Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Songs "sinister"/"evil" as Master Builder - Gong
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Songs "sinister"/"evil" as Master Builder - Gong
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Icarium View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: March 21 2008
Location: Tigerstaden
Status: Offline
Points: 34050 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Icarium Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Songs "sinister"/"evil" as Master Builder - Gong
    Posted: May 11 2020 at 15:55
This song have becomes one of my frequently revisited tracks of any prog album. It makes me go bonkers when i hear it live. Seen Gong + Steve Hillage twice, and this is the highlight.

The bass is my altime favourite in prog realm. Mike Howlett is an unspoken groove maater, Pieer Moerlen is as incredible on the drums and Hillage is mr sinister on the guitar tone. And wild mad sax by Didier Malherbe

Yes to me, this song evoke a sinister and "evil" mood.

Edited by Icarium - May 11 2020 at 15:57
Back to Top
Tom Ozric View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom Ozric Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 17:12
The Glorious Om Riff from the Steve Hillage album Green. But you probably know it already....
Back to Top
dougmcauliffe View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 23 2019
Location: US
Status: Offline
Points: 3895 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 18:14
I feel like I've heard a handful of Canterbury tracks sorta like that, National Healths second album might have that sort of sound.
The sun has left the sky...
...Now you can close your eyes
Back to Top
Tom Ozric View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom Ozric Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 18:38
Gnat Prong from Hugh Hopper - Hopper Tunity Box
Back to Top
moshkito View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 16146 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 18:46
Hi,

Having known both Daevid, Gilli and Mike, I am not sure that there is a single ounce of "evil" in any of them.

As an example, when they were here on a Western part of their tour, I spent time with them a lot and took pictures, and going around with Gilli to Fred Meyer's so she could get fun stuff, one of her complaint was that the "stories" invented around Halloween (it was during that time of the year), were horrible and made the whole thing seem worse than it really was.

She was not what folks might call a "witch", even if her characterization at times comes out like that ... but she did say that attraction/reflection is a real problem, and she was much more modern of a spiritual person, than anything else, as was Daevid.

You don't go around teaching meditation and guitar stuff (glissando specially!) when "sinister" is the course. And for Gilli, you don't do "Mother Gong" for sinister purposes. The setting and the time of its story (specially the whole Robot Woman thing), is more about a whole society's madness and malicious thinking than it is real.

It's rather sad, for me, to see that someone thinks that there is something sinister here ... it is much more a trip and how it escalates to a point where it seems everything is just nutz and crazy, and yet ... it's not ... there it is ... musically sound and done. But I am not sure that many people have actually tried these things with psychedelics, and most are still smoking their "cigarettes" with grass that is not even conducive to a good trip anymore and is so laced with crap as to distort your trip ... and confuse you even more!

There is a lot more sinister and evil in things like Harry Potter, than there will ever be in GONG.

You don't go around saying "Welcome Magick Brothers and Mystic Sisters ..." because you dislike people ... you do this because it is like inviting everyone to a special party where we love and appreciate each and everyone for their differences and work. And for them, it was more about the artistic side of it all, than anything else. Both Daevid and Gilli, were the "BEAT WRITERS" of music and poetry ... and I am scared of even thinking that the further bus trips are "sinister and evil" when you see the reality in front of you the whole time ... it's an individual thing and some folks can't handle it and think that it is bad, because they like a more ordered universe around them ... for others ... its an experience in one's life ... out of many!


Edited by moshkito - May 11 2020 at 18:48
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
Back to Top
dougmcauliffe View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 23 2019
Location: US
Status: Offline
Points: 3895 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 19:16
To follow up my original comment, try this.




Edited by dougmcauliffe - May 11 2020 at 19:19
The sun has left the sky...
...Now you can close your eyes
Back to Top
Tom Ozric View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom Ozric Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 20:00
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Hi,

Having known both Daevid, Gilli and Mike, I am not sure that there is a single ounce of "evil" in any of them.

As an example, when they were here on a Western part of their tour, I spent time with them a lot and took pictures, and going around with Gilli to Fred Meyer's so she could get fun stuff, one of her complaint was that the "stories" invented around Halloween (it was during that time of the year), were horrible and made the whole thing seem worse than it really was.

She was not what folks might call a "witch", even if her characterization at times comes out like that ... but she did say that attraction/reflection is a real problem, and she was much more modern of a spiritual person, than anything else, as was Daevid.

You don't go around teaching meditation and guitar stuff (glissando specially!) when "sinister" is the course. And for Gilli, you don't do "Mother Gong" for sinister purposes. The setting and the time of its story (specially the whole Robot Woman thing), is more about a whole society's madness and malicious thinking than it is real.

It's rather sad, for me, to see that someone thinks that there is something sinister here ... it is much more a trip and how it escalates to a point where it seems everything is just nutz and crazy, and yet ... it's not ... there it is ... musically sound and done. But I am not sure that many people have actually tried these things with psychedelics, and most are still smoking their "cigarettes" with grass that is not even conducive to a good trip anymore and is so laced with crap as to distort your trip ... and confuse you even more!

There is a lot more sinister and evil in things like Harry Potter, than there will ever be in GONG.

You don't go around saying "Welcome Magick Brothers and Mystic Sisters ..." because you dislike people ... you do this because it is like inviting everyone to a special party where we love and appreciate each and everyone for their differences and work. And for them, it was more about the artistic side of it all, than anything else. Both Daevid and Gilli, were the "BEAT WRITERS" of music and poetry ... and I am scared of even thinking that the further bus trips are "sinister and evil" when you see the reality in front of you the whole time ... it's an individual thing and some folks can't handle it and think that it is bad, because they like a more ordered universe around them ... for others ... its an experience in one's life ... out of many!

Moshman - i don’t think he literally meant ‘sinister’ as such. Perhaps the correct term could be mysterious or mystical.
Back to Top
dougmcauliffe View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 23 2019
Location: US
Status: Offline
Points: 3895 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2020 at 20:01
^^Sinister as in the actual sound of the song, regardless of whose playing, Master Builder has a somewhat menacing and evil sound to it.
The sun has left the sky...
...Now you can close your eyes
Back to Top
someone_else View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: May 02 2008
Location: Going Bananas
Status: Offline
Points: 23993 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote someone_else Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 12 2020 at 06:48
Qualifying Master Builder (and its intro Magick Mother Invocation) as "sinister" is hit and miss imho. It's the trippy kind of thing in a positive sense. And let's add A Sprinkling of Clouds to complete the trilogy, these should be listened together without interruption.
Back to Top
moshkito View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 16146 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 12 2020 at 07:04
Originally posted by someone_else someone_else wrote:

Qualifying Master Builder (and its intro Magick Mother Invocation) as "sinister" is hit and miss imho. It's the trippy kind of thing in a positive sense. And let's add A Sprinkling of Clouds to complete the trilogy, these should be listened together without interruption.

Hi,

And one might even say that the 2nd part is sort of ... stoned immaculate ... where you are not sure what will work or not in the sound or instrument ... and you slowly pick until you find something ... 

The whole side 2 of that album is a trip from beginning to end ... plain and simple. The only sinister thing in it, is people getting paranoid that their church and girlfriend, or parents are going to find out that you got stoned ... immaculate ... as Jim Morrison did say, but this is an area where most folks will NEVER experience to even know what is going on.

Too much of music these days is "idealistic" by comparison to the extended plays of a lot of music 50 years ago, which was about "experimentation" and in some cases ... how the drug affected you.

I think, it is important that folks see this ... because the comments here are more "anti-drugs" and "church/parent related ideas" than they are real ... again, people thinking that GONG has evil in them, and Harry Potter doesn't ... are barking up the wrong tree. More evil was on the side of one man that ripped off the band, than all the members and music combined!

I can't believe that 50 years later we still go around saying and thinking that dope was the problem ... that created paranoia ... which was already there in the person, anyway!
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
Back to Top
Tom Ozric View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom Ozric Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 12 2020 at 07:07
^ I think you smoked too much......🤪
Back to Top
moshkito View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 16146 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 07:06
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

^ I think you smoked too much......🤪

Hi,

Sorry ... never did ... I did not like it, and by the time I saw PF, I had already stopped altogether.

And one of the saddest moments I have EVER witnessed, was the day of the PF concert in LA where 714 people were arrested before getting into the building, and right during the show (The Wall), people were getting removed by narcs from the stands right next to you like ... probably another 100 or 200 ... it was not only ugly, it was pathetic!

There is more "evil" in that "persecution" than there was in the dope and the folks doing it, btw! And that would be "evil" that is personified by churches and media!

Now, where do you stand on the freedom of music ... and specially "progressive music"? It has nothing to do with dope, or the album would not have been named YOU ... (for those that didn't get it!)
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
Back to Top
Logan View Drop Down
Forum & Site Admin Group
Forum & Site Admin Group
Avatar
Site Admin

Joined: April 05 2006
Location: @ wicker man
Status: Offline
Points: 32601 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 08:24
While I might not have described “Master Builder” as sinister sounding really, I don’t have a problem with that being one’s reaction. I’d say that it has certain mystical qualities that might come across as rather ominous/ eerie in a way. The first music to come to my mind on seeing this topic is Bobby Beausoleil’s Lucifer Rising, which also spacey, mystical qualities. Bobby Beasoleil recorded it in prison with other prisoners calling themselves The Freedom Orchestra for Kenneth Anger’s film due to BB’s incarceration (life sentence commuted from the death penalty) for the Manson ordered murder. Sinister story aside, Lucifer Rising might sonically fit the bill quite well.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIiJOzCU50vMiOSI_EhcFsTGKRj4kDSId
Back to Top
Icarium View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: March 21 2008
Location: Tigerstaden
Status: Offline
Points: 34050 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Icarium Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 08:27
^ thanks for good reccomendations.

other things i like about this song is that it sounds stil very fresh and it stands out, Very unique song and a highlight in live circumstances

Edited by Icarium - May 13 2020 at 08:30
Back to Top
Icarium View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: March 21 2008
Location: Tigerstaden
Status: Offline
Points: 34050 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Icarium Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 08:38
I believe the main riff in "Master Builder" is in ohrygian mode, or that is what my quick hearing, and than listening to an example of the phrygian scale, feel like. And that mode have a middle eastern way about it, i dont recall which mode often is deemed the"agressive" or "tension" mode but its either phrygian or dorian mode.

Edited by Icarium - May 13 2020 at 08:39
Back to Top
Lewian View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14103 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 14:56

...the whole album is outright evil... in a good way.
Back to Top
Lewian View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14103 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 15:03
Sortie vers la ville by Laurent Pernice. Phantastic album, not listed on PA, should fit here:


Edited by Lewian - May 13 2020 at 15:04
Back to Top
Lewian View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14103 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 15:06
...and of course...
 
Back to Top
Lewian View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14103 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2020 at 15:10
...and further cool 80s music not listed on PA:
Back to Top
Lewian View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14103 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 14 2020 at 04:15
The statement that Master Builder is "evil/sinister" is a statement about an emotional response to the music more than the music itself, and as such clearly subjective. This is how Icarium perceives it, and there is no right or wrong in such perceptions, it is just how it is. It looks like nobody except Mosh thinks that this is a statement about the actual people who made up Gong! I can certainly see where Icarium is coming from! I'd say Master Builder has something relentless about it, something that will not let you go. That's not too far from evil/sinister maybe. The tracks that I have posted for me all have this kind of driving relentless quality that I see in Master Builder, and they're also "dark" in mood, although of course I have to admit that literally nobody can keep up with Pierre, Mike, Steve, Didier... in full flight!


Edited by Lewian - May 14 2020 at 04:16
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.125 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.