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Circus |
1968 |
Originally the Stormsville Shakers, the band morphed into Circus when leader Phillip Goodhand-Tait left the band in 1969. They earned their stripes with a residency at the Marquee Club in Soho and providing a start for... |
United Kingdom |
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Missus Beastly |
1968 |
Missus Beastly had two distinct eras during their existence; the first early one produced their debut, an album of atypical psychedelic rock for its time, and the second a much more promising fusion sound similar to... |
Germany |
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Blue Effect, The |
1968 |
Whether called The Blue Effect, M. Efekt or Modrý efekt, guitarist Radim Hladík was the driving force of this Czech progressive rock band. |
Czechoslovakia |
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Hawkwind |
1969 |
Combining a driving rhythm, early electronics and sci-fi imagery, Hawkwind lay claim to being the ultimate space rock band. Coming from the underground scene in London's Ladbroke Grove, their success during the 70s -... |
United Kingdom |
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Renaissance |
1969 |
Mark II, this version of Renaissance starts with Michael Dunford, and features the vocals of Annie Haslam. |
United Kingdom |
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Atomic Rooster |
1969 |
Always driven by Vincent Crane's keyboards, Atomic Rooster road a firm line between the hard and progressive. Crane and drummer Carl Palmer, first together in Arthur Brown's band, made one album before Palmer was off to... |
United Kingdom |
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Quatermass |
1969 |
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United Kingdom |
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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 |
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Tony Williams Lifetime, The |
1969 |
Tony Williams, John McLaughlin and Larry Young. The birth of fusion. |
United States |
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Egg |
1969 |
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United Kingdom |
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Focus |
1969 |
Premiere Dutch band hit the big time in both the UK and US, due to the talents of guitarist Jan Akkerman and flautist Thys Van Leer, and one silly hit record, "Hocus Pocus" by Focus! |
Netherlands |
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Gong |
1969 |
Refused entry to the UK, former Soft Machiner Daevid Allen remained in France and started Gong. Their earliest recordings take a cue from Barrett-era Floyd, but the hypnotic Continental Circus is underrated. Always... |
France |
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Uriah Heep |
1969 |
Masters of heavy organ rock, Uriah Heep |
United Kingdom |
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Eloy |
1969 |
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Germany |
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Magma |
1969 |
Perhaps most idiosyncratic of all progressives, Christian Vander's Magma documented the other-worldly parables of the planet Kobaia. The early side project Univeria Zekt album The Unamables is great introduction, but... |
France |
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Beggars Opera |
1969 |
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United Kingdom |
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Embryo |
1969 |
Led by drummer Christian Burchard, Embryo was part of the fertile fusion of new music coming from Munich in the late 60s. The band's roots were in jazz, first supporting Mal Waldron, while the 70s saw Charlie Mariano... |
Germany |
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Supertramp |
1969 |
Founded in 1969 by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, Supertramp were the benefactor of a Dutch millionaire, Stanley August Miesegaes, who bankrolled their initial lineup. After two unsuccessful albums, the band changed... |
United Kingdom |
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Triumvirat |
1969 |
The German ELP? |
Germany |
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Steeleye Span |
1969 |
Led by Maddy Prior and Tim Hart, with Rick Kemp, Bob Johnson and Peter Knight one of Britian's finest folk-rock bands. |
United Kingdom |
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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 |
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Socrates (Drank the Conium) |
1969 |
Greece's premiere rock band |
Greece |
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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 |
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Brainbox |
1969 |
Jan Akkerman's group prior to joining Focus. There only album is rather dated mix of blues and psychedelia. Of note is the sixteen minute "Sea Of Delight", however, as it would blueprint many of Focus' longer... |
Netherlands |
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Manfred Mann's Chapter Three |
1969 |
Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg's jazz rock outfit pre-dated the Earth Band. |
United Kingdom |
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Doldinger's Motherhood |
1969 |
Motherhood pre-dates Klaus Doldinger's work in Passport, and features Lothar Meid. |
Germany |
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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 |
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Spektakel |
1969 |
Detlef Wiedecke (guitar), Eduard Schicke (drums), and Werner Protzner (bass), were all members of Oldenburg`s underground rock scene. |
Germany |
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Gnidrolog |
1969 |
Goldring brothers, Stewart and Colin, made the switch from acoustic folk to prog rock, recording two albums for RCA in the early 70s. Colin Goldring is best known for playing recorder on the song "Your Move" from the... |
United Kingdom |
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High Tide |
1969 |
From the onset, High Tide garnered attention; the band had a publishing deal with Apple Corps and was managed by Doug Smith's Clearmountain Productions. Their two albums on Liberty/United Artists are undisputed classic... |
United Kingdom |
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Samla Mammas Manna |
1969 |
Zappa-influenced band from Sweden were leading component of the Rock In Opposition movement. Samla's albums were a mix of fusion, musicianship and humor. |
Sweden |
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Stackridge |
1969 |
Originally called "Lemon Stackridge", this Bristol based band recorded several albums during the 70s, including the George Martin produced Man With The Bowler Hat. |
United Kingdom |
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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 |
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Kluster |
1969 |
As Kluster, Conrad Schnitzler and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, were pioneers of sound from a slightly older generation, using traditional instruments in the most untraditional ways to craft their art. They founded the Zodiac... |
Germany |
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Gila |
1969 |
Hailing from Stuttgart, Gila were a psychedelic band that featured the talents of guitarist Connie Veit. |
Germany |
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Catharsis |
1969 |
Led by keyboardist Roland Bocquet |
France |
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Mogul Thrash |
1969 |
James Litherland led band from Scotland, featured John Wetton on bass and the "Dundee Horns", Roger Ball and Malcolm Duncan. Eponymous album is much in the vein of Colosseum's horn rock. |
United Kingdom |
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Kin Ping Meh |
1969 |
Hailing from Mannheim, heavy progressives Kin Ping Meh first few albums were produced by Achim Reichel for his Zebra Records. |
Germany |
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Tasavallan Presidentti |
1969 |
Founded by guitarist Jukka Tolonen and drummer Vesa Aaltonen, and Frank Robson and Mans Groundstroem from Blues Section in 1969, their early albums bear some Colosseum, Traffic or Jethro Tull due to the strong English... |
Finland |
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Spring |
1969 |
Spring was best known for their eponymous album's mighty Mellotron sound, and their members post-Spring careers. |
United Kingdom |
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Brown, Pete & Piblokto |
1969 |
Pete Brown's band, following his expulsion from The Battered Ornaments |
United Kingdom |
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Audience |
1969 |
Combining the talents of Howard Werth on vocals and acoustic guitar and Keith Gemmell on saxophone, with the rhythm section of Trevor Williams and Tony Connor, Audience's second album (first on Charisma) will appeal to... |
United Kingdom |
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Emerson, Lake & Palmer |
1970 |
Not a law firm, but Prog's first supergroup. Though often an easy target for Prog Rock's excesses, Emerson, Lake & Palmer stand as the premiere artists of the genre. |
United Kingdom |
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Ange |
1970 |
Le plus grand groupe de rock francais, and we'll pretty much agree. Ange's completely original and unique take on the "progressif" is most definitely and definitively French. Led by vocalist Christian Decamps. |
France |
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Curved Air |
1970 |
One of the few progressive bands to feature female vocals, Curved Air featured the talents of Sonja Kristina, Darryl Way and Francis Monkman. |
United Kingdom |
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Gentle Giant |
1970 |
One of prog rock's greatest bands, Gentle Giant combined the talents of the brothers' Shulman with Kerry Minnear and Gary Green. Their work during the 70s is as exemplary as any of the progressive era. Clever,... |
United Kingdom |
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McDonald and Giles |
1970 |
Founding members of King Crimson |
United Kingdom |
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Hoelderlin |
1970 |
One of the most under-rated groups of the progressive era, Hoelderlin's albums rival the best from the United Kingdom. The core of Hoelderlin's albums were released on CD by EMI in 2007. |
Germany |
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Nektar |
1970 |
Expatriate Brits forged a career for a decade based in Germany. |
United Kingdom |
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Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) |
1970 |
Prematia Forneria Marconi, or roughly "Marconi's Award-Winning Bakery", the most successful of the Italian Prog bands. |
Italy |
