=-> Quoting George Erdner to Martin Ridgley, re: "Best" Albums....
 GE> Most people interpret the definition of "progressive" to exclude
 GE> anything that was commercially popular.
   Well, that's not strictly true, but I know what you mean.  I usually
 interpret `progressive' to mean particularly adventurous, innovative or
 experimental music.
 GE> If you listen to some of the non-hit tracks on Piano Man, there are
 GE> some very innovative orchestrations and unusual selections of
 GE> instruments.
   True, but it's not at all what most people would label as progressive
 because the structure of the songs themselves is fairly standard.
 GE> I regard Desparado as progressive for its overall thematic concept.
   Well, I think that's stretching the definition just a bit.  ;-)
 GE> Granted, when a group created a "theme" album in the 60's, that was
 GE> something new, and therefore automatically progressive. I don't see
 GE> why doing the same thing a decade later would not also be progressive.
   It's not progressive precisely because of that.  It wasn't a new
 concept any more by the time the Eagles got around to it in 1973.  But
 even if it was a new idea, when most people use the term `progressive',
 they're usually referring to the music itself rather than a concept or
 thematic idea.  And the Eagles are certainly not musically `progressive'
 to my ears.
 GE> "Yellow Brick Road", like most Elton John albums, is really just a
 GE> collection of songs.  Most of the songs on YBR are just forgettable
 GE> pop songs. But some of the musical structures on "Funeral for a Friend"
 GE> are as "progressive" as the later works of ELO or Pink Floyd.
   Yeah, I can agree about "Funeral for a Friend".  It's one of his more
 progressive sounding pieces.
 GE> As to whether "Funeral for a Friend" influnced ELO or Pink Floyd, or
 GE> merely preceeded it, I do not know.
   That album came out in 1973 - the same year as ELO's _On the Third Day_
 and Pink Floyd's _Dark Side of the Moon_.  Both those groups were at
 least trying to experiment with new directions before Elton John did.
   Anyway, I can see your points, but I think you're really stretching
 the definition of `progressive rock'.  From that particular era, the
 term `progressive rock' is usually applied more to groups such as
 King Crimson, Genesis, and Yes, much more than artists like the Eagles,
 Elton John, and Billy Joel.
    Cheers,
             Martin
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