Eurovision

I've just been to Lordi's website (okay I'm sad and it's quiet at work). The keyboard player, who I find worryingly attractive, likes prog and cites Rick Wakeman and Dream Theater among her favourites.

Fair enugh. For Croatia, read Macedonia, then.

The thing that concerns me about Progovision - which is an excellent title for an otherwise excellent idea  - is that Eurovision itself is a loooong night, with 26 countries doing a 3 minute song. Presumably, on Progovision, the minimum song length would be an epic 20 minutes........plus, instead of a straightforward awarding of points, our markers would insist on a review-length analysis.......of each song.

NotAProghead wrote: I can't believe my eyes - progheads discuss Eurovision! IMO Eurovision is a musical event for people who don't need music at all. Participation in it is rather a shame than a honour for any serious artist.

Drachen Theaker wrote: I've just been to Lordi's website (okay I'm sad and it's quiet at work). The keyboard player, who I find worryingly attractive, likes prog and cites Rick Wakeman and Dream Theater among her favourites.   Could Lordi spring a surprise and bring prog back to the masses?!

Logos wrote: The Lordi song is catchy as hell - admit it or not you all like it.   Basically it's pop music. There are a lot of people here from the UK ; did you see / hear your own Eurovision song? Oh dear..

Tony Fisher wrote: It's fun; we progheads can be too serious and up our own a***s sometimes, sl*gging anything vaguely designed to sell or be a bit of fun.

Yeah, but for some reason, as soon as it's Rock or Metal, a certain category of Progists will defend it, even though it may be as vacuous and simplistic as any chart hit. It's the inconsistency of that that bothers me.

If you're someone who can have the above attitude to all music, not just that which is all long hairs, leather pants and guitars, I'll definitely respect that. But the general attitude of deriding all that is catchy and popular except for that which is Hard Rock-derived is pretty hackneyed.

I'm sorry, but I am of the firm belief that the song doesn't get much better by arrangement (unless we're talking real arranging, as in adding strings, changing bass lines, shifting ryhtmic elements etc. - like some of the tremendous work done on the latest Paul Anka album).

A cover done in a different style can be funny or interesting, but unless you do some of the things noted above, you're not improving on the actual song.

Sure, performance, sound and instrumentation is an important factor, but that's not what I am discussing. It's obvious to me that certain types of instrumentation and performance styles will allow certain listeners to look beyond the shortcomings of the song. In fact, I doubt most people really listen to how a song is put together - and that's why the template is so locked down; you don't need to do anything but follow the same path everyone else has for decades now.

PTree shine (when they do shine - early PTree I find deathly dull) by dint of precisely adding just enough filigree and detail to vanilla structures to boost them into something different. Even if Britney, Lordi or Celine Dion were to do Blackest Eyes (and did not mess with the actual elements of the song) it would still be quite a good tune. And if PTree play My Sharona, it would still be f**king annoying and awful.

When early Yes did covers, they reworked them extensively and always - to my ears - improved on the original. But just playing the song as written, whatever your sonic elements or your performance, will never improve the song itself.

Oh, all of Europe lives in thrall to the concept of voting for their neighbors! Right. If only you hade any idea how little Swedes actualy like Norwegians or Danes like Swedes...

Also, Nazi's is a possessive. You meant Nazis - no need to type that extra character. I usually don't correct stuff like that, but someone who uses that offensive a metaphor for no good reason doesn't deserve that kind of concern.


Edited by Teaflax - May 28 2006 at 04:20