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awaken77 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 25 2008
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Points: 374
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 Posted: August 22 2011 at 09:57 |
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i usually don't care about lyrics, since most prog bands sings in English , which I hardly can understand when sung
but there are some exclusions: lyrics from Bearfish band are so funny and sort of "tongue in cheek" , so deserved to be listened carefully :
"You realized that you've made love with A MAN" LOL
some Jethro Tull lyrics are fun too
p.s. please give me some hints on prog with humorous, "Zappa-esque" poetry
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wjohnd
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Joined: August 16 2011
Location: Scotland, UK
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Points: 327
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Posted: August 21 2011 at 04:48 |
 I am NOT saying ALL prog lyrics are bad, hardly. I'm just saying I hate 9/10ths of all lyrics from any genre |
Isn't that just a variant of Sturgeon's Law ? 90% of all art, songs, poems, books, tv shows (et al) are rubbish.
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JS19
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Joined: October 10 2010
Location: Lancaster, UK
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Points: 1321
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Posted: August 21 2011 at 04:03 |
1791 Overture wrote:
| You think I think all prog lyrics are bad, and all indie/alt rock lyrics are good. |
I didn't say that. I said you're trying to box in what it means to be emotional and human. Your criticism is crap, your attitude toward lyrics is crap. Again, write lyrics about whatever you damn well please. I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.
| And as for the other line, I am equally tired of the notion that only talking about sci-fi or fantasy unicorns is 'intelligent' and 'intellectual' and anything else is 'emo'. |
I didn't say that either.
| Well, at least for me they do, and can we 'outcasts' have our own little corner to listen to some soulful music once in a while because we don't think it's a sin? |
Prog doesn't avoid traditional songwriting topics - it just doesn't restrict itself to them. The point is that the kind of expression that Mr. Poet up there claims is the only kind that matters is everywhere, so there's no reason to complain, or to force the one pocket of resistance to give up doing something different.
| If so, Rush fits right in with their four song albums and sidelong mutlipart epics and such. |
Stringing together several hard rock tracks and calling them a song isn't unusual or demanding.
| Isn't 2112 demanding and unconventional (even if I hate it)? |
No.
| I don't particularly care for Rush, but I think if you polled the august body of the Prog Archives forum, they would certainly include Rush in progressive rock from the album 2112 onward. |
Lots of people believing something doesn't make it true.
| Certainly albums like A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres are as progressive or perhaps more progressive than anything that came out in 1977 and 78 (and certainly akin in sound, compositional structure and song length to Yes' Going for the One which was released at the same time). |
National Health debuted in '77. Art Bears debuted in '78. I don't f**king think so.
| As far as the Moody Blues, it is arguable that the album Days of Future Past was the first prog album, or at least one of the first, and the album On the Threshold of a Dream, particularly side 2, is representative of an entire prog suite, complete with symphonic themes and instrumental virtuosity (Pinder's mellotron work is fabulous). |
It's a bunch of psych-pop songs with Disney orchestration in the background. Cute, maybe, but not prog.
| Jethro Tull was prog for a few albums? Which albums exactly? Certainly, I assume you will kindly grant Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play in your exclusive little club, but in addition, I consider Stand Up and Aqualung to be progressive prior to those albums, and Minstrel in the Gallery and Songs from the Wood afterwards. That's about as many "progressive albums" as Genesis and Yes put out with their classical lineups (unless you consider Duke, ABACAB, 90215 and Big Generator to be progressive) |
Definitely TaaB and aPP, the others are debatable, but probably Minstrel in the Gallery. I would say no to Stand Up and Aqualung.
| So, saying "those three bands [ie., Rush, The Moody Blues and Styx] don't exhibit any of the qualities associated with prog, such as demanding or unconventional song structures" is incredibly thick, and, might I add, a bit snobbish. Even Styx, who for the most part I loathe, was considered "progressive" for much of its early catalog, with adaptations of Copeland (an entire suite on their first release), Bach, Handel and Debussy interspersed among their first several albums. It may not be considered prog for your exclusive palate, but it is indeed categorized as such on nearly every internet reference I bothered to look up. |
I don't see how it's snobbish - it's just true. Blood, Sweat and Tears were more progressive than any of those bands. And nobody calls them prog. I never said the bands were necessarily worse. They're just not progressive.
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Yawn
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wjohnd
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 16 2011
Location: Scotland, UK
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Points: 327
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Posted: August 19 2011 at 14:46 |
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 think you've hit the nail here. A great singer can deliver and carry off lacklustre lyrics. they make you want to believe in the power of the words even if they don't stand up to critical analysis.
Anderson was much more interested in how the words sounded than what it meant, but he delivered it well enough that we (i anyway) didn't care (until Circus of Heaven but I'll let that pass).
There are great lyrics in some Prog songs but much of it is too clever by half "6th form" poetry and much of the rest of it is nonsense.
If you want lyrics that move you or even just tell a good story...stick with Dylan or the blues.
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Slartibartfast
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
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Posted: August 18 2011 at 19:10 |
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In the end, who cares? Just sit back and enjoy the music.
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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DavetheSlave
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Joined: May 23 2007
Location: South Africa
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Posted: August 18 2011 at 04:42 |
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I find prog lyrics to be way better than the slush being poured out on mainstream radio.
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NickHall
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Joined: August 15 2011
Location: Chingford
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Posted: August 18 2011 at 04:11 |
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Only if it works
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Alitare
Forum Senior Member
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Posted: August 16 2011 at 20:16 |
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* Yes, but what does it matter if prog bands take lyrical influences from writers? Does adding a quote from Ayn Rand make a sh*tty song any better or smarter?
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Hober Mallow
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 26 2011
Location: Everywhere
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Posted: August 16 2011 at 20:15 |
prog058 wrote:
This could also be called the Fish appreciation thread.
Prog bands, while excelling musically, are often lackluster in the lyrical department.
Most prog musicians probably don't take an interest in language and literature, and this is probably the reason why.
What are your thoughts?
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you are mistaken. Gentle Giant:Albert Camus, R. D. Lang Yes:Leo Tolstoy Rush:Ayn Rand, Shakespeare(limelight) Genesis:The Bible Aphrodite's Child:The Bible Alan Parson's Project:Edgar Allen Poe
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“When Fortuna spins you downward, go out to a movie and get more out of life.” John Kennedy Toole
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NickHall
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Posted: August 15 2011 at 06:56 |
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True. A bit weird why.
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DiamondDog
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Posted: August 15 2011 at 03:24 |
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Maybe because it's more to do with musicians than writers?
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Formentera Lady
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Joined: August 20 2010
Location: Germany
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Posted: August 13 2011 at 19:41 |
GypsyJoker wrote:
Guess this is as good a place as any for this:
Alas, I can't take credit for it.
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40footwolf
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 08 2010
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Points: 651
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Posted: August 13 2011 at 19:24 |
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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 :/
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Heaven's made a cesspool of us all.
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rdtprog
Special Collaborator
Heavy, RPI, Symph, JR/F Canterbury Teams
Joined: April 04 2009
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Posted: August 13 2011 at 06:52 |
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Sometimes the lyrics in a band's music are so poor that i wished they play instead instrumental's music.
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Alitare
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Location: New York
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Posted: August 13 2011 at 06:42 |
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dinnerordie17
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Posted: August 10 2011 at 06:04 |
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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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verslibre
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Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
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Points: 17154
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Posted: August 09 2011 at 15:30 |
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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Mosis
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Joined: November 14 2006
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Points: 66
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Posted: August 07 2011 at 23:35 |
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prog is often plagued by poor music too
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porcupinethree
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Joined: August 06 2011
Location: LOS ANGELES
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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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EchidnasArf
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Joined: July 04 2011
Location: Austin, TX
Status: Offline
Points: 376
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Posted: July 18 2011 at 19:46 |
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Prog often Plagued by Poor Lyrics?
