Ian Anderson, frontman of Jethro Tull, has cited Pink Floyd's "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967) as one of the seminal albums that paved the way for progressive rock, alongside The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". He credits both records with taking diverse musical elements and using them in creative ways that helped define the genre's expansive approach. However, the significance of his choice lies in a striking contradiction: Roger Waters, who co-founded Pink Floyd and played on the album, has expressed considerable distaste for the record.

Waters was dismissive of "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" in interviews, arguing that it was too experimental and lacked solid direction, making the band sound "laughable" and "useless" at the time. He stated that they had to resort to "something stupid and experimental" because they couldn't play their instruments well enough to do otherwise. This contradiction exemplifies the unpredictable nature of progressive rock itself: an album that one genre legend considers quintessential to its creation is simultaneously despised by one of the musicians who made it, reflecting the genre's tension between ambitious experimentation and cohesive artistry.