Progressive rock (shortened as prog; sometimes called art rock, classical rock or symphonic rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States throughout the mid- to late 1960s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favour of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening rather than dancing. Prog is based on fusions of styles, approaches and genres, involving a continuous move between formalism and eclecticism. Due to its historical reception, prog's scope is sometimes limited to a stereotype of long solos, long albums, fantasy lyrics, grandiose stage sets and costumes, and an obsessive dedication to technical skill. While the genre is often cited for its merging of high culture and low culture, few artists incorporated literal classical themes in their work to any great degree, and only a handful of groups purposely emulated or referenced classical music. The genre coincided with the mid-1960s economic boom that allowed record labels to allocate more creative control to their artists, as well as the new journalistic division between "pop" and "rock" that lent generic significance to both terms. Prog saw a high level of popularity in the early-to-mid-1970s, but faded soon after. Conventional wisdom holds that the rise of punk rock caused this, but several more factors contributed to the decline. Music critics, who often labelled the concepts as "pretentious" and the sounds as "pompous" and "overblown", tended to be hostile towards the genre or to completely ignore it. After the late 1970s, progressive rock fragmented in numerous forms. Some bands achieved commercial success well into the 1980s (albeit with changed lineups and more compact song structures) or crossed into symphonic pop, arena rock, or new wave. Early groups who exhibited progressive features are retroactively described as "proto-prog". The Canterbury scene, originating in the late 1960s, denotes a subset of prog bands who emphasised the use of wind instruments, complex chord changes and long improvisations. Rock in Opposition, from the late 1970s, was more avant-garde, and when combined with the Canterbury style, created avant-prog. In the 1980s, a new subgenre, neo-progressive rock, enjoyed some commercial success, although it was also accused of being derivative and lacking in innovation. Post-progressive draws upon newer developments in popular music and the avant-garde since the mid 1970s. Wikipedia

Chronology 3 / 5

Released Title Classification Artist Score Ratings
1974 Mirage excellent Camel 4.049 15454
1974 Yesterdays very good Yes 3.770 647
1974 The Power and the Glory excellent Gentle Giant 3.956 5799
1974 Crime of the Century excellent Supertramp 4.110 10638
1974 There's the Rub very good Wishbone Ash 3.621 946
1974 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway excellent Genesis 4.282 15794
1975 Minstrel in the Gallery excellent Jethro Tull 3.856 5383
1975 The Snow Goose excellent Camel 3.956 8037
1975 Cunning Stunts very good Caravan 3.649 1062
1975 Free Hand excellent Gentle Giant 4.040 4080
1975 Godbluff excellent Van der Graaf Generator 3.996 6181
1975 Wish You Were Here excellent Pink Floyd 4.645 69922
1976 2112 excellent Rush 4.023 16349
1976 Moonmadness excellent Camel 3.976 7878
1976 Still Life excellent Van der Graaf Generator 3.962 4673
1976 World Record very good Van der Graaf Generator 3.724 2260
1976 Ship of Memories good Focus 3.400 421
1976 A Trick of the Tail excellent Genesis 4.086 11158
1977 A Farewell to Kings excellent Rush 4.050 11607
1977 Rain Dances excellent Camel 3.833 3242
1977 The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome excellent Van der Graaf Generator 3.853 1754
1977 Novella very good Renaissance 3.696 1331
1977 A Song for All Seasons very good Renaissance 3.802 1269
1977 Works Volume 1 good Emerson, Lake & Palmer 3.333 2209
1977 Going for the One very good Yes 3.766 7418

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Progressive Rock