Ghost Rider wrote: As far as I know, no - and neither Italy nor Germany have the monopoly on extreme right-wing movements. I'm from Italy myself, and while there might have been (or still be) some less known right-wing bands, the best-known ones had nothing to do with politics at all, or were rather on the opposite side (as is the case of Area).

Area, are they a communist prog band then?  if they're the opposite side to fascism.

iguana wrote: prog orientated bands from germany are usually of a left-field attitude ... surpise, surprise, eh? now, get back behind your 'daily mirror' or 'sun' and STOP PICKING ON US!!!!

perhaps this is in response to the type of government the country has had in the past?  i.e. germany/fascist, so it produces more socialist/left-wing style bands.  Likewise with Italy.  I wonder if Russia has produced a lot of fascist bands.

actually, I prefer Die Welt.

This sort of provides evidence to my statement above:

Floh De Cologne - Geyer Symphonie
Comments:
Geyer Symphonie might not be for everyone, but it is an interesting find if you take it more as humor rather than a serious political statement. Apparently, these guys were a pro-Communist band in the 70s, and this album is full of spoken-word socialist propaganda(in German). The music, while never complex, seems influenced by Frank Zappa's cut-and-paste style featured on early-Mothers Of Invention albums. The passages are quick and vary from traditional German folk to bluegrass to krautrock(they play many styles in a quirky way). Musically, these guys don't take themselves seriously, but when the narration begins the atmosphere takes a serious tone. This is a great album to put on after Faust's The Faust Tapes, or Can's Tago Mago. Geyer Symphonie is just one of those weird albums!

spectral wrote: iguana wrote: prog orientated bands from germany are usually of a left-field attitude ... surpise, surprise, eh? now, get back behind your 'daily mirror' or 'sun' and STOP PICKING ON US!!!! perhaps this is in response to the type of government the country has had in the past?  i.e. germany/fascist, so it produces more socialist/left-wing style bands.  Likewise with Italy.  I wonder if Russia has produced a lot of fascist bands. actually, I prefer Die Welt.

Spectral Don't be an asshole! The place with the most fascist groups would be where hooliganism was born.  Skinheads first appeared in the UK!

Italy and Germany prog groups were very-left wing!

Not even going to check out your other two threads!

Sean Trane wrote: Spectral Don't be an asshole! The place with the most fascist groups would be where hooliganism was born.  Skinheads first appeared in the UK! Italy and Germany prog groups were very-left wing! Not even going to check out your other two threads!

The UK has never had a fascist government. 

I'm being obtuse, but I'm also trying to make the point that prog bands may have surfaced with a polarised political view of their current govt.

Snow Dog wrote: The Trees seems to be an anti communist song. Being anti Communist doesn't make you fascist though does it. I always despised the hip and trendy NME anyway!!

NME - No Musical Experience

Snow Dog wrote: The Trees seems to be an anti communist song. Being anti Communist doesn't make you fascist though does it. I always despised the hip and trendy NME anyway!!

I read The Trees as the American Oaks taking all of the sunlight away from the Canadian Maples , something a lot of Torontonians (which I was in the 70's and 80's) felt the same.

Not really about opression or repression , but a feeling of being suffocated by a huge neighbor, who was never really asking if those missiles and jets (flying the polar route to Russia) bothered the Canadians. Just an example among hundreds.

Sean Trane wrote: Snow Dog wrote: The Trees seems to be an anti communist song. Being anti Communist doesn't make you fascist though does it. I always despised the hip and trendy NME anyway!! I read The Trees as the American Oaks taking all of the sunlight away from the Canadian Maples , something a lot of Torontonians (which I was in the 70's and 80's) felt the same. Not really about opression or repression , but a feeling of being suffocated by a huge neighbor, who was never really asking if those missiles and jets (flying the polar route to Russia) bothered the Canadians. Just an example among hundreds.

Either that or it was written out of Peart's guilt for doing exactly the equivalent to John Rustey drumming wise

Infinity wrote: Sean Trane wrote: Snow Dog wrote: The Trees seems to be an anti communist song. Being anti Communist doesn't make you fascist though does it. I always despised the hip and trendy NME anyway!! I read The Trees as the American Oaks taking all of the sunlight away from the Canadian Maples , something a lot of Torontonians (which I was in the 70's and 80's) felt the same. Not really about opression or repression , but a feeling of being suffocated by a huge neighbor, who was never really asking if those missiles and jets (flying the polar route to Russia) bothered the Canadians. Just an example among hundreds. Either that or it was written out of Peart's guilt for doing exactly the equivalent to John Rustey drumming wise

Maybe, but why Oaks for America , is it significant? And at the end of the song they all have to be cut to equal heights! Everyone equal, you see?

during their Transe Europe express / Man Machine period Kraftwerk were called to be fascist...totally unjustified. The band was really more into futurist & dadaism ideas (if we are looking the band's imaginary)

I would think that progressive rock and fascism were mutually exclusive.  I don't think fascists could muster up the brain power to write long complex songs.  As for Rush being fascist, both they and Ayn Rand are libertarian, a political philosophy to which I subscribe, although Rush and Rand took that philosophy to some rather absurd extremes.  I would consider both to be more along the lines of anarchists than fascists.

I always interpreted The Trees as being about affirmative action and feminism, even though I know that's probably not what Peart was talking about.

Bloody Hell!!

"The Trees" is about perceived inequality and the reaction to it.It ridicules Communisms notion of making everyone equal and how Russia and the like went about it ie with hatchet,axe and saw.

I agree with Seyo, this thread is crap, and can even be offensive. Germany isn't even fascist, that's the past ... the most fascist-like country nowadays seems to be the one I live in (USA).

The rest of the reasons are given by Seyo.

Seyo wrote: This is a bullsh*t thread, like that one about "communism" in music. I think most musicians dont care much about politics and even if they have any sort of political conviction, they trade them a lot. They will utilize "fascist" iconography for the sake of the art expression or because they want to shock and attract audience. Some may remember that English punks including the Pistols used Nazi symbols but that does not mean they ARE nazis. Slovenian Laibach did the same for their artistic concept and to cause sensation. Indeed, there are subcultural extreme right groups who have their bands but they have purpose to spread their political ideas not to make music as art expression. And, yes - UK had a fascist party during the Nazi period in Germany (like most of Europe for that matter), but they were not in power (Oswald Mosley if I am correct).

the uk still has a fascist party (BNP) but they, like Mosley will never get into govt.

About The Trees; I think the lyrics describe an abstract conflict with two different parties seeking lifespace and profit, and they are kept in equal level by the force of the 3rd party (goverment).

What ever Peart thought they were when he wrote the lyrics doesn't interest me, but they are good lyrics, as each can understand in their own way, and perhaps use them to realize something from their own lifes.

This is a bullsh*t thread

No kidding

Here's a REAL question!

Are there any Prog bands that believe in personal and individual freedom and liberty? Or do you have to believe in some form of statism to play Progressive music?

jaja the fat (I dont remember his name) member of BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO is comunist.

Also Robert Fripp jaja

Viva la cuba libre ! GODSPEED free Cuba

Ed_The_Dead wrote: Well, there's a polish heavy/punk band called Combat 64 or something like that, and they are strict nazi's

mm polish?? After all the things the nazis made in there its Contradictory.

King of Loss wrote: May I remind everyone that Communism is NOT the opposite of Fascism. Self-rule/Libertarianism is the opposite of Fascism.

marxism, the true communism, is the ideological opposite of fascism.

spectral wrote: King of Loss wrote: May I remind everyone that Communism is NOT the opposite of Fascism. Self-rule/Libertarianism is the opposite of Fascism. marxism, the true communism, is the ideological opposite of fascism.

True

bamba wrote: Ed_The_Dead wrote: Well, there's a polish heavy/punk band called Combat 64 or something like that, and they are strict nazi's mm polish?? After all the things the nazis made in there its Contradictory.

Found it quite suprising myself... a bit schocking even

marxism, the true communism, is the ideological opposite of fascism

Marxism is an impossible ideal due to the very nature of living beings.....

Littlewashu5 wrote: marxism, the true communism, is the ideological opposite of fascism Marxism is an impossible ideal due to the very nature of living beings.....

It is an idealogy, a concept about human life.  I would say that your statement is impossible to prove and it's ultimately a damning indictment of humanity.

Tony R wrote: The NME once called Rush fascist,when it dallied with Ayn Rand's half-baked philosophies.They even went as far as to call them "a danger to our nation's youth." At that time being called a "fascist" and "Nazi" were often interchangeable.This was very upsetting for Geddy Lee who is Jewish. I think part of the reason Rush shyed away from their long epic tracks and concepts was because of the stigma of 2112 and to some extent "Hemispheres" being associated with Randean philosophy.

There's a great article about that in a book called "Progressive Rock Reconsidered," about Rush and the philosophies of Ayn Rand. And no, she's not facist, I've read "Anthem," and in no way is it "fascist". It mainly celebrates egotism as a virtue, and individuality. Facism is the opposite, really, with one dictator commanding everyone else. Hitler's army weren't individualists, at least in the sense that they didn't think for themselves. People see that individulity conflicts with the idea of left-wingers and the communist ideal of "all as one", and automatically conclude it must be the opposite, when in reality it can't be defined in such black-and-white terms. I myself am really unsure who's right, individualism or communists, I have sympathies either way, really.

bamba wrote: spectral wrote: King of Loss wrote: May I remind everyone that Communism is NOT the opposite of Fascism. Self-rule/Libertarianism is the opposite of Fascism. marxism, the true communism, is the ideological opposite of fascism. True

Ugh..............No. Marxism, the true communism is the ideologically opposite of people such as General Pinochet or Margaret Thatcher.