10 Best Progressive Rock Bands Of All Time

10. Yes

Any band that even thinks of going the progressive route has to have some level of faith in their instrument. As much as it might be fun to string together a few song ideas and call it a suite, you still have to be pretty proficient behind your instrument to make the whole thing move forward. And as the prog rock revolution got underway, Yes were practically the rock and roll answer to classical music.

In the era of the vinyl record, going through albums like Going for the One or Close to the Edge feel more like experiences listening to a classical piece, complete with vast sections that would sometimes go on past the 10 minute mark. It takes a lot to make a track of that length interesting though, and Steve Howe found a way by putting together some of the most off kilter guitar parts and making them fit under one roof.

That's not to downplay the rest of the band either, with Chris Squire's amazing bass playing driving songs like Roundabout and Jon Anderson's searing vocals sitting like a sonic bed on top of everything. Yes also don't get nearly the credit they deserve for bridging the gap to the next generation, going for the '80s update to their sound on tracks like Owner of a Lonely Heart. When other bands tried to chase trends, the most technical bands never really go out of style.