70's Prog Rock battle: Yes vs. Genesis vs. Pink Floyd vs. ELP

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

Note: For all intents and purposes, Genesis ceased to exist when Peter Gabriel left, mmmkay?

[jpgray]

1. I think Pink Floyd were more art rock than prog

No virtuosos, no nerdy lyrics, &c.

They did have some really stupid lyrics, however. And some long and mind-numbing synth solos. :boring: But they never really felt like 'prog' to me.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

2. that's a tuff call

i love pink floyd, but most of yes's music is so cool.

[LTR]

3. Why is this even a poll?

The choice is obvious.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. No contest!

Can one even compare Genesis with Pink Floyd? Naah.....NOTHING like Roger Waters...nothing like Gilmour's guitar....no contest....which one's PINK....

Did Genesis ever do ANYTHING CLOSE to the perfection of Dark Side of the Moon? No Contest!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. Foxtrot (nt)

[txprog]

9. The Lamb....

There is even some Pink Floyd like stuff on this work. The songs are better, the playing is better, the singing is better. Sure the story/concept is a bit obscure, but The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a masterwork.

Give a good listen.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. I understood everything. The story may be interpreted in a number of ways.

Does that make me a raving lunatic?

[TrogL]

5. Emerson Lake and Palmer

Has them all beat.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. Added (nt)

[TrogL]

15. Thanks

[jpgray]

10. Might as well throw in King Crimson, who invented the bloody genre

I guess I'm really just not a fan of prog.

[IronLionZion]

6. Where's Frank Zappa

Pink Floyd wins hands down. Whenever Pink Floyd is in a poll, there is just no contest.

:headbang:

[RandomKoolzip]

11. In a battle between Mike Rutherford and Chris Squire.....

I would have no idea who to root for, except maybe Armand Rickenbacker. And Roger Waters barely qualifies as a player (great writer/voacalist, though) so in the most important prog criteria to me, bass assault, I'd have to consider Genesis/Yes in a tie, with Floyd a distant second.

In a battle of vocalists, Gabriel hands down (screw Phil Collins-led Genesis), Gilmour a close second, and Anderson a third. However, Yes's group harmonies are far above and beyond what the others could acheive in that area-Floyd barely even considered harmonies- so Yes might finish first in its own category.

Guitarists? Howe, Gilmour, Hackett, in that order.

Drummers? Bruford, Collins, White, and Nick Mason in a WAY-distant fourth. Sorry, Nick, but you're a pretty leaden drummer, to tell the truth.

Keyboardists? Wakeman, Wright, then Banks. Banks's Mellotron work is astoundisng still, but a lot of Genesis is filled with baroque noodling about on the piano, thus causing some boredom and giving fuel to the anti-proggers' arguments.

Lyricists? WATERS, WATERS, WATERS. Then Gabriel, way in the back, then.....even further back, Anderson's embarrassing pseudo-deep piffle, wacking its sad erection against a copy of Gilbran's "The Prophet." Mountains come out of the sky. And....they.....uh, stand there. Oooooooh.

Overall total psychedelicness (i.e. which is best for getting high/tripping)? Yes, Genesis, Floyd. "Close to the Edge" is THEE ultimate tripping album, followed by "Topographic Oceans," "Foxtrot," "Fragile," "Animals (fave Floyd alb for me) " "Lamb Lies Down," "Dark Side of the Moon," "Yes Album," "Selling England," "Wish You Were Here," "Trespass," "The Wall," "Relayer," and "Meddle," in that order.

So? Yes/Genesis in first, Floyd second.

ON EDIT: Gosh, it feels so odd saying all that then looking at my sig pic with Rotten staring at me.....

[tigereye]

16. as usual a trenchant and accurate assessment!

I always learn something reading these. Thanks

I voted for Yes...

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Never cared for Pink Floyd, myself.

[fob]

14. Isaw ELP and thought it was a typo meant to be ELO!

Electric
Light
Orchestra ROCKS!!

[XNASA]

17. I never understood the Floyd phenomenon myself.

Especially all the stuff after Syd Barrett's departure. I find most of their work pretty boring. DSOTM is at least tolerable.

I respect the work that Yes did. It's pretty groundbreaking stuff. But Anderson's lyrics make me wince. And the constant merry-go-round of evolving members really sucked the life out of the band.

Hands down, the best choice is the Peter Gabriel led Genesis stuff. Lamb is a masterwork. Too bad that the band got so horrible after Gabriel left. Phil Collins should be barred from even listening to music after what he turned that band into.

[TrogL]

18. Emerson Lake and Palmer vs. the world

I like a band where the singer can actually sing, the keyboard player has a mastery of the keyboard, and the drummer is a percussionist first and rock drummer second, and the guitar/bass player pushes the envelope. I like to be musically challenged. My band comments are in the order above.

Vocals

• Castratti went out of style in the 14th century.
  
• Phil can't sing. Get over it. In early albums he was even using a harmonizer to cover up his horrible pipes.
  
• Floyd is an instrumental group. Vocals are an afterthought. Now I love the demented screaming when I'm in the mood for demented screaming but that's the only sound the works for them.
  
• While Lake had his bad days when he was smoking too much, he's one of the best singers around.
  

Keyboards

• Mindless, patterned noodling. Preset synth sounds.
  
• They have a keyboard player? Tell Phil to stop pounding. It's a piano, not a drumset.
  
• If you want strings - hire an orchestra
  
• Keith INVENTED the rock synthesizer (Robert Moog just assembled it). You trying playing Bach's Tocatta upside down and backwards. Wrestling the organ is getting really old (and obscene). You shoulda taken the hint when one of them caught fire.
  

Bangy things

• Surprisingly good. Interesting rhythms. More jazz than prog.
  
• I've had better drummers in bar bands
  
• The bell's a nice touch but other than that pretty pedestrian
  
• You need many trucks to lug all that stuff? One gong isn't enough? Last I heard Ringo's still trying to cope with your old drum set. Yes, I saw those 128th-note paradiddles - fucking showoff, but could we puhleezzz have a new drum solo?
  

Plucky things

• Yes is the prog envelope.
  
• Whatever
  
• Gilmore is God.
  
• Greg, back away from the guitar. Go back to bass. Yes, I know Keith writes impossible basslines - live with it.
  

Musicality

• Yes. What can I say.
  
• Bar band.
  
• Hasn't really been the same since Waters left.
  
• Talking about "breaking ground", these guys used a backhoe.