In a high school English class, a teacher let me present the lyrics from this album as modern poetry. I had her when I told her 2 of the albums' influences were Keats and Philostratus.
Understanding any of this album, lyrically or musically, puts your appreciation of music at a higher level. I had a short on-line convo with Steve Hackett a few years back, talking about the multiple key changes in Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats. He thought there 'Weren't that many'. There's at least 6, and they're not just Major to relative minor changes.
She was, and I didn't really realize it until a few years later. She got me to listen to Leonard Cohen, and appreciate him as a poet and songwriter (although even she could see appreciating him as a singer would be a stretch), pushed me, in class, to explain why I thought a poem nominally about eating fruit was really about sex (I was right), can you imagine a teacher doing that today? I still struggle with poetry but learned from her to to always look deeper into a song if you think there's something there, you're probably right. She passed several years ago, I regret never getting a chance to thank her.
And don't get started on time signatures in The Lamb. Back in NYC - 7/4, and Back in the Cage I think has the drums and keys going at 3/4 over 4/4, so they meet every 12th beat. Heady stuff, but this was the band that gave us Apocalypse in 9/8.
I'm sure someone's done that with the song titles, there's a pile of them in It.
Teachers are so constrained now (I used to be one). the Lamb would probably be banned once the idea it was about sex was voiced.
Leonard Cohen was brilliant. I find his songs more uplifting than depressing (the music process called him music to commit suicide to). Let’s just say he sang in his own voice.
I’m a writer not a musician so I can’t yet listen in terms of spotting signatures and key changes, unless they are very obvious. Determined to learn though!
'cos it's only Knock and Knowall, but I like it.
In a high school English class, a teacher let me present the lyrics from this album as modern poetry. I had her when I told her 2 of the albums' influences were Keats and Philostratus.
Understanding any of this album, lyrically or musically, puts your appreciation of music at a higher level. I had a short on-line convo with Steve Hackett a few years back, talking about the multiple key changes in Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats. He thought there 'Weren't that many'. There's at least 6, and they're not just Major to relative minor changes.
Cool teacher, Paul.
Someone must have made a list of all the song titles scattered throughout the lyrics.
She was, and I didn't really realize it until a few years later. She got me to listen to Leonard Cohen, and appreciate him as a poet and songwriter (although even she could see appreciating him as a singer would be a stretch), pushed me, in class, to explain why I thought a poem nominally about eating fruit was really about sex (I was right), can you imagine a teacher doing that today? I still struggle with poetry but learned from her to to always look deeper into a song if you think there's something there, you're probably right. She passed several years ago, I regret never getting a chance to thank her.
And don't get started on time signatures in The Lamb. Back in NYC - 7/4, and Back in the Cage I think has the drums and keys going at 3/4 over 4/4, so they meet every 12th beat. Heady stuff, but this was the band that gave us Apocalypse in 9/8.
I'm sure someone's done that with the song titles, there's a pile of them in It.
Teachers are so constrained now (I used to be one). the Lamb would probably be banned once the idea it was about sex was voiced.
Leonard Cohen was brilliant. I find his songs more uplifting than depressing (the music process called him music to commit suicide to). Let’s just say he sang in his own voice.
I’m a writer not a musician so I can’t yet listen in terms of spotting signatures and key changes, unless they are very obvious. Determined to learn though!