I'll bet that I could probably find something to say that you'd disagree more strongly with.
Anyhow, maybe I should clarify, the vocals are certainly important to me, but the lyrics are not. I was never blessed with the ability to remember, or even properly understand any kind of lyric. That certainly plays a role in my non-appreciation of progressive rock's (or any) lyrical content. However, I also would venture that when compared to the lyrics of many other types of music, on average there is less meaning in the lyrics of prog rock. Look at the verses that Tilpo quoted, what are those even supposed to mean!? Flowery language =/= deep content.
But for real, I'm glad to see another Packer fan in here! There's always next year...
Your points are valid. Buy, I will disagree mainly with respect to Pink Floyd. I find their lyrics to be very personal and heartfelt, especially ones from Roger Waters.
I'll bet that I could probably find something to say that you'd disagree more strongly with.
Anyhow, maybe I should clarify, the vocals are certainly important to me, but the lyrics are not. I was never blessed with the ability to remember, or even properly understand any kind of lyric. That certainly plays a role in my non-appreciation of progressive rock's (or any) lyrical content. However, I also would venture that when compared to the lyrics of many other types of music, on average there is less meaning in the lyrics of prog rock. Look at the verses that Tilpo quoted, what are those even supposed to mean!? Flowery language =/= deep content.
But for real, I'm glad to see another Packer fan in here! There's always next year...
Your points are valid. Buy, I will disagree mainly with respect to Pink Floyd. I find their lyrics to be very personal and heartfelt, especially ones from Roger Waters.
Yeah, Pink Floyd has some pretty great thematic albums, and does an awesome job at not being too obvious. I like Peter Hammill's lyrical (and vocal) style too.
On that note, have we talked about Van Der Graaf Generator here yet? That was one of my first prog rock loves, and one of my top choices still today! So driving, so dark, so brooding, so intense!
I'll bet that I could probably find something to say that you'd disagree more strongly with.
Anyhow, maybe I should clarify, the vocals are certainly important to me, but the lyrics are not. I was never blessed with the ability to remember, or even properly understand any kind of lyric. That certainly plays a role in my non-appreciation of progressive rock's (or any) lyrical content. However, I also would venture that when compared to the lyrics of many other types of music, on average there is less meaning in the lyrics of prog rock. Look at the verses that Tilpo quoted, what are those even supposed to mean!? Flowery language =/= deep content.
But for real, I'm glad to see another Packer fan in here! There's always next year...
Of course single verses don't have meaning on their own. Do they ever?
Sinfield's lyrics are poems, and I happened to have tried to figure out/research the reason of most of his King Crimson works. Almost all of them actually have a fairly deep meaning, one you will only understand after carefully analyzing them like you would do with a poem. I'm not trying to criticize you in any way, but I'm just saying that his lyrics do have meaning.
You shouldn't treat his lyrics as speech, but rather as a poem that requires time and careful reading in order to be understood.
To me, those lyrics smack of teenaged pomposity, they may be ambitious, but in the end they lack taste and self-restraint. To each his own, I guess. It's cool that you get something from them
Has anyone of you ever paid attention to the lyrics of the first four King Crimson albums? Peter Sinfield is one of the best lyricists I have ever seen.
Here are some of my favorite verses:
"Go Polonius or kneel
The reapers name their harvest dawn
All your tarnished devil's spoons
Will rust beneath our corn.
Now bears Prince Rupert's garden roam
Across his rain tree shaded lawn
Lizard bones become the clay -
And there a Swan is born" Lizard - Title song " Impaled on nails of ice
And raked with emerald fire
The wife with soul of snow
With steady hands begins to write:" The Letters - Islands "Heroes hands drain stones for blood
To whet the scaling knife.
Magi blind with visions light
Net death in dread of life.
Their children kneel in jesus till
They learn the price of nail;
Whilst all around our mother earth
Waits balanced on the scales." In The Wake of Poseidon - Title song
The end of Happy Family on Lizard ends with Haskell having a laugh at Sinfield's lyrics.
I don't think Haskell had any positive experiences recording Lizard. He's still bitter about it.
The end of Happy Family on Lizard ends with Haskell having a laugh at Sinfield's lyrics.
I don't think Haskell had any positive experiences recording Lizard. He's still bitter about it.
I also heard that they got fed up with his weird lyrics after Islands was done.
I personally think the lyrics on especially Lizard and Poseidon are flippin' amazing. But I can very well understand that many people would not agree with me. Sinfield's style is far from common.
To each their own, I guess.
Makes me wonder though, does anyone know an artist (esp. prog rock) that adopts a similar lyrical style as Sinfield did in King Crimson?
I also heard that they got fed up with his weird lyrics after Islands was done.
I personally think the lyrics on especially Lizard and Poseidon are flippin' amazing. But I can very well understand that many people would not agree with me. Sinfield's style is far from common.
To each their own, I guess.
Makes me wonder though, does anyone know an artist (esp. prog rock) that adopts a similar lyrical style as Sinfield did in King Crimson?
Ahh.., Maybe gentle giant. But they're not quite as vague or verbose.
I wasn't attacking his lyrics, just pointing out a fun fact. I love In the Court's title track, it has some of my favourite lyrics. They're perfectly translated in the vocal performance, and are sort of macabre.
I completely agree. Some albums are like symphonies; their whole is greater than the sum of their individual songs/movements. Wish You Were Here definitely falls in that category.
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