Band with the most literary references? |
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James Lee
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: June 05 2004 Status: Offline Points: 3525 |
Topic: Band with the most literary references? Posted: December 22 2004 at 06:31 |
Inspired by the "80's King Crimson" thread...thinking about "Neil and Jack and Me"*, and I started to wonder who might be the reigning champs of literary name-dropping. So let loose with your picks for songs based on (or referencing) literature. Just nailing down some of the references on the first three King Crimson albums should keep us going for a few pages. And I'm willing to accept Iron Maiden submissions as well...they managed to do Coleridge, Frank Herbert, Adam Sillitoe, Alastair MacLean, and more! *as many of you know, it's about Neil Cassady and Jack Kerouac. |
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Kashmir
Forum Groupie Joined: December 18 2004 Location: Singapore Status: Offline Points: 59 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 06:45 |
So interesting ,i also noticed this point of view before ,Tom Sawyer of Rush which was inspired by Mark Twain's novel or album Tales of Mystery and Imagination of Alan Parsons Project which was inspired by Edgar Alan Poe's poems ... If one had read those literature ,when listening to the inspiring music of Progressive Rock then... vivid pictures and visions !
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Metropolis
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 20 2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 760 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 07:05 |
Does the bible count? as that may result in a near endless list
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We Lost the Skyline............
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frenchie
Prog Reviewer Joined: July 30 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 2234 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 07:07 |
Megadeth use tonnes of bible quotes. Their new album, "The System Failed" has a heavy reading of Psalm 23. i think almost all their albums have biblical quotes and references
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The Worthless Recluse
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frenchie
Prog Reviewer Joined: July 30 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 2234 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 07:09 |
P I N K F L O Y D
T H E P I P E R A T T H E G A T E S O F D A W N a chapter from wind in the willows "sheep" also has a verse from psalm 23 in it tho the megadeth version is quite different Edited by frenchie |
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The Worthless Recluse
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sigod
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 17 2004 Location: London Status: Offline Points: 2779 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 07:23 |
I think Rush are probably up there as Peart is always heavily influenced by what he reads and what he sees in contemporary culture. The Belew era of Crimson seem to have a similar literary bent. Roger Waters uses much from both history (The Final Cut) and modern society, Radio KAOS being a prime example which explored aspects of the UK coal miners strike back in the mid 80's and used it as a backdrop for the album's main theme. |
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I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision.
- Clement Atlee, on Winston Churchill |
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer Joined: June 22 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 16130 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 07:37 |
Rush, for there work inspired by Ayn Rand, Coleridge, Twain, and the guy who wrote the poem that inspired 'Red Barchetta' cant remember his name..
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Dick Heath
Special Collaborator Jazz-Rock Specialist Joined: April 19 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 12803 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 08:31 |
Tolkien has perhaps influenced most knowingly, and perhaps Shakespeare and the Bible influenced most unknowingly.
Edited by Dick Heath |
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tuxon
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 21 2004 Location: plugged-in Status: Offline Points: 5502 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 08:39 |
I think Shadow Hammer covered/interpreted Tolkiens entire works. .
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I'm always almost unlucky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Id5ZcnjXSZaSMFMC Id5LM2q2jfqz3YxT
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Certif1ed
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: April 08 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 7559 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 13:33 |
"Fugazi" mixes up Coleridge and Shakespeare - and you find all sorts of literary references in much of Fish's work with or without Marillion. |
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James Lee
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: June 05 2004 Status: Offline Points: 3525 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 15:34 |
That's a good point...I think we can leave out the Bible, just because so many of the quotes and concepts have become deeply entrenched in language over the centuries. One could make the same case for Shakespeare...there's endless songs about Romeo and Juliet which don't quite inspire a discussion of the Bard. |
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Guests
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Posted: December 22 2004 at 15:55 |
Bo Hansonns' Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings
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Rob The Good
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 17 2004 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 476 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 19:53 |
I don't know if they have the most references, but Genesis certainly have quite a few if one looks hard enough: I think "Supper's Ready" refers to the "New Jerusalem" which is a reference to Romantic poetry of the early 19th century..I think "Jerusalem" was a poem by Blake (also set to music, and covered by ELP). "The Lamb...." has a song called "The Lamia" which is a reference to a Greek mythological character who ate her children, and developed a taste for kiddies...in fact, Greek mothers used to use this to keep their kids in line! There are many more references obviously, but I haven't really delved deep enough into the subject. There would certainly be some biblical stuff. Sorry people! I'm a literature fiend! :)
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Reed Lover
Forum Senior Member Joined: July 16 2004 Location: Sao Tome and Pr Status: Offline Points: 5187 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 20:03 |
Rush have many many literary references. A whole web page full! http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/RushInspirations.htm
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Reed Lover
Forum Senior Member Joined: July 16 2004 Location: Sao Tome and Pr Status: Offline Points: 5187 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 20:03 |
http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/fosternicedrive .htm Richard S Foster, dear boy! |
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Syzygy
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: December 16 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 7003 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 20:15 |
Genesis also quote T.S. Eliot more or less verbatim on 'Cinema Show', borrowing one of the passages Ezra Pound edited out of 'The Waste Land'. Peter Blegvad, lyricist and sometime singer/guitarist with Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and some solo work, crams in all kinds of arcane references and generally wears his erudition lightly. Ezra Pound, Rimbaud, Basho and Wittgenstein all feature in his work, but not in the same song.
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'Like so many of you
I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
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frenchie
Prog Reviewer Joined: July 30 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 2234 |
Posted: December 22 2004 at 21:53 |
blind guardian wrote a song called lord of the rings
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The Worthless Recluse
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Ivan_Melgar_M
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: April 27 2004 Location: Peru Status: Offline Points: 19535 |
Posted: December 23 2004 at 00:27 |
Genesis: White Mountain: Based on White Fang by Jack London Supper's Ready: Book of Revelations Squonk: "All the Kings horses and all the King's men could never put a smile on his face" Squonk in reference to a famous Nursery Rhyme. Supper's Ready: "The Pied Piper takes his children underground" Fountain of Salmacis: Based in Greek Mythology, the legend of Hermafroditus. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway: The whole album has a clear inspiration in The Trial by Franz Kafka. Iván Edited by ivan_2068 |
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maani
Special Collaborator Founding Moderator Joined: January 30 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2632 |
Posted: December 23 2004 at 01:00 |
I must agree with Rob, Cert and Ivan: Genesis and Marillion (i.e., primarily Gabriel and Fish) probably use more literary references than any other prog writers. Most are overt, but some are extremely subtle (especially with Fish). Gentle Giant also used myriad literary references, including (admittedly indirectly) the name of the band. Peace. |
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BebieM
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 01 2004 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 854 |
Posted: December 23 2004 at 02:53 |
I think those 3 haven't been said already: Camel: Nimrodel (about Gandalf of LotR) Camel: Snow goose (hmm, it's based on a book, im sure, but i forgot which one ) also, not prog at all (just comes to my mind, lol): The Herd - From The underworld (based on mythology, this story about orpheus in the underworld ....) |
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