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Topic ClosedProg often Plagued by Poor Lyrics?
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giselle View Drop Down
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Points: 466 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2011 at 00:12
Originally posted by The SaidRemark The SaidRemark wrote:

@ OP:

Yes. Prog often has terrible lyrics. I've heard great lyrics too, i.e. Fish.

The bad lyrics I have heard in prog are far far far worse than anything I have heard in pop. Now you might say "thats just your opinion", but I challenge you to find a pop song with worse lyrics than some of Roine Stolt's most abysmal.

Also terrible:
Post-Kevin Moore Dream Theater
IQ
Most things involving Neal Morse
Beardfish
Later era Jon Anderson lyrics (his earlier are some favorite ever)

My theory is that most prog musicians have a form of high functioning autism that makes it difficult for them to relate with other people using language.
Some of this is interesting, though I don't necessarily agree with all the points made. My feeling about the general point is that prog musicians (like jazz musicians) have a heavy bias and imbalance towards musical complexity often at the expense of lyric and melody.
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kole View Drop Down
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Points: 296 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2011 at 04:07
Beardfish terrible lyrics? South of the Border anyone?
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Points: 7971 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2011 at 18:29
Seriously gaize, it's only rock and roll. If you would like some good lyrics, go listen to 19th century opera.
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Points: 34550 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2011 at 18:42
Originally posted by CCVP CCVP wrote:

Seriously gaize, it's only rock and roll. If you would like some good lyrics, go listen to 19th century opera.

Pretty much.

Besides, all objective what are "good" or "poor" lyrics!
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Points: 7971 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2011 at 19:06
Originally posted by JJLehto JJLehto wrote:

Originally posted by CCVP CCVP wrote:

Seriously gaize, it's only rock and roll. If you would like some good lyrics, go listen to 19th century opera.

Pretty much.

Besides, all objective what are "good" or "poor" lyrics!


I think we can all objectivelly agree Ke$ha's lyrics are poor.
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Points: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 08 2011 at 14:59
Originally posted by kole kole wrote:

Beardfish terrible lyrics? South of the Border anyone?
 
I'll give em cred for English not being their first language, but I just think they do a lame impression of Frank Zappa. And when he's all like "He was gay!" during that song I was like "not cool man." FZ atleast had some tact.
 
Question: why don't a lot of Scandanavian prog bands sing and write in their native languages?
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Points: 727 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2011 at 11:24
These days it is not the lyrics which are the problem, it is the 'singers'.  Where is the next Jon Anderson, Greg Lake or Chris Thompson?
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Points: 4160 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2011 at 11:51
^ that's just plain wrong. Where's the next anything shouldn't be an issue, but there are great singers. Singing- unlike songwriting- unfortunately is just a natural "god-given" talent. While you can debate what in your opinion of who's the better songwriter and what's the best era of songwriting- there will always be great singers- and they don't need to be the next Jon Anderson.

Exhibit A- Nils Frykdahl of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has the best voice in the history of progressive rock, with un-explainable range and variety. 

Exhibit B- Carla Khilstedt of SGM also has a great great voice full of passion and character.

I can't think off the top of my head at the top of the moment- but there are plenty of artists with the same vocal abilities as the 70s. 
There be dragons
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Points: 732 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2011 at 17:21
Originally posted by Big Ears Big Ears wrote:

These days it is not the lyrics which are the problem, it is the 'singers'.  Where is the next Jon Anderson, Greg Lake or Chris Thompson?
Thumbs UpThere are some problems, that is one kind.

Why must my spell-checker continually underline the word "prog"?

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Points: 103 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2011 at 18:34
Guess this is as good a place as any for this:


Alas, I can't take credit for it.
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Points: 756 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2011 at 18:47
Originally posted by Big Ears Big Ears wrote:

These days it is not the lyrics which are the problem, it is the 'singers'.  Where is the next Jon Anderson, Greg Lake or Chris Thompson?

I'd take Daniel Gildenlöw over any of 'em. Wink
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Points: 376 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2011 at 19:46
Originally posted by prog058 prog058 wrote:

This could also be called the Fish appreciation thread.
^ I read this and LOL
Originally posted by prog058 prog058 wrote:

Originally posted by The Truth The Truth wrote:

What's wrong with Fish? His lyrics fit the themes he's writing about perfectly.
I meant Fish is an exception. He's my favourite lyricist :)
^ Then I read this and Unhappy

I know everyone's covered this, but seriously, lyrics and poetry are art. Art is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This thread shouldn't exist. It's one thing to state your opinion about a specific song, album, band, etc., and entirely another to generalize to the point in which you're saying that "prog is plagued by poor lyrics". It's simply not a valid point. Case closed.
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Points: 33 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2011 at 14:28
it might be from putting too much emphasis on the musical part of it,,but probably it has always existed and mostly is 
is because many bad bands are exposed nowadays ,its only the change,the evolving of the genre,and many of the
 writers only are musically trained and the lyrics are secondary
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Points: 66 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2011 at 23:35
prog is often plagued by poor music too
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Points: 17187 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2011 at 15:30
Originally posted by Big Ears Big Ears wrote:

These days it is not the lyrics which are the problem, it is the 'singers'.  Where is the next Jon Anderson, Greg Lake or Chris Thompson?
 
How about the next Annie Haslam or Ann Wilson!!!
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Points: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2011 at 06:04
Some of the lyrics though having an artistic quality are simply to much of a mass of cripticness to really get any emotional responce from them (eg: Yes.) the music is great but I've never felt my self affected by any of the words.

On the otherhand King Crimson has some very good lyrics, Epitah in particular.
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Points: 3595 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2011 at 06:42
Originally posted by EchidnasArf EchidnasArf wrote:

Originally posted by prog058 prog058 wrote:

This could also be called the Fish appreciation thread.
^ I read this and LOL
Originally posted by prog058 prog058 wrote:

Originally posted by The Truth The Truth wrote:

What's wrong with Fish? His lyrics fit the themes he's writing about perfectly.
I meant Fish is an exception. He's my favourite lyricist :)
^ Then I read this and Unhappy

I know everyone's covered this, but seriously, lyrics and poetry are art. Art is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This thread shouldn't exist. It's one thing to state your opinion about a specific song, album, band, etc., and entirely another to generalize to the point in which you're saying that "prog is plagued by poor lyrics". It's simply not a valid point. Case closed.

Interesting. In the same sentence you basically say both "there is no good or bad and it's all an opinion which is invalid" then you say "this is my opinion on it". Just interestin' to me - no criticism or judgment intended at all.
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Points: 5285 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2011 at 06:52
Sometimes the lyrics in a band's music are so poor that i wished they play instead instrumental's music.
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Points: 651 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2011 at 19:24
I find that this is true pretty consistently, with some notable exceptions.I think it's because prog musicians tend to focus on expression through their music, rather than verbally, so the lyrics and vocals are often an afterthought if they're considered at all. Lyricism is pretty important for me as a listener so it's a huge bar for me enjoying a lot of prog :/
Heaven's made a cesspool of us all.
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Points: 1795 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2011 at 19:41
Originally posted by GypsyJoker GypsyJoker wrote:

Guess this is as good a place as any for this:


Alas, I can't take credit for it.

LOL

LOL
Visit me in Second Life to talk about music.
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