Good lyrics in prog.. ? Where are they ?

I love the music, but my main problem with prog is that the poets are simply not there.

The lyrics in prog, good or bad, usually serve a different purpose than the Bob Dylan type lyrics... and they serve to enhance the music, not the other way around. So within the context of the music, it has an effect, but you wouldn't just read it usually.

Edited by King Crimson776 - December 19 2009 at 19:58

Sometimes I have to agree with you, excspecially in some TFK stuff.

Keith Reid is an excellent choice,  Peter Gabriel (especially as a solo artist - "Family Snapshot" is a personal favorite), I've always liked the social commentary of the lyrics of Ian Anderson and Roger Waters. As noted earlier Peter Hammill's lyrics are intense and often brilliant.

^Yeah, Fish definitely. Peter Gabriel and Marillion also have great lyrics. Opeth has some good lyrics, and Porcupine Tree has fantastic lyrics.

it's kinda an unfair question; it's true I wouldn't buy a book of poetry by Jon Anderson or a novel by Fish, but nor would I buy one from Paul McCartney, Cat Stevens or Billy Joel either.

'Good lyrics in prog'?   Roger Waters? Ian Anderson? Neil Peart? Gabriel for damn sure.

The entire album Dos, by Altered State, has some of the best lyrics ever wirtten anywhere.

Esben73 wrote: I love the music, but my main problem with prog is that the poets are simply not there. Come on, they aren't. Admit it. You would never read the "Collected poems and love stories of Jon Anderson". You would not pick up the "Novels of Fish in 19 volumes with a foreword by Steve Wilson".   Or maybe you would. I started the topic as a statement, but what I meant was just the question: are there any good prog lyricist out there ?? Or is Prog just the music ??? Who is the Bob Dylan of prog ?? Who do you think are truly fine prog lyricists ?

Yes I do admit it. Prog does at least have the lyrics of Peter Hamill, Roger Waters and at a pinch Kevin Gilbert and perhaps as a talented young 'bench warmer' Steven Wilson. (Although I note that John Cale has been sneaked into the first team of late on a free transfer) The remainder are but the overreaching adolescent drivel of those who read Tolkien, Science Fiction, fantasy literature, oriental mysticism and never recover.

Prog does not have a Lloyd Cole, Stan Ridgeway, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Tom Verlaine, Robert Smith, Neil Hannon, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Tim Finn, Robert Forster, Nick Cave, Morrissey, Frank Black, David Byrne, Elliott Smith, Ray Davies, Mark Smith (the list goes on)

For reasons I've never been able to fathom Prog would have still come up with something as overwrought as Tales From Topographic Oceans even if Jon Anderson's remit had been to write about the secular concerns of simple fisher folk from Hull. Draw your own conclusions of course but ain't it funny that both Floyd and VDGG appear to be less than comfortable with the appellation 'Progressive Rock' when it's applied to their work ?


Edited by ExittheLemming - December 20 2009 at 09:33

The beauty of PROG is that it doesn't follow any particular format for song writing.  most times the lyricist is telling a story, or creating a vision of a future or some sort of fantasy based tale  not necessarilly a poem with rhyming lyrics like most pop music

I don't even know where to begin.  Good lyrics permeate prog.  You must have a tin mind.