50. Saint Tom, by Brian Eno
(Music for Films III, 1988)
In the late eighties, Brian Eno released already the third part to his Music for Films series whose first part had come out a full decade earlier. The original Music for Films (1978) was a solo album; More Music for Films (1983) was a joint effort between Brian Eno, Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois that partially overlapped Apollo by the same trio. Music for Films III was an even more of a joint effort: there were several additional artists performing on the album, and only three of its 15 tracks were Brian Eno's solo works. Saint Tom is the album's stunningly beautiful opening track, one of the most memorable compositions the man ever made.
49. Chair Father, by Yasushi Yoshida
(Secret Figure, 2006)
And then it's Yasushi Yoshida time again! Chair Father fits in this slot particularly well since it is quite a lot like Brian Eno's Saint Tom: an exceptionally beautiful instrumental track that moves at a leisurely pace. Judging by the number of Yoshida tracks, it is easy to see that the man is a major favorite of ours. Within the space of only 25 tracks, there have been Parade (#56), Little Hands (#65) and Picture of Three Life (#72). This is the point where we run out of Yoshida tracks, however; Chair Father managed to climb highest up of them all. They are not too dissimilar, all of them are lovely, and it should be pretty easy to guess that all except one come from the same album.
48. Get All You Deserve, by Steven Wilson
(Insurgentes, 2008)
We remember having written in our previous blog something like this about Steven Wilson's masterpiece Get All You Deserve: had it been recorded in the seventies by King Crimson, it would already be hailed as a classic today. Wilson's song employs just about the entire dynamic range available, starting with deceptively restrained, quiet sounds and then going on to gradually fill the room. The cacophony in the end borders between actual music and plain loud noise, but by that point the difference has no significance. You have already understood the composer's master plan and can only listen in awe.
47. The Dividing Line, by Frost*
(The Philadelphia Experiment, 2010)
There have been several Frost* tracks from their second album Experiments in Mass Appeal (2008) on the list recently. Here is something even more recent: the all new studio track from their live album The Philadelphia Experiment; a hard rock / symphonic progressive rock masterwork that runs nearly 17 minutes and has managed to climb quite high up on the list. Such great fun and skilled musicianship! Apparently the track is a dedication to the American internet radio station that used to play a lot of prog in their programs and was most active during the couple of years both before and after the decade turned.
46. Through the Other Side, by Riverside
(Rapid Eye Movement, 2007)
The Polish progressive rock group Riverside has always liked to tread the thin line between symphonic prog and progressive metal. There is, however, no trace of metal on this beautiful track that remains our number one favorite in their output, even after all these years. Through the Other Side is a lovely, peaceful song that is dominated by vocals and acoustic guitar. Yet there is also a pounding tempo: percussion played with what could be a bass drum (?). And cymbals, of course. Great song from a group of rising talents that still seem not to be getting quite the attention they'd deserve.
45. Black Light Machine, by Frost*
(Milliontown, 2006)
Then it's Frost* again, and this time we return to their golden age. Black Light Machine is a ten-minute orgy of greatest modern progressive rock there is. In particular, it showcases the talent of the musicians: John Mitchell's electric guitar wizardry and Andy Edwards' drumming magic are both peerless. The only slightly weaker link here is the songwriting itself: there is nothing particularly mesmerizing in the lyrics or composition of Black Light Machine, although the song is played extremely well. On the album Milliontown, it works as the link between shorter tracks and the massive 26-minute title track - a sort of preparation for a really long form.
44. Never the Same, by Echolyn
(As the World, 1995)
Now we have really entered masterpiece territory. The most beautiful and moving song ever recorded about the promise of everlasting life has been called the greatest song of the 1990's in the comments section of this YouTube video, and we have to agree that this might just be a true statement. Echolyn, who have appeared on the list several times already, don't associate their life after death song with any religion. They simply sing touchingly about the hope of seeing your loved ones again "on the other side, some day". Even though Mei is easily the group's best album, and in its 50-minute glory also one of their best individual songs, this must still be their number one achievement in the song category. An absolutely stunning piece of work.
43. I Love You Always Forever, by Donna Lewis
(Now in a Minute, 1996)
The second nineties song in a row is very different from the first one. It has nothing to do with progressive rock but everything to do with our peculiar fetish of enjoying grown up women singing in a little girl's voice. And even that's not all. Actually I Love You Always Forever has been used as a theme song in our weddings, which has given it plenty of additional playtime. And last but not least, it is a great pop song, one of the very best in the decade during which it was released. Before this, it never occurred to us that the song might have an official music video, but here it is, embedded above. Those were the days.
42. Significant Other, by Steven Wilson
(Insurgentes, 2008)
Here comes a "single hit" Steven Wilson style! This track is as far removed from the extremely challenging Get All You Deserve as you can get: basically a pop song but played as rock'n roll with an incredibly wide and high soundscape. The chorus is an ear worm waiting to happen, and electric guitar work is nothing short of striking. The album Insurgentes has been a major favorite of ours: so far, we have listed this track, Get All You Deserve (#48), Insurgentes (#51), Harmony Korine (#61) and Twilight Coda (#76). How many more can there be? Will Steven Wilson be the artist with most entries on the list?
41. Deadwing, by Porcupine Tree
(Deadwing, 2005)
The answer is almost certainly yes, if you count into the total number both his solo work and the songs from all the groups he has been a member of. Here, Wilson leads Porcupine Tree into one of its greatest successes. The title track of their 2005 album Deadwing is a nearly ten minute long fusion of progressive rock and metal, impeccably composed and played. It is not only a great song, but the whole album is considered by many the pinnacle of PT's career. We agree in part - there are several outstanding songs on Deadwing, and it is definitely one of the group's best, but we have always preferred In Absentia.
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