Prog Rock Visions, Visuals, and Sentimentalites!

"That's not the way I play", sorry, I was typing really fast.

It's time for another one, when I am swimming (I swim everyday), music is always on my head, thanks to my stroke, my kick, my breathing technique, the rhythm of swimming brings music to my mind. One of the common ones is Vangelis Sirens' whispering from Oceanic ( I know is not Prog, or the best album from him), for example, today I swam on the sea at 7am, that song has the rhythm of the waves, the human voices on that tune do the imitation of the currents, then Vangelis keyboards make the perfect match to my strokes plus kicking, it's like being in harmony with the sea, I don't swim with headphones, I don't like the feeling, they cut the thrill of being on the acuatic enviroment, and in my head, I got more than a handful of songs to choose from, 

Edited by Hans il mercante - August 23 2014 at 14:13

All of these answers are awesome .

Hi,

Weird that you say that ... the main, and ONLY, reason why I listen to any music, is because it is the most important part of my "inner life" and "vision". There is music inside my head, that I have yet to hear!!!

Music is not the only thing that brings "visuals" to me. Movies help, and sometimes bring even MORE to me, than music does. Theater does, it could be a gesture, a word, a light, a movement, anything.

Honestly, I think you are confusing one of all humans best assets and points, the one that has been b*****dized and sometimes called a deity, when it was no different than just a dream, or a vision, or an inspiration ... music, is but one expression that can "carry" that visual, although, when discussed here in the terms that some people do, I seriously doubt that half the folks that wrote the "definition" ever considered the visual nature of  ANY MUSIC, and its history, because the whole definition is about details that have nothing to do with progressive any more than it does with you going to the nuthouse, or bathroom!

The harsh/hard part of this, is people thinking that a lot of this stuff, in the early days, was drug related, and some of it was, but a whole lot of it was NOT, and in some cases the musicianship and desired that was necessary to pull it off, was beyond the ability for anyone to play the music so ripped and not know what they were doing. In this sense, you will even find Pink Floyd (notably Roger!) get upset more than once in many bootlegs because of too much dope in the audience, which he felt bothered him!

There is no music that I listen to that does not have visuals. Period. I guess I have an over active Pineal Gland, unlike some members of this club.

moshkito wrote: The harsh/hard part of this, is people thinking that a lot of this stuff, in the early days, was drug related, and some of it was, but a whole lot of it was NOT, and in some cases the musicianship and desired that was necessary to pull it off, was beyond the ability for anyone to play the music so ripped and not know what they were doing. In this sense, you will even find Pink Floyd (notably Roger!) get upset more than once in many bootlegs because of too much dope in the audience, which he felt bothered him!

I’ve always had zero patience for those who believe that any music that strives to be different or anything other than the most commercial dreck HAS TO BE drug-related or only listened to when high. I’ve never done drugs more serious than aspirin or acetaminophen, and I’ve never had a problem appreciating music considered by some to be spacey or weird. It’s much the same mentality as you get from those who ask creative people “Where do you get your ideas?” as if coming up with them right out of one’s own imagination is an alien concept.

I totally agree with Hans il mercante over the Santana piece he mentioned. Some others that evoke a certain mood or recollection or that otherwise make me zone out include:

Vangelis – Creation du Monde. A near-perfect evocation of order forming from chaos.
Weather Report – Jungle Book. Brings to mind a festive village atmosphere.
Jon Anderson – Olias of Sunhillow, the whole album, but especially Song of Search.
Ambrosia – Cowboy Star. The ending section brings to mind steep canyons glowing preternaturally in the moonlight.

I should definitely come up with more before too long.

The Damo Suzuki era of Can always reminds me of 1970s action/crime film soundtracks, so I always imagine that kind of gritty and bleak yet colourful and stylish urban decay drama to go along with it. It probably has to do with the funk/jazz influence in the rhythm combined with the drawn-out soundscape direction of the music. I get a similar vibe from Budgie, though, which is weird because the two bands sound nothing alike. It does have that scruffy, dirty feel characterizing a lot of 1970s hard rock.

Speaking of German stuff, mid-1970s Tangerine Dream makes me think more of ancient civilizations and cyclopean Egyptian/Greek architecture than it does of outer space or unexplored nature like I get with their surrounding eras or most of Klaus Schulze's output. Maybe it has to do with it being very obviously structured and composed, hence very classical, but also having this mysterious and kind of ritualistic atmosphere?

When it comes to contemporary acts Russian Circles always make me think of Eastern European landscapes and often abandoned or decayed Soviet-era futuristic architecture. This is in part because of their name I reckon, but also because their sound is very obviously high-tech in the instrumental proficiency yet has something earthy and organic to the expansive way the compositions unfold. The melodic sensibility is also a bit off in ways that strike me as stereotypical Eastern in that way.

I got another one of my favorites, but not prog, classical, interested?

Well PrognosticMind, here I go again, another one that brings really strong images is Neptune by Gustav Holst, th whole Planets suite is very visual, it takes you where it wants, I simply love that work, stunning music, awesome concept, what else can you ask for?.

Edited by Hans il mercante - August 28 2014 at 19:19