by Geoff Bailie
A constant of prog music, however you choose to define it, is that it comes in a variety of styles, and most of the major prog bands will embrace the electric, electronic and the acoustic somewhere within their catalogue.
The whole MTV Unplugged trend brought acoustic music to the fore in the 1990s and for a time, it seemed, every band was reinterpreting their back catalogue – but for those paying attention, it had never gone away and certainly was always part of prog. Here are some of the acoustic prog highlights … from the beginning (see what I did there!)
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Jethro Tull – Life’s A Long Song (1971)
Ian Anderson always mixed the light and the heavy throughout Tull’s catalogue. Life’s A Long Song was a non-album single which really captures the spirit of Tull and Anderson, with a great melody, along with an arrangement that builds from his solo guitar and vocal without overpowering it! The wordplay is clever from the opening “When you’re falling awake…” to the memorable tag line.
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Emerson, Lake & Palmer – From The Beginning (1972)
Live, ELP, arguably the first prog rock super group, were all about massive Moog synths, destroying Hammond organs, cannons and explosions! Right from the start, in the studio, ELP blended in softer, more mellow sounds and so 1972’s Trilogy contains the masterful From The Beginning! Sharing engineer Eddie Offord with Yes at this time, it’s hard not to think of Roundabout during the first 10 seconds, but this song becomes its own thing with fantastic acoustic guitar from Lake, a subtle underpinned bass line, and a reverb heavy guitar solo. While Palmer adds subtle congas, Emerson remains caged until 3 minutes in when his flute-like Moog solo doesn’t disturb the vibe, adding a spacey feel to the song’s ending.
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Genesis – Ripples (1976)
This and the next track are linked in that they came from the first albums post the Genesis/Gabriel split. Rutherford and Banks came up with Ripples for Trick of the Tail and it’s testament to the song that it was still part of the band’s 2007 Turn It On Again tour. It’s one of those tracks that sounds “simple” but has lots of rich chordal and melodic complexity – yet it still has a sing along chorus with poignant lyrics about the passing of time.
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Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill (1977)
While Genesis were fast out of the blocks, Peter Gabriel took several years to produce his first solo album, but it was worth the wait! Solsbury Hill was both the opening single and, perhaps, the mission statement for his career – “I broke right out of the machinery” … and he’s been doing that ever since. And if you want prog time signatures, well this one is in 7/4 (see All You Need Is Love, Paranoid Android and parts of Tom Sawyer!). The version from the Live Blood album, backed by an orchestra, is a strong and very acoustic version!
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Kansas – Chasing Shadows (1982)
What? You didn’t pick Dust in the Wind? OK – well you know that one already! Chasing Shadows from Vinyl Confessions marks the debut of singer John Elefante who also wrote this song. His era in the band is mostly forgotten but there are some stand out moments, of which this is one. Elefante is a great singer and the harmonies on this track are excellent. Check it out.
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Marillion – A Collection (1991)
1991’s Holidays in Eden contained this curious track which is almost entirely acoustic 12-string guitar and vocal – and what a vocal! For me this is one of Steve Hogarth’s stand out performances. The intriguing lyric was based on lyric writer John Helmer’s … emmm how do you put this … habit of photographing his girlfriends in the same location and then keeping the collection of photos! Make your own mind up on the subject matter, but it’s an intriguing concept and song!
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Queensrÿche – Silent Lucidity (Unplugged) (1992)
I mentioned MTV Unplugged earlier and one of the few prog bands to appear on that show were Queensrÿche who at that time were riding high on 2 commercially successful albums, Operation: Mindcrime and Empire. Silent Lucidity was even performed at the 1992 Grammys ceremony, with the band introduced by Whoopi Goldberg! All seems very mainstream, right! But actually the band were gaining plaudits at the highest level at this time. This lush acoustic track (a Comfortably Numb for the 1990s?) was the highlight of that MTV set for many and is a great version.
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Dream Theater – The Silent Man (1994)
On album number 3, Dream Theater produced this acoustic track which was the final section of the A Mind Beside Itself suite. It’s a father/son ballad, with a strong La Brie vocal and a sparse but perfect arrangement. The track came out as a single with a video directed by Mike Portnoy which got a lot of MTV airplay at the time. Also check out the solo piano version on Jordan Rudess’ Notes On A Dream album!
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Yes – From The Balcony (1997)
When it comes to the Open Your Eyes album, many Yes fans weren’t convinced by the contents. Personally it’s an album I enjoy, but perhaps the track truest to YesSpirit as we know it is the Anderson/Howe duet, From The Balcony. The beauty of the vocal and guitar playing is an oasis in an album that has a lot going on!
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Spock’s Beard – Carie (2002)
Jumping forward into the 21st century, Spock’s Beard’s Snow stands as one of modern prog’s most enduring epic concept albums. Within the second CD is the album’s love song, Carie, written by Neal but beautifully sung by Nick D’Virgilio. At the time of recording, NDV wouldn’t have known that within 2 years he would be the lead singer and frontman of the band – but Carie showed he had the credentials!
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Big Big Train – Uncle Jack (2021)
BBT’s pair of English Electric albums stand as solid classics of the 2010s and Uncle Jack is the second track on Part 1. How many prog songs do you know that start with a banjo riff? There can’t be that many! But the banjo, guitar and violin driven backing forms a great base for some amazing vocal interplay (what we tend to call – Gentle Giant style!).
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D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – Tiny Little Fires (2023)
We’ve mentioned the first two people already but when it comes to prog, Haken have been a stand-out band of the last 10 years. Their music doesn’t typically lean towards the acoustic, so for many the inclusion of Ross Jennings in the D’Virgilio/Morse trio was a bit of a surprise! However the prog flair these musicians possess bled into the more acoustic format of the trio and this Jennings song is a great example of that. Enjoy the harmonies and refrains that are jam packed into this song.
