Steve Howe - Lute Concerto in D Major / Mood For A Day

[cocopops61]

I've just googled the top 25 prog albums and was going to listen to the album voted the best and that album was Close To The Edge by Yes... It's only got four tracks on it and one of them took up the whole side of the album lasting 18 odd minutes,thats prog all over!

[howoldboy]

I've just googled the top 25 prog albums and was going to listen to the album voted the best and that album was Close To The Edge by Yes... It's only got four tracks on it and one of them took up the whole side of the album lasting 18 odd minutes,thats prog all over!

Excellent choice Chalky.

18 minutes is nothing.

if you don't like it first time play it again.

Play it 3 times and I reckon you will love it.

"Its 18-minute length marked the longest track Yes had recorded at the time. Anderson gained initial inspiration from a moment in his hotel room during the Fragile Tour when he was reading The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien while listening to Symphony Nos. 6 and 7 by Jean Sibelius, one of his favourite composers. The seventh struck Anderson the most as he noticed that its main theme was introduced some time into the composition which influenced how "Close to the Edge" was shaped. He studied No. 7 for the remainder of the tour; roughly halfway, he discussed his initial ideas with Howe. During a break the two resumed writing at Howe's home in Hampstead, north London, at which point Howe devised lyric "Close to the edge, round by the corner", itself inspired when he had lived in Battersea, an area beside the River Thames."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_to_the_Edge

[cocopops61]

Right then,there's good news and bad news so let's start with the bad...

Yes-Close To Edge

It did nothing for me,I played once last night and twice today and it's everything that I dislike about prog music,long and incredibly boring,**** me the intro alone was four minutes long apart from a few ahhhs here and there,it got better around ten minutes in when it went into a kind of dreamy sequence but all in all it's just not for me,the dreamy bit saved it so it's 5/10

The good news...

I ended up playing some solo work of Jon and absolutely loved it,I Hear You Now is so beautiful I envy those of you in love 10/10, I'm going to listen to the first two solo albums next

[howoldboy]

Right then,there's good news and bad news so let's start with the bad...

Yes-Close To Edge

It did nothing for me,I played once last night and twice today and it's everything that I dislike about prog music,long and incredibly boring,**** me the intro alone was four minutes long apart from a few ahhhs here and there,it got better around ten minutes in when it went into a kind of dreamy sequence but all in all it's just not for me,the dreamy bit saved it so it's 5/10

The good news...

I ended up playing some solo work of Jon and absolutely loved it,I Hear You Now is so beautiful I envy those of you in love 10/10, I'm going to listen to the first two solo albums next

Fair enough. At least you tried.

I listened to "I Hear You Now" earlier. I must have heard it before because I recognised it.

I liked the vocals but for me the overall sound is a bit wooden/staccato. More like Synth-pop (which I never liked) and nothing like the depth/complexity of a Yes track.

Everyone to their own I suppose.

[cocopops61]

Fair enough. At least you tried.

I listened to "I Hear You Now" earlier. I must have heard it before because I recognised it.

I liked the vocals but for me the overall sound is a bit wooden/staccato. More like Synth-pop (which I never liked) and nothing like the depth/complexity of a Yes track.

Everyone to their own I suppose.

Music SHOULD be varied and different howoldboy otherwise we would still be stuck with Pat Boone and Doris Day 50:years later,it's got to evolve into something new and different and if your parents don't like it then that's even better,if you got into Prog in your tee.ns they it's never really going to go away,we always remember the first girl that we feel in love with don't we

Whilst reviewing the Prog scene on YouTube I realised that maybe Prog has evolved,Jon Anderson went solo and brought out some beautiful music like a chrysalis to a butterfly and Supertramp brought out the Breakfast In America album,are Supertramp truly a Prog band because I remember that album from when it first came out and enjoyed it,I even think that I've got it on vinyl somewhere if my ex hasn't chucked it out,I also came across a video of Genesis back in the day with Collins doing lead vocals singing a song called A Twist Of The Tail or summat,Phil looked like a gnome in it but I quite enjoyed that,I think that Griffy said that he liked the album but tbh I'm not going to leave this message now to check because it will just disappear,anyway the point in music is a learning curve and I won't be so harsh on it in future

[griff]

A Trick of the Tail. That and Wind and Wuthering were the last decent albums Genesis brought out then Hackett left and it all fell flat. You are completely right though Chalky. While I still hold that prog never went away , music evolved regardless for the reasons which you identified. Each generation wants music that’s different to that enjoyed by its older generation. So along came punk, then away went punk and music continued to evolve, which is what it would have done if punk had never been invented. An awful lot of music sounds different now though for a number of reasons. An awful lot just sounds flat compared to past times. Listen to Mr Blue Sky by ELO - it’s different class to what’s produced today. The byword now seems to be to pile it high whatever it sounds like. I also heard that expectations have changed because peoples’ attention spans have reduced, so artist are expected to dive straight into a song without an intro. I like to hear an intro even if it’s 4 minutes long because it eases you into the main part of the track. I applaud artists like Sting and Elvis Costello who are still in the game and producing likeable music written properly for folk like me and not for millennials who can’t sit still for more than a minute.

Good points Chalky.

[cocopops61]

I quite like ELO and Mr Blue Sky is an epic track with all of its pomp and glory, Telephone Line is my favourite song though as I've always loved songs that make me feel miserable (I'm sure that Frank has a theory on that) with Diary Of Horace Wimp being another great song although that's not a sad song,the whole Discovery album ain't bad tbf

[howoldboy]

I quite like ELO and Mr Blue Sky is an epic track with all of its pomp and glory, Telephone Line is my favourite song though as I've always loved songs that make me feel miserable (I'm sure that Frank has a theory on that) with Diary Of Horace Wimp being another great song although that's not a sad song,the whole Discovery album ain't bad tbf

Did you ever come across this band Chalky?

Formed in Torquay in 1969.

Wishbone Ash "are noted for their extensive use of harmony twin lead guitar". Andy Powell and Ted Turner.

This track is Blowin' Free from the album Argus (1972). I picked this track because I am hopeful you will like it and..... it is only 5 minutes long.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGXW...gHuzJ0&index=3

and 40th anniversary concert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0U-2N3SqyA

[griff]

Saw them at the Cheese and Grain in Frome. Two lead guitars, what’s not to like?

[howoldboy]

Saw them at the Cheese and Grain in Frome. Two lead guitars, what’s not to like?

Bloody hell Griff. You get around.

Good gig?