# The five greatest prog songs from before the invention of prog

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-five-greatest-prog-songs-from-before-the-invention-of-prog/
- Published: 2026-11-10T18:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T18:49:09+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/five-greatest-prog-songs-before-invention-of-prog/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Prog’s modern identity took shape retrospectively.
- Joe Meek’s electronic experiments anticipated the genre.
- Sun Ra brought cosmic jazz into the mix.

## Summary

The article argues that progressive rock was defined retrospectively: in the late 1960s, “prog” could describe music that seemed less commercial and more album-focused, while the genre’s modern identity is commonly traced to landmark 1969 albums. It looks back to 1968 for songs that anticipated prog’s experimentation, setting aside the better-known influence of the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

The supplied text discusses two examples: Joe Meek’s “I Hear a New World”, whose unusual tape effects and homemade electronics created an otherworldly sound, and Sun Ra’s “Interplanetary Music”, which blended jazz with space-age experimentation. It also notes that “Telstar”, Meek’s 1962 hit for the Tornados, brought him little financial reward during his lifetime after a plagiarism dispute. The article text provided ends partway through its discussion of Sun Ra, so the other selections are not included here.

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