SR V: To boldly go where no room has gone before

Padraic wrote: TGM: Orb wrote: Padraic wrote: OK Roblov, I think we're getting somewhere with Plague this go-round. Have many points... it took me about 20 lessons to really get that album (I liked it from the first try, I just didn't get what it was trying to do/why I liked it/how good it was etc.. I'm still not sure I've got everything. Definitely an increase in enjoyment, what I'm still struggling with is the thread throughout; it still sounds very disjointed to me.  Very challenging piece of music, absolutely no question.

Yep. Anyone listening to anything with open ears and a love for music is always great win
(that said, unless it's by the Ting Tings and it's in the same room as me )

Strangely enough, I think I found Still Life the hardest VDGG album to get into. That one was the only time I first heard a VDGG album and came out at the end and said 'nothing happened'. (that said, Pilgrims is now my favourite song of all-time not by Phil Collins).

rushfan4 wrote: MovingPictures07 wrote: TGM: Orb wrote: MovingPictures07 wrote: TGM: Orb wrote: @Shajamus, stop being obtuse  @Alex, I'm fairly confident (I've got some experience with this sort of thing, but I'm not always right ) that, from a technical/pure-poetic standpoint, Hammill's lyrics are, by and large, a cut above Peart's (in the same way that T.S. Eliot is technically leagues ahead of either of them). On the other hand, I can (I think) understand where you're coming from, and appreciate how the 'content'/meaning of them wouldn't work for you. But yeah, Peart's the right lyricist for Rush and he's quite good... I guess my annoyance at seeing something like Hemispheres being suggested as a best lyric ever is the same feeling Harry gets when he sees Steven Wilson get mentioned in a 'most technical guitarists' thread I understand that. I am not a poet; I only speak the musical language. Therefore, poetry to me doesn't quite have the same meaning to me as it would to someone who is passionate about poetry or literature... just like how music doesn't quite have the same meaning to someone who is passionate about music and to someone who isn't. Because of that, the most I have to go by when it comes to lyrics is more instinctual. I'm much more attune to the music of a song than the lyrics--I typically think that the music is more important, and I listen to music entirely on the basis of understanding what is going with the musical language, not the English. I do know though that it entirely depends on the case. Sometimes lyrics are just as important, or more important. Everything is treated on an individual piece by piece basis. The problem with VDGG is that the music doesn't work for me at all. And usually I am pretty tolerant of lyrics I don't care for as much because the music is good--they cancel out the lyrics. In VDGG, the lack of anything interesting in the music (for me, anyway) allows my mind to think about the lyrics more. Incidentally, the lyrics are entirely to the opposite of my innate, instinctual preference. Anyway, overall, agree, people are allowed to like things as much as they like them, just wanted to mention that there is a generally objective side to lyrics/poetry as much as there is to, say, musical performance. I agree completely with that, and I'd never say I'm qualified enough in the realms of literature or poetry to say that Peart is, compositionally, and based purely on terms of lyricism, better than Hammill. What I have to go on here mostly is preference, as I'm a musician first. Absolutely fine by me. I actually wouldn't mind being more into poetry---I find some of it really interesting, but I tend to be incredibly picky with it. Edgar Allen Poe's works are the main ones in terms of just poetry (with nothing else) that have given me some level of appreciation. And even then, not all of them have. I'm not a man of words; I much prefer numbers. Which means that you need to hear Peter Hammill's House of Usher.

Haha, maybe.

Still Life was instant win for me.  But then it was one of my first VdGG albums.

TGM: Orb wrote: Padraic wrote: TGM: Orb wrote: Padraic wrote: OK Roblov, I think we're getting somewhere with Plague this go-round. Have many points... it took me about 20 lessons to really get that album (I liked it from the first try, I just didn't get what it was trying to do/why I liked it/how good it was etc.. I'm still not sure I've got everything. Definitely an increase in enjoyment, what I'm still struggling with is the thread throughout; it still sounds very disjointed to me.  Very challenging piece of music, absolutely no question. Yep. Anyone listening to anything with open ears and a love for music is always great win (that said, unless it's by the Ting Tings and it's in the same room as me ) Strangely enough, I think I found Still Life the hardest VDGG album to get into. That one was the only time I first heard a VDGG album and came out at the end and said 'nothing happened'. (that said, Pilgrims is now my favourite song of all-time not by Phil Collins).

I think Pawn Hearts is my least favorite; it was really hard for me to listen to.

Godbluff is the easiest, then.... not sure.

James wrote: Still Life was instant win for me.  But then it was one of my first VdGG albums.

Let's not spoil SR V with that...

...again.

James wrote: Oh and I'm sorry to crush the earlier thoughts by Rushman but Mike loves Rush and VdGG.  So there are exceptions to the rule.

I didn't leave out the idea that there weren't exceptions.  I liked Aerosol Grey Machine, so there might be hope for me too.

Holy hell, I just noticed Rob's review of that Hammill solo album.  1900+ words.  

TGM: Orb wrote: Padraic wrote: Epignosis wrote: I'm sorry- Any song with "cha cha cha" gets laughed at by me.  "Sound Chaser" included.  Great song overall, but I always feel a tad embarrassed by that part, whether anyone is around or not. I embrace it.  And the instrumental section after it is ferociously awesome, c'mon!  I absolutely love that bit (and I'm not even kidding)... yeah, it's a bit light-hearted, but even Yes are allowed to do that without adding a church organ to a rock song I find it odd that noone picks out the chachacha I think I heard in Siberian Khatru the other week. Maybe I was imagining it.

I find the middle of Roundabout grating.  Reggae beats generally annoy me.

Somehow Meurglys III (the Songwriter's Guild) doesn't annoy me though.

I'm going to get my wife and son directly, so I'm gone too.

James wrote: I'm not sure where I'm going...

Nowhere, I thought you would have been secure with that decision by now.