The Wall. That album was massively important to me in my early twenties. Waters was the only musician speaking to me.

 

But if you included TAAB,  it would've gotten the nod easily (APP sucks)

Non Al Denaro Non All'Amore Ne' Al Cielo (Not for Money, Not for Love not for Heaven) is based on Edgar Lee Masters "Spoon River". Some songs are pure poetry.

La Buona Novella (The Good Novel) is about the apocriphal gospels: an alternative, medieval, view of the gospels from the announcement to the crucifiction.

The second has been extended and re-released by PFM few years ago, but I still prefer the original version.

I think I'll review those two...

GENESIS will probably run away with this one, although I prefer PASSION PLAY, with the obvious point that it is really hard to figure out and explain to people what the album is really all about.

My main complaint about the GENESIS effort is one of the last pieces in the album ... it's a cop out, and destroyed the story and the staging for me, by bringing it back to just another pop song for the masses. My guess is that the producers and such wanted something more positive than the whole story, and they were not interested in "The Nekkid Lunch" version of rock music!

BTW, Roger's album should not be listed ... ANGE had the same thing done 20 years before and it was vastly superior ... with the exception that in many places folks hate singers that don't kiss the as* in English. EMILE JACOTEY is a hundred times better than Roger's effort, which is almost a complete rip off, made just for the rock'n'roll masses!

The Lamb Lies Down On Braodway, check out: The Annotated Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Scott McMahan, very interesting read for more understanding about Peter Gabriel his lyrics.

AZF wrote: I voted Quadrophenia as the lyrical concept remains grounded to tell a story unambiguously that's more relatable than The Wall and the otherwise fantastic The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

Yes, it's almost not prog at all if it's going to have bits that make sense.

I think THE WALL would make better sense if the material that ended up in the next album was included in the original ... much of the story of which was already in the lyrics and in the original WALL, that had about 15 minutes taken out before the public release ... because it was too long, and essentially would probably have made the double album a triple ... which is death-cab for bands in the business!

Instead we got a mixed album that added a couple of I don't give a damn songs to it!

The really sad thing is that you can tell by this poll how much of TFTO people understand ... almost nothing! An inner SPIRITUAL trip is an INDIVIDUAL thing ... thus, it would not have a story to tell us, and TFTO does not either ... and guess what ... we don't like it because the lyrics don't tell us a stupid story ... and we only like stuff that treats us as children ... gawd ... Prog Archives should be passing out Pacifiers!

 

Surprised Quadro is ahead

I mean it's my vote, but In wasn't suspecting it would be many other's vote.

 

The really sad thing is that you can tell by this poll how much of TFTO people understand ... almost nothing! An inner SPIRITUAL trip is an INDIVIDUAL thing ... thus, it would not have a story to tell us, and TFTO does not either ... and guess what ... we don't like it because the lyrics don't tell us a stupid story ... and we only like stuff that treats us as children ... gawd ... Prog Archives should be passing out Pacifiers!

Curious about how to answer.

Is this a matter of "I like the lyrics and I get what they're about" or "Hmmm, the lyrics and the concept of this album are deep, rich, and complex, and though I don't fully understand them in one go, I think if I spent some serious time looking into them, they may be more rewarding over time"? The latter is how I understand the idea that the lyrics are worthy of critical appraisal.

So, I like the concept and lyrics of Quadrophenia and The Wall, but I feel pretty clear about what they're about. Not sure what more analysis would give me.

I love Yes, but Anderson usually picked words for sound more than sense, so I'm not sure where to go with TFTO.

The Lamb and Passion Play, on the other hand, seem to me as though they have much more to yield despite how many times I've listened to them.

Rather than take an obvious poll idea and load it to make whatever act seem like the greatest thing (Dark Side) since greatest things is better than every other thing I wondered what would happen with the less obvious, if quite prevalent, but more demanding ideas. Just a few. I have got into them a bit and followed the circular spiritual search in TFTO - "it's in the lyrics, listen to the lyrics" - Vim Fuego, Bad News. (Jon doesn't want to get trapped in a media focus explaining old lyrical ideas). Anyway it begins right at the start and returns in it's overall theme at the end of ritual but not in a way that signals to punters that this is what is happening. There are no returning musical motifs and this very big change has probably hindered TFTO's message more than anything.

They'e all telling stories, some bizarre comedies like Lamb (I'd say to PG that Rael's bro should be Juan not John). There are stories and themes within - Pete's is great for that and Roger's paralleling rock ritual, political fascism and the uncaring nature of most around the individual also makes for interesting stuff.

Jethro Tull's is very mysterious - sort of where Tales might have gone had not enlightenment turned up. This is where the light goes out. Both of these have little in the way of actual songs so it's a big ask of a rock audience and imbuing rock into intellectual respect. Well some of it.

Anyway we've had plenty of time to listen, absorb and be informed and assess and all that sort of thing. Let's see what comes of that.

Hi,

Incorrect. I have had a couple of conversations with Jon about this ... and he said that it is sad that we don't read some of that old stuff, and get a feel for it. I asked if he felt that he helped put together a piece of music and lyrics, that did the same thing to your imagination when you read them ... yeah was the answer.

Nowadays, he is more vague about it, because there is nothing he can say that would help a lot of people understand it, specially when someone still makes jokes about the music ... which doesn't help at all! It IS funny, but all the same, I would think some respect for a piece of music you helped put together that is so loved today ... would be nice.

BTW ... it's also fine for him to think that ______________ when he is wanting to go solo and sell his won work ... so it can validate for the public its worthiness ... and sell a few more albums, of course!

Your choice!

That material and some of my interviews, will all be published after I have left this earth ... there are quite a few folks in it, and also includes a couple of dreams and visions. But, for me, a lot of this stuff validates the music we call "progressive" and "intelligent" and "far out" ... a lot more than just being a song. It's the sound and sense and sensibility of our generation ... and WE MADE A MARK artistically!

richardh wrote: I actually quite like the idea of putting your own meaning on the lyrics anyway. If it's inspiring and has that feel then can't do any harm. Also I would argue it's better to understand the music the way you want to then it's personal. Why should it matter if you don't 'get' what the writer is putting across as long as it's means something. With Jon I've always been happy to accept his cosmic 'gibberish' because I am sure there is something beyond what we see and regard as normal. I think even trying to nail it down is a massive mistake.

Absolutely. They're not laws or something unequivocal to have one clear meaning, but are wide ranging enough to encompass the range of human imagination and experience. Especially TFTO and APP, imvvvvho.

I voted for Quadrophenia, but I didn't think the opposition was very tough.

Hi,

AND if it starts in one place and ends in another, why should the lyrics tell you? Are you not reading/listening to the story as you go along? Were you, as a child, not interested in the story, just in the end in 3 words?

The "lyrics" merely follow the idea that no returning musical motifs, means ... no returning lyric motifs either ... but the rock'n'roll top ten audience, can't handle anything that starts on A and ends on Z (as Gayle Ebbett says), instead of starting on A and have to end on A ... so you can think that the "cycle" is complete!

Kinda silly, specially given all the arts in the 20th Century trying to hard to break the molds and here we are ... wanting the molds back, because we don't know how/what to feel without them ... actually "newer music" has always been like that in history, and so has all literature, specially philosophy that even forced some folks to drink poison to stop!

uduwudu wrote: ... Jethro Tull's is very mysterious - sort of where Tales might have gone had not enlightenment turned up. This is where the light goes out. Both of these have little in the way of actual songs so it's a big ask of a rock audience and imbuing rock into intellectual respect. Well some of it.  ...

I think that Ian was tired of the simplistic and dumb version of lyrics and "stories" in rock music, and decided to do something that was really serious ... and of course a lot of us we missed the point and hated the album because it didn't have a hit song, like Aquashooshoo! The work, in APP is very serious and it could be said to be difficult, but I would say it is difficult only to a group of people that thinks that all literature is pulp and dinner stories that don't add up to the portrait of Ulysses.

Hi,

C'mon Sean ... all the WW2 stuff in TFC was in the opening of THE WALL, in the preview of the film ... it was cut off later.

The story makes much more sense as a child of WW2 having these issues, than anything else, something that is tapped into TW ... and ends (sort of) with Vera Lynn ... which of course I'm not sure that most PF fans for this album have any idea who she is, or if she was real ... 

Moshkito wrote: Sean Trane wrote:  ...  The really sad thing is that you can tell by this poll how much of TFTO people understand ... almost nothing! An inner SPIRITUAL trip is an INDIVIDUAL thing ... thus, it would not have a story to tell us, and TFTO does not either ... and guess what ... we don't like it because the lyrics don't tell us a stupid story ... and we only like stuff that treats us as children ... gawd ... Prog Archives should be passing out Pacifiers!   Duuuuuude, even Jon doesn't understand his own drivel.

Hi,

Incorrect ... he's not willing to discuss it anymore, because most folks do not know literature and even some history of the texts he came from. He knows damn well what it is all about, but talking to rock journalists and top ten fans that only want to hear "Roundabout" yet again, is a dead end ... You would GLADLY also make it look like you could hardly understand it, rather than trying to explain anything. I would, almost call all the lyrics in TFTO as a "prayer" and told him so ... he bowed! As did I!

Heck, Ian does this all the time ... it's more fun watching everyone laugh about nothing than nod ... like they have no idea what is being said!