The Top 9 Most Influential Prog Albums Ever

If Boobie can do it, then so can I... here are The Top 9 Most Influential Prog albums ever.  Not "the best" necessarily, but "most influential", not just on subsequent prog bands but on other pop and metal rock bands too.  And why Top 9?  Because it's prog, it's supposed to be different.  But take note that most of the albums here are between 1967 and 1974 ("..the year rock achieved perfection, it's a scientific fact" - Homer Simpson) also known as the Golden Age of Prog, and all are from the UK except Rush.

9.  Yes -- "Relayer" (1974).  This album was influential in that no one ever dared to try to go where Yes went with this one ever since (not even Yes themselves), except for the odd hint of chaos here and there.  The following is a review from Progarchives.com that defines this album better than anyone ever could.

"...RELAYER gathers all the band's mounting energy at their volatile and explosive creative peak, and blasts it out into space in one supercharged musical rush. I would liken it more to a sun going supernova. In these three pieces of music, there is more fury and beauty than most other "prog bands" could muster throughout their whole careers, and certainly the musicianship of RELAYER has yet to be challenged by anyone. Steve Howe's guitar work throughout is unparalleled within the entire progressive canon, period -- no other guitarist is capable of evoking the range of tones and emotions Steve does in even a single piece such as "The Gates of Delirium". Stinging scalar runs, dive-bombing pyrotechnics, cosmic sustain leads, the most beautiful slide-guitar tones ever -- it's all here. Patrick Moraz replaces Wakeman on keys and proceeds to rip out glorious synth excursions which carry the band beyond the confines of their previous classicism, while CHRIS SQUIRE and ALAN WHITE submit possibly the greatest rhythm section performance of all time. "Sound Chaser" pretty much sets the bar for guitar-driven virtuosic prog, while "To Be Over" manages to be as intensely beautiful as the previous two tracks are aggressive. Although Yes had quite a few more masterpieces ahead of them, never would the otherworldy plateau of RELAYER be fully revisited."

8. Rush -- "2112" (1976).  I'd be remiss if I didn't put Rush on here.  You know, the band that most rockers themselves secretly love?  After the "Caress Of Steel" flop, the record company wanted them to go more mainstream.  Rush said "Fuck you, we're doing it our way or we're done" and they ended up sticking to the man so much that it influenced their own music to write about a futuristic man sticking it to the establishment.  Exploding back (literally explosion sounds on the song) and resurrecting themselves with a new energy, not only is the title track legendary, but all of the side two songs are excellent (yes, even Tears and the mellotron).  I remember the first time I heard this album in 1995 (yeah, yeah, I know..) .. I wished I was old enough in '76 to be there when it came out, with the headphones on in my parents' basement.   The super long multipart full side song shows just how tight musicianship they had. And who tunes a guitar in the middle of a song?  Alex Lifeson does, that's who.  The man vs. priests part with Geddy changing his range to fit is just brilliant.  If anything, this album may have influenced Star Wars and all other space movies after that, but most importantly, without this album, there wouldn't be Rush and their brilliant subsequent four albums after that and all great rock drummers after that wouldn't be as good (yes, Mike Portnoy, I'm talking to you).  And I'm gonna say it, prog metal was born in the year 2112.

7. Jethro Tull -- "Thick As A Brick" (1971).  Seriously? One song? 45 minutes long and fucking goddamn dynamic too?  Flute?  Sure, why the hell not!  Folk prog was born.  I have no idea what the fuck he's singing about and I don't care but the vocals in this one compliment the instruments perfectly that it's like another instrument.  These guys are still rocking and touring too.  They influenced all other whole side songs, but no one had you turn over the album in the middle of the song before. 

6. Genesis -- "Nursery Crime" (1971).  "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" is a long brilliant flowing song With Peter Gabriel up front, melodic keys from Tony Banks, subtle bass lines from Mike Rutherford, and Phil on drums with Steve Hackett on guitar, this is one of the most influential prog line ups ever who would then influence 80's British pop music like no other.

5. King Crimson -- "In The Court Of The Crimson King" (1969).  I had the pleasure of seeing Asia play the title track of this one live in Boston in 2009.  Yes, you heard me, Asia, 40 years later, played it.  If that isn't influence, then I don't know what is.  This album bourne eclectic rock and even influenced later Yes albums. So much so that Bill Bruford left Yes to join them on drums.  The album cover alone is well known in artsy fartsy album cover circles and is by far, the ugliest yet most striking.  Anyway, back to the music... Robert Fripp is simply an odd songwriter.  What goes on in his head?  I don't know, but it takes you where you never thought music should go, just where all other proggy eclectic artists picked up from and are still dipping back into.

4. Pink Floyd -- "Dark Side Of The Moon" (1973).  It still floors me that this was released in '73.  It was waaaaaaaay ahead of its time in terms of production.  Psychedelic space rock is born!  Not only that, but damn, it DOES make a good soundtrack to "The Wizard of Oz".  Oh, and it contains the very very first techno song too... flying beds and all!

3. The Who -- "Tommy" (1969).  A rock opera?  What the fuck is that?  Oh!  This was a ground-breaking double album.  The movie was wacked out on well, everything...  As much as I hate musicals, most of the key individual songs can stand on their own, yet it all flows and blends together.  It's basically the original full-length concept album influencing all other blendy concept albums thereafter.

2. Yes -- "Fragile" (1971).  This album starts with "Roundabout", still one of the most popular prog songs of all time contains the best Hammond organ keyboard solos of all time (ask Jack Black).  All members of the quintessential classic Yes lineup each get a chance to strut their musicianship in a song.  "Cans and Brahms" for Rick Wakeman , "We Have Heaven" for Jon Anderson, "The Fish" for Chris Squire, and "Mood For A Day" for Steve Howe.  Bill Bruford (who went on to King Crimson) rules on "Heart Of The Sunrise", another lengthy proggy masterpiece.  "South Side Of The Sky" is one of their best songs, original, long, cool, dynamic.  "Long Distance Runaround" proved they can still stick to short poppier songs, but it's also very tight and how it blends into "The Fish" shows some production wizardry.  One thing is for sure, this album is the baseline influence for the next several Yes albums, which gave Rush inspiration for their prog side.  This album proved that 5 guys with egos can work together... for a little while anyway.  Yes, even as individual band members, would go on to influence well, pretty much everybody after this album because it grabbed more attention than "The Yes Album" before it.

1.  The Beatles -- "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967).  Without this album, none of the above would have existed.  With George Martin producing, fans were taken to a whole other world of sound that no one, and I mean, no one ever thought possible. The fab four could have recorded farts and everyone would have still bought it and been influenced by it.  You could say "Revolver" as an album was influential indeed, but Sgt. Pepper's has "A Day In The Life", really a two-part song with John then Paul is one of the great orchestral prog productions ever recorded.  Symphonic prog was born.

Honourable mentions:

• Emerson, Lake, and Palmer -- "Tarkus" (1971).  Three-piece organ no-guitar prog is born.
• Kansas -- "Leftoverture" (1976). "Carry On My Wayward Son" resurrected the band.  Also contains "Cheyenne Anthem" and "Magnum Opus" .. by the titles alone, you KNOW they've gotta be proggy.
• Rush -- "Moving Pictures" (1981).  Rush even says it's their best album.  
• The Beatles -- "Revolver" (1967).  This is when they started going off into la la land.