1984

I've noticed that there have been many albums based of Orwell's classic, 1984.
 
In fact, Anthony Phillips and Rick Wakeman both released albums in 1981 entitled "1984."
In 1972, Hugh Hopper released his solo debut, "1984" and, while not 100% prog, David Bowie released his album, "Diamond Dogs," in 1974 which also followed the concept of "1984." 

So, does anyone else have any examples of albums based on Orwell's story, or albums based on other works of literature, like Camel's "Snow Goose," Wakeman's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" or Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds?"

We've always been at war with Eurasia! 

wasn't the mood of Rush's comatose Grace Under Pressure loosely based on it being released in 1984

Brave New World's Impressions On Reading Aldous Huxley. [Krautrock]
(Aldous Huxley is the author and Brave New World is the book and band's name)

Bluesaga wrote: Brave New World - Impressions on Reading Aldous Huxley.  Don't think I have to say what that's based on (well, it's entirely on BNW, not anything else by Huxley), it's an excellent obscure Kraut album.

Hivemind?

I mean "Whoops, didn't see your post there right before mine."


Edited by ClassicRocker - June 07 2008 at 22:07

James wrote: Art Zoyd - La chute de la maison Usher Art Zoyd - Nosferatu (actually based on a film, rather than a book) Art Zoyd - Metropolis (again, film-based, rather than literature-based)

Weren't these three soundtracks to films, rather than actually inspired by or based on them?

Well yes, obviously but as the films came out in the silent-movie era (don't know about The Fall of the House of Usher, 'cause I didn't know there was a film version), they are their interpretations of the film, I should think.

They're not just going to make music and think "hey, that'd go well with the that silent film Metropolis!".  They had the film in mind when they made it.

Therefore it's both.

I have vague memories of a soundtrack to a movie version of 1984 that was done by  - The Eurythmics?  Or something like that.  It was pretty good.  I'll have to Wikipedia it.  Awful how the memory goes with age.
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Currently listening to: Brand X - The X Files

Alan Parson's Project- Tales of Mystery and Imagination
based on edgar allen poe stories

Moatilliatta wrote: Well, I've never heard them, but there is a band called Wuthering Heights, and their most recent album is called Far from the Madding Crowd. The band's name is a novel by Emily Bronte and the title is a novel by Thomas Hardy. I enjoyed both of those books.

Wuthering Heights is a pretty good band if you're into prog/power/folk metal stuff.

Not completely prog, I know, but they are listed here so I'll mention them: many of Iron Maiden's songs are based on literature.

"2112" and "Anthem" by Rush are both based on Ayn Rand's novel Anthem.

"The Odyssey" by Symphony X is based on, guess what, The Odyssey.

I'm not sure if there's a connection between the two, but I think Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" might have influenced the Van der Graaf Generator song "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End". Many of Peter Hammill's lyrics are influenced by literature.

King Crimson's album "Beat" was influenced by the beat writers, as was Jim Morrison's work with the Doors, who took their name from the Aldous Huxley book "The Doors of Perception.

ELP's Jerusalem was an adaption of the poem  by William Blake I believe.

Large parts of THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY were 'inspired' by Lewis Carroll's ALICE books. 'The Cinema Show' parodies a section of T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land'. I also have the impression Ian Anderson must have been reading Eliot when he wrote 'Baker St. Muse'. It is sometimes said 'The Gates of Delirium' was 'based on' Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE but I'm sure Jonnie A. didn't get very far beyond the title! Many tracks on Steve Hackett's solo albums refer to fairy tales and fantasy literature, from the Narnia books to A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Also, Novalis' best-known track is a lovely setting of a poem by the German poet... Novalis!