Magma!

[Soot and Stars]

They are definitely an acquired taste Soot.

They remind of Sigur Ros in a way, the fact that they use vocals as another instrument rather than normal lyrics a lot of the time.(Or more appropriately Sigur Ros reminds me of Magma seeing they predate my Icelandic phenoms by Decades.)

I'll see if I can find their most accessible album and post it for any other Borderline prog fans.

See I like Sigur Ros because of what they have in common with the band (vocals) and what they don't (jamming). I just don't like jammy but I'm open minded enough to listen through 8 minute songs to see if I can get anything out of it though.

 

[LG]

I don't mind long songs, no surprise seeing in my beloved Classical music some movements are Monstrous, complex and very long. It's an acquired taste I agree. The first time I heard Sigur Ros I had no idea what the hell they were going on about. Then a great old friend Orangerocker explained they used "Hopelandic" their own made up language instead of lyrics.

 

[Soot and Stars]

I don't mind long songs, no surprise seeing in my beloved Classical music some movements are Monstrous, complex and very long. It's an acquired taste I agree. The first time I heard Sigur Ros I had no idea what the hell they were going on about. Then a great old friend Orangerocker explained they used "Hopelandic" their own made up language instead of lyrics.

Yep, they do! Another example of me not being prejudice against Progressive is that I saw the appeal in the Rush c.d.s I bought and there was nothing I found particularly unlikable about even the 20 min. song collage on 2112!

 

[LG]

Some of those songs like "2112" are a collection of Suites bound together in a theme or to tell a story.

The really hard stuff to get into are the 20+ songs like Yes recorded on Tales of Topographic Oceans, that single album caused Rick Wakeman to leave the band, and split their fans down the middle.

It is often cited as perhaps the best example of the most "Excessive/Overindulgent" rock album of it's time. A double album with one track on each side...I like it but it's definitely not their best work.

 

[Aktivator]

I listened to every second of every vid here! As a forum with pretty much a ton of mega-prog fans these guys may have an audience. For me personally I just don't like continuous jamming. I have exceptions in my taste where I like a continuous melody but the music I struggle getting into the most is Jazz which explains why this wouldn't work for me. Ironically, what you warned about was what stood out as one of thefew things I like. The weird operatic vocals that added a haunting ethereal element to the music which otherwise sounded more like a jam band than even a lot of the prog I've been exposed to here! Overall, respectable as musicians no doubt but not something I'm ashamed to say I wouldn't particularly listen to. Thanks for the chance to here them though guys!

no problem at all. I like the fact that you checked it out. Magma is no doubt an acquired taste and I've never been able to figure who that is.

I've never thought of the jammy side of them its actually more free style jazz. Lord Grendel I like the Sigur Ros reference. You may want to listen to a few more tracks to figure out what you should get. There classic 70's stuff is my favorite but some of the newer works are a little more modern.

 

[Soot and Stars]

no problem at all. I like the fact that you checked it out. Magma is no doubt an acquired taste and I've never been able to figure who that is.

I've never thought of the jammy side of them its actually more free style jazz. Lord Grendel I like the Sigur Ros reference. You may want to listen to a few more tracks to figure out what you should get. There classic 70's stuff is my favorite but some of the newer works are a little more modern.

Yeah, I definitely can't say they aren't talented and I don't believe I can really define what's bad just on my taste. I can say I'm probably not the audience they are aiming for but they definitely have one out there.

 

[Tattoo'd Lady]

Some of those songs like "2112" are a collection of Suites bound together in a theme or to tell a story.

The really hard stuff to get into are the 20+ songs like Yes recorded on Tales of Topographic Oceans, that single album caused Rick Wakeman to leave the band, and split their fans down the middle.

It is often cited as perhaps the best example of the most "Excessive/Overindulgent" rock album of it's time. A double album with one track on each side...I like it but it's definitely not their best work.

man i love Tales from Topographic Oceans. such a great album but hard to listen to at times. but im another person who loves long songs. and i don't mean 8 minute songs (those are short ) but those big 20 minute epic prog or jazz numbers

 

[LG]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes Massive songs TL. I'm going to have to dig out my Magma collection tomorrow and go over it. It's been so long since I played them I've forgotten most of the albums now...

 

[Aktivator]

Caught a rare NYC appearance by Magma last nite.
This band never ceases to amaze me. Christian Vander can substitute parts of the band every time but still keeps it top notch with a new twist each time. This time more marimbas, killer bass playing, amazing keyboards, Chistian's killer drums and only 3 singers plus Christian singing more than usual. They played the entire new album Emehntehtt-Re and two new pieces from their next album. Encore was the classic Kobaia. One of them was an all out jazz improv. I know this band isn't for everyone but seeing them live or listening to them several times pays off in the end and you will see the light.

 

[LG]

^^Great pictures AK as usual.

I lost track of them and didn't even realize they were still active...but I have to agree they fall into the "Grower" category, you simply cannot just play their albums once and get a true feel for them.