10 Perfect Prog Rock Songs That Are Ridiculously Long

Back in the mid '70s, Rush were almost becoming the prog band that was too progressive for their own good. As soon as Neil Peart joined the band, they seemed to be growing up just a little bit too fast, with Caress of Steel being more weird than anything else. Their label had laid down the law for them releasing singles, and what they served up next was one of the their most adventurous projects yet.

Inspired by the compromising attitude that they got from the higher ups, 2112 is a statement that Rush wasn't going to go along with the program, spanning nearly 21 minutes telling a tale of the distant future where the protagonist discovers a guitar as a long lost artifact. Wanting to stand up to the priests that want to tear him down, this entire track plays out like some dystopian novella, as Peart takes us through a different scene in every movement, like the priests smashing the guitar in Presentation to our hero dreaming of a place beyond his anti-creative existence on Oracle.

For all of the reasons that the label thought this should have failed, Rush sticking to their guns became their calling card for the next few years, with fans relating to the story behind the song and building up one of the biggest cult followings that rock and roll has ever seen. This may have been prog rock, but the way that this song came to be is almost coming from a punk rock mentality. This is your passion, and you better be willing to die for it if you want to make it a reality.