What are the most moving prog rock songs not by Yes or The Moody Blues? : r/progrockmusic Skip to main content

Get the Reddit app

Scan this QR code to download the app now
Or check it out in the app stores
r/progrockmusic icon
r/progrockmusic icon
Go to progrockmusic
r/progrockmusic
A banner for the subreddit

A place to discuss and share Progressive Rock music, and anything prog-related.


Members Online

What are the most moving prog rock songs not by Yes or The Moody Blues?

I love them both, but I know them like the back of my hand lol, so what else can y'all recommend?

Share
Sort by:
Best
Open comment sort options

I understand people can like different music and all, but... I also can't trust people who aren't in the verge of tears with that opening guitar line on Starless by KC

Especially when it comes back in right before the end. What a masterwork

No, it’s not the part at the opening. It’s when it comes back at the end that it really hits you.

Opening? More like when the sax takes it over at the very end of the song lol

More replies
u/nononotes avatar

Losing It by Rush

Starless by King Crimson

Ludvig & Sverker by Beardfish

Firth of Fifth by Genesis

Supper's Ready by Genesis

Ice by Camel

For Today by Camel

Rose of Sharon by Camel

Think of Me with Kindness by Gentle Giant

To a Close by Steve Hackett

Serpentine Song by Steve Hackett

The Garden by Rush

The Pass by Rush

Bravado by Rush

Losing It by Rush

For Rush, Marathon and Manhattan Project always get to me.

u/mad_poet_navarth avatar

Firth of Fifth has garbage lyrics. Instrumentally one of my favorites though.

They hate you because you speak the truth. “The mountain cuts off the town from view, like a cancer growth is removed by skill…” Awful

u/mad_poet_navarth avatar

Yeah, that's pretty bad, but the thing I really dislike is the pseudo-religious nonsense.

More replies
More replies
More replies

Epitaph - King Crimson

Firth of Fifth - Genesis

Lucky Man - ELP

u/Responsible_Art1400 avatar

Yep Epitaph gets me every time

u/Superb-Tea-3174 avatar

Exiles by King Crimson

More replies

Marillion - "Script For A Jester's Tear"

This is the best answer I have seen on this thread next to King Crimson's Starless and Epitaph.

Pretty much anything from Fish-era Marillion and a lot of stuff from Hogarth-era Marillion would be a suitable answer for this question. Incubus, Blind Curve, The Last Straw, Beyond You, Care (all parts) are some of my favorites.

Fish and Steve Hogarth are both lyricists/poets that are not afraid to dig deep and get vulnerable, in addition to being emotionally expressive vocalists. But what often gets overlooked is how Steven Rothery can carve out an amazing guitar lead that hits like a freight train. His solos on Incubus and The Web are the best examples of this.

Indeed. "Warm Wet Circles" is another favorite of mine that fits the bill.

“Going Under” off the same album, gave me a mild breakdown when I was going through a really rough period. It was really felt.

More replies
More replies
u/RichardNoggin101 avatar

Also the H era: The Great Escape into Made Again; Estonia; Man of a Thousand Faces; The Space, etc

Marillion I’ve always felt was one of the more “straight from the heart” kinda prog bands, not just the pure cold calculation like some groups tend towards (not that that’s always a bad thing).

Neverland, Fantastic Place, This Strange Engine, Ocean Cloud, The Sky Above The Rain, Sugar Mice and so many more. “Or you could love”.

More replies

Love the Marillion love here.

More replies
u/chickennroll avatar

Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt hands down is the most intimate, personal and rawly emotional prog album ever. Specifically, Sea Song and all of side 2.

For whole albums this is the answer.

More replies

Starless - King Crimson

Ripples - Genesis

u/FraKKture avatar

Surprised that nobody mentioned Shine on you Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd.

u/Lazuli-shade avatar

Rudy and Asylum by Supertramp

u/Mikkiaveli avatar

Lets throw Babaji in the mix as well

Also Brother Where You Bound. Insane vocal from Rick.

No Inbetween and Ever Open Door from the same album make me feel...things. Such an underrated album in my opinion.

Happy cake day! And I agree.

More replies
More replies

Don’t forget about Two of Us

More replies
u/lengthy_preamble avatar

“Titties and Beer” by Frank Zappa

Or “I Have Been In You” by Frank Zappa

u/EloquentBaboon avatar

Or "Uncle Remus" by Frank Zappa (like, legitimately)

Or "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" by Frank Zappa

u/musicwithbarb avatar

Why has no one mentioned the most stirring Lee beautiful Zappa song Bobby Brown goes down?

more replies More replies
More replies
More replies
More replies

“Watermelon in Easter Hay”-Frank Zappa

Gets me every time…

Edited

For Zappa, it's the transition between "Charlie's Enormous Mouth/Any Downers?"

And all around
At the side of the grave
Stood Charlie's friends
Who could not save
This stupid girl
From the way she behaved

But among the mourners
And the frowners
A cry were heard . . . (AIIIIGH!!)

ANY DOWNERS? (Oh, nooooo!)

More replies
u/Former-Wish-8228 avatar

Forever Autumn by Justin Hayward on Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds

u/WeevilWeedWizard avatar

Such a crazy good album. I was so invested in the story the first time I listened to it, I cried when Thunderchild "died".

More replies

Lazarus by Porcupine Tree

Add Trains to that

u/mad_poet_navarth avatar

This song has been in my head all morning.

More replies

I'm going with;

Transatlantic- We All Need Some Light

Camel- Long Goodbyes (or even Stationary Traveller itself)

Fish- Gentleman's Excuse Me

.........and for my wild card track..

Steve Walsh- Just How It Feels

If you’re going to Transatlantic, it has to be Rose Coloured Glasses, which is Neal Morse’s tribute to his recently deceased father.

Of course- that didn't occur to me when I posted, but good choice my friend 👍

More replies
More replies

Suppers Ready - Genesis

Alan Parsons - Old and Wise and Time

Camel - Ice

Rare Bird - Sympathy

Riverside - Time Travelers

“Book of Saturday” and “Exiles” by king crimson

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (but mostly Greg Lake) - "C’est la Vie"

My brain stated playing this as I read the post title

More replies

Man-erg and A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers by Van Der Graaf Generator

ELP has several:

Take A Pebble

Still… You Turn Me On

From the Beginning

Trilogy

Lucky Man

u/NathDritt avatar

really? Still you turn me on?

If 'moving' means 'from the record player to the bin', perhaps.

u/NathDritt avatar

LOL I completely agree. Love some of their stuff but man they had a few crap ones

Differ of opinion, that’s one of my favorite ELP tracks

More replies
More replies
More replies
More replies

Here comes the flood

^this

More replies

Pretty much all of Hand. Cannot. Erase by Steven Wilson but specifically "Routine". That shit, especially the music video hits hard.

All by Rush:

Losing It, The Pass, Nobody's Hero, Bravado, War Paint, Resist, Different Strings, Available Light, Chain Lightning, Afterimage (has there ever been an opening couplet that went as hard as "Suddenly, you were gone / from all the lives you left your mark upon"?)

Can I sneak Ghost of a Chance into your fine list?

Absolutely! I'm ashamed that I forgot it.

Tears too

More replies
More replies
More replies

How has nobody said Routine by Steven Wilson yet

they haven't seen the music video, is why

Few of us has survived watching the video.

More replies
More replies
u/swazal avatar

Little Neutrino” - Klaatu

u/Reddit_Hobo avatar

I would also throw in "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Crafts" its such a wonderful dreamlike opener and the vocals are quite emotional

Regarding little Neutrino, To think the vocals were an artificial Larynx.

Klaatu Interview .quote:
"As to "Little Neutrino", that's me, (Dee). In some sections I am singing through a Leslie rotating speaker. The grainy, electric razor like voice, is an artificial larynx. It's designed for people who have had their vocal chords removed, and is held against the neck to create the vibrations required for speech. We hooked it up to a moog synthesizer, and I played the melody on the synth, while mouthing the words."

u/swazal avatar

3:47 EST is the kind of thematic concept that is prog, along with being fun to listen to.

u/Reddit_Hobo avatar

Hard agree. Sub-Rosa Subway is a miraculously uplifting tune. and Anus of Uranus has one of my favourite guitar parts in all music. stupid fun to play

Its such a shame with Klaatu. When people talk to me about Progrock, They list all the big ones like Rush, Yes, and King Crimson. I've only come across 1 other person who knew who Klaatu was and loved them to such a degree they have the 1st 3 albums on Vinyl. That guy is now my Bass player in my Band. I Cant be more thankful for him

More replies
More replies
u/chickennroll avatar

Possibly the best thing Klaatu ever did, behind giving us Hope.

More replies
u/J_Patish avatar

Funny Ways by Gentle Giant

u/Sea_Opinion_4800 avatar

My Room (waiting for wonderland) by Van der Graaf Generator, the most understated work in their whole catalogue.

My lungs burst to cry: "Finally,
How could you leave me here to die?
I freeze in the chill of this place,
With no friendly face to smile goodbye.
How could you let it happen?"

u/KeithTheNiceGuy avatar

Heartbeat - KC

u/Zaptagious avatar

Pendragon - If I Were the Wind (And You Were the Rain)

Arena - Tears in The Rain

Marillion have several, Neverland probably topping the list

Also Brave and Out of this World.

More replies

Farm on the Freeway by Jethro Tull

u/Prog_Lover avatar

Strawbs - Midnight Sun, Out In the Cold or Benedictus

A first time listen through of an original mix of Genesis made me cry just a little: https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/comments/1caj2xg/audio_engineering_seriously_made_me_cry_today/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

My favourite song of all time is Shine On, and the intensity of feels on the first dual leads chorus lines by Gilmour is just beyond everything else.

But I return to more Genesis. Duke above isn't as hard hitting as Peter Gabriel lyrics. Back In NYC have lyrics that are just so accurately true for the story. Carpet Crawlers is just hitting feels. Lyrics highlight it. That's more older era Genesis. But I'm really a fan of the realer and consistent story of The Lamb.

u/N6MAA007 avatar

Matte Kudasai and Frame By Frame - King Crimson

The Hourglass by Savatage

u/Reddit_Hobo avatar

Not famous, But Moundrag's "La Poule" is an incredibly grandiose piece of music by 2 brothers, 1 on drums and the other on a Hammond Organ and Moog Bass synth.

Other Contenders I would suggest:
"Xanadu" or "2112" by Rush
"Crumbling Castle" or "Change" by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Maybe not Prog but "Telegraph Road" by Dire Straits

Greg Lake - "I Believe In Father Christmas". That one gets me every time.

Matte Kudasai - King Crimson More Fool Me - Genesis Think of me with Kindness - Gentle Giant Nothing At All - Gentle Giant

u/RemsiAnka avatar

King Crimson - Starless

Because it's There - Haken

Ticket to the Moon - ELO

Silence and I - Alan Parsons Project

White Russian - Marillion

u/suitoflights avatar

Gentle Giant - Think of Me with Kindness

Edited

A couple from Alan Parsons Project: Old and Wise, and Don’t Let It Show.

Fripp/Gabriel, Here Comes The Flood.

"Two Suns In The Sunset" by Pink Floyd. It's about a nuclear holocaust. Pretty heavy stuff.

Firth of Fifth by Genesis

Hero and Heroine - Strawbs

Here Comes the Flood-Peter Gabriel

It’s All Over-Nektar

u/WeevilWeedWizard avatar

I legitimately cried a little during Thunderchild in Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of War of the Worlds.