3 Underrated Progressive Rock Bands From the 1970s That Should Be Household Names Today

Progressive rock exploded in the 1970s, starting in Great Britain before finding its way to the US and the rest of the world; and yet, so many amazing bands from that boom remain underrated today. In my opinion, the following three outfits deserve to be household names. Let’s take a look at some unsung heroes of prog, shall we?

Happy The Man

Progressive rock was definitely dominated by English bands back in the 1970s, but America had its own massively underrated outfit with Happy The Man. This prog-rock outfit was unlike any other, with intricate, jazz-leaning compositions and stellar keyboard work à la Cliff Fortney, David Bach, Frank Wyatt, and Kit Watkins. Happy The Man disbanded after a handful of albums in 1979, but they have since reunited in the 21st century. I recommend giving the records Happy The Man from 1977 and Crafty Hands from 1978 a spin or two.

Gryphon

This English prog band leaned more toward folk than rock, but they’re underrated enough to earn a spot on our list of progressive rock bands that deserve more love. If you love medieval-inspired progressive folk, this is absolutely the band to dive into. Oddly enough, Gryphon was quite active during the prog boom in the 1970s but never quite approached the same level of fame as their contemporaries. I just don’t get it. Gryphon took a long break after 1977 but have since gotten back together in the 2010s.

If you want to get real medieval, give the albums Gryphon from 1973 and Midnight Mushrumps from 1974 a thorough listen. You won’t be disappointed.

Fruupp

They had the talent to go all the way and even opened for the likes of Genesis and King Crimson. And yet, Fruupp isn’t a household name outside of the prog world. Their dense, gorgeous keyboard arrangements were on another level. What gives?

During their short tenure between 1971 and 1976, the Irish prog-rock outfit Fruup released a handful of records. Personally, I think Future Legends from 1973 and The Prince Of Heaven’s Eyes from 1974 are the best, but any of their four studio albums is worth a spin or two.

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