PROG Awards and PROG Magazine Video [Part 1?]

So to follow up my sharing of the stream of the 5th Annual PROG awards from a few days ago, I have meant to make an actual video about PROG Magazine and the Awards show.

And truth be, I didn't have down a laundry list of names to bring up on a dime like I would, which is why I may actually make another video or 2 about this hyperbole soon.

That being said, the jist of my rant is in there and supports my feelings about PROG magazine and the Awards.

Perhaps on the next 1, I will try and include some props aka the magazines, etc.

5th Annual PROG Awards...KEVIN GILBERT STILL MIA (magazine+awards)

https://www.facebook.com/prog/?fref=ts

You can watch the annual award show that happened last evening in the UK there. It's a little over 90 minutes.

I've spilled my 2 or 2-million cents about it in here before, although I often just offer my criticism of it and mean-to but never actually choose my own "Award Winners" etc.

And not unlike those previous unfulfilled writings, I don't have the time right now to do the same. And I may not in here, but I may consider making a video soon just about them and the magazine in general. It's maybe overdue.

I guess we'll see, I have a wedding I'm still a slave-to, over the next 3 weeks. And then I have other responsibilities, but if I don't find the time to do that before, maybe then. 

I do find it odd, and almost enlightening that both Trevor Horn/The Buggles and of all people, Andy Summers were there. That's a bit of a breath of fresh air, however, they do fit their consistency of being British still.

Kevin Gilbert? has PROG ever even mentioned him once?..and I'm not giving the Italian version that Lorzeno from altprogcore featured him. I'm talking about in their actual magazine. I'd be surprised.

PROG Magazine Top 100 Prog Artists of All-Time (per Subscribers Votes I guess)

I saw this list on progressiveears.com here
yesterday. And while there are countless amounts of lists on many sites and magazines, for whatever reason, readers, including people into progressive rock, gravitate towards them. I'll confess, I do enjoy looking at them and then criticizing them.

Given my lunch break is about up, I don't have the time right now to write-out a detailed commentary and give what I would include instead, or makeup my own, lol.

Maybe/probably later time permitting..

1-Yes
2-Genesis
3-Pink Floyd
4-King Crimson
5-Rush
6-Marillion
7-Jethro Tull
8-Steven Wilson
9-ELP
10-Gentle Giant
11-Dream Theater
12-Camel
13-Vander Graaf Generator
14-Cardiacs
15-Porcupine Tree
16-Opeth
17-Peter Gabriel
18-Frank Zappa
19-Transatlantic
20-Kansas
21-Kate Bush
22-Anathema
23-Tool
24-Big Big Train
25-Hawkwind
26-Gong
27-Renaissance
28-Steve Hackett
29-Spocks Beard
30-Moody Blues
31-Soft Machine
32-Riverside
33-Flower Kings
34-Caravan
35-Focus
36-IQ
37-Neal Morse
38-Thinking Plague
39-Magma
40-Gryphon
41-Haken
42-The Enid
43-Henry Cow
44-Mike Oldfield
45-Pain Of Salvation
46-Supertramp
47-UK
48-Brian Eno
49-Pendragon
50-PFM
51-Robert Fripp
52-Alan Parsons Project
53-Peter Hammill
54-Rick Wakeman
55-Arjen Lucassen
56-Mahavishnu Orchestra
57-Mastadon
58-Nektar
59-Roger Waters
60-Fish
61-Muse
62-Tangerine Dream
63-The Nice
64-Anglagard
65-Arena
66-Eloy
67-Enchant
68-Oceansize
69-Saga
70-Strawbs
71-The Mars Volta
72-Anekdoten
73-Ayreon
74-Devin Townsend
75-Knifeworld
76-Steve Hogarth
77-The Plastic People Of The Universe
78-Mostly Autumn
79-Sigur Ros
80-The Beatles
81-Asia
82-Grpbschnitt
83-Haze
84-Magenta
85-Ne Obliviscaris
86-Public Service Broadcasting
87-Robert Wyatt
88-Sanguine Hum
89-William D Drake
90-Can
91-Dave Stewart
92-Frost*
93-Galleon
94-Grateful Dead
95-It Bites
96-Ian Anderson
97-Pallas
98-Queensryche
99-And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
100-Amon Duul II

Rolling Stone Magazine: Top 50 Progressive Rock Albums

Not a bad list actually. Rolling Stone magazine of course just this past week/coming week? put Rush on its cover for the 1st time, some 41 years after their debut album, lol.

And of course Rolling Stone magazine, a source of media I would include as the original anti-prog rock source which later went to MTV and then things like Pitchfork Media, has now decided to make a Top "Prog" list.

Although this is the website and I suppose RS in the last 10 years, online I suppose, has included a decent amount on prog rock.

As far as this list, I suppose seeing many albums on here were to be expected like the Floyd records and some of the more obvious Genesis and Yes selections.  But Ruins or Harmonium? I honestly don't recall hearing before. And some of the more obscure groups like Banco, Carmen, Triumvirtat, FM, or Crack the Sky. Even some of the more space-rock or kraut? titles like  Tangerine Dream or Amon Duul?

That Can album I have never heard, and it went that high?

Gentle Giant, PFM, Happy the Man, Caravan, Magma, Gong, Strawbs, etc I do know loosely

ELO and Supertramp of course too, although I'm guilty to not have spent time with those albums in-depth, but just some of their singles.

U.K. and especially that The Soft Machine album I definitely have no issue with being here.

And then they threw some modern stuff including some prog metal from Meshuggah, Tool, Dream Theater and The Mars Volta.

Porcupine Tree and Marillion even showed up once.

Of course in both of their cases, I'd have picked other titles. Clutching though is among my favorites and while Misplaced Childhood I would put higher for influence, CaS I actually would go with 1st among the Fish records. However, I'd take Brave over both of course.

How does this compare with PROG Magazine's Top 100 Readers-Voted List?
It isn't as long of course, but in terms of obscure groups, it might actually be better.
Would MY list have other bands and titles from said bands? of course. But given RS's past reputation with Progressive Rock, it actually is relatively refreshing to a see a list with as many more obscure groups as it does.




Article

50 Happy the Man - Happy the Man (1977)
49 Ruins - Hyderomastgroningem (1995)
48 FM - Black Noise (1977)

47 Crack the Sky - Crack the Sky (1975)

46 Carmen - Fandangos in Space (1973)

45 Triumvirat - Illusions on a Double Dimple (1973)

44 Strawbs - Hero and Heroine (1974)

43 Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado (1974)

42 Meshuggah, - Destroy Erase Improve (1995)

41 Amon Düül II - Yeti (1970)

40 The Soft Machine - Third (1970)

39 Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)

38 Gong - You (1974)

37 Marillion - Clutching at Straws (1987)

36 Harmonium - Si On Avait Besoin D'Une Cinquieme (1975)

35 Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso - Io Sono Nato Libero (1973)

34 Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink (1971)

33 Tool - Lateralus (2001)

32 Kansas - Leftoverture (1976)

31 Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning (1973)

30 U.K. - U.K. (1978)

29 Dream Theater - Metropolis 2: Scenes From a Memory (1999)

28 Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)

27 Supertramp - Crime of the Century (1974)
26 Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts (1971)

25 The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)

24 Magma - Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh (1973)

23 Tangerine Dream - Phaedra (1974)

22 Rush - 2112 (1976)

21 Camel - Mirage (1974)

20 King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)

19 PFM - Per un Amico (1972)

18 Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - One Size Fits All (1975)

17 Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973)

16 Gentle Giant - Octopus (1972)

15 King Crimson - Red (1974)

14 Genesis - Foxtrot (1972)

13 Pink Floyd - Animals (1977)

12 Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (1973)

11 Rush - Hemispheres (1978)

10 Yes - Fragile (1971)

9 Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)

8 Can - Future Days (1973)

7 Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick (1972)

6 Genesis - Selling England by the Pound (1973)

5 Yes - Close to the Edge (1972)

4 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)

3 Rush - Moving Pictures (1981)

2 King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)

1 Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

PROG magazine's top 100 "Prog" albums issue coming

8/8/14 12:03PM-11:52PM

Okay, so the below list is sort of a prediction, which many of which I was correct about, and many not of course.

What I meant to earlier, is sort include something about this kind of poll and the "PROG" magazine in general.

I struggle with making a list like this, naturally trying to rank albums I love one over another, etc. But this poll is about "prog" specifically, so as my email states, the albums I voted for in my top 10 were hardly my favorite 10 albums of all-time exactly, or even my favorites from said bands entirely (although a number of them are I suppose, if I had to decide).

But I would wonder what the readers of "PROG" would vote for, and how different it is. Why i say that, is while their readers do love and favor "prog" over other styles of music, I'm sure many enjoy bands who did progressive music, but may not exactly be doing "prog" as their only emphasis. 

I'm thinking stuff like The Beach Boys Pet Sounds or Smile, many of The Beatles albums, or more modern music like from people like Muse, Radiohead or even U2. Ours in my case, etc..or Jellyfish, Faith No More, XTC and so many others.

Unfortunately with "PROG" magazine, while they do or at least are intended to serve a certain niche audience, and do to a point as they have been able to be successful for what, 5 or more years? they have frequently, if not almost always had a HEAVY BRITISH and EUROPEAN BIAS. I guess with my taste, interest I notice how they will talk about bands like Muse, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson and even Pure Reason Revolution and Oceansize (I think), and yet have not really talked about some of those bands contemporaries outside of the UK really.

dredg? Fair to Midland? Kaddisfly? even The Dear Hunter I don't recall ever receiving mention. 

Coheed and Cambria have, as well as Mastodon and Tool I recall, but those names are so big, I suppose they don't have much choice.

I suppose if a American/North American version/counterpart were printed, they might include more focus on those American prog bands, and maybe not as much on the European prog scene (per say). But, then again, I would be surprised if not shocked if an American version of PROG could even sell; which might suggest blogs like my own and some others are that version.

So, that is kind of my take on their magazine, at least a few years ago. I don't buy it or religiously try and find it at the bookstore like I once did, so maybe they have improved some, with their coverage outside of their home continent.

And the results posted below my predictions, are pretty predictable with the big 5 bands pretty well represented. Dream Theater and Marillion as well.

Fear of a Blank Planet and even the Steven Wilson solo albums? meh..even The Incident is surprising to see on there, as there are other albums, even from PT's catalog that make more sense.

And Storm Corrosion?..mmkay, that might be the most shocking. Distorted Lullabies or Spilt Milk make a lot more sense to me when voting for "prog"..lol.

Raven being at #9? while it is a good album, I would guess in 10 years or more, when people make a list like this again, it won't rank nearly that high. Even Weather Systems from Anathema, I think has become a little overly praised, or, at least how much more praise it receives than We're Here, Because We're Here, etc.

I guess this poll, like some of the Watchmojo.com Lists results, reflect the recent history/tastes and times, and are voted on by a lot of kids. Because to not find Fates Warning on this list, or Kevin Gilbert among many others, and see bands like Haken on here..doesn't seem totally accurate. Or no Soft Machine..I guess they come across too jazzy. For that matter, no Fusion really from RTF to Mahavishnu to Metheny, I guess aren't "prog" enough, which again goes back to my original point of having people vote for their favorite albums, not necessarily their favorite purely "prog" albums.. Although with Storm Corrosion, I suppose may not have.

MY INCOMPLETE PREDICTION LIST

Yes (5)
Close to the Edge
Fragile
Relayer
Tales From Topograpic Oceans
The Yes Album

Genesis (5)
Selling England
Foxtrot
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Trick of the Tail
Nursery Cryme

Rush (6)
Hemispheres
2112
Moving Pictures
A Farewell to Kings
Permanent Waves
Caress of Steel

Emerson Lake and Palmer (3)
Tarkus
Brain Salad Surgery
Trilogy

King Crimson (5) 
In the Court of the Crimson King
Red
Lark's Tongue in Aspic
Wake of Poseidon
Starless and Bible Black

Pink Floyd (4)
Animals
Dark Side of the Moon
Wish You Were Here
The Wall

Jethro Tull (3)
Thick as a Brick
Aqualung
A Passion Play

Marillion (4)
Misplaced Childhood
Clutching at Straws
Brave
Marbles

Dream Theater (4)
Images and Words
Scenes From a Memory
Awake
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Porcupine Tree (4)
Fear of a Blank Planet
In Abenstia
Deadwing
The Sky Moves Sideways

Steven Wilson (2)
The Raven that Refused to Sing
Grace for Drowning

Storm Corrosion (1)

Gentle Giant (2)
Octopus
Free Hand

Camel (3)
Mirage
The Snow Goose
Moonmadness

Opeth (4)
Ghost Reveries
Blackwater Park
Deliverance
Still Life

Pain of Salvation (2)
Remedy Lane
The Perfect Element I

The Mars Volta (2)
Frances the Mute
DeLoused in the Comatorium

Transatlantic (2)
Bridge Across Forever
SMPTe

Spock's Beard (3)
The Light
Snow
V

PFM (1)
Per Un Amico

Tool (1)
Lateralus

Mastodon (3)
Crack the Skye
Blood Mountain
Leviathan

Radiohead (1)
OK Cumputer

Muse (1)
Absolution

Coheed and Cambria (2)
Good Apollo 1
In Keeping Secrets

UK (1)
U.K.

Return Forever (1)
Romantic Warrior

Mahavishnu orchestra (1)
Inner Mounting Flame

Gryphon (1)
Red Queen to Gryphon Three

Caravan (1)
In the Land of Gray and Pink

Nektar (1)
Remember the Future

IQ (3)
Subterranea
Dark Matter
The Wake

Happy the Man (1)
Crafty Hands

Jon Anderson (1)
Olias of Sunnhillow

Chris Squire (1)
Fish out of Water

Echolyn (2)
As the World
Mei

The Flower Kings (2)
Stardust We Are
Unfold the Future

Mike Oldfield (1)
Tubular Bells

Between the Buried and Me (3)
Colors
The Great Misdirect
Parallax II

Oceansize (1)
Frames

Pure Reason Revolution (1)
The Dark Third

Fates Warning (4)
A Pleasant Shade of Gray
Perfect Symmetry
Disconnected
No Exit

Queensryche (3)
Operation Mindcrime
Promised Land
Rage for Order

Renaissance (2)
Songs From Scherazade
Ashes are Burning

The Dear Hunter (1)
Act II: The Meaning of and All Things Regarding Ms.Leading

Liquid Tension Experiment (2)
LTE 
LTE II

Soft Machine (2)
Third
The Soft Machine

Hawkwind (1)
Doremi Fasol Latido

Gong (1)
Flying Teapot

Karnivool (1)
Sound Awake

Wishbone Ash (1)
Argus

Steve Hackett (1)
Voyage of the Acolyte

Queen (1)
A Night at the Opera

King's X (1)
Gretchen Goes to Nebraska

Faith No More (1)
Angel Dust

Kansas (1)
Leftoverture

Beardfish
Big Big Train
Frank Zappa
Ayreon
OSI?
Shadow Gallery
Enchant
Savatage

Alright, I need to do said write up, and I actually may include my PREDICTIONS I was making not long after posting this, on Tuesday night. But for now, since it was shared online, here's the results apparently. I'd like to see the albums that were close to but not making it.

No Fates Warning, no Soft Machine, only 1 The Mars Volta and 1 Pain of Salvation and only 1 Spock's Beard. No The Flower Kings. No Hawkwind and many others.

******RESULTS: SPOILERS BELOW**********

1. Close To The Edge – Yes
2. In The Court of the Crimson King – King Crimson
3. Selling England By The Pound – Genesis
4. Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
5. Thick As A Brick – Jethro Tull
6. Foxtrot – Genesis
7. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
8. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway – Genesis
9. The Raven Who Refused To Sing – Steven Wilson
10. Fragile – Yes
11. Brain Salad Surgery – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
12. Red – King Crimson
13. Moving Pictures – Rush
14. Animals – Pink Floyd
15. 2112 – Rush
16. The Wall – Pink Floyd
17. Scenes From A Memory – Dream Theater
18. Fear of a Blank Planet – Porcupine Tree
19. Relayer – Yes
20. Misplaced Childhood – Marillion
21. A Trick of the Tail – Genesis
22. Tales from Topographic Oceans – Yes
23. Hemispheres – Rush
24. Pawn Hearts – Van Der Graaf Generator
25. Images and Words – Dream Theater
26. Going for the One – Yes
27. Deadwing – Porcupine Tree
28. Tarkus – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
29. Brave – Marillion
30. Larks Tongues In Aspic – King Crimson
31. The Snow Goose – Camel
32. The Yes Album – Yes
33. Lateralus – Tool
34. Bridge Across Forever – Transatlantic
35. In the Land of Pink and Grey – Caravan
36. Blackwater Park – Opeth
37. Meddle – Pink Floyd
38. English Electric – Big Big Train
39. The Whirlwind – Transatlantic
40. Script for a Jester’s Tear – Marillion
41. Nursery Cryme – Genesis
42. Trilogy – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
43. Aqualung – Jethro Tull
44. Wind and Wuthering – Genesis
45. Colours – Between The Buried and Me
46. Ghost Reveries – Opeth
47. Clutching at Straws – Marillion
48. The Incident – Porcupine Tree
49. A Passion Play – Jethro Tull
50. Grace for Drowning – Steven Wilson
51. Mirage – Camel
52. Marbles – Marillion
53. A Farewell to Kings – Rush
54. The Mountain – Haken
55. Journey to the Centre of the Earth – Rick Wakeman
56. Acquiring the Taste – Gentle Giant
57. Crack the Skye – Mastodon
58. Moonmadness – Camel
59. Weather Systems – Anathema
60. Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield
61. De-loused in the Crematorium – The Mars Volta
62. Aenima – Tool
63. The Parallax II – Between The Buried and Me
64. Operation Mindcrime – Queensryche
65. Octopus – Gentle Giant
66. In Absentia – Porcupine Tree
67. Insurgentes – Steven Wilson
68. Rock Bottom – Robert Wyatt
69. Permanent Waves – Rush
70. Discipline – King Crimson
71. Atom Heart Mother – Pink Floyd
72. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
73. Godbluff – Van Der Graaf Generator
74. Hot Rats – Frank Zappa
75. Free Hand – Gentle Giant
76. Songs from the Wood – Jethro Tull
77. Crime of the Century – Supertramp
78. Still Life – Opeth
79. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
80. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence – Dream Theater
81. Leftoverture – Kansas
82. Subterannea – IQ
83. Still Life – Van Der Graaf Generator
84. Remedy Lane – Pain of Salvation
85. UK – UK
86. Six – Mansun
87. OK Computer – Radiohead
88. Snow – Spock's Beard
89. Awake – Dream Theater
90. Afraid of Sunlight – Marillion
91. Damnation – Opeth
92. The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth – Rick Wakeman
93. Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
94. War of the Worlds – Jeff Wayne
95. To Our Children’s Children’s Children – The Moody Blues
96. Lizard – King Crimson
97. Voyage of the Acolyte – Steve Hackett
98. Tago Mago – Can
99. Moving Waves – Focus

100. Drama - Yes

8/5/14 12:08PM

This whole idea/process warrants more elaboration from myself, but my lunch break doesn't allow enough time to do so, so for now I will just share my submission/vote and the email I sent and the Cover of the issue coming rather soon to subscribers, bookstores, readers, etc. If I recall, it'll be out in Europe this month, but maybe not until September or later in North America.

Also I'll try and add-in every album visually represented on the cover later as on mp.com nearly all of them were mentioned (most of which I noticed, but I'll admit, not all).

1. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick

2. Rush - Hemispheres

3. Genesis - Foxtrot

4. Yes - Relayer

5. Marillion - Misplaced Childhood

6. Dream Theater - Images and Words

7. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray

8. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element I

9. Marillion - Brave

10. Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True

note: these are more or less in order of my favorites IN REGARDS to also being "Prog," and somewhat in their importance and influence in my taste as well as others (in other words, Dream Theater for example, I don't consider Images and Words my favorite, but rather my favorite with their emphasis on "Prog.")

Also, of course in making a favorite albums list overall, I am not including some, namely Apes and Androids's "Blood Moon" or dredg's "El Cielo" which I guess I don't consider as emphasizing "Prog" enough to vote for this list.

Suggestion: Maybe do another poll at some point, where people vote for their favorite albums of all-time, REGARDLESS of genre/style etc. Sort of a "Top 100 Albums from READERS OF PROG MAGAZINE," etc..it could turn out more different than this poll, than many might think.

thanks,

--Kyle aka "allmediareviews blog owner"

Classic Rock Presents PROG: Prog Awards

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19492677

I'm not entirely sure why I'm passing this along, but I suppose the biggest reason is to give my take on these so-called "Prog" Awards.

#1 At the end of the day, what are they? Awards, and for a pretty obscure magazine that frankly, caters almost universally to what is in the UK and Europe. Understandably to a point given most of the early history of "Prog" or "progressive rock" was based in England. But that only flys to a point.

These are basically the equivalent to Cable Ace, Saturn or any other obscure Awards that more or less nobody will remember (if they even ever hear about them to begin with).

But even for what they are worth, "Prog" magazine, if they really wanted to cover "progressive" music, music that is pushing boundaries or at least of value that does pay homage (and not pure tribute/3rd rate clone-music), they would open up the boundaries of the content of their magazine. Beyond UK and Europe, and beyond just "rock" in general. In other words, they'd cover ethnic music, extreme metal (and the bevy of it's sub/sub-subgenres when they are actually not derivative), power-pop, jazz, post-rock, soul, folk, bluegrass, and the plethora of other genres I'm not even thinking of at the moment.

They'd cover bands that are popular among progressive rock fans ONLINE.

for example, dredg. Have they ever mentioned them ONCE in their magazine? I doubt it.

Ne Obliviscaris? I'd love to be wrong, but I'd be shocked.

Pepe Deluxe?..uh, maybe in some dream that was in a parallel dimension.

Even The Dear Hunter or The River Empires, etc etc

I guess what I'm saying is "Prog" magazine and their Prog Awards =/= AllMediaReviews Approval.

I do find these kinds of awards a bit silly and pointless, but it does have me think, maybe I could briefly post in their categories, with my own nominations an equivalent. I.e. IF I WERE PICKING THE NOMINEES/WINNERS.

Not now, and I'll admit to being totally backed up on a lot of stuff in here like Early Ghost, Everything Everything, Between the Buried and Me, Muse and more. But maybe if time does come my way, I'll try and throw up my own version of the "Prog" awards, and maybe add in 1 or 2 of my own categories like best Vinyl issue/reissue or something.