![]() I look forward to hearing which songs I missed (and I’ll honestly reply if the songs you would have picked were on my master list or if I overlooked them, intentionally or not).Ģ5. I tried not to list two songs from one specific album, which made the project only slightly less impossible than it already was. As such, most of the usual suspects are included, and several of those bands have multiple entries. There are likely a song or two that some readers won’t recognize, but I endeavored to not make this an exercise in obscurity (a person willing to rank prog-rock songs does not - or should not - need to further bolster his ambiguous street cred by listing songs nobody is remotely familiar with). The only requirement is a sufficiently open mind and ears (or eyes) capable of picking up what is being put down.įor the purposes of this list, the prog-rock era will include songs recorded between 19 (though, as will presently be made clear, the majority of the songs come from the first few years of the ’70s). Expression that, for lack of a better cliché, transcends time and place is created and exists on its own terms, so there is no barrier of language, ideology or agenda that prevents it from finding its audience. Moments in time, whether artistic, political or social, that are defined or defended by those who took part in them, are necessarily exclusive - not that there is anything wrong with that. ![]() “You had to be there” does not apply when it comes to this music (or any music), and this is the elusive alchemy that best illustrates its staying power. Prog-rock satisfies the faithful and is entirely capable, on its own without aspiration or interference, of converting new acolytes every single day. The reason, at the end of the day, that so-called classic rock (in general) and progressive rock (in particular) endure is the most simple of all: they deliver the goods. Perhaps this is unavoidable, because this so-called era isn’t easily packaged into a particular time period or specific aesthetic, and what we are left with is the all-encompassing yet ultimately unsatisfactory moniker of prog-rock, which manages to be inadequate, overly simplistic, reductive, portentous and… perfect? For those who know Pink Floyd solely through lyric dominated albums such as "The Wall" and later "dehydrated" Floyd albums, however, it may come as something of a shock.Progressive rock came and went, but opinions differ on what specific years it covered and which artists epitomize it. ![]() This album is unique and a "must" for any serious Floyd fan. The music is not as strong as the title track, but there is that certain "something" about it (and the album as a whole) that keeps me coming back for more. The album concludes with "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" another instrumental suite punctuated by sound effects and a backround voice. In my opinion these songs are all stronger then the short songs from Meddle. "If" is memorable as Water's first "list song" and includes possibly his first references to insanity : "If I go insane, please don't put your wires in my brain", and "Fat Old Sun" is a beautiful sleepy Guilour effort. While none of them can be described as "high impact" songs, all three have a haunting simplicity and the best lyrics up to that point. Side 2 of the lp consists of three songs, "If", "Summer of '67" and "Fat old Sun" written by Waters, Wright and Guilmour respectively. ![]() The musical themes themselves are both noble and grand in nature and the Suite is, quite simply an astonishing piece of music which is comparable to such modern classics as Holst's "The Planets". Whereas Echoes was built largely on the quality and texture of sound itself, beginning with that repeated and distorted keyboard note, AHM is based on musical themes which are repeated and developed in the classical style throughout the piece. Apart from its length and the fact that it is largely instrumental, it bears little resemblance to "Echoes" from the "Meddle" album. The album opener, "Atom Heart Mother Suite" (side 1 of the lp) is a 23 minute epic. ![]() This is largely due to the influence of Ron Geesin who co-wrote the title track and the use of brass instruments and a choir to add texture and colour to the sound. Something of an enigma among their work, this is the one Floyd album which doesn't have the trade mark "Pink Floyd Sound" be it the cosmic / nursery rhyme feel of the Syd Barrett era or the tight, lyrics dominated Roger Waters era. Atom Heart Mother Album Review By James Caulfield"Atom Heart Mother" - best album title and containing the best song title ever : "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast"! ![]()
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