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I'm not going to deny that there was a lot of great prog in the 80's, but I'm sure the best two years of the 70's had more prog rock albums that we could consider to be masterpieces than the entirety of the 80's.
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Well yeah, I would probably concede that. Prog has certainly changed over the decades, but there was also a lot about the 70s I didn't like that I do about the 80s, particularly the willingness to move away from too-esoteric lyrics and take on some more political/current subjects. Look at Pallas's "The Ripper" or Twelfth Night's "We are Sane" or even "Creepshow". Can't really see a 70s prog band writing those.
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Album 920
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...n_Equation.jpg Ayreon - The Human Equation Year: 2004 A concept album/rock opera about a man trapped in his own mind in a coma reliving his life. Featuring a brilliant cast of characters such as Mikael Åkerfelt playing Fear, James LaBrie playing Me and Devin Townsend playing Rage. Deliciously cheesy and an amazing journey on each listen this is definitely up there as one of my personal favourite albums. Ayreon as a whole ties together their albums in a form of over-arching concept as well, but for now just pop on The Human Equation and get yourself immersed. This is one where for the first listen you should be paying attention to the story. This album is definitely divisive, maybe not for the metal fan who takes himself to seriously. 3 Choice Tracks: Day Two: Isolation, Day Eleven: Love, Day Sixteen: Loser |
I've listened to a lot of Ayreon, but really find them quite hard to get into. I can never remember a single song. Human Equation? Into the Castle? Accelerator? See - I can't even remember the names of the albums, and I've listened to many of them. I see them as a kind of Dream Theater, all flash and bang but nothing memorable. Well, that's not quite true: "Hollow Years" stuck in my memory, and there might be one other. But nothing from Aryeon. I get the feeling of a kind of vanity thing, though I could be wrong there. Maybe it's the idea, as you say, of an overarching concept across several albums.
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I consistently get songs from the Human Equation stuck in my head, even if I haven't heard the album for years. Find myself singing "Do it right, do it right, we ain't got all night,Do it now, do it now, I think you know how" every time I need to stop taking a break and getting back to work.
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I never got into Aryeon but I find this picture of Arjen Anthony Lucassen on the home page of ProgArchives to be really wholesome, it always makes me smile, c'mon, just look at it.
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Album 919
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...80%99_Else.jpg Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else Year: 1958 Nat's brother Cannonball Adderley is joined here by Miles Davis in one of his few appearances not as a band leader as they effortlessly trade solos throughout. At the time Cannonball was playing with Miles and his influence is all over this record. A nice way for me to cheat in a second Miles Davis album really. But seriously this recording just flows so well, opening up with my favourite rendition of Autumn Leaves it just grabs you and won't let go until you get startled by Davis gruffly asking "is that what you wanted Alfred?" at the end of One for Daddy-O, just in time to ease yourself out with Dancing In the Dark. Art Blakey also returns here in this list, having played on Monk's Music , and keeps the whole thing together brilliantly. If you haven't given Hard Bop a try yet, this is your reminder to. 3 Choice Tracks: Autumn Leaves, Love For Sale, One For Daddy-O |
Album 918
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Sanders%29.jpg Pharoah Sanders - Karma Year: 1969 This album makes you let your guard down with calming familiarity before melting your face off and then has the gall to talk about all the pretty colours while you're still reeling. 10/10 would get face melted off again. 3 Choice Tracks: There's two |
Album 917
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rIllusion1.jpg Guns n' Roses - Use Your Illusion I Year: 1991 Coma will forever be one of the greatest rock songs of the 90's. This album perfectly captures the beginning of the end of pure hard rock's mainstream appeal. By this point GNR (or more correctly Axl Rose) thought they were hot **** and could do no wrong, despite all the internal strife in the band but are only saved here and in II by Slash. I will forever love Guns n' Roses, have all their songs (from the four real albums) in my random playlist that plays when I have forgotten to queue an actual album, but the only reason this even gets a consideration for this list is Coma. 3 Choice Tracks: Coma, November Rain, Don't Cry |
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