Most of my record collection has been in boxes for the past year. I had put a fair portion of it into my iTunes library, but it's tough to listen to my collection on my Macbook's speakers. And, while I enjoy the convenience of not having to change the CD, and having most of my core artists' core albums available at the click of my mouse pad, it's just not the same as having your stereo and having to make more of a commitment to what you want to listen to.

So, I unpacked my stereo, and I set it up in my room, and I've been going through my collection and finding stuff that I haven't listened to in a good long while. And, I gotta say, it feels really good. So what have I been listening to? I'm going old school. Like, early to mid 70s Yes and Genesis old school. In fact, I'm listening to Genesis' Foxtrot album right now. With Genesis getting elected into the Rock n Roll Hall of Hame this year, and watching the ceremony, I thought it was funny to see Phish performing Watcher of the Skies, which is the opening track on Foxtrot. The looks on the faces of Iggy Pop and Bruce Springsteen were priceless, and the prog-rock nerd in me was stoked that Phish basically gave Jann Wenner and the other self proclaimed taste makers over at Rolling Stone a massive "fuck you!" by playing a 7 minute long song from Genesis' early days. Take that you hipster douchebags!

With that said, Genesis has been one of my core artists. One of the first records I remember listening to growing up was their Three Sides Live album. My Dad has it on vinyl, and I remember listening to that fairly regularly. When Invisible Touch came out in 1986, I remember my Dad bringing it home, putting on the turn table, and turning it up. It sounded like nothing I had heard before. Plus, I was 8 almost 9 when the album was released, so it had a huge impact on me. I think it's safe to say, without Invisible Touch, I wouldn't have been ready for OK Computer or Chaosphere or Come to Daddy. Sounds funny, but it's true.

At it's best, progressive rock aimed to expand, if not obliterate, the boundaries of what was expected in rock. From In the Court of the Crimson King to Deloused in the Comatorium, the idea has always been to showcase what's possible in rock. Sure, progressive rock has had it's missteps and blunders, as Yes' Tales From Topographic Oceans certainly proves, but no genre is immune from that. I mean, even Elvis Costello has fucked up a few times. But to me, progressive rock has always shown that ambition is a necessary component in music, and without ambition, everyone would be just as safe, samey, and shitty as Nickelback.