Mythology in Prog |
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soundscape
Forum Newbie Joined: June 22 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 34 |
Topic: Mythology in Prog Posted: January 17 2008 at 23:46 |
Hey Gang,
It has been a while since last I posted, but I thought perhaps some folks would be willing to open a dialogue concerning Music influenced by Mythology. I have found that there are quite a lot of references to Mythology throughout progressive rock, so I would like to compile the list. To open this, lets just focus for now on Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Mythology. I of course am already starting with Derek Sherinian and Symphony X with both fo their mythology albums. Then there is Fountain of Salmacis, Maidens refence to Icarus, Siren songs all over the place. What other songs do you guys know of that are inspired by these mythologies?
Woody Harris
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fighting sleep
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 04 2007 Location: U.S.A Status: Offline Points: 155 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 00:27 |
Well, there's Pink Floyd's Sysyphus suite, even if it really has nothing to do with sysyphus...
....and that's all i can think of right now. It seems like the big place you'd find things like that is in symphonic prog, and I don't listen to much of that besides Yes and Genesis (whose old stuff is a hotbed of mythology: Harlequin, Can-Utility and the Coastliners, Seven Stones, and of course Fountain of Salmacis).
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Hat of Truth
Forum Groupie Joined: October 13 2007 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 82 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 08:25 |
I don't think prog deals with mythology that much, more folk-lore and religion. Like, there's more songs about trolls then hercules.
And why only focus on Greek, Roman and Egyptian? There's allot more old mythologies prog are more likely to write about, like indians or vikings. |
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BaldFriede
Prog Reviewer Joined: June 02 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10261 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 08:43 |
I think it is pretty hard to draw the line between these. For example, if you are interested in the Gods of ancient Greece a lot of myths about them immediately spring to mind, like Zeus and his many amorous adventures with human women. |
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BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
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sean
Prog Reviewer Joined: April 02 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1155 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 09:10 |
I agree you shouldn't focus on those mythologies, as the Germanic and Scandinavian cultures have a lot of interesting mythology. Many bands from Scandinavian like to write about their mythology, so you could look into those.
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BaldFriede
Prog Reviewer Joined: June 02 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10261 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 09:19 |
One of my favourite albums is about the ancient Egyptian Gods and the myths connected to them. It is Nik Turner's "Xitintoday" album from 1978, recorded with the help of musicians from Gong, Hawkwind and Brand X.
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BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
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cynthiasmallet
Forum Senior Member Joined: October 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 545 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 12:04 |
Eruption by Focus tells the story of The Lyre of Orpheus entirely through music. That's the main reason I prefer it to Hamburger Concerto, because that's about erm.... burgers .
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Would you like to watch TV, or get between the sheets, or contemplate the silent freeway, would you like something to eat?
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stonebeard
Forum Senior Member Joined: May 27 2005 Location: NE Indiana Status: Offline Points: 28057 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 14:05 |
Eloy - Ocean (something about "Poseidon's Creation," whatever that is)
Arena - "Sirens" (of The Odyssey fame) Edited by stonebeard - January 18 2008 at 14:05 |
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BaldFriede
Prog Reviewer Joined: June 02 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10261 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 14:24 |
In the myth of Perseus Poseidon, the brother of Zeus and ruler of the sea, created a sea monster that haunted the coast because her mother Cassiopeia had boasted she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the daughters of the Sea-God Nereus, who often accompany Poseidon. Cepheus and Cassiopeia sacrificed their daughter to pacify him; she was rescued by Perseus who came along on the flying horse Pegasus and held the head of the Medusa in front of the sea monster, which turned it into a stone. Eloy probably refer to that monster. Edited by BaldFriede - January 18 2008 at 14:40 |
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BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
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Raff
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 29 2005 Location: None Status: Offline Points: 24391 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 14:28 |
I am quite sure there was another very similar thread around before the holidays - I remember posting in it.
Anyway, since it is the subject I am researching at the moment, I cannot help mentioning the double CD inspired by the Finnish epic Kalevala, which can be found in our database (http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=3352). |
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micky
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 02 2005 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 46828 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 14:38 |
^ I want that album
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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TGM: Orb
Prog Reviewer Joined: October 21 2007 Location: n/a Status: Offline Points: 8052 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 15:06 |
You've probably already got it, but The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway has loads of mythology thrown in. Rush also has one or two references, most particularly:
'the X-ray is her siren song' (Cygnus X-I) IWSMW (If wikipedia serves me well) In The Court Of The Crimson King has a biblical/Satanic premise. |
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magnus
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 19 2006 Location: Norway Status: Offline Points: 865 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 16:53 |
You guys mentioned some Genesis songs, but not The Cinema Show, in which Peter Gabriel sings about Tiresias, who is an interesting figure in mythology!
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The scattered jigsaw of my redemption laid out before my eyes
Each piece as amorphous as the other - Each piece in its lack of shape a lie |
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BaldJean
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 28 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10377 |
Posted: January 18 2008 at 17:01 |
Tiresias is a blind seer in Greek mythology. it is he who tells Oedipus that he has murdered his father and married his mother when he is being asked about the cause of a plague that is haunting the country. slso Odysseus asks the shade of Tiresias how he can get home to Ithaca when he visits the Greek underworld |
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A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
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martinprog77
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 31 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2511 |
Posted: January 19 2008 at 05:35 |
virgin steele
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Nothing can last
there are no second chances. Never give a day away. Always live for today. |
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MikeEnRegalia
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: April 22 2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 20522 |
Posted: January 19 2008 at 05:41 |
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Abstrakt
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 18 2005 Location: Soundgarden Status: Offline Points: 18292 |
Posted: January 19 2008 at 05:58 |
Eloy - Ocean
It mentions Poseidon, Atlantis and many other greek-mtyhology stuff.
All wrapped into a neat Symphonic Spacerock Package!
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MikeEnRegalia
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: April 22 2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 20522 |
Posted: January 19 2008 at 07:19 |
^ Symphony X - V: The new Mythology Suite is a concept album about the downfall of Atlantis. The best Progressive Power Metal album *ever*, in my humble opinion!
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