prog rock standpoint. Tell me you get it.

Not Prog, Prog 1

01 Klaatu - Little Neutrino

02 Megadeth - Holy Wars...The Punishment Due

03 Metallica - To Live Is To Die

04 Blue Oyster Cult - Seven Screaming Dizbusters

05 Jane's Addiction - Three Days

06 Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

07 Boston - Foreplay-Long Time

08 Daft Punk - Contact

09 Alice Cooper - Halo Of Flies

Pomp Rock Pick 3

I really should be checking if I actually posted certain compilations or not. I have a bunch that I thought I posted but now I'm not so sure. I had a pick of New Prog. Did I already post it? I have no idea. I will have to check and post it if I didn't. I have series of Prog picks. I'll have to now check those. This volume of Pomp Rock has a few bands I've posted before, in volume one or two. One, Yes, that's pretty known for prog, but this track is pretty AOR and has a lot of pomp. Styx, Supertramp still more well known for their rock hits had great pomp songs. Hush is Robert Berry's early pomp/prog band from the Bay Area. Blue Oyster Cult, Babys, Toto and Ambrosia also less known for pomp rock or prog, but these songs prove they had it in them. 

Pomp Rock Pick 3

34 Speedway Blvd - Out Of The Fire

35 Toto - Hydra

36 Storm - Dangerous

37 The Babys - Every Time I Think Of You

38 Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

39 Stencil Forest - The Pandemonium Shadow Show

40 Supertramp - Fool's Overture

41 Hush - Money

42 Yes - Wonderous Stories

43 Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper

44 Styx - Come Sail Away

45 Ambrosia - Time Waits for No One

Pomp Rock Pick 2

I have a few that I am posting, frankly I thought I had posted them earlier, but somehow missed them and started work on pick volume 3 and 4, but never even posted number 1 until yesterday. I must be losing my mind. So here is volume two. I gave you my thoughts on Pomp Rock yesterday. Most of these bands would probably not be considered Prog rock nowadays, but they had elements of prog and still do now and again, but for sure there is a lot of Pomp in these songs.

Pomp Rock Pick 2

18 Saga - Scratching The Surface

19 Robert Berry - Last Ride Into The Sun

20 Morningstar - Through The Night

21 Sweet - Love Is Like Oxygen

22 Electric Light Orchestra - Sweet Talkin' Woman

23 Roadmaster - It Doesn't Mean A Thing

24 Nightwish - Nemo

25 Asia - Sole Survivor

26 Styx - Man Of Miracles

27 Magnum - Kingdom Of Madness

28 Zon - Back Down To Earth

29 White Sister - Can't Say No

30 Speedway Blvd - Speedway Boulevard

31 Spy - Ruby Twilight

32 Supertramp - Bloody Well Right

33 Balance - Ride The Wave

Pomp Rock 1

This pick of Pomp Rock is one of a couple in a row. They define Pomp Rock: “A genre of rock music, especially prevalent in the late 1970s and early 1980s, typically characterized by prominent keyboards and drums and heavy use of guitar effects, often regarded as bombastic or grandiose in its delivery.” The term was used mainly by the British music press to identify Symphonic/Progressive Rock played by American bands. In the US these bands usually were labeled as AOR. I didn't limit it to American bands, but these are all pretty much bombastic or grandiose songs. One of these bands is a San Jose band featuring Robert Berry. Look him up if you don't know him. Great guy, musician and fabulous studio.

Pomp Rock 1

01 Spy - Can't Complain

02 Touch - Don't You Know What Love Is

03 Sweet - Mother Earth

04 Roadmaster - Sweet Music

05 Hush - Who Holds The Light

06 Balance - In For The Count

07 Angel - Cast The First Stone

08 Morningstar - Let Me Dream

09 Emerson Lake & Palmer - Jerusalem

10 Starcastle - Stargate-Sunfield

11 Alpha Centauri - Hard Life

12 Journey - Majestic

13 Saga - On The Loose

14 Speedway Blvd - (Call My Name) Rock Magic

15 Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

16 Electric Light Orchestra - Rockaria!

17 Supertramp - Dreamer