How Meddle and Larks' Tongues in Aspic Both Pushed Extended Instrumentals in Opposite Directions

Both Meddle and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic arrived at a moment when progressive rock was still defining its rules. Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” (23 minutes) and King Crimson’s title suite (three movements totaling about 18 minutes) rejected verse-chorus pop in favor of continuous, evolving instrumental landscapes. But the sonic territories they explored were almost opposites: Floyd’s was oceanic, slow-building, with long synth swells and bluesy guitar; Crimson’s was jagged, metallic, with violin scrapes, xylophone, and sudden rhythmic collapses.

Which was more influential? King Crimson’s approach — dissonant, structurally disorienting, built on improvisational chemistry — directly shaped the 70s prog avant-garde (Yes’s Relayer, Gentle Giant, even later metal). Floyd’s Meddle had a quieter, longer tail: its atmospheric drift and slow-burn dynamics influenced space rock, post-rock (Talk Talk, Sigur Rós), and the ambient side of prog. In terms of direct blueprint for era-defining prog bands, Larks’ Tongues wins. But if influence means how many genres later borrowed the feel, not just the tricks, Meddle might have the deeper reach.