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Penumbra 
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Joined: July 08 2006
Location: Canada
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Points: 350
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 Topic: Discussing "Symphonic" Rock; suggestions.
Posted: July 08 2006 at 16:43 |
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Hi everyone, just to tell you I'm new, and hello!
Anyway, I recently (a few months past) became interested in Progressive Rock, more specifically lighter, symphonic progressive. To give you an idea of what I prefer in detail, here's a list of songs which I love! :)
Yes -
Yours Is No Disgrace
Starship Trooper
I've Seen All Good People
A Venture
Perpetual Change
Close to the Edge (Definitely my favourite piece of music EVER WRITTEN. It beats everyone from Mozart to Wagner to Holst to Hindemith to Mars Volta
And You And I
Siberian Khatru
Roundabout
Cans and Brahms (for fun :D)
South Side of the Sky
Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (so many layers of music; beautiful)
Heart of the Sunrise
The Revealing Science of God (The Dance of Dawn)
The Remembering (High the Memory)
The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)
The Gates of Delirium
Sound Chaser (so friggin' funky/jazzy, I love it)
To Be Over
Awaken
Dreamtime
Emerson, Lake and Palmer -
Tarkus (multi-layered, appears to be several movements; lots of keyboards :D)
Jethro Tull -
A Passion Play (it tells a good story!)
Thick as a Brick (powerful, strong and great lyrics to attempt to understand)
Pink Floyd -
Echoes (nice and long, quite a few structures)
Atom Heart Mother
A Saucerful of Secrets
Shine on you Crazy Diamond (Parts 1 through 9)
King Crimson -
Moonchild (my perfect ambient piece... well, the first few minutes anyway)
In the Court of the Crimson King
Epitaph
I Talk to the Wind (is this even "prog rock"?)
Rush -
2112 (It appeals to my romantic, fantasy side. I love the length :D)
Genesis -
Supper's Ready (Lots of movements; whimsical lyrics and fun stuff. I want more Genesis, badly!)
Fates Warning -
The Ivory Gate of Dreams (More of a novelty than anything else, but I love it!)
I also find the post-rock sound of Godspeed You! Black Emperor to my immense liking. Take examples such as "Storm", "Sleep", and "Dead Flag Blues" as symbolic of my interests. I prefer very long pieces of music, usually in true symphonic form, utilizing several movements with transition between them. Close to the Edge is probably the archetype of my list; it is just ME.)
So, I'd like to challenge the people of this great site: can any of you help me (and others who read this topic) to find more pieces of music in the vein of 1969-1976 music? I'd greatly appreciate input; for example, I know that Genesis and King Crimson were quite progressive, but I simply can't find any very long tracks such as Supper's Ready and Moonchild. I also know that ELP made something called "Brain Salad Surgery", and I'm wondering if this is symphonic like Tarkus.
Greetings to all of you from Penumbra! :)
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Penumbra
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Joined: July 08 2006
Location: Canada
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Points: 350
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 16:43 |
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I think my very long post shows how much I love long music :P
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Tony Fisher
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Joined: April 30 2005
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 16:52 |
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Welcome to the site!!
If you like lighter symphonic prog, Camel and Barclay James Harvest are must listens.
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Raff
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 16:58 |
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If you're looking for more recent bands, on Transatlantic's first album there are a lot of long tracks - notably the 30-minute-long "All of the Above". Same on Spock's Beard's "V" album, which is bookended by "At the End of the Day" and "The Great Nothing".
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Chicapah
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 16:59 |
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First, get more Genesis like The Lamb Lies Down and Wind and Wuthering.
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"Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain
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micky
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 17:09 |
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try the Flower Kings - Space Revolver is my favorite or Paradox Hotel....
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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Zac M
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 17:12 |
My favorite Symph bands are Sky, Trace, Ekseption, Genesis, The Enid of course.
Camel's a good suggestion, try the Snow Goose.
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"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."
-Merleau-Ponty
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Penumbra
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Joined: July 08 2006
Location: Canada
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Points: 350
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 17:39 |
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Hmm, apparently I had all of Karn Evil 9, Pts 1-3 on my computer! It sounds good. Also, I seem to have random bits of Genesis albums; the Knife from Trespass, and a few from Selling England by the Pound.
Edited by Penumbra - July 08 2006 at 17:40
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Penumbra
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Joined: July 08 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 350
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 17:44 |
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Would songs such as "A Change of Seasons", by Dream Theatre, and other multi-part songs from rather harsh-sounding bands like Opeth, like "Ghost of Perdition" or "Baying of the hounds" fit into symphonic rock, or are they "symphonic metal"? There are so many friggin' sub-genres.
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Ghandi 2
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 18:23 |
Dream Theater is not really symphonic. The multi-part songs are merely metal songs which are more complex than the average song and have more dominant keyboards. I guess you could call them symphonic metal, but it really doesn't matter; you wouldn't like them. The symphonic label is somewhat misleading anyway.
I recommend Genesis. Forget that they only have one epic. Length does not equal quality; I used to have the same thing as you when I first started, but now I'm ambivalent about epics. You really should not care how long the song is, as long as it's good. Besides, 3 songs on SEBTP are over 10 minutes long. They aren't really multi-part songs in the sense that CTTE is, (I would argue that except for part 3, the subdivisions of CTTE are completely useless, but that is for another time) but not many bands did that because it's a pain in the freakin' arse to write like that, and it doesn't endear your music to people who aren't already familiar with songs like that.
-EDIT-
BALEETED.
Edited by Ghandi 2 - July 08 2006 at 18:54
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Zac M
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 18:34 |
 Ghandi 2 wrote:
There are many sub-genres, but keep in mind that some of them are basically synonomous. Canterbury and Jazz-Rock are the same thing, except Canterbury has some avant-garde thrown in and the movement took place in Canterbury. |
Quite wrong, not the same thing at all, although there is overlap (e.g. later SM releases and Nucleus). Some bands that are labelled Canterbury (Picchio del Pazzo for instance) aren't from the region, although most were, as it was a collective for the most part.
Caravan are barely jazz-rock, Hatfield, Gilgamesh, and NH, all have jazz rock elements, but they're nothing like Weather Report (more jazz fusion but who cares), RTF or any Corea release, MO, or anything like that. In fact, Canterbury musicians have a lot to do with RIO and avant garde than most will think (take Hopper's 1984 or Wyatt's first solo album, Henry Cow's early album(s) too). Many Canterburian musicians, like Dean, Tippett (Canterbury related?), Mark Charig, etc... went to do more jazz oriented albums, still Canterbury though. There were some interesting collaborations between musicians, like Hugh Hopper and the late Alan Gowen's "Two Rainbows Daily," excellent stuff. Some went to do new age (John G Perry, Karl Jenkins-->also does music for commercials). Anyways, enough for now.
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"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."
-Merleau-Ponty
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Penumbra
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Joined: July 08 2006
Location: Canada
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Points: 350
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 18:43 |
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Thank you for the suggests! Also, for those who have heard Pink Floyd's 1977 release, "Animals", how would you group the three songs "Dogs", "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", and "Sheep"? They are quite long, but as I have been told, long does not always equal progressive. They do not appear to be ... too proggy to me; just very long and ticked off heavy rock.
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Ghandi 2
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 18:44 |
I'm sorry; I always got the impression that Canterbury was more avant-garde Jazz-rock with some other influences thrown in, but I guess I was wrong. My apologies; I haven't delved into it very much, anyway.
Some track suggestions that I just thought of:
ELP--The Endless Enigma pt. 1, Fugue, The Endless Enigma pt. 2 (They segue together)
Focus--Hamburger Concerto
I think Animals is Floyd at their most progressive and their best (well WYWH comes very close); but it's not the prog you are used to. (which is mellotron drenched and more classically influenced. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Floyd were doing something different. Think of it as a reaction to the Punk movement and a transition towards The Wall and it might make more sense.)
Edited by Ghandi 2 - July 08 2006 at 18:49
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MikeEnRegalia
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 18:48 |
Ghandi 2 wrote:
Dream Theater is not really symphonic. The multi-part songs are merely metal songs which are more complex than the average song and have more dominant keyboards. I guess you could call them symphonic metal, but it really doesn't matter; you wouldn't like them. The symphonic label is somewhat misleading anyway.
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That's a quite controversial opinion ... Dream Theater are quite symphonic, apart from their metal album Train of Thought. And how do you know that he wouldn't like them? Quite presumptuous, if you ask me (but you aren't, I guess). 
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VanderGraafKommandöh
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 18:53 |
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I was going to say something similar! He's basically told the guy he won't like prog metal, just by looking at his tastes and also said he never will like prog metal!
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Ghandi 2
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 18:53 |
They're symphonically influenced, no doubt, but they're not symphonic in the sense that he's talking about. I think. These labels are confusing.
I don't think he would like them because he likes light, cheery music. Dream Theater are not light, and, like most (if not all) prog metal are most certainly not cheery. Go check them out if you're interested, Penumbra, (there are streaming songs on this site) but there's a lot of metal in them, and, from what you have said, it seems you don't metal. But maybe I'm wrong.
-EDIT-
FINE, I'M SORRY. IT'S DELETED NOW.
Edited by Ghandi 2 - July 08 2006 at 18:54
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Australian
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 19:11 |
Penumbra you are very smart, your Yes list is idenitcal to mine.
I suggest Camel. get Mirage, The Snow Goose, Camel and Moonmadness. (all by Camel)
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erik neuteboom
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 19:12 |
There is a certain reviewer named Erik Neuteboom, perhaps you can check out his almost 800 reviews about genuine symphonic rock? I am sure you will find a few fine symphonic rock albums! Thanks, it will upgrade his ego-gratification  !
Edited by erik neuteboom - July 08 2006 at 19:13
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VanderGraafKommandöh
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 19:14 |
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Gotic - Escenes.
I prefer it to The Snow Goose. I recommend that, if you can find it.
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Penumbra
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Joined: July 08 2006
Location: Canada
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Posted: July 08 2006 at 19:53 |
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Hahaha, I apologize for the confusion over my views. I simply love all music, and I don't explain this properly to most people. I've listened to "A Change of Seasons", "Under a Glass Moon", and "Dance of Eternity", by Dream Theatre. While they have interesting SECTIONS, the overall songs of D.T. don't click for me as well as Yes.
Then again, it took me several listens to really love Tales from Topographic Oceans. Now I am attached to it. :)
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Discussing "Symphonic" Rock; suggestions.
