I just discovered "The Court Of The Crimson King" by King Crimson and it's a darn good song.

[Vaquero]

Very popular late 60s early. 70s. Never a fan. Thought it was a lame attempt at psychedelia.

[ADemocratNoMore]

bttt

[TheConservativeParty]

Also born in 62. Lots of great music.

Great topic, Cheers

[MD Expat in PA]

I was born in 1962 so I only started remembering music around the year 1970 but back then, it was Partridge Family, Archies, that type of stuff, because I was only 7 years old, you know.

I was born in 1961 but my brother who is 12 years older than me had a very wide range of musical tastes and so he introduced me to classical music (although so did my mother who once studied and sang opera before she met my father) but my brother was deep into classical music and not the typical greatest hits of classical music but the rather more obscure and lessor known pieces and composers, and also jazz, classic jazz and modern jazz, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and the great movie soundtracks of the 60’s and 70’s and he also gave me my introduction to prog rock of which he was also into.

So while a lot of kids my age where listening to the Partridge Family and The Archie’s, etc., I was listening to ELP (Pictures at an Exhibition, Brain Salad Surgery) and King Crimson, Jethro Tull, early Genesis and Yes.

I was also into the Beatles and Motown in HS when all the “cool kids” were listening to KISS – meh.

I remember hearing this on Detroit’s premier freeform underground radio station, WABX FM. What a great era that was!

Back in the late 70’s when I was in HS there were top 40 stations on FM and AM a lot of which played a heavy rotation of disco and only one rock station on FM – what they called “album rock” but that was basically top 40 for rock – Boston, Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Foreigner, Styx, Journey, etc. played in heavy rotation.

But one day I found this AM station that was only on from dawn to dusk but they played a freeform format and a lot of prog rock. It was on that station that I first heard anything by a then rather unknown trio out of Canada – Rush! And that station also introduced me to Zappa.

But I have to say that my favorite prog rock song has to be this:

Starship Trooper in 1080p HD by Yes

I remember when I went on a vacation to Ocean City MD in 1977 when I was 16 with my brother, his wife, her younger brother who was 18 and his girlfriend who was the same age as I. My brother had this big old Chrysler with what was then a killer stereo system – 8 track (LOL). As we drove from Baltimore to OC my brother played all sorts of music, Beach Boys greatest hits, Sargent Peppers and that Yes album. I remember sitting in the back seat between my SIL’s brother and his girlfriend as Starship Troopers played. We left before dawn and Starship Troopers was the song playing as a brilliant sunrise came up over the horizon as we crossed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. :)

Sister bluebird flying high above
Shine your wings forward to the sun
Hide the mysteries of life on your way
Though you've seen them, please don't say a word
What you don't know, I have never heard

Starship trooper, go sailing on by
Catch my soul, catch the very light
Hide the moment from my eager eye
Though you've seen them, please don't tell a soul
What you can't see, can't be very whole

Speak to me of summer
Long winters longer than time can remember
The setting up of other roads
To travel on in old accustomed ways
I still remember the talks by the water
The proud sons and daughter
That knew the knowledge of the land
Spoke to me in sweet accustomed ways

Mother life, hold firmly on to me
Catch my knowledge higher than the day
Lose as much as only you can show
Though you've seen me, please don't say a word
What I don't know, I have never shared

Loneliness is a power that we possess to give or take away forever
All I know can be shown by your acceptance of the facts there shown before you
Take what I say in a different way and it's easy to say that this is all confusion
As I see a new day in me, I can also show it you and you may follow

Speak to me of summer
Long winters longer than time can remember
The setting up of other roads
To travel on in old accustomed ways
I still remember the talks by the water
The proud sons and daughter
That knew the knowledge of the land
Spoke to me in sweet accustomed ways

[hecticskeptic]

I had the good fortune of seeing KC in November, 2015 when they were on tour and this allowed me to revisit some of my misspent youth. It was a fantastic concert marred slightly by one particular incident…. We were all warned before the concert started that Robert Fripp detested and would not put up with anyone photographing or videoing the performance. The concert went well, they played about a 20 song set and were just about to launch into their last song in the encore when Fripp looked out and saw someone who was obviously videoing them. He motioned to the band, they all put their instruments down, as the last one leaving the stage the drummer gave a wave goodnight and the house lights came on…. and all of us expecting to hear 21st Century Schizoid Man instead were heading for the exits.

I got to chatting with the couple beside us and this was their third KC concert in a little over a week… and they were going to follow the band to a few more cities over the weeks that followed. Of the concerts they had attended so far, this was the first one where the warnings actually resulted in Fripp doing what he said they would do if folks ‘didn’t behave themselves’.

Some trivia for you all….. After Peter Gabriel departed Genesis, his first album was made with Robert Fripp doing studio guitar work. Fripp also toured in support of Gabriel’s album but he wanted to remain anonymous and used the name Dusty Rhodes and played off stage or behind a screen. Fripp produced Gabriel’s second album and also played guitar on it. Over the years, I think I’ve seen Gabriel and Genesis in concert way more than anyone else…. probably been at about a 8 or 10 of them and I’ve watched tons more complete concerts on line. Of all the concerts that I’ve ever attended, the ones done by Gabriel were consistently the best…..the fellow’s creativity knows no bounds. Somehow though after I figured out what a flaming lib he is, I couldn’t stomach going to them anymore.

[6ppc]

Gonna bookmark this thread.

Saw ELP at the coloseum in Tuscaloosa. GREAT show. Best 2 shows I ever saw there (and anywhere) was Jethro Tull both times. Second time was IIRC the first live performance of Thick as a Brick.

On a side track...listen to Asleep at the Wheel...great Texas swing.

[Robert DeLong]

The whole album was terrific. 8>)

[Michael.SF.]

Wishbone Ash

Had not thought of them in years.

I think it was '70 to '72 radio station in Long Beach, Ca, KNAC 105.5. Jim Ladd hosted concerts at the Long Beach Auditorium. I think the cost was $3.00.

I don't recall how many I went to but it had to be 15 at least

Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher, Edgar Winter, Jeff Beck, James Gang, John Mayall, Long John Baldry, King Crimson, Faces and too many others to remember.

What a deal for three bucks a show!

[Robert DeLong]

Very interesting story.

This must be the record Jethro Tull AQUALUNG Remastered 200 Gram Record Album VINYL LP

Or perhaps this: Aqualung (40th Anniversary Special Edition) [2011]?

[Cooter]

Better late than never

[KosmicKitty]

Better late than never. Welcome to the club!!

[KosmicKitty]

One of the best songs ever!!

[Robert DeLong]

Just going to Fillmore East is a treat to remember, but then seeing Jethro Tull there makes it extra special. 8>)

I saw him twice, once at DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Constitution Hall in D.C. I believe the 2nd time was at the Capitol Center in Largo Md. But it has been so long my memory may be mistaken. I remember the DAR concert because he bounced around playing the flute on one leg with the other leg tucked behind his knee. Made me tired watching him and I was still a young man at that time. 8>)

[KosmicKitty]

Try Rammstein!! Mr Kitty got us tickets for their american tour for me yesterday,

I love Mr Kitty.

[SamAdams76]

Thanks for the ELP link - I see I have a lot of discovery ahead of me as I move into the 1970s with my “50 year” review. I didn’t really start listening to progressive rock until the late 1970s with bands like Styx and Rush.

[rockrr]

The context of Court Of The Crimson King (for me) was that it was a great stoner tune (consider the times). Another one was Mountain’s Nantucket Sleigh-ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0JrV86EKCs

[M1903A1]

The cover art is called “Twentieth Century Schizoid Man”. I forget the artist’s name, but he died soon after when he was only 24.

My personal name for it is “OMG WHAT DID I BRING HOME LAST NIGHT????”

[smvoice]

Yep. I still listen to it. I went to 2 Jethro Tull concerts in Houston I the early 70’s. Both were great!

[Robert DeLong]

Another that should be included in your list is Frank Zappa, and I recommend:

Frank Zappa - Pygmy Twylyte (Live / Helsinki, Finland / 1974)

[SamAdams76]

Now that was a nice song. I am familiar with Blackmore's Night by way of their excellent "Christmas Eve" song from their "Winter Carols" album that I now play every Christmas season. I'll have to check out the rest of their catalog.

Candice Night comes across as a much happier and upbeat version of Stevie Nicks.