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pied piper 
Forum Groupie
Joined: May 19 2010
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 94
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 Posted: September 14 2010 at 03:46 |
I don't care about lyrics (religious or not), I'm interested mainly (if not only) in good music.
Anyway, there are many other song about religion (Tull's My God, for instance), and there are plenty of songs about oriental gods, elemental spirits, Buddah, Brahma and other indians divinities, egyptian and so on. So what?
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darkshade
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: November 19 2005
Location: New Jersey
Status: Offline
Points: 10964
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 12:08 |
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I can understand Neal's solo albums, but Transatlantic's lyrics are much more vague and open to interpretation, you can't really say TA's lyrics are religious whatsoever. Otherwise you'd have to call Yes', The Flower Kings, even some of Dream Theater's lyrics religious (which they aren't).
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Harry Hood
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 15 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 1305
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 13:08 |
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So is Roine a staunch atheist or a hardcore fundamentalist? His lyrics seem to attack and praise both sides.
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AlexDOM
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 02 2011
Location: Indianapolis
Status: Offline
Points: 775
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 16:28 |
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The 12 Step MP AA suite has some religious undertones...
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zumacraig
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 10 2011
Status: Offline
Points: 1301
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 16:35 |
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roine seems to a deist. and neal's lyrics have been openly spiritual since the beginning. the light?? when i heard he converted to christianity it was no surprise. he's primed for that stuff...especially fundamentalism. not to mention some of his music had and does have a contemporary christian sound. however, i'm with the old post above. who cares. hell, led zep's stuff was all about the nordic gods...wasn't it? :)
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Textbook
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 3281
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 16:36 |
I'm an atheist but religious lyrics don't bother me. I listen to gangster rap, but that doesn't require me to endorse murder and drug dealing. I really like a lot of gospel stuff, got a lot of old churchy proto-Americana and bluegrass, there's a really interesting worship group called The David Crowder Band. But I don't like Neal Morse or Transatlantic because of the sheer bombastic w**kery. There's not even any ideas in The Whirlwind, it's just let's-go-as-over-the-top-up-our-own-butts-as-we-can-for-the-sake-of-it-and-confuse-forced-grandeur-with-passion.
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zumacraig
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 10 2011
Status: Offline
Points: 1301
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 16:39 |
 Textbook wrote:
I'm an atheist but religious lyrics don't bother me. I listen to gangster rap, but that doesn't require me to endorse murder and drug dealing. I really like a lot of gospel stuff, got a lot of old churchy proto-Americana and bluegrass, there's a really interesting worship group called The David Crowder Band. But I don't like Neal Morse or Transatlantic because of the sheer bombastic w**kery. There's not even any ideas in The Whirlwind, it's just let's-go-as-over-the-top-up-our-own-butts-as-we-can-for-the-sake-of-it-and-confuse-forced-grandeur-with-passion. |
that's why i love them :)
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Textbook
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 3281
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 16:41 |
So you think they confuse forced grandeur with passion and you like that? Ok....
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dtguitarfan
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 24 2011
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Status: Offline
Points: 1708
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 16:48 |
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So...Neal Morse's God allowed himself to be put to death in the most gruesome and painful way imaginable in order to save mankind, and Neal wants to sing about it?!!! HOW DARE HE!!!
Edited by dtguitarfan - May 27 2012 at 17:04
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dtguitarfan
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 24 2011
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Status: Offline
Points: 1708
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 17:05 |
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Also, I think Bombastic w**kery would make a great name for a prog rock band. Is it taken?
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zumacraig
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 10 2011
Status: Offline
Points: 1301
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 21:07 |
was interesting to see this thread bump. wasn't here for the initial controversy. initially, i was not too keen on neal's vocals or lyrics. but damn, the guy can write a melody like no other this side of mccartney lennon. so, i learned to like his vocals and 'deal' with the lyrics. neal's theology is questionable, but at least he isn't too preachy 
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J-Man
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 07 2008
Location: Philadelphia,PA
Status: Offline
Points: 7826
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Posted: May 27 2012 at 21:13 |
Since it looks like this thread recently got bumped, I'd like to clarify my position - it's changed a lot since 2009. Although I used to be a Christian and the lyrics didn't bother me, as an atheist nowadays, I can completely understand where the OP is coming from; I sincerely apologize about the sh*tty post I made a few years back. Looks like I took some major offense to the post (which I shouldn't have), and even though I'm able to overlook the preachy lyrics in return for awesome music, I understand if others are not able to do the same. I made some pretty poor and regrettable posts over here a few years back, so I'll at least find the time to apologize for this one. 
J-Man wrote:
You don't like the lyrics.
You post a thread stating how you don't like the lyrics.
You waste my time by having me look at it.
I'm sorry but starting a thread about EVERYTHING WE DON'T LIKE is just poor forum behavior. If you don't like it, so what? We don't care, buddy.
You're an atheist. I'm a Christian. I agree with Neal Morse. You don't. Get over it!
Wow, I'm actually getting angry right now
-Jeff
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Biff Tannen
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 13 2010
Location: St. Louis, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 159
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 09:24 |
Textbook wrote:
But I don't like Neal Morse or Transatlantic because of the sheer bombastic w**kery. There's not even any ideas in The Whirlwind, it's just let's-go-as-over-the-top-up-our-own-butts-as-we-can-for-the-sake-of-it-and-confuse-forced-grandeur-with-passion. |
How can you possibly know how much passion the band has?
No ideas in The Whirlwind? Haha, sorry, but I cannot even comprehend that kind of statement.
If you don't dig Transatlantic, you don't dig them, but, IMO, they have created some of the best symphonic prog rock ever. In fact, I'd put their three studio albums up against just about any bands' best three albums. They are that good.
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"What are you looking at, butthead?"
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32524
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 09:49 |
dtguitarfan wrote:
So...Neal Morse's God allowed himself to be put to death in the most gruesome and painful way imaginable in order to save mankind, and Neal wants to sing about it?!!! HOW DARE HE!!!
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Actually, Neal Morse isn't a Trinitarian, so I don't think he'd phrase it quite like that.
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Ivan_Melgar_M
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 27 2004
Location: Peru
Status: Offline
Points: 19535
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 09:57 |
I'm not a fan of Rock as a form of evangelism, love spiritual themes, except when they try to use Prog as a way to convince people, despite what religion we are talking about.
But my main problem with Transatlantic is not related to their lyrics, my problem is the music, which I find boring, predictable and unimaginative.
Iván
Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - May 28 2012 at 09:57
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dtguitarfan
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 24 2011
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Status: Offline
Points: 1708
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 10:09 |
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Gully Foyle
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 26 2011
Location: Massachusetts
Status: Offline
Points: 350
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 13:53 |
i think there is a difference between songs about religion and religious songs
like the difference between a textbook about religions and the bible/koran/veda/what have you
i can enjoy the former in both cases, explorations of what it is to be human
the latter is usually about convincing someone, or trying to out-pious someone else, and is to be avoided at all costs
obviously there is a line of subtlety in the middle
i think earlier posters are right in that for the last 10 years or so, 'christians', or at least some of them, have been awfully irritating in the general culture and politics. were the muslims as large a group or felt as safe (in the US) i am sure we would ahve seen the same. so, right now, 'christian' lyrics, especially if overt, will leave a bad taste in many mouths. this will offend some 'christians' , oh well. these offended christians would likely be pretty upset if another religion was getting as much airplay in as many fields of music.
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Smurph
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 11 2012
Location: Columbus&NYC
Status: Offline
Points: 3167
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 14:00 |
People think Transatlantic have w*nkery and that it is confusing? Am I the only one who finds it not confusing enough and boring?
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prog4evr
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 22 2005
Location: Wuhan, China
Status: Offline
Points: 1455
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 14:04 |
miketheorganist wrote:
What amazes me is that atheist prog fans get so offended by lyrics about God. What makes this any worse than any other topic? Why not just assign it to the realm of fantasy? You know, like, "What if there WERE such a being?" I mean, we can wonder about UFOs, ghosts, conspiracy theories, 2012, and have incomprehensible lyrics aplenty, but mention God and it's in the dumpster with it? I mean, if I can manage to listen to a fasntasy story about a lamb lying down on broadway, with slippermen, hairless hearts, etc., why can't you listen to fantasy story about a supreme being who loves people?
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^THIS^ 
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Smurph
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 11 2012
Location: Columbus&NYC
Status: Offline
Points: 3167
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Posted: May 28 2012 at 14:12 |
prog4evr wrote:
miketheorganist wrote:
What amazes me is that atheist prog fans get so offended by lyrics about God. What makes this any worse than any other topic? Why not just assign it to the realm of fantasy? You know, like, "What if there WERE such a being?" I mean, we can wonder about UFOs, ghosts, conspiracy theories, 2012, and have incomprehensible lyrics aplenty, but mention God and it's in the dumpster with it? I mean, if I can manage to listen to a fasntasy story about a lamb lying down on broadway, with slippermen, hairless hearts, etc., why can't you listen to fantasy story about a supreme being who loves people? |
^THIS^ |
Yea- whoever wrote that. You are winner.
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Transatlantic - superb band, but those religious..
