Prog Rock Wednesdays (Page 16 of 24)

Gentle Giant    "Knots"    Brussels, 1974

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI8dBOIuG9I

With an intricate vocal arrangement, and a stellar acoustic guitar duet (2:20 - 5:40) from Gary Green & Ray Shulman, "Knots" encompasses all of the harmonic complexity and virtuoso musicianship which GG are known and loved for. "Knots" is from the group's 4th studio album "Octopus", featuring artwork by Roger Dean, and showing a very sinister looking Cephalopod climbing out of the sea with obvious intent to do harm.

King Crimson    "Level Five"    Japan,  2003

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KKka6sSCs0

KC's 2003 double disk DVD "Eyes Wide Open" was compiled of tour footage throughout Japan. This song features intricate guitar duo work between Adran Belew and Robert Fripp, backed by the amazing drumming of Pat Mastelotto, and the touch guitar bass arrangements of Trey Gunn. It's a bit unique in that it has a "level five" intensity, but never really becomes a song as such. Nevertheless, the musicianship is exciting to watch / listen to.

Tangerine Dream    "Death of a Nightingale"    1994

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XgKOB2GPM8

Out the door early tomorrow, so I'm posting this beautiful piece of music tonight. Tangerine Dream's 1994 album "Turn of the Tides" features a lot of fantastic guitar work by Croatian guitarist Zlatko Perica. I haven't been able to find any live footage of him with the band during his short time with them. This vid features a lantern festival to open with, and some sky-diving footage to close. This was Perica's final album with TD, as the group went through a sonic change over the next few years. Austria's Iris Camaa joined them, replacing electronic percussion with mostly acoustic, and her fellow countryman Bernhard Beibl joined not long afterwards on guitar. I've been a stalwart fan of TD's music since first hearing "Atem" in 1973. The bad has changed and evolved, but have always been pioneers in this genre. Linda Spa's saxophone playing is the real feature of this song.

Jethro Tull    "Song for Jeffrey"    BBC TV, 1968

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNvOlyf-JAw

Here's a real oddity, from a film produced by The Rolling Stones for a broadcast called "Rock & Roll Circus". To start off, we have a very young Mick Jagger introducing them. This is 3/4's of the original Tull lineup with, of course, Ian Anderson (vocals, flute), Glenn Cornick (bass) and Clive Bunker (drums). Guitarist Mick Abrahams had just left the band. During the brief interval before Martin Barre came aboard, we're seeing Tony Iommi here on guitar for his only "live" performance with Tull. Lots of interesting history here, and a really great song to wrap it up in.

Wow! It's a wonder they don't trip over all the wires! Were there two drummers or just two kits? That was one powerful singer and that guy with the long white beard sure did like to smile. Now for the BIG question: Is that an Alembic bass guitar? Sure looks like one in the shape, but the only one I have ever seen was fretless. I played this throughmy theater system and it sounded AWESOME!

Thanks, TF, Great choice!

Bill

You piqued my curiosity Bill, so I did some looking around. The head stock is identical to an Ibanez SR Premium bass, but the knob configuration isn't. Ibanez's are always in a curve, but this one's are in a straight line. An older Ibanez model maybe?

Pink Floyd    "Time"    London, 1994

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_VjVqe3KJ0

Easily one of PF's most recognizable songs, with Gilmour's terrific guitar solo that we were all trying to learn back in the 70's. I couldn't find a live version where the solo is real close to the album's, but that's an artist's prerogative isn't it? I love watching Nick Mason playing the toms during the opening, and am reminded that even thought he's not one of these drummers with light-speed hands, he really is an asset to the whole Pink Floyd sound.

The song is about the circumstances of life which we'll often use as an excuse for inactivity, i.e., "sticking around a piece of ground in your home town". Time is the one non-renewable resource we have, and this song motivated me to get up out of my own hometown of 850 people, and get out and do something with my life. It's great to be proud of ones' roots, but they they don't have to root us to the ground of inaction.

Pendragon    "It's Only Me"    Katowice, Poland, 2008

Performance:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oObl_zAg3Ts

Lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pendragon/ … 37522.html

Guitarist / vocalist Nick Barrett wrote this amazing ballad about feeling insignificant for wanting kindness in a cruel world, yet being able to rise above being fearfully immobilized by it. This is one of those songs that almost always prods a tear or two from me, which it did while listening again last evening. His playing is both soulful and skillful, as some of us have been discussing in a thread Phill began a couple of days ago. It's from their 2008 album "Pure", and I hope you enjoy and are encouraged by this today.

Glad you liked it, TIG. I wonder how much better this would sound on a "Kenyon Custom Guitar"?

Don`t know if Peatle ever mentioned it,but we have a beer most sundays with a mate who toured
with Robert Fripp.

Good eye, Jim! That's a PRS Guitar (Paul Reed Smith) and the "birds" are a signature feature on a lot of their guitars:

Now ... I'm wondering what kind of unique inlays a Kenyon Custom Guitar might eventually have (nudge, nudge / wink, wink). I've often thought the 9 planets of our solar system would look cool, since most guitars have 9 fret board markers.