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There is a very hoopy kind of music around called Progressive Rock. Progressive rock music is usually listened to without taking drugs, and progressive rock musicians usually don't take drugs either. Progressive rock music is characterized by complex song structures and sophisticated lyrics. The songs are often quite long; seven minutes are common, 20 minutes not unusual. Very often such a super-long track concludes an album of moderate-length pieces. A planet where quite much progressive rock music is played is Earth. Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Rush, Marillion, the much-discussed newcomers IQ, Pendragon, Jadis, Shadowland, Chandelier, Charles Atlas, Livit and many other bands come from there. There are various kinds of sub-genres of progressive rock (or "prog," as it is sometimes abbreviated). The list below is far from being exhaustive, and not every single piece of progressive rock may fit smoothly in one of these categories. Classic Prog ============ This is heavy-duty rock/classic crossbreed stuff, like Emerson Lake and Palmer. Heavy Prog ========== A very vivid kind of music, with the complexity of progressive rock and the hard edge of heavy metal. Bands include Dream Theater, Queensryche, Livit, and Rush. Neo-Prog ======== This is a style developed in the late 70s/early 80s, mainly in England. This is not the most creative, but nowadays the most popular and most widespread kind of progressive rock. There are really *thousands* of bands, and there seems to be a tendency among their lead vocalists to play keyboards and wear black trenchcoats on stage. Marillion are often considered godfathers of Neo-Prog. Other better-known bands of this category include iQ, Jadis, Pendragon, and Shadowland. Symphonic Prog ============== That is the good old stuff of bands like early Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson. The pure essence of progressive rock. Only few newer bands got to a par with them, most who try end up doing neo-prog. Weird Prog ========== There are many bizarre freaks around, on the fringe of psychedelic music; things like early Pink Floyd and parts of King Crimson's oeuvre fall under this category. Many things that do NOT fall under the category "progressive rock" are often mistaken for it: "Alternative" music, psychedelic rock (unless it qualified as Weird Prog), stuff like late Genesis or Meat Loaf, hardcore, grunge, techno, trance, "new age" music, etc. Here a list of bands you could try out: Aphrodite's Child ================= Only their last album, 666, is of interest. This 1970 vintage is a bizarre concept album based on the Apocalypse of John, a real must for any progressive rock fan! Eloy ==== A German progressive rock band. There is a thick German accent in the vocals, but otherwise it's neat. This is a typical example of mid-70s German progressive rock, often referred to as Kraut Rock. Emerson Lake And Palmer ======================= Their albums Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus and Pictures At An Exhibition are must-haves. Don't bother with their late stuff; they did eventually burn out. Genesis ======= The old stuff until mid-70s is prog, the later matters not. Don't miss the 1974 album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. iQ == Yes, they do neo-prog in a vein similar to Marillion, but don't call them clones. They are at least as good as them. King Crimson ============ One of the very big classics. They got weirder and jazzier after their (often underrated) first albums. Marillion ========= The oft-cloned, but never-reached (except by iQ) godfathers of neo-prog. Their Fish-era albums are better than Seasons End and Holidays in Eden, while Brave is a gem again. Pink Floyd ========== Their first albums were weird (don't miss this experience), their later ones good, but with a slant to dinosaurism. Rush ==== The first two albums sound quite much like a Led Zeppelin rip-off; 2112 is heavy prog at its best; the following albums show, whilst keeping the same level of musical quality, a tendency to a more mellow sound using loads of synthesizers culminating in Hold Your Fire, after which the band reverted to a harder, more guitar-oriented sound. Yes === Fragile, Close To The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans and Relayer are their best albums, afterwards they did deteriorate. Though progressive rock music is not what hammers through the charts and is doodled up and down MTV, there is a large and growing fandom. These hoopy people even have their own newsgroup, alt.music.progressive. Here you will find more suggestions of what to try out.