Transatlantic - superb band, but those religious..

Epignosis wrote: [QUOTE=John 6]As long as the album isn't drenched in overtly religious lyrics, I'm not really bothered. Having it shoved in my face is a definite reason not to listen. I have all of Transatlantic's work, and think they are excellent, but I don't think Morse has gone over the top with the religious references, and as other forumites have mentioned, religion features heavily throughout most music genres, and never gets a second thought.

And here I was thinking your username referred to Jesus' bold claims about himself that made everyone but his disciples leave him. 
[/QUOTE]Me, religious!!?!! Each to their own, but I choose not to partake. Seen religion cause alot of the world's problems, and to fight in the name of religion is so hypocritical, therefore I stay out of such matters. 

As long as the album isn't drenched in overtly religious lyrics, I'm not really bothered. Having it shoved in my face is a definite reason not to listen. I have all of Transatlantic's work, and think they are excellent, but I don't think Morse has gone over the top with the religious references, and as other forumites have mentioned, religion features heavily throughout most music genres, and never gets a second thought.

Slartibartfast wrote: miketheorganist wrote: What amazes me is that atheist prog fans get so offended by lyrics about God.  Speaking as an atheist prog fan, I do not get offended by lyrics about God.  I've mentioned this in another thread, I just don't like Christian lyrics that are "preachy".  I'll admit an almost complete ignorance or Neil Morse's lyrics.  I've just read enough opinions that I trust on here to say, thanks, but I'll pass.  Huge fan of 70's Kansas, though.  I think Kerry Livgren was most responsible for the religious themed lyrics back then, but they never impressed me as explicitly Christian (Epignosis will correct me if I'm mistaken).  I think Nobody's Home came the closest to being eC.  Jesus returning home to Earth to find we had wiped us all out.

My own take on the subject has nothing to do with the religious element per se. Like many other commenters on this thread, I believe that any idea can be put into music, and that prog is music that lends itself to ideas. Where I have difficulty with Whirlwind is in the lack of subtlety in the lyrics. The Christian element is present as an idea in both of their previous studio albums, but it never really hits you over the head: it is there if you listen for it, and the sensibility is there at all times, and helps to hold the music together in a way that I find most enjoyable. In Whirlwind, this is not the case for me. I might draw a comparison with Galleon, whose musicianship is excellent and whose ideas I generally tend to agree with, but to whose lyrics I can barely stand to listen to as they seem to have been written with a sledghammer. Same for Whirlwind. Any idea is fine, but the lyricist needs to have the right touch. In this case, unfortunately, Morse's hand was a little too heavy.

I suffer from complete lyric-deafness. Really, I hear the words, can even sing along with some albums but somehow I don't register the meaning of it.
The result of too much Dio and Iron Maiden listening in my music-formative years I guess...

So the lyrics didn't bother me a bit on the Whirlwind. Everything else did.



Edited by Bonnek - March 29 2010 at 02:41

Mr ProgFreak wrote: Any Colour You Like wrote: Oh god no. Not again. We have religion/atheism/pastafarianism/deism/paganism/troll threads for this purpose. (No offence intended to the poster, but we have a few thousand of these threads per day) In fact there were like three such threads in two years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_speech




Edited by Any Colour You Like - March 29 2010 at 01:31

Henry Plainview wrote: I think the lyrics are the least of their problems.

I semi-agree; their w**ky, long-ass songs are a big problem. Probably has to do with having an ex-Speck's Beard member and a TFK member in the band. (Trewavas should at least try to minimize the masterbation as per Marillion's style).

^ more to the point "I love this music but the beliefs of the writer offend me so much i cannot listen."

Edited by Garion81 - March 28 2010 at 20:20

miketheorganist wrote: Thank  you Javier.  After all, let's say God is just a fantasy. Is He any less a trip than Lord of the Rings?  Seems to me if we can enjoy lyrics about other trips why not His? And besides, if this little excursion inspires the kind of incredible music we usually receive not only from TA but most prog bands, what's the problem? You said it very well.

I would be inclined to agree with you, but for one detail. The Lord of the Rings, or any kind of fantasy literature (mythology, fairy tales, and so on) have never been responsible for wars, or the death and persecution of millions of human beings, as any kind of organized religion throughout the ages unfortunately has. Mind you, I am an agnostic who respects the right of people to believe in what they want - as long as they do not try to force it down the throats of those who disagree with them. I don't agree with those militant atheists who get a kick out of insulting religious people, even when those people are anything but dangerous fanatics. However, I was born in Rome, raised in the Catholic faith, and know something about the history of the world - so I am aware of the negative role played by organized religion in the past as well as nowadays.

Thank  you Javier.  After all, let's say God is just a fantasy. Is He any less a trip than Lord of the Rings?  Seems to me if we can enjoy lyrics about other trips why not His? And besides, if this little excursion inspires the kind of incredible music we usually receive not only from TA but most prog bands, what's the problem?
You said it very well.