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Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?

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atrus123
07/31/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
My favorite music to write to is anything by Steve Roach, who is sort of a progressive/world/ambient, but lately I've been writing to a group called Solar Fields, who are more ambient-electronica. All that said, I do love prog, but it's just not as easy to write to. Both Marillion and IQ have a good sci-fi sound.
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heatstroke
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
manuel gottsching, "E2-E4" is my constant sci-fi soundtrack
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mikecap
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
Cory McAbee and The Billy Nayer Show make science fiction music. That is all.

http://www.americanastronaut.com/band/
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Grey_Area
07/30/09

@mikecap: I loved The American Astronaut!
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SpammerOvTheGods
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
couldn't write a song about a sea monster attacking a ship? Mastodon has a whole album based on Moby Dick - it's called Leviathan, and it's beyond awesome.

#@!
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KryptonZero
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
I went to:
The Terra Incognita Amazon Page to listen to some samples of this music (really, there should have been some kind of music sample in the post above). I thought some of it sounded like it could be sci-fi but it really didnt fit what I have in my mind for sci-fi.

For classic sci-fi the first band that comes to mind is Queen. Their Flash Gordon music is almost iconic (can't believe it wasn't included in the poll above)

When it comes to a fantasy type setting, I find Enya conjures more images of magic and witchcraft then a lot of other stuff does for me.

Also, Ray Lynch's Tiny Geometries Amazon Link has always had a special way of taking me on a trip to the end of the universe and back. Very Futuristic in my opinion, not unlike Phillip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi album Amazon Link which has music you can find in movies from The Matrix to Watchmen.

Lastly, I don't think we can talk about Sci-Fi without talking about John Williams. From E.T. to Jurasic Park and Star Wars he's composed it. George Lucas credited John Williams for a lot of the success of Star Wars, his sound track just added more depth to the characters.
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Edited by KryptonZero at 07/30/09 6:46 PM KryptonZero was starred KryptonZero was unstarred

Chad Downey
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
That album cover *is* supposed to look like the Enterprise D from the top, right?
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skeletonman36
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
I had to vote for Jazz, just because of Cowboy Bebop.
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Grey_Area
07/30/09

@skeletonman36: TANK!!
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gorehound
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
HEY !!!! Where is Punk ?
I have been a "Punk" since 1967 after hearing Velvet Underground.I am still a radical.I play in 2 punk bands with LP's out and I have read scifi since I was around 8 years old.
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Swami_Binkinanda
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
Prog is tied to cheezy sci-fi fantasy, as if Sir Robin's band in Python's Holy Grail were given electric instruments and license to narrate the story. Rush-The Trees? 2112? What about Bowie, who did nothing but glam sci-fi for years? The Cramps who did rockabilly horror 50s pulp? And how could we forget Alien Sex Fiend?
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ProgHead777
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
What do I think? My nickname is no coincidence.

I'd like to point out that there is a sub-genre of heavy metal called progressive metal which kind of complicates the poll. These are metal bands that are heavily influenced by prog rock. Prog metal would include bands like Meshuggah, Tool, Ayreon, Voivod, Galactic Cowboys and, one of my personal favorites, Dream Theater.
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jamesryan
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
Since we're discussing the prog rock / SF connection, my question is: When are they optioning the film rights to Emerson Lake and Palmer's BRAIN SALAD SURGERY? The plot line on side 2 of the album concerning an evil computer that corrupts the people it rules is tailor-made for a treatment that even Jerry Bruckheimer couldn't f*-up that badly...
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Shadowcat24
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
My favorite Prog Rock science fiction soundtrack was "Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds". I was in my Sophmore year of college when I heard "Forever Autumn" on the radio and purchased the entire album. I listened to it over and over. I remember listening to Prog Rock groups like King Crimson, Rush, and Yes in high school. Actually some Electronica and Alternative music has scicnece fiction elements. Modest Mouse is one of my favorite Alternative groups and they have science ficition themes in some of their music.
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Bill-Lee
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
The problem with the poll is that the genre of science fiction is vast and different forms of must some serve some subgenres of science fiction better than others. Regardless of what one might think of the Star Wars saga, it's hard to imagine the series without John Williams' sweeping Wagnerian score. Even when I started to get tired of BSG I still loved Bear McCreary's multi-ethnic approach to the score which, like the series it accompanied, was alternately grand, martial, sorrowful, and provocative. And who can imagine Blade Runner with something other than the jazz inspired electronic score by Vangelis?
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Pegritz
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
Prog-rock introduced me to a LOT of sci-fi concepts...but you know how *really* did it for me? Gary Numan. Late 1970s synthpop and early electronic music like Kraftwerk--all done on analog synths before anyone had ever even heard of MIDI--will always remain the Sound of the Future for me. Even though electronic music is, *today*, the Sound of Sci-Fi, that's only because we're all *living* in a sci-fi novel. I only wish the novel were being written by Phillip K. Dick. I'd give anything to see what PKD would do with the Technosingularity.
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eviladrian
07/30/09

In reply to Is Prog Rock the Music of Science Fiction?
If you get the chance, check out Arjen "Ayreon" Anthony Lucassen's "Star One" album "Space Metal".

The songs are all based on sci-fi movies like Star Wars, Alien, Star Trek, 2001 and the attached youtube: "Eye of Ra" based on Stargate.
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