Most Pretentious Prog Title

[JKL2000]

I love TFTO (used to hate it), but some of the titles & lyrics seem to have been concocted by the New Age Bullshit Generator.

"We exist as transmissions. Insight is the driver of love. Divinity requires exploration. We reflect, we dream, we are reborn. To navigate the vision quest is to become one with it. Truth is a constant."

I think rather than being from the New Age Bullshit Generator, this is from one of the New Age Bullshit wellsprings. Credit where credit is due. If he were reciting verses from the Holy Bible it would be no more or less bullshit.

[JKL2000]

It has to be the title of the VDGG album, H to He Who Am The Only One.

Apparently this has some meaning I've never figured out or Googled.

[JKL2000]

^^^
Well, Joni Mitchell told us that "We are stardust, we are golden".
And just a few years ago, Moby reminded us that "We are all made of stars".
So.. it must be true.

That's so different from Roine Stolt and FloKi telling us "Stardust We Are!"

[ProgArtist]

OK, I borrowed a really good vinyl rip late last night and listened to a fair bit of this on really good headphones and I hate to admit it, but there are some really stellar moments and arrangements, including nice vocal parts even though it's a bit of an unfocused patchwork, I like it though I did have to sort of semi-ignore the lyrics and treat them as impressionistic décor. I might even have to look for a good condition gatefold at the local used vinyl shop -or- can anyone recommend the best re-master or mix original or otherwise?

Damn! I guess I'll have to find another target to spit my venom at for a while...

Awesome!

[Zeuhlmate]

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Between Nothingness & Eternity

[Mascodagama]

Apparently this has some meaning I've never figured out or Googled.

H and He are the scientific abbreviations for the elements hydrogen and helium, so "H to He" refers to the nuclear fusion reaction. If you take "He Who Am The Only One" to mean God then the conceit of the album title is that the divine spark comes from a physical process - or more broadly, that if you're looking for miracles, you should look for them in science.

I'd call it a clever title, not a pretentious one.

[undergroundrailroad]

...Everything Yes did up until TFTO is of a very high caliber, but this one is just a padded mess for the most part (IMO, and the opinion of many others), a true Spinal Tap moment for the group (although sides 1 & 4 are the most solid)...

I find sides 2 & 3 to be far superior to 1 and 4. 2 because of its ultra-colorful arrangements and breathtaking climax. 3 because of its otherworldly sense of place. If any sides are padded, they're 1 and 4.

To me pretension is "pretending" to be something you're not to impress others. It's very distinct from ambition. I'm drawn to things that overreach and appreciate that spirit even when (sometimes especially when) it ends in failure.

[zombywoof]

The Best Band you Never Heard in your Life - Zappa

Not exactly. The band self-destructed on tour and had to cancel a lot of US dates. The title is ironic.

[JKL2000]

H and He are the scientific abbreviations for the elements hydrogen and helium, so "H to He" refers to the nuclear fusion reaction. If you take "He Who Am The Only One" to mean God then the conceit of the album title is that the divine spark comes from a physical process - or more broadly, that if you're looking for miracles, you should look for them in science.

I'd call it a clever title, not a pretentious one.

Thanks. I have no problem with Pretension, as the opposite is what, just randomness?

[Bucka001]

I find sides 2 & 3 to be far superior to 1 and 4. 2 because of its ultra-colorful arrangements and breathtaking climax. 3 because of its otherworldly sense of place. If any sides are padded, they're 1 and 4.

To me pretension is "pretending" to be something you're not to impress others. It's very distinct from ambition. I'm drawn to things that overreach and appreciate that spirit even when (sometimes especially when) it ends in failure.

Fair enough, we'll agree to disagree on the "best" sides of TFTO, but at least we're in agreement that there's a *lot* of padding on this album. And I'm with you on "good" pretension, i.e. "things that overreach" sometimes turning out massively interesting work (cue Magma's MDK, etc). That's when pretension is wonderful because there's a real madness there, a kind of brilliant fucked-uppedness. With TFTO, it's more a hubris where the artist is thinking they're heavier than they really are (again, I'm in agreement with Wakeman on this). In the case of TFTO, it's more akin to David St Hubbins saying, "As you know, I've always wanted to do a collection of my acoustic numbers with the London Philharmonic."

[Yves]

"Progressive Ears: 21st Century Progressive Rock"

I can only imagine how pretentious the people on that site must be!

[ProgArtist]

To me pretension is "pretending" to be something you're not to impress others. It's very distinct from ambition. I'm drawn to things that overreach and appreciate that spirit even when (sometimes especially when) it ends in failure.

Thank you! I think pretentiousness implies dishonesty, and a lot of the aforementioned "prog titles" don't come across that way to me. For instance, the subtitles to "Supper's Ready" seem wildly creative to me, not pretentious. Based on a lot of the posts here, it would seem that any title beyond "I've Got You Babe" is pretentious. Another example from this thread is "Happy the Man's" "Stumpy Meets the Firecracker in Stencil Forest". I'm not sure how this is in any way pretentious. Clever, creative, funny, weird, even silly, but in no way was Stan trying to pretend he was something he wasn't. And if so, what? It's an instrumental tune, which gave him a chance to have some fun with the title.

[progeezer]

What is pretentious?

[Progbear]

Thanks for introducing me to the New Age Bullshit Generator and its wonders.

“You and I are dreamweavers of the biosphere. This life is nothing short of a blossoming flow of advanced synchronicity. We exist as meridians.”

I think I hear Yes’ next epic blossoming.

[JKL2000]

Solar Project - The House of S. Phrenia

Not as much pretentious as bad. That's as bad as Robert Deniro's character in Angel Heart being named Lou Cipher