Proggy Goodness and the like.
King Crimson - Peace - A Beginning & Pictures of a City
Genesis - Dancing in the Moonlight
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Ramble Tamble
The Who - A Quick One While He's Away
Van Der Graaf Generator - Pilgrims
Yes - Heart of the Sunrise (excerpt)
Frank Zappa - St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast & Father O'Blivion
Panda Bear - Bros
Papa M - Sabotage
Rush - La Villa Strangiato
Queen - The March of the Black Queen & Funny How Love Is
Boston - Foreplay/Long TIme
Steve Malkmus and The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Mogwai - Golden Porsche
Showing posts with label prog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prog. Show all posts
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Get Out Your 20-Sided Hankies For This One
I don't know if you saw the headline but we lost one of the great ones today when Gary Gygax died. He was the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, hero to geeks everywhere and an inspiration to countless proggy musicians. Pitchblende even named their final album after him. For a perfect example of D&D put to music, listen to Rush's 12-minute epic, "The Necromancer." Since I can't find a video I like for that song, put on your chain mail and check out this madness from Fantasy-Rock masters DragonForce.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Greatest Song Ever Written
I wanted to close out Prog week with a short celebration of the greatest song ever written. There are a lot of songs that have probably earned that title over the years but today I narrow my focus on one shining single that towers over all others like a giant space turtle towers over other monsters. My choice for greatest song ever written is Rush's masterwork "Subdivisions."
It begins with a pulsing synth chord, possibly played by robots for an ampitheater full of robots. The sound is insistent, cold and clinical and perfectly sets the stage for the work as a whole. If you are not familiar with this song, let me explain a little. The song appears on Rush's 1982 album Signals and to me it perfectly encapsulates the early 80s world of mall culture, the birth of video games and suburban sprawl. I was 5 when this song came out and it immediately transports me back to that time of scuzzy guys with scuzzy moustaches parading around in worn blue jeans and no shirts through the hazy post-70s fall out of the early Reagan administration. By this point, Neal Peart had moved away from the sci-fi poetry of Rush's earlier albums and was writing more direct lyrics concerning the damage humans do to nature and to each other. The title refers to both suburban subdivisions as well as those that separate students in high school. I know, it's almost overwhelmingly deep but give them the benefit of the doubt. "Subdivisions" seems to be an autobiographical tale about a boy growing increasingly uncomfortable in the world he finds himself, looking desperately for a way out and finding no quick fix. He can only wish for a relatively painless end to the monotony and boredom of the conservative suburban life that surrounds him. As an escape from this living death, Neal turned to fantasy and a pretty massive obsession with drumming. Our protagonist in the song, who most every Rush fan will relate to in one way or another, finds no home in the various cliques in school or in the ticky tacky sameness of the suburban prison he finds himself in. Apparently, there is no D&D club at this high school. So the search for connection continues into the city but the busyness and empty distractions there provide no real solace or solutions. For me, this kind of adolescent uneasiness and unhappiness has never been articulated (musically and lyrically) as absolutely perfectly as in this song. The authoritarian voice bloodlessly repeating "Subdivisions," the gently hostile singing of Geddy Lee as he spits out the lines "In the basement bars/ In the backs of cars/ Be cool or be cast out" and the emotionless keyboard lines all work together to create an incredibly brilliant exploration of the horrors of modern life and the sometimes fruitless search for relief.
To me, rock and roll is not (solely) about greasers and leather jackets or stoners and shirts with fringe or satan and his minions; it is about finding another voice out there in the wilderness who shares your ideas and ideals and makes you feel a little less alone. I didn't discover this song until well after high school and by that time, I had already found my musical saviours to get me through the absurdity of my teenage years. Rush encapsulate that feeling of reaching out for just one person to share your journey with so even though I'm no longer 15 I can still relate to that common experience of bristling at your surroundings and hoping for escape.
If you made it this far, you might as well check out the video. Even if you find nothing here to latch onto and you wonder how such a terrible song could mean so much to me, at least you can enjoy Geddy Lee's odd, odd face and some great footage of vintage arcade action.
It begins with a pulsing synth chord, possibly played by robots for an ampitheater full of robots. The sound is insistent, cold and clinical and perfectly sets the stage for the work as a whole. If you are not familiar with this song, let me explain a little. The song appears on Rush's 1982 album Signals and to me it perfectly encapsulates the early 80s world of mall culture, the birth of video games and suburban sprawl. I was 5 when this song came out and it immediately transports me back to that time of scuzzy guys with scuzzy moustaches parading around in worn blue jeans and no shirts through the hazy post-70s fall out of the early Reagan administration. By this point, Neal Peart had moved away from the sci-fi poetry of Rush's earlier albums and was writing more direct lyrics concerning the damage humans do to nature and to each other. The title refers to both suburban subdivisions as well as those that separate students in high school. I know, it's almost overwhelmingly deep but give them the benefit of the doubt. "Subdivisions" seems to be an autobiographical tale about a boy growing increasingly uncomfortable in the world he finds himself, looking desperately for a way out and finding no quick fix. He can only wish for a relatively painless end to the monotony and boredom of the conservative suburban life that surrounds him. As an escape from this living death, Neal turned to fantasy and a pretty massive obsession with drumming. Our protagonist in the song, who most every Rush fan will relate to in one way or another, finds no home in the various cliques in school or in the ticky tacky sameness of the suburban prison he finds himself in. Apparently, there is no D&D club at this high school. So the search for connection continues into the city but the busyness and empty distractions there provide no real solace or solutions. For me, this kind of adolescent uneasiness and unhappiness has never been articulated (musically and lyrically) as absolutely perfectly as in this song. The authoritarian voice bloodlessly repeating "Subdivisions," the gently hostile singing of Geddy Lee as he spits out the lines "In the basement bars/ In the backs of cars/ Be cool or be cast out" and the emotionless keyboard lines all work together to create an incredibly brilliant exploration of the horrors of modern life and the sometimes fruitless search for relief.
To me, rock and roll is not (solely) about greasers and leather jackets or stoners and shirts with fringe or satan and his minions; it is about finding another voice out there in the wilderness who shares your ideas and ideals and makes you feel a little less alone. I didn't discover this song until well after high school and by that time, I had already found my musical saviours to get me through the absurdity of my teenage years. Rush encapsulate that feeling of reaching out for just one person to share your journey with so even though I'm no longer 15 I can still relate to that common experience of bristling at your surroundings and hoping for escape.
If you made it this far, you might as well check out the video. Even if you find nothing here to latch onto and you wonder how such a terrible song could mean so much to me, at least you can enjoy Geddy Lee's odd, odd face and some great footage of vintage arcade action.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Roger Dean, Eat Your Heart Out
How serendipitous to visit the Onion AV Club today and see this feature list. I've only heard 2 of these 18 albums but instead of inspiring ridicule, this list just made me curious to hear the other 16. See how bad my sickness is? My favorite line - "what's with progressive-rock albums and their obsession with vanishing points?"
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.
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.
Friday, January 25, 2008
A Plea for Forgiveness
Look at these gorgeous British lads. The top 4 look like any shaggy group from the 70s although sporting less facial hair. But check out that freaky dude on the bottom. He alone tips them from rock band over the cliff into the land of prog rock. What is going on here, Mr. Gabriel? How do you go from this (granted it's not a great start) to "Sledgehammer?" And you, Mr. Collins. How do you go from Genesis' bib overall wearing drummer to lead singer of the group that produced grade A stinkers like "I Can't Dance" and "Land of Confusion?" It's a pretty stunning decline from the glorious prog rock majesty of Foxtrot and Selling England by the Pound. Those albums are truly incredible if you can stand 23 minute suites about Revelation with passages in 9/8 time or songs about characters named "Bob the Knob." The 80s were not kind to the members of Genesis. Just ask Mothra about the travesty that is "Red Rain" and you will be met with a series of guttural groans and a diatribe on the utter worthlessness of Peter Gabriel. Phil Collins won over no one with his acting gig as the lovable scamp "Buster" in the titular film and Mike Rutherford was responsible for "The Living Years," which somehow reached number one on the Billboard charts. Please don't judge them on these sad statistics or that embarrassing picture alone and give their noodly indulgent years a chance. I promise you'll like them more than "Throwing it All Away." How could you not?
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