Epic songs: two Dreams sorrounding one Reality?

From the literature that I have, it was king crimson who did it first: writing an epic song, dividing it to two halves, one half as the first song of the album, the other as the last song. Lark`s tongues in aspic was the album from king crimson which released in 1973 and for the first time (I think by far) provided an epic song in the above mentioned way. The second sample arrives with Shine on you crazy diamond, 1975 by pink Floyd which introduces the title epic track in a divided form at the beginning and the end of the album. From the more recent bands maybe the most significant case for the application of such structure is systematic chaos, 2007 by Dream Theater which divides the almost 26 minute epic, in the presence of enemies again to two parts, opening and closing the album. In all these three mentioned cases we see a number of tracks between the two parts of epic which offer different atmospheres and concepts for the listener. In fact the listener begins the journey in the album in an epic-minded manner but suddenly finds himself in another place as the first half of the epic finishes. Going through technically and emotionally diverse songs, back again to the story of the epic to conclude the structure of the album.

This may be considered as an amazing or even important case in the field of song arrangement and album structure making for progressive music. The question is that, where does this idea come from to not to introduce an epic song as a continuous one but instead, as a separated form.

The first thing that may comes to one`s mind is that maybe such method is used to avoid having a too long song in album. But this reason is not logical enough since we see some cases which denied it, say Octavarium by DT and Echoes by PF So there should be a more conceptual reason for such kind of album structure.

For the writer, this idea seems to be a little deeper and more original that we look at it. In fact, this is the structure which resembles the timeline of `human existence` … a line, which begins with some kind of unconscious existence in a hallucinating unknown environment, the body of mother, continues with the `birth` introducing the `life` on the earth with whole of its realities, dreams, diversities, feelings, ended by `death` which is again as mysterious and unknown as inside of mother`s body…

The time line for existence of mankind resembles something like `a dream between two realities` or as well `a reality between to dreams` which may be arguable philosophically. The interesting thing about some progressive albums which have mentioned above is that in fact, they follow exactly the same time line.

I hope that the matter has been discussed in a clear form. This is in fact a matter of inter-relationship of Art, philosophy and psychology. The artists of those works could have applied such kind of structure unconsciously or, for another conscious reason that they have concerned. In fact we know that all of the artistic actions of the brain takes place in its right side which is regarded of course as the more unconscious side. The thing that was so amazing for the writer of the note, is the deep and meaningful connection of `real life` and `artistic structure and form` in the work of such progressive giants like PF, KG and DT. No matter it has been done consciously or unconsciously, this can be regarded as one of the signs which verifies the unique and well processed understanding of `life` and `art` for an artist.

The writer hopes that more broad discussions on such cases which may result in better understanding of the philosophy of art and specially progressive music as well. 

thx PA.