Recommend me some Space Rock, Prog Rock, and Heavy Metal bands?

jwmmakerofmusic · March 29

(This started off as a reply to this thread https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/60202/jwm-on-the-mend-disco-vs-techno-inst-made-in-koala-vox-in-cb3-mastered-w-logic#latest but I feel warrants its own thread and discussion.)

So, here's my plan for the immediate future. I want to release either an EP or an album that has elements of Prog Rock, Space Rock, Heavy Metal, Disco, Synthwave, etc.

See, I recently relistened to Justice's "Woman" album after years of not listening to it in full. I used to feel mostly lukewarm towards the album in the past save for a couple of songs ("Randy" and "Safe and Sound"). This time around, there were moments my jaw dropped, moments where I became misty-eyed, and the whole experience of the album was that of pure euphoria that none of Justice's other albums have ever made me feel in all the years I've listened to those musical masterpieces.

So instead of regurgitating what Justice have done on "Woman", I want to explore the Greats of the 70s and 80s. I'm looking into exploring those older Prog Rock, Space Rock, and Heavy Metal albums of the 70s and 80s. Some bands I'm currently drawn to are Scorpions (especially their performance with the Berlin Philharmonic my friend Lance showed me, which was just sublime), Pink Floyd, Dio, etc.

Even though I'm excellent at producing EDM, I'm getting to the point where I'm becoming temporarily exhausted of the genre. Last time this happened, I became heavy into Lofi and HipHop production, lol.

So what other bands can you recommend from the 70s and 80s and even modern times that touch upon those genres?

Bonus Question - Do you have any tips and tricks as to songform for those genres? I tried Google and Google let me down, but I know many of the oldheads here can help me out. Cheers.

wim · March 29

They used to like to describe their music as "space porn" 😂
More like space funk than space rock, but I dig it. Particles Live is one of my favorite live performance DVDs.

My favorite cut ...

michael_m · March 29

Check out ‘Space Ritual’ by Hawkwind. It’s pretty much the ultimate space rock album.

kirmesteggno · March 29

Ozric Tentacles are pretty dope, especially their tapes from the 80s and releases from the early 90s.

Terminal Passage is a great channel for 70s and 80s prog rock.

MatthewKay · March 29

I’ll keep it simple: RUSH

michael_m · March 29

@kirmesteggno said:
Ozric Tentacles are pretty dope, especially their tapes from the 80s and releases from the early 90s.

Terminal Passage is a great channel for 70s and 80s prog rock.

Yes! Definitely their first few proper albums.

Jim, if you’re interested in the more electronic side of it, how about Shpongle?

michael_m · March 29

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Bonus Question - Do you have any tips and tricks as to songform for those genres?

Get absolutely blasted out of your head on acid or mushrooms. 🤪

jwmmakerofmusic · March 29

Top suggestions so far! Now, a mate of mine gave me this list too.

Rare Bird, Blue Oyster Cult, Genesis (Gabriel era), Frank Zappa, Porcupine Tree, Tool, Dream Theater (plus Jordan is an iOS staple), Jethro Tull

BroCoast · March 29

LOL, I joke.

One Hour Space Rock

michael_m · March 29

Check out various Krautrock bands from the 70s too - Can, Neu!, Amon Düül II, ash Ra Tempel, etc. - lots of hidden classics on their albums.

Fingolfinzz · March 29

Hawkwind is the ultimate wind. The wind of the hawk. Get high and listen to Dave Brock. I just want to reiterate that Hawkwind is absolutely awesome

NeuM · March 29

@Sawiton said:
I’ll keep it simple: RUSH

2112.

Pxlhg · March 29

I see most of what came to mind already mentioned but you have to listen to this one, promise!🤞Manfred Mann's Earth Band Nightingales and Bombers Released in 1975 and still holds up perfect.

jdp000 · March 29

Ozzy era Black Sabbath

Pxlhg · March 29

YES did a few good albums too, 90125 is one really well produced.

Uriah Heap (Oh my so many good songs). Budgie and Camel are some other really good English band from the 70s as well.

wim · March 29

Anyone still remember Gentle Giant?

michael_m · March 29

@wim said:
Anyone still remember Gentle Giant?

They grew up in my hometown I think, and at least one of them was born there. Definitely more on the gentle side musically too (but good).

Fingolfinzz · March 29

King Crimson too. It’s fun going beyond Court of the Crimson King. Primus too, their live stuff makes some Grateful Dead jams look short. Mars Volta is another one. Gong is cool. A lot of the modern jam bands do a lot of prog stuff too, Umphreys McGee is a good example of that

Ben · March 30

@wim said:
Anyone still remember Gentle Giant?

What a great band! Saw them twice. Once as headliner and once opening for Yes in Denver CO.

yellow_eyez · March 30

King’s X, Planet X , symphony x, racer x

rapidfire · March 30

GONG - the “YOU” album, and fabulous Flying Teapot album🙃
ZYGOAT by Burt Alcantara,
All Emerson, Lake & Palmer albums,
All Ozric Tentacles
To name but a few…….

jwmmakerofmusic · March 30

I swear my Prog Spotify playlist is going to be massive! I'm going to spend the morning compiling everything into the Playlist, hit "shuffle", and off I go on a journey.

michael_m · March 30

A few favorites of mine (obviously stretching the term “rock” a little here):

AudioGus · March 30

Suno

Simon · March 30

Todd Rundgren's classic space cadet "Utopia":

....and the epic "Tales From Topographic Oceans" by Yes:

The guys in Utopia and Yes were seriously good musicians, even at a very young age when these LPs were recorded.

And the multi track work on "Oceans" is amazing, considering they had only a 16 track recorder. Took 5 months to record (with Black Sabbath recording "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" in the studio next door).

And they used to play this very complex piece live on stage...

kirmesteggno · March 30

@michael_m said:
Check out various Krautrock bands from the 70s too - Can, Neu!, Amon Düül II, ash Ra Tempel, etc. - lots of hidden classics on their albums.

Kinda wild that most of those guys are from my area and I'm only discovering them in recent years. Currently digging into stuff produced by Conny Plank.

tyslothrop1 · March 30

Pauw, Lumineers and Suns of Thyme are relatively recent ones I like a lot.

bygjohn · March 30

I’ll add a Hawkwind vote to everyone else’s! Space Ritual is probably their best.

And I’m glad to see Yes get a mention, particularly Topographic, which is underrated IMHO. Though Close To The Edge is probably the pinnacle of classic Yes (IMHO, YMMV).

Definitely check out early Sabbath, you might want to try some early Uriah Heep (I’m not a huge Heep aficionado, but Gypsy is an amazing thing - work a single riff to death!).

People have already covered most of what springs to my mind (BÖC, Ozrics, Rush, Gong, Krautrock etc). More recent: Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard (Wrexham’s finest Doom band), OM, Sleep.

And if you want to try combining metal with drone, Sunn o)))

rapidfire · March 30

@bygjohn said:
I’ll add a Hawkwind vote to everyone else’s! Space Ritual is probably their best.

Halkwind - Warriors On The Edge Of Time with Asault & Battery being the best track IMO 😉

AudioGus · March 30

Monster Magnet came out in the 90s but a lot of their stuff captures the ye olde prog vibe.

AudioGus · March 30

There is the band Space Ritual, made of Hawkwind members. I did this album cover back in the day.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kI5dK5EVgsJU6RKn9hIu91nZsz0sPucHQ&si=XIcxP0UNDcPU65Mp

Loopy Pro: Create music, your way.

Recommend me some Space Rock, Prog Rock, and Heavy Metal bands?

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