All Hail The Rain Song!

[Monster Boy]

The Rain Song came up on my mp3 player whilst I was taking a walk through some lovely bit of forest today. Brilliantly orchestrated, produced, arranged, composed, what have you, plus it perfectly fit the mood of my idyllic stroll at the time. Tiny birds alighted on my shoulders and the sun shone its glorious rays upon me! Amen.

[Billy Underdog]

Tiny birds alighted on my shoulders and the sun shone its glorious rays upon me! Amen.

Acidhead

No, ofcourse, great tune.

[Josef_K]

I don't think I've ever heard this mysterious "rain song" of which you speak. Perhaps it would be wise of one to search for it on the Internet as soon as Genesis feel like ending their album "Selling England by the Pound". Dare I ask who the composer might be?

(Yes, I've probably read too much of the Black Knights posts...)

[Monster Boy]

Just a couple bottles of Heineken, no hallucinogens involved this time The mighty Led Zeppelin bequeathed this majestic ballad unto our senses young Josef. Seek it in yon Houses of the Holy!

I thought you didn't like Genesis? Actually, I gather you still don't like them too much from your "as soon as [they] feel like ending [it]" comment! Selling England is a good album for me, not their best, at bit too proggy in spots (like Battle of Epping Forest and Cinema Show) but it does have some lovely bits scattered throughout. I have a feeling you might enjoy the album Trespass more, very "atmospheric" that one.

I wrote reviews for Trespass and Selling England about, oh god, apparently about 10 years ago! My opinions have changed a bit since then, but anyways, you can check them here if you like:

http://www.epinions.com/review/musc_...nt_87982902916

http://www.epinions.com/review/musc_...nt_83613617796

[Josef_K]

I'm an idiot, Rain Song is one of my favorite Zeppelin tunes from my, by far, favorite Zeppelin album. When you said "orchestrated" I for some reason was sure you were talking about a classical piece... I have no idea why haha. So yeah, that song is simply awesome.

I hate "Land of Confusion", and there are lots of albums by Genesis that I've never heard. Trespass was the first album I bought on vinyl and one I appreciate very very much. However, I still haven't found the time (read happened to prioritize) to listen through much of their work. Their first album was on constant repeat for me some months ago, it's a great great album, I don't care about that it's more or less a pop album, pop can be good if it's written and performed by GOOD musicians, that's all that matters really.

I bought "Selling England" on vinyl yesterday, having listened through it quite a lot of times on youtube etc. It's quite an uneven album, with "I Know What I Like (In your wardrobe)" and "Battle of Epping Forest" going a bit too far at times but with some songs I cannot describe with other words than masterpieces, these being "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight", "Firth of Fifth" and "The Cinema Show". The latter has later been revealed to me as the song with THE best keyboard solo I have ever heard to this day. It is BETTER than anything I've heard from Rick Wakeman, and in my case that says A LOT. Also I love the lyrics on that album, they are a very peculiar blend between folk and prog, constantly reminding me of the (to me) more well known Aqualung and Thick as a Brick albums by Jethro Tull. One certain part of "Battle..." even sounds more like Jethro Tull than Genesis imo I will have to force myself to listen to the rest of the Gabriel albums, as well as early Yes and probably also post 1973 Yes. Since I am at the moment suffering from a serious addiction to "Tales from Topographic Oceans", along with a 9-5 job there isn't much time for discovering new music. I love prog rock, but despite that more or less all prog albums take a long time for me to get into.

EDIT: By the way, I liked your review of "Selling England" (didn't read the other one yet) even though I of course disagree with you on quite a lot of things. You made one mistake though, one that I made as well before someone pointed it out to me:

"Can you tell me where my country lies?
Said the unifaun to his true loves eyes.
It lies with me! cried the queen of maybe
- for her merchandise, he traded in his prize."

I think it's some kind of fantasy-based animal or something... Anyway, those lyrics are awesome, uniform or unifaun both work well :D

[Billy Underdog]

@ Josef: I was under the impression you were well informed on the prog-scene, but as you seem to want to check out more Genesis and Yes, i want to give you a little advice: Genesis and Yes, good as they are, are boring compared to '69-'74 era King Crimson (which i guess you know to some extent), and even more: Gentle Giant.
That is the band to check out instead of wasting time on Genesis and Yes...

[Monster Boy]

I'm not sure that GG will be to JK's liking, they are not so much an atmospheric, keyboard driven ensemble. I could be wrong though! If you like windingly complex arrangements and don't mind your share of dissonance and purposeful awkwardness, GG can do it for you. King Crimson, same sort of thing, but with a darker, more sinister quality. I can see Josef liking In the Court of the Crimson King quite a bit for sure!

[Billy Underdog]

I can see Josef liking In the Court of the Crimson King quite a bit for sure!

Absolutely.

But talking about GG: "Raconteur, Troubadour". Tons of atmosphere, just makes you feel like you're on a 16th century town square market. And lets not forget Three Friends and Acquiring The Taste.

I don't think Josef's definition of atmosphere necessarily mean keyboards/orchestrations.

[Josef_K]

I don't think Josef's definition of atmosphere necessarily mean keyboards/orchestrations.

You are 100% correct. Taking the essence of atmosphere built up without keyboards and trying to accomplish something similar with keyboards as the main instrument was what started my songwriting. Like sitting at a piano and trying to write a doom-rock song, I came up with this one:
http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now...ource=facebook

Anyway, I haven't looked into Gentle Giant yet, I have no excuse since I've known about them for quite some time now... I will check them out though, when I do not know. I have King Crimsons "In the Court of the Crimson King" on vinyl, someone forced me to listen through it all once and I was extremely impressed by the title track and most of all "Epitaph". Some of the songs are not as strong though, such as "21 Century Schizoid Man", which is growing on me but I still don't like the distorted voice too much... the instrumental parts are great though. Also "Moonchild" is a bit too much ambient for me :S Or at least ambient in the wrong way so to speak. All in all still a strong album. The only other King Crimson songs I have checked out so far is "In the Wake of Poseidon" and "Starless and Bible Black", both were quite good I guess but didn't hook me enough to keep investigating. And again, after listening through "Tales from Topographic Oceans" not too long ago I have been completely addicted. I have to listen to it every other day or I'll go crazy... For me, Yes is the band that defines progressive rock. Every other band seems to have some elements of other music in them, while Yes are as close to pure progressive rock one could possibly get. I'm speaking of the first Wakeman era now, to avoid confusion. Fragile, Close to the Edge and of course Tales from Topographic Oceans are three of the greatest albums I've ever heard.

I'm listening some to their first album as I'm writing this, extremely impressive stuff, I should get this album as well, still trying to get into "Relayer" also, as of now without much luck but I'll give it time.

One progressive rock band that I have given many chances and still don't like too much is ELP. I mean sure they are great musicians, but I just can't connect with them. It's impossible to listen to such long instrumental parts for me without any emotional connection, and when I'm listening to ELP I feel NOTHING. Maybe it's their lyrics as well, I dislike most of those that I've heard. Karn Evil 9 had it's strong moments melody-wise though, but the lyrics and atmosphere were not for me.

[Monster Boy]

^^^ I'm a dumb ass. You like Sabbath, mostly no keys!!

Anyways, this song is a good representative of Gentle Giant in my opinion, and the video is a must watch just so you can laugh at the drummer! It does have keys, just not "keyboard driven" I would say (and I'd be an idiot for saying that, just listened again...)

[Billy Underdog]

http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now...ource=facebook.

Interesting. To begin with i got a feel of a blend of power-metal and punk (and i mean that in a positive way), and as the keyboard become more prominent, it get's a real prog-feeling.

Anyway, I haven't looked into Gentle Giant yet, I have no excuse since I've known about them for quite some time now... I will check them out though, when I do not know. I have King Crimsons "In the Court of the Crimson King" on vinyl, someone forced me to listen through it all once and I was extremely impressed by the title track and most of all "Epitaph". Some of the songs are not as strong though, such as "21 Century Schizoid Man", which is growing on me but I still don't like the distorted voice too much... the instrumental parts are great though. Also "Moonchild" is a bit too much ambient for me :S Or at least ambient in the wrong way so to speak. All in all still a strong album. The only other King Crimson songs I have checked out so far is "In the Wake of Poseidon" and "Starless and Bible Black", both were quite good I guess but didn't hook me enough to keep investigating.

"Confusion will be my epitaph". I love that album. "21st" are one of THE essential proto-metal tunes IMO. And if you like that album and "starless", you should check out "Red", which is the follow-up to "starless". And along with "Court Of" one of the two best KC-albums. (I can never decide which one's the best).

One progressive rock band that I have given many chances and still don't like too much is ELP. I mean sure they are great musicians, but I just can't connect with them. It's impossible to listen to such long instrumental parts for me without any emotional connection, and when I'm listening to ELP I feel NOTHING. Maybe it's their lyrics as well, I dislike most of those that I've heard. Karn Evil 9 had it's strong moments melody-wise though, but the lyrics and atmosphere were not for me.

Same with me, never got into ELP. Good musicians, ofcourse, but i've always seen them as the "drunk & happy" Rock N' Roll-band of the proggers. Greg Lake should never've left Crimson...

[Josef_K]

@ Monster Boy
Well that was a good song actually, still they, just like ELP, lack the emotional connection to a certain extent, for me that is. The keyboard player is waaaaay easier to connect to than Keith, though the rest of the band and the general atmosphere... I don't know. I feel a certain lack of that symphonic edge which is one of the reasons why some of the songs by Yes, Genesis, King Crimson and Pink Floyd are so addictive to me. I will check out more of their stuff though, the combination of Hohner Clavinet D6 and Moog Minimoog is rarely a bad one!

@ Billy
Interesting, as I don't recall being exposed to neither power metal nor punk while writing that song... except Iron Maiden and Ebba Grön (swedish punk band, you might recognize them? :D). Anyway, "Red Sky" began as me trying to translate the first Black Sabbath album to the piano, then later picking up the organ and much later the Moog to complete the picture. Of course the lyrics fail to be typical Doom rock, they were never intended to be in fact, though the general impression I think it gives is that of strong doom rock inspiration above all else. I find it interesting that you mention punk, mainly because of the slow pace and the introvert, non-political lyrics I have problems seeing that aspect of the song to be honest...

I like your description of ELP, same impression that I got. I will give KC more chances in the future, just give it time

[Billy Underdog]

Anyways, this song is a good representative of Gentle Giant in my opinion, and the video is a must watch just so you can laugh at the drummer!

Great tune, this version is alot more "edgy" (or harder) than the album version. Other clips from the same show, it's so amazing to see them running back n' forth between all the instruments.

As my hair keep falling off, i'll probably look like Pugwash (the drummer) in a few years...

---------- Post added at 03:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:04 PM ----------

Two of my faves:

[Billy Underdog]

---------- Post added at 03:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:07 PM ----------

Ebba Grön (swedish punk band, you might recognize them? :D).

I've got high regards and respect for Thåström, with everything he's done. (Not too familiar with the industrial stuff though). Only thing that annoys me is him getting credit for Fred (Till Melanie), which ofcourse is a Mikael Wiehe-tune.. (Did i mention i'm a big Hoola Bandoola Band-fan?)

[Billy Underdog]

(Check out Peter Clemmedson's SG, it's actually so old it says Les Paul on top of the neck)

[Josef_K]

I've got high regards and respect for Thåström, with everything he's done. (Not too familiar with the industrial stuff though). Only thing that annoys me is him getting credit for Fred (Till Melanie), which ofcourse is a Mikael Wiehe-tune.. (Did i mention i'm a big Hoola Bandoola Band-fan?)

I think I've heard that from you some time before actually. Personally I haven't listened to much more than Ebba Grön and Nationalteatern, listening to Keops Pyramid at the moment (which Thåström has made a cover of as well, if you missed that :D), it's great actually, I had a completely different picture of Hoola Bandoola Band. Thanks for changing that picture to the better

EDIT: If you haven't heard Nationalteatern (which I have a feeling you have... but still) check out this song, it's awesome!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOmqq-dMXcU

Btw, sorry Monster Boy, you must feel quite left out of our discussion about Nordic prog/punk bands :D

[Billy Underdog]

I had a completely different picture of Hoola Bandoola Band. Thanks for changing that picture to the better

I'm glad i have. Their second album "Vem Kan Man Lita På" is great, but the three others are good too.

which Thåström has made a cover of as well, if you missed that :D

EDIT: If you haven't heard Nationalteatern (which I have a feeling you have... but still) check out this song, it's awesome!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOmqq-dMXcU

I know, and i know. What's good about Thåström covering Hoola Bandoola is him showing these great tunes to a younger (and more agressive?) audience.
I think Nationalteatern are good, but i've always felt they were more about the politics than the music (which many feel about Hoola too, for that matter). Come to think about it, Nationalteatern was actually a bit pre-punk... I guess you know about Nynningen too?

Btw, sorry Monster Boy, you must feel quite left out of our discussion about Nordic prog/punk bands :D

I don't think he mind that much. Actually i hope he can enjoy the music, though he probably can't catch up with the political lyrics.

---------- Post added at 04:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 PM ----------

Prudence: THE best Norwegian rock-band ever:

[Billy Underdog]

Their one-of Reunion-show at 11-11-11 (first show together since December 11, '75), sadly without their vocalist/flautist because he died in '90, but with his children filling in for him:


And pretty well played by a drummer with rheumatism...

[Billy Underdog]

[Billy Underdog]

[Josef_K]

Nope, never heard of Nynningen. Only really listened to Ebba Grön, Nationalteatern and Imperiet... these Prudence guys were quite good though :D

[Billy Underdog]

Nynningen was one of those political "progg"-bands like Nationalteatern, Trettioåriga Kriget and Blå Toget. And ofcourse Peps Persson was a great caracter.

Yeah, Prudence are(were) great. Too bad their best song aren't on youtube anymore. Tomorrow May Be Vanished, Mild Grey Fog. I wish i could share those with you...

[Josef_K]

So much great music out there that one will never hear... it's just impossible to have time for it all :D Anyway, a Gentle Giant song popped up on my "recommended" list on youtube recently, and recommended after that was their full "Octopus" album. I'm listening to it at the moment, playing "Knots" as I write this. It's quite strange and hard to get into, but I really sense potential in this band. Definitely an album I will return to in the next few days, I sense already that I will end up buying it. I really like their musical vision, the world needs more people like this, not only the music world but every aspect of our society needs more people that are willing to offer their chances of success just to be able to experiment. If that means they have to base their experimentation in part on self-indulgence in order to pull it off, it's totally worth it imo :D

EDIT: by the way, I just love that one of the recommended videos from here is a trailer to "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus"... youtube is a strange place...

[Franklin]

@ Josef: I was under the impression you were well informed on the prog-scene, but as you seem to want to check out more Genesis and Yes, i want to give you a little advice: Genesis and Yes, good as they are, are boring compared to '69-'74 era King Crimson (which i guess you know to some extent), and even more: Gentle Giant.
That is the band to check out instead of wasting time on Genesis and Yes...

I disagree with your "advice" to stop "wasting time" on Genesis and Yes but I appreciate your mentioning two top-rate prog-rock groups, King Crimson and Gentle Giant. However, this is a little like advising somebody to stop listening to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and listen to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden instead. To suggest that classic-era Genesis and Yes are boring is ridiculous.

[Billy Underdog]

To suggest that classic-era Genesis and Yes are boring is ridiculous.

Boring compared to. IMO ofcourse. I guess Josef is able to judge for himself if he find it boring or not...

[Josef_K]

Boring compared to. IMO ofcourse. I guess Josef is able to judge for himself if he find it boring or not...

Yeah... despite the fact that I like most of what I hear from King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Yes "Tales from Topographic Oceans" recently made it to my #1 favorite album of all time, a title held by Rainbow "Rising" for over two years until now :D "The Remembering/High the Memory" is the only song yet to beat "Stargazer"... for me that is HUGE, so King Crimson and Gentle Giant stand little chance against Yes ^^

[Franklin]

Boring compared to. IMO ofcourse. I guess Josef is able to judge for himself if he find it boring or not...

Fair enough.

Yeah... despite the fact that I like most of what I hear from King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Yes "Tales from Topographic Oceans" recently made it to my #1 favorite album of all time, a title held by Rainbow "Rising" for over two years until now :D "The Remembering/High the Memory" is the only song yet to beat "Stargazer"... for me that is HUGE, so King Crimson and Gentle Giant stand little chance against Yes ^^

I'm glad to read you're enjoying Topographic Oceans. That one can be a bit hard to chew with all four songs clocking in at around 20 minutes. I'd be curious to know how you rate Relayer's Gates of Delirium against the four from T.O.

[Josef_K]

I'm glad to read you're enjoying Topographic Oceans. That one can be a bit hard to chew with all four songs clocking in at around 20 minutes. I'd be curious to know how you rate Relayer's Gates of Delirium against the four from T.O.

I like Gates of Delirium, though I've only listened through it three or four times and most recently got into it at all. Getting into Yes music usually takes a while for me, so I cannot compare it with the ones from Topographic Oceans just yet. However I'd be surprised if I ever find Gates of Delirium to be better than any of those songs, being the mega-fan of Wakeman that I am :D It's interesting that Wakeman managed to play so great on an album he hated...

[Billy Underdog]

It's interesting that Wakeman managed to play so great on an album he hated...

Just shows how talented the guy is. And luckily for us, his boredom of the album gave him the opportunity to give us the great piano and synth-lines of Sabbra Cadabra.

[Vynlsol]

(Check out Peter Clemmedson's SG, it's actually so old it says Les Paul on top of the neck)

Thanks for posting that, it's pretty cool! I had never heard of them, and the song you posted is thus far my only exposure, but it reminds me of Fleet Foxes lol.

[Billy Underdog]

Thanks for posting that, it's pretty cool! I had never heard of them, and the song you posted is thus far my only exposure, but it reminds me of Fleet Foxes lol.

That's not a bad comparison, though i find FF to be a bit more Beach Boys-ish (not saying that's a bad thing )

Check out this one, it's a bit rockier:

[Billy Underdog]

Then there's this spanish folk-flute-thing:

[Billy Underdog]

Povel Randéns trombone-solo isn't as cool as the studio-version though...

[Vynlsol]

Good stuff, Billy, thanks. Been a while since I've gotten into anything that's new to me...gonna have to research

---------- Post added at 11:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 PM ----------

That didn't take long. I snagged a vinyl copy of "Vem Kan Man Lita Pa?" by the Hoola Bandoola Band. Heading my way soon for 20 pounds.

[Billy Underdog]

That didn't take long. I snagged a vinyl copy of "Vem Kan Man Lita Pa?" by the Hoola Bandoola Band. Heading my way soon for 20 pounds.

Cool. Their best album IMO. (And from which three of the videos i've posted are taken from)