Good lyrics in prog.. ? Where are they ?
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Music Lounge
Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63696
Printed Date: June 11 2025 at 08:06
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Good lyrics in prog.. ? Where are they ?
Posted By: Esben73
Subject: Good lyrics in prog.. ? Where are they ?
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 18:03
|
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 ?
|
Replies:
Posted By: papaatto
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 19:35
|
Peter Hammil /thread
|
Posted By: King Crimson776
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 19:58
|
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.
^^ Ah, but you might actually read Peter Hammill, he is an exception.
|
Posted By: PurpleWolfhound
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 20:02
|
Most of the Genesis lyrics - pre- and post-Gabriel - are sturdy to downright clever. Pete Sinfield's lyrics for Crimson are well-done, as are Caravan's and Hatfield's in general - if you don't mind the Canterbury whimsy. |
Posted By: The Block
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 20:19
|
Sometimes I have to agree with you, excspecially in some TFK stuff. -------------  |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 20:22
| Keith Reid from Procol Harum. Especially Grand Hotel I like. Fires(which burnt brightly) being my most favorite of all. The song "Gypsy" by Justin Hayward. Jethro Tull, A Passion Play and sections from Minstrel In the Gallery. Hawkwind are more space rock although cross into prog on Levitation a bit and possibly others had 2 superb sci-fi poets. Michael Moorcock and Robert Calvert. Moorcock had been writing science fiction novels for God knows how long? and Robert Calvert may have published 3 or 4 books prior to his death. Syd Barrett was very creative with his style of lyricism on Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Many look upon the album as a psychedelic masterpiece. I sometimes think of it as a collection of insane children's stories. |
Posted By: doKCtor Diamond
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 21:35
|
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. I don't feel that prog is necessarily inferior to pop or rock in it's lyrics. There are plenty of awful lyrics in those genres as well.
|
Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 21:40
| Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Fish and King Crimson are all regarded with fantastic lyrics. |
Posted By: progkidjoel
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 21:41
|
^Yeah, Fish definitely. Peter Gabriel and Marillion also have great lyrics. Opeth has some good lyrics, and Porcupine Tree has fantastic lyrics. ------------- 
|
Posted By: Synchestra
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 21:42
|
Kevin Gilbert's lyrics are fantastically sardonic, some of the best I've ever heard. Tool can be very clever, though some of it is a bit too LSD inspired for my tastes currently. Pain of Salvation (whom i seem to mention in every thread these days...) have amazing conceptual lyrics. Alot of the lyrics in prog are silly or just bad, but the good lyrics are some of the best In the world ------------- 'Yeah, thats.. Whatever you're talking about for ya' - Zapp brannigan |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 21:54
|
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. |
Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 22:03
|
Almost all lyrics by Roger Waters are very good ------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">  
|
Posted By: Evolver
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 23:02
|
The entire album Dos, by Altered State, has some of the best lyrics ever wirtten anywhere. ------------- Trust me. I know what I'm doing. |
Posted By: questionsneverknown
Date Posted: December 19 2009 at 23:43
Agreed. Song lyrics and poetry are quite different media, though they have a common origin, and it's hard to judge them against each other. Most lyrics sound pretty awful if you just try to read them on their own as if they were poems. I have a strong memory of the comedian Steve Allen doing poetic readings of pop songs--Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" comes to mind--and it was hilarious because lyrics sound quite stupid when read that way. At the same time, poetry doesn't always adapt so well to being sung in a rock context without coming off as completely naff. Having said that, one could make a case for Captain Beefheart. Regardless of whether one likes him or not, Van Vliet produced a body of lyrics that essentially function as poems that build on the Surrealist and Beat traditions. Live and on a number of albums, he would sometimes just recite the lyric without musical backdrop. ------------- The damage that we do is just so powerfully strong we call it love The damage that we do just goes on and on and on but not long enough. --Robyn Hitchcock |
Atavachron wrote:Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 00:20
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 ? ------------- 
|
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 04:00
|
I must disagree with some of the earlier posts.
Many (if not most!) Genesis and Jethro Tull lyrics are totally indigestible. There's not a single song with truly memorable lyrics on MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY, for example. Not that this bothers me; I love the music and I've happily sung along for more than three decades! The same goes for TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS. THE LAMB LIES DOWN is a different proposition, though - mainly because its wordplay is so extravagant. "The porcelain mannikin - with shattered skin - fears attack - and the eager pack lift up their pitchers - they carry all they lack" etc. etc. I've always thought it was tremendous fun, and I still do! For my money, prog's most memorable lyricists are Kevin Ayers (just think of "Song for Insane Times", "Guru Banana" etc.) and Robert Wyatt (everything!) Problem is, most of the world doesn't consider these artists as "progressives". Apparently they're just English eccentrics... P.S. Peter Hammill, in my view, takes himself far, FAR too seriously. 
|
Posted By: loonytunzz
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 05:52
|
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
------------- When words fail... Music speaks 
|
Posted By: loonytunzz
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 05:57
|
ooops forgot... steven wilson >porcupine tree,, neil peart rush and mike portnoy dream theater great great lyricists
------------- When words fail... Music speaks
|
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 06:36
|
I don't even know where to begin. Good lyrics permeate prog. You must have a tin mind.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
|
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 07:00
| RE Jethro Tull, I've read attentively the lyrics on Aqualung & A Minstrel In The Gallery and what I can say is that they're outstanding. |
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 07:19
Took the words out of my mouth, pretty much, that's one of many reasons why prog lyrics often gravitate toward New Age hogwash as ExitTheLemming pointed out but to be honest I do find that kind of New Age hogwash lyrics quite entertaining in a kitschy manner. The more over-the-top and cartoonish, the more entertaining. Part of the fun with, say, Hawkwind is how they have lyrics about pretty much every kind of pseudoscientific hokum that at some point was hip in the early 1970s: Orgone energy? Check! Ancient astronauts? Check! Psychic powers? Check! Astrology? Check! Crackpot theories about Stonehenge? Check! That said...
Didn't she contribute lyrics to a handful of Blue Öyster Cult songs? I know they're not "really" progressive or thought of as part of the progressive rock movement but they are on the site. Kind of an interesting band lyrically, divided between more real-life concerns if filtered through hallucinations in a dimestore sub-William Burroughs sort of way and the totally abstract pulp science-fiction mythology of the "Imaginos Cycle". Back to subject of mystical mumbo-jumbo and progressive rock: It's a damn travesty that there isn't a Timecube-themed rock band yet. Any chances Dave Brock's reading this? We could use an album titled Warrior on the Cube of Time...  ------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Posted By: The Sleepwalker
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 07:37
|
Peter Hammill is a brilliant lyricist, which is one of the biggest reasons why I love VDGG. Also Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel are among my favorite lyricists. ------------- 
|
Posted By: questionsneverknown
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 08:01
|
Personally I've always had an odd relationship with lyrics and most music anyway. There are certainly lyricists that my aural radar attend to (Dylan's the obvious case, Andy Partridge is a personal fave), but I've often loved songs and certain groups for the way the voices sound or the shape and pattern the singer has given the words more than anything the words might mean. Perhaps being an early lover of the Cocteau Twins did some damage. Made it easy to like Sigur Ros and Magma, though. I think I've always approached Yes this way, too. There's something to the sound patterns Anderson makes on albums like Close to the Edge that I find appealing. Lyrically, though, I mean if yer into content 'n' stuff, whew, pretty abysmal. Seemed to be one of the reasons Bruford needed to leave. As already mentioned, early Gabriel is great for Joycean-styled wordplay. But again, when it all works, it's the musicality of the language that seems to stand out, rather than the message. And sometimes when the message is clear, the musicality and the poetic quality come a plummeting down. Hate to say this folks, but as much as I like Rush, and I really do, Peart's lyrics are often painfully wooden, especially on the classic material. I think the quality of his lyrics is much, much better on Snakes and Arrows, though. ------------- The damage that we do is just so powerfully strong we call it love The damage that we do just goes on and on and on but not long enough. --Robyn Hitchcock |
Posted By: Sunny666k
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 08:11
| I wonder if u have ever come across Tool and floyd...there are tonnes of other bands with real meaningful stuff in prog.....but these 2 bands sure have got hell lotta better lyrics than any other artist in any genre....and stilll if u disagree, probably u are not digging enough!! |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 08:25
Dunno about that (I thought she was married to one of the blue meanies ?) She also wrote a song with Bruce Springsteen I think Because The Night  (but to err is human to forgive divine etc)Can't say I buy this idea of lyrics as a textural device chosen by their rhythm or articulation/enunciation simply to enhance the sound of the music ? (Maybe that's why Magma invented their own language) The only prog lyrics that I know that really knock this rodent sideways are those of Roger Waters on Dark Side of the Moon. He mines a quintessentially British seam of melancholy and existential angst on this album that is unsurpassed in any genre IMO. Apart from that however, give it up folks, the lyrics in Prog are more often than not plain vanilla beige slacks over roomy tights y'all. And I do think very well, As the truth unfolds you Silently They move time Rainbows Sunlight Alternate tune Alternate tune Rainbows Soft light Alternate view Sunlight Tell Me Someone Alternate view Alternate view, surely, surely (Jon Anderson) -------------
|
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 08:36
|
I don't think anyone's ever understood Jon Anderson's lyrics. Not even himself. ------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 08:44
|
Absolutely there are good lyrics in Prog. I would tend to ask what you "expect" in prog lyrics? You mention poems and love stories. I would argue that writers like Peter Gabriel, Pete Sinfield or Jon Anderson would be considered very good poets or writers that have written love stories in a poetic sense. Strangely enough though, most would tend to think of Fantasy, SciFi, or Alien themes when talking prog lyrics. Prog having a what, 70/30 split, Fantasy to Love song ratio. Or is it more? These themes are much less considered as poetry than a traditional love theme. ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: Nakatira
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 09:17
|
Freddie Mercury wrote some intresting lyrics on Queens proggier stuff. Uriah heep, have the worst lyrics ------------- http://daccord-music.com/home.cfm |
Posted By: questionsneverknown
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 09:35
Bought or not, surely what many singers are doing is exploring their voices as instruments, and perhaps ever more so in the proggy realms. The poetic often lies in that tension between the thing to be expressed and the forms in which it can be expressed. Poor poets forget the artistry, abstract poets remember little else. Hell, the Man a-mentioned many times falls for the pleasure of the word sound all the time. As in: See the primitive wallflower freeze When the jelly-faced women all sneeze Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze I can't find my knees" None of this, of course, was ever meant to defend the indefensibility of Andersen. ------------- The damage that we do is just so powerfully strong we call it love The damage that we do just goes on and on and on but not long enough. --Robyn Hitchcock |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 09:49
"Crack wind clatter - flash rein bite on an outsize-unicorn. Rough-shod winging sky blue flight on a cold wind to Valhalla" (etc. etc.) You call that outstanding? I call it logorrhea. |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 09:56
Nah, didn't understand a word of that unfortunately. Does that mean that all abstract poets are worthier than common garden ones ? The only prog vocalist I can currently think of who uses the textural possibilities of the sounds he can coax via his voice is that of Demetrio Stratos from Area. Now that is a credible musical instrument in its own right worthy of a new instrumental category being minted in his honour (Demetrios on Statos-caster )If lyrics are chosen for their 'pleasure of the sound word' alone, isn't there a danger that the results will resemble pidgin english but sung by a mellifluous dove ? Yep I know, I do appear to have a problem with the abstract in any artistic realm. -------------
|
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 09:59
I'm sorry, but no-one in their right mind (apart from dedicated fans) would ever call these artists "very good poets or writers". This is not to say their lyrics are useless. Indeed, Gabriel's lyrics can be quite memorable sometimes. Didn't he write all or most of THE LAMB? "Back in NYC" and "Counting out Time" are quite fun, to name just two, and I also like some his songs with a social message, e.g. "Not one of us". As for Jon Anderson, this idea has popped up many times before: he usually writes gibberish, but it's EFFECTIVE gibberish. Many of his phrases sound memorable ("Stand on hills of long-forgotten yesterdays" etc.) But it's still true that, in prog, lyricists as witty as Chuck Berry, Randy Newman or Lloyd Cole are hard to find. |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 10:05
|
By the way, I quite like Patti Smith (her debut album HORSES is one of my all-time favorites) but sometimes she suffers just as much from logorrhea as dear Jonnie Anderson.
I much prefer Nico's attempts at poetizing. (Another John Cale protegée!) |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 14:59
|
I would go with Roger Waters mainly. Ever paid attention to the lyrics of Dark Side of the Moon? They're really great, though they are good for depressing people; I personally love When the Tigers broke Free too for it's lyrics. I don't really think prog is behind pop and rock and blues in lyrics, I'd even say the contrary, for in pop and rock lyrics are usually dumb love things about "oh he/she left me, what will I do now" all over; or perhaps "let's party, let's have fun" (ofcourse there are other themes, but these are some of the most common). Prog often evades the love themes so common in pop / rock, and even when it happens to talk about love it does in a different aproch; I rather like the way "Turn of the Century" from Yes is written, a pretty and sad love story; also "And you And I" also from Yes is a pretty love song, even though half of it hardly makes any sense at all (well, I understand it's about a couple getting married or "officially attached", something like that).
By the way, I've read in this forum about a South American band, "Los Jaivas" who have a very good album "Alturas de Matchu Pitchu", which uses poems from a very well known South American poet, Pablo Neruda. Unfortunatly I don't know that album, but someday I guess I'll get it. |
Posted By: geddyx12112
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 15:31
| There are plenty of good lyrics in prog, it just depends how you look at them. Prog lyrics are often very complex, and the main message might be hidden behind a story a lot more than in any other genre. Although lyrics may not seem as directly influential as some songs that state the message more clearly, I think Prog lyrics are equally good, they just take more time to get into. Justin Hayward is one of the best lyricists in rock music, I would even compare him to Bob Dylan and go as far as to say he's more philosiphical than Dylan. Fear of a Blank Planet by PT is also a fine album lyrically. |
Posted By: Evolver
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 18:16
|
http://www.alteredstate.com/lyrics.html - http://www.alteredstate.com/lyrics.html
'Nuff said. ------------- Trust me. I know what I'm doing. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 19:48
| I don't understand why people always criticize progressive rock's lyrics. While their might be some that aren't great they're all still better than any other genre of music's generic love songs. I'd rather listen to not as well written lyrics about abstract concepts than lyrics about a girl, or the other generic things that go through everybody's heads which seems to be the focus of all other kinds of music. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 19:54
|
Where are the good lyrics? Everywhere! Well, almost. You just have to look a little deep for them sometimes. Try the good songs first, and the good bands/artists. In contrast, where are the good lyricists found? Besides, what makes lyrics good or bad? ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Falling Edge
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 21:07
|
I think prog is like any other genre and lyrics are like any other aspect of the music itself. There are great guitarists in prog and some who barely get by, just as there are in metal, rock, country, whatever. Same as lyrics - just because a band has great musicians, doesn't mean they were fortunate enough to have a great lyricist. However, to answer your question: Rush (Neil Peart) Marillion (Fish - this stuff is genius) Pink Floyd (Roger Waters) Jethro Tull (Ian Anderson) and how can we forget Frank Zappa
Perhaps not the finest example of Anderson's lyrics. But how about I crucified my hate and held the world within my hand from Close to the Edge? Words to live by IMO ------------- http://www.fallingedgemusic.com - Falling Edge 
|
Posted By: NecronCommander
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 22:46
| I say Steve Wilson and Porcupine Tree. |
Posted By: cotton3434
Date Posted: December 20 2009 at 23:42
Pain of Salvation, seriously. Daniel Gildenlow is both the most talented lyricist and vocalist (he's in the same league vocally as Mikael Akerfeldt and Devin Townsend, imo) I have ever heard. Listen to their album BE.... it's amazing in a sort of it-will-change-your-life way - if you're open-minded enough. Agreed as for Tool (Vicarious being my favorite so far). And I'll have to look into Kevin Gilbert... never heard of him. Any album/song in particular that I should listen to first?
|
Posted By: questionsneverknown
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 00:21
Ah. Sorry. I'll give it another go. Hard to do aesthetic theory in these little tiny boxes.  First, no, I don't think 'all abstract poets are worthier than common garden ones'. Not sure what you mean by 'common garden ones' or how they're the opposite of abstract, but my point, however poorly made, is that good poets/lyricists tend to find a balance between the straightforward and the abstract. One of the differences between poetry and everyday speech is that a poet reflects carefully not just on the subject at hand but on the word choice, phrasing and figurative dimensions that are going to make that subject richer and, well, sound more evocative. It's not just the what is said, but how it is said. The selection from Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" used above was intended as an example of how sometimes Dylan will fall in love with the sound of the rhyme in ways that the sound can start to get away from the sense. So, I'm in agreement that Andersen's lyrics, especially on Topographic, are gibberish--all sound, no sense--and though I find the sound of his singing pleasurable, I wouldn't be nominating him for Poet's Corner. (I will say, however, that 'pidgin english sung by a mellifluous dove' doesn't sound so bad to me!) But if Andersen's lyrics are iffy for their void of content, I would say that Peart's lyrics--just as an example--are often iffy for their void of poetic quality. I guess I'm thinking especially of something like "Free Will." Perfectly fine subject matter, but the lyrics read and sound like an essay. The art of good lyrics would seem to lie in the balance or tension between the essayist and the mellifluous dove. ------------- The damage that we do is just so powerfully strong we call it love The damage that we do just goes on and on and on but not long enough. --Robyn Hitchcock |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 00:48
I suspect I have an innate aversion to anything that reeks of those stream of consciousness 'trouser accidents' that appear in so much of Dylan's work (Although I do love most of his more narrative style efforts) Okay dokay, I can get a better handle on this now. i.e. words have their own 'musical' and 'associative' qualities (onomatopoeia/alliteration etc blah) which can be exploited by a judicious lyricist to enhance (or create subtle tension/irony) to the surface coherence of the words as they appear on the printed page ? Right, that's me written the catchy chorus, you can write the verses  -------------
|
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 00:53
Well, William Friedkin (The Exorcist) tried to buy the rights of some Peter Gabriel stories, like the one published on the center of Genesis Live 73, as a fact they were ready to work together and Peer left the band before The Lamb, but Friedkin (who was a Genesis fan), refused to be guilty of the band break, so Peter came back to Genesis for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
So, yes, there are stories that could have an audiece.
Iván ------------- 
|
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 01:12
|
I don't care all that much. I like Peart's lyrics, Dream Theater sometimes has bad ones, but mostly they're passable, only recently did Wilson start writing lyrics like a 13-year-old Halo fanatic who hates words longer than 5 letters and phrased longer than 5 words--he used to be good.
Most others I've heard I like. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 01:26
Notwithstanding my reservations about Gabriel's forte being that of the wilful paradox offering only itself as reward for the steadfast reader/listener, I do agree there would be a viable market for his literary efforts. However, divorced from the global success of his own stint within the Genesis fold, would he cut it as a new unknown author by non Genesis enthusiasts ? Pete Townshend of the Who brought out a collection of short stories several years ago which attracted some praise in literary circles (but I thought were beige slacks alas) Similarly, Ray Davies wrote a undistinguished novel X-Ray the best part of which was the publisher's blurb describing same as the unauthorised autobiography (neat )You mentioned a while back Ivan, in a post about the Lamb that it's themes of alienation and dream-like internal logic were comparable to Kafka ? Having thought about this and re-listened to the album, I have to say you are right on the money in this regard. Perhaps Peter does have a quality novel in his locker after all, but he would certainly have to dispense with the faux Surrealist imagery and Judeo Christian allegories to make it more palatable to the average reader. -------------
|
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 01:33
|
actually I always thought Lamb would make great musical theater, acquring the rights would be a nightmare but it could be great
|
Posted By: ko
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 03:26
|
Peter Gabriel, Ian Anderson and, as prog related, Pete Townshend - are my favs. http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Slowburn-lyrics-Peter-Gabriel/1EC6735964AD46BD482568E40003C301 - http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Slowburn-lyrics-Peter-Gabriel/1EC6735964AD46BD482568E40003C301 http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/From-a-Dead-Beat-to-an-Old-Greaser-lyrics-Jethro-Tull/5F24D2F76A3C688248256A33000F8B5C - http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/From-a-Dead-Beat-to-an-Old-Greaser-lyrics-Jethro-Tull/5F24D2F76A3C688248256A33000F8B5C http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0fGxujeJbY - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0fGxujeJbY
|
Posted By: justaprogfan
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 04:21
|
Pain of Salvation and Opeth have really beautiful and meaningful lyrics!
Excerpt from "When" by Opeth:
"Red sun rising somewhere through the dense fog.
The portrait of the jaded dawn who had seen it all before. This day wept on my shoulders.
Still the same as yesterday. This path seems endless, body is numb. The soul has lost its flame. Walking in familiar traces to find my way back home." Meshuggah and Kayo Dot have very good Lyrics too.
|
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 05:00
I cannot imagine it would make great musical theatre. It's a wonderful concept album BUT, for the theatre, the songs are too wordy, there is far too much pictorial description (why would actors be singing about what they're SEEING all around them all the time?), and there are no duets or other dramatic confrontations worth speaking of. |
Posted By: friso
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 05:07
|
The King Crimson début has divine lyrics! Futhermore I also like Procol Harum's lyrics on Grand Hotel, Grobschnitt lyrics on Rockpommel's Land, Gentle Giant's lyrics on Three Friends, Van der Graaf Generators lyrics on H to He are plain brilliant, Genesis' lyrics on tracks like the Giant Hogweed and Get 'em out by Friday, etc.
Your statement about lyrics is total non-sense. Prog has better lyrics then 90% of pop, rock, metal, jazz and almost every other genre. There are also progbands with awful lyrics, but they don't ruin the reputation for the others. |
Posted By: silcir
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 07:36
|
prog may have 90% better lyrics than those genres (it's very arguable) but for instance 10% of rock or metal or pop or jazz are much more in terms of quantity than 90% of prog, if u see what i mean. The other genres u refered have so much more people doing things for them either good or not, that it compensates the fact that they may write more crap. excluding maybe jazz, i don't really like vocal jazz so i don't know if there that many jazz voices. |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 08:52
Very sorry but Opeth lyrics are the exact example of mindless rhyme-and-synonym-kit prog poetry Let me produce a typical Opeth lyric for you: As I drove the hearse down through the mire where the faint mist shrouded your fading silhouette foreboding gloom sang its sinister choir and prowled through the bitter haze in eerie violet You see? As easy as pie. Rhyme, alliteration, overstated imagary, the works! Besides I’m quite sure Mike would agree to that. Lyrics are of no importance to Opeth. file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5C10130%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml - |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 12:44
Are you kidding?? Have you ever listened to the soundtrack for the play Chess?? Plenty 'o' words to go around. That's half the fun of Broadway songs. Your comments remind me of the scene from Amadeus where he is told that his music has too many notes. That one line, for me, sums up the torture that Wolfie endured. ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 13:02
|
i might be going out on a limb here but Hawkwind have come up with some thoughtful as well as far out lyrics over the years. ------------- |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 13:19
|
One of the reasons I have always loved prog is owing to the lyrics. Most of the bands & artists I love have always seemed to speak to me in varying times and moods. Jon Anderson, I agree, can be virtually incomprehensible at times, for example on TFTO, but at other times he shouts out to me a message of pure love and emotion - Turn of the Century being the best example of his Yes work and Change we Must from his solo work. Gabriel tells stories to magnificent effe3ct, with Genesis & solo. SEBTP is instantly recognisable for what it is, a paeon and tribute to a lost country, whilst tracks such as Biko & Wallflower tell a biographical story to great effect. Waters lyrics have had a profound influence on my politics for many years, in terms of raging against a despotic and crushing machine, be it political or commercial. Ian Anderson's lyrics are wonderfully whimsical and great fun. The two giants of Marillion, Fish & Hogarth, both have a wonderful way with words that cry out to me. Peart & Townsend have produced exceptional lyrics - the latter was the spokesman for an entire generation of rock fans. I could go on, but the basic point is this: Prog is admired and loved by its fans not merely owing to the great arrangements musically, but also because lyrically it is the genre that sets us apart from the meaningless drivel epitomised by rubbish such as The X Factor & etc. Its down to intelligent lyrics  ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 13:35
well you wouldn't just poroduce it as written, that would be insanity, but an adaptation for the stage has huge potential: coming-of-age youthful angst, great catchy songs, and a built-in feeling of theatricality that could be enjoyed by all |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 13:37
|
maudlin of the Well and Kayo Dot have fantastic lyrics! I don't see The Decemberists listed here yet but they're lyrically amazing as well! ------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 13:53
So this begs the question (and maybe I should start another thread on it but), "Does the prog community really want and would they really support Progressive Theatrical Stage performances?" And while on the surface it might appear so, why aren't the great proggers touring with such shows for the most part anymore or why aren't the up and commers doing it? Bowie's concerts come to mind but that's not so much Theatre as theatrical staging. When I listen to the new Trans Siberian Orchestra I hear progressive theatre. Unfortunately it doesn't sit well with me, I find the bravado vocals way over the top for my liking. If it could be done with more unique voices I'm all there, in fact I have several plays based on and utilizing progressive music just waiting for that Loto win that will finance my dream !!! ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:01
|
^ it wouldn't be for proggers, it would be for everyone else
|
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:10
But "everyone else" doesn't like prog. We all know that. As soon as you make it "for everyone else" it becomes something else, not progressive, mainstream/commercial. I heard there was a stage play of some sort done with Queen's music, I didn't see it and I've not heard that's it some sort of magical moment in theatre which leads me to believe it was probably lame in some way. Either staging, arrangement or performance. Anyone have any first hand knowledge of this event? ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:16
|
well sure it would be mainsteam, that's the only way to get a play produced these days anyway-- would it cheapen it? Yeah probably, but it would also surprise people who'd never heard the album and surely increase interest in mid-period Genesis.. besides just being a good time had by all
|
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:23
Ok, so how does all this fit in with Tribute bands? I've only ever seen "Over the garden Wall" in Toronto about 20 some odd years ago. Unfortunately they were in a bar not a theatre, but they did their best to mimic the Gabe's era Genesis. Are we talking about 're-staging' a piece of music or doing a complete re-imagination where a new story is either built around the songs or the story is taken more literally and the songs are re-worked for stage? ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:29
|
While I generally don't listen to prog for the lyrics, there are projects where I really like the lyrics. A couple of my favourite lyricists are Chris Cutler and Robert Wyatt (it's partially the socialist in me). EDIT: Unfortunately, though I hear a great deal of non-English language lyrics in music, I can't really appreciate the lyrics themselves unless they're in English (so that's a very limiting factor for me lyrics-appreciation wise -- though it might be said that perhaps so much of the music I listen to is instrumental or sung in languages I'm not fluent in is because I don't want bad lyrics to lessen my listening pleasure. If I can't or barely understand them, then bad lyrics don't affect my pleasure ;)). ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: 5ruckers
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:50
|
>There's not a single song with truly memorable lyrics on MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY, for example. please. is this a joke? this entire album should be a book of poetry - the depth of pain in the words is one of the things that makes it such a great album. and you can't enjoy the clever wording in 'pig-me and the whore'?! for myself, i cannot read the entire tull lyrical catalog and not say ian is one of rock's great lyric writers. and peter hammill is great, too. and there is a lot of stuff by roger waters i find really well written. but ian is the one who consistently writes cleverly and uniquely - especially when looking at the topics themselves. |
Posted By: Falling Edge
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:53
|
I saw it a couple years back in Toronto. It was all right, but 'event' isn't the word I'd use to describe it. It was essentially a musical that used songs by Queen to highlight the plot (which I can't fully recall), much like Mamma Mia! used songs by Abba to highlight its Shakespearean plot. I do remember sitting in the theatre thinking 'Man, this gig would be a blast' ------------- http://www.fallingedgemusic.com - Falling Edge
|
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 14:58
|
Well of course the only good lyrics are in pop. The big question is why is a pinhead who can't be bothered to even try to find the good lyrics in prog (it's really not that difficult) even wasting time here in the first place? Wait, there they are over in the corner... ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
|
Posted By: la Volpe
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 17:21
|
I think that one of the major problems is what people here associate with poetry. Let's not consider music, have there been any significant, famous poets in the English language (or others, with the exception of obscure national heroes) after the Beat generation? And what do you think for instance of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl":
The "problem" with lyrics is that they need to reflect some feelings, aspirations and passions. And if someone is against abstract or experimental then he/she could feel aghast looking at some of the newest poets and their work. Definitely there is a lot of arrogance, logorrea and excess at wordplays/abstractness in newest poetry. And the reason is that most of the "appealing" concepts are so worn out by their use to be grating, and completely drowned in the banality of most pop/rock music (the typical italian pop rhyme: cuore/amore, "heart/love", is a prime example of puke-inducing banality - it's simply devastating to use that rhyme - 800 years of italian poetry has worn that out like nothing else). At least some prog bands try. And occasionally they can come up with a good couplet. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 19:41
that's because it is gibberish, in fact it's not a poem at all by any definition (and no I don't mean because it doesn't rhyme) |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 19:50
it doesn't fit in with tribute bands at all-- think of it as an adaptation for the stage of Lamb, that's the best way I can put it..you'd adapt/edit the story and score for cohesiveness as a live dramatic experience with an emphasis on the fine songs, leave out what is unnecessary (like say the endless noodling on disc 2), and focus on aspects people can relate to, as say Counting Out Time, Grand Parade, Back in NYC, Colony of Slippermen, Riding the Scree, etc. |
Posted By: firstlensman
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 22:17
|
If you have to ask, then you haven't been listening!
------------- First Lensman "Forever caught in desert lands, one has to learn to disbelieve the sea" |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 22:42
Additionally, there would be a rock ensemble onstage of drums, keys, guitar, possibly bass, the words sung by a protagonist and a cast of other characters.. the next time you listen to Lamb think of it being sung by a main character - say the young man in Counting Out Time - his experiences in New York as an outsider and his abstract visions a part of the production. It works really nicely. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 23:01
|
Man I don't know how I miss some of these threads from the get go. Threads...really grease fires, look out.
prog lyrics lame?
Whaddaya a want? Maybe ...
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah hey hey good bye
(pretty good song by the way)
or something a bit more interesting?
If you're leaning to the 'more interesting' side of things, prog while occasionally inscrutable just might be up your alley. ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 21 2009 at 23:07
|
|
Posted By: justaprogfan
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 02:52
of course Opeth have some horrible lyrics. But i still love "My arms, your Hearse" and "Still Life".
The rain was waving goodbye, and when the night came
the forest folded its branches around me. Something passed by, and I went into a dream. She laughing and weeping at once: "take me away". I don't know how or why, I'll never know when.
personally i think thats beautiful! and it's definitely ahead of the average death/black-metal lyrics.
My arms your hearse is the greatest concept album ever (imho) because the music collaborates perfectly with the lyrics.
|
Posted By: mono
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 03:09
|
I don't think there are more "bad" or "cheesy" lyrics in prog than elsewhere. Personnally, I quite like Peter Sinfield's work with KC. Magma probably have the lyrics that serves their music best though!! So expressive and strong (not talking about the translation from Kobaïan). ------------- https://soundcloud.com/why-music Prog trio, from ambiant to violence https://soundcloud.com/m0n0-film Film music and production projects https://soundcloud.com/fadisaliba (almost) everything else |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 04:05
I don't know CHESS, but I know JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (also by Tim Rice) virtually by heart, so I suppose they are similar in concept. It's true that Rice is wordy too (one reason why some people don't enjoy his lyrics) but with him, at least his lyrics constantly express the thoughts and feelings of the characters you see on stage. With plenty of dramatic confrontations. There's far less of this in THE LAMB. As I said before, Peter G included far too much pictorial description and wordplay-just-for-the-heck-of-it. All of which does not diminish my admiration for Genesis' great achievement. I believe THE LAMB is a superb album and a great deal of its success is due to its witty lyrics. I admire Gabriel all the more when I consider that he wrote all this age 24 or thereabouts. When I was 18, I was the singer in an amateur prog band and I wrote THE MOST AWFUL LYRICS. Even at age 24 I could never have come up with something as wonderfully entertaining as THE LAMB. But great theater it ain't. Interesting that you should mention Mozart in this connection. I was thinking of his Italian operas when I wrote my previous response. They are among my favourite pieces of music. And yes, Lorenzo da Ponte did write LOADS of words for them. But LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, DON GIOVANNI and COSI FAN TUTTE are full of drama. Most of the words are used in superbly effective dialogues, and Mozart's most famous arias ("Dove sono..." etc.) usually contain few words: the composer let the music (and the human voice) speak for itself and usually needed just a few lines to get going! |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 04:16
"A book of poetry?" Sorry, mate - I'll enjoy Ted Hughes, W.H. Auden, Paul Muldoon etc. but dear Ian Anderson just doesn't measure up. I find the "clever wording" in 'pig-me and the whore' arrogant and boring. 'Crash-barrier waltzer' is better but it still can't hold a candle to Randy Newman or even Bernie Taupin! All of this is not to deny that I will always love and cherish MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY as an album. I particularly enjoy Ian Anderson's singing and acoustic guitar-playing (never MIND his inept lyrics!) and I always happily chirp along to "One White Duck", whilst "Requiem" usually has me shed a few tears, even after more than three decades of listening to it. Honestly. |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 04:31
True, the problem with too many rock'n'rollers (Patti Smith included) is that they were virtually brought up on Ginsberg. But it's also true that good lyrics don't even need to be great poetry. I'll happily agree with what many people have said here, that Roger Waters' lyrics are succesful, especially on DARK SIDE and ANIMALS. And lots of other artists have come up with entertaining lyrics that do exactly what they need to do, e.g. the Beatles, Frank Zappa, Queen, Madness, Ian Dury, the Smiths, Muddy Waters... the list could go on and on. (And once again, let me add I don't think I personally could have written such delightful lyrics.) But the problem is fans take their favourite acts so seriously that they actually believe such lyrics are POETRY, whereas they're not. O.K., now it's time for some seventeen-year old to come up and ask me how I DARE to presume that I know what "poetry" is and what isn't. (Sigh...) For a discussion of such matters, I refer to earlier threads. Merry Christmas (or whatever it is you celebrate) to you all!!!
|
Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 05:32
|
In my opinion Gabriel songs are better than Dylans, not to mention that he can sing too. ------------- Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours |
Posted By: 5ruckers
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 06:00
|
>I find the "clever wording" in 'pig-me and the whore' arrogant and boring. key word: 'I' ... which is what this entire thread is about. being a songwriter, I can see what I think are clever lyrics, because it's much harder to produce the phrase than to read it, and when I read (or hear) lyrics, my head is attempting to get into the head of the composer. dressed to the left divulging the wrinkles of his years shedding bell-end tears into the pocket of her resistance international assistance flowing generous and full to his never-ready tool btw, got any idea what 'international assistance' is?... that's clever - if only from my songwriter's perspective... the original question asked for ... what ... interesting or good lyrics or something. there are lots of interesting lyrics. and ian's writing certainly falls in that category. and don't even get me started on 'a passion play'... mike rucker fairburn, ga, usa |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 07:26
This is off topic, but I am partially responsible for your local post office. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
|
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 07:31
I'm not a Jethro Tull fan so am unfamiliar with most of their work. However I would concede that the lyric you quoted is certainly cunningly 'encrypted' but its only real ingenuity is that of fooling any potential censor. Its uncloaked content reveals precisely squat about the author or his protagonists. -------------
|
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 07:45
Actually my wife says Opeth has some decent lyrics on Damnation and she's always wright :-) It's just that I find this forest imagery rather cliché, it is very typical in black metal you know. There's even a band called In The Woods! |
Posted By: 5ruckers
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 08:03
|
>Its uncloaked content reveals precisely squat about the author or his protagonists. ...which, to me, is why being able to get into a writer's head is so important. ian was going through a divorce. hurt. looking for a fix. whether or not it happened is debatable, but playing out the scene of the wanderer in a seedy underground is well done, and clever, regardless of whether or not one feels it reveals 'precisely squat'. a good lyric isn't moon-june, with an obvious love-to-love-you-baby meaning. in my opinion, it takes a bit of work on the reader's / listener's part to look below the surface and see perhaps what is really behind the author's words. international assistance, for anyone interested, is a play on the red cross. perhaps their major role is in the collection of blood, which explains what is flowing to his never-ready...uh...tool. i think that's clever. obviously, people will gravitate toward defending what they like. especially with music - the 'mine is better than yours' debate is endless. another phrase i think is slick comes from 'something's on the move' off of the stormwatch album: the lady of the ice sounds a deathly distant warning to titanic-breaking children lost in melting crystal tears it's a very creative description of icebergs breaking off a glacier. certainly a topic few have likely written about. -mr |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 08:20
No-one here is defending the banal and trite love-songs that have been around since Eve uttered those rueful words to Adam in the Garden of Eden - Let's have a picnic, I'll pick some fruit. (You resemble a colour blind matador attacking a white flag waving bull here )Yes, most mainstream pop lyrics are unadulterated beige pants but what is being discussed in this thread is the proposition that there may be a greater amount of accomplished and thought provoking lyricists within the realm of plain vanilla rock that there are in Prog. I think the original poster implies (unwittingly or not) that he would expect the opposite to be true i.e. more complex music be-getting more sophisticated lyrics. -------------
|
Posted By: 5ruckers
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 09:28
|
to exitthelemming - your point was that the tull line 'revealed nothing'. my assumption was that you must believe the meaning of a lyric must be obvious or it's - was 'banal' your word in this thread? my point was that, from my perspective, i'd much rather have a lyric i had to think about than something evident at face value. you obviously understand hyperbole, hence your bull reference. i certainly was not defending pop lyrics, nor forgetting what the thread was about. let's move on from the he-said, he-said exchange. -mr |
Posted By: Drummerboy
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 10:20
|
I agree (sort of) with what I think was the original thesis at the beginning of this thread, that the lyrics are very often add-ons to the music, the cart to the horse, etc. Like most films are done first and then the music added to try to suit it.
Having read the disagreement above, I still think Tull is a major exception in that his lyrics drive the music, rather than vice versa. Having said THAT, no doubt that not all the lyrics are equally profound.......
|
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 11:54
You assumed wrong I'm afraid. I too like to have to 'wrestle with the meaning' of thought provoking lyrics and 'dig under the surface' of the literal context of the words as they appear on the page. To infer from my post that lyrics that are not 'obvious' or 'straight-forward' must be 'banal' beggars belief. However, moving on as you suggest, I feel when lyrics become too abstract or descend into 'stream of consciousness' indulgence, I give up on them pretty damn quickly. Even lyricists I otherwise admire like Dylan, Patti Smith and Peter Hamill are prone to this on occasion (Perhaps it's my loss) BTW How many fingers are you holding up ? -------------
|
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 12:21
All of the ones that you are. Correctify me if I'm wrong.  Is it my imagination or is this thread turning hostile for no good reason? Come up to me with your "What did you say?" and I'll tell you straight in the eye D.I.Y. D.I.Y. D.I.Y. D.I.Y. D.I.Y. D.I.Y. D.I.Y. D.I.Y. - Peter Gabriel ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
|
Posted By: LonesomeTwin
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 13:05
|
I'm getting the idea that most of this forum isn't from the UK. Although I immediatly thought of Selling England from the topic, I'd urge anyone who has either never heard or just plain forgottten them to go hunt down 10CC or virtually anything by Godley and Creme. Ok, so not exactly the most proggish of bands, but that shouldn't stop you savouring those double entendres and stings in the tail. Come to that Slade did poetry too. One Way Hotel and Pouk Hill spring to mind. Dapple Rose is a folk-rock tearjerker. Enduring quality that lot. Back on the prog roadshow tho, Crime of the Century has wonderfully deep, dark lyrics surely? Just wanted to get away from Waters and Gabriel really, cheers. ------------- I always had a deep respect I mean that most sincere |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 13:07
 this is hilarious.Go to resolve your own listening problem and then back to us.
When i first listen to lyrics in prog i do not need any help to realize that are beatiful lyricist in prog.
So, do your homework, get feed back and the back to us.
Lazy.
 -------------  |
Posted By: 5ruckers
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 13:16
|
>BTW How many fingers are you holding up ? http://mikerucker.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/nothing-to-fret-about/ >Is it my imagination or is this thread turning hostile for no good reason? not if i can help it - i've let etl have the last word. moving on. -mr |
Posted By: V0lcaN0
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 21:28
|
Just type Peter Sinfield on the progarchives search field and read the first sentence. That pretty much covers me. ------------- waiting for the showers to stop... |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: December 22 2009 at 22:13
|
algarnas tradgard echolyn |
Posted By: friso
Date Posted: December 23 2009 at 05:17
|
Which genre's and which bands do have good lyrics, if prog doens't have good lyrics? I happen to like vocal-jazz and I'd recognize lyrics in a heartbeat. Some are quit inventive, but the theme is almost always love, which is the weak side of the genre.
Furthermore I would like to say that the lyrics of prog should be put in their musical context. The music can be with so much expression that the lyrics have to have precisely the right emotion. Other musical genre's might have less serious musical themes, which makes it easier to try different lyrics. |
Posted By: Junges
Date Posted: December 23 2009 at 08:40
|
They are right under your nose.
------------- 
|
Posted By: friso
Date Posted: December 23 2009 at 10:38
|
The only thing that's right under my nose is an unshaved lower part of my face . As fas as I know, no good lyrics are to be found there.
|
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 23 2009 at 14:52
The lyrics didn't care much for your mustache and crawled up into your nose. Atchoo and all will be revealed. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
|
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: December 23 2009 at 15:33
|
How is it that nobody mentioned Maynard Keenan? Am I the only one to think of him as the ultimate lyricist? Cause I really do
------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
|