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John Gargo 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 26 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 450
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 Posted: February 15 2005 at 12:32 |
Gotta love those Neil Peart lyrics!!!
Live for yourself -- there's no one else
More worth living for
Begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more
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Dan Bobrowski
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: February 02 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 5243
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 12:15 |
 Sweetnighter wrote:
John Gargo wrote:
As a conservative (well, more closely to libertarian these days) myself, I put very little importance on political lyrics in songs. If I did that, I wouldn't listen to very much anything...  |
Alright so I'm not the only libertarian here!
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Three of a Perfect Pair, aren't we? 
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Sweetnighter
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 24 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1298
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 11:54 |
John Gargo wrote:
As a conservative (well, more closely to libertarian these days) myself, I put very little importance on political lyrics in songs. If I did that, I wouldn't listen to very much anything... |
Alright so I'm not the only libertarian here!
I think Rush is a good example of a more conservative rock group. Peart's interest in Ayn Rand and Objectivism in the 70s definitely steered the band in that direction, and many political and philosophically related themes show up in songs like "Something for Nothing", "Freewill", "Cinderella Man", and of course "2112". Not that anything Peart has written for the band has been as outwardly political as what Waters was writing for Pink Floyd, but it's there in a subtle way.
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I bleed coffee. When I don't drink coffee, my veins run dry, and I shrivel up and die.
"Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso? Is that like the bank of Italian soccer death or something?" -my girlfriend
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Ivan_Melgar_M
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 27 2004
Location: Peru
Status: Offline
Points: 19557
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 10:17 |
Due to Peter's political inclination they had acouple of lyrics that talked about revolutions and social issues like The Knife and Get 'em Out by Friday, later without Gebriel they released One for the Vine (Even when I read on another forum that this last song is about Moses, something I don't believe).
But they had the good taste to tell fiction stories and not actual themes like other do, using music as a political instrument.
Iván
Edited by ivan_2068
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Man Erg
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: August 26 2004
Location: Isle of Lucy
Status: Offline
Points: 7456
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 10:02 |
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If you listen to any RiO (Rock in Opposition)bands that include a vocalist the lyrics are mostly political.The origin for these bands was circa 1968 when,after the 'Summer of Love' there came the 'Summer of (student) Riots,' ie Paris and London for example.RiO bands are predominantly French or British eg Art Zoyd,Henry Cow,Univers Zero etc.their musical styles resemble a Canterbury/Avant Garde/Jazz Fusion.
Edited by Man Erg
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Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb.
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John Gargo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 26 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 450
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 09:55 |
As a conservative (well, more closely to libertarian these days) myself, I put very little importance on political lyrics in songs. If I did that, I wouldn't listen to very much anything...
Edited by John Gargo
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Trotsky
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 25 2004
Location: Malaysia
Status: Offline
Points: 2785
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 09:48 |
You may wonder why I feel compelled to comment 
But the truth is I've always tried to keep my love for music and
left-wing politics separate (well aside from a couple of embarassing
sloganeering songs I wrote in my mid-teens) ... It's fair to say that a
vast majority of my favourite songwriters/artistes are apolitical.
Prog has always been among the most intellectual forms of "popular"
music and it was inevitable that the likes of Henry Cow and Robert
Wyatt would emerge. But while I admit to looking a little bit more
kindly on their music because of the leftist leanings, I can't imagine
anyone falling in love with Leg End or Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard
because of the politics involved ...
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"Death to Utopia! Death to faith! Death to love! Death to hope?" thunders the 20th century. "Surrender, you pathetic dreamer.”
"No" replies the unhumbled optimist "You are only the present."
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Sean Trane
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 20596
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 09:25 |
Actually a good part of Kraurock groups in the late 60's and early 70's were so socially conscious in their text that the press started to talk about Polit Rock. Among which were consider as such Amon Duul and Amon Duul I as well as Kluster/Cluster but also Can . All were closely related to left-wing political ideas sometimes even at the extreme left. Of course Amon Duul evolved out of a hippy commune (much like GonG and Grateful Dead did - or at least were the focal points of a commune), so there was of course not much a chance they would be right wing capitalists.
As for right wing politics, they appear not too present in rock lyrics - except for extreme right/fascist in some hard core groups and also except for christian rock - no link between the two intended. But the fact that some people will do anything to succed (boys band , Girlies teen stars, a lot of New Wave - Human League - and Hair Metal - Bon Jovi - groups) cashing in on their looks, this was capitalism/opportunism and therefore hidden political ideas. This might also translate into thefact that most musicians are afraid to appear right-wing , but is rock stardom as such with all its excesses not right wing?
Just a few thoughts and no political intentions meant.
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Metropolis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 20 2004
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 760
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 09:07 |
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aye, floyd were very much a bunch of lefties
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We Lost the Skyline............
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Man Erg
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: August 26 2004
Location: Isle of Lucy
Status: Offline
Points: 7456
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 09:03 |
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Pink Floyds Animals and The Wall had polical themes
if I'm not mistaken.As did Banco Muteo Soccorso's
albums.
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Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb.
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Emperor
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 08 2004
Location: Russian Federation
Status: Offline
Points: 480
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 08:46 |
Alucard wrote:
In the beginning I was just astonished that the Italian group Area didn't showed so often in the threads about italian Prog. Area were well known in the 70's for their music but mainly for their political (leftwing) engagement. They used to play the international during their concerts and used their concerts as their music as a political tool. Robert Wyatt was openly engaged for the communist party, as Billy Brag. Zappa was very engaged in Politics. Prog is often connected with Fairy Tales or, so I thought it could be interesting having a discussion about the "political" aspects of Prog and/ or engagements. |
Frankly speaking, it doesen't matter to me what political system adore musicians in case they play music good  John Lennon, Manfred Mann, Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel had their moments of political influence, though it all was fragmentary and not for a long time for them...
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I Prophesy Disaster...
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 08:34 |
The musicians you mentioned were all afilliated with the left.
It seems there were very few with right wing tendancies.
I know Phil Collins was a Tory, and once said he would leave the UK if Labour got into power, as he believed he would have to pay more tax.
Prog is not that political, and its probably better that way. I think one of the aims of prog was to avoid politics and to provide some escapism from all that sh!t.
Edited by Blacksword
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Alucard
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: September 10 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 3888
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Posted: February 15 2005 at 08:26 |
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In the beginning I was just astonished that the Italian group Area didn't showed so often in the threads about italian Prog. Area were well known in the 70's for their music but mainly for their political (leftwing) engagement. They used to play the international during their concerts and used their concerts as their music as a political tool. Robert Wyatt was openly engaged for the communist party, as Billy Brag. Zappa was very engaged in Politics. Prog is often connected with Fairy Tales or, so I thought it could be interesting having a discussion about the "political" aspects of Prog and/ or engagements.
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Prog and Politics
