Music Banter - It had to happen... Prog Wars!

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I don't think of First Utterance as a prog album at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore (Post 1191122)

I don't think of First Utterance as a prog album at all.

Folk Prog?

I'm no genre genius, but I think of it as a psychedelic folk album.

I see it as progressive folk with heavy elements of rock, classical, medieval, and world music. Certainly isn't tame enough to be called psychedelic folk imo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anticipation (Post 1191235)

I see it as progressive folk with heavy elements of rock, classical, medieval, and world music. Certainly isn't tame enough to be called psychedelic folk imo.

Why do you think psychedelic folk means it's tame? Have you ever heard the sonic psychedelic experiments of early Amon Düül, Brainticket or Cromagnon? Comus certainly has more in common with those than the classic prog bands of that time.

edit :

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Psych folk generally favors acoustic instrumentation although it often incorporates other instrumentation. Chanting, early music and world music influences are often found in psych folk. Much like its rock counterpart, psychedelic folk is often known for a peculiar, trance-like, and atmospheric sound, often drawing on musical improvisation and Asian influences. Its lyrics are often concerned with such subjects as the natural world, love and beauty and try to evoke a state of mind associated with the effects of psychedelic drugs.

To me, Comus' First Utterance fits the bill.

Yeah but wouldn't it be hard to argue that First Utterance doesn't also fit the Progressive Rock bill?

RYM:

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Its main features are the complexity of harmonies, arrangements and musical structure. The suites (songs divided in movements) are also a trademark, along with narrative and abstract lyrics

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Originally Posted by RVCA (Post 1191608)

Yeah but wouldn't it be hard to argue that First Utterance doesn't also fit the Progressive Rock bill?

RYM:

Of course genres are not exclusive of eachother which is part why genre discussions are so difficult or even futile. I'm no more an authority on what genre First Utterance belongs to than you or anyone else are. I can only argue from my point of view. I feel like I can clearly hear First Utterance's artistic psychedelic and folk heritage, but prog less so and I just don't think that these guys set out to make a prog record when they recorded this album. I don't know if that's ultimately true. It's just what I think/believe.

edit :

Just out of curiosity, I tried to find a little more information. I found an interview with Roger Wooten who is one of the Comus guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by interview

Nick: You and Glenn Goring were both very young when you started musical journey back in 1967. What was your guide back then to start creating your own music? Who were your main influences then and did you have a clear image of the music you wanted to create?

Roger: We were both influenced by Bert Jansch and John Renbourn (later to form Pentangle) and The Incredible String Band. I introduced Glenn to avant garde jazz. We began playing the folk club together in 1967. The band formed gradually. I had the idea of a violin and met Colin Pearson who just happened to be attending the same college – Ravensbourne College of Art. The band assembled from students and friends of students at Ravensbourne. I wrote my first song and the Comus sound and feel gradually evolved rather than having any clear image.

Here he mentions influences. Bert Jansch and John Renbourn are folk artists. The Incredible String Band is the psychedelic folk band. There's no mention of prog rockers here.

Source : http://www.prog-sphere.com/2010/08/2...wootton-comus/

Okay, Comusaholics, can we bring the conversation back to the original topic? I know you're all eager to discuss Comus, but I'd like to know if there are any more votes for the two albums, as this is currently the status: not a runaway success for Yes by any means, and a few more votes could really change the tide, either way.

Close to the edge - 4
Animals - 2

So, to quote Twelfth Night from "Creepshow" --- Anymore for anymore?
Also, anyone with ideas for the next battle, don't be shy...

Pile another vote on Close to the Edge. I've never understood the insane hype for Animals-- yeah it's a good album but it pales in comparison to Pink Floyd's more well-known stuff and even, I'd argue, Meddle. I don't find it very memorable, but CttE is just insanely fun to listen to. You've got a group of some very groove-oriented, very technically-skilled musicians all jamming together on three epic tracks-- every time I listen to the album I focus on a different musician and discover something new and titillating.

In Animals' defense, Waters' lyrics are much more engaging than Anderson's abstract(nonsensical) narratives.

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Originally Posted by RVCA (Post 1191917)

In Animals' defense, Waters' lyrics are much more engaging than Anderson's abstract(nonsensical) narratives.

Perhaps true, but I find Anderson's way of writing lyrics for CttE, by basically putting together words which sound nice and "paint" the right pictures, to be a pretty original way of writing songs. :)