Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era
by 
Robert Anton Wilson 
OK, major refitting. This chart will become 3 charts. This one which will be the classic prog era. The next one will cover what came after 1989, band-wise not album-wise. 1989 being chosen as cut-off year because that is the year Marillion released their first album without Fish (hence Marillion will be cut in half). My other option had been 1991 as the release year of the first Porcupine Tree album but 89 it is. The third chart will be for lesser known but highly deserving prog bands/albums.
The current classic prog era will be categorized as follows:
1-20: The top album from my Top 20 prog bands of the classic to neo-prog era (no duplication)
21-69: The other albums from my Top 20 bands deserving mentions
71-86: Other top prog bands and albums that I, personally, never had time to get into properly.
87-97: Crossover prog, from pop, jazz, classical
98-100: the Kébec Konnektion
- Chart updated: 02/26/2024 23:15
- (Created: 11/09/2012 01:55).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 11 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 22 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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70. (=)
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LOL, I have been going crazy looking for her album X-dreams on CD. I couldn't figure out which such an important and popular album would not be released. Then I figured it out, this album -presented as a compilation actually includes the albums "X-Dreams" and "The Perfect release" in full plus a few additional tracks. I was happy to figure to finally realize that I had already found what I was looking for. The 14 minutes + song Survival is just epic in its kind.
[First added to this chart: 11/17/2012]
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[First added to this chart: 02/04/2013]
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[First added to this chart: 11/17/2012]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,914
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 01/25/2013]
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[First added to this chart: 01/25/2013]
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Was meant to be the band Kansas but this band did not make it. Livgren did not give up and eventually created the Kansas which was to become one of the most popular crossover pop-prog band. Personally, I don't like Kansas but I do have to acknowledge them so I am glad to be able to use this release of early recordings and tracks, some of which would be eventually be re-used in Kansas. More truly prog if you ask me but definitely not pop at all, a different singer and there is no "Dust in the Wind" or "Carry-on (Wayward Son)" in here. Closer to the sound of the late 60s and early 70s in being more hard, bluesier and, of course, not as well produced as Kansas. A late re-release of an early prog band which would eventually end up as a staple of top-40 charts.
[First added to this chart: 02/10/2013]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/08/2012]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
848
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/08/2012]
Total albums: 8. Page 1 of 1
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Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 6 | 6% | |
| 1970s | 68 | 68% | |
| 1980s | 19 | 19% | |
| 1990s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2000s | 5 | 5% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| King Crimson | 8 | 8% | |
| Rush | 5 | 5% | |
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| Yes | 4 | 4% | |
| Genesis | 4 | 4% | |
| Marillion | 4 | 4% | |
| Van Der Graaf Generator | 4 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
67 | 67% | |
| |
8 | 8% | |
| |
8 | 8% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
| For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night by Caravan |
| Hatfield And The North by Hatfield And The North |
| Once Again by Barclay James Harvest |
| Leavers |
|---|
| In The Land Of Grey And Pink by Caravan |
| The Rotter's Club by Hatfield And The North |
| Time Honoured Ghosts by Barclay James Harvest |
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Other custom charts by Robert Anton Wilson
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| Quebec Love (French Canadian Music) | Robert Anton Wilson | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era | Robert Anton Wilson | Custom chart | 2024 | |
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| Top of the Prog II: 1989 and Beyond ... | Robert Anton Wilson | Custom chart | 2017 | |
Robert Anton Wilson has created 4 other custom charts - click here to explore them all.
Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 22 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 09/15/2025 17:44 | Johnnyo | 2,551 | 80/100 |
| ! | 01/28/2025 04:24 |  Repo | 559 | 100/100 |
| ! | 01/27/2025 16:08 | C0NB9NN | 20 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/27/2019 16:36 |  Graeme2 | 213 | 94/100 |
| ! | 02/10/2018 00:54 |  Onater | 458 | 90/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.0/100, a mean average of 94.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 94.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.5.
Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era favourites
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Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era comments
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From Johnnyo 09/15/2025 17:44 | #310928
Great chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From C0NB9NN 01/27/2025 16:12 | #307269
Wow. Just wow. I’m not a big prog-rock fan, but I have always wanted to get into it, and just never knew where to start. I’m going to be using this to a very large extent, as you really seem to be knowledgeable and know exactly what you’re talking about. I love the way this chart is set up, it reads more like a review than a chart. Thanks for this.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Graeme2 01/27/2019 16:38 | #230834
Graeme2 01/27/2019 16:38 | #230834
Great notes. Fragile my choice for Yes too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ExTeaSea 08/26/2018 16:59 | #220126
ExTeaSea 08/26/2018 16:59 | #220126
Hell of a chart. Gotta respect a true prog fan. Love how much Van Der Graff Generator there is plus Peter Hammil! I really need to check his stuff out.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From ruquito124 01/30/2018 22:55 | #206875
Great Chart. Most of the choices are obvious but a lot of them are very clever.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
indieshins 01/02/2018 21:38 | #204444
indieshins 01/02/2018 21:38 | #204444
This is cool! I keep trying to enjoy prog and with the exception of a few classics, like Dark Side, I've found it difficult. Maybe this chart will change my mind! Thanks!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From manurock 01/02/2018 12:21 | #204417
Fantastic. As a prog-rock fan, I still have lots to check in here.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 01/02/2018 11:59 | #204414
ForegroundNoise 01/02/2018 11:59 | #204414
Such a cool idea!! Don't know half as much about prog as you (other than the heavyweights) but would be interested to see the crossover (if any) in your next chart between neo-prog and post-rock (my favourite musical movement). :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Gionzi 11/20/2015 19:55 | #153230
Very nice chart, but for me it's very missing italian prog, one of the best movements for this genre, bands like Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Area and other PFM works too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ffudnebbuh 06/22/2013 11:59 | #79594
ffudnebbuh 06/22/2013 11:59 | #79594
what he said, except I would have put "close to the edge" before "Fragile"
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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