Prog Rock

Prog rock on vinyl: Pink Floyd, Italy and the Vertigo swirl

In short: Progressive rock is the rock of the seventies that thought bigger: long pieces, concept albums, influences from classical music and jazz. Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and King Crimson shaped it in England, and Italy, Germany and Scandinavia developed scenes of their own. The Vinyl Room currently has 150 prog rock records.

What is prog rock?

At the end of the sixties, English bands left the three-minute format behind. Pink Floyd recorded a whole LP side with orchestra and choir on “Atom Heart Mother” (1970), Yes and Genesis built suites, and King Crimson combined rock with jazz and classical music. Italy developed a scene of its own with bands such as Osanna and Il Rovescio della Medaglia, and in Germany Triumvirat and Wind played close to krautrock. Some of these records came out in small runs at the time; their originals are sought after today.

What to look for

In England many prog classics came out on labels such as Harvest, Island, Charisma and Vertigo. Early Vertigo pressings with the black and white “swirl” label are especially sought after. Because some originals are expensive, good reissues have a long tradition in prog rock. Label, catalogue number, runout and cover together tell you whether you have a first pressing.

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First pressings

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FAQ

What is prog rock? Progressive rock of the late sixties and seventies, with long pieces, concept albums and influences from classical music and jazz.

What is the Vertigo swirl? The black and white spiral label of early pressings on the English label Vertigo. Records with this label are in high demand among collectors.

Is there prog rock from Italy? Yes, a big scene of its own, for example with Osanna and Il Rovescio della Medaglia.