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Thread: Pointless tracks!

  1. #26
    So, basically, a thread on allegedly "pointless tracks" is essentially just an excuse to express loath at works one doesn't like, right? Then how about "pointless artists"?

    A vast majority of contemporary music academies acknowledge "noise" as music these days, aural art to be interpreted on its own aesthetic merit - give or take the education (or lack thereof) of the given artist. There's not necessarily any more worth to some mullet farting out his "complex sympho-lympho" from a console with keys on it or a board with electrified strings, as opposed to a bald guy squeezing his nipples in a helium chamber.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  2. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    Infinity on Aphrodite Child's 666 album. I couldn't believe it when I found out that Irene Papas was a respected actress and singer in Europe! I especially couldn't believe it when I found out that the track on the 666 album is actually the edited version of what was recorded!
    This seems to be a perpetual issue for most people, nobody bothers to read about the track but they hear what they want to hear…btw, making the notion that Irene should not be respected singer because she recorded Infinity...well I find it perplexing, to say at least...

    Some explanation of the song from internet:

    The words are: "I am to come" and "I was to come" She begins to blend the two together as she gets in to it (the song), and some times, it is more like:
    "I was, I am, I was, I was, I am to come."
    It is the inversion of "Who was, is, is to come" of the Revelation, attributed to the Good. Here, the "Bad", (the Beast, 666) turns this phrase into Ego, (first person), and tries to be born again, or to give birth to another Ego, or to "make love" to is own self and so on. Vicious circle

  3. #28
    Tribesman sonic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    So, basically, a thread on allegedly "pointless tracks" is essentially just an excuse to express loath at works one doesn't like, right? Then how about "pointless artists"?
    I think most posters are getting away from the OPs original intentions for this thread.
    A good example might be those conversation excerpts on Uncle Meat — they're not music and don't need to be there, but I couldn't imagine the album without them.

  4. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by sonic View Post
    I think most posters are getting away from the OPs original intentions for this thread.
    A good example might be those conversation excerpts on Uncle Meat — they're not music and don't need to be there, but I couldn't imagine the album without them.
    what he says!!

  5. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post

    Playing 'Love Beach' again virtually all of that first side springs to mind. Awful stuff, especially the lyrics- what were they thinking? Only 'Canario' is really listenable for me on that side, and that's nothing new for them.
    The thread isn't about actual songs as that is subjective as some people actually like Love Beach. It's about TRACKs [i chose that word very carefully] that aren't actually songs or pieces of music i.e a sound effect or whatever, that have no reason from some peoples perspective to have been included on an album i.e. BS's FX & Genesis's Raven. From my perspective those TRACKS are not actuall songs or pieces of music that justify any inclusion on their relevant albums !!!!

  6. #31
    Tribesman sonic's Avatar
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    Here's a good one: Gong — Squeezing Sponges over Policemen's Heads 0:13 along with Wet Cheese Delirium 0:29
    But one might argue that humor excerpts are essential to the Gong experience.

  7. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Rufus View Post
    From my perspective those TRACKS are not actuall songs or pieces of music that justify any inclusion on their relevant albums !!!!
    But the point here - in a discussion forum - might just be WHY this happens to be your "perspective". Like I wrote, most modern day music institutions appreciate bird whistle, noise, found sounds or incidental racket as music. To this extent, why would a 22 minute 53 secs Genesis song constitute anything more musically relevant than their audio engineer letting off some stomach steam?
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  8. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by Rufus View Post
    It's about TRACKs [i chose that word very carefully] that aren't actually songs or pieces of music i.e a sound effect or whatever, that have no reason from some peoples perspective to have been included on an album i.e. BS's FX & Genesis's Raven. From my perspective those TRACKS are not actuall songs or pieces of music that justify any inclusion on their relevant albums !!!!
    Well it would be from the perspective if some of those albums were just collections of songs. Prog music albums, more often than not, have different ambition e.g concept, theme etc...and those "fillers" are integral part of the package.

  9. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by progeezer View Post
    Pete - Humble Pie's first album was "As Safe As Yesterday Is" with Frampton. It was nothing like everything else they ever came to record. It was VERY proto-prog
    My mistake, "Ollie Ollie" is from their second album "Town and Country". I get those two mixed up sometimes.
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  10. #35
    For Vic: the 5-minute drum solo in the middle of Manowar's 28-minute epic, "Achilles: Agony and Ecstasy in 8 Parts".
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  11. #36
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    To me, fillers are pointless tracks, even if the point is to fill empty space to sell you an object that's not filled with quality product... (not that Pepsi or Coke are quality, but can they sell bottles containing only 50% of the quality crud, and the other 50ù rest diluting it??)

    So while stuff like Are You Ready Eddie is filler and pointless, one can also point out that ELP could also play basic RnR.... as if anyone ever doubted it...

    Quote Originally Posted by Rufus View Post
    Was listening to the Sabs vol. 4 today & i couldn't understand the point of the track FX ? It's just one & half minutes of...well you tell me! This got me thinking of other tracks that have no structure, melody or real song craft i.e. just noise. The only other song I could think of was Genesis's Ravine. I heard people say it was included to allow Gabriel to change costumes but why didnt they just include it as a jam in concert ?
    What other tracks that arnt really songs can you think of ?
    Well I did write some 9 years ago that indeed, both tracks surrounding the bubble suit were written only for Gabe to slip in and out of that suit... Silent Sorrow is indeed so obvious... Ravine (and everything afterwards on side D) is not much better, IMHO
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  12. #37
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    The "Nutopian International Anthem" on Lennon's Mind Games is pretty pointless

  13. #38
    Member bill g's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    Well I did write some 9 years ago that indeed, both tracks surrounding the bubble suit were written only for Gabe to slip in and out of that suit... Silent Sorrow is indeed so obvious... Ravine (and everything afterwards on side D) is not much better, IMHO
    Although that's not actually true. Genesis at that time were enjoying 'blowing', their word for jamming-and creating a mood. 'Silent Sorrow' and 'Ravine' were strong mood pieces, providing a quiet and ambient contrast to the songs surrounding them, and were written prior to Peter's story of the Lamb was complete. Same goes for 'The Waiting Room', and the intro to 'Slipperman'. However, it turned out to be convenient for Peter to use that time to change.

  14. #39
    Tool uses a lot of pointless tracks. From a baby crying on "Cesaro Summability" to what sounds like a Van der Graff Generator (unfortunately not the band) on "(-) Ions". I have never been a fan of stuff like that. I also don't really like "The Waiting Room" off the Lamb, and other arrhythmic/atonal songs like that. Parts of Tales of Topographic Oceans I really can't stand either.

    The only time I don't mind stuff like that is when it "resolves". I really like the frenetic opening of "Close to the Edge", even when it gets totally crazy, because eventually it resolves into the beautiful main theme. But noise for the sake of noise I just can't really get behind.
    Prog Rocket – An Exploration of Progressive Rock Music

  15. #40
    I like a lot of the 'pointless' tracks that have been listed. Does that make me pointless?

  16. #41
    Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" comes to mind here.
    I'm not lazy. I just work so fast I'm always done.

  17. #42
    ...so we are converging on the idea that pointless song is any song we do not like ...

    As in (paraphrased) words of Dr. Sheldon Cooper "If you’re looking for an example of a pointless, I would refer you to the conversation we’re having right now"

  18. #43
    Member Phlakaton's Avatar
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    Wow... cant believe nobody noted Egg - Civil Surface - I think Dave Stewart even said they had to fill gaps with those little Wind Quartets to plump up the album. I wouldnt write them off as pointless though since Mont wrote them.

  19. #44
    Quote Originally Posted by Phlakaton View Post
    Wow... cant believe nobody noted Egg - Civil Surface - I think Dave Stewart even said they had to fill gaps with those little Wind Quartets to plump up the album. I wouldnt write them off as pointless though since Mont wrote them.
    I enjoy those wind quartets, I like the long-version "Boilk" (from The Polite Force) and I think the side 2 of Henry Cow's Unrest is less "filler" than almost anything made by the eternal "Big Six/Seven/Nine" bands.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  20. #45
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    With 'Boilk' I think something like that pushes my comment about 'breathing space' to the limit. It's too long. See also 'Moonchild'. Although I don't think either should be cut, I do believe they are longer than was necessary...particularly 'Boilk'.

  21. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    See also 'Moonchild'. Although I don't think either should be cut, I do believe they are longer than was necessary...particularly 'Boilk'.
    One of the main inspirations for "Boilk" appears to have been that iconic opening sequence from Soft Machine's Third ("Facelift" and the Lowrey massacre), as well as the vary-speed passage in Wyatt's "Moon in June". Given such a pretext, I'm not sure this was even intended as "breathing space" - but rather as serious efforts at attempting a completely different mode of composition.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  22. #47
    Quote Originally Posted by Oreb View Post
    Every drum solo ever recorded fits this bill IMO!
    I will say this: Trace at least had the decency to band the drum solos as separate tracks, making them super-easy to skip in the CD era. Not every band out there has been so thoughtful.

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  23. #48
    [QUOTE=Vic2012;115324]Revolution 9. I know some of you will defend it as a work of art but I hate it. There are very few Beatles tracks that I hate. In fact Rev 9 is the only one I truly hate.QUOTE]

    This was the first 'song' that came to mind when I read the topic. Number ... 9?

  24. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    Trace at least had the decency to band the drum solos as separate tracks, making them super-easy to skip in the CD era. Not every band out there has been so thoughtful.
    Seeing how the complete record only clocks in at 32', this very same approach pretty much ruins side 2 of Atlantide by The Trip. Even though we're speaking Furio Chirico here.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  25. #50
    Member Big Ears's Avatar
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