Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning
Ambrosia - Ambrosia
Camel - Mirage
Mr. Sirius - Barren Dream
Caravan - If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You

All good prog albums that go outside the box. Renaissance should be particularly up your alley because Annie Haslam is a great songstress.

Cool. I've got a lot of stuff to check out during the following week.

Decided to jump in the deep end this evening, so I'm currently listening to the Genesis album Selling England by the Pound.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ingEngland.jpg

The first track on the album starts off like it was written specifically to drive me up the wall. The only thing about it that's not confirming my worst expectations about progressive rock is that I don't think Peter Gabriel is being an awful singer right now.

Ok, so some parts are nice enough. Basically, when they slow down and get all mellow and atmospheric, it's endurable. Even kinda good. But then when they get all everything-and-the-kitchen-sink, I'm clawing at the walls for an escape route.

I'm somewhere in the second track now and it's just cheesy on a less offensive level, but not exactly to my liking. I don't like the part with the flute much in particular.

At least it seems like it's gonna be a musically varied album, so I'm sticking around. More interesting than Yes, that's for sure.

As you know, it's not my favourite. You could try A Trick of the Tail or Wind and Wuthering, even And Then There Were Three or Duke if you're still interested after you've got through this, which I wouldn't guarantee you will be.

Since this isn't an album review thread per se, I'm gonna allow myself to play fast and loose. I'm totally gonna drop the current album and check out one of these instead.

This little challenge of listening to a bunch of progressive rock is turning out different that I expected so far. I thought it would most likely be a rollercoaster of cool moments that I could get excited about and annoying moments that would get me all bothered, but so far, I'm overwhelmingly feeling just... unmoved. In one ear, out the other. It's kind of like if I listen to some AOR or the more dull end of pop music. I just don't feel anything at all.

Does any progressive rock band have an actually interesting singer? Gabriel/Collins/Anderson/Stewen Wilson seem like the prototypical models for prog vocalists: Measured, kinda sugary and mostly just not very expressive or interesting.

I'd like to hear some progressive rock that's either actually expressive or musically interesting. So far, it's almost strange to hear all that complex music fly by without anything registering or having any impact at all. This genre is shooting blanks :(

You're focusing too much on the vocals. This isn't pop music.

That said: King Crimson.

No, I'm listening to everything. I just complained about the vocals extra much because I'm noticing some boring tendencies in prog vocalists.

I've obviously still got mountains of things to listen to, so I can't say anything final about even any one band. But I'm definitely leaning towards the opinion that Yes and Genesis can **** right off.

King Crimson don't make their **** available, so that's too bad. I'm resorting to ELO right now instead.

Because they're not the focus. Listen to punk if you want an expressive vocalist.

"We're out of salt, so I'll just use cyanide."

KC is above and beyond. Worth the paranoia of your ISP coming down on you for downloading music.

Like I told you, go listen to Renaissance. I'd make the argument that practically every female singer-songwriter you enjoy, including Kate Bush, can trace their style back to them.

I love King Crimson and Yes and Gentle Giant as much as the next proghead, but you need to start with a band that at least crosses over somewhat into music you already like. Everyone needs a gateway artist.