The progressive-rock movement came to life during the late 1960s, when the symphonic pop of Procol Harum and the Moody Blues came into contact with the jazz fusion of Canterbury's Soft Machine and the spacey Krautrock of Can. Classically trained virtuoso performers in groups such as Yes and King Crimson sought to elevate or "progress" the state of blues-based rock music with longer, more literate, and more technically challenging pieces. In Los Angeles, Frank Zappa was concocting a similar brew with an emphasis on album-length concepts and a wry sense of irony, initiating what some alternately called 'art rock.' The odd time signatures, lofty lyrical concerns, and elaborate stage shows were annihilated by punk's nihilism in the late '70s; however, many of prog's top outfits like Genesis and Pink Floyd tamed their intellectual excesses and went on to massive mainstream success. While rarely a critical favorite (especially on this side of 1977), progressive rock has maintained a dedicated fan base, and contemporary bands like Porcupine Tree and Spock's Beard are part of a third-wave prog revival.

Notable Artists: Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake & Palmer