I Listened to Rolling Stone’s 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time
Prog rock is a seemingly endless genre that can be dense at first but it rewards the diligent listener.
Progressive rock—or prog rock as the cool kids say—is easily my favorite subgenre of rock music. I love how expansive and dense prog rock can be, from the crazy time signatures to the avant-garde compositions, the music never gets old. I’m also a massive fan of doing list challenges. The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums list piqued my interest in doing more musical lists—and Rolling Stone’s 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time list was an obvious choice for me.
History of Prog Rock
Wikipedia defines prog rock as:
A broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom and the United States through the mid-to-late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favor of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music.
Many music critics list King Crimson as the first true prog rock band. The band’s first album In the Court of the Crimson King is a must-listen for any music fan. King Crimson’s founding members consisted of Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, and Peter Sinfield. This lineup wouldn’t last but the founding members would go on to start bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), and Foreigner, as well as influence an entire generation of musicians.
Prog rock would hit its peak popularity between 1971 and 1976. Bands like Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, ELP, Rush, and Yes all had chart-topping albums. But like all good things, it came to an end and most prog rock bands broke up, changed their sounds, or created new bands. Prog rock certainly lives on today, especially within the metal genre. Its lasting impression can be found in modern pop culture.
Quintessential Dad Music
When I was growing up, I always associated prog rock with dad music. We all had that friend—or dad—who would blast Pink Floyd while working in his garage. Maybe he had a cool Roland electric drum kit where he would pretend to be Niel Peart after his kids went to bed.
Either way, this music left an interminable impression on culture. So much so that Pink Floyd currently has three albums in the top 100 selling albums list in the UK. I even heard Wish You Were Here playing in the background of the coffee shop where I’m writing this article. Love prog rock or hate it, I don’t see it going away.
What I Love About Prog Rock
I try to expand my musical horizon as much as possible. I’ll listen to anything. I’m not above any type of music. That doesn’t mean I’ll like it but I have to at least try. I don’t think I’ve ever not loved prog rock. My earliest musical memory was listening to my dad’s Beatles albums at age eight. I remember liking Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band particularly. I know it’s not a prog rock album but it’s definitely proto-prog due to the band’s use of the studio as an instrument. The album has expansive sounds and a cohesive storyline, which became a staple for later prog rock bands.
I am by no means a musical expert or a composer but I am an enthusiast. I love concept albums that tell a story through music and lyrics. The musical composition of top prog rock albums is akin to a classical orchestra. The instrumentation takes the listener to places they’ve never heard. Everything is up for consideration and no detail is left unchecked. If jazz is about improvisation then prog rock is about composition.
My Ranking of the 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums
I followed the same system as I did for the 500 and Bob Dylan lists. I organized the albums in a Google Sheet with each row representing an album with columns for:
Ranking
Year
Album
Band
A Check
My rating (1-5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest)
A review
Unlike the other lists, I listened to the albums from lowest to highest ranking. I wasn’t too concerned with hearing the progression of the sound since I had experienced that with the 500 list.
Album rankings 1-5
Number of 5 albums: 11
Number of 4 albums: 17
Number of 3 albums: 16
Number of 2 albums: 5
Number of 1 albums: 1
I thought 44 out of 50 albums were good. I only found six albums to be below average. Overall, 88% of the albums I listened to I would recommend. Twenty-two percent of the albums were exceptional in my opinion, and 34% were above average.
Favorite Albums by Decade
1960s: King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
1970s: Rush - Hemispheres
1980s: Rush - Moving Pictures
1990s: Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve
2000s: Tool - Lateralus
My 5 Favorite Albums
Rush - Hemispheres
Yes - Fragile
Tool - Lateralus
Genesis - Foxtrot
Rush - Moving Pictures
Overall Takeaway and Impressions of the List
I was excited to listen to the albums on this list. This is a massive win because I didn’t feel this way about the 500 and Bob Dylan lists. To be fair, I had an affinity for prog rock prior to listening to this list, which increased my excitement to hear new bands.
Prior to this list, I had only ever heard Rush’s hits. I had never taken a deep dive into the band’s catalog. Rush quickly became my go-to band. I dismissed Rush for years because I thought Geddy’s vocals were grading. But the more I listened to and studied the band’s music, the more I realized their genius. The members of Rush are perfectionists with their music. What may sound like random notes to the untrained ear, is a complicated arrangement of different keys and time signatures.
I can’t possibly explain why Rush is so great but Rick Beato can. You should watch his breakdown of the band’s hit Limelight on YouTube.
Genesis is another band that deserves mentioning. There’s the Genesis that everyone knows and then there’s the Genesis that the music nerds know. Peter Gabriel-era Genesis is dense and intimidating. Whereas Phil Collins-era Genesis has much more pop sensibility as well as accessibility. Both are great but I’ll pick the Peter Gabriel era every time. The album Foxtrot stands out as the crown jewel for me.
The album's opening track Watcher of the Skies is prog rock at its best. You know a song is good when it has its own Wikipedia article, which states:
The long keyboard introduction crossfades into the main ensemble section, which features a prominent single-note staccato pattern in a 6/4 time signature (reminiscent of the 5/4 rhythmic pattern from "Mars" in Gustav Holst's The Planets suite) played over a pattern of sustained organ chords. Following the vocal sections of the song, there is an unusual polyrhythm part, where the staccato riff changes to 8/4 time, played against a Mellotron/organ chord part in 6/4.
Within the first two minutes of the album starting the listener is confronted with dissonant chords, unique time signatures, and a polyrhythm. Genesis played this song frequently during its live sets. Peter Gabriel would wear a multicolored cape, bat wings, and UV makeup. What’s more prog rock than that? Maybe a caped Rick Wakeman playing multiple keyboards?!
In short, Genesis is worth digging into, especially if you only know the hits.
I’m not going to get into Pink Floyd since almost everybody is familiar with their music. They’re iconic for a reason and deserve all of the accolades. I just think a lot of other great bands get overlooked because of the shadow Pink Floyd casts on the genre.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Yes. If Pink Floyd is the introduction into prog rock for most people then Yes is the band that expands your perception of what prog rock can do. I was familiar with Yes thanks to their 1983 hit Owner of a Lonely Heart. However great that song is, it’s a pop song with prog rock undertones. Fragile is the album that got me into Yes.
I first listened to Fragile in college as part of a history of rock and roll course I took. This album was by far my favorite thing I listened to all semester. The band used classical compositions to create a unique prog rock album. They literally took extracts from Brahms’ 4th Symphony for one track. The intro track Roundabout is a classic in its own right.
What really sold me on Yes was the tone of Chris Squire’s Rickenbacker bass guitar. Being a bass player, I naturally gravitate to the instrument whenever I hear it. His tone and playing style drove the band’s songs forward. His tone was so iconic that Geddy Lee played a Rickenbacker on Rush’s first seven albums. Squire’s influence is undeniable.
Prog rock is a seemingly endless genre that can be dense at first but it rewards the diligent listener. If you’re interested in listening to prog rock then check out my list and reviews.
As always, I appreciate your attention.