Tolkien, the original rockist music critic

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Perhaps. From the opening to The Silmarillion speaking of the creation of the universe:

And it seemed at last that there were two musics progressing at one time before the seat of Iluvatar, and they were utterly at variance. The one was deep and wide and beautiful, but slow and blended with an immeasurable sorrow, from which its beauty chiefly came. The other had now achieved a unity of its own, but it was loud and vain and endlessly repeated; and it had little harmony, but rather a clamourous unison as of many trumpets braying upon a few notes. And it essayed to drown the other music by the violence of its voice, but it seemed that its most triumphant notes were taken by the other and woven into its own solemn pattern.

(This only changed a little from the original text in 1917 or so, so something irritated him back then.)

Mind you, in another way he was incredibly prescient and astonishingly accurate about one group in particular -- from the Akallabeth:

It is said by the Eldar that Men came into the world in the time of the Shadow of Morgoth, and they fell swiftly under his dominion; for he sent his emissaries among them, and they listened to his evil and cunning words, and they worshipped the Darkness and yet feared it. But there were some that turned from evil.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

See: Summoning.

James

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 02:16 (twenty-one years ago)

and they worshipped the Darkness and yet feared it

Which is pretty much your take on Permission to Land, right?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 02:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I could go for some elfin big band.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 31 December 2003 02:29 (twenty-one years ago)

It looks like 'Elgar vs Stravinsky'

― pete s, Wednesday, 31 December 2003 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

haha that darkness bit is good

― robin (robin), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Which is pretty much your take on Permission to Land, right?

No, that would be 'and they were fucking annoyed by the Darkness and suggested people listen to Pretty Boy Floyd instead.'

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 17:01 (twenty-one years ago)

but rather a clamourous unison as of many trumpets braying upon a few notes.

Dude, Middle-Earth brass bands!

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Pete's analogy, especially considering the Worcestershire connection ...

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

There was stuff like that in those Chronicles of Narnia books I read when i was a lad. I assume they both just took it from the bible.

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Thursday, 1 January 2004 21:13 (twenty-one years ago)

They took music criticism from the Bible?

And St. Eddy spake saying, "Oh lord, bless this thy holy Kix album."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 1 January 2004 21:31 (twenty-one years ago)

So, essentially, Tolkien thinks that the Elves would not dig Heavy Metal?

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Thursday, 1 January 2004 21:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Or techno, but presumably would like Sigur Ros (if you think the description of the slow meditative music applies to Sigur Ros, which I do not think it does by any means, in that the description Tolkien provides is positive).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 1 January 2004 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I would've though Tolkien would be a Yes fan.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 1 January 2004 21:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Tolkien likes:
Bach
Beethoven
Enya

Tolkien haaayyytes:
Everything else?

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Thursday, 1 January 2004 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

its a shame tolkein don't like black sabbath - imagine how incredible the battle of minastirith would be with 'War Pigs' on full blast

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Thursday, 1 January 2004 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Tolkien may have had his vision become reality now that a hobbit has won World Idol. :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 2 January 2004 01:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm very pleased about that result incidentally.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 2 January 2004 02:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I would've though Tolkien would be a Yes fan.

But did he like Bo Hansson?

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 2 January 2004 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Elves listening to Sigur Ros = more proof that Elves = RUB

― Ricardo (RickyT), Friday, 2 January 2004 11:26 (twenty-one years ago)

bo hannson's lord of the rings = k-sux0r.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 2 January 2004 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Is that the Erotic Symphony thing that Mark S tried to buy?

― Ricardo (RickyT), Friday, 2 January 2004 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

No, its this

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 2 January 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

That's it, yes. It seems to get much luv on several prog lists I'm on, but I think it's really terrible (not as bad as pentateuch of the cosmogony by a long way tho') (that guy reveiws some great other albums mind)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 2 January 2004 13:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Some real audio here

Some might say that domain name contains a better idea ...

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 2 January 2004 13:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Thee only other lotr-related prog thing I can think of = "galadriel" by barclay james harvers, which is also awful, though I'm sure there's many many more, especially in recent years, & the explosion of self-released prog/electronic music. Tolkien is a black hole of musical inspiration, I'm sure. I like the books loads, but I'm sure no good could ever come of basing music on bits of them.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 2 January 2004 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Enya did a song called "Lothlorien"
Do you think thats a good thing or a bad thing?

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Friday, 2 January 2004 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it's good that they made sure Enya sang with an orchestra rather than synths on her LOTR theme song.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 2 January 2004 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I love that barclay james harvest song. Not sure it's *good*, but I still like it.

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Friday, 2 January 2004 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Elves = RUB

Hmmm, Mr Boyofbolgers. It seems to me that it is the Elves who sustain the hobbits at all their critical moments, when they are often found unconsciously speaking Elvish to get themselves out of their tight spots. They (specifically Frodo & Sam) would also be in the poo quite a few times without the gifts of the lady, who, blow me down, according to Jackson literally picks Frodo up when he is feeling down in Cirith Ungol.

I quite like that BJH tune, too.

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 2 January 2004 23:51 (twenty-one years ago)

six years pass...

getting really into Summoning records, even though I haven't read a word of Tolkien since I was a kid

― the most sacred couple in Christendom (J0hn D.), Thursday, 11 March 2010 15:17 (fifteen years ago)

Aw, I love that Bo Hansson album.

― How to Make an American Quit (Abbott), Thursday, 11 March 2010 18:12 (fifteen years ago)

Dudes, Elvish Presley/Black Elf Speaks. Feel it.

Magic is real.

― grandavis, Thursday, 11 March 2010 19:07 (fifteen years ago)

five years pass...

Not a big reader of Tolkien, so I just learned last weekend that the name Burzum comes from there. I went and checked it out and apparently there are quite a few bands out there with Tolkien-derived names.

So, I had some friends in high school who named their band after something fron Tolkien and received some sort of letter from the estate threatening legal action if they didn't change their name. And they were just some high school/community collefe guys that mostly played teen center dances. So how have Burzum, Amon Amarth, Gorgoroth, etc. pulled it off? Is the Tolkien estate actually toothless in this regard?

― how's life, Thursday, 12 March 2015 10:57 (ten years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3eSCquYRNA

― Tim F, Thursday, 12 March 2015 11:29 (ten years ago)

four years pass...

cosmic symphonic squall heed not the dissonance of proto-morgoth and his goth kid sidekick, gorthaur the cruel. the melody shall heighten and resolve. dance in the dark of night \m/ sing to the morning light \m/

― reggie (qualmsley), Tuesday, 5 November 2019 19:36 (five years ago)

In my podcast I will...wait I actually could talk about this in my podcast.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 5 November 2019 19:37 (five years ago)

totally rockist

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cc/1d/b7/cc1db737c24d0cfb26fba664d890285b.jpg

― jeanie bueller energy (morrisp), Tuesday, 5 November 2019 19:43 (five years ago)

tbf to the boy Tolkien I'm pretty sure in the book that was a metaphor not a really fucking stupid CGI set piece

― Xia Nu del Vague (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 5 November 2019 19:45 (five years ago)

ned at some point please throw some love to this miraculous collective

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2886

― reggie (qualmsley), Tuesday, 5 November 2019 19:47 (five years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.