In Defense of Flute Solos

It's Prog Week here at Battle for the Earth, so let's keep celebrating. Now let me start by saying I'm not an overly knowledgeable prog rock fan but for the most part, what I've heard I've liked. I don't even know how I came about exploring the world of jazz-rock cliches and face paint and flutes, flutes and more flutes but I do know I like it. My father always had eclectic tastes and his equal love of Dan Fogelberg and Vixen I'm sure played a part in my musical tastes. We didn't grow up listening to the Stones or the Beatles in my house but we also weren't one of those no rock, only classical houses, we just listened to random bands ranging anywhere from Bread to Men at Work to Ratt to the Alan Parson Project. In fact, my father bought Licensed to Ill when it came out and helped introduce my brother and me to snotty New York rap rock. Somehow, all these disparate sounds created in me a love for overblown rock n roll, especially if it involves allegorical lyrics involving mythology or science fiction, cartoonish amounts of guitar noodling, several odd time signatures battling it out for dominance in the same song or concept albums. Oh lord, how I love the concept album.

Prog rock musicians are nothing if not committed. Some obviously lose the plot and sail off into the sunset following the shadow of something that was borderline embarrassing to begin with and in the process lose most of their audience and leave critics standing on the sidelines, chuckling about how very silly it all is but I've got to praise them for their determined single mindedness and refusal to edit that 14 1/2 minute Arp solo. Maybe it's something about the hermetically sealed world they live in that appeals to me as I seem to enjoy getting lost in the fantasy of it all. I didn't hear Led Zeppelin until I was in middle school but something about the Tolkien influenced lyrics and epic gestures really touched something deep in my core that I didn't even know was there to be unearthed. It's the same feeling I had when I finally read the Lord of the Rings trilogy at the age of 23. This fairy tale world full of created languages and fantastical creatures was the exact journey I wanted to be on and just imagining a sliver of the story today brings me joy. It's the same way with prog rock - the battles and imagery and endless musical detours captivate me, sometimes against my will.

King Crimson have a song titled, "Cadence and Cascade" on their magnificent album In the Wake of Poseidon. I played it once on our show and Mothra just looked at me, a puzzled look on his face. "Who is this monster sitting before me," he wondered, "and how can he possibly enjoy this sissy music." It is all hushed vocals singing about a man named Jade who is in the shade or something and there are flutes and I really had no idea how silly it all was until I saw Mothra's reaction to it and realised that I'm cursed to adore this junk for life. Just the mention of the band Rush is enough to bring a gleam to my eye and give me that nervous sick feeling in my stomach I love them so much. It's a love I am unable to share with those close to me. It's not that I haven't tried - lord how I've tried - but I jut can't convince anyone about the mind crushing awesomeness of it all. The battle rages on.