- BAP: A German band formed in 1976, they sing in the Cologne dialect, and as I don't speak very good normal German as it is I can't understand a lot of what they sing, but I like the sound and can make up what I think the songs mean! The band name means something like "Pop" or "Dad". They've made 17 studio albums to date, and I'd highly recommend searching them out on t'internet, especially "Für Usszeschnigge" ("For Cutting Out")and "Zwesche Salzjebäck un Bier" ("Between Pretzels and Beer"). There used to be a handy english language fansite but that's disappeared and the only website now (http://www.bap.de/) is in German.
- Big Big Train: despite being active since 1990 and with 6 albums under their belt they are a very recent discovery for me. Learning that they'd done a cover of Anthony Phillips' "Master of Time" on a new EP ("Far Skies, Deep Time") I found an offer on their website (http://www.bigbigtrain.com/) to buy it together with their last album "The Underfall Yard", and good reviews in Classic Prog magazine convinced me to try them both - I was not disappointed! Both feature their new singer David Longdon, who was nearly the new singer in Genesis for "Calling All Stations" but probably sounded too much like Peter Gabriel for comfort. He's superb, and their albums before his arrival aren't quite so good, but "Gathering Speed" is recommended.
- The Buggles: not strictly prog by some definitions, but I count them as such for many reasons (not least the Yes connections). They only made two albums, the most successful of which was 1979's "The Age of Plastic" which is more 80's electro, but their second "Adventures In Modern Recording" was made after they'd joined (and then left) Yes for the "Drama" LP, and it's not a million miles distant. The recent CD re-release of this album was jammed with extras and is a must-buy.
- Kate Bush: another not entirely prog artist, but very much in the territory, with the "Ninth Wave" suite on "Hounds of Love" and her latest (not counting the forthcoming "Director's Cut" project) "Aerial" being basically a concept album, I think she counts. Both those albums are highly recommended, as is the earlier "Never For Ever" (or indeed any of her 8 albums).
- Fish: when he left Marillion I wasn't mad keen on his first solo efforts and stuck with the band, but by chance I heard some of his later stuff a few years ago and bought the 2-CD compilation "Bouillabaisse" which is an excellent place to start, especially for the superb 6-part "Plague of Ghosts". I then got his latest and finest to date, "13th Star" which is easily up with the best of his Marillion work. Other Fish albums are available, as they say, but those two are essential. Lots on his website http://www.the-company.com/, and amusingly this site comes up first on Google when you enter "fish", despite all the world's aquatic inhabitants!
- Peter Gabriel: despite being the ex-singer of Genesis, he may now be both the least "proggy" and yet most truly progressive artist on this list. A superb voice and a willingness to absorb, adapt and collaborate with all musical styles and artists means you can never know just what to expect from him. Every one of his 8 or so albums is worth having, but his 3rd (including "Games Without Frontiers") and 4th (aka "Security" in the US, with "Shock The Monkey") are my favourites. See http://www.petergabriel.com/ for more.
- Genesis: One of my first loves, and probably the essence of prog for me. Some of the real magic left when Peter Gabriel quit, and more went with Steve Hackett, but their later albums still had a lot to enjoy - quality over quantity, as despite starting in 1967 (a year before I was born) they've only made 15 in total. "Foxtrot" and "Selling England By The Pound" are my picks from the Gabriel era, and "Trick Of The Tail" (the first after PG left) is probably the best from Mr Collins time as singer, with "Abacab" a close second. Even the Ray Wilson fronted "Calling All Stations" has it's high points and I'm sorry they didn't make more music with this line-up as it showed great promise. Website http://www.genesis-music.com/ has more info and lots of links to the various members solo careers.
- Steve Hackett: talking of which... guitar hero Steve has really carried the torch for the kind of music Genesis used to make, while also unafraid to explore other directions too, on his 21 albums to date. Brilliant live, he's very active at the moment, see http://www.hackettsongs.com/ for his latest news and tour dates. Solo debut "Voyage Of The Acolyte" is a must-buy, and I'd strongly recommend "Darktown" and "To Watch The Storms" from his more recent offerings.
- IQ: second only to Marillion amongst the 80s prog revivalists, although they were clearly influenced by the 70s pioneers they soon established their own sound. Now beginning to have as interesting a line-up history as Yes, every version has boasted incredibly talented musicians, with ambitions to match - double CD concept album "Subterranea" is probably the high water mark of their 10 studio albums, while their early LP "The Wake" is a bonafide prog classic that time cannot wither. Find out more at http://www.iq-hq.co.uk/
- Jean-Michel Jarre: is the French electronic pioneer prog? Well, side-long instrumentals and space-age noises and titles suggest he is, or at the very least is within shouting distance! "Equinoxe" and "Oxygene" remain the classics of his 16 or so albums, with "Zoolook" also a personal favourite.
- Jethro Tull: although sometimes they have tried to distance themselves from the prog label, their constant willingness to push themselves in different directions (blues, folk, rock, electro) makes them a truly progressive band. Hard to pick a favourite from their 21 albums, so much so I'd probably recommend a best-of like 2001's "Very Best of...". I have a special fondness for their folky side and "Songs from the Wood" and "Heavy Horses" are lovely. "Stormwatch" is one of their best "rock" LPs.
- Marillion: the band that started it all for me, they have evolved and (usually) improved with every album, and are my absolute favourite active band. Their 4 albums with Fish have a special place in my heart, of which "Fugazi" is my personal choice, but with Steve Hogarth (12 albums and counting) they keep getting better and better. "Brave" is an essential purchase for any prog fan (indeed any music fan) as proof that the concept album is still viable and doesn't have to be about dragons or hobbits or spaceships, while the rougher-edged "Afraid of Sunlight" is just brilliant. The double CD version of "Marbles" is also highly recommended. Find a better way of life at http://www.marillion.com/.
- Mike Oldfield: another artist like J-M Jarre who isn't completely proggy but has definite links, and makes me feel the same way (energised, uplifted and moved) with his mainly instrumental works, long or short, on 24 albums so far. The ongoing "deluxe" re-releases of his early LPs are absolutely worth the money, "Hergest Ridge" being my favourite, and I'm looking forward to a similar treatment of "Platinum" which I love. Later works tend to the ambient club/dance sound but are still worth a listen, especially "Songs of Distant Earth". More info at http://www.mikeoldfieldofficial.com/.
- Pendragon: originally less successful contemporaries of Marillion, IQ and Pallas, their debut "The Jewel" is nonetheless a classic of the period, and although their 90's output is best avoided (very twee) they've recently hit a purple patch and with 2008's "Pure" and 2011's "Passion" are very much enjoying a second wind - see http://www.pendragon.mu/
- Anthony Phillips: the original guitarist who left Genesis after just two albums, but left an indelible mark, and who has since produced 30+ largely instrumental albums of delicacy and grace that have too much character to be labelled just "ambient" music. Debut "The Geese & The Ghost" featuring fellow Genesis alumni Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins is a perfect starting place, and of the "Private Parts and Pieces" series the pick for me are "PP&P IV: A Catch At The Tables" and "PP&P IX: Dragonfly Dreams". For news of what he's done and what's next visit http://www.anthonyphillips.co.uk/.
- The Pineapple Thief: a fairly recent discovery for me (and many other prog fans) despite being active since 1999, they owe a debt to both Radiohead and Porcupine Tree but have a charm of their own and could well be huge one day. "Tightly Unwound" was the album I heard first and which still haunts me, but I'd also highly recommend the compilation "3000 Days" which picks the best of their output up to that point. http://www.pineapplethief.com/ has more info on a re-release programme for their early albums and their latest music.
- Pink Floyd: one of the giants of rock music, and probably the only "prog" band with wide critical respect in the outside world, their 14 major albums since their 1965 beginnings are masterclasses of how to create and structure a rock album as genuine work of art that could stand alongside a classical symphony or an opera with head held high. "Dark Side Of The Moon" is so popular and successful that you might think you don't need to listen to it yourself, but you do - late at night, on headphones. Follow-up "Wish You Were Here" is similarly essential, and "The Wall" showed that prog-rock "dinosaurs" still had a place in the post-punk era. Slightly less essential after Roger Waters left.
- Porcupine Tree: starting quietly in 1987 as a one-man bedroom studio project making surreal and quirky nonsense, they've become the surprise success of 90s and noughties prog as a real live band pioneering the harder-edged sound that helped spawn prog-metal (but I don't hold that against them). "In Absentia" and "Deadwing" are the epitome and acme of their dozen albums so far. Highly influential, they are one of the few bands since the 70s that critics describe newer bands as being like! http://www.porcupinetree.com/
- Yes: through dozens of line-ups, highs, lows and fallow periods, Yes have entertained and perplexed in equal measure, but the quality of musicianship has always been sky-high and their songs sublime. Of their 19 (soon to be 20) albums there are many undeniable prog classics, but "Close To The Edge", "Going For The One", "Drama" (before album 20 the only one without Jon Anderson), and "Magnification" stand out. I personally love their difficult-to-record "Big Generator" from their poppier period, and would also suggest the recent 4-CD re-release of the "Keys to Ascension" as the studio tracks featuring the "classic" line-up are both vintage and startlingly fresh. See http://www.yesworld.com/ for news of their latest line-up and album plans.
Under the latter heading the first band you'd find would be Asia, the prog supergroup that did so well on US AOR radio. I quite like some of their earlier stuff, but some of it is also a bit too bland for me - oddly the only album I listen to a lot is "Arena" from the time after their real success when only Geoff Downes was left from the original line-up. I don't own much Camel but I like their best-of "Echoes" and fully intend to buy and listen to more at some point, whilst the alphabetically close Caravan made one of my favourite albums, "In The Land of Grey and Pink" but their best-of didn't reveal anything that made me want to buy anything else they'd done. Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) have always seemed too OTT even for my tastes, but at some point I will give their work a proper listen. Gentle Giant are an acquired taste but I'm getting there, and their self-titled debut is lovely. American neo-proggers Glass Hammer sometimes try too hard, but "The Inconsolable Secret" is a superb album and I wish I liked the rest of their albums as much. Every time I borrowed it from the music library, King Crimson's debut "In The Court Of The Crimson King" perplexed me and I still don't really like it all, but I could play the closing title track over and over again until the cows come home. Have tried to get beyond that one album but never succeeded! Poland's Riverside have made some very good music that stays just the right side of prog-metal for me, although of the three albums I own only "Rapid Eye Movement" is really memorable, especially the song "02 Panic Room" - I need to see them live. Starcastle struggle to escape the tag of US Yes-clones but their self-titled debut album has a certain charm which rewards repeat listening. Less charming and more terrifying are Van der Graaf Generator who at times sound genuinely evil! I loved the long track "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" which I first heard on a prog compilation, though, and bought the album it was originally from, "Pawn Hearts" which is brilliant. Only time will tell if I can grow to love the rest of their obtuse and difficult output. Last but not least, Roger Waters is a cantankerous old bugger and his solo albums are not the easiest listening, but "Radio Kaos" is a fine piece of work and leaves me in tears at its conclusion for all the right reasons.
