Good albums with &#111;ne bad s&#111;ng

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Posted: July 23 2021 at 04:34

Ok, this is quite tricky...

Rush - Signals (New World Man)
Rush - A Farewell to Kings (Cinderella Man)
XTC - Oranges & Lemons (Pink thing)
Genesis - SEBTP (Battle of Epping Forest)
VDGG - Pawn Hearts (A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers)
Yes - Close to the Edge (Siberean Khatru)
Yes - Relayer (Sound Chaser)
Kate Bush - The Dreaming (The Dreaming)
Pink Floyd - Meddle (Seamus)
Queen - A Night at the Opera (Good Company)
Queen - Queen II (The Loser in the End)
Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (Rainbow Eyes)
Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn (For my Lady)

A few controversial choices there I imagine..

Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!

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Posted: July 23 2021 at 03:33

BarryGlibb wrote:

AlanB wrote:

Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage: Where Were You Tomorrow..

Definitely. I think they must have run out of songs to put on their sophomore album and thought, hey, let's throw in this long live recorded track to fill up side 2!

Funnily enough at around that time they did have a track that would have been ideal and it was called "Roads Of Day To Day", but it didn't see the light of day until it was released on CD in 2007 on the album "First Light" All tracks from this album were taken from a ~1970 acetate pressing and recorded prior to WA getting a record deal.

I know that I am in the minority, but I think "Blowin' Free" is out of place on Argus. It has always felt like a southern US rock tune and completely against the Tolkien feel of all the other tracks. I skip it every time I listen to Argus.

My alternative Pilgrimage:

Side 1

Vas Dis

Alone (the full version with vocals)

Jailbait

Lullaby

Side 2

The Pilgrim

Valediction

Roads of Day To Day

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Posted: July 08 2021 at 22:09

AlanB wrote:

Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage: Where Were You Tomorrow..

Definitely. I think they must have run out of songs to put on their sophomore album and thought, hey, let's throw in this long live recorded track to fill up side 2!

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Posted: July 08 2021 at 20:38

The Anders wrote:

Glad I'm not the only one who loves "Moonchild". I find the instrumental passage very poetic. And unique too. Don't know what people have against it, I'd say it's the most progressive part of the whole album.

I also love "The Waiting Room" for the matter. Contains a really interesting soundscape.

I admit I struggle with "moonchild" but I've learned to just see it as something to just kind of tune out to or relax to rather than be actively angry with it. I admit it's possible there is some kind of purpose or point to it but I haven't figured out what it is yet. I also don't hate it though. The first two minutes are fine and even for a bit after that but I think if it was a bit more composed and went into a different direction it could have been more interesting.

As for who dunnit, the only way for me to kind of enjoy it is to view it as a joke song and not take it too seriously.

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - July 08 2021 at 20:39

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Posted: July 08 2021 at 20:10

The Waiting Room.....the Spooky Jam.....essential to the LP. Now, Whodunnit? off Abacab - yikes!

Edited by Intruder - July 08 2021 at 20:10

I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....

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Posted: June 12 2021 at 18:23

I also love "The Waiting Room" for the matter. Contains a really interesting soundscape.

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Posted: June 11 2021 at 23:51

nick_h_nz wrote:

Shadowyzard wrote:

moshkito wrote:

sometimes many of them are doing it on purpose because folks take them way more seriously than they do themselves.

YOU are the one that is taking some things TOO seriously here... Your "hi"s don't compensate for your discourtesy, your exclamations don't fortify your weak arguments...

Sorry but, we are sharing our subjective views here. I think there are good and bad songs. Sometimes an artist intends to compose a good song, but fails in that. Did you hear the term "intentional fallacy"?

Your views are your own and sharing them is totally cool; but your obstinacy in trying to force your viewpoint upon the others is an element of displeasure, at least for me, here.

Actually, while Pedro often can be quite rude, I don’t think he was here at all. Your response, on the other hand, is rather rude, and while I found no element of displeasure in what Pedro wrote, your response really rubs me up the wrong way. Oh wow! It’s almost like we all experience things differently!

I agree with Pedro here, and I don’t think it’s taking things too seriously - so much as pointing out the choice of words is pretty rubbish for this post. This post is not identifying bad songs. It is identifying only songs that people don’t like. That’s not the same thing. Are there any bad songs? Well, ultimately the answer is no. As Pedro says, there is none.

There is no one objective criteria by which you can identify whether a song is good or bad. There are several ways that you could decide whether a song is good or bad, but you’d first have to put up the criteria by which you are judging the song. But change the criteria, and that can change the judgement. A song could be bad according to one way of measuring what is good, and good by another.

Now, if this post was about songs people don’t like, on albums they do, and Pedro came in and said what he just said (and I’ll be the first to admit, I suspect he would do just that), then you might have more of a reason to be upset. But I think a lot of people here get upset over what Pedro says unnecessarily. When he’s rude (and he can be), then I can understand replying in kind. But most of the time, it’s surely easier to ignore what he says, if it upsets you. In this case, it is you who appears rude, and not Pedro. (From my point of view….)

I feel like at some point, every one of these threads devolves into embarrassing dorm room level philosophy about abstracts, actuals, and objectivity. I suppose this is a logical fate for proggers, lol.

BaldJean wrote:

Guldbamsen wrote:

These threads always start out with Moonchild....buy maybe I missed it

Anyhoo..I always found it amusing to see how many folks would go completely crazy about say In The Court Of The Chinsome Kid and The Jam Lies Down on Broadway...while at the same time tearing both Moonchild and The Waiting Room a new one

‘The Fing Mingsome debut is just a masterpiece of pork....but yeah sure something like 12 minutes of it is absolute trash!’

Hmm...I can think of the reverse situation! The Enid’s The Seed and the Sower. Lacklustre album...but man that ending track Reverberations is just goosebumps city.

"Moonchild" is the best track on the album in question. I am totally serious about this. what the band is doing in the instrumental section is trying to put the lyrics into music. not necessarily in the order of appearance though; this is dream logic.

you can clearly hear this in several passages; the "playing hide and seek with the ghosts of dawn", "dropping circle stones on a sundial" and "waiting for a smile from a sunchild" passages are the most obvious ones to spot. the last line I mentioned is a metaphor for the sunrise, and what does the band play at the end of the track? a C-Major chord. in classical music the C-Major chord is always used when a composer tries to depict sunrise. examples are Haydn's "Die Schöpfung", Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" or Grieg's "Peer Gynt suite"

This is a great analysis of a song my ears have always caught when it's on; I love the album version. Same with I Talk to The Wind; it's perfectly atmospheric prog. You can taste the analog.

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021

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Posted: June 11 2021 at 17:11

The Anders wrote:

I don't count "Murder by Numbers". It does not appear on the original vinyl release, at least not on my copy (original UK or NL release). The album ends with "Tea in the Sahara".

I agree that "Murder by Numbers" is technically a bonus track because it did not appear on the album's original release. The only problem is, EVERY release since then has included it, to where now most people who own the album are unaware of the sublime ending/closure that "Tea in the Sahara" provides. This could lead to an entirely different thread: Context Is Everything!

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Posted: June 11 2021 at 16:54

Steve Wyzard wrote:

How could I forget "Mother" on Synchronicity? And I say this as a huge Andy Summers fan!

That album also could do without "Murder by Numbers", which, while I understand the sentiment behind it, just doesn't fit in with all the rest (sans "Mother"). Even the up-tempo songs on Synchronicity have a haunted, ethereal atmosphere that is promptly destroyed by including it at the end. One of the harshest juxtapositions in recorded music is the one between "Tea in the Sahara" and "Murder by Numbers".

Thanks for reminding me, and for your contribution to a thread that has exceeded my wildest expectations!

I don't count "Murder by Numbers". It does not appear on the original vinyl release, at least not on my copy (original UK or NL release). The album ends with "Tea in the Sahara".

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Posted: June 11 2021 at 09:53

HackettFan wrote:

The Ballad of the Decomposing Man and The Devil is an Englishman are excellent songs.

I have owned and loved the Spectral Mornings album for 35 years, but I have never listened to "The Ballad of the Decomposing Man" since the first (and only) time I heard it. I mostly enjoy Steve's sense of humor and oddball songs, but "TBotDM" absolutely destroys the "spectral" atmosphere the envelops the rest of the album. I realize it's there to bring the album in over the 35-minute mark, but absolutely anything else would have been better.

I am a Thomas Dolby fan (his first album is a masterpiece), and Steve's cover of "The Devil is an Englishman" fits in somewhat better on To Watch the Storms than the previously mentioned song. Still, this comes from one of Dolby's "bad-boy" periods, and is really rather embarrassing. It can "sort of" be justified as a lead-up to "Mechanical Bride", but I always skip over it.

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Posted: June 10 2021 at 21:16

Steve Wyzard wrote:

I'm talking only about albums that would be nearly flawless were it not for one bad song. Let's exclude albums with major issues throughout. I'm limiting myself to only albums that are found on this site, and I'm not including "bonus tracks" or "alternate takes" that appear on re-issues. Here's my list:

Rush: Moving Pictures - Offending song = "Witch Hunt"

Rush: Hold your Fire - Offending song = "Turn the Page"

Steve Hackett: Spectral Mornings - Offending song = "The Ballad of the Decomposing Man"

Steve Hackett: To Watch the Storms - Offending song = "The Devil is an Englishman"

Supertramp: Even in the Quietest Moments - Offending song = "Babaji"

Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Angel Station - Offending song - "Resurrection"

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell - Offending song = "Lost for Words"

ELP: Brain Salad Surgery - Offending song = "Benny the Bouncer"

Barclay James Harvest: Ring of Changes - Offending song = "Just a Day Away"

Barclay James Harvest: Welcome to the Show - Offending song = "Psychedelic Child"

Marillion: Seasons End - Offending song = "After Me"

Led Zeppelin: In Through the Out Door - Offending song = "Hot Dog"

Queen: News of the World - Offending song = "Get Down Make Love"

Saga: The Security of Illusion - Offending song = "Alone Again Tonight"

Saga: Wildest Dreams - Offending song = "Don't Put Out the Fire"

Genesis: The Lamb lies down on Broadway - Offending song = "The Waiting Room"

Asia: Phoenix - Offending song = "I Will Remember You"

So what are yours?

The Ballad of the Decomposing Man and The Devil is an Englishman are excellent songs.

A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now)

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Posted: June 10 2021 at 17:47

Steve Wyzard wrote:

I've just now been reminded:

"Revolution 9", anybody?

“On the day of my creation, I fell in love with education. And overcoming all frustration, a teacher I became.”
— Ernest Vong

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Posted: June 10 2021 at 17:45

I've just now been reminded:

"Revolution 9", anybody?

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Posted: June 10 2021 at 17:43

The Anders wrote:

These are the first I can think of:

The Police - Synchronicity: "Mother"

The Clash - Sandinista: "If Music Could Talk"

Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun: "Olsen Olsen"

Pink Floyd - Piper: "Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk"

Pink Floyd - Obscured By Clouds: "The Gold It's In the..."

Radiohead - The Bends: "Black Star"

The Beatles - The Beatles: "Obla di Obla da"

Genesis - Lamb: "The Colony of Slippermen"

The Who - By Numbers: "Squeeze Box"

The Who - Who Are You: "Had Enough"

Queen - A Day At the Races: "Drowse"

How could I forget "Mother" on Synchronicity? And I say this as a huge Andy Summers fan!

Thanks for reminding me, and for your contribution to a thread that has exceeded my wildest expectations!

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Posted: June 07 2021 at 11:56

Funny thread.

I adore "Vital Signs," "Providence" and "Tank." Seeing them called out for being "throwaways" on Moving Pictures, Red and ELP's eponymous debut (which I consider perfect records) is hilarious! LOL

HYF isn't perfect but "Turn the Page" is and has always been a highlight.

eBay

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Posted: June 07 2021 at 11:22

Argo2112 wrote:

Earl of Mar wrote:

Your own special way from WAW.
Providence from Red.
More fool Me from SEBTP.
D'yer Maker from HOTH.
The hare that lost his spectacles from APP

The two highlighted ones for sure.

I disagree (about Providence)!

Edited by Rednight - June 07 2021 at 12:52

"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno

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Posted: June 07 2021 at 11:21

Cristi wrote:

TheLionOfPrague wrote:

AlanB wrote:

Camel - Moonmadness: Aristellus

This is certainly an odd choice.

I agree

that's barely a song, it's just an intro... Confused

I disagree!

"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno

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Posted: June 07 2021 at 10:34

I like "More Fool Me" :)

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Posted: June 07 2021 at 08:40

To me, Money is a letdown in the wonderful Dark Side Of The Moon.

And it's TBOEF for me that lets down the (brilliant) rest of SEBTP....

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