Best Progressive Rock Songs Under Five Minutes Long
The most common cliché of Prog is, without a doubt, songs that go on for extended periods of time, so here's a list of Prog songs that stay within a convention timeframe.
If there’s one band that deserves to be on this list, it’s Gentle Giant. Almost each of their songs manage to combine complex instrumentation with melodic harmonies that would make even the best of Queen and Yes blush, which has, in turn, resulted in some of the best songs in the genre, and all while keeping things within an accessible timeframe as well. In fact, not a single one of their studio recorded songs have ever jumped past the ten-minute mark, which really shows how many different places you can go in just a couple of minutes. Anyways, I decided to go with their most well known song, as I think that serves as a great balance between all of the different qualities of Gentle Giant’s music, and also a great introduction to them as well.
I agree with the list description - while prog songs tend to be lengthy, it isn't a strict requirement.
When Cardiacs emerged, they brought with them a crazed, childlike energy, one that was fresh, over the top, and full of, well... energy. Also, much like Gentle Giant, Cardiacs knew how to pack a lot in just a few short minutes. This one song shows off some of what Carcdiacs has in store with its weird lyrics, odd harmonies, and an ever changing tempo.
I really enjoy the repetitive groove here, it's incredibly catchy and a great, psychedelic piece of music
One of my favorite instrumental songs. A cover of the West Side Story songs, with Keith Emerson's playful keyboard work, the guitar solo, the rhythm section... Perfect.
The verse is in 7/4, the chorus in 4/4, while the drum solo is in 3/4, so I think it fits here.
