re: Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull is the best prog album of all time

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Are we defining Progressive Rock as music with more polish, non-typical instruments or rhythms, maybe in some cases, a bit more intellectual? I never really knew the exact definition of the genre but if so I would probably nominate The Moody Blues, maybe some Frank Zappa, Emerson, Lake and Palmer perhaps?

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I don't think non-typical instrumentation really matters, but time signatures, changing tempos, integration of african and asian rhythms and melodies, etc. I do think it tends to be more intellectual, and can tend to be a smidgen pretentious, but it doesn't always take itself seriously.

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I would probably nominate The Moody Blues, maybe some Frank Zappa, Emerson, Lake and Palmer perhaps

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I think you hit the nail on the head with these. Zappa definitely does a lot more than just prog, but he is definitely prog in many ways.

As for contemporary prog rock:
Primus
Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson
Dream Theater (too prog for me)
Spock's Beard


Then you have the whole progressive metal movement.