Classic Rock – 10 Essential 00s Prog Albums
I have been flicking through the February issue (141) of Classic Rock magazine which I picked up on import. This issue has a section which looks back at the 00s and part of this ‘review’ includes a number of ‘essential albums’ lists. Here’s the one for Prog:
- Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
- Porcupine Tree – Deadwing (2005)
- Opeth – Ghost Reveries (2005)
- The Mars Volta – Frances The Mute (2005)
- Van der Graaf Generator – Present (2005)
- Muse – Black Holes And Revelations (2006)
- Rush – Snakes And Arrows (2007)
- Oceansize – Frames (2007)
- Riverside – Rapid Eye Movement (2007)
- Dream Theater – Black Clouds And Silver Linings (2009)
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Need to leave one of these off so Mew’s “And the Glass-Handed Kites” can squeeze in!
Hey Dar, I like the sound of that.
Wow, riverside is one of my favourite band
There are some very good Polish bands out there.
While Kid A is a great album, Radiohead’s not prog and neither is Muse. Dream Theater’s been garbage since the 90s and The Mars Volta is prog for teenagers.
That being said, the others definitely deserve to be up there. But for me VDGG, Rush, and Oceansize are the only choices whose albums I agree on. Obviously it’s all opinions, but I think Blackwater Park should have been there over Ghost Reveries, In Absentia over Deadwing, and Anno Domini High Definition over Rapid Eye Movement.
I have always found the label ‘prog’ a bit tricky at the best of times. If something is progressive I assume it then gets difficult to define, as the definition is only as good as at the point in time you make the analysis of what is ‘prog’. Being born in the Sixties I have a very different idea of what prog might be than say someone born, say, in the 90′s.
+1
this might win the award for most predictable comment of the year, but where are Tool? undeniably the most acclaimed heavy prog band of the last ten years. surely it doesn’t make sense that in a list of the ten best progressive albums of the decade, there’s Black Holes and Revelations, but no Lateralus?
I think I need to dig out the article again. Maybe check out the rationale behind their selections.
Yeah, I agree! BH&R was excellent, but wasn’t really prog, and, IMO, Opeth and DT are overrated. Epic, but nowhere near as good as Tool.
Where’s LATERALUS?? The album defines prog rock..
@Nick
“While Kid A is a great album, Radiohead’s not prog and neither is Muse.”
totally agree
” Dream Theater’s been garbage since the 90s ”
wtf dude.. they’re awesome.. u just need patience to listen to them.. n if u don’t have that, u can’y possibly call yourself a prog rock enthusiast. But I’m not so sure if Silver Linings deserves top 10, but its surely more “essential” than some of the albums on the list
“I think Blackwater Park should have been there over Ghost Reveries, In Absentia over Deadwing, and Anno Domini High Definition over Rapid Eye Movement.”
Well as you said,its just an opinion, but I’d pick Ghost reveries over Blackwater Park. In Abstentia vs Deadwing.. tough one. but I’m slightly tilted towards Deadwing. And agree with you about A.D.H.D. I found it more engrossing than Rapid Eye..
But I again reiterate my forst point.. The list must have LATERALUS by TOOL.. seriously..
other things I said are purely opinion..
Rock on prog rockers \m/
This is honestly a sad list. Look at the difference in quality this list and say the best 10 prog albums of the 70s. Prog has really taken a nosedive this decade. And this is coming from a Rush,Porcupine Tree, VDGG and Dream Theater fan.
Q- No Spock’s Beard?
Why “Lateralus” by Tool and “Crack The Skye” by Mastodon are not on this list is way beyond me. What a shame. You can easily take out Radiohead and Muse and put in more actually progressive albums.
Tool’s Lateralus, Mastodon’s Crack the Skye and Anathema’s A Natural Disaster deserve to be listed. Deadwing is my favorite album and Blackwater Park is better than GR. I don’t get all that Kid A praise and probably never will.