A phrase Martin Carr of The Boo Radleys used many years ago to describe his songwriting; he said he was too stubborn and bloody-minded to write a straight forward verse-chorus-verse-chorus song, and found himself inserting odd segments into songs, so that each one became "a room with many doors" and you didn't know which one it would go through next. "Joel" from Wake Up! is a good example of what he meant; it has all sorts of odd phases and sections rather than a typical structure.
Can you think of any others by anyone else?
So far the obvious ones I can think of are:
Happiness Is A Warm Gun by The BeatlesKarma Police by RadioheadMan Without Friends by Siobhon Donnaghy
I imagine Super Furry Animals might supply us with some. There are probably loads of prog examples but I'm less fussed about them.
― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Sunday, 22 March 2009 18:35 (4 years ago) Permalink
ooh boy
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 18:41 (4 years ago) Permalink
this thread is me-bait
You're the only person I tagged in the same note I put on Facebook.
They don't necessarily have to be really long and proggy, Luis. In fact, shorter, poppy variations on this theme will probably be more appreciated. I wanna make a playlist.
― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Sunday, 22 March 2009 18:43 (4 years ago) Permalink
I'm not thinking long and proggy! Best Boo Radleys example of this is probably "Get On The Bus" or maybe "Four Saints" btw
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 18:45 (4 years ago) Permalink
"Band on the Run"?
― •--• --- --- •--• (Pleasant Plains), Sunday, 22 March 2009 18:47 (4 years ago) Permalink
Girls Aloud - Biology.
― jed_, Sunday, 22 March 2009 18:51 (4 years ago) Permalink
'sowing the seeds of love'
^ reppin for the mondeo in 09
― FREE DOM AND ETHAN (special guest stars mark bronson), Sunday, 22 March 2009 18:59 (4 years ago) Permalink
The Homosexuals seemed to approach a lot of songs this way. "Total Drop," "Astral Glamour," and "Vociferous Slam" are around two minutes each and while they are packed with hooks, they are not presented in traditional pop structures.
― Hoops McCann (Beep), Sunday, 22 March 2009 19:03 (4 years ago) Permalink
in truth, I think it is hard for me to write a song that is not this
― Dominique, Sunday, 22 March 2009 19:07 (4 years ago) Permalink
I actually don't know where to start with this one, such is the multitude of riches.
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 19:10 (4 years ago) Permalink
three 6 mafia "triple six clubhouse"
― rio (r1o natsume), Sunday, 22 March 2009 19:52 (4 years ago) Permalink
XTC - Season Cycle?
― davek_00, Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:20 (4 years ago) Permalink
The entire Skeletal Lamping record by Of Montreal
― kornrulez6969, Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:22 (4 years ago) Permalink
Fingertips: They Might Be Giants
― kornrulez6969, Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:23 (4 years ago) Permalink
'william, it was really nothing'
― unaustralian (jabba hands), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:31 (4 years ago) Permalink
OK.
Beck - "Diamond Bollocks" keeps itself to 6 kaleidoscopic minutes, goes to about 7 different places, is completely unpredictable, and most crucially of all is awesome as hell
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:38 (4 years ago) Permalink
songs like this basically annoy me but that smiths one is really good because it's like 2 mins long.
― unaustralian (jabba hands), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:40 (4 years ago) Permalink
7 is actually a gross understatement
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:41 (4 years ago) Permalink
― Dominique, Sunday, March 22, 2009 3:07 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark
cosign
― Neotropical pygmy squirrel, Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:43 (4 years ago) Permalink
Girls Aloud's "The Promise" is like this, and actually maybe crazily odd-structured...each of its four 'verses' (well, the bits between the choruses) is a different part: it goes A-B-C-B-D-B-E-B, I think.
― f f murray abraham (G00blar), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:46 (4 years ago) Permalink
The Beta Band - "The Beta Band Rap"
or "Monolith" if you're willing to sacrifice brevity for actually being a good song
or "Eclipse", maybe
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:47 (4 years ago) Permalink
The Blood Brothers - "Cecilia And The Silhouette Saloon"
(yes I am going through my iTunes alphabetically)
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:50 (4 years ago) Permalink
o boy
― f f murray abraham (G00blar), Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:51 (4 years ago) Permalink
most of the pas/cal album except all of the songs are horrible.
― keythkeythkeyth, Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:52 (4 years ago) Permalink
'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' was first thing that leapt to mind. 'Good Vibrations' works too.
― Ismael Klata, Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:52 (4 years ago) Permalink
yes and i think Heroes and Villains even more so.
― sonderangerbot, Sunday, 22 March 2009 22:59 (4 years ago) Permalink
Califone - "Black Metal Valentine" (also my favourite song of theirs, truly sublime in the purest sense)
Cardiacs - ... (I have a choice of about 50 songs here...maybe MAYBE I'll side "Dog-Like Sparky", or "Dirty Boy", or "The Duck And Roger The Horse", or "Buds And Spawn", or "RES" or "In A City Lining" or or or or...)
The Electric Soft Parade - "The American Adventure" (again, kaleidoscopic, whisks you through many possible hooks and resolutions before finally hitting pop gold, although it IS 7 minutes long)
The Fiery Furnaces - jeeeez, er..."Chris Michaels" then (pretty damn definitive as these things go IMO)
The Flaming Lips - "The Spark That Bled"
Guillemots - "Sao Paolo" (11 minute running-time notwithstanding)
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:09 (4 years ago) Permalink
queen - bohemian rhapsodyted nugent - wango tangoteena marie - square biz
― xhuxk, Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:12 (4 years ago) Permalink
Ooh, here's a good one: Julian Cope - "Know (Cut My Friend Down)", only 3:20 in length!
I wrote a list of my favourite "Bohemian Rhapsodies" when I was at high school; I think I've already listed a few of them.
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:15 (4 years ago) Permalink
able tasmans 'school is no good for you'
― keythkeythkeyth, Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:15 (4 years ago) Permalink
My Radiohead choice is "2+2=5", obv. :-D
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:16 (4 years ago) Permalink
belle & sebastian 'your cover's blown'
― keythkeythkeyth, Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:18 (4 years ago) Permalink
Am I allowed to mention Koenjihyakkei or are they too prog?
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:18 (4 years ago) Permalink
Late Of The Pier - er, I'd like to say "The Enemy Are The Future" but "Broken" and "Bathroom Gurgle" are more concise, more obviously-lurching-between-sections examples.
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:22 (4 years ago) Permalink
Mansun - any track off "Six" tbh but especially "Six", "Shotgun", "Cancer" and "Being A Girl"
(this is important to me)
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:27 (4 years ago) Permalink
The Mars Volta - d/q for being too prog in traditional sense
Massive Attack - "Group Four"
Melt-Banana - something, haven't worked it out yet
Mercury Rev - please please please can I pick "Meth Of A Rockette's Kick"? Oh goody, cheers!
Mew!! Perfect. "Am I Wry? No"
The Monsoon Bassoon - maybe "Wise Guy", maybe "Blue Junction
Mr. Bungle - "Violenza Domestica"? "Goodbye Sober Day"? Too much choice here. Probably "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz"
omg My Computer - "All I Ever Really Wanted Was A Good Time" !!!!!!!!!!
the letter M's pretty good for this shit and I didn't even get round to Muse or Meshuggah
― leigh exodus (country matters), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:44 (4 years ago) Permalink
"A Dreamer Who Is Too Weak to Face Up To" is as good a Melt-Banana choice as any for this.
― Hongroe Like the Wolf (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:51 (4 years ago) Permalink
I suspect a lot of these songs are multiple unfinished songs cobbled together.
McCartney's got a pile of these:"You Never Give Me Your Money""Golden Slumbers/The End""Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey""Live and Let Die""Band on the Run" (mentioned above)"Picasso's Last Words""Junior's Farm" (maybe)"Goodnight Tonight""The Pound Is Sinking"(Some of these admit to being 2 songs, but it feels like there are 4 or 5 song bits buried in each of them)
Fleetwood Mac - "The Chain"XTC - "The Wheel and the Maypole"Pink Floyd - "Jugband Blues"Buffalo Springfield - "Broken Arrow"Brian Wilson - "Rio Grande"The Who - "Who Are You"The Roches - "My Sick Mind"Rickie Lee Jones - "Traces of the Western Slope"Rickie Lee Jones - "Gravity"Nick Lowe - "Nutted By Reality"Sloan - "The Good in Everyone"Sloan - "Fading Into Obscurity"Belle & Sebastian - "Step Into My Office Baby"
― Hideous Lump, Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:53 (4 years ago) Permalink
Really you just want this:
― Hongroe Like the Wolf (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:54 (4 years ago) Permalink
i have a creeping suspicion this could be my least favourite type of song
― Bad, Bad Memories of a Good Time (electricsound), Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:56 (4 years ago) Permalink
The Moody Blues - House of Four Doors (duhhhh)
― CaptainLorax, Sunday, 22 March 2009 23:58 (4 years ago) Permalink
Hmm. Examples of this kinda die away after M, at least on MY iTunes. Until SFA. In truth, you can't really beat those Boo Radleys examples for songs that fulfil Nick's criteria exactly. My examples are generally a teeny bit too long. Apparently Architecture In Helsinki are a bit micro-proggy inna pop style but they're also a bit cutesy/happy-clappy, whereas Boo Radleys actually made their songs into miniature labyrinths, full of not just surprise but wonder, fear and incomprehension.
SFA - probably "Receptacle For The Respectable"
Talk Talk - "Taphead" (haaahahahahahaha)
The The - "Out Of The Blue (Into The Fire" (more in terms of lyrical narrative than music...this song passes through many phases of emotional tone in only 5 minutes, and the music itself develops unpredictably)
Thighpaulsandra - "Lycraland" (this song passes through an absolute wealth of musical territory, in an almost entirely abstract fashion; it's also completely brilliant, and I'm willing to overlook the near-16-minute runtime because you simply gotta hear it, and the album it's on, much of which has similarly vaulting ambitions)
Ulver - "The Truth" (four minutes, utter carnage)
Volcano! - "Easy Does It"
Wilco - "Poor Places" (I REALLY fucken dig this song, and it's perfect for this thread)
Working For A Nuclear Free City - "Nancy Adam Susan" or maybe "England" (it's amazing how many of my very favourite songs are cropping up as candidates here!)
XTC - "The Wheel..." otm ^^^ with ya buddy
Youthmovies - "Magic Diamond" (I think this might be their best track - its narrative never doubles back but keeps on burrowing down, down, deep into something totally unexpected and utterly magical)
65DOS - "Music Is Music As Devices Are Kisses Is Everything"
ok I'm done, sorry for ruining yr thread Southall
and yeh Noodle, "A Dreamer..." is a good choice, even if the previous track (which isn't, granted, so breakneck) is like one of the highlights of all music ever
― leigh exodus (country matters), Monday, 23 March 2009 00:24 (4 years ago) Permalink
Roger Waters - Just about anything off of Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking (and a few from The Final Cut too)Sonic Youth - "Swimsuit Issue"Sonic Youth - "Bone"Talking Heads - "Artists Only"Velvet Underground - "I'm Sticking With You"Billy Joel - "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"Electric Light Orchestra - "Fire on High"Electric Light Orchestra - "Standing in the Rain"Electric Light Orchestra - "Mr. Blue Sky"Electric Light Orchestra - "Loser Gone Wild"Laurie Anderson - "Sharkey's Day"The B-52's - Rock Lobster
― Hideous Lump, Monday, 23 March 2009 00:31 (4 years ago) Permalink
Too often they sound like what they are--unrelated bits slapped together--but when they miraculously work, they're great.
― Hideous Lump, Monday, 23 March 2009 00:34 (4 years ago) Permalink
I think many of my examples flow organically between sections, rather than bolt *completely* unrelated sections *right* next to each other. But I don't think that contravenes the conditions of this thread.
― leigh exodus (country matters), Monday, 23 March 2009 00:39 (4 years ago) Permalink
Only Skin - Joanna Newsom
― Turangalila, Monday, 23 March 2009 00:42 (4 years ago) Permalink
pretty things - defecting grey
― Bad, Bad Memories of a Good Time (electricsound), Monday, 23 March 2009 00:51 (4 years ago) Permalink
i remembered another thread along similarish lines
Layla and other songs that just change into something else almost unrelated
like shitloads of zappa songs? at least the ones on the two i have - absolutely free and freak out
― be on the treadmill - uh! - like OK GO (M@tt He1ges0n), Monday, 23 March 2009 00:52 (4 years ago) Permalink
I suppose some songs by Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti and Field Music this year might fit into this category.
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:12 (2 years ago) Permalink
It's very good indeed - so many ideas and little bits! For some reason I always assumed Working were a spacemen 3 style dronerock thing.
― Davek (davek_00), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:14 (2 years ago) Permalink
Come to think of it that opening strummy guitar bit could be on a Stone Roses or Primal Scream record! Then the acoustic comes in..
― Davek (davek_00), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:15 (2 years ago) Permalink
Field Music were the only band WFANFC could come up with when trying to name good contemporary British music, haha! They're not really dronerock (although they can do it) so much as true eclecticism at play (with an electronic/rock skew, admittedly) - and it's very exciting to hear a band willing to do that
haha no challop to say that either of those bands' imaginations wouldn't have lasted more than 5 seconds of that song
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:17 (2 years ago) Permalink
i'd say Blind Guardian's "I'm Alive" fits that...
― O'Shea the Cubeman (San Te), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:22 (2 years ago) Permalink
"Prog" in 2011 = horrible bad cardie bait
― Costco Chapel (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:24 (2 years ago) Permalink
nah this is microprog, the new shit, kids are snorting it in the gutters
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:25 (2 years ago) Permalink
g.d. let's find nice ways of preeshiating the barOQUE y'all
― Costco Chapel (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:26 (2 years ago) Permalink
like NO WHINAY
Also SLABS >>> twiddly twiddly diddly I doh
― Costco Chapel (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:27 (2 years ago) Permalink
wfanfc's slabs are there, they're just not gonna spend ages mulling over their slabdom
get righteous quick, then get outta there
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:29 (2 years ago) Permalink
Not in any way. Prog is finally back, and it was about time!
However.... this thread is not really about prog.....
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:34 (2 years ago) Permalink
this thread is about MICROPROG
thing is geir, microprog is all about the sophisticated melodies so you shd get on board
p.s. what are the good prog albums from this year I should listen to?
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:35 (2 years ago) Permalink
LOT OF CUTE GUYS IN THE CLUB TONITE
― Costco Chapel (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:39 (2 years ago) Permalink
Actually 2010 was a kind of silent year for prog IMO after 2009 which was the best year for prog since the mid 70s or so.
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:40 (2 years ago) Permalink
so sounds like John Cage ruled 2010 then
― O'Shea the Cubeman (San Te), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:42 (2 years ago) Permalink
But, yes, "microprog" I suppose is closely related to the more sophisticated pomp pop from the 70s that I love. Definitely into stuff like Boo Radley and Super Furry Animals and their likes as well (even though I prefer the two Boo Radleys albums where the faster moments are fast and lively without being noisy)
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:42 (2 years ago) Permalink
love Boo Radely and the Super Fury Aminal
― Costco Chapel (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:45 (2 years ago) Permalink
as do I :D
so what were 2009's prog highlights? take it Frost was one...
― acoleuthic, Sunday, 2 January 2011 01:46 (2 years ago) Permalink
For me it was largely the old guard. Stylistically at least. Transatlantic, IQ and Dream Theater all released perhaps their best albums ever. Guilt Machine, Astra, Syzygy and Bigelf also released great albums that year.
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:22 (2 years ago) Permalink
Although perhaps the most important thing to happen to prog in 2009 was not music, it was a magazine.
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:23 (2 years ago) Permalink
yeah Heat had a good 12 months
― Costco Chapel (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:24 (2 years ago) Permalink
I'll take your word for that, although prog still has a way to go for its musicians to be interesting for the readers of that magazine. :)
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:26 (2 years ago) Permalink
"The End" is a Doors song with rooms: first the singer finds his sister in one, then his mom and dad in another. Bad scene all around.
― clemenza, Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:27 (2 years ago) Permalink
(It is quite proggy even, although largely in a krautrock/spacerock kinda way ;) )
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:28 (2 years ago) Permalink
btw I hope yr all downloading that song I linked a Sendspace of upthread
― Boo Radely and the Super Fury Aminal (acoleuthic), Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:29 (2 years ago) Permalink
That Alphaville song sounds not at all bad. Although the Alphaville name is occupied, occupied, OCCUPIED!
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 2 January 2011 02:32 (2 years ago) Permalink
Buncha Zep besides the already-mentioned "Dazed and Confused":
What Is and What Should Never BeNo QuarterWhole Lotta LoveOver the Hills and Far AwayThe Rain SongStairway to Heaven (obviously)KashmirA couple things from Physical Graffiti that I can't remember
― Hideous Lump, Monday, 3 January 2011 00:55 (2 years ago) Permalink
most of these aren't really rooms with many doors. they're more like railroad apartments. a bunch of rooms in a row.
― fact checking cuz, Monday, 3 January 2011 15:35 (2 years ago) Permalink
i wonder if LJ is a Plank fan. they remind me (a very little) of lapsus linguae
― ron pinot (electricsound), Monday, 3 September 2012 00:37 (8 months ago) Permalink
where was I during this thread?
― This Is... The Police (dog latin), Monday, 3 September 2012 09:57 (8 months ago) Permalink
in a padded room with no windows
― cute, banned, alert (some dude), Monday, 3 September 2012 10:36 (8 months ago) Permalink
Hah!
― This Is... The Police (dog latin), Monday, 3 September 2012 10:40 (8 months ago) Permalink
I dunno, that record with the owl might be (for it's genre) a little too restrained and polite for him.
― Pat Ast vs Jean Arp (MaresNest), Monday, 3 September 2012 12:42 (8 months ago) Permalink
yeah you could be right
nice record tho
― ron pinot (electricsound), Tuesday, 4 September 2012 00:47 (8 months ago) Permalink
Karma Police by Radiohead
No way, this is standard verse-chorus-verse with a coda at the end.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 4 September 2012 11:14 (8 months ago) Permalink
yeah it's hilarious how many people just don't get this
― some dude, Tuesday, 4 September 2012 11:16 (8 months ago) Permalink
I love this kind of thing, but sometimes it exists as an excuse to stitch together loads of unused song fragments to make a pop-epic a la Bohemian Rhapsody or Paranoid Android. The best is when the song has been composed (or gives the illusion that it has been composed) with the express intention of being a song with many doors. Something like 'Lazarus' is a good example of this.
― This Is... The Police (dog latin), Tuesday, 4 September 2012 11:25 (8 months ago) Permalink
I meant Paranoid Android rather than Karma Police. Must've had a brainfart when typing.
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 4 September 2012 11:28 (8 months ago) Permalink
Diamond Bollocks (above) is a great example of a non-prog, non-pronk RWMD tune. I don't see how most of those Zep tracks qualify tho'
― Pat Ast vs Jean Arp (MaresNest), Tuesday, 4 September 2012 19:56 (8 months ago) Permalink
― afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 30 January 2013 18:07 (3 months ago) Permalink
Bump for Supergrass.
― they all are afflicted with a sickness of existence (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 11 March 2013 13:43 (2 months ago) Permalink
The newish album by Pretty & Nice "Golden Rules for Golden People" put me in mind of this thread. Kind of like Sugarplastic-sounding Lilys (aka XTC+New Wave + pop songs without choruses or verses) I guess. Less precious than the former, and less chameleon-like than the latter. All of the songs go all over the place, but remain catchy. It's quietly becoming one of my most played albums of the year. Mummy Jets=favorite track initially.
― dlp9001, Sunday, 12 May 2013 02:32 (1 week ago) Permalink
I will habitually check out any record that gets compared to Lilys. I hear much more XTC/Field Music (and even very small touches of Devo/Plastics/P-Model and even Cardiacs), but I'm really enjoying this record, thanks for the tip!
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 15 May 2013 17:41 (1 week ago) Permalink
i like this pretty & nice album, definitely a pleasurable listen
― Spectrum, Wednesday, 15 May 2013 18:26 (1 week ago) Permalink
This is great, thanks for the tip! There's a bit of Sparks in there, too.
― New Authentic Everybootsy Collins (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 15 May 2013 19:15 (1 week ago) Permalink
Hmmm, no Laura Nyro in here? Un-beleeeev-able!
― Bloody Snail, Wednesday, 15 May 2013 19:52 (1 week ago) Permalink
A lot of the suggestions upthread are wtf
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 15 May 2013 20:38 (1 week ago) Permalink
where can I hear pretty + nice
― have a nice Blog (imago), Wednesday, 15 May 2013 20:40 (1 week ago) Permalink
Spotify
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 15 May 2013 20:41 (1 week ago) Permalink