This article traces all 35 posts of a thread started in June 2019 on the progressive rock board of Open2channel, built around a simple premise: the original poster (“OP,” or post #1) promised to listen to every single song recommended by other users. The recommendations spanned the dawn of Japanese prog, King Crimson, Krautrock, and an obscure band from Spain.
Source: Open2ch Progressive Rock Board, “OP Will Listen to All the Prog You Post” (original thread; posts translated and adapted under CC0 license, accessed August 2, 2026).
A Promise to Listen to Everything on a Quiet Message Board
The thread was started by a poster who turned the slow pace of the progressive rock board into an advantage, opening with the following declaration.
Since this board is so quiet, I’ll listen to everything you post.
I feel like I’ve heard most of the obvious classics, so whether it’s something obscure or a hidden gem, hit me with your recommendations.
By the way, out of the Big Five, ELP is my favorite.
Among Japanese prog fans, the “Big Five” refers to King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP). From that brief self-introduction, a 35-post relay of song recommendations got underway.
Pioneers of Japanese Prog: Mandrake and Yonin Bayashi
The very first recommendation posted was “Kazari Mado no Dekigoto” (“Incident in the Display Window”) by MANDRAKE, the pre-debut band known for featuring Susumu Hirasawa.
MANDRAKE
Kazari Mado no Dekigoto Part I and Part II
OP responded with genuine surprise.
Whoa, amazing.
I know a little bit of Susumu Hirasawa, but I had no idea he went through a phase like this… I only knew him from P-Model onward.
Even with all that frantic guitar strumming, it stays really melodic and feels great to listen to.
To return the favor, OP posted “Isshoku Sokuhatsu” (“Touch and Go”) by the 1970s Japanese prog band Yonin Bayashi.
Is this the only recording they have out there?
Looking closely, I just noticed there’s a whole Mandrake thread right next to this one.
I only started visiting this board recently, so sorry for missing it.
In return, here’s another 1970s Japanese prog band:
“Isshoku Sokuhatsu” by Yonin Bayashi.
Sorry I can only pay you back with a famous track.
After OP added a quick reaction quoting the song’s famous opening line (“The sky is splitting open!”), the thread went quiet for a while until another regular dropped in with a track, saying, “If we’re talking Japanese prog, you can’t leave this one out either.” Returning a few days later, OP greeted the thread and reported back after looking into the band that had been recommended.
I really like that murky, heavy mood… and the way the arrangement keeps shifting so it never gets boring.
When I looked them up, it turns out they’re an essential group whenever people talk about Japanese prog… glad I found out about such a great band.
Looks like they’re still active too… impressive.
Kinniku Shojotai and Bi Kyo Ran: The Murky Prog Lineage
Building on the Japanese prog momentum, OP shared an early prog-leaning track by Kinniku Shojotai.
Alright, from my side, here’s an early track by Kinniku Shojotai that goes full prog…
It has a different kind of murky intensity to it.
I especially love the intro and the very first line of the lyrics.
Hardcore prog purists might get mad at me for posting them, though…
Another poster backed the pick up, replying, “Honestly, Kinniku Shojotai has pretty strong prog elements,” and followed up by posting a track by Bi Kyo Ran, a group often dubbed “the Japanese King Crimson.” That nickname steered the thread straight into a discussion of King Crimson themselves. For another forum-born list of classic Japanese rock albums, see our companion piece A Friend Asked Me for Classic Japanese Rock Albums: 3 Essential Starting Points Picked by Music Forum Regulars.
From ELP to King Crimson: The Wall of Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
Remembering that OP had named ELP as a favorite in the opening post, a regular shared a live ELP performance.
Since OP mentioned liking them, here’s ELP.
Carl Palmer used to rush the tempo like crazy during his Asia days, but back in this era he was actually pretty steady. Wonder what changed.
OP replied with amazement at the live recording, and after a brief side note about how Bi Kyo Ran had started out as a King Crimson cover band before their debut, the conversation turned directly to King Crimson’s catalog.
“Starless” is incredible.
With Crimson, the relatively accessible first album and Red hit the bullseye for me.
I definitely want to spend more time digging into their other albums too.
When another user posted a track from Taiyo to Senritsu (Larks’ Tongues in Aspic), OP responded honestly.
To me, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic feels like the most challenging record among Crimson’s famous albums.
I’ll take my time digesting it.
Recommended Lizard next, OP was surprised to learn that the guest vocalist on the album’s closing suite was Jon Anderson of Yes.
I’d never heard Lizard before.
That pastoral melody is really nice, though when I say pastoral, it’s a totally different vibe from Pink Floyd’s cow album (Atom Heart Mother).
Wait, the singer is the guy from Yes! I don’t know all the ins and outs of who played with whom, so stumbling across connections like this is really fun (total newcomer moment).
Another poster chimed in with a piece of background lore.
Apparently the singer from Yes tried to recruit Crimson’s guitarist into his own band, and Fripp turned it around and told him, “No, you come sing on Crimson’s record instead,” which is how that collaboration happened.
That anecdote about Jon Anderson trying to recruit Robert Fripp into Yes, only to end up guesting on a King Crimson album himself, is the kind of secondhand lore that thrives on music message boards, and verifying the exact details is half the fun for the reader.
Crossing Borders: From Krautrock to Spain
In the second half of the thread, the geographic scope widened rapidly. Posters shared Krautrock flagship CAN, Gentle Giant led by the three Shulman brothers, Italian progressive rock, and Mauro Pagani in quick succession.
Here’s CAN, one of the defining Krautrock bands.
Do you like Gentle Giant, led by the three Shulman brothers?
Make sure you check out some Italian prog too.
I’ll drop Mauro Pagani here as well.
After a pause, OP returned to apologize for the delay and catch up on the queue. Roughly a month later, the thread was bumped once more with a rare pick: “Abriendo El Retablo” by the Spanish artist Pigmy, a track obscure enough that it could not even be found on YouTube at the time.
It wasn’t on YouTube, so I’m linking another site, sorry if the link doesn’t work.
It’s a band from Spain called Pigmy.
After one last image link was posted about four months later in November 2019, the thread came to rest. What began as a single thread on a quiet board grew, through the hands of Japanese prog fans, into a small cross-border discography guide spanning eras and languages. Readers interested in broader forum-curated lists of international albums can also visit Western Albums That Forum Regulars Consider True Masterpieces: A Surprisingly Deep Selection.
Were there any band names in this thread that you had never heard before? Mandrake, Bi Kyo Ran, Pigmy: if you have a continuation to this quiet relay of recommendations, share it in the comments. For another example of a forum thread aging into a lasting album guide over several years, see Recommended Shoegaze Bands: A Classic Forum Thread That Still Holds Up Seven Years Later.