Thinking politically / socially-engaged songs (3) - Progressive Rock Music Forum

David_D wrote:

Sean Trane wrote:

TAAB is THE most well-thought of concept album ever.

May be, I was thinking about the musical side of it.

Yessss, but TAAB is bigger than music. Heart

Because the sleeve enhances the music into something more.

It's definitely worth making the effort to buy the whole thing.

Edited by Sean Trane - September 18 2024 at 09:46

let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword

twosteves wrote:

suppers Ready is my favorite work of prog - powerful stuff about politics and religion- and we are just the human bacon controlled by it all.

Edited by David_D - September 19 2024 at 13:51

quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

David_D wrote:

twosteves wrote:

suppers Ready is my favorite work of prog - powerful stuff about politics and religion- and we are just the human bacon controlled by it all.

But still, we also have something to say, even it ain't easy - and I'd say, we're mostly controlled by economy. Wink

Edited by David_D - September 20 2024 at 10:11

quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

David_D wrote:

About Supper's Ready, I'd say at least:

Part iii and iv are a very poignant and touching anti-war statement:

Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest
We walked across the fields to see the children of the West
But we saw a host of dark skinned warriors standing still below the ground

Waiting for battle

The fight's begun, they've been released
Killing foe for peace, bang, bang, bang
Bang, bang, bang
And they've given me a wonderful potion
'Cause I cannot contain my emotion
And even though I'm feeling good
Something tells me I'd better activate my prayer capsule

Today's a day to celebrate, the foe have met their fate
The order for rejoicing and dancing has come from our warlord

Wandering in the chaos the battle has left
We climb up the mountain of human flesh
To a plateau of green grass, and green trees full of life
A young figure sits still by a pool
He's been stamped "Human Bacon" by some butchery tool
He is you

I've been thinking that these parts might be about Western imperialism, if not to call it something worse?

quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

Sean Trane wrote:

Don't forget to look at A Passion Play's either (see the link I gave you to decipher that much-more complicated concept). Anderson was out to outdo TAAB, but stumbled spectacularly.

I've began with my first serious listening to this album, and my first impressions are rather positive, some of it being even really great and looks to me inspired by VdGG. With TaaB and A Passion Play, Tull became not only genuinly Progressive but also very much so.

quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

^ While TaaB, even it was not meant so seriously by Ian Anderson - which I think is best illustrated by the first line of the lyrics: "Really don't mind if you sit this one out.", and as mentioned earlier, showed to be a significant turn in Tull's musical direction. Even more, it's maybe today the most appreciated Tull album - at least surely by the proggers, albeit Aqualung is quite as surely most liked by non-proggers.

- I find all this quite interesting.

Anyway, I've got again a LP copy of TaaB (I had one at earlier point of time, but didn't like it enough to keep it), and it's a fine reissue manufactured by Island, but the gatefold cover is made of rather heavy cardboard. Usually I definitely prefer heavy cardboard, but this time, I now think that I would better like it made of thin cardboard, so it could more remind of a newspaper. Big smile

It could maybe also give the music an impression of less heaviness and larger refinement, which I would like best. I didn't choose a release like the original newspaper edition, as with my minimalistic aestethics, it's not my cup of tea, and I don't like it to be so fragile.

Again about A Passion Play, it's going to be interesting to see what I'll think of it further on.

Edited by David_D - October 23 2024 at 11:15

quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

While I was not involved in locking that thread, I understand why it was done. We have a moratorium on political threads, which can help to at least keep the peace here. That said, of course politics comes into lots of music and when it is not about pushing a political agenda and sharing one's own politics but instead it's about the music and the song which might well have political/ ideological component then we have been lenient. If this is about the songs in this poll, members of the forum seem interested and keep responding, then that probably should be fine. We wish to be very careful and sensitive when it comes to inflammatory and controversial subjects, when it comes to propaganda and to be careful about try to minimise spreading misinformation and disinformation.

Duos for fave acts

I respect the OP. This tune is not prog but politically engaged and applies to our world now.

Edited by Grumpyprogfan - October 30 2024 at 17:48

David_D wrote:

Logan wrote:

While I was not involved in locking that thread, I understand why it was done. We have a moratorium on political threads, which can help to at least keep the peace here. ..........

Except from that my last post in that locked thread, which stated "Besides that, what have Jesus and Marx in common? As I see it, nothing less than the two most influential social figures/thinkers in the history of the mankind up till now.", was not not political but historical. Also, there was no heated discussion.

( Thinking politically / socially-engaged songs (4) )

Maybe do not misquote people, that would be great.

Logan explained to you thoroughly and politely why that thread was closed.

Genesis - Supper's Ready

Poll Question: Which of these songs do you like or are your favourites?
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus (1971)	9	[10.11%]
Genesis - Supper's Ready (1972)	14	[15.73%]
Heldon - "Ballade pour Puig Antich, revolution..." (1974)	2	[2.25%]
Jethro Tull - "Aqualung" (1971)	20	[22.47%]
Kornelyans - "Generation 1942" (1974)	1	[1.12%]
Niemen Aerolit - "Cztery Sciany Swiata" (1975)	2	[2.25%]
Osibisa - "Think About the People" (1971)	5	[5.62%]
Pink Floyd - "Money" (1973)	7	[7.87%]
VdGG - "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End" (1976)	6	[6.74%]
Rick Wakeman - "The Prisoner" (1976)	4	[4.49%]
Yes - "Yours Is No Disgrace" (1971)	15	[16.85%]
Frank Zappa - "Uncle Remus" (1974)	4	[4.49%]
You can not vote in this poll