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Joined: February 09 2008
Location: trowbridge
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Points: 250
Topic: Dragons in Prog rock. Posted: January 25 2016 at 13:09
Since a lot of Prog Rock seems to revolves around fantasy or Sci Fi themes I thought I would waste away the hours at work with trying to think of as many Prog rock songs that mention dragons in them.
I was quite surprised because I could only think of one.(It's been a long day).
Winter Wine by Caravan on the In Land Of Pink And Grey album.
Are dragons really that scarce in prog rock songs, especially old prog rock from the 70's?
We can except all the old names like Wyverns, Worms, etc..
So I put it to the members of the forum to see if they can find a few more.
It would be interesting to see if such beasts are rarer in prog rock then a lot of people seem to think.
Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
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Points: 20478
Posted: January 25 2016 at 13:42
Don't think there are any dragons in the music but their name and cover has a similar concept....I listened to this just the other day....good progressive hard rock with some nice mellotron.
One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin
Joined: October 20 2009
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Points: 1744
Posted: January 25 2016 at 19:22
Led Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore mentions the word 'dragon'.
The first thing I thought of concerning "Dragon" was the song by Paolo Conte. Definitely not prog. But highly recommended (his entire discography) to lovers of Italy ;-)
Joined: November 04 2013
Location: United States
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Points: 356
Posted: January 25 2016 at 21:23
Magnum's 1982 album Chase the Dragon features a dragon on the cover, but not in the lyrics. This is an 80s hard rock/AOR album with fantasy/prog influences rather than prog rock.
The band also recorded Dragons are Real on their 2007 album Princess Alice and The Broken Arrow, which does mention dragons in the refrain as a metaphor for imagination.
Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
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Points: 12608
Posted: January 25 2016 at 23:02
Actually, this cliché that prog is plagued with dragons, fantasy, and sci-fi really annoys me, and surprises me. There's really not much of those themes in prog... at least not on the top-tier bands and albums. Pink Floyd has just about none of it (well, perhaps a bit with Syd Barrett, but that's just one album).
King Crimson... well, perhaps some songs. I guess "The Court of the Crimson King"... even if it's not got dragons. I don't really remember the whole lyrics of "In the Wake of Poseidon" to get an idea if it's really got relation to mythology or it's only an allegory. Perhaps the Lizards from "Prince Rupert Awakes" could actually be dragons. "Formentera Lady" has something to do with The Odissey, so that should count as mythology (I guess "A Sailor's Tale" should be considered a continuation from the same theme)... and from there onwards I understand they mostly dropped those fantasy themes.
ELP... yeah, they got some sci-fi... Tarkus mostly, and Karn Evil... not sure about much more of it though. Yes has just about none of it, (Jon) Anderson's lyrics seem to try to be more spiritual than fantasy. Jethro Tull doesn't have much of it either, (Ian) Anderson's lyrics would be mostly more down to earth matters. Genesis... yeah, they have many fantasy and mythology themes, specially on the Gabriel years (and even if I actually like this themes, Genesis manages to represent them in a way that annoys me mostly).
Perhaps some of this few fantasy themes were given an overblown focus by haters in order to ridicule the genre, and perhaps lyrics from other hard-rock prog related bands, such as Led Zeppelin and Uriah Heep were thrown in the mix too. Well, I guess Rush is indeed to be considered among the prog big ones, and they do have their good share of sci-fi. Or perhaps the fact that prog hardly ever used the usual love and having fun themes annoyed the people who wanted those simple themes that wouldn't make them think much.
Joined: November 04 2013
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Posted: January 25 2016 at 23:44
Dellinger wrote:
Actually, this cliché that prog is plagued with dragons, fantasy, and sci-fi really annoys me, and surprises me. There's really not much of those themes in prog... at least not on the top-tier bands and albums.
That's a very good point. Fantasy has had a much stronger influence on the metal and hard rocks genres. I think it's just a general association based on the nerd stereotype.
I remember reading some out of touch reviewer complaining that Marillion sings about goblins just because the band was originally named after Tolkien's Silmarillion. The only fantasy-inspired song they did was Grendel, and that was based on a postmodernist novel adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf.
Joined: May 28 2005
Location: Germany
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Points: 10377
Posted: January 26 2016 at 01:52
Replayer wrote:
Dellinger wrote:
Actually, this cliché that prog is plagued with dragons, fantasy, and sci-fi really annoys me, and surprises me. There's really not much of those themes in prog... at least not on the top-tier bands and albums.
That's a very good point. Fantasy has had a much stronger influence on the metal and hard rocks genres. I think it's just a general association based on the nerd stereotype.
I remember reading some out of touch reviewer complaining that Marillion sings about goblins just because the band was originally named after Tolkien's Silmarillion. The only fantasy-inspired song they did was Grendel, and that was based on a postmodernist novel adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf.
I would not call "Grendel" "fantasy-inspired". it is inspired by a myth. you would not call anything based on Homer's siege of Troy "fantasy-inspired", or would you? and the story of Beowulf and Grendel is basically nothing else, only on a smaller scale
Edited by BaldJean - January 26 2016 at 04:33
A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta
Joined: October 31 2006
Location: Italy
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Posted: January 26 2016 at 03:40
Agree. Beowulf is the first epic poem of the British history. Being medieval it has elements that Tolkien stole several centuries after, but it's not fantasy.
Curiosity killed a cat, Schroedinger only half. My poor home recorded stuff at https://yellingxoanon.bandcamp.com
Joined: September 03 2005
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Posted: January 26 2016 at 04:13
BaldJean wrote:
Replayer wrote:
Dellinger wrote:
Actually, this cliché that prog is plagued with dragons, fantasy, and sci-fi really annoys me, and surprises me. There's really not much of those themes in prog... at least not on the top-tier bands and albums.
That's a very good point. Fantasy has had a much stronger influence on the metal and hard rocks genres. I think it's just a general association based on the nerd stereotype.
I remember reading some out of touch reviewer complaining that Marillion sings about goblins just because the band was originally named after Tolkien's Silmarillion. The only fantasy-inspired song they did was Grendel, and that was based on a postmodernist novel adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf.
I would not call "Grendel" "fantasy-inspired". it is inspired by a myth you would not call anything based on Homer's siege of Troy "fantasy-inspired", or would you? and the story of Beowulf and Grendel is basically nothing else, only on a smaller scale
I used to have a book on MARILLION where they explained that 'Grendel' was named after some insane alcoholic cocktail they conjured up out of about 9 different spirits/liquors..........
Joined: October 31 2006
Location: Italy
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Points: 13396
Posted: January 26 2016 at 05:15
Tom Ozric wrote:
BaldJean wrote:
Replayer wrote:
Dellinger wrote:
Actually, this cliché that prog is plagued with dragons, fantasy, and sci-fi really annoys me, and surprises me. There's really not much of those themes in prog... at least not on the top-tier bands and albums.
That's a very good point. Fantasy has had a much stronger influence on the metal and hard rocks genres. I think it's just a general association based on the nerd stereotype.
I remember reading some out of touch reviewer complaining that Marillion sings about goblins just because the band was originally named after Tolkien's Silmarillion. The only fantasy-inspired song they did was Grendel, and that was based on a postmodernist novel adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf.
I would not call "Grendel" "fantasy-inspired". it is inspired by a myth you would not call anything based on Homer's siege of Troy "fantasy-inspired", or would you? and the story of Beowulf and Grendel is basically nothing else, only on a smaller scale
I used to have a book on MARILLION where they explained that 'Grendel' was named after some insane alcoholic cocktail they conjured up out of about 9 different spirits/liquors..........
If so, they should have called it "Beowulf", insead. Good name for a cocktail.
Curiosity killed a cat, Schroedinger only half. My poor home recorded stuff at https://yellingxoanon.bandcamp.com
Joined: February 07 2009
Location: Canada
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Posted: January 26 2016 at 07:43
Another obvious one that comes to mind
Asia - First album
And now you find yourself in '82
The disco hot-spots hold no charm for you
You can't concern yourself with bigger things
You catch the pearl and ride the dragon's wings
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