Rutles, The |
1959 |
The Pre-fab Four. |
United Kingdom |
Rutherford, Mike |
1950 |
Founding member of Genesis released two solo albums in the early 80s, before venturing off the progressive map with the hugely successful Mike + The Mechanics side project. |
United Kingdom |
Rustici, Corrado |
1957 |
Italian guitarist was just 17 when he became a member of Cervello. By the mid 70s, with brother Danilo of Ossana fame, he started fusion band Nova. The 80s saw Rustici move to the USA for a prolific career as a session... |
Italy |
Rustic Hinge |
1969 |
After Brown left to form Kingdom Come, the rest of the Crazy World continued on as Rustic Hinge, before morphing into High Tide. Their lone recording was released some twenty years later. |
United Kingdom |
Rush |
1969 |
Canada's finest sons. From their early days copping Led Zep riffs, through the kimono "prog" era, and onto mainstream acceptance and platinum success in the 80s, Rush has defied all odds, remaining true to their spirit... |
Canada |
Roxy Music |
1970 |
Though definitely a glam band at heart, Roxy Music served as a training ground and employer of many "progressive" musicians. |
United Kingdom |
Rovescio Della Madaglia, Il |
1971 |
RDM were pioneers in combining classical music with rock music. Their album "Contaminzione" also saw an English-language release in the US. |
Italy |
Rother, Michael |
1950 |
Guitarist, sound architecht and composer, Michael Rother is one of Germany's original artists of the progressive era. In the mid 1960s, he was a member of Spirits of Sound with Wolfgangs' Flür and Reichemann, then a... |
Germany |
Roedelius, Hans Joachim |
1934 |
Born in 1934, Hans-Joachim Roedelius is a founding father of modern German music. |
Germany |
Riverside |
2001 |
From Poland, Riverside has made an international name for themselves with their progressive music. |
Poland |
Reverberi, Gian Piero |
1937 |
One of Italy's top record producers, Reverberi worked with The New Trolls, Le Orme and countless other Italian musicians. |
Italy |
Residents, The |
1972 |
Though the members of The Residents were perpetually draped in obscurity, their music rose steadily to the forefront of avant-rock in their native America. Found-sounds, tape cut-ups, occasional musical passages (!),... |
United States |
Renaissance (Yardbirds) |
1969 |
Jim McCarty and Keith Relf's post-Yardbirds project was one of the early experiments fusing classical and rock music. |
United Kingdom |
Renaissance |
1969 |
Mark II, this version of Renaissance starts with Michael Dunford, and features the vocals of Annie Haslam. |
United Kingdom |
Reichel, Achim |
1944 |
One of Germany's most legendary musicians, Achim Reichel's career started in 1960 with The Rattles, one of the countries first beat-era bands. The 70s saw him delve into the progressive music scene, first as A.R. &... |
Germany |
Refugee |
1973 |
Prog trio featuring ex-Nice members and Patrick Moraz |
United Kingdom |
Rare Bird |
1969 |
Charisma label band that scored a hit with "Sympathy". In 1972, Mark Ashton and Graham Field left, and the band ditched the dual-keyboard format, recording three infinitely listenable albums for Polydor. Dave Kaffinetti... |
United Kingdom |
Randy Pie |
1972 |
Formed by ex-Rattles members, Randy Pie skirted the progressive with easy going jazz-funk, typical of the mid-70s. |
Germany |
Quiet Sun |
1970 |
|
United Kingdom |
Quella Vecchia Locanda |
1972 |
QVL's first album may be the finest example of "Italian Prog". Their name translates to "that old inn", a reference to where the group had their rehearsals. |
Italy |
Quatermass |
1969 |
|
United Kingdom |
Pulsar |
1972 |
Hailing from Lyon, Pulsar were one of the first French bands to receive a recording contract from an English record label (Terry King's Kingdom Records). Dark, atmospheric, their first three albums are somewhat of minor... |
France |
Procol Harum |
1967 |
Procol Harum's formative years were in an R&B based band called the Paramounts. Named after producer Gary Steven's cat, Harum released their first single and to instant world-wide success. Immediately afterward,... |
United Kingdom |
Pretty Things, The |
1963 |
One of the 60s most underrated bands. From their badder than bad, raucous R&B early in their career, the band shifted gears in the underground, first with freakbeat then psychedelia. Their tenure at Abby Road,... |
United Kingdom |
Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) |
1970 |
Prematia Forneria Marconi, or roughly "Marconi's Award-Winning Bakery", the most successful of the Italian Prog bands. |
Italy |
Popol Vuh |
1970 |
Founded by Florian Fricke, Popol Vuh represents one of the earliest examples of spirituality in music that would later define "new age" music in the 80s. This however, is the real thing. Fricke also composed soundtracks... |
Germany |
Pohjola, Pekka |
1952 |
Bassist for Wigwam, his solo albums showcase his compositional skills. Worked with Mike Oldfield. |
Finland |
PM |
1980 |
Carl Palmer's post-ELP group released one eponymous album to little acclaim. |
United Kingdom |
Pink Floyd |
1965 |
Perhaps Britian's finest psychedelic son, Pink Floyd became one of the world's premier rock bands by the end of the Seventies. Originally founded by acid casualty Syd Barrett, the Floyd rose to the top of the British... |
United Kingdom |
Pink Fairies, The |
|
Combining the talents of former Deviants Paul Rudolph, Duncan Sanderson and Russell Hunter, with John "Twink" Alder (ex Pretty Things, Tomorrow), the Pink Fairies were an underground band from London's Ladbroke Grove... |
United Kingdom |
Pinhas, Richard |
1951 |
Pinhas' contribution to the Parisian progressive music scene cannot be underrated. Also, a professor of philosophy at Sorbonne. |
France |
Pierre Moerlen's Gong |
1976 |
Gong gone fusion |
France |
Phillips, Anthony |
1951 |
Founding member and early guitarist of Genesis, Anthony Phillips began a solo career in the mid-70s. Latter work concentrated on library music and soundtracks. |
United Kingdom |
Perigeo, Il |
1971 |
Hailing from Rome, Perigeo was one of Italy's finest fusion bands. |
Italy |
Pentangle |
1967 |
|
United Kingdom |
Pembroke, Jim |
1946 |
After emigrating to Finland in 1965, Jim Pembroke became a fixture of the Finnish progressive scene with Blues Section and then Wigwam, and his own underrated solo career. |
Finland |
Patto |
1970 |
Featuring namesake Mike Patto on vocals and Ollie Halsall on guitar along with the rhythm section of Clive Griffiths and John Halsey, Patto began when the members of Deram-signed Timebox signed with Vertigo Records.... |
United Kingdom |
Passport |
1971 |
Klaus Doldinger's fusion outfit, heralding some of Germany's finest musicians, including drummer Curt Cress. |
Germany |
Pappert, Johannes |
1949 |
Sax player from Kraan |
Germany |
Osanna |
1971 |
Another of Italy's legendary progressive groups, the band featured Danilo Rustici and Elio D'Anna. |
Italy |
Orme, Le |
1966 |
One of Italy's first and finest progressive rock bands, featuring the talents of Aldo Tagliapietra, Michi Dei Rossi and Tony Pagliuca. |
Italy |
Organisation |
1967 |
Precursor to Kraftwerk, Organisation included Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleben, and Basil Hammoudi, later of Ibliss. |
Germany |
Opeth |
1990 |
From heavy metal prodigies to prog rockers, Opeth are peerless among current rock bands. |
Sweden |
Omega |
1968 |
The crown jewel of Hungary, Omega have sustained a stable lineup since 1971, recording several albums with Peter Hauke for the Bacillius label aimed towards international release. |
Hungary |
Oldfield, Mike |
1953 |
Multi-Instrumentalist, Mike. |
United Kingdom |
Nucleus |
1969 |
Arguably one of the first "fusion" bands, Ian Carr's Nucleus were Britian's parallel to Miles Davis' electric bands of the early '70s. Trumpeter Carr came to prominence in the 60s with saxophonist Don Rendell. A... |
United Kingdom |
Novalis |
1971 |
One of Germany's first rock bands to sing exclusively in their native language. Albums were produced by Achim Reichel. |
Germany |
Nova |
1975 |
Expatriate Italian fusion outfit, led by Elio D'Anna and brothers Rustici all ex Osanna. Recorded their first album at Pete Townsend's Eel Pie studios, and were joined by Percy Jones and Narada Michael Walden for their... |
Italy |
Niemen, Czesław |
1939 |
Perhaps the most important singer in Poland's rock history, Czesław Niemen released three English language albums of world-class progressive rock in the early 70s, most featuring SBB as backing group. |
Poland |
Nice, The |
1967 |
The Nice were originally the backing band for P.P. Arnold, however they gained renown quickly with Emerson's keyboard antics. The Nice were one of the first bands to incorporate classical motifs in a rock context. O'... |
United Kingdom |