10 Albums That Will Make You Love Prog Rock

In the early '60s, most of the prog rock that we know didn't really have a name. If it wasn't the traditional pop rock and roll or taking cues from the psychedelic movement, most of this felt like it was just put under the label of 'art rock' and was reserved for the ultra hipster record stores. Though King Crimson certainly were artsy for their time, they made the entire world pay attention by knocking you over the head every time you heard them.

While it might not seem as forceful now, this was a pretty abrasive listen when fans first heard it back in the day, especially on songs like 21st Century Schizoid Man, which makes you feel like the world's coming to an end through the sheer blast of music. This wasn't just noise for the sake of noise though, and Robert Fripp knew that all too well, taking the bombastic parts of the band's sound and pushing it as far as he could on every track, whether it was lulling you into a daze or bringing down fiery Armageddon.

Granted, you can still sort of tell where this album fits in history, having the same cosmic lyric sheet that you would see from a lot of the more psychedelic acts around this time. If you're even considering to start with prog and leave this record out though, there are going to be chunks missing from your musical diet.