Prog Features

Here are six underrated and overlooked albums from the 1970s that will reward investigation

A guide to former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters' best albums – picked from the Floyd recordings he dominated and his solo career

Bob Geldof ruthlessly baited Roger Waters, Gerald Scarfe feared he’d created a new skinhead movement and the media hated the morbidity – but the third part of the multimedia trilogy was a triumph

Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State, their first album without Anders Nyström, embraces first takes, shelved ideas and outside influences – and hints at how they might use more electronic elements in the future

The seasoned American session stars changed tack after the success of their self-titled debut, inserting splashes of musical colour that became part of their unique style

Now officially in their third decade, the Hawklords collective continue their purple patch with latest album Time.

When the British band wanted to create their own dystopia, a passionate shop owner led him to the German electronic composer’s prog masterpieces

Former Jon Davison collaborator plays all the instruments on his Anyone albums, which impressed jazz icon Hancock. The only other contributor is his AI friend Eve

Recordings rom 1967 and 1968 provide a satisfying overview of pre-Crimson Robert Fripp

By the time they released The Race For Space, J Willgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth – then still a duo – were ready to accept their prog credentials

Dream Theater man’s stand-in role may have complicated his own position, but the younger band were grateful for his unflappable optimism as they fought to keep going

Kevin Ayers co-founded Soft Machine, influenced Bowie, shared acid trips and girlfriends with Hendrix, and knew Syd Barrett better than most

The release of Journey’s End in 2010 found the symphonic rock pioneer more content and focused than he’d been in decades, and ready to take the blame for previous misdemeanours

Tom Monda explains the importance of humour, the nature of genres and how he plays his band like a piano

Members of Marillion, King Crimson, Nightwish, Big Big Train and others compile a list of a uniqe artist’s most powerful and persuasive creations

Their one-off exploration of disco-pop, I Want More, featured lyrics written by a roadie and gave them a Top 30 hit in the UK. They took the short-term clamour in their stride

On the back of a Classic Rock cover story for Pink Floyd's The Wall back in 2000, keyboard player Richard Wright was determined to have his say. And he did

In an incident he doesn’t recommend emulating, the singer-songwriter’s appreciation for the Canadian giants was cemented – but that’s only one of four reasons he loves them

The biggest influence on The Endless River? Pink Floyd themselves. Here are the sounds from the band’s past that informed their 2014 release