A Trick of the Tail - A Concept Album?

No no no!. I mean the lyrical content does address the album cover but it is far from a concept album!


Edited by ProgMetaller2112 - April 26 2013 at 00:16

No...

I'm not open to any wrong thinking. Are you?

The title track is indeed based on "The Inheritors":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trick_of_the_Tail_%28song%29

I can’t see how the rest of the songs fit in, though, but I haven’t read the book. Your case would be stronger if you could be more specific.

I never thought `Trick' was an actual concept album, but rather a collection of fairy tales or fantasy stories! The beautiful LP sleeve and even the remastered CD booklet present the words like an old book too

Since when is Selling England and Duke concept albums anyway?

Tubes wrote: Dancing is, for most men, just a pre-mating ritual... foreplay, if you will. However many cultures have traditional dances, but for what? No discernible purpose - like a ritual. Dancing on a volcano seems to be about a human sacrifice to me. And that's where dancing, a ritual, is a metaphor for other kinds of organized mass behavior - like religion, which is heavily corrupted these days with rituals, or war which can be seen as a 'sacrifice'... possibly the connections between both. Maybe I'm not providing the best expression of my interpretation that I could be...

I always interpreted that song to be about the struggle to get to the top of whatever you happen to be climbing; a career ladder, or some kind of goal of personal fulfillment and development, and the hazards and pitfalls of not 'doing it right' The volcano being a very basic metaphor for something seeming out of reach, and if you you're ascending it, potentially very hazardous. Not everyone makes it to the top "Your friends didn't make it through"

"You're half way up and you're half way down, and the pack on your back keeps turning you around. Throw it away you don't need it up there, and remember you don't look back whatever you do" - A basic word of warning about looking back and being derailed from your goals by your doubts; your burden the 'pack on your back' Let it go and focus on your ascent.

But then there are seemingly literal lines like 'the molten rock spills out over the land' and 'The lava's the lover that licks your boots away'

I guess you could interpret it in any number of ways. It may well have been written so that nerdy prog fans could discuss these things ad nauseum..

I wouldn't say ATOTT is a concept album at all. Like many great prog works there are reoccuring musical themes here and there, and the album does have a very special and consistent feel throughout, but then many well written produced and performed albums do.

You could argue that Wind & Wuthering is also at least a partial concept album if we apply the same logic. A number of songs are about turmoil and conflict from different perspectives. 'Eleventh Earl of Mar' from a historical perspective. 'One for the Vine' from a fantasy or mythological setting. 'All in a mouses night' classic cat and mouse conflict, but one where the roles are reversed and the underdog overpowers the stronger protagonist. 'Blood on the rooftops' a depressing musing on how f***ed up the world is through the eyes of the normal Joe watching it unfold on TV, hypnotised and desensitised by dumbed down TV shows and relentless horrible news reportage. 'Afterglow' a ballad about a man who's lost everything in the aftermath of some disaster, maybe a nuclear war ("like the dust that settles all around me")

Who knows?

EDIT: My understanding is that a conceot album tells a story of somekind. It's not just a collection of songs ambiguously and loosely exploring some similar themes.

Edited by Blacksword - April 26 2013 at 05:34

^I agree with you on "Dance …" I’ve always thought it was about careering.

chopper wrote: Blacksword wrote: Tubes wrote: Dancing is, for most men, just a pre-mating ritual... foreplay, if you will. However many cultures have traditional dances, but for what? No discernible purpose - like a ritual. Dancing on a volcano seems to be about a human sacrifice to me. And that's where dancing, a ritual, is a metaphor for other kinds of organized mass behavior - like religion, which is heavily corrupted these days with rituals, or war which can be seen as a 'sacrifice'... possibly the connections between both. Maybe I'm not providing the best expression of my interpretation that I could be...  I always interpreted that song to be about the struggle to get to the top of whatever you happen to be climbing; a career ladder, or some kind of goal of personal fulfillment and development, and the hazards and pitfalls of not 'doing it right' The volcano being a very basic metaphor for something seeming out of reach, and if you you're ascending it, potentially very hazardous. Not everyone makes it to the top "Your friends didn't make it through" "You're half way up and you're half way down, and the pack on your back keeps turning you around. Throw it away you don't need it up there, and remember you don't look back whatever you do" - A basic word of warning about looking back and being derailed from your goals by your doubts; your burden the 'pack on your back' Let it go and focus on your ascent. But then there are seemingly literal lines like 'the molten rock spills out over the land' and 'The lava's the lover that licks your boots away' I guess you could interpret it in any number of ways. It may well have been written so that nerdy prog fans could discuss these things ad nauseum.. I wouldn't say ATOTT is a concept album at all. Like many great prog works there are reoccuring musical themes here and there, and the album does have a very special and consistent feel throughout, but then many well written produced and performed albums do. You could argue that Wind & Wuthering is also at least a partial concept album if we apply the same logic. A number of songs are about turmoil and conflict from different perspectives. 'Eleventh Earl of Mar' from a historical perspective. 'One for the Vine' from a fantasy or mythological setting. 'All in a mouses night' classic cat and mouse conflict, but one where the roles are reversed and the underdog overpowers the stronger protagonist. 'Blood on the rooftops' a depressing musing on how f***ed up the world is through the eyes of the normal Joe watching it unfold on TV, hypnotised and desensitised by dumbed down TV shows and relentless horrible news reportage. 'Afterglow' a ballad about a man who's lost everything in the aftermath of some disaster, maybe a nuclear war ("like the dust that settles all around me") Who knows? EDIT: My understanding is that a conceot album tells a story of somekind. It's not just a collection of songs ambiguously and loosely exploring some similar themes. Sounds like a good interpretation Andy, although I'm slightly puzzled by the line "''Crosses are green and crosses are blue''.   "It may well have been written so that nerdy prog fans could discuss these things ad nauseum.. "   Interesting facts about ATOTT (the song) that I've just read on Wikipedia -   "The majority of the song was written in 1972 and was originally intended for the Foxtrot album. The song's rhythm, according to Banks, is heavily influenced by The Beatles' "Getting Better"."

I think it would have sat quite well on a Gabriel fronted album. It's my least favourite song on ATOTT, but I think Gabriels Genesis would have presented it a little differently. I like to think so, anyway.

Anyway, with regard to the any 'concept' on ATOTT I don't see where Entangled and Squonk would fit in.

If for one thing I would have liked to be an English language native it's for being able to better interpret lyrics. My English is decent enough to understand but I often fail in being able to interpret all the nuances. Plus when it's not your native language you can't help putting the focus more on the music than on the lyrics.