Ranking Shark's Musical Taste: unveiling the tip of the iceberg of his colossal library
With Understanding comes Appreciation
Hi guys, in case you haven't noticed, there’s a reason I’m dedicating a whole page of my blog to this publication; this is an artisanal and state-of-the-art issue that has taken me literally my whole life to put it together, so yes, this goes beyond sharing just another stupid and simple ranking as plenty published out there even by the so called "prestigious media," because my primary aim is to share you and meet the following goals:
1. To share you what I call "My Gods" in music. It’s interesting, especially after doing this post, because they share the same attributes, I appreciate the most from an artist. They are prolific in the strictest sense of the definition. They share a similar work ethic and uncompromising talent; they always pushed the boundaries in music. While their music is considered for most listeners as an acquired taste, once you "get hooked" by their genius, your approach to music will change forever; you inevitably will start seeing everything else kind of primitive and rudimentary —technically speaking and based on music theory. They were always surrounded in both stage and studio by high-caliber and insanely talented musicians. They covered a lot of ground in music while stretching and (arguably) giving birth to several today's music styles. I could go on and on, but I don’t want to screw this up, so I’ll let you figure it out by yourselves in case you want to give them a try. For instance, I recommend you to listen to their top 10 albums I'm ranking, and eventually to the playlists I assembled of each God. Each playlist includes the entire official catalog of each God available for streaming on Apple Music (Why Apple Music?) The latter will save you days if not weeks to put them together since as you'll figure it out, their discographies are tremendously huge, and plenty of albums are not easy to find regardless the streaming platform. I also encourage you to go deep and learn more about their music and career on my Shark's Gods in Music post, dedicated exclusively to the Gods.
2. To rank my musical taste. On this post, I’m attempting to rank my favorite artists and their top 10 albums —when applies, some artists haven't even released 5 records and/or I consider they deserve to make my rankings. While I’m assembling an overall ranking of my fav artists, I'm also ranking the artists by music style. The latter could make more sense for some people because it would be comparing "apples with apples," plus it might be very helpful; say you are more inclined to a specific music style like experimental/art rock and/or maybe you want to explore new territories in music like jazz fusion, but beyond the rankings that might be meaningless for some people, by doing this, my ultimate goal here is to share you some artists and music you might never listened before, while trying to expand your musical taste in some degree. This might help you explore new territories in music; so if somehow this work ignites your appetite to seek brand new avenues in this marvelous art, all the passion put here will worth every second spent, trust me. There’s no way we let this superb and beautiful music keep in oblivion, right? After all, this was the main reason I started this blog in the first place — to unveil the beauty of challenging music. I also highly recommend you read the reviews I have posted at this corner of the web of some of the albums I’m presenting below. My insights might help you understand and appreciate the artists suggested here bit better.
3. To share you some great compilations and albums by some artists who are not necessary at my top of my book, but can’t be missed. Those definitely enrich and complement pretty well my musical taste.
4. To share you some superb under-the-radar songs to round my whole selection.
5. To share you public digital playlists of everything presented here. These playlists consider all the artists and albums of each ranking, so if you like what I’m displaying here, the playlists alone will worth the whole thing. Trust me, they took me weeks if not months to assemble them.
... so grab a cigar and a glass of scotch, and put yourself comfortable since there’s a lot to explore, disseminate and digest here.
For any question or suggestion, do not hesitate to contact me.
Music is the best. Enjoy it!
Background: how was this cooked?
First things first. Music has always been a great hobby and passion in my life to the point, that I take the subject kind of seriously when a respectful, open-minded, well-documented and high-level discussion/debate starts. Back in early 80’s when I was a kid, I was hugely influenced by the music my parents used to listen to. They mainly used to play classic rock of the sixties and seventies (The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Grand Funk Railroad, The Eagles, Chicago, Bob Dylan, Carole King, Santana, John Mayall, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Supertramp, Elton John, Queen, etc.) and from there I began to explore all kind of avenues not only in the pop/rock realm but in the avant-garde, jazz and even the classical world. At this point of my life, I’d rather listen to challenging, experimental, elaborated, cerebral, complex, uncompromising, sophisticated and refined music, which unlike most people I find it very appealing, fascinating and beautiful. Technically speaking, I love music which sports dissonance sounds, counterpointing melodic lines, atonal/polytonal harmonies, odd time signatures, complex polyrhythms and weird accent notations through the percussions, and all the bizarre and unearthly technical features in music you can imagine in its composition. While I listen to almost all kind of genres, these days I’d rather listen to music styles that offer the latter, i.e. Avant-Garde, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Experimental, Jazz Fusion, Guitar Virtuoso, Modern Composition, XX Classical Music, Metal and most of their branches. Why? I guess my musical taste has evolved throughout my life and this is the current product.
Tip 1: If you are not familiar with the music styles mentioned above, their definitions and offshoots, I recommend you to learn more in the following document I gladly prepared for you.
As Frank Zappa, John Zorn, Thelonious Monk, Sun Ra, Miles Davis and other genius composers, I'm also a self-taught of music theory, and while way far at their level of knowledge, I have developed a basic acumen of the technical stuff, which has helped me a lot to get into it, and love this kind of music each day more and more; i.e. just the opposite to what mainstream and commercial music typically offer. Add to the equation that only high-caliber and virtuoso musicians can perform this kind of music properly, makes it even more interesting, intriguing, appealing and fascinating. Yes, this is an acquired taste thing for most people but remember, everything in life which is an acquired taste regardless the subject worth at least the try. Also, it’s worth to mention, that the artwork covers, booklets and packaging of these albums (often) are very creative, stunning and luxurious, a perfect match for the pristine music offered by the artists. Unfortunately, most of the albums of these music styles are at times expensive and/or hard to find, especially in Vinyl and even in CDs...
Digital Era: lossless & remastered music
... but guess what? These days almost everything I'm about to share here is available in most streaming platforms in lossless resolutions and several in remastered versions, so I thought that in addition of sharing my rankings, it was worth to take advantage of our today's advanced digital era, and assemble a digital playlist of the tip of the iceberg of my library, which attempts to include my essential/favorite artists and their best albums that I’ve been listening throughout my life, and based on my musical taste that I’ve been developing and acquiring through years. Yeah, it literally took me my whole life not only to do the listening, but to do the research by reading tons of reviews of each artist/album to understand and appreciate each one better and select what I finally consider la crème de la crème of my library. This is why I baptized the playlist as Shark's Ultimate Music Research Playlist.
While my digital library is over 100,000 songs, this playlist represents approximately only the 30%, so you won’t get tired of listening to the same thing over and over again, because it contains thousands of songs, considers several styles of music & moods, and different eras in time. As I said, I ranked the artists and their albums in the order of my preference, so maybe we are going to agree to disagree in some cases and that’s fine. The least of my purpose here is to change your core musical preference, but to share you some gems that you might never listened before, while increasing your range of musical taste in some degree. If I meet the latter, I'll call it a day!
Yes, Frank Zappa is my fav musician and at the same time my fav music style of all time (he plays in a league of his own), and IMHO no artist no named John Zorn (Avant-Garde God), comes close to this one-of-a-kind genius in popular music and even the classical world; heck these guys were always ahead of their time by pushing the boundaries of music without commercial commitments. I left a lot of great artists/bands behind in the selection process, but I’m always open and humble to reconsider or to new suggestions to add to the rankings great music, but remember, the selection didn't and won’t be taken lightly by any means based on my musical taste.
While most of the music gathered here is complex, challenging and cerebral, I'm also including some great mainstream artists who have helped me develop my current musical taste. Some of them are considered as the greatest of all-time mainly in popular music —The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Prince, etc. As I said, I’m including some great albums, compilations and songs as well by some artists who are not necessary at my top of my book, nevertheless they round well my objective, which is to present what I consider the very best of my library. I’m also sharing a brief Bio of each artist in case you are not familiar with someone and/or you want to explore new territories in music. The milestones of each ranking were also added in the description of the playlists on Apple Music. Again, the rankings hence the playlists will be updated if I find out a new artist/album that deserves to be considered, so I encourage you to follow this post and subscribe to my blog to stay tuned. This is a living thing by definition.
You will be able to sort the playlists in the order of your preference to listen to them —year, artist, genre, album, etc.— Once in the playlist, just tape in the search button of the app what you are looking for and voilà! but if you ask me, I highly recommend you to shuffle it, because you will never know what is coming (unless you see at the queued list), while you might be sporadically taken by surprised (with joy), by some gems you might never listened before or haven’t listened for a while —i.e. like radio stations do but without commercials. Also, if you share the same musical taste presented here or find it interesting to explore, you can add them to your library by pushing the (+) button on the App. Trust me, it will save you weeks if not months of manual assembling.
The playlists are only available on Apple Music (you can transfer them through playlist-transfer platforms like soundizz.com though), because it is the only music streaming platform that has some unique features that allows you manage and organize your digital music and library in very cool ways.
Audiophile Devices: take your listening experience to another level!
Regarding the audio devices, if you have a DAC (digital to analogue converter), you will enjoy and appreciate this music way better, since you will be able to unfold the lossless resolutions offered on most streaming platforms. Remember, a lot is going on regarding the musicianship and soundstage especially in this kind of music (the music styles I mentioned above, and artists shown below), so you don’t want to miss a single note/instrument, do you?
Tip2: Regarding Apple's music at Dolby Atmos, it can be unfolded by its Apple’s IEMs and Headphones without a DAC —AirPod Pro and AirPod Max.
For instance, I use a FiiO BTR7 DAC which drives a Yanyin Canon IEM set through its 4.4 mm balanced output. I also use a 21-core cable of 2 pins. This DAC is capable to unfold up to PCM/MQA/LDAC/aptX HD 384K/32Bit DSD256 resolutions without a problem. I really recommend these IEMs. It features the following: 1 Dynamic + 4 Balanced Armature HiFi Hybrid Earphones, High Quality Single Crystal Copper Silver-Plated Cable, 3 Tuning Switches, Changeable Collocation, Medical Resin Shell, Ergonomic Design, and Professional Crossover Technology. I recommend setting its switches at 0-I-0, trust me, you won't need more bass, but again, it's up to you. Also, at its 350 USD price-tag, you won't notice the difference from other IEMs that even triplicate its price. To really upgrade your listening experience, you gotta go to the 1,500 USD segment and yet this set won’t let you down. Do your own due diligence though. It’s worth to mention that this audio configuration (DAC, IEM and Cable) won’t cost you more than 500 USD and you will likely listen to details, textures and nuances that you might never listened before —If you don’t consider yourself an audiophile of course. Man, I also still use my old 2009 Macbook Pro and Motu Ultralite mk3 audio interface combo which drives my set of Cerwin Vega Speakers (4 CVA-28 and 1 CVA-118). It's unbelievable that this audio interface is still able to unfold today's 192 Khz sample sizes thanks to its (then) state-of-the-art DAC chips. The music still sounds pretty cool and detailed especially regarding the soundstage through this set.
Said that, I took the time to explain the latter, because (I also promised to do it on other posts) when you listen to your music at the best sound quality of your possibilities (source of the music, proper audio devices to unfold lossless resolutions, and a decent set of speakers/headphones/IEMs), you will likely experience nirvana, and you don’t really have to break the bank these days specially with the CHI-FI hype we are living. Out there are plenty of options for all budgets. I encourage you to dig a bit and do your own research.
Overall Ranking Milestones
4,600+ Albums
47,000+ Songs
400+ Artists Ranked
260+ Compilations Recommended
800+ Under-the-radar Songs Unveiled
180+ Days of continuous listening
600+ GB Music Stored
Updated: 29.10.2025
Gods’ Music Milestones
1,800+ albums
18,000+ songs
270+ GB of music stored
80+ days of continuous music
11 Gods
Disclosure
While these rankings DO NOT mean better or worse by any means, it takes in consideration several criteria to standardize the selection of the artists and the rankings —musicianship, elaboration and complexity of the compositions, instrumentation, arrangements, quality of the productions, impact and influence in music, career and prolificness, staff, etc. Again, while the latter is still and indeed a subjective matter, it helped me a lot to attempt building this. At the end of the day, this ranking just tries to represent my musical taste and personal preference, and aside My Gods in music, I still believe it could change a bit depending on my mood of a certain day. Said that, all the artists, albums and songs considered here are great in their own merit. The same goes to the ranking of the albums of the artists listed here.
The music genres assigned to the artists is just an attempt to represent the main styles of music a certain artist (used to) plays. While this is a personal take, this is aligned to what most reliable, fair and legit sources of music suggest. In the end we can agree to disagree here and that’s fine, the final word is up to you.
Likewise, the definitions and offshoots of the music genres presented here are also just an attempt to guide and orient, especially curious listeners to new territories in music, when they are not familiar to a certain artist or music style.
Unfortunately, while there's no limit to the number of songs you can include in playlists on Apple Music, public playlists over 15,000 songs can't be published and visualized by other users other than the author (due technical issues). As you might noticed at the Milestones section, my Shark's Ultimate Music Research Playlist is over 47,000 songs at this point (11/2025) and will likely keep growing, but hey... don't worry, I have the solution on how you can recreate it....
Tip 3: I assembled playlists of each God and each ranking by music style, which are below 15,000 songs, so do the following: 1. Add those playlists to your library. 2. Create a new playlist and name it "Shark's Ultimate Music Research Playlist." 3. Add the playlists into the Shark's Ultimate Music Research Playlist you created. 4. Voilà! You have recreated my Shark's Ultimate Music Research Playlist. You'll find the links of each playlist through the publication. Do not hesitate to contact me if you face troubles doing this.
I’m giving to artists symbols to identify rapidly some key information like their nationality, main core music genres an artist (used to) plays, and if original reviews and/or exclusive content of a certain artist were published by the Shark. This will be very useful if you are not familiar with some artists and their work, but most importantly, if you want to explore new avenues in music.
🦈 Original Reviews & Special Content of the Artist Published by The Shark
🇺🇸 Nationality
🎸 Pop/Rock
🎷 Jazz
🎹 Classical
🎺 R&B
🎻 Avant-Garde
🎤 Folk
🪕 Blues
🪘 Latin
🪗 Country
🪇 International
🎬 Stage & Screen
📟 Electronic
🎙️Vocal
🪈New Age
As you might know, each core music genre considers several music styles as well. For example, within Pop/Rock you’ll find music styles like Hard Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Punk/New Wave, Psychedelic/Garage, Soft Rock, Art-Rock/Experimental, and several more. Likewise, within these music styles out there are also more sub-styles in order “to classify the music bit better.” For example, within Art-Rock/Experimental, you’ll find sub-styles of music like Art Rock, Avant-Prog, Canterbury Scene, Experimental Rock, Kraut Rock, Neo-Prog, Noise-Rock, Prog-Rock and way more. In the end labels are only out there to classify the music better since it is rapidly evolving and changing especially these days. While out there are many sources which classify music, you have the final word on how you want to label it. This is only a (fair) guide based on what most reliable sources in music suggest mixed with my own personal takes, and to standardize the classification of the music presented here. Under any circumstance I DO NOT pretend to hold the whole true for what I’m presenting here, again, the ultimate decision on how you want to classify your music is up to you.
🎸🎻🎹Shark’s Experimental/Art Rock Playlist
If you want to go deeper on music genres, click here to see their definitions and offshoots
My Gods in Music
🇺🇸🦈🎸🎷🎹 🎺🎻God of Gods: Frank Zappa (1940–1993); IMHO the greatest composer in XX century. My all-time hero. He opened me the door to all kind of avenues in music. The creator of “radical rock” during the '60s who later pursued even more adventurous avenues, ranging from R&B to jazz fusion to comedy rock, hard rock, art rock, prog rock to experimental music, avant-garde, modern composition, musique concrète to avant-garde classical composition, chamber music to complex & elaborated computer music to… you name it; yet rabid and die-hard fans (are out there any other kind of Zappa’s fans, anyways?) will tell you labels are far and away from his colossal catalog since the master plays in a league of his own. Multi-instrumentalist, uncompromising talent and creativity, self-taught, eclectic, boundary-pushing & prolific composer, virtuoso guitarist, film maker, arranger, producer, orchestral conductor, demanding recruiter, perfectionist bandleader, successful businessman, and not the least, uncensored and sharp articulated speaker especially on social and political critique of the American culture.
His disparate influences included Chicago blues (Muddy Waters, Guitar Slim, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny “Guitar” Watson), doo-wop music (The Penguins) and avant-garde classical music (Igor Stravinsky, Edgard Varèse, Anton Webern, Béla Bartók); although he led groups that could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on jazz and complicated, modern serious music, sometimes inducing orchestras to play along. As if his music were not challenging enough, he overlay it with highly satirical and sometimes abstractly humorous lyrics and song titles that marked him as coming out of a provocative literary tradition that included Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and edgy comedians like Lenny Bruce. Nominally, he was a popular musician, but his recordings rarely earned significant airplay or sales, yet he was able to gain control of his recorded work and issue it successfully through his own labels while also touring internationally, in part because of the respect he earned from a dedicated cult of fans and many serious musicians, and also because he was an articulate spokesman who promoted himself into a media star through extensive interviews he considered to be a part of his creative effort just like his music. The Mothers of Invention, the '60s group he led, often seemed to offer a parody of popular music and the counterculture (although he affected long hair and jeans, Zappa was openly scornful of hippies and drug use). By the '80s, he was testifying before Congress in opposition to censorship (and editing his testimony into one of his albums). But these comic and serious sides were complementary, not contradictory. In statement and in practice, Zappa was an iconoclastic defender of the freest possible expression of ideas. And most of all, he was a composer far more ambitious than any other rock musician of his time and most classical musicians, as well. In short? one-of-a-kind genius.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. The Yellow Shark 2. Hot Rats, 3. Läther, 4. Civilization Phase III, 5. Absolutely Free, 6. Uncle Meat, 7. Apostrophe (‘), 8. Lumpy Gravy Primordial, 9. Over-Nite Sensation, 10. Joe’s Garage.
Frank Zappa’s Milestones:
132 albums
3,323 songs
11 days of continuous listening
41 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Guide to Frank Zappa’s Discography by The Shark (Exclusive Content)
Playlist of the Official Discography of Frank Zappa SoA assembling by The Shark
Hot Rats by Frank Zappa: flawless, impeccable and exquisite; the birth of jazz-rock fusion by The Shark (Original Review)
🇺🇸🦈🎸🎹 🎷🎻🎬🪇Avant-Garde God: John Zorn (1953-present); The one word virtually everyone can agree on in any discussion of the work of composer John Zorn is "prolific." Titles under his own name number well over 150, and the sheer number of works he has composed, produced, or played on easily doubles that. Zorn's compositional diversity is staggering. He's written elaborate "game pieces" (Cobra), fused hardcore punk and avant-jazz on Spy vs. Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman, and classical chamber works. He has penned numerous books of compositions numbering in the thousands. He's written dozens of soundtracks, solo organ works, chamber pieces, rock, jazz exotica recordings (Dreamers), and lieder (Madrigals). His revolving cast of musicians, ranging from the obscure to the internationally renowned includes Kronos Quartet, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Pat Metheny, and Frank London. Zorn has also mentored countless musicians in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and through his long-running Tzadik label. In 2023, Tzadik released Bagatelles, Vol. 3: Trigger, comprising four discs of unpublished works performed by four different ensembles. In 2024 he issued a dozen albums that included the Shakespeare-inspired Her Melodious Lay, Ballades, and Lamentations. Through the Looking Glass, performed by a quartet that included John Medeski and Matt Hollenberg, appeared in 2025, followed by Impromptus, a set of freewheeling piano trio compositions.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. Bar Kokhoba, 2. Andras: The Book of Angels, Vol. 28, 3. The Gift, 4. Godard/Spillane, 5. Cobra: Game Pieces, Vol. 2, 6. Naked City 7. Masada - The Circle Maker, 8. At the Mountain of Madness - Live In Europe, 9. The Big Gundown, 10. The Best of Filmworks - 20 Years of Soundtrack Music.
John Zorn’s Milestones:
358 albums
3,605 songs
13.2 days of continuous listening
54 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Guide to John Zorn’s Discography by The Shark (Exclusive Content)
Playlist of the Official Discography of John Zorn SoA assembling by The Shark
Bar Kokhba by John Zorn: a journey to an elegant and sophisticated avant-garde territory by The Shark (Original Review)
🇺🇸🦈🎷Jazz God: Miles Davis (1926–1991); A monumental innovator, icon, and maverick, trumpeter who helped define the course of jazz as well as popular culture in the 20th century, bridging the gap between bebop, modal music, funk, and fusion. Throughout most of his 50-year career, Davis played the trumpet in a lyrical, introspective style, often employing a stemless Harmon mute to make his sound more personal and intimate. It was a style that, along with his brooding stage persona, earned him the nickname "Prince of Darkness." However, Davis proved to be a dazzlingly protean artist, moving into fiery modal jazz in the '60s and electrified funk and fusion in the '70s, drenching his trumpet in wah-wah pedal effects along the way. More than any other figure in jazz, Davis helped establish the direction of the genre with a steady stream of boundary-pushing recordings, among them 1957's chamber jazz album Birth of the Cool (which collected recordings from 1949-1950), 1959's modal masterpiece Kind of Blue, 1960's orchestral album Sketches of Spain, and 1970's landmark fusion recording Bitches Brew. Davis' own playing was obviously at the forefront of those changes, but he also distinguished himself as a bandleader, regularly surrounding himself with sidemen and collaborators who likewise moved in new directions, including the luminaries John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, and many more. While he remains one of the most referenced figures in jazz, a major touchstone for generations of trumpeters (including Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, and Nicholas Payton), his music reaches far beyond the jazz tradition, and can be heard in the genre-bending approach of performers across the musical spectrum, ranging from funk and pop to rock, electronica, hip-hop, and more.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. In a Silent Way, 2. Bitches Brew, 3. A Tribute To Jack Johnson, 4. Kind of Blue 5. Miles Ahead 6. Get Up With It, 7. 'Round About Midnight, 8. Sketches of Spain, 9. Miles Smiles, 10. On the Corner.
Miles Davis’ Milestones:
139 albums
1,800 songs
8.7 days of continuous listening
27 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Guide to Miles Davis’ Discography by The Shark (Exclusive Content)
Playlist of the Official Discography of Miles Davis SoA assembling by The Shark
In a Silent Way by Miles Davis: revolutionary and blowing away Milestone; progress, vision, execution and promising young-bloods by The Shark (Original Review)
🇺🇸🦈🎻🎹 🎷Structured Improviser God: Anthony Braxton (1945-present); Innovative avant-garde multi-instrumentalist and composer, one of the most important figures in the later free jazz community. Multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton is among the most influential and prolific musicians and theorists to emerge from the 20th century. His hundreds of albums offer everything from experimental compositional techniques, graphic and non-specific notation, serialism, electronic, and improvisation, while employing vast knowledge of the jazz tradition from bebop to vanguard to post-bop. Braxton's recording career began with Three Compositions of New Jazz in 1969 and the iconic, solo For Alto in 1971. Arista, SteepleChase, and other labels issued '70s-era recordings including both In the Tradition volumes (1974), Creative Orchestra Music 1976, and Alto Saxophone Improvisations 1979. The '80s and '90s saw acclaimed releases including Six Compositions (Quartet) 1984, and Eight (+3) Tristano Compositions, 1989: For Warne Marsh, and Octet (New York) 1995. In the 21st century, release highlights included Six Compositions (GTM) 2001, Trio (New Haven) 2013, the five-act opera Trillium J in 2016, and the archival Four Compositions (Wesleyan) 2013 in 2023.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. The Montreux/Berlin Concerts, 2. New York, Fall 1974, 3. Dortmund (Quarter) 1976 (Live), 4. Conference of the Birds, 5. One in Two – Tw in One (Live), 6. 3 Compositions of New Jaz, 7. For Alto, 8. Five Pieces 1975, 8. Creative Orchestra Music 1976, 9. Six Monk´s Compositions (1987), 10. Birth and Rebirth.
Anthony Braxton’s Milestones:
141 albums
854 songs
8.2 days of continuous listening
24 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Playlist of the Official Discography of Anthony Braxton SoA assembling by The Shark
🇺🇸🦈🎷🎻Avant-Garde Jazz God: Sun Ra (1914-1993); Bandleader, composer, arranger, keyboard player, poet, philosopher, and cosmonaut Sun Ra advanced jazz into the space age. Through his elaborate concerts, films, and countless recordings, he fused imagery and mythology related to ancient Egypt as well as science fiction, planting the seeds for what would eventually be referred to as Afrofuturism. Ra's music encompassed nearly every style of jazz, with roots in ragtime and swing, bebop and avant-garde jazz. Initially active as a blues pianist, he worked with swing musicians such as Coleman Hawkins during the 1940s, then established his own trajectory during the '50s, when he founded the ever-changing ensemble known as the Arkestra. Establishing their interstellar mystique, the group sported futuristic costumes during their outlandish performances, and recorded constantly, issuing records through Ra's independent label El Saturn Records, often with misleading or nonexistent liner notes. During the 1960s, the Arkestra released landmark albums such as The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1 (1965) and Atlantis (1969), groundbreaking in their shifting away from conventional melody and harmony, as well as their usage of synthesizers and electronic keyboards. Ra's surrealist sci-fi epic Space Is the Place, preceded by an unrelated album of the same title, was released in 1974, subsequently becoming a major cult classic film. Later concerts and recordings by Ra incorporated swing standards and even tunes from Disney movies, but maintained a heavy degree of improvisation, and remained highly unpredictable. The Arkestra has continued to perform since Ra's passing in 1993, and he remains a crucial influence on all forms of creative, forward-thinking music.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. Lanquidity, 2. Sleeping Beauty, 3. Strange Celestial Road, 4. Space is the Place, 5. The Magic City, 6. Jazz in Silhouette, 7. Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy, 8. Sound of Joy, 9. Atlantis, 10. The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vol. 1.
Sun Ra’s Milestones:
177 albums
854 songs
6.7 days of continuous listening
21 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Playlist of the Official Discography of Sun Ra SoA assembling by The Shark
🇬🇧🦈🎷🎻🎹Multi-Instrumental God: John Surman (1944-present); English saxophonist John Surman is a world-class composer, his large, diverse body of work -- classical, theatrical, and soundtrack -- has extended the boundaries of jazz. He studied clarinet as a child, then tenor, baritone, and soprano saxophones. He began playing jazz at the London College of Music and later studied at the London University Institute of Education. Following an eponymous leader debut in 1969, he recorded Where Fortune Smiles with guitarist John McLaughlin in 1971, and Morning Glory on Island with Terje Rypdal, John Marshall, and John Taylor in 1973. He signed with ECM (on which he has recorded almost exclusively since) for 1979's solo Upon Reflection, overdubbing saxes, clarinet, and synthesizer. Following The Adventures of Simon Simon with drummer Jack DeJohnette and Such Winters of Memory with singer Karin Krog, he kicked off the '90s with the solo Road to Saint Ives. Two wide-ranging quartet dates -- Adventure Playground (1992) and Stranger Than Fiction (1994) -- set the stage for 1997's live Proverbs and Songs, with Surman playing over a church organ and the Salisbury Festival Chorus. 2000's Coruscating and 2007's The Spaces in Between showcased the saxophonist with string groups. 2012's landmark, award-winning Saltash Bells marked a return to solo recording. 2015's Songs About This and That reunited him with Krog. 2018's trio offering Invisible Threads featured Brazilian pianist Nelson Ayers and vibraphonist Rob Waring. Surman and Waring enlisted guitarist Rob Luft and drummer Thomas Strønen for 2024's Words Unspoken in celebration of his 80th birthday. In January 2025, Cuneiform Records released Flashpoints and Undercurrents, a previously unissued full stereo recording by a tentet from 1969.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe, 2. Upon Reflection, 3. Coruscating, 4. Road to Saint Ives, 5. Cloud Line Blue, 6. Adventure Playground, 7. Proverbs and Songs, 8. Adventure Playground, 9. Westering Home, 10. Private City.
John Surman’s Milestones:
51 albums
487 songs
1.8 days of continuous listening
6 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Playlist of the Official Discography of John Surman SoA assembling by The Shark
🇺🇸🦈🎷Piano God: McCoy Tyner (1938-2020); Jazz pianist whose inventive two-handed forays, extensive modal solos, and dashing phrases made him arguably the best pianist to debut in the '60s. One of the most celebrated and influential jazz pianists of his generation, McCoy Tyner was known for his harmonically expansive modal voicings, commanding two-handed block-chord style, and fearless improvisational lines that touched upon African and Eastern musical traditions. Along with contemporaries Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea, Tyner redefined the sound of the modern jazz piano from the '60s onward, and his playing continues to guide up-and-coming musicians. Although primarily recognized for his work as a member of saxophonist John Coltrane's famed quartet with bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, Tyner distinguished himself as a leader in his own right, releasing forward-looking dates like 1967's The Real McCoy, 1972's Sahara, and 1980's Horizon. Those albums found him building upon his time with Coltrane, having already contributed to innovative albums like 1961's Africa/Brass, 1961's My Favorite Things, and 1965's A Love Supreme. Throughout his career, Tyner continued to push himself, arranging for his big band and releasing Grammy-winning albums with 1987's Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane and 1992's The Turning Point. Active well into his seventies, Tyner remained a vital performer, becoming an NEA Jazz Master in 2002 and winning another Grammy for 2004's Illuminations with Christian McBride and Terence Blanchard. More engaging collaborations followed, including 2007's McCoy Tyner Quartet with Joe Lovano and 2008's Guitars with Bill Frisell, Béla Fleck, Derek Trucks, and others. He further showcased his virtuosity on 2009's Solo: Live from San Francisco and 2013's A Pair of Pianos with Larry Vuckovich.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. The Real McCoy, 2. Sama Layuca, 3. Sahara, 4. Extensions, 5. Expansions, 6. Trident, 7. Time for Tyner, 8. Song of the New World, 9. Asante, 10. Echoes of a Friend.
McCoy Tyner’s Milestones:
93 albums
674 songs
3.2 days of continuous listening
10.4 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Playlist of the Official Discography of McCoy Tyner SoA assembling by The Shark
🇺🇸🦈🎷🎻Sax God: John Coltrane (1926-1967); A towering musical figure of the 20th century, saxophonist John Coltrane reset the parameters of jazz during his decade as a leader. At the outset, he was a vigorous practitioner of hard bop, gaining prominence as a sideman for Miles Davis before setting out as a leader in 1957, when he released Coltrane on Prestige and Blue Train on Blue Note. Coltrane quickly expanded his horizons, pioneering a technique critic Ira Gitler dubbed "sheets of sound," consisting of the saxophonist playing a flurry of notes on his tenor within the confines of a few chords. During his last days with Davis, along with his earliest records for Atlantic, Coltrane leaned into this technique, but as he developed his career as a leader in the early '60s, he also turned lyrical. His sweet, fluid soprano sax distinguished My Favorite Things, which helped turn the album into a standard upon its release in 1961, but Coltrane soon backed away from mainstream acceptance. Working with pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison -- a band that would be labeled the "Classic Quartet" -- Coltrane entered a fearless exploratory phase, explicitly incorporating his spiritual quest into his experimental music. A Love Supreme, an album released on Impulse! in 1965, marked the popular height of this period, but Coltrane continued to voyage to the outer edges of jazz in his final years, collaborating with Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders. Liver cancer ended his life prematurely: he died at the age of 40 in 1967, just ten years after his first LP as a leader -- but Coltrane's legacy was so varied and rich, he remained the touchstone for creativity in jazz for decades after his passing.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. Blue Train, 2. Giant Steps, 3. My Favorite Things, 4. Africa/Brass, 5. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, 6. A Love Supreme, 7. Ascension, 8. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman 9. Bags & Trane, 10. Olé Coltrane.
John Coltrane’s Milestones:
153 albums
1,452 songs
8.5 days of continuous listening
27 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Playlist of the Official Discography of John Coltrane SoA assembling by The Shark
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what a journey! by The Shark (Original Review)
🇬🇧🦈🎸Prog-Rock Gods: King Crimson (1968-present); If there is one group that embodies progressive rock, it is King Crimson. Led by guitar/Mellotron virtuoso Robert Fripp, during its first five years of existence the band stretched both the language and structure of rock into realms of jazz and classical music, all the while avoiding pop and psychedelic sensibilities. The absence of mainstream compromises and the lack of an overt sense of humor ultimately doomed the group to nothing more than a large cult following, but it made their albums some of the most enduring and respectable of the prog rock era.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. Discipline, 2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic 3. In the Court of the Crimson King, 4. In the Wake of Poseidon, 5. Islands, 6. Lizard, 7. Starless and Bible Black, 8. Red, 9. Beat, 10. Three of a Perfect Pair.
King Crimson’s Milestones:
83 albums
721 songs
2.8 days of continuous listening
9 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Playlist of the Official Discography of King Crimson SoA assembling by The Shark
Discipline by King Crimson: reinventing progressive rock music; a smart blend of cerebral art rock and post-punk, yet catchy and with almost pop sensibilities by The Shark (Original Review)
🇺🇸🦈🎸🎷🎻Guitar God: Buckethead (1969-present); Buckethead is one of the most bizarre and enigmatic figures in American underground and experimental music since Parliament-Funkadelic birthed their bevy of cosmic characters in the mid-'70s. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist best known for his virtuosic command of the electric guitar, Buckethead is one of the instrument's most recognizable contemporary innovators, his rapid-fire riffing, near-robotic fretwork, and idiosyncratic lead lines combining elements of Yngwie Malmsteen, Adrian Belew, Slayer's Kerry King, P-Funk's Eddie Hazel, and avant-improv artist John Zorn's Scud-attack sax abuse. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currently includes 31 studio albums, one live album, two extended plays, five special releases, six demo tapes, & four DVD releases. Since 2011, Buckethead started releasing albums in the "Pikes" series, mini albums usually around 30 minutes in length, each with a sequential number similar to a comic book. Buckethead has released 655 Pike albums, 175 of which are live albums. He has released collaborative albums with Brain, Travis Dickerson, Melissa Reese, Viggo Mortensen, Shin Terai, DJ Disk, Bootsy Collins, That 1 Guy and albums with the bands Praxis, Cornbugs, Science Faxtion, Guns N' Roses, Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, and Deli Creeps, in addition to many other collaborations with bands and artists, and composed for films, all while maintaining his iconic KFC bucket and white mask stage attire. His first group, the San Francisco-based metal-funk combine the Deli Creeps, were a regional success, but disbanded before they could release anything. Buckethead's solo career has been more productive, thanks mostly to the motivation of Zorn and Bill Laswell, the latter of whom Buckethead has also recorded and toured with in Praxis. Laswell has also produced a number of Buckethead's solo albums (including Dreamatorium and Day of the Robot) and included him on more than a dozen one-off recordings with the likes of Hakim Bey, Bootsy Collins, Anton Fier, Jonas Hellborg, and Bernie Worrell. In addition to releases including 1998's Colma, Buckethead has also contributed soundtrack material to such films as Last Action Hero and Street Fighter. Buckethead returned in 1999 with Monsters and Robots, after which he joined the short-lived re-formation of Guns N' Roses. A steady stream of releases followed into the 21st century ranging from the contemplative Electric Tears to a more electronica/rock hybrid, and collaborations with San Francisco's underground hip-hop scene. In the following decade, he averaged a few releases a year, teaming up with dozens of artists, including Les Claypool, Iggy Pop, and Mike Patton, and in 2008, he collaborated with actor/musician Viggo Mortensen for Pandemonium from American. A dizzying string of releases would follow before the actor and the enigmatic guitarist worked together again in 2011 on Reunion. The following year, Buckethead released Electric Sea, a follow-up to his 2002 album, Electric Tears.
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. Colma, 2. Giant Robot, 3. Electric Tears 4. Crime Slunk Scene, 5. Monsters and Robots 6. Population Override 7. Chicken Noodles 8. Enter the Kitchen 9. Kaleidoscalp 10. Acoustic Shards.
Buckethead’s Milestones:
355 albums
1,821 songs
7.2 days of continuous listening
22 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Playlist of the Official Discography of Buckethead SoA assembling by The Shark
🇬🇧🦈🎸📟🎻Experimental Gods: The Legendary Pink Dots & Edward Ka-Spel (1980-present); The Legendary Pink Dots are an influential, staggeringly prolific group led by enigmatic frontman Edward Ka-Spel. Emerging from the early-'80s post-punk underground and sometimes categorized as industrial due to associations with bands like Skinny Puppy, the group's music is nearly impossible to pin down, drawing from Krautrock, ambient, folk, synth pop, and numerous other styles. The Dots' music is by turns melodic pop and exotic psychedelia, with classical influences, sampling, and relentlessly dark, violent, apocalyptic lyrics. Ka-Spel's rhotacistic vocals are instantly recognizable, and somewhat resemble a cross between Syd Barrett and Coil's John Balance. Aside from the group's only two constant members, Ka-Spel and keyboard player Phil Knight (also known as the Silverman), the Dots have consisted of a shifting supporting cast over the years, including Canadian dub reggae producer Ryan Moore (Twilight Circus), engineer Raymond Steeg, and guitarist Erik Drost. The group has toured relentlessly since its inception, and has released well over a hundred albums, EPs, and compilations on dozens of labels, including numerous limited cassettes and CD-Rs. Early releases such as 1982's Brighter Now consisted of quirky, minimal synth pop, and their work grew more ambitious and mystical, with expanded instrumentation and more adventurous, free-form song structures. The group released some of their best-known releases, including 1988's The Golden Age and 1991's The Maria Dimension, on Play It Again Sam before switching to Soleilmoon with 1995's From Here You'll Watch the World Go By, additionally releasing material on ROIR, Beta-lactam Ring, and other labels throughout the coming decades. An increasing number of digital releases appeared during the 2010s, including live recordings and archival collections, while studio albums appeared on Rustblade (10 to the Power of 9, 2014) and Metropolis (Pages of Aquarius, 2016).
Shark’s Top 10 Albums: 1. The Maria Dimension, 2. Poppy Variations, 3. Crushed Velvet Apocalypse, 4. The Golden Age, 5. Asylum, 6. Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves, 7. Stained Glass Soma Fountain, 8. Island of Jewels, 9. The Whispering Wall 10. Any Day Now.
The Legendary Pink Dots’ Milestones:
178 albums
1,512 songs
7.3 days of continuous listening
22 GB of music stored
Updated: 30.10.2025
Guide to of The Legendary Pink Dots & Edward Ka-Spel Discography by The Shark (Exclusive Content)
Playlist of the Official Discography of The Legendary Pink Dots & Edward Ka-Spel SoA assembling by The Shark
The Maria Dimension by The Legendary Pink Dots: a fascinating dark, violent and apocalyptic space-rock jour by The Shark (Original Review)
Ranking Shark's Musical Taste by Music Style
Experimental/Art Rock Ranking
🎸🎻🎹Shark’s Experimental/Art Rock Playlist
All the artists and albums listed in the Experimental/Art Rock Ranking are included in the playlist.
Shark’s Experimental/Art Rock Playlist Milestones:
13,000+ songs
1,280+ albums
200+ artists ranked
170+ GB music stored
50+ days of continuous music
Music Styles & Offshoots Included: Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Experimental Rock, Avant-Garde, Canterbury Scene, Crossover Prog, Eclectic Prog, Experimental/Post Metal, Heavy Prog, Indo-Prog/Raga Rock, Jazz Rock/Fusion, Krautrock, Neo-Prog, Post Rock/Math Rock, Prog Folk, Progressive Electronic, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic/Space Rock, RIO/Avant-Prog, Rock Progressivo Italiano, Symphonic Prog, Tech/Extreme Prog Metal, Zeuhl, Prog Related, Proto-Prog, Noise Rock
God’s best Experimental/Art Rock Albums
Frank Zappa: 1. The Yellow Shark, 2. Lumpy Gravy Primoradial, 3. Civilization Phase III, 4. Sleep Dirt, 5. Uncle Meat, 6. Burnt Weeny Sandwich, 7. Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, 8. Everything Is Healing Nicely, 9. Dance Me This, 10. Absolutely Free
John Zorn: 1. Cobra: John Zorn's Game Pieces Volume 2, 2. John Zorn's Olympiad, Vol. 1, 3. Godard/Spillane, 4. The Big Gundown, 5. Naked City, 6. The Gift, 7. The Goddess - Music For The Ancient Of Days, 8. The Best of Filmworks - 20 Years of Soundtrack Music, 9. Chaos Magick, 10. Hockey
The Legendary Pink Dots: 1. The Maria Dimension, 2. Poppy Variations, 3. Crushed Velvet Apocalypse, 4. The Golden Age, 5. Asylum, 6. Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves, 7. Stained Glass Soma Fountain, 8. Island of Jewels, 9. The Whispering Wall 10. Any Day Now.
Buckethead: 1. Giant Robot, 2. Kaleidoscalp, 3. Enter the Chicken, 4. Cuckoo Clocks of Hell, 5. Albino Slug, 6. The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock, 7. Pike 2: Empty Space, 8. Pike 13: Look Up There, 9. Pike 39: Twisterlend, 10. Pike 57: Night Gallery & Pike 165: Orange Tree
John Surman: 1. How Many Clouds Can You See? 2. A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe, 3. Withholding Pattern, 4. Local Colour, 5. Westering Home, 6. Upn Reflectioon, 7. Brass Project, 8. Coruscating, 9. Tales Of The Algonquin, 10. Adventure Playground
Miles Davis: 1. Bitches Brew, 2. On the Corner, 3. In a Silent Way, 4. Pangaea, 5. Big Fun, 6. Agharta, 7. A Tribute To Jack Johnson, 8. Live-Evil, 9. Nefertiti, 10. Get Up With It
King Crimson: 1. Discipline, 2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic 3. In the Court of the Crimson King, 4. In the Wake of Poseidon, 5. Islands, 6. Lizard, 7. Starless and Bible Black, 8. Red, 9. Beat, 10. Three of a Perfect Pair.
Sun Ra: 1. The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1, 2. Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, 3. Lanquidity, 4. Strange Strings, 5. Space is the Place, 6. My Brother the Wind, 7. Cosmos, 8. Secrets of the Sun, 9. The Magic City, 10. Other Planes of There
John Coltrane: 1. The Avant-Garde, 2. Giant Steps, 3. My Favorite Things, 4. Africa/Brass Sessions, 5. Live at the Village Vanguard, 6. Crescent, 7. A Love Supreme, 8. Ascension, 9. The John Coltrane Quartet Plays, 10. Meditations
McCoy Tyner: 1. Sahara, 2. Enlightenment, 3. Extensions, 4. Atlantis, 5. Sama Layuca, 6. Fly with the Wind, 7. Trident, 8. Echoes of a Friend, 9. Expansions, 10. Focal Point
Anthony Braxton: 1. For Alto, 2. New York, Fall 1974, 3. Five Pieces 1975, 4. Creative Orchestra Music 1976, 5. The Montreux/Berlin Concerts, 6. For Trio (1978), 7. For Two Pianos, 8. Dortmund, 9. Silence, 10. Three Compositions of New Jazz
1. 🇺🇸🦈🎸🎻Captain Beefheart Influential figure who fused disparate forms like free jazz, the avant-garde, blues, and rock into a highly original and nearly unclassifiable style. 1. Trout Mask Replica, 2. Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972, 3. Grow Fins: Rarities 1965-1982, 4. Doc at the Radar Station, 5. Strictly Personal, 6. The Mirror Man Sessions, 7. Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), 8. Ice Cream for Crow, 9. Bluejeans and Moonbeams, 10. Safe As Milk. CB’s fans, did you see what I did here? 😂😉 Start here!
2. 🇬🇧🦈🎸🎻Henry Cow During their brief and tumultuous lifespan, fiercely political British art rockers Henry Cow spawned a musical subgenre that became known as Rock In Opposition. 1. Western Culture, 2. Unrest, 3. Leg End, 4. In Praise Of Learning, 5. Desperate Straights, 6. Concerts, 7. A Cow Cabinet Of Curiosities, 8. Vol. 1: Beginnings, 9. Vol. 2: 1974-5, 10. Glastonbury and Elsewhere. Special Mention (1. Vol. 3: Hamburg, 2. Vol. 4 & 5: Trondheim, 3. Henry Cow: Stockholm & Göteborg, 4. Later and Post-Virgin, 5. Vol. 8: Bremen, Vol. 9: Late) Offshoots: 🇬🇧🎸🎻Art Bears was an English avant-rock group formed in 1978 by three members of Henry Cow: Chris Cutler (percussion), Fred Frith (guitar, etc.), and Dagmar Krause (vocals). Their music was experimental, blending the avant-garde with more accessible song structures, often featuring political and surreal lyrics by Cutler. 🇬🇧🎸🎻News From Babel was an English avant-garde rock group active from 1983 to 1986, formed by Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper, Zeena Parkins, and Dagmar Krause. They were a studio-based project inspired by the literary critic George Steiner's book, After Babel. The band, a successor to Art Bears and Henry Cow, released two albums, Work Resumed on the Tower (1984) and Letters Home (1986), before disbanding. 1. News Sirens and Silences / Work Resumed On the Tower, 2. Letters Home. Start here!
3. 🇬🇧🦈🎸🎷Soft Machine A pioneering Canterbury psychedelic group that initially featured Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers, later developing into an experimental jazz-rock unit. 1. Third, 2. Bundles, 3. Volume 2, 4. The Soft Machine, 5. Softs, 6. Seven, 7. Fourth, 8. Six, 9. Fifth, 10. Other Doors Offshoot: 🇬🇧🎸Matching Mole Short-lived prog group formed by Robert Wyatt following his departure from Soft Machine. 1. Little Red Record, 2. Matching Mole. Start here!
4. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Genesis Seminal British prog band whose ambitious, classical-tinged art rock gradually became more accessible by the '80s. 1. Selling England by the Pound, 2. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, 3. Archive #1 (1967-1975), 4. Nursery Cryme, 5. Foxtrot, 6. Trespass, 7. A Trick of the Tail, 8. Wind & Wuthering, 9. From Genesis to Revelation 10. And Then There Were Three. Start here!
5. 🇩🇪🦈🎸🎻Can Influential German group who produced a spontaneous yet highly disciplined form of groove-heavy experimental rock. 1. Unlimited Edition, 2. Tago Mago, 3. Ege Bamyasi, 4. Monster Movie, 5. Soundtracks, 6. Delay 1968, 7. Landed, 8. Future Days, 9. Soon Over Babluma, 10. Flow Motion. Start here!
6. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Gentle Giant Acclaimed British progressive rock band noted for their meld of hard rock with classical music and medieval approach to singing. 1. Acquiring the Taste, 2. Octopus, 3. Free Hand, 4. Three Friends, 5. The Power and the Glory, 6. In a Glass House, 7. In'terview, 8. Gentle Giant, 9. Playing the Fool: The Official Live, 10. The Missing Piece. Start here!
7. 🇩🇪🦈🎸Jane Krautrock at its finest mixing heavy guitar, dark grooves and organ soaked passages with passionate broken English vocals, while infusing a heavy dose of psychedelia. 1. Together, 2. Fire, Water, Earth & Air, 3. Between Heaven and Hell, 4. Here We Are, 5. Jane III, 6. Lady, 7. Age of Madness, 8. Sign No. 9, Live at Home, 10 Germania. Start here!
8. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Camel Durable English prog rockers who released a spate of majestic, canonical records in the 1970s and '80s. 1. Rajaz, 2. The Snow Goose, 3. A Nod and a Wink, 4. Moonmadness, 5. Nude, 6. Camel, 7. Mirage, 8. Harbour Of Tears, 9. Stationary Traveller, 10. Rain Dances. Start here!
9. 🇩🇪🦈🎸🎻Amon Düül Influential German collective rooted in psychedelic, folk, and jazz but using a heavily experimental and improvisational framework. 1. Disaster, 2. Tanz der Lemminge (Dance of the Lemmings), 3. Yeti, 4. Phallus Dei, 5. Paradieswärts Düül, 6. Psychedelic Underground, 7. Airs On a Shoestring 8. Collapsing: Singvögel Rückwärts & Co., 9. Wolf City 10. Carnival in Babylon. Start here!
10. 🇩🇪🦈🎸🎬📟🪈Popol Vuh Experimental German band whose cosmic, trance-like music was a huge influence on modern ambience and worldbeat. 1. Einsjäger & Siebenjäger, 2. In Den Gärten Pharaos, 3. Hosianna Mantra/Tantric Songs, 4. Aguirre, 5. Brüder des Schattens, Söhne des Lichts, 6. Agape-Agape (Love-Love), 7. Nosferatu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), 8. Sei Still, Wisse Ich Bin, 9. Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte 10. Sing, For Song Drives Away The Wolves. Start here!
11. 🇺🇸🦈🎸🎻Tom Waits A neo-beatnik songwriter who grew weirder and wilder in the '80s, earning a cult following that only grew larger as the years passed. 1. Rain Dogs, 2. Swordfishtrombones, 3. Frank’s Wild Years, 4. Bone Machine, 5. The Black Rider, 6. Heartattack and Vine, 7. Alice, 8. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, 9. Mule Variations, 10. Blue Valentine. Start here!
12. 🇩🇪🦈🎸📟🪈Ash Ra Tempel One of the most formidable of the German Krautrock groups, Ash Ra Tempel were a powerful force led by virtuoso guitarist Manuel Göttsching, and also included former Tangerine Dream drummer Klaus Schulze at various points. 1. The Private Tapes Vol. 1-6, 2. Schwingungen, 3. Inventions for Electric Guitar, 4. Starring Rosi, 5. Ash Ra Temple, 6. Seven Up, 7. Join Inn, 8. Le Berceau De Crista,m, 9. Blackouts 10. New Age of Earth. Start here!
13. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Van Der Graaf Generator & Peter Hammill Art rock unit led by Peter Hammill, distinguished for a dynamic range rivaled only by King Crimson and for their surprising influence on British punk.1. Pawn Hearts, 2. H To He, Who Am The Only One, 3. The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other, 4. Godbluff, 5. Still Life, 6. World Record, 7. The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome, 8. Present 9. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage 10. In Camera. Start here!
14. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Yes The definitive English progressive rock band, purveyors of virtuoso playing and vast musical tapestries, topped off with gorgeous melodies. 1. Tales from Topographic Oceans, 2. Relayer, 3. The Yes Album, 4. Fragile, 5. Close to the Age, 6. Drama, 7. Keystudio, 8. Yes, 9. Going for the One, 10. Time and a Word. Start here!
15. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Jethro Tull Long-tenured English band known for their mixture of progressive and folk-rock, led by Ian Anderson. 1. Minstrel in the Gallery, 2. A Passion Play, 3. Thick as a Brick, 4. Aqualung, 5. Crest of a Knave, 6. Stand Up, 7. Heavy Horses, 8. This Was, 9. Benefit, 10. Songs from the Wood. Start here!
16. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Caravan Musically inventive progressive rock band that came out of the Canterbury scene with a gift for melody as well as imaginative improvisation. 1. For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night, 2. In the Land of Grey and Pink, 3. Caravan, 4. If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You, 5. Waterloo Lily, 6. Caravan & The New Symphonia, 7. Cunning Stunts, 8. Live at the Fairfield Halls, 1974, 9. Blind Dog At St. Dunstans, 10. BBC Sessions and Concerts (70-75). Start here!
17. 🇩🇪🎸🎻Faust Pioneering and influential German rock outfit who blended avant-garde electronics and trippy psychedelia to create a radical musical collage. 1. Faust IV, 2. 71 Minutes of Faust, 3. Faust, 4. The Faust Tapes, 5. So Far, 6. Ravvivando, 7. Outside the Dream Syndicate, 8. Something Dirty, 9. Punkt, 10. Daumenbruch
18. 🇺🇸🎸🎻The Residents Anonymous Fab Four of the avant-garde whose absurd musical deconstructions have alternated between experimentalism and accessibility. 1. The Third Reich 'N' Roll 2. Duck Stab / Buster & Glen, 3. Not Available 4. Meet The Residents 5. Eskimo 6. Fingerprince 7. Demons Dance Alone 8. The 12 Days of Brumalia 9. Wormwood: Curious Stories From the Bible 10. Commercial Album
19. 🇸🇪🎸🎻Samla Mammas Manna was a Swedish experimental/avant-prog band formed in 1969 by keyboardist Lars Hollmer, known for a unique blend of virtuoso musicianship, humor, and circus-like themes. A founding member of the Rock in Opposition (RIO) movement, the group released several albums and went through various name changes and lineup shifts, eventually disbanding in 2008. 1. Måltid, 2. Klossa Knapitatet, 3. Samla Mammas Manna, 4. Gregory Allan Fitzpatrick's Snorungarnas Symfoni, 5. Familjesprickor, 6. För äldre nybegynnare / Schlagerns mystik, 7. Kaka
20. 🇬🇧🎸Hatfield & The North Canterbury prog-rock supergroup featuring members of Caravan, Matching Mole, Egg, and Gong. 1. Hatfield & The North, 2. The Rotters' Club. Offshoot: 🇬🇧🎸National Health was an English progressive rock band from the Canterbury scene, active from 1975 to 1980. The band was founded by keyboardists Dave Stewart and Alan Gowen and featured members from Robert Wyatt's Hatfield & the North and Gilgamesh. Known for their complex compositions and unique blend of rock, jazz, and classical music. 1. National Health, 2. Of Queues and Cures
21. 🇮🇹🦈🎸🪇Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso One of the "big three" in Italian prog rock history (with Le Orme and PFM) who have performed in one form or another since 1969. 1. Darwin!, 2. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, 3. Io Sono Nato Libero, 4. Transiberiana, 5. Banco, 6. Come In Un'ultima Cena, 7. ...Di terra, 8. Canto di Primavera, 9. Orlando: Le Forme dell'Amore, 10. Garofano rosso (Colonna sonora originale del film). Start here!
22. 🇳🇱🎸Focus Dutch prog rockers, led by Thijs van Leer, who surprisingly hit it big in 1972 with their instrumental single "Hocus Pocus." 1. Focus III, 2. Focus con Proby, 3. Moving Waves, 4. Focus 8, 5. In and Out of Focus, 6. Hamburger Concerto, 7. Jan Akkerman & Thijs Van Leer: Focus, 8. Focus 9 / New Skin, 9. Focus 11, 10. Focus 12
23. 🇬🇧🦈🎸🎷Gong Anarchic, experimental, and whimsical ensemble originally led by guitarist Daevid Allen, a founding member of the Soft Machine. 1. You (Radio Gnome Invisible, Vol. 3), 2. Angel's Egg (Radio Gnome Invisible, Vol. 2), 3. Flying Teapot (Radio Gnome Invisible, Vol. 1), 4. Gazeuse! 5. Camembert Électrique, 6. Expresso II, 7. Shamal, 8. I See You, 9. Acid Motherhood, 10. Rejoice! I'm Dead! Start here!
24. 🇬🇧🎸🪈Mike Oldfield Talented and successful multi-instrumentalist who will forever be associated with Tubular Bells, a progressive rock masterpiece that sold millions. 1. Amarok, 2. Tubular Bells, 3. Ommadawn, 4. Hergest Ridge, 5. Incantations, 6. Return to Ommadawn, 7. Five Miles Out, 8. Tubular Bells II, 8. The Songs Of Distant Earth, 9. QE2, 10. Crises
25. 🇦🇷🎸 Luis Alberto Spinetta was a highly influential Argentine musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, and poet, considered a pioneer of Argentine rock. Nicknamed "El Flaco," he founded seminal bands like Almendra, Pescado Rabioso, and Invisible, and had a prolific solo career, merging rock with jazz, tango, and folk music. His poetic and experimental lyrics, often drawing from philosophy and art, made him a legendary figure in Spanish-language music. 1. Artaud, 2. A 18´del Sol, 3. Kamikaze, 4. Tester de Violencia, 5. Un Mañana, 6. Pelusón of Milk, 7. La La La, 8. Don Lucero, 9. Spinettalandia y su Amigos, 10. A 18' del Sol. Offshots: 🇦🇷🎸🪘Pescado Rabioso was a rock band from Argentina, founded in 1971, after the break-up of Almendra, Spinetta's first band. Despite its short life, it is considered a fundamental band in the history of the rock of Argentina. 1. Ataud, Pescado 2, 3. Desatormentándonos 🇦🇷🎸🪘Invisible was an influential Argentine progressive rock band formed in 1973 by Luis Alberto Spinetta after the dissolution of Pescado Rabioso. 1. El Jardin de los Presentes, 2. Durazno Sangrando, 3. Invisible, 4. En vivo Teatro Coliseo 1975. 🇦🇷🎸🎷 Spinetta Jade was an Argentine rock-jazz band led by Luis Alberto Spinetta that was active from 1980 to 1985. The band was known for its blend of jazz and rock, which was innovative for the time in Argentina. 1. Alma de Diamante, 2. Los Niños que Escriben en el Cielo, 3. Bajo Belgrano. 🇦🇷🎸Almendra was an influential Argentine rock band formed in 1967, known for pioneering Spanish-language rock songwriting and experimental music. 1. Almendra 2. Almendra II
26. 🇦🇷🎸🪘Charly García Argentinian singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist regarded as the founding father of his country's rock scene. 1. Clics modernos, 2. Parte de la Religión, 3. Piano Bar, 4. Yendo de la cama al living, 5. Filosofía barata y zapatos de goma, 6. Say No More, 7. Cómo conseguir chicas. Offshoots: 🇦🇷🎸🪇La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros Charly Garcia left behind the minimalism to form a real band with real musicians that could play anything he asked them to. He changed folk music for prog rock. La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros was a progressive and symphonic rock band from Argentina, formed in Buenos Aires in 1975. The band was the post-Sui Generis musical vehicle for the renowned musician Charly García, who aimed to move away from the folk-rock style of his previous band and venture into more complex symphonic and jazz-rock territories, influenced by acts like Genesis, Yes, PFM, and Steely Dan. 1. La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, 2. Películas. 🇦🇷🎸🪘Serú Girán Progressive rock band from Argentina, was formed in the late '70s by Charly García, guitarist David Lebón, bassist Pedro Aznar, and drummer Oscar Moro 1. Serú Girán, 2. Grasa de las Capitales, 3. Bicicleta, 4. Peperina. 🇦🇷🎸🪘Sui Generis Argentinean folk-rock band Sui Generis was formed in the early '70s by singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Charly García and singer/instrumentalist Nito Mestre. 1. Pequenas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones, 2. Confesiones de Invierno, 3. Vida
27. 🇬🇧🎸Pink Floyd One of the most predominant and celebrated rock bands of all time, prog- and space-rock legends, known for superlative musicianship. 1. The Dark Side of the Moon, 2. Obscured by Clouds, 3. Atom Heart Mother, 4. Animals, 5. Meddle, 6. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 7. A Saucerful of Secrets, 8. Wish You Were Here, 9. The Wall, 10. The Final Cut. Offshoot: 🇬🇧🎸Syd Barret The greatest cult figure in rock history, he created a whimsical, haunting brand of psychedelia both on his own and as the early leader of Pink Floyd. 1. The Madcap Laughs, 2. Barret, 3. Opel
28. 🇨🇦🦈🎸Rush Beloved by millions and scorned by critics, one of the great prog-rock bands, possessing an instrumental acumen rivaled by few other groups. 1. 2112, 2. Moving Pictures, 3. Permanent Waves, 4. Hemispheres, 5. A Farewell to Kings, 6. Signals, 7. Counterparts, 8. Clockwork Angels, 9. Caress of Steel, 10. Grace Under Pressure. Start here!
29. 🇺🇸🎸Swans Part of the original No Wave scene in the early 1980's, the New York City rock band SWANS has since become one of the most respected experimental rock outfits to the present. 1. Children of God, 2. Soundtracks For the Blind, 3. To Be Kind, 4. White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity, 5. The Great Annihilator, 6. My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky, 7. The Seer, 8. The Glowing Man, 9. Leaving Meaning, 10. The Beggar
30. 🇺🇸🎸Tool American quartet that elevated their early-'90s metal sonics with a sophisticated, progressive flourish. 1. Lateralus, 2. Ænima, 3. 10,000 Days, 4. Fear Inoculum, 5. Undertow
31. 🇸🇪🎸Opeth Influential and acclaimed Swedish prog-metal outfit that deftly mixes death metal crunch with ambitious instrumental flash. 1. Blackwater Park, 2. Still Life, 3. Ghost Reveries, 4. Damnation, 5. My Arms, Your Hearse, 6. Watershed, 7. Deliverance, 8. Morningrise, 9. The Last Will and Testament, 10. Heritage, 11. Pale Communion
32. 🇩🇪🦈🎸Eloy A venerable progressive rock outfit and one of the most popular German bands of the 1970s. 1, Ocean, 2. Dawn, 3. Power and the Passion, 4. Floating, 5. Silent Cries & Mighty Echoes, 6. Inside, 7. Eloy. Start here!
33. 🇮🇹🦈🎸🪇PFM Premiata Forneria Marconi Italy's leading progressive rock outfit of the early '70s, PFM would have remained a purely Italian phenomenon had they not been signed to Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Manticore label. 1. Per un Amico, 2. Storia di un Minuto, 3. Photos of Ghosts, 4. L’ Isola di Niente, 5. Chocolate Kings, 6. Stati Di Immaginazione, 7. A.D. 2010 - La Buona Novella. Start here!
34. 🇬🇧🎸The Moody Blues Pop mystics of the rock era whose impeccably produced albums exuded pseudo-classical glory, driven by lush Mellotron orchestrations. 1. Days of Future Passed, 2. A Question of Balance, 3. Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, 4. To Our Children's Children's Children, 5. On the Threshold of a Dream, 6. In Search of the Lost Chord, 7. Seventh Sojourn 7. Long Distance Voyager, 8. Octave
35. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Emerson Lake and Palmer The original prog rock supergroup of the 1970s, they combined heavy riffs with classical influences. 1. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 2. Tarkus, 3. Pictures at an Exhibition, 4. Trilogy, 5. Brain Salad Surgery, 6. Works Vol. 1&2. Start here!
36. 🇺🇸🦈🎸The Velvet Underground The quintessential bohemian New York band of the '60s that fused art, rock, and poetry in a fashion that proved incalculably influential. 1. Loaded, 2. The Velvet Underground & Nico, 3. The Velvet Underground, 4. White Light/White Heat, 5. VU. Start here!
37. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Roxy Music Cult favorites, and perhaps the quintessential art rock band, who transitioned from hard-edged glam to sophisticated rock. 1. For Your Pleasure, 2. Roxy Music, 3. Standed, 4. Country Life, 5. Siren, 6. Avalon, 7. Manifesto, 8. Flesh + Blood. Start here!
38. 🇬🇧🎸The Alan Parson’s Project A high-concept art rock band with several pop hits, formed around talented producer Parsons and songwriter Eric Woolfson. 1. Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poem, 2. I Robot, 3. The Turn of a Friendly Card, 4. Pyramid, 5. Eye in the Sky, 6. Ammonia Avenue, 7. Gaudi, 8. Eve 9. Stereotomy 10. Vulture Culture
39. 🇮🇹🎸🪇Le Orme Excellent early-70's Italian progressive trio (still around today) with classical stylings, featuring keyboards to the fore and a unique dreamy/powerful style. 1. Felona E Sorona, 2. Uomo Di Pezza, 3. Contrappunti, 4. Collage, 5. Florian, 6. Storia o leggenda, 7. Verita' nascoste, 8. Il Leone e la Bandiera, 9. La Via Della Seta
40. 🇬🇧🎸Barclay James Harvest Purveyors of pastoral chamber-prog, rife with surging rock energy and boasting a unique, Mellotron-driven sound. 1. Everyone is Everybody Else, 2. Once Again, 3. Time Honoured Ghosts, 4. Octoberon, 5. Xii, 6. Gone to Earth, 7. Barclay James Harvest
41. 🇬🇧🎸Porcupine Tree Contemporary prog act with a wide-ranging set of influences, from classic rock to psychedelic to metal. 1.Fear of a Blank Planet, 2. In Absentia, 3. Stupid Dream, 4. The Sky Moves Sideways, 5. Lightbulb Sun, 6. Deadwing, 7. Up the Downstair, 8. Signify, 9. Metanoia, 10. On the Sunday of Life…
42. 🇬🇧🦈🎸Steven Wilson Prolific progressive rock icon who founded the band Porcupine Tree before going on to a celebrated solo career. 1. The Raven That Refused to Sing and Other Stories, 2. Hand. Cannot. Erase., 3. Insurgentes, 4. Grace for Drowning, 5. To the Bone, 6. The Harmony Codex, 7. NSRGNTS RMXS, 8. The Future Bites, 9. 41/2, 10. The Overview. Offshoots: 🇬🇧🎸Bass Communion Starting in 1994, Wilson began solo recordings described as "experiments in texture," resulting in his work under the name Bass Communion. 1. Bass Communion 1, 2. Bass Communion II. Start here!
43. 🇬🇧🎸🎻This Heat Experimental U.K. band, whose music ranges from quietly beautiful to an all-out assault. 1. Deceit, 2. This Heat, 3. Made Available - John Peel Sessions
44. 🇫🇷🎸Moving Gelatin Plates was a French progressive rock band formed in 1968 by Gérard Bertram and Didier Thibault. Their music, heavily influenced by jazz, was compared to the Canterbury scene, particularly Soft Machine. 1. The World of Genius Hans, 2. Moving Gelatin Plates, 3. Removing
45. 🇬🇧🎸U.K. Featuring members of Yes, King Crimson, Roxy Music, and Soft Machine, U.K. was one of the most prominent progressive rock supergroups of the late '70s. 1. UK, 2. Night After Night, 3. Danger Money, 4. The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo
46. 🇩🇪🎸Krautwerk is the solo electronic, krautrock project of Nico Seel, approaching music in a minimalistic and DIY way. It is a tribute to German first wave krautrock legends like Can, Kraftwerk, Neu! etc. 1. 1971, 2. 1975, 3. Computerrock, 4. 1973, 5. Nueling, 6. 1972, 7. Fenster, 8. 1974
47. 🇮🇪🎸🪇🎤Horslips Irish rock band whose style was a unique mix of folk, hard rock, and progressive influences. 1. The Táin, 2. Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony, 3. Dancehall Sweethearts, 4. Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part, 5. Aliens
48. 🇩🇪🎸🎷Embryo Long-running German jazz-rock group who have incorporated numerous global styles and instruments. 1. Embryo's Rache, 2. Rocksession, 3. Steig Aus [also released as: This Is Embryo], 4. Opal, 5. Father, Son And Holy Ghosts
49. 🇬🇧🎸🎻📟🎹🪈Brian Eno A trailblazer in ambient, experimental music, and electronica as well as a producer of numerous major rock acts. 1. Another Green World, 2. Ambient 4 - On Land, 3. Brian Eno & David Byrne: My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, 4. Before And After Science, 5. Eno, Moebius & Roedelius: After The Heat, 6. Small Craft On A Milk Sea, 7. Apollo - Atmospheres & Soundtracks, 8. Here Come the Warm Jets, 9. Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), 10. Ambient 1 - Music for Airports
50. 🇫🇷🎸🎷Magma Relentless martial fusion, chanted vocals, an invented language, and an interstellar mythology mark Magma as the essence of zeuhl. 1. Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh, 2. 1,001 Degrees Centigrade, 3. K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria), 4. Magma [Aka: Kobaïa], 5. Christian Vander: Tristan et Iseult [Aka: Ẁurdah Ïtah], 6. Live/Hhaï (Köhntark),7. Retrospektïẁ I-II, 8. Üdü Ẁüdü, 9. Attahk, 10. Rïah Sahïltaahk
51. 🇫🇷🎸🎷 ZAO was a French progressive rock band founded in 1971 by two ex-members of the band Magma, Yochk'o Seffer and François Cahen. Active primarily in the 1970s, they played a style of progressive rock and zeuhl that was a spin-off from Magma's sound, and also incorporated jazz fusion and other influences. 1. Shekina, 2. Osiris, 3. Typhareth
52. 🇬🇧🎸🪇Peter Gabriel Theatrical leader of '70s-era Genesis and a bona fide pop star by the '80s despite his experimental, often exotic, material. 1. Peter Gabriel 3 [Aka: Melt], 2. Up, 3. Peter Gabriel 4 [Aka: Mask, Aka: Security], 4. Passion - Music from The Last Temptation of Christ, 5. So, 6. Us, 7. Peter Gabriel 1 [Aka: Car], 9. New Blood, 10- i/o 8. Peter Gabriel 2 [Aka: Scratch]
53. 🇫🇷🎸Kevin Ayers A gifted songwriter, guitarist, bassist and singer, Kevin Ayers has been flitting in and out of prog throughout his long, languid career. 1. Shooting At the Moon, 2. Joy of a Toy, 3. Whatevershebringswesing
54. 🇬🇧🎸Egg Canterbury-based progressive rock trio released a pair of ambitiously conceived, stylistically diverse albums in the early ‘70s 1. The Polite Force, 2. The Civil Surface, 3. Egg
55. 🇩🇪🎸Out of Focus was one of the many creative groups that arose from Germany in the early '70s. Its inventive take on fusion laid the groundwork for their three LPs released a year apart from each other. 1. Out of Focus, 2. Four Letter Monday Afternoon, 3. Rat Roads, 4. Not Too Late
56. 🇩🇪🎸The Cosmic Jockers were the greatest Krautrock supergroup that never was, a cosmic joke even on most of the musicians who played on the sessions, unbeknownst they were members of this new "group.” 1. Galactic Supermarket, 2. Galactic Joke
57. 🇬🇧🎸🪈🎬🪇📟 Anthony Philips One of the founders of Genesis, a guitarist of supreme skill and confidence steeped in classical, pre-Baroque, and folk influences. 1. The Geese & The Ghost, 2. Wise After the Event, 3. Private Parts & Pieces I-VIII, 4. 1984
58. 🇬🇧🎸Renaissance Classical rock ensemble formed as an outlet for a pair of ex-Yardbirds, but later driven by Annie Haslam's three-octave voice and John Tout's piano. 1. Scheherazade and Other Stories, 2. Ashes Are Burning, 3. Turn of the Cards, 4. Prologue, 5. Renaissance, 6. Novella, 7. Live at Carnegie Hall, 8. A Song for All Seasons, 9. Illusion
59. 🇬🇧🎸Kate Bush Haunting second-wave art rocker who was critically deified in the 1980s thanks to her tasteful, intelligent, and stimulating songwriting. 1. The Kick Inside, 2. Hounds of Love, 3. Never for Ever, 4. The Dreaming, 5. 50 Words for Snow, 6. Aerial, 7. The Sensual World, 8. Lionheart, 9. Director's Cut, 10. The Red Shoes
60. 🇬🇧🎸Marillion Frontrunners of the U.K.'s progressive rock revival, led by Fish and later Steve Hogarth without missing a beat. 1. Misplaced Childhood, 2. Script for a Jester's Tear, 3. Clutching at Straws, 4. Fugazi, 5. Brave, 6. Marbles, 7. Afraid of Sunlight, 8. F*** Everyone and Run, 9. Seasons End. 10. An Hour Before It's Dark
61. 🇸🇪🎸Bo Hansson Swedish keyboard player/composer Bo Hansson first emerged in the 1960s as part of a duo that made a name for itself, first in Sweden and then on tour in Europe, and issued a series of three albums. 1. Attic Thoughts, 2. Magician's Hat, 3. Lord of the Rings, 4. Music Inspired By Watership Down
62. 🇮🇹🎸Homunculus Res Sicilian band draws influence from the '60s-'70s Canterbury scene and early Italian prog, melding breeziness with complexity. 1. Limiti All'eguaglianza della Parte con il Tutto 2. Come Si Diventa Cio' Che Si Era, 3. Andiamo In Giro di Notte E Ci Consumiamo Nel Fuoco, 4. Della Stessa Sostanza Dei Sogni, 5. Ecco l'Impero Dei Doppi Sensi
63. 🇦🇷🎸Bubu Along with the traditional rock set-up (guitar, bass, and drums), the band featured a violinist, flutist, saxophonist, and pianist. Their music is complex, energetic, and diabolical in a King Crimson-ish sort of way. Influences are varied (classic, jazz, rock, folk) but make up quite an interesting blend. 1. Anabelas, 2 El Eco del Sol
64. 🇩🇪🎸📟Neu! Minimalist rhythmic electronic band whose motorik style became a major influence on artists ranging from David Bowie to Sonic Youth to Stereolab. 1. Neu!, 2. Neu! 75
65. 🇩🇪🎸Agitation Free 1970s Krautrock group who specialized in ambient, droning electronics with touches of bluesy Grateful Dead-style jamming. 1. 2Nd, 2. Malesch
66. 🇧🇪🎸🎻Univers Zéro Longstanding dark-hued Belgian chamber rockers and avant-prog pioneers led by drummer/composer Daniel Denis. 1. Uzed, 2. Hérésie, 3. Univers Zéro, 4. Ceux du dehors, 5. Phosphorescent Dreams, 6. Lueur. Offshoot: 🇧🇪🎸🎻Present Dark and often relentless avant-prog band formed by guitarist Roger Trigaux upon his departure from Univers Zero in 1979. 1. Triskaidekaphobie, 2. Le Poison Qui Rend Fou
67. 🇫🇷🎸🎻🎬🎹🪇📟Art Zoyd French avant Rock in Opposition collective founded in 1969 with a virtually unclassifiable sound applied to film scores and experimental works. 1. Häxan, 2. Berlin, 3. Marathonerre, 4. Symphonie pour le jour où brûleront les Cités, 5. Phase IV, 6. Le Mariage Du Ciel Et De L'Enfer, 7. Faust, 8. Metropolis, 9. Eyecatcher
68. 🇬🇧🎸🎷Colosseum Influential British band that pioneered a progressive form of jazz-rock, with unusual chord progressions and variant song structures. 1. Valentyne Suite, 2. The Grass Is Greener, 3. Daughter of Time, 4. Those Who Are About to Die Salute You
69. 🇬🇧🎸🎤Strawbs Sprawling, eclectic folk-rock act whose spacy mix of rock and neo-classical presaged prog-rock. 1. Grave New World, 2. Hero and Heroine, 3. From the Witchwood, 4. Ghosts 5. Bursting at the Seams, 6. Nomadness, 7. Strawbs
70. 🇺🇸🎸Happy the Man Progressive rock band known for their high-caliber musicianship and complex, sometimes whimsical compositions. 1. Crafty Hands, 2. Happy the Man (Starborne)
71. 🇩🇪🎸🎻🎷🪈Annexus Quam This early-'70s Krautrock band from Kamp-Lintfort, a suburb of Düsseldorf, mixed jazz, rock, avant-garde, and psychedelic music into a unique blend on their two albums. 1. Osmose, 2. Beziehungen
72. 🇺🇸🎸🎻Secret Chiefs 3 is an Avant-Garde band led by Trey Spruance. Their style is influenced by oriental folklore and electronic music, fused with metal. 1. Book M, 2. Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws, 3. Book of Horizons, 4. Xaphan - Book Of Angels, Vol. 9, 5. Traditionalists: Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini, 6. Book of Souls - Folio A, 7. Ishraqiyun: Perichoresis, 8. Malkhut, 9. First Grand Constitution and Bylaws?
73. 🇳🇴🎸Motorpsycho Norwegian power trio influenced by psychedelia and heavy acid rock. 1. The Death Defying Unicorn (feat. Staale Storloekken, Ola Kvernberg, Trondheimsolistene & Trondheim Jazz Orchestra), 2. Timothy's Monster, 3. Let Them Eat Cake, 4. Phanerothyme, 5. Little Lucid Moments, 6. Behind the Sun, 7. The Tower, 8. The All is One, 9. Here Be Monsters, 10. The Crucible
74. 🇮🇹🎸Alphataurus A dramatic Italian rock band readily bearing comparison to an unholy collision of Uriah Heep and Van der Graaf Generator. 1. Alphataurus, 2. AttosecondO, 3. Dietro l'Uragano
75. 🇬🇧🎸Gilgamesh British prog rock/jazz fusion ensemble led by keyboard player Alan Gowen. 1. Gilgamesh 2. Another Fine Tune You’ve Got Me Into
76. 🇮🇹🎸🪇Quella Vecchia Locanda plays a complex music with a lot of instrumental combinations, beautiful melodies and a very high sophistication. 1. Il tempo della gioia, 2. Quella Vecchia Locanda
77. 🇮🇹🎸🪇Area Uncompromising blend of jazz-rock, ethnic folk, experimentation, and political philosophies made them a unique presence in Italy during the 1970s. 1. Arbeit Macht Frei, 2. Crac!, 3. Caution Radiation Area, 4. Maledetti, 5. 1978 - Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!
78. 🇵🇱🎸🪇 CzesŁaw Niemen He recorded "Dziwny jest ten świat" (Strange Is This World) as a major Polish protest song in 1967, and was an early pioneer of psychedelic music in communist Poland in the late 60's. 1. Niemen, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 by, 2. Enigmatic, 3. Niemen, 4. Aerolit, 5. Katharsis
79. 🇬🇧🎸🎷East of Eden A perfect illustration of the futility that England's Decca Records faced in cultivating progressive rock (apart from the Moody Blues). A critically acclaimed jazz-fusion band with a strong Eastern music influence. 1. Snafu, 2. Mercator Projected
80. 🇦🇷🎸El Reloj The band was formed in 1971 by guitarist Willy Gardi and bassist Eduardo Frezza. The style of El Reloj was characterized by a fusion of hard rock, progressive rock and jazz-rock, with complex song structures, symphonic trends and a prominent use of two Hammond guitars and organ. Their music was mainly instrumental, with brief but effective vocal passages, and showed a powerful and energetic sound, with a focus on twin guitars and forceful percussion. 1. El Reloj II, 2. El Reloj
81. 🇧🇪🎸🪇CoS Often referred to as the Belgian answer to ZAO, they offer a mixture of prog rock, jazz and Canterbury styles 1. Viva Boma, 2. Postaeolian Train Robbery, 3. Babel
82. 🇮🇹🎸🪇Picchio Dal Pozzo is an Italian progressive rock band formed in Genoa in 1976, known for its "Canterbury scene" sound. Their music is characterized by a mix of jazzy improvisation, complex arrangements, surreal lyrics, and a unique, sometimes challenging, instrumental style. 1. Picchio Dal Pozzo, 2. Abbiamo tuttii suoi problomi
83. 🇮🇹🎸Goblin Influential Italian progressive rock outfit known for its horror film scores. 1. Roller, 2. Profondo Rosso [Aka: Deep Red] (OST), 3. Suspiria (OST), 4. Il Fantastico Viaggio Del "Bagarozzo" Mark, 5. Zombi [aka: Dawn Of The Dead] (OST), 6. Il Reale Impero Britannico: Perché Si Uccidono (OST)
84. 🇸🇪🎸Änglagård Swedish band Änglagård is part of a whole breed of young progressive rockers who have cut their teeth on King Crimson's Red. 1. Viljans Oga, 2. Hybris, 3. Epilog
85. 🇨🇳🎷🪇Omnipotent Youth Society (万能青年旅店) is a prestigious Chinese alternative rock band that formed in Shijiazhuang in 1996 and officially named in 2002. Known for their unique style blending rock with traditional and orchestral elements, they gained immense popularity in China with their self-titled debut album in 2010. 1. Omnipotent Youth Society (万能青年旅店), 2 Inside the Cable Temple (冀西南林路行)
86. 🇲🇽🎷🎻🪘🪇 Klezmerson One of the Mexican bands that combines melodies and rhythms of traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe with influences from the Mexican tradition of sones, sounds from Latin America and the Middle East. 1. Klezmerson, 2. Amon: Book of Angels, Vol. 24, 3. The Book Beri'ah, Vol. 6: Tiferet
87. 🇳🇱🎸Brainbox Part of a vibrant Amsterdam pop music scene in the late sixties with their harder edged blend of psychedelic rock and Chicago blues, Dutch band Brainbox paid hommage to both American and British Contemporaries while at the same time developing their own more progressive brand of pop music. 1. To You, 2. Brainbox
88. 🇬🇧🎸Wishbone Ash One of the definitive British bands balancing hard rock edge and prog-rock ambition during the '70s, complete with trademarked twin lead guitars. 1. Argus, 2. Pilgrimage, 3. Wishbone Ash, 4. Live Dates, 5. There's the Rub, 6. No Smoke Without Fire, 7. Illuminations, 8. Bona Fide, 9. Elegant Stealth, 10. Blue Horizon
89. 🇬🇧🎸Procol Harum British band best known for "A Whiter Shade of Pale," whose style encompassed psychedelia, prog, and art rock. 1. Shine on Brightly, 2. Procol Harum, 3. Grand Hotel, 4. Salty Dog, 5. Home, 6. Exotic Birds and Fruit, 7. Procol Harum Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, 8. Broken Barricades
90. 🇬🇧🎸Traffic West Midlands rockers whose adventurous blend of folk, rock, jazz, and soul were driven by Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood. 1. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, 2. John Barleycorn Must Die, 3. Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory, 4. Mr. Fantasy
91. 🇩🇪🎸Novalis was a German progressive rock band from Hamburg, active from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, who took their name from the 18th-century Romantic poet. Starting with English lyrics and a sound influenced by bands like King Crimson, they shifted to German lyrics and developed a unique, romantic symphonic rock style that became highly influential. 1. Novalis, 2. Sommerabend, 3. Banished Bridge
92. 🇩🇪🎸 Satin Whale was a German progressive rock band from the 1970s known for blending jazz fusion, symphonic rock, and Krautrock elements with a focus on instrumental skill. 1. Desert Places, 2. Lost Mankind, 3. A Whale of a Time, 4. Don’t Stop the Show
93. 🇬🇧🎸Hawkwind Soaring, sci-fi-influenced British space rockers, respected in both metal and progressive circles during the 1970s and '80s. 1. Warrior on the Edge of Time, 2. Hall of the Mountain Grill, 3. Levitation, 4. Doremi Fasol Latido, 5. Space Ritual, 6. X In Search Of Space, 7. Quark, Strangeness And Charm,m 8. Electric Tepee, 9. Blood Of The Earth, 10. Onward
94. 🇺🇸🎸Kansas Classic rock radio staples who found fame in the 1970s with a mixture of prog-rock complexity, hard rock riffs, and pop hooks. 1. Leftoverture, 2. Point of Know Return, 3. Song for America, 4. Kansas, 5. The Absence of Presence, 6. The Prelude Implicit
95. 🇩🇪🎸Nektar Prog-rockers of the '60s and '70s formed in Germany by a quartet of Englishmen. 1. A Tab in the Ocean, 2. Recycled, 3. Journey To The Centre Of The Eye, 4. Remember the Future
96. 🇩🇪🎸Grobschnitt Progressive German group, best known for their signature epic "Solar Music," mixing psychedelic Krautrock with hard rock. 1. Solar Music - Live, 2. Jumbo, 3. Grobschnitt, 4. Rockpommel's Land, 5. Ballermann
97. 🇯🇵🎸Far East Family Band Regarded by many as the first Japanese progressive rock group, the Far East Family Band featured the keyboardist and future new age composer, Kitaro. A keyboard-dominated space rock band, the Far East Family Band played extended compositions that brought comparisons to Tangerine Dream and early Pink Floyd. 1. Parallel World, 2. The Cave Down To The Earth, 3. Nipponjin
98. 🇳🇴🎸Wobbler is a Norwegian symphonic progressive rock band formed in 1999, renowned for its authentic recreation of early 1970s vintage sound using period-accurate instruments like Mellotron and Moog synthesizers. 1. From Silence to Somewhere, 2. Rites of Dawn, 3. Dwellers of the Deep, 4. Hinterland, 5. Afterglow
99. 🇩🇪 🎷🎸Aera was a German jazz-rock/progressive fusion band that was active during the 1970s and 1980s. They are known for their improvisational style, often compared to other South German jazz-rock bands like Embryo and Dyzan. 1. Human est, 2. Hand und FuB
100. 🇭🇺🎸Omega Hungary's most successful rock band, who began covering British hits before embracing hard rock and prog rock. 1. Time Robber, 2. The Hall of Floaters in the Sky, 3. Nem Tudom a Neved, 4. 200 Years After The Las War, 5. Csillagok, 6. Skyrover, 7. Gammapolis, 8. Idörabló
101. 🇦🇹🎸Blank Manuskript Art Rock project from Salzburg, Austria. Typical long songs ornamented with a high level of symphonic density and elaborate polyphonic structures as well as extended improvised sections lead their audience through an entire musical adventure. 1. The Waiting Soldier, 2. Krásná Hora
102. 🇩🇪🎸Triumvirat is one of the most maligned but at the same beloved bands, they were accused of being ELP clones, but at the same time most people love the pristine music they created and the unique arrangements by that virtuoso keyboardist named Jürgen Fritz. 1. Mediterranean Tales (Across the Waters), 2. Illusions on a Double Dimple, 3. Spartacus, 4. Old Loves Die Hard, 5. Pompeii
103. 🇩🇪🎸Birth Control 1970s Krautrock band known for earthy rhythms and extended solos, with numerous reunions in later decades. 1. Hoodoo Man, 2. Plastic People, 3. Operation, 4. Rebirth, 5. Plastic People, 6. Backdoor Possibilities
104. 🇬🇧🎸Supertramp A variant of progressive rock that some have called sophisto-rock. One of the biggest prog rock bands of the '70s, thanks in large part to their pop smash Breakfast in America. 1. Crime of the Century, 2. Even In The Quietest Moments …, 3. Crisis? What Crisis?, 4. Breakfast in America), 5. Brother Where You Bound
105. 🇮🇹🎸🎷Arti & Mestieri The sextet Arti & Mestieri was formed in 1974 in Torino, Italy, by drummer Furio Chirico, following his departure from the Trip. Drawing membership from the cream of the local jazz-rock scene. 1. Tilt, 2. Giro di Valzer per Domani
106. 🇫🇷🎸Alco Frisbass is a French duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists Fabrice Chouette (keyboards, guitars, voice, recorder, whistling, percussion) and Patrick Dufour (Fender Rhodes, keyboards, drum programming, chimes). They fuse jazz, Canterbury, and symphonic elements. 1. Alco Frisbass, 2. Le Bateleur
107. 🇫🇷🎸🪇Ange Considered the French equivalent of Genesis due to their heavy theatrical version of progressive rock, Ange released 14 albums from the '70s to the mid-'80s. 1. Au-Delà du Délire, 2. Emile Jacotey, 3. Par Les Fils De Mandrin, 4. Le Cimetiere des Arlequins
108. 🇨🇿🎸Blue Effect was a prominent Czech progressive rock band founded by guitarist Radim Hladík in 1968 initially named The Blue Effect, and also operating under aliases like M. Efekt and Modrý efekt. The band was active until Hladík's death in 2016 and is noted for its unique combination of free jazz, blues-rock, and progressive rock. 1. Svitanie, 2. Svět Hledačů, 3. 33, 4. The Blue Effect & The Jazz Q Prague: Coniunctio
109. 🇬🇧🎸Family Influential British psychedelic band who evolved into prog-rockers in the 1970s. 1. Music in a Doll's House, 2. Family Entertainment, 3. Fearless, 4. Bandstand, 5. A Song for Me, 6. Anyway
110. 🇬🇧🎸Man Eclectic Welsh rockers put a new spin on psychedelia in the 1970s, then remained a U.K. attraction for decades. 1. Do You Like It Here, Are You Settling In?, 2. Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day, 3. Back Into the Future, 4. Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics
111. 🇳🇱🎸Alquin Dutch band Alquin released four studio albums in the early to mid-'70s, initially playing prog rock influenced by Pink Floyd and Roxy Music. 1. Marks 2. The Mountain Queen
112. 🇬🇧🎸Gnidrolog Twin brothers Stewart and Colin Goldring formed the eclectic prog group Gnidrolog in the late '60s after having worked together in various musical projects throughout the years. 1. Lady Lake, 2. In Spite of Harry’s Toenail
113. 🇬🇧🎸Audience British art-rock unit Audience was formed in London in 1969 by singer/guitarist Howard Werth, saxophonist Keith Gemmell, bassist Trevor Williams, and percussionist Tony Connor. Set apart from their contemporaries thanks to their use of acoustic guitar and saxophone. 1. The House on the Hill, 2. Friends, Friends, Friend, 3. Audience
114. 🇳🇴🎸Arabs in Aspic Their wide range of influences make a very rewarding listen, including stoner-rock music, 60s psychedelic rock, and the 70s heavy weights, with prime influences being Black Sabbath and Wetton-era King Crimson (hence their name). 1. Far Out in Aradabia 2. Syndenes Magi, 3. Victim of Your Father’s Agony, 4. Pictures in a Dream, 5. Madness and Magic, 6. The Magic of Sin, 7. Strange Frame of Mind
115. 🇩🇪🎸Frumpy were a German heavy psych band in the vein of early Deep Purple and the like. This is classic rock with subtle progressive touches for friendly & catchy compositions. 1. Frumpy 2, 2. All Will Be Changed
116. 🇺🇸🎸🪕Harvey Mandel Legendary blues, jazz, rock, and funk guitarist and musical innovator also known as "Snake." His tapping technique has proved influential. 1. Baby Batter, 2. Cristo Redentor, 3. Get Off Chicago, 4. The Snake, 5. Blues From Chicago, 6. Shangrenade
117. 🇺🇸🎸Atheist Arguably the ultimate progressive metal band of their day, Atheist's impossibly Byzantine death-jazz proved too advanced even for committed metalheads to stomach. 1. Unquestionable Presence, 2. Piece of Time, 3. Elements
118. 🇬🇧🎸🎤Fairport Convention Folk-rock ensemble who became British legends by successfully melding authentic folk stylings with competent (and even virtuosic) rock playing. 1. Liege and Lief, 2. Unhalfbricking, 3. What We Did in Our Holidays, 4. Full house, 5. “Babbacombe” Lee
119. 🇺🇸🎸Blue Öyster Cult Seminal hard rockers whose best work is ambitious and intelligent, making them the thinking man's heavy metal group through much of the '70s and beyond. 1. Secret Treaties, 2. Fire of Unknown Orign, 3. Imaginos
120. 🇺🇸🎸Ambrosia The musicians were inspired by the progressive rock era, and developed a large regional following for their inventive musicianship and skillful arranging. 1. Ambrosia, 2. Somewhere I've Never Travelled
121. 🇬🇧🎸10cc Quirky '70s British hitmakers with a refined sense of songcraft and a balance between rock and smooth pop. 1. The Original Soundtrack, 2. How Dare You! 3. Sheet Music
122. 🇺🇸🎸Spirit Ambitious and acclaimed West Coast psychedelic band that fused hard rock to jazz, blues, country, and folk. 1. Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, 2. Clear, 3. The Family That Plays Together, 4. Spirit
123. 🇬🇧🎸The Move Adventurous British combo that began with merry psychedelic odes but later pumped up their guitar amperage and attack to planet-cracking levels. 1. Looking On, 2. Shazam, 3. Message From The Country
124. 🇺🇸🎸The Mars Volta El Paso-based creators of dense, swirling, melodic-at-heart compositions beloved by prog and indie rockers alike. 1. Deloused in the Comatorium, 2. Frances the Mute, 3. Amputechture, 4. Noctourniquet, 5. Lucro Sucio: Los Ojos del Vacío
125. 🇬🇧🎸Beggars Opera The group’s grandiose ambition was to fuse classical and progressive rock elements, an accommodation they achieved but only to moderate critical and commercial interest. 1. Act One, 2. Waters of Change, 3. Pathfinder
126. 🇬🇧🎻Renaldo & The Loaf Coupled with an eccentric viewpoint, the group's inventive use of tape loops and acoustic instruments such as mandolin, bouzouki, and clarinet made Renaldo & the Loaf distinctive even within the realm of experimental music. 1. Arabic Yodeling/Grain by Grain (for Accuracy), 2. Songs for Swinging Larve/Songs from the Surgery, 3. The Elbow is Taboo, 4. Title in Limbo
127. 🇬🇧🇺🇸🎸Carmen In the early seventies, the British-American group Carmen broke new ground in rock music, combining the British flair for progressive rock with traditional Spanish folk themes into a very fresh, energetic and powerful new mix. 1. Fandangos in Space, 2. Dancing on a Cold Wind
128. 🇩🇪📟🎸Kraftwerk Düsseldorf group whose advancements in electronic music have resonated in virtually every development of contemporary pop since the late 20th century. 1. Trans-Europe Express, 2. The Man-Machine, 3. Computer World, 4. Autobahn
129. 🇳🇱🎸Kayak Dutch band whose music mixed pop and prog influences. The band began as a symphonic progressive rock act with an emphasis in songwriting, but from 1977 on Kayak changed direction moving into crossover territories. 1. Kayak, 2. See See the Sun, 3. Royal Bed Bouncer
130. 🇨🇦🇫🇷🎸Jelly Fiche This band literally swims into a sea of artistic creativity. Its unique concept surpasses all the limits of the actual French-Canadian scene. Jelly Fiche will transport you into a whirlwind of surrealism, mystery, fantasy, psychic balance and unbalance. 1. Tout ce que j'ai rêvé, 2. Symbiose, 3. Comme au dernier jour
131. 🇬🇧🎸Electric Light Orchestra Creators of high-tech Beatlesque prog-rock in the 1970s, heavy on the synths and strings, influential on later atmospheric pop. 1. El Dorado, 2. On the Third Day, 3. Electric Light Orchestra [Aka: No Answer], 4. Out Of The Blue, 5. ELO 2 [Aka: Electric Light Orchestra II]
132. 🇲🇽🎸Iconoclasta A mostly instrumental band and one of the first Mexican progressive groups, Iconoclasta has been revered for years for epic-length songs that are influenced by classical, folk, and jazz music. 1. Suite Mexicana, 2. Reminiscencias, 3. Soliloquio, 4. Adolescencia Crónica, 5. Iconoclasta
133. 🇩🇪🎸Wallenstein were a band that transcended a number of musical styles during their decade-plus of existence, from early krautrock to symphonic to space rock toward the end of their existence. 1. Blitzkrieg, 2. Cosmic Century, 3. Mother Universe, 4. Stories, Songs and Symphonies.
134. 🇬🇧🎸 🎙️Gordon Giltrap Innovative British guitarist who emerged during the 1960s folk scene and found success in the '70s with a trio of instrumental prog rock albums. 1. Perilous Journey, 2. Fear of the Dark, 3. Visionary
135. 🇺🇸🎸🎷Liquid Tension Experiment is an American instrumental prog rock "supergroup." Founded in 1997 by drummer Mike Portnoy, then a member of Dream Theater, their sound offers complex compositions -- sometimes of protracted length -- wedding riff-laden hard rock and heavy metal to knotty jazz fusion, and meaty funk with constantly shifting dynamics, rhythms, time signatures, and textures. 1. Liquid Tension Experiment 2, 2. Liquid Tension Experiment
136. 🇬🇧🎸 Manfred Mann’s Earth Band The fourth incarnation of Manfred Mann, an art-rock band who scored big with "Blinded By the Light." 1. Solar Fire, 2. Nightingales and Bombers, 3. The Roaring Silence, 4. Watch
137. 🇬🇧🎸Gryphon They shared a vision of blending traditional English folk, Baroque instrumentation and Renaissance music in a modern format. 1. Red Queen to Gryphon Three, 2. Midnight Mushrumps, 3. Gryphon, 4. Raindance
138. 🇬🇧🎸Atomic Rooster Hard-rocking English band formed in 1969 at the height of the U.K. progressive rock boom. 1. Death Walks Behind You, 2. Atomic Rooster, 3. Made in England, 4. In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
139. 🇬🇧🎸Greenslade Mid-'70s British progressive rock band anchored by two keyboardists. Their sound melded pop melodies to classical, jazz, psychedelia, and blues. 1. Greenslade, 2. Bedside Manners Are Extra. Offshoots: 🇬🇧🎸Dave Grrenslade Greenslade first came to attention as the keyboards player for the jazz-blues-rock fusion outfit Colosseum, for whom he composed the epic "Valentyne Suite," a 17-minute, multi-section production that became the centerpiece of the album of the same name. 1. Cactus Choir
140. 🇷🇺🎸🪇Vespero From Russia playing psychedelic music in the beginnings and later Natalya Tjurina (vocals) joined, and the band moved into more progressive rock-related areas. 1. The Four Zoas, 2. Hollow Moon, 3. Shun-Shir, 4. Songo, 5. Rito, 6. Surpassing All Kings, 7. By The Waters Of Tomorrow, 8. Subkraut - U-Boats Willkommen Hier, 9. Droga, 10. Lique Mekwas
141. 🇵🇱🎸🎷SBB is one of the most important Polish bands of the seventies. SBB, rightfully listed in the eclectic progressive genre, mainly plays a hybrid of symphonic prog, space/atmospheric prog and fusion. 1. Memento z banalnym tryptykiem, 2. Pamięć, 3. SBB, 4. Ze Słowem Biegnę Do Ciebie, 5. Nowy Horyzont, 6. Follow My Dream, 7. Welcome, 8. The Rock
142. 🇳🇴🎸🪈Popol Ace Having roots as far back as 1959 with The Scavers and later releasing a single Arman Stumpe Dur Express, this Norwegian quintet that released two albums under the Popol Vuh moniker (a Maya mythology-related name), until they became aware of a German band using the same name, they changed their names to Popol Ace 1. Popol Vuh, 2. Quiche Maya, 3. Stolen from Timex
143. 🇳🇱🎸Supersister was a Dutch progressive rock band formed in 1968, known for its unique sound that blended jazz, psychedelia, and the Canterbury scene. 1. To the Highest Bidder 2. Present from Nancy, 3. Pudding en Gisteren [Aka: Pudding & Yesterday]
144. 🇳🇱🎸Ekseption In their eight-year existence, Ekseption came as close as any group from the European continent ever did to stealing the thunder of early classical rock outfits such as the Nice and rivaling the early work of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. 1. Trinity, 2. 3, 3. 00.004, 4. Bingo
145. 🇬🇷🎸Aphrodite's Child Greek psych/prog band that gave birth to the career of keyboard wizard Vangelis. 1. 666, 2. End Of The World
146. 🇬🇧🎸Uriah Heep British hard rockers with a revolving-door lineup and an eclectic sound that grandly draws on prog, metal, acid rock, and pastoral folk. 1. Demons and Wizards, 2. Look at Yourself, 3. Salisbury
147. 🇨🇦🎸Harmonium was a highly successful French-Canadian folk-progressive rock band from Quebec, active in the 1970s. Formed in 1973 by Serge Fiori, Michel Normandeau, and Louis Valois, the band achieved both commercial and artistic success in French and English Canada by blending folk, rock, and jazz into innovative albums like their self-titled debut, Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison, and the concept album L'Heptade. 1. Les Cinq Saisons, 2.L'heptade XL, 3. Harmonium
148. 🇦🇷🎸🪘Ave Rock The progressive sound of this group —full of rhythm changes and rich melodic treatments— was based on the virtuosity of Caló, Borda and Sainz. 1. Ave Rock, 2. Espacios
149. 🇦🇺🎸Frozen Planet 1969 Australian instrumental psychedelic rock trio formed in 2012. The band is known for its improvisational, long-form "jamming" sessions, which have resulted in numerous albums released through their own Pepper Shaker Records and Headspin Records. 1. Not From 1969, 2. Lost Traveller Chronicles Vol. 2., 3. The Heavy Grand Explotion, 4. Cold Hand of a Gambling Man
150. 🇩🇪🎸🎷Kraan Among those German groups who include psychedelic, sometimes ethnic elements to their distinctive, innovative jazz rock. They were influenced by Pharaoh Sanders and Frank Zappa. 1. Kraan, 2. Let it Out, 3. Andy Nogger, 4. Wintrup, 5. Live
151. 🇲🇽🎸🪇Chac Mool was a prominent Mexican progressive rock band formed in Mexico City in 1979, active until 1985. Led by Jorge Reyes and Carlos Alvarado, the band was known for its atmospheric sound that blended complex progressive rock with elements of pre-Hispanic music, jazz, and folk. 1. Nadie en Especial, 2. Sueños de Metal, 3. El Mensajero de los Dioses
152. 🇬🇧🎸Argent Zombies keyboard maestro Rod Argent found a place to explore all of his musical notions and incorporated more classical, jazz, and art rock influences. 1. Nexus, 2. All Together Now, 3. Circus
153. 🇨🇭🎸Brainticket The obscure late-'60s/early-'70s experimental/Krautrock outfit Brainticket originally formed in 1968, consisting of members from Swiss, German, and Italian descent. 1. Celestial Ocean, 2. Cottonwoodhill, 3. Psychonaut, 4. Adventure, 5. Voyage
154. 🇬🇧🪇🎸🎷Osibisa is an Afro-rock band formed in London in 1969 by Ghanaian musicians Teddy Osei, Sol Amarfio, and Mac Tontoh. Their music is a fusion of African highlife, with rock, jazz, and funk, and they became one of the first African-heritage bands to achieve widespread international recognition. 1. Osibisa, 2. Boyaya
155. 🇨🇱🎸🪇Los Jaivas This Chilean band offers one of the most interesting blends of folk and symphonic rock. 1. Los Jaivas 2. Alturas de Macchu Picchu
156. 🇸🇪🎸🎷Janne Schaffer As one of the most prominent guitarists and session musicians in Sweden, Janne Schaffer has played with almost everyone at home, and quite a few important bands abroad. 1. Katharsis, 2. Janne Schaffer, 3. Earmeal
157. 🇨🇦🎸🪇Maneige Their music is probably one of the best example of what Fusion music can be by blending in classical and folk elements together with jazz tones the whole thing having a very progressive rock ideal and could also fit the chamber rock style. 1. Les porches, 2. Maneige, 3. Ni Vent... Ni Nouvelle, 4. Libre Service - Self Service
158. 🇩🇪🎸🎻📟Cluster has recorded many albums of ambitious, pre-ambient electronic music with gorgeous synth arrangements, a groovy tone and a constant sense of melody. 1. Cluster, 2. Cluster II, 3. Zuckerzeit, 4. Sowiesoso
159. 🇺🇸🎷🎻🎹🎸Thank You Scientist A 21st century progressive rock septet that formed at Montclair State University in New Jersey. 1. Stranger Heads Prevail, 2. Maps of Non — Existent Places, 3. Terraformer
160. 🇦🇷🎸🪘Aquelarre Argentinean progressive rock band Aquelarre got involved in the local music scene in March of 1972 while performing at a local venue, releasing a self-titled album that same year. 1. Aquelarre, 2. Brumas
161. 🇦🇷🎸🪇 Crucis Their music is half instrumental/half with strong Spanish vocals and the emphasis is on the keyboards (organ, string-ensemble, synthesizers, Steinway - and Fender Rhodes piano), the rhythm-section sounds powerful and adventurous. 1. Los Delirios del Mariscal, 2. Crucis
162. 🇬🇧🎸The Pop Group Politically motivated post-punk collective from Bristol, characterized by slicing guitars, primitive funk rhythms, and agit-prop lyrics. 1. Y, 2. For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?
163. 🇬🇧🎸Spirogyra Formed in Canterbury, England in 1970, Spirogyra was one of a group of young progressive folk bands signed to B&C Records at the same time as Steeleye Span. 1. St. Radigunds, 2. Old Boot Wine
164. 🇫🇷🎸Clearlight is a project by French song-writer and composer Cyrille "Clearlight" Verdeaux, with a blend of classical romanticism and prog-rock experimentation. 1. Clearlight Symphony, 2. Forever Blowing Bubbles, 3. Impressionist Symphony, 4. Infinite Symphony, 5. Symphony II, 6. Les Contes Du Singe Fou
165. 🇧🇪🎸🪇 Aksak Maboul is a Belgian avant-rock band founded in 1977 by Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis. Known for their eclectic and experimental music, the band has explored diverse styles, including post-punk, free jazz, electronic music, and traditional folk. 1. Un peu de l'âme des bandits, 2. Onze Danses Pour Combattre La Migraine
166. 🇬🇧🎸Fruupp One of the hardest-working progressive bands to end up languishing in relative obscurity, Fruupp was begun in 1971 by guitarist Vince McCusker. 1. Future Legends, 2. Seven Secrets, 3. Modern Masquerades
167. 🇺🇸🎸Styx The rare art rock band with commercial success, capable of producing monster hits with stadium rock, sweeping power ballads, and concept albums. 1. The Grand Illusion, 2. Pieces of Eight
168. 🇨🇿🎷🎸 🎬Jan Hammer Pioneering Czech jazz fusion keyboardist best known for his television scores. 1. Timeless, 2. Oh, Yeah?, 3. The First Seven Days, 4. Malma Mainly
169. 🇮🇸🎸Sigur Rós Pioneering Icelandic post-rockers whose uniquely dreamlike, slow-motion sound is popular with shoegazers and filmmakers. 1. Ágætis Byrjun, 2. (), 3. Takk…
170. 🇮🇸🎸📟Björk Iconic Icelander whose unique sonic adventurousness has extended to pop, jazz, electronica, and beyond. 1. Vespertine, 2. Homogenic, 3. Post, 4. Debut, 5. Vulnicura, 6. Medúlla
171. 🇦🇺🎸🪈Dead Can Dance Project that combines elements of European folk music, particularly the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with ambient pop and worldbeat. 1. Within the realm of a Dying Sun, 2. The Serpent’s Egg, 3. Into the Labyrinth, 4. Spleen and Ideal, 5. Anastasis, 6. Dionysus
172. 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇸🇪🎸Transatlantic Prog rock supergroup featuring members of Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Marillion, and the Flower Kings 1. Bridge Across Forever, 2. SMPT E, 3. The Whirlwind, 4. The Absolute Universe: Forevermore, 5. Kaleidoscope, 6. The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version)
173. 🇬🇧🎸Haken English band whose original prog-metal sound has evolved into a kaleidoscopic swirl of prog-rock, electronic pop, and anthemic rock. 1. The Mountain, 2. Visions, 3. Aquarius 4. Affinity, 5. Fauna, 6. Vector, 7. Virus
174. 🇺🇸🎸Deluge Grander is a progressive rock band formed in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2005 by Dan Britton, who also leads projects like Birds and Buildings. The band, a successor to Britton's previous project, Cerebus Effect, was founded with drummer Patrick Gaffney to perform Britton's complex compositions. Early lineups included guitarists Dave Berggren and bassists Brett d'Anon, and their music is characterized by intricate, symphonic progressive . 1. August in the Urals, 2. The Form of the Good, 3. Oceanarium, 4. Heliotians
175. 🇩🇪🎸📟🎻🎬🪈Tangerine Dream Innovative Berlin group whose pioneering synthesizer and sequencer work helped found the new age of popular ambient and electronica. 1. Rubycon, 2. Phaedra, 3. Stratosfear, 4. Force Majeure, 5. Tangram, 6. Exit, 7. Encore, 8. Logos, 9. White Eagle, 10. Hyperborea
176. 🇬🇧🎸Ozric Tentacles British neo-psychedelic jam band who bridged the gap between techno and space rock in the 1980s and '90s 1. Erpland, 2. Strangeitude, 3. Jurassic Shift, 4. Arborescence, 5. Pungent Effulgent, 6. Curious Corn, 7. The Hidden Step, 8. Lotus Unfolding, 9. Spirals in Hyperspace, 8. Technicians of the Sacred, 10. Space for the Earth
177. 🇺🇸🎸Dream Theater Standard-bearing American progressive metal standard bearers who have influenced the entire genre with their impeccable musicianship and recordings. 1. Awake 2. Images and Words, 3. A Dramatic Turn of Events, 4. Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, 5. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, 6. Train of Thought, 7. Octavarium, 8. Distance Over Time, 9. A View from the Top of the World, 10. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
178. 🇺🇸🎸Queensrÿche Seattle quintet who constructed a progressive form of heavy metal drawing equally from guitar pyrotechnics and art rock. 1. Operation: Mindcrime, 2. Empire, 3. Rage For Order, 4. The Warning, 5. Promised Land
179. 🇺🇸🎸🎬Explosions in the Sky Austin-based instrumental post-rock quartet known for moody, cinematic compositions as well as film and television scores. 1. The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, 2. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, 3. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, 4. The Wilderness
180. 🇺🇸🎸Pain of Salvation has evolved from a Dream Theater-inspired, technical metal band into a stylized, syncopated fusion powerhouse. 1. Remedy Lane, 2. The Perfect Element, Pt. I, 3. Entropia, 4. One Hour By The Concrete Lake, 5. “BE”
181. 🇬🇧🎸Big Big Train Veteran British ensemble blends progressive rock and thoughtful pop melodicism. 1. English Electric, Pt. One, 2. English Electric, Pt. Two, 3. The Underfall Yard, 4. Folklore, 5. Grimspound, 6. Grand Tour, 7. Common Ground, 8. Welcome to the Planet, 9. Ingenious Device, 10. The Likes of Us
182. 🇬🇧🎸I.Q. Prolific British progressive rock band active since the early '80s. 1. The Road of Bones, 2. Ever, 3. Subterranea, 4. The Wake, 5. The Seventh House, 6. Tales from the Lush Attic, 7. Dark Matter, 8. Frequency, 9. Resistance
183. 🇸🇪🎸The Flower Kings Longstanding, innovative prog rock band from Sweden led by guitarist and composer Roine Stolt. 1. Banks of Eden, 2. Back in the World of Adventures, 3. Flower Power, 4. Desolation Rose, 5. Stardust We Are, 6. Retropolis, 7. Space Revolver, 8. Unfold the Future, 9. Paradox Hotel, 10. Islands
184. 🇺🇸🎸Spock’s Beard Los Angeles neo-progressive rock band known for its catchy songwriting and technical playing style. 1. Snow, 2. The Light, 3. V, 4. Beware of Darkness, 5. Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep, 6. The Oblivion Particle, 7. X, 8. Noise Floor
185. 🇸🇪🎸Beardfish Swedish progressive rock band celebrated for their technical prowess and muscular interpretation of the genre. 1. Sleeping In Traffic, Pt. 2, 2. Sleeping In Traffic, Pt. 1, 3. +4626-Comfortzone, 4. Destined Solitaire, 5, Mammoth, 6. Songs for Beating Hearts, 7. The Void
186. 🇺🇸🎸Flying Colors Progressive rock supergroup featuring former members of Dream Theater, the Dixie Dregs, and Spock's Beard. 1. Second Nature, 2. Third Degree, 3. Five Colors
187. 🇬🇧🎸Be Bop Deluxe British band of the mid-'70s, led by talented guitarist Bill Nelson, that balanced art rock and glam, proving a heavy influence on new wave. 1. Modern Music, 2. Sunburst Finish, 3. Futurama
188. 🇭🇺🎸Solaris Hungarian progressive rock band Solaris got its start in 1980. They took their name, and the content of all their songs, from classic science fiction. 1. Martian Chronicles, 2. Martian Chronicles II, 3. 1990
189. 🇬🇧🎸Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come This UK band was formed in 1971 by the eccentric Arthur Brown a vocalist who had achieved momentary commercial fame three years earlier with his memorable single, "Fire." Considered one of the prime movers behind the British progressive underground, Brown's flamboyant stage act - flaming helmet, outlandish costumes, bizarre facial make-up and crazy, incendiary vocals - appropriately suited the band's manic, psychedelic sound. 1. Galactic Zoo Dossier, 2. Journey
190. 🇮🇪🎤🪇🪈Clannad Irish family band who debuted with traditional instruments and Gaelic vocals, then enjoyed global success by bridging folk, rock, and new age. 1. Dúlamán, 2. Clannad 2
191. 🇺🇸🎸Yezda Urfa blends influences from YES and GENTLE GIANT into wonderful, fast-paced, great symphonic prog. 1. Boris, 2. Sacred Baboon
192. 🇺🇸🎻📟🎷🎹Terry Riley Widely influential Californian composer who pioneered the use of tape loops and delay/feedback systems. 1. A Rainbow In Curved Air, 2. Church of Anthrax, 3. In C, 4. Persian Surgery Dervishes, 5. Atlantis Nath, 6. In C/Djembé
193. 🇺🇸🎸Ultimate Spinach Short-lived psychedelic/acid rock band who were one of the most successful acts associated with the Bosstown Sound of the late '60s. 1. Ultimate Spinach, 2. Behold and See
Great Experimental/Art Rock Albums
By artists who are not necessary at my top of my book but round pretty well my Experimental/Art Rock musical taste. Sorted in no particular order.
🇬🇧🎸Still by Pete Sinfield. Probably the best lyricist ever. Nobody has been able to transmit such intense emotions with words. Only his first work, "In The Court Of The Crimson King" deserves this title.
🇬🇧🎸The Immediate Years CD 1-3 by The Nice. U.K. band who started as an R&B outfit but went on to pioneer progressive rock and art rock while adding classical influences.
🇩🇪🎸Bullfrog by Bullfrog. The German band Bullfrog was a Munich-based krautrock/heavy prog group formed in 1973, known for their melodious, guitar-heavy sound with strong keyboard work, releasing Bullfrog (1976) and High in Spirit (1977).
🇮🇹🎸🪇YS by Il Balletto Di Bronzo. Il Balletto di Bronzo is a seminal Italian progressive rock band, formed in Naples in 1969, renowned for their experimental and complex sound, especially their influential 1972 album Ys.
🇮🇹🎸🪇Palepoli by Osanna. Osanna is a pioneering Italian progressive rock band, formed in Naples in 1971, known for their theatrical stage presence with elaborate costumes and makeup, and their unique fusion of heavy rock, psychedelic elements, and traditional Neapolitan sounds, highlighted by classic albums like L'Uomo and the influential Palepoli.
🇬🇧🎸Stained Glass Stories by Cathedral. British doom metal band formed in 1989 by ex-Napalm Death vocalist Lee Dorrian, known for their influential debut Forest of Equilibrium and a gradual shift from slow doom to 70s-inspired hard rock and progressive metal.
🇬🇧🎸The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Rick Wakeman. Classically trained keyboardist extraordinaire who plied his trade with Yes and developed his own brand of live spectacular in a solo act.
🇬🇧🎸Voyage of the Acolyte by Steve Hackett. Progressive rock guitarist best known for his 1970s stint in Genesis, although he wandered in and out of many top bands
🇺🇸🎸🎷🪘Azteca by Azteca. Azteca was a short-lived but highly influential American Latin rock and jazz fusion supergroup from the early 1970s. Formed by percussionist brothers Pete and Coke Escovedo after their time with Santana, the band was a musical orchestra that featured up to 25 members onstage and blended a wide array of musical styles.
🇺🇸🎸Bantam to Behemoth by Birds and Buildings. Birds and Buildings is a progressive rock project founded in 2008 by multi-instrumentalist Dan Britton (formerly of Cerebus Effect and Deluge Grander), featuring a core lineup of Britton (keys, guitar), Brett d'Anon (bass, guitar), Brian Falkowski (reeds), and Malcolm McDuffie (drums). Known for their complex, energetic, and eclectic sound, the band blends influences like Magma, Gentle Giant, and Mahavishnu Orchestra with zeuhl, fusion, and symphonic elements, creating intricate compositions and high-level musicianship.
🇺🇸🎸Office of Strategic Influence by O.S.I. O.S.I. (stands for: Office Of Strategic Influence) was an American progressive rock/metal band formed in 2002 by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and Chroma Key vocalist/keyboardist Kevin Moore, active from 2002–2012, known for its long-distance, collaborative studio-project approach that involved rotating guest musicians.
🇺🇸🎸Todd Rundgren's Utopia by Utopia. Utopia was an American rock band, founded by Todd Rundgren in 1973, that evolved from an early progressive rock ensemble (Todd Rundgren's Utopia) into a more accessible new wave and power pop group featuring a stable core lineup of Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Roger Powell, and John "Willie" Wilcox.
🇬🇧🎸White by White. Alan White was an influential English rock drummer best known for his nearly 50-year tenure with the progressive rock band Yes, joining in 1972 and becoming its longest-serving member
🇬🇧🎸Space Shanty by Khan. Khan was a short-lived but influential British progressive rock band formed in 1971 by guitarist Steve Hillage, known for fusing psychedelic rock, jazz, and complex arrangements.
🇬🇧🇩🇪🎸Casablanca Moon / Desperate Straights by Slap Happy. Slap Happy was a British/German avant-pop trio formed in Hamburg in 1972 by Anthony Moore (keyboards), Peter Blegvad (guitar), and Dagmar Krause (vocals), known for their intellectual, experimental, and unique sound characterized by Krause's distinctive German-accented vocals.
🇬🇧🎷🎸Mainstream by Quiet Sun. Quiet Sun was a British jazz-rock/progressive band formed around 1970 by Phil Manzanera and Bill MacCormick, known for their complex, jazz-infused sound with prominent guitar and keyboards
🇮🇹🎸🪇Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Più by Locanda Delle Fate. Locanda delle Fate was an Italian symphonic progressive rock band, most famous for their 1977 debut album Forse le lucciole non si amano più, which is now considered a classic despite the band disbanding shortly after its release.
🇺🇸🎸Toy Matinee by Toy Matinee. Toy Matinee was a short-lived American rock band formed by producer Patrick Leonard and singer Kevin Gilbert, releasing one self-titled album in 1990 that mixed progressive rock, AOR, and Beatlesque pop.
🇮🇹🎸🪇Madrugada by Madrugada. Madrugada was an Italian jazz-rock/symphonic prog trio from Bergamo, active from approximately 1970 to 1978, featuring Gianfranco Pinto (keyboards), Alessandro "Billy" Zanelli (bass), and Pietro Rapelli (drums), known for their keyboard-driven sound with rich vocal arrangements and later evolving into a more spacey, jazz-rock fusion style on their two albums, Madrugada (1974) and Incastro (1977).
🇧🇷🎸Depois do Fim by Bacamarte. Bacamarte was a Brazilian progressive rock band formed in 1974, renowned for their 1983 album "Depois Do Fim,” considered a progressive rock classic blending symphonic keyboards, skilled guitar work by Mario Neto, and Portuguese vocals.
🇬🇧🎸On Land and In the Sea by Cardiacs. Eccentric U.K. indie rockers whose cassette-only releases and oddball performances built them a 1980s cult following.
🇯🇵🎸🎻Plays Standards by Ground Zero. Ground Zero was a Japanese avant-garde band led by turntablist and guitarist Otomo Yoshihide, active from 1990 to 1998, known for its polystylistic fusion of noise, free improvisation, and sampled collages within a rock framework.
🇮🇹🎸🪇Zarathustra - EP by Museo Rosenbach. Museo Rosenbach is an Italian progressive rock band formed in Sanremo around 1971, known almost exclusively for their 1973 album "Zarathustra," now a revered cult classic and considered one of the best Italian progressive rock albums ever, despite its initial lack of commercial success.
🇨🇦🎸Obscura by Gorguts. An influential Canadian technical death metal outfit fronted by Luc Lemay. Known for evolving death metal's sonic language, they are recognized for albums like Obscura(1998) and Colored Sands (2013), which pushed boundaries with dissonant harmonies and complex structures.
🇬🇧🎸Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt. Former Soft Machine drummer and vocalist who merged the avant-garde with English eccentricity.
🇸🇪🎸A Drop of Light by All Traps On Earth. All Traps On Earth is a Swedish progressive rock quarter. The band, created from a composition by Johan Brand, released their debut album, A Drop of Light, in 2018, blending symphonic rock, Canterbury prog, jazz, and avant-garde elements with heavy use of Mellotrons and wind instruments.
🇵🇱🎸Second Life Syndrome by Riverside. Riverside is a Polish progressive rock band formed in Warsaw in 2001, known for their blend of atmospheric rock and metal with melancholic melodies and introspective lyrics, often compared to bands like Pink Floyd, Tool, and Porcupine Tree.
🇮🇹🎸Maxophone by Maxophone. Maxophone was an Italian progressive rock band formed in Milan in 1973, known for their critically acclaimed, self-titled 1975 album that blended symphonic rock with jazz and classical elements, featuring instruments like French horn, clarinet, and vibraphone.
🇮🇩🪇Mahandini by Dewa Budjana. Dewa Budjana is an acclaimed Indonesian guitarist, composer, and songwriter, known as the lead guitarist for the iconic pop/rock band Gigi and for his extensive solo career exploring jazz, fusion, and world music.
🇨🇺🎸🪘Síntesis (feat. Jorge Migoya, Juan Carlos Ricci & Julio Alberto Cusmai) by Síntesis. Síntesis is a seminal Cuban band, founded in 1976 by Carlos Alfonso, renowned for pioneering ethno-fusion by blending Afro-Cuban roots and Yoruba rituals with jazz and rock elements.
🇧🇷🎷🪘Zabumbe-bum-á by Hermeto Pascoal. Hermeto Pascoal (1936–2025) was a groundbreaking Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer known for his innovative integration of Brazilian folk music with jazz and progressive rock, earning him the nickname "the Sorcerer".
🇨🇦🎸F♯ A♯ ∞ by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. An experimental nine-piece that specializes in semi-avant-garde instrumental music of haunting beauty.
🇬🇧🎸Hex by Bark Psychosis. Bark Psychosis was an influential English experimental rock band, formed in 1986 by school friends Graham Sutton and John Ling, who are credited with coining the term "post-rock" to describe their genre-blending sound. Known for their textured, ambient soundscapes that mixed rock instrumentation with electronic sampling, jazz, and dub, they released seminal EPs and the classic 1994 album Hex, which, despite critical acclaim, led to the original band's dissolution due to internal tensions.
🇬🇧🎸Fish Rising by Steve Hillage. Veteran British guitarist who has greatly influenced space rock, prog, ambient, and techno throughout his lengthy career.
🇩🇪🇭🇺🎸🪈Edge of Time by DOM. DOM is a quartet formed by a multi-national musical collective (with members from Germany and Hungary). The music reaches the listener into a space, acoustic "trip" dominated by guitars and percussions.
🇩🇪🎸Känguru - EP by Guru Guru. Guru Guru is a pioneering German Krautrock band formed in 1968 by drummer Mani Neumeier, blending psychedelic rock, jazz, humor, and improvisation into a surreal, often chaotic sound, exemplified by early albums like UFO and live performances that were integral to their hippie ethos and communist-leaning politics.
🇩🇪🎸🎷🪇Electric Silence by DZYAN. Dzyan was a German Krautrock jazz-rock band formed in Mannheim in 1971, known for blending rock, jazz, electronics, and Asian ethnic music.
🇺🇸🎸🎹🎻Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds by Jeff Wayne. Jeff Wayne is an American-born composer, musician, and lyricist best known for his 1978 concept album, "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds," an internationally successful adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel that blends rock, classical, and electronic music.
🇫🇷🎸📟🎻🪈Stand By by Heldon. Heldon was a pioneering French electronic rock band, active primarily from 1974–1978 and led by guitarist Richard Pinhas, known for its fusion of progressive rock, experimental electronics, and often aggressive, heavy metal-influenced guitar work, with the band's name originating from Norman Spinrad's novel The Iron Dream.
🇫🇷🎸Weidorje by Weidorje. Weidorje was a short-lived French progressive rock/Zeuhl band formed in 1976 by former Magma members Bernard Paganotti (bass) and Patrick Gauthier (keyboards). The band released one self-titled album in 1978, known for its bass-heavy, rhythmically intense, and fusion-influenced Zeuhl sound, which often included brass instrumentation.
🇦🇹🎷🪇Szobel by Hermann Szobel. Hermann Szobel (born 1958) is an Austrian former pianist and composer. He produced and recorded a single jazz fusion album, titled "Szobel," (1976) at the age of 18, demonstrating, in the words of a "Down Beat" reviewer (9 September 1976), "a conception and technique far in advance of most musicians twice his age."
🇪🇸🎸🪇Si Todo Hiciera Crack by Crack. Crack was a short-lived but influential Spanish symphonic-progressive rock band formed in Gijón in 1977-78, known for their 1979 album Si Todo Hiciera Crack, which blended classic British and Italian prog influences with Spanish lyrical themes and a rich sound featuring keyboards, flutes, and both acoustic and electric guitars.
🇩🇪🎸Deluxe by Harmonia. Harmonia was a West German krautrock "supergroup" formed in 1973 by Michael Rother (of Neu!) and Hans-Joachim Roedelius & Dieter Moebius (of Cluster), pioneering a sound blending ambient soundscapes with repetitive, motorik beats in their isolated rural setting.
🇦🇺🎸Four Moments by Sebastian Hardie. Sebastian Hardie was an Australian symphonic rock band, formed in 1967 as the Sebastian Hardie Blues Band, that transitioned to a progressive rock sound in the 1970s, releasing the acclaimed albums Four Moments (1975) and Windchase (1976) before disbanding in 1977, later reforming for later releases.
🇮🇹🎸🪇Principe Di Un Giorno by Celeste. Celeste is an Italian progressive rock band from Sanremo, formed in 1972 by drummer Ciro Perrino, best known for their classic 1976 album Il Principe del Giorno (Celeste), which is praised for its dreamy, pastoral sound featuring Mellotron and acoustic instruments.
🇫🇮🎸🪇Visitation by Pekka Pohjola. Pekka Pohjola (1952-2008) was a renowned Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bass virtuoso who rose to fame with the progressive rock band Wigwam before embarking on a distinguished solo career blending jazz fusion with progressive rock, heavily influenced by Frank Zappa and eventually developing a unique sound.
🇬🇧🎸Garden Shed by England. England were a progressive rock group active in the late 1970s and briefly reformed in 2006. The band is notable for their album Garden Shedreleased on Arista Records, and for keyboardist Robert Webb playing a Mellotron sawn in half.
🇧🇷🎷🎹🪈🪇Academia De Danças by Egberto Gismonti. A world-renowned multi-instrumentalist and composer whose work reflects the musical diversity of Brazil.
🇦🇷🎸🪇Cornostipicum by M.IA. M.I.A. (Músicos Independientes Asociados) was an influential Argentine progressive rock cooperative, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, co-founded by the Vitale family, including Lito and Liliana Vitale, and known for their independent ethos, complex symphonic rock with Latin folk influences, and as a launchpad for numerous careers in Argentine music.
🇬🇧🎸🎷🎻Kew. Rhone. by John Greaves, Peter Blegvad & Lisa Herman. John Greaves is a Welsh bassist, pianist, singer, and composer born in 1950, known for his work in experimental rock, particularly with Henry Cow, progressive rock with National Health, jazz-rock with Soft Heap, and numerous solo albums and collaborations, most notably with Peter Blegvad.
🇬🇧🎸🎻Hellfire by Black Midi. Black Midi was a London-based experimental rock band known for its complex blend of math rock, post-punk, noise rock, and avant-jazz, active from 2017 to 2024. Formed at the BRIT School by Geordie Greep, Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, Cameron Picton, and Morgan Simpson, the band gained notoriety for its virtuosic musicianship, chaotic live performances, and debut album Schlagenheim (2019), which earned a Mercury Prize nomination.
🇬🇧🎸🎻The Ghost Trade by Camberwell Now. Camberwell Now was an experimental English art-rock band formed in 1982 by Charles Hayward, the drummer from the influential band This Heat, alongside bassist Trefor Goronwy and tape manipulator Stephen Rickard.
🇺🇸🎸🎻🎹🪈The Ascension by Glenn Branca. Glenn Branca (1948–2018) was an influential American avant-garde composer, guitarist, and instrument inventor known for pioneering no wave, totalism, and noise rock through his symphonies for multiple electric guitars, characterized by extreme volume, alternative tunings, repetition, and exploration of the harmonic series.
🇪🇸🎸🪇El Patio by Triana. Triana was a pioneering Spanish band, formed in Seville in 1974, famous for creating "rock andaluz" by fusing progressive and psychedelic rock with flamenco.
🇦🇺🎸🪇Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Australian psychedelic collective with an intense work ethic and a wildly experimental outlook that reaches from synth prog to folk-rock.
🇯🇵🎸Tamago (卵) by betcover!! Formed in 2015, betcover!! are a J-rock band with jazz rock influences, recently moving to a more progressive sound.
🇫🇮🎸🪇Huono Parturi by Höyry-kone. Höyry-kone (Finnish for "Steam Engine") was an influential Finnish avant-prog band active from 1991 to 2001, known for its complex, eclectic sound mixing progressive rock, jazz, classical, and even techno, with unique vocal treatments and instrumentation including strings and flutes.
🇬🇧🎸🎷Mogul Thrash by Mogul Thrash. Mogul Thrash was a short-lived British jazz-rock band, formed in 1969 by ex-Colosseum guitarist James Litherland, known for their single self-titled album released in 1971 and for being a crucial early step for John Wetton (later of King Crimson and Asia) and future Average White Band saxophonists Roger Ball and Malcolm Duncan.
🇺🇸🎸🎷Sir Nebula by Tauk. New York-based jazz, funk, and electric fusion-oriented jam band.
🇲🇽🎸🪘Segundo Pasado by Agora. Agora is a Mexican progressive/heavy metal band formed in 1996 in Mexico City, known for its intricate musicianship, evolving sound, and impactful albums like "Segundo Pasado" and the recent English-language "Empire".
🇬🇧🎸Mark Kelly’s Marathon by Marathon. Marathon is a solo progressive rock project by Mark Kelly, the longtime keyboardist for the band Marillion, which launched in 2020 with a self-titled debut album featuring progressive rock themes and collaborations with other musicians.
🇬🇧🎸Olias of Sunhillow by Jon Anderson. Distinctive vocalist and songwriter best known for his work with Yes, as well as collaborating with Vangelis and Rick Wakeman.
🇫🇮🎸Haikara by Haikara. Haikara was a Finnish progressive rock band formed in Lahti in 1971, known for their complex symphonic and jazz-rock sound, which drew comparisons to King Crimson and Tasavallan Presidentti.
🇺🇸🎸Dead Roots Stirring & Lore by Elder. Explorative metal group that takes inspiration from progressive rock almost as much as from stoner metal.
🇬🇧🎸Babe Ruth by Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth was a British hard/progressive rock band formed in 1970, led by guitarist Alan Shacklock and featuring powerhouse vocalist Jenny Haan, known for their sophisticated mix of hard rock, blues, and jazz with ethnic elements, achieving early success in North America with their gold-selling 1972 debut album First Base.
🇬🇧🎸First Utterance by Comus. Comus was a pioneering English psychedelic folk band active in the early 1970s and later reformed in the late 2000s, known for their dark, acoustic, and experimental sound, particularly on their cult classic debut album, First Utterance (1971).
🇫🇷🎸🪇4 Visions by Eskaton. Eskaton was a French Zeuhl/chamber-rock band formed in 1970, known for their powerful, Magma-influenced sound that eventually incorporated synthesizers and a more accessible style, releasing seminal albums like 4 Visions before disbanding in the mid-80s after their final release, Fiction.
🇬🇧🎸Fields by Fields. Fields was a short-lived, keyboard-driven English progressive rock trio formed in 1971 by ex-King Crimson drummer Andy McCulloch and ex-Rare Bird organist Graham Field, with Alan Barry on vocals, bass, and guitar.
🇬🇧🎸Fuzzy Duck by Fuzzy Duck. Fuzzy Duck was an English hard rock/progressive rock band formed in London in 1970, known for their heavy, organ-driven sound with influences of jazz and psych-rock, best exemplified by their rare 1971 self-titled album.
🇬🇧🎸A Curious Feeling by Tony Banks. Influential English keyboardist and film composer and founding member of progressive rock giants Genesis.
🇩🇪🎸 Carol of Harvest by Carol of Harvest. Carol of Harvest played a dreamy blend of Progressive Rock and Folk with female vocals that might be compared with Mellow Candle and Renaissance.
🇬🇧🎸🎻Soup by Stick Men. King Crimson-adjacent prog rock supergroup built on a foundation of drums and Chapman Sticks
🇬🇧🎸McDonald & Giles by Ian McDonald & Miachael Giles. Having departed King Crimson, multi-instrumentalist McDonald and drummer Giles released a comparatively breezy but still ambitious duo album in 1971.
🇬🇧🎸Arzachel by Arzachel. Collectors of rare psychedelia recognize Arzachel's sole LP as being one of the most desired (and pricey) relics from the late '60s.
🇬🇧🎸🎷Unrecorded Beam by Billy Bottle & The Multiple. Billy Bottle & The Multiple is a progressive jazz-folk fusion project led by pianist/multi-instrumentalist Billy Bottle (Billy Harbottle) and vocalist Martine Waltier, blending Canterbury scene influences with experimental and folk elements to create whimsical, mythic concept albums inspired by poetry, politics, and life experiences.
🇩🇪🎸Gila by Gila. Gila was a German Krautrock band formed in 1969, known for their experimental sound on albums like Gila – Free Electric Sound (1972) and the more psychedelic folk Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1973), before disbanding in 1974. They blended instrumental space rock with folk influences, often featuring lengthy guitar solos, organ, and mellotron.
🇺🇸🎸Night on Bald Mountain by Fireballet. Fireballet was an American symphonic/art-rock band formed in North Jersey in 1971, active until 1976, known for their two influential albums, Night on Bald Mountain(1975) and Two, Too (1976). The band, which included multi-instrumentalist Jim Cuomo and guitarist Ryche Chlanda, showcased a complex progressive rock sound blending elements of Genesis, Gentle Giant, and Yes, notably featuring a celebrated symphonic take on Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain".
🇬🇧🎸🎺Afreaka! by Demon Fuzz. Demon Fuzz was an influential English Afro-rock band active from 1968 to 1972, composed of musicians from Caribbean Commonwealth countries, whose sound fused funk, soul, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, jazz, and African music.
🇬🇧🎸🎷Peter And The Wolf by Jack Lancaster & Robin Lumley. Brand X meets Eno, Keith Tippett, Chris Spedding, Stephan Grappelli and Bill Bruford. This is a progressive rock/hard rock/fusion music adapted for the "Peter & the Wolf" fairy tale.
🇺🇸🎸Captain Beyond by Captain Beyond. Captain Beyond was an American rock supergroup formed in 1971 by ex-Deep Purple vocalist Rod Evans, ex-Iron Butterfly guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt and bassist Lee Dorman, and ex-Johnny Winter drummer Bobby Caldwell, pioneering a complex blend of hard rock, progressive rock, and jazz fusion with space rock elements.
🇺🇸🎸It’s a Beautiful Day by It’s a Beautiful Day. San Francisco psychedelic folk-rock band formed in 1967 by violinist David LaFlamme and his wife Linda, known for their unique blend of rock, jazz, folk, and classical styles, and famous for their 1969 hit "White Bird" and their debut album, which achieved gold status.
🇺🇸🎸Sweetwater by Sweetwater. Sweetwater was a pioneering American psychedelic rock band, known for their distinctive instrumentation—including flute, cello, and congas instead of a guitar—and their unique fusion of folk, jazz, and classical music.
🇬🇧🎸Patto by Patto. Patto was an influential English progressive jazz-rock band formed in 1970 by vocalist Mike Patto, emerging from the band Timebox with members Ollie Halsall, Clive Griffiths, and John Halsey. Known for their energetic live shows and unique fusion of rock, jazz, blues, and humor, Patto released three albums on Vertigo and Island before disbanding, with members going on to join Boxer and the Rutles.
🇮🇹🎸Aria by Alan Sorrenti. Alan Sorrenti is an Italian singer and composer known for his versatile career, moving from experimental progressive rock in the early 1970s to major European pop hits like "Figli delle stelle" and "Tu sei l'unica donna per me".
🇩🇪🎸 Down in the Bunke by German Oak. German Oak was a Düsseldorf-based German psychedelic/space rock band in the early 1970s, known for their sole self-titled LP in 1972, recorded in an abandoned air-raid bunker to create a dark, claustrophobic, and industrial sound reflecting a young generation confronting the horrors of their parents' Nazi past. Their music featured extended, distorted guitar jams, heavy riffs, and electronic textures, with controversial song titles and cover art by a non-member, Manfred Uhr, that unfortunately drew misinterpretations of Nazi sympathies, though the band members themselves were apolitical.
🇺🇸🎸Relatively Clean Rivers by Relatively Clean Rivers. Relatively Clean Rivers was a short-lived, early 1970s band led by Orange County musician Phil Pearlman, known for their singular, highly regarded 1975 rural rock album that blended Grateful Dead-esque cosmic Americana, psychedelic folk, and acoustic melodies, becoming a prized underground rarity due to its excellent songwriting and atmospheric sound.
🇫🇷🎸Odyssée by Artcane. Artcane was a French symphonic progressive rock band formed in 1973, known for their single 1977 album, Odyssée, a rare LP that disappeared after its release on the French Philips label, featuring experimental, instrumental tracks with Frippian-influenced guitar and Crimson-like keyboards, and disbanded in 1979.
🇮🇹🎸1998: La Storia Di Sabazio1 by Triade. Triade was a short-lived, influential Italian progressive rock trio from Florence, active in the early 1970s, known for their 1973 debut album, 1998: La Storia di Sabazio, a pivotal work in Italian progressive rock that blended classical, symphonic, and folk-influenced styles.
🇨🇦🎸Hope by Klaatu. Klaatu was a Canadian progressive rock trio —John Woloschuk, Dee Long, and Terry Draper— active from 1973–1982, known for their spacey pop-rock and an enduring rumor that they were secretly The Beatles, fueled by their anonymous album art and Capitol Records' distribution.
🇫🇷🎸Eros by Dün. Dün was a French progressive rock band from Nantes, active from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, known for their complex, instrumental sound blending Zeuhl, avant-rock, and chamber music, culminating in their sole album, Eros (1981). Heavily influenced by Magma, Frank Zappa, and Henry Cow, their music featured intricate instrumental passages and haunting piano lines.
🇦🇷🎸 La Biblia by Vox Dei. Vox Dei is a legendary Argentine rock band formed in 1967, renowned for pioneering the concept album with La Biblia (1971) and influencing the Latin American rock movement with their spiritual themes and prolific output in the 1970s. A band with elements of blues, psychedelia, and progressive rock.
🇳🇴🎸 Between the Leaves by Déjà-Vu. This is a mid-seventies Hard Prog band from Norway. The music crosses crunchy guitar vamps with melodic sequences overlaid with lots of keyboards and plenty of monophonic synth leads.
🇲🇽🎸Hecho en Casa by Nuevo México. Considered one of Mexico's first progressive groups; Its emphasis on earlier psych and heavy instrumental workouts might have made it seem dated to some audiences, but in Mexico it was rather unique, and the playing pushed the boundaries of improvisation without clearly broaching them.
🇬🇧🎸Storm Corrosion by Storm Corrosion. Storm Corrosion was a one-off musical collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) and Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), formed in 2010 and releasing a single, self-titled album in 2012, exploring experimental psychedelic folk and ambient music rather than their typical progressive metal or rock, with no plans for future output.
🇺🇸🎸 Yesterday’s Children by Yesterday’s Children. Yesterday's Children was an
American psychedelic proto-heavy metal band formed in Connecticut in 1966 that released one cult-classic self-titled album in 1970 before disbanding, known for their transition from garage rock into a heavy, dynamic style that has been rediscovered by fans of early hard rock and metal.
🇨🇭🎸 Mainhorse by Mainhorse. Mainhorse was a short-lived Swiss-British progressive rock band, formed in 1969 by Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz and bassist Jean Ristori, known for their single 1971 eponymous album on Polydor Records before disbanding due to lack of commercial success. Moraz, later famous for joining Yes and The Moody Blues, pioneered the band's unique blend of classical, jazz, and psychedelic sounds with bandmates Peter Lockett and drummer Bryson Graham.
🇮🇪🎸Swaddling Songs by Mellow Candle. Mellow Candle was an Irish progressive folk-rock band (active 1968–1973) best known for their acclaimed 1972 debut album, Swaddling Songs, a complex and harmonically rich work that has become a classic of the genre despite its initial commercial failure.
🇺🇸🎸Anomaly by McLuhan. McLuhan was a Chicago-based, mixed-media progressive rock band formed in 1970 by University of Illinois students, led by trumpeter Dave Wright, known for their experimental sound, offbeat instrumentation, and integration of film, culminating in the cult classic 1972 album Anomaly on Brunswick Records before disbanding, only to experience a revival and partial reunion decades later.
🇺🇸🎸 The Music Improvisation Company by Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Hugh Davies, Jamie Muir & Christine Jeffrey. Exquisite and unexpected sound textures. Decades ahead of its time when released. Avant Garde at its best.
🇬🇧🎸Mighty Baby by Mighty Baby. Mighty Baby was an English post-psychedelic band formed in 1969 from the remnants of The Action, releasing two influential albums, Mighty Baby (1969) and A Jug of Love (1971), known for their blend of psychedelic rock, West Coast influences, and intricate guitar work.
🇬🇧🎸Think Pink by Twink. Twink (born John Charles Alder) is an influential English psychedelic and proto-punk drummer, singer, and songwriter known for his central role in bands like The Fairies, Tomorrow, The Pretty Things, and The Pink Fairies, as well as his classic 1970 solo album Think Pink. His stage name originated from receiving bottles of Twink home perm lotion from fans for his long curly hair in the mid-1960s.
🇺🇸🎸The Shroud of by Minimal Man. Minimal Man was a San Francisco-based experimental industrial band formed in 1979 by Patrick Miller, a visual artist and musician known for his aggressive, anti-musical "antimusic" sound
🇩🇪🎸Zwei-Osterei by Kluster. Kluster was a pioneering German experimental electronic music trio, formed in Berlin in 1969 by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Dieter Moebius, and Conrad Schnitzler, who created dissonant, proto-industrial soundscapes on short-lived but highly influential early albums before Schnitzler left, leading Roedelius and Moebius to evolve into the more structured duo Cluster.
🇩🇪🎸🎷Nevergreen! by Missing Link. An early 70s jazz-rock band from Munich. Played a typical 70s German progressive jazz-rock, similar to Thirsty Moon or Embryo, featuring jazzy sax riffs, quiet piano solos, and heavy rock outbursts.
🇺🇸🎸 Stark Naked by Stark Naked. Crate-crawling rock fans who have only encountered the band Stark Naked on record declare them a dark prog rock band that flirted with hard rock
🇸🇪🎸 Little Dreaming Boy by Thirteen Moons. Thirteen Moons was a Swedish experimental music trio (Mats Gunnarsson, Anders Holm, Göran Klintberg) active from 1986-1993, known for their genre-defying sound blending folk, jazz, and dark 80s pop with pastoral and pastoral elegance.
🇺🇸🎸 Distance Between Us by Don Bradshaw-Leather. He is an incredibly talented and inspiring multifaceted musician who cultivated his training dexterity, instrumentalist aptitude from his classical music background.
🇪🇸🎸 Why? by Màquina! Màquina! was a pioneering Spanish psychedelic and progressive rock band from Barcelona, active from 1969 to 1972, known for their high-energy, Hammond-driven sound and their landmark 1970 debut album, "Why?". Emerging during Franco's dictatorship, their work was rebellious and highly influential, blending complex improvisations with acid fuzz-wah guitars and organ, establishing them as a crucial part of Spain's underground scene.
🇺🇸🎸 Orcutt Shelley Miller by Orcutt Shelley Miller. This is an avant-rock trio of experimental musicians: Bill Orcutt on guitar, Steve Shelley (drummer for Sonic Youth) on drums, and Ethan Miller on bass. Their music is known for blending experimental rock with elements of free jazz and noise rock.
🇫🇷🎸Les morts vont vite by Shub-Niggurath. Shub-Niggurath was a French progressive and experimental rock band, active from 1982 to 1995, known for its Zeuhl-influenced, avant-garde sound inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.
🇺🇸🎸 Just a Poke by Sweet Smoke. Sweet Smoke was an American psychedelic jazz-rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 1968, known for their extensive live improvisations and complex musical structures.
🇬🇧🎸Kaddish by Towering Inferno. Towering Inferno was an English experimental multimedia duo of Richard Wolfson and Andy Saunders, active from 1985 to the late 1990s, best known for their Holocaust-themed opera album Kaddish (1993). This intense, multimedia performance combined ambient, techno, industrial, and metal with film and spoken word from Hungarian poet Endre Szkárosi to explore Jewish identity and cultural erasure.
🇫🇷🦈🎹🎻Experimental Essentials, Varèse: The Complete Works by Edgard Varése. Edgard Varèse (1883–1965) was a pioneering French-born composer who spent most of his career in the United States, known for his groundbreaking use of rhythm and timbre and for coining the term "organized sound". He was a futurist who explored new instruments, especially electronic ones, and advanced techniques like musique concrète, laying a foundation for electronic music with works like Ionisationand Poème électronique. Start here!
🇷🇺🦈🎹🎻🪈Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring by Los Angeles Philharmonic & Esa-Pekka Salonen and composed by Igor Stravinsky. Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) was a revolutionary Russian-born composer who became a towering figure in 20th-century music, known for his stylistic diversity, from the radical dissonance of The Rite of Spring to later Neoclassical and serial works. He achieved international fame with ballets for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and later became a citizen of France and the United States, ultimately dying in New York. Start here!
🇦🇹🦈🎹The Complete Music of Anton by Robert Craft and composed by Anton Webern. Anton Webern (1883–1945) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and musicologist, and a leading figure of the Second Viennese School, alongside Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg. A devoted pupil of Schoenberg, Webern developed and strictly applied the twelve-tone technique, creating music characterized by extreme brevity, structural clarity, and "total serialism" that profoundly influenced post-war avant-garde composers. His radical, abstract style, often referred to as "pointillistic" and "aphoristic," was considered degenerate by the Nazis. Start here!
🇭🇺🦈🎹🎻Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta by Brussels Philharmonic & Alexander Rahbari and composed & Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion by Alfons Kontarsky, Christoph Castle & Heinz Konig by Béla Bartók. Béla Bartók (1881–1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist, considered one of the most important 20th-century composers, famous for integrating Hungarian and other Eastern European folk music into his innovative classical compositions. His pioneering work in collecting, analyzing, and incorporating folk melodies, using the phonograph, laid the foundation for the field of ethnomusicology and profoundly influenced his unique style. Start here!
🇬🇧🎸🎻📟20 Jazz Funk Greats by Throbbing Gristle. Equal parts performance art and pure noise, they helped invent industrial music in the 1970s and spawned several important acts of the '80s.
🇵🇹🎸10.000 Anos Depis Entre Bénus e Marte by José Cid. José Cid is a Portuguese singer, composer, and cultural icon known as the "Father of Portugal's Rock and Pop scene," famous for his pioneering symphonic rock album 10.000 Anos Depois entre Vénus e Marte and for representing Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980.
Great Under the Radar Experimental/Art Rock Songs
By artists who are not necessary at my top of my book but round pretty well my Experimental/Art Rock musical taste. Sorted in no particular order.
🇩🇪🦈🎹🎻Karlheinz Stockhausen (Kontakte). The most influential, unique voice in the musical avant-garde, with a keen sensitivity to the acoustical realities and possibilities of sound. Start here!