10 Bands That Invented Their Own Genre
2. King Crimson
Towards the end of the '60s, rock was no longer just the fun party music that you would throw on just for the hell of it. After the Beatles started to take quantum leaps from the traditional rock and roll sound, that opened the door for other bands to throw everything and the kitchen sink into their songs to see what stuck. In King Crimson's case though, they may have actually broke part of the sink.
Starting with In the Court of the Crimson King, these guys were on the verge of something much more interesting than the traditional heavy sounds of the day. Compared to the more blues-influenced bands floating around, you could hear faint wisps of jazz, classical, and even avant garde on display across tracks like 21st Century Schizoid Man and Epitaph. This was the start of something evolutionary....something forward-looking....something progressive.
Yeah, even though there is some contention as to whether Pink Floyd or King Crimson officially started the prog rock genre, the work on In the Court of the Crimson King pretty much checks every box that a prog rock epic should, from the long song lengths to the philosophical lyrical themes to each respective song feeling like a succinct musical journey unto itself. Even though Syd Barrett fans might say otherwise, when you're looking for the very beginnings of prog, this is ground zero.