Ruminations - August 4, 1997
by Stephanie Sollow



What A Wonderful World...?


On tap this month are four releases by four very different bands. But each of them touch upon a common theme: where the modern world is heading. The picture that is painted is one of gloom and violence, which isn't too far off from our present.

There are, of course, bright spots. One recent example might be the success of the Pathfinder mission to Mars. While it won't mean a Mars colony before the new millennium, the success of the space program will lead to more jobs. More people working and earning a living will help our economy, which in turn will create more jobs. [*]

Of course, the tendency here is to point out that America's youth are lost. It's a generation that is going to school armed, that is killing just for the thrill of it, etc. etc. It is so very easy, though, to make that generalization. The so called Generation X has been tagged as "slackers," that we aren't interested in good honest work. Whatever Generation X is, they also are working at JPL and NASA, working together to put a survey vehicle on Mars. I watched NASA TV and I saw my generation helping shape the future.

Abberations? No, I think the opposite is true. The examples used to identify this person or that person as Gen X are the abberation. Or maybe its really just the geeks inheriting the Earth.

Whichever stereotype you choose to accept or ignore, the truth of the matter is that there are some very scary trends developing.

This is what each of these bands address. Queensryche addresses the most, and broadly, with Hear In The Now Frontier - covering such topics as youth violence, racism, vandalism, etc.

Epilogue follows the apathy route with Hide - not just apathy on a global or national scale, but on the personal one as well. Midnight Oil - ecological matters, environmental matters. Live addresses the issue on a global scale.

Since I've tried to write reviews rather than analyses of the albums, I don't dwell too much on the themes. It wasn't easy. Being a words and meaning person, there was the tendency to analyze the lyrics. And some of it is still there. I don't read music, but I know what I like: Good musicianship, good vocals (if used), and well written lyrics. My Top 10 list will tell you where I'm coming from, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

Because I'm not going to define progressive, there will be titles and artists reviewed that may not fit in with the prog stereotype. I hope you will stick with me anyway, as I think what I like other progressive music fans will as well.

Welcome to issue 2.



Oh, by the way: I was so f*(#ing pleased to see FISH US TOUR DATES!!!! in my mail and then later MARILLION US TOUR DATES. My opinion is, about damned time!! This is not a jibe at Fish or Marillion, mind you. It means someone, somehow must have gotten the guts to give them financial $upport to tour here. It's about damned time!!!

Some of those people with "guts" are the folks on the Freaks Mailing List, who contributed to the Marillion Tour '97 Fund. [And what a successful fundraising effort it was. $60,000 was the last figure I saw.]

[The Top 10 as mentioned doesn't exist anymore, though my picks for '99 are in the December 1999 Year's Top 10 Lists. -ed]


*So... here it is 2011, and it's funny to read that paragraph in light of the current economic situation in the US (and elsewhere) and the fact that the US manned space program may be kaput, as the last shuttle mission happened and ended earlier this year. Whatever you think of the shuttle and the shuttle program, it does signal the end of an era. There will still be unmanned missions, of course; and if the US continues manned flight, it will be on the "starships" of other countries... Also, this didn't have a title back in '97, but I gave it one now, with all deference to Louis Armstrong.- SS Sep 2011








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Published on: 1997-08-04 (2213 reads)

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