10 Greatest Prog Rock Bands

The end of the '60s will forever be known as the years where rock was dipped in acid. Even though countless bands were trying to stay mellow in the hippie mindset, other bands were bringing some of the most feral sounds of rock together to create some of the nastiest rock and roll ever made. It's easy for this kind of sound to divulge into chaos, but listening to King Crimson felt like opening up your third eye.

With the release of In the Court of the Crimson King, the band set up one of the most solid foundations in prog history, as they did everything from jazzy breakdowns to making songs that sounded like they should be soundtracking the end of the world. Beyond the band's beginnings, mastermind Robert Fripp created some of the most outlandish experiments and miraculously made them work, like the song "Frame by Frame" using a meter that is both out of sync and perfectly in sync at the same time.

Keeping the prog tendencies alive, Fripp also found a way to extend his musical prowess to other acts like Peter Gabriel and David Bowie, where he brought different sonic textures to some of rock's most classic songs. King Crimson may not have been the first time prog infiltrated rock, but after their splash on the scene, it had now become a style.