Best Prog Rock Lyricist

Roger Waters

His narrative style is the most duplicated in prog but the hardest to equal.  Narrative either connects or it does not.  Waters understood how to write in a clear and emotional way but he always left just enough for the imagination, unlike the Neil Morse, Arena, and DT.  Just listen to Snow by SB and then listen to the Final Cut, then you will understand the difference between telling a story and writing a real narrative piece of art.

Roger Waters is SO over-rated.

Wish You Were Here...Oh wah...I miss Syd

The Wall...Oh wah...my daddy died and I still miss Syd

The Final Cut...oh wah...let me tell you some more about my daddy dieing.

 

Peter Gabriel is the best on this list, but he doesn't compare to Fish.

gdub411 wrote: Roger Waters is SO over-rated. Wish You Were Here...Oh wah...I miss Syd The Wall...Oh wah...my daddy died and I still miss Syd The Final Cut...oh wah...let me tell you some more about my daddy dieing.   Peter Gabriel is the best on this list, but he doesn't compare to Fish.

You missed Radio K.A.O.S.  Dad?? Is It Really You??

Robert Fripp?  Solo outings aside, his lyrics for King Crimson total to this line:

"Cigarettes and ice cream; figurines of the Virgin Mary!"

...was that line alone enough to have him included while excluding the likes of Anderson(s), Hammill, Livgren, and Stolt ()? 

Trotsky wrote: Cinema wrote: What, no Jon Anderson? He's one of the best there's ever been. "So soon the evening comes And with it runs the aching fear of hate Could someone still remain Who thinks he still could gain by escaping fate? It’s much too late Don’t underrate Appreciate" What next? "Kiss me kate", "Constipate" or "Procreate"? I seriously love Yes and some of the lyrics are cool ... like Close To The Edge and the Your Move part of I've Seen All Good People ... but they often sail over my head too ... or maybe JA just did the cosmic thing so often that it eventually became too much (in the same way Ronnie James Dio overdid his references to chains/wheels/stars/rainbows )

Trotsky, sure JA penned some bum lyrics -- who among the greats
haven't whipped up a dud or two during their career? -- but for the
most part JA is definitely one of the most creative, original, and
provoactive lyricists in the business. His lyrics greatly contributed to the
personality we know as Yes.

My vote went to Roger Waters, and even if you put in another 100 lyric writers, it'll still be Waters. Mr. Waters appeal to "tell it like it is" with the emotional/psychological in depth touch is yes to be surpassed. His lyrics seduces audiences and fans for over 30 years now and he`s still going at it. Brain Damage, Eclipse, Wish You Were Here, Dogs, Mother, Is There Anybody Out There, Nobody Home, Comfortbly Numb, South Hampton Dock, Final Cut, Every Strangers Eyes, 4:37am, 5:01am, Home, Four Minutes, The Tide Is Turning, Perfect Sense II, Watching TV, Its a Miracle, Amused To Death, Folded Flags, Towers Of Faith, To Kill a Child   and Leaving Beiruth....

Not only do we have the straight to the face lyrics, the thoughts of the common daily hard working middle class dude, but also geopolitical points of view; on the cold war and on the post-cold war. We have the constant fear of "loosing it" and be institutionalized !

•       Do you remember me how we used to be helpless, happy and blind ?
•       Sunk without hope, in the haze of  dope and cheap vine.
•       Now in your little white room, with no windows and three square sedations a day.
•       You plea to the Doctor who is running the show, Please take all theses men away     and leave me alone.

One of the things I keep asking myself is why does Roger Waters have this huge appeal among Prog Rock die hard fans ? His music is not that prog after all. His side men are allways recruted from the Rythm and Blues ranks (Drummers, backing, vocals are mostly from former Tina Turner line-ups). His guitar players are proeminently blues influenced. Clapton, Beck and Guilmore. Is it the "easy to digest" tunes and "hard to swallow" lyrics that does the magic ?

 

                    - Is my English clear enough to understand ? -

_________

Lunar

 

 

 

Fish of course should've been there, but what about Geoff Mann of Twelfth Night.

Sequences, We Are Sane, Creepshow, The Collector... the list goes on.

Very sadly missed.

frosty wrote:   Fish of course should've been there, but what about Geoff Mann of Twelfth Night. Sequences, We Are Sane, Creepshow, The Collector... the list goes on. Very sadly missed.

Haunting lyrics, telling many an uncomfortable truth about ourselves, and therefore invaluable.

R. I. P. Geoff Mann

frosty wrote: Fish of course should've been there, but what about Geoff Mann of Twelfth Night. Sequences, We Are Sane, Creepshow, The Collector... the list goes on.

You're right! Geoff Mann was another great lyricist.

Even the candorous simplicity of his lyrics to 'Love Son' is moving and compelling. The final lines " When you think that your open heart has led you into pain, take a tip from the Carpenter 'Forgive and love again and again...' " are simply beautiful!!

                     

Sorry if I forgot anybody's favorites, I was in a hurry when I made it and just took a few names from the top of my head. I didn't realize I forgot Fish until about an hour later. Same with Jon and Ian Anderson.