Most Collected Albums By 11 Big Prog Rock Bands (on Discogs)

Prog rock bands who chopped their sound down to make it more radio-friendly and those who have stayed true to their epic presentation remain favorites among music collectors.

We used Discogs, a music cataloging and marketplace website, to track down the most collected releases from 11 big prog rock and metal acts.

READ MORE: The Most Collected Albums By 11 Big Prog Rock Bands (On Discogs)

From key changes to massive solos to a whole lot of experimentation, here are the prog albums most often found in music lovers’ collections.

Dream Theater

Dream Theater’s most commercially successful album continues to be popular among collectors. The rest of the band’s catalog isn’t far behind.

1. Images and Words (1992), 29,099 copies collected

2. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory (1999), 22,172 copies

3. Awake (1994), 21,664 copies

4. Octavarium (2005), 15,330 copies

5. Falling Into Infinity (1997), 15,278 copies

Genesis

It’s not often a band’s 12th album ends up being their most popular.

More than 15 years after their debut release, Genesis dropped Invisible Touch on the world as the band’s appeal continued to grow far beyond the prog rock landscape.

1. Invisible Touch (1986), 100,942 copies collected

2. Genesis (1983), 96,965 copies

3. Selling England By The Pound (1973), 91,240 copies

4. Abacab (1981), 79,265 copies

5. A Trick of the Tail (1976), 76,077 copies

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

The prog rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer went heavy on the keyboards right out of the gate with their self-titled debut. There’s also some folk guitar and a dose of Greek mythology on side 2.

1. Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970), 64,425 copies collected

2. Brain Salad Surgery (1973), 62,006 copies

3. Trilogy (1972), 55,817 copies

4. Tarkus (1971), 55,593 copies

5. Pictures at an Exhibition (1971), 53,976 copies

Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull’s Aqualung takes themes of religion and God and turns them into epic rock adventures with the help of some massive guitar riffs.

1. Aqualung (1971), 150,442 copies collected

2. Thick as a Brick (1972), 88,504 copies

3. Stand Up (1969), 58,708 copies

4. Benefit (1970), 46,753 copies

5. Songs From The Wood (1977), 45,360 copies

King Crimson

Join nearly any rock vinyl collector Facebook group and you’ll likely see the cover of King Crimson’s 1969 release In the Court of the Crimson King within your first couple scrolls of the group’s feed.

The album tends to be a favorite among collectors of ’60s and ’70s vinyl while acting as a gateway to prog rock for some.

1. In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), 163,841 copies collected

2. Red (1974), 45,476 copies

3. In The Wake of Poseidon (1970), 43,934 copies

4. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973), 42,758 copies

5. Discipline (1981), 36,587 copies

The Mars Volta

When El Paso, Texas, post-hardcore act At the Drive-In split up in 2001, some may have been surprised seeing former members turn into modern-day prog rock heroes in The Mars Volta.

There were some hints, however.

Go back and listen to early At the Drive-In today, and you can clearly hear how Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez were laying the groundwork.

1. De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003), 37,280 copies collected

2. Frances The Mute (2005), 26,372 copies

3. Amputechture (2006), 14,968 copies

4. The Bedlam in Goliath (2008), 13,379 copies

5. Octahedron (2009), 11,669 copies

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd’s legacy is truly spectacular when you look at the list of their most collected titles. Even the fifth entry on the list outpaces the top entries for most other acts featured here.

1. Dark Side of the Moon (1973), 691,978 copies collected

2. Wish You Were Here (1975), 418,545 copies

3. The Wall (1979), 407,822 copies

4. Animals (1977), 265,235 copies

5. Meddle (1971), 207,580 copies

Radiohead

The more Radiohead has experimented with their sound, the more desirable their releases are among music collectors.

Their debut, Pablo Honey, which features their most-streamed and possibly most straightforward single, doesn’t even crack the Top 5.

1. OK Computer (1997), 231,535 copies collected

2. In Rainbows (2007), 144,015 copies

3. The Bends (1995), 118,234 copies

4. Kid A (2000), 111,185 copies

5. A Moon Shaped Pool (2016), 78,790 copies

Rush

On Moving Pictures, Rush cracks the code of how to sound more radio-friendly without sacrificing the elements of what makes a great progressive act.

Hit singles such as “Limelight” and “Tom Sawyer” proved that prog rock could be served in bite-sized portions.

1. Moving Pictures (1981), 115, 222 copies collected

2. 2112 (1976), 93,642 copies

3. Permanent Waves (1980), 64,801 copies

4. A Farewell to Kings (1977), 62,397 copies

5. Hemispheres (1978), 60,022 copies

Tool

Tool’s Lateralus sold more than 500,000 copies just in the first week following its release. The band also scored the second of its three Best Metal Performance Grammys for the single, “Schism.”

1. Lateralus (2001), 88,395 copies collected

2. Undertow (1993), 67,173 copies

3. Fear Inoculum (2019), 53,434 copies

4. Aenima (1996), 44,937 copies

5. 10,000 Days (2006), 39,854 copies

Yes

The band’s first album to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, Fragile is split between group collaborations among Yes members and multiple solo tracks from some of the musicians.

1. Fragile (1971), 112,624 copies collected

2. Close to the Edge (1972), 96,527 copies

3. 90125 (1983), 86,861 copies

4. The Yes Album (1971), 73,707 copies

5. Yessongs (1973), 51,920 copies