The Best Prog Epics and Mesmerics from the 1980s

The 1980s' Best Prog Epics and Mesmerics
(9+ minutes in length.)

Here are my top-rated long-playing prog songs from the 1980s. The pickings are rather slim--and I'm sure there are some that I've missed--but there are a few choice ones to get excited about.

PROG PERFECTION

1. "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" 
(20:46)

by PAT METHENY & LYLE MAYS 
40/40 = 10.0
from the 1981 album of the same name.

2. "Dream Within a Dream"
(9:08) 

by PROPAGANDA
20/20 = 10.0
from the 1985 album A Secret Wish

3. "Le cri"
(9:03)

by ESKATON
20/20 = 10.0
from the 1981 album 4 Visions

4. "La poderosa muerte"

(11:08)

by LOS JAIVAS

(20/20)

from the 1981 album Alturas de Machu Picchu

NEAR PERFECTION:

5. "Eskaton"
(10:30)
by ESKATON

(19.75/20) = 9.875

from the 1981 album 4 Visions

6. "Minuano in 6/8"

(9:26)
by THE PAT METHENY GROUP 

(19.5/20) = 9.75 

from the album Still Life (Talking)

7. "Lágada"

(9:00)

by GALADRIEL 

(19.5/20) = 9.75

from the 1988 album Mutterred Promises from An Ageless Pond

8. "The Ninth Wave" 

(26:25)
by KATE BUSH 

(48.5/50) = 9.7

from the 1985 album Hounds of Love

9. "Gevecht Met De Engel Deel I, II, & III"

(22:37)
by FLAIRCK

(43.5/45) = 9.67

from the 1980 album Gevecht Met De Engel

10. "Marsibéli Krónikák I-VI"

(23:23)
by SOLARIS

(43.5/45) = 9.67

from the 1984 album Marsibéli Krónikák

11. "Welcome to The Pleasuredome"

(13:40)
by FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

(29/30) = 9.67

from the 1984 album Welcome to The Pleasuredome

12. "1984, Part 1"

(18:41)
by ANTHONY PHILLIPS

(38.5/40) = 9.625

from the 1981 album 1984

Other LP Prog Epic Masterpieces:

13. "Wave"

(9:11)

by DAVID SYLVIAN

(19/20) = 9.5

from the 1986 album Gone to Earth

14. "Présage"

(9:48)

by UNIVERS ZERO
(19/20) = 9.5

from the 1984 album Uzed

15. "All The Fallen People"

(11:57)
by MR. SIRIUS

(28.5/30) = 9.5

from the 1987 album Barren Dreams

16. "Same Deep Water as You"

(9:19)

by THE CURE
(19/20) = 9.5

from the 1989 album Disintegration

17. "The Great Tower"

(9:44)
by IVORY 

(19/20) = 9.5

from the 1980 album Sad Cypress

18. "Combat" 

(12:26)
by UNIVERS ZERO 

(23.5/25) = 9.4

from the 1981 album Ceux du dehors

19. "La Ballade De Lénore" 

(9:00)

by SHUB-NIGGURATH
(18.75/20) = 9.375

from the 1986 album Les mortes sont vites

20. "The last requiem"

(24:40)

by AMENOPHIS

(46.75/50 = 9.35

from the 1983 album Amenophis

 

21. "Barbara" 

(13:45)

by IVORY

(28/30) = 9.33

from the 1980 album Sad Cypress

22. "Tota in The Moya"

(10:14)

by YEZDA URFA
(18.5/20) = 9.25

from the 1989 album Sacred Baboon

23. "Attente"

(10:12))
by ESKATON 

(18.5/20) = 9.25

from the 1981 album 4 Visions

24. "We Are Sane" 

(10:27)
by TWELFTH NIGHT 

(18.5/20) = 9.25

from the 1982 album Fact and Fiction

Other GREAT LP Prog Epics:

25. "Rise and Fall" (10:12) 
by PALLAS (17.3/20) = 9.225
from the 1984 album The Sentinel




26. "La vieille femme et la chandelle"(12:43)
by HECENIA (23/25) = 9.2
from the 1989 album Hecenia




27. "The Crucifixion" (15:39)
by ARAGON (27.5/30) = 9.167
from the 1988 album Don't Bring the Rain

28. "The Enemy Smacks" (13:49)
by IQ (27.5/30) = 9.167 
from the 1983 album Tales from the Lush Attic



29. "Sphinx Lightning" (19:12)
by TANGERINE DREAM (36.5/40) = 9.125
from the 1983 album Hyperborea


30. "Memento z banalnym triptykiem" (20:57)
by SBB (36.5/40) = 9.125
from the 1980 album Memento z banalnym triptykiem



 31. "A Few Minutes After Trancefer" (18:50)
by KLAUS SCHULZE (36.5/40) = 9.125
from the 1983 album Trancefer



32. "Circle in the Forest" (22:21)
by ASTURIAS (41/45) = 9.11
from the 1988 album Circle in The Forest



33. "Dense" (12:34)
by UNIVERS ZERO (22.75/25) = 9.1
from the 1981 album Ceux du dehors





HONORABLE MENTIONS:
"Barren Dream" - MR. SIRIUS (27/30) = 9.0
"Anniversio" - PAZZO FANFANO DI MUSICA (18/20) = 9.0
"Tangram" Set 2 - TANGERINE DREAM (36/40) = 9.0
"The Funeral Plain" (20:24) - UNIVERS ZERO (36/40) = 9.0
"Green Desert" - TANGERINE DREAM (36/40) = 9.0
"1984, Part 2" - ANTHONY PHILLIPS (27/30) = 9.0
"New Impressionist" - PEKKA POHJOLA (27/30) = 9.0 
"Landahl's Cross" - GALADRIEL (36/40) = 9.0
"The Slough of Despond" - MIDAS (27/30) = 9.0
"Communiqué: 'Approach Spiral'" - MICHAEL SHRIEVE with Kevin Shrieve & Klaus Schulze (27/30) = 9.0
"The Rainbow" - TALK TALK (18/20) = 9.0



ALSO REVIEWED:

"Le grimoire" - HECENIA (17.75/20) = 8.875
"Visions of Blue" - JAN AKKERMAN (17.75/20) = 8.875
"Cryogenèse - Rêve Artificiel" (18:12) - ART ZOYD (31/35) = 8.857

"Mission 14" - QUASAR (26.5/30) = 8.83
"The Last Requiem" - AMENOPHIS (44/50) = 8.8
"The Network of Sparks" - DAVID TORN (17.5/20) = 8.75
"Tangram" Set 1 - TANGERINE DREAM (35/40) = 8.75
"Hecenia" - HECENIA (17.5/20) = 8.75
"Scottish Suite" - ANTHONY PHILLIPS (26.25/30) = 8.75

"Crises" - MIKE OLDFIELD (35/40) = 8.75
"My Brother" (13:52) - IVORY (26/30) = 8.67
"Incipit Tragaedia" - SHUB-NIGGURATH (26/30) = 8.67
"Kätkävaaran Lohikäärme" - PEKKA POHJOLA (26/30) = 8.67
"Creepshow" - TWELFTH NIGHT (21.667/25) = 8.667
"Funkology" - JAN AKKERMAN (17.25/20) = 8.625 
"Inke Ja Mä"  - PEKKA POHJOLA (17/20) = 8.5
"Blind Curve" - MARILLION (17/20) = 8.5
"Emmanations" - UNIVERS ZERO (25.5/30) = 8.5
"Silent Running" - KLAUS SCHULZE (34/40) = 8.5 
"The Black Knight" - PENDRAGON (17/20) = 8.5
"Beyond the Clean Air" - MIDAS (34/40) = 8.5 
"Heavy Jazz" - PEKKA POHJOLA (17/20) = 8.5
"Třiatřicet" MODRY EFEKT (25.5/30) = 8.5 
"FM Delight" - KLAUS SCHULZE (29.5/35) = 8.429
"Sailor on the Seas of Fate" - OSIRIS - (21/25) = 8.4
"Sampoliini" - PEKKA POHJOLA (21/25) = 8.4 
"Le passage" - HECENIA (20.75/25) = 8.3
"Mystical Adventures, Pts 1-5" - JEAN-LUC PONTY (33/40) = 8.25 
"Widow's Peak" - IQ (16.5/20) = 8.25
"Pressure" - PEKKA POHJOLA (16.5/20) = 8.25
"Mojave Plan" - TANGERINE DREAM (33/40) = 8.25
"Company of Wolves" - ARAGON (16.5/20) = 8.25
"Urban Caravan" - PEKKA POHJOLA (20.5/25) = 8.2
"Alpha Numerique" - KLAUS SCHULZE (24.5/30) = 8.167
"Risto" - PEKKA POHJOLA (24.5/30) = 8.167
"U.F.O." - QUASAR (28.5/35) = 8.14
"Écoute" - ESKATON (20/25) = 8.0
"Transfer Station Blue" - MICHAEL SHRIEVE with Kevin Shrieve & Klaus Schulze (20/25) = 8.0
"Imppu's Tango" - PEKKA POHJOLA (16/20) = 8.0
"Kiew Mission" - TANGERINE DREAM (16/20) = 8.0
"Taurus II" - MIKE OLDFIELD (39/50) = 7.8
"Orabidoo" - MIKE OLDFIELD (19.5/25) = 7.8
"The Last Human Gateway" - IQ (31/40) = 7.75
"Tanz und Tod (15:11)" - ANYONE's DAUGHTER (23/30) = 7.67 
"Formula N-One" - JAN AKKERMAN (15/20) = 7.5

9.0 Songs
"Circles" - TERJE RYPDAL

8.5 Songs
"Before the Bullfight" (8.5) - DAVID SYLVIAN
"Último Entardecer" (8.5) - BACAMARTE
"Script for a Jester's Tear" (8.5) - MARILLION
"Onde" (8.5) - EIDER STELLAIRE
"Esnatzea I & II" (8.5) - ITOIZ



Great Songs Just Under Nine Minutes in Length:
"Brilliant Trees" - DAVID SYLVIAN (19.5/20) = 9.75
"Disintegration" - THE CURE = 9.5
"Are You Going With Me?" - THE PAT METHENY GROUP (19/20) = 9.5
"The Sheltering Sky" - KING CRIMSON (19/20) = 9.5
"Občasná pánská jízda" - MODRY EFEKT (Blue Effect) (19/20) = 9.5
"Heatwave" - UNIVERS ZERO (19/20) = 9.5
"Pitié" - ESKATON (18.5/20) = 9.25
"Alaska" - PENDRAGON (18.5/20) = 9.25
"The Everso Closely Guarded Line" - CARDIACS (13.5/15) = 9.0
"Sleepless" (extended version) - KING CRIMSON (18/20) = 9.0
"Incubus" - MARILLION (18/20) = 9.0
"3, Almost 4, 6, Yea" - YEZDA URFA (18/20) = 9.0
"La corne du bois des pendus" - UNIVERS ZERO (17.5/20) = 8.75



As-yet unreviewed:
"Le Poison Qui Rend Fou, Part 1: Ram Ram Va Faire "Pif Paf" (15:23) - PRESENT (/30)

"Le Poison Qui Rend Fou, Part 2: Didi, Dans Ta Chambre!" (9:41) - PRESENT(/20)
"Samana" (9:14) - PRÉSENT (/20) = 
"Once Around the World" - IT BITES

"Promenade Au Fond D'un Canal" (19:15) - PRESENT ()
"Quatre-Vingt Douze" (15:36) - PRESENT ()

"Black Box" (19:38) - PETER HAMMILL ()