Bo Rhap vs Prophet's Song

brENsKi 14 June 2015 16:21 · Member since June 2003

noorie wrote:

Actually, Prophet's Song would appeal only to Queen fans. Otherwise, the middle is waaay toooo long to hold interest for the casual listener. I think Brian overdid it a bit. (Trying to rival Bo Rhap, perhaps?) I personally like the Prophet's Song quite a lot, but definitely prefer Bo Rhap. I think Freddie understood his audience a bit better than Brian.

almost entirely agree with this....except for one thing. I never liked it - not one bit
it's a drawn-out, meandering mess of a song...boring in the extreme and possibly Brian's "poor man's" Bo Rhap....christ does it go on and on and on and on and on

if you want a biblical epic - there are sooooo many rock bands that did this better "fly and find the new green bough" ....jeez give it a rest Bri

M

master marathon runner 14 June 2015 19:04 · Member since July 2008

Chief Mouse wrote:

master marathon runner wrote: Would C matt walk into the national gallery and touch up 'sunrise, an impression ' by Claude Monet, or ' colour in' , da vinci's cartoon 'cos he don't fully approve ?
my Point being, we must accept the works as the artist puts out, not sit in judgement to the extreme of editing out, bits we don't like.
Crikey moses.

I see you are not really aware of what he does. I'd suggest you to check the Fan mixes subforum and please read this, it should provide some background - https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=444956C082D185FC&resid=444956c082d185fc%21211&wacqt=sharedby&app=Word

He certainly didn't make this because of "not approving" something. He made it because why not? Some songs have extended versions, why not make this one shorter since some people seem to hate the acapella part? It's just a small addition to the rest of his work which essentially is bringing out the bits and giving a fuller sound to the Queen music so that people can hear some new things and appreciate it more.

Perhaps I couldn't explain this well but I find that you quite overstate things here.[/QUOTE
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But he has no right whatsoever to tamper with Queen's efforts, go make your own friggin music and butcher that!
I bet Queen are really interested in where they went wrong.

S

Shumway 14 June 2015 19:22 · Member since July 2009

The Prophet's Song is fantastic and is many ways superior to Bo Rhap, albeit a little less melodic.

I'm sure Brian put much, much more effort into Good Company than The Prophet's Song.

T

tero! 48531 14 June 2015 23:46 · Member since September 2010

thomasquinn 32989 wrote:
I find your criticism to be highly subjective - - - and totally unappreciative of the musical context in which the song was created and released.

Let's assume that you are right, and my criticism is only "highly subjective" (as opposed to your praise which I guess is "completely objective".)

What is the "musical context" which (objectively speaking) makes this song better than Brian's other compositions on that same album?

Is it better because it has more verses?
Because it has biblical references in the lyrics?
Because it has a vocal effect in the middle of the song?

C

Chief Mouse 15 June 2015 01:43 · Member since March 2013

master marathon runner wrote:

Chief Mouse wrote:

master marathon runner wrote: Would C matt walk into the national gallery and touch up 'sunrise, an impression ' by Claude Monet, or ' colour in' , da vinci's cartoon 'cos he don't fully approve ?
my Point being, we must accept the works as the artist puts out, not sit in judgement to the extreme of editing out, bits we don't like.
Crikey moses.

I see you are not really aware of what he does. I'd suggest you to check the Fan mixes subforum and please read this, it should provide some background - https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=444956C082D185FC&resid=444956c082d185fc%21211&wacqt=sharedby&app=Word

He certainly didn't make this because of "not approving" something. He made it because why not? Some songs have extended versions, why not make this one shorter since some people seem to hate the acapella part? It's just a small addition to the rest of his work which essentially is bringing out the bits and giving a fuller sound to the Queen music so that people can hear some new things and appreciate it more.

Perhaps I couldn't explain this well but I find that you quite overstate things here.[/QUOTE
.
.
But he has no right whatsoever to tamper with Queen's efforts, go make your own friggin music and butcher that!
I bet Queen are really interested in where they went wrong.

Prophet's Song aside, what he essentially does (if you actually read what I provided) is not tempering the bloody music but improving the mastering of it! His work is much better than the official 2011 remasters. QPL would never bother to pay such attention to detail.
As for this cut version. I suppose then any remix in the world is a crime because that's not what the artist intended. Frankly I don't think Queen would give a crap about someone on the internet cutting their song and neither should you. He cut it not because of disrespecting and not approving Queen music but to see how it would overall sound without the middle section. Who cares? Do we have to get a licence to be able to do that?
Anyway, I urge you to check his album Revisions where he "butchers" the original songs thus making them sound better mastered. I guess you won't though but keep in mind that you might miss out something amazing.

T

tomchristie22 15 June 2015 03:04 · Member since December 2011

una999 wrote:

thomasquinn 32989 wrote:

Ten years ago, on this very forum, people would have lost all credibility for such narrow-minded dismissal of The Prophet's Song. The emancipation of stupidity is moving steadily forward on here, too...

How about try English besides talking in riddles.

How about quickly googling 'emancipation' and then feeling good about the slight improvement of your vocabulary, and without the need for pointless negativity :)

T

tomchristie22 15 June 2015 03:17 · Member since December 2011

I love The Prophet's Song. Freddie's vocal performance is absolutely incredible, the vocal harmonies are sublime (not that we'd expect any less from mid-1970s Queen), and the guitar work in the instrumental section after the vocal canon is quite nice, too. Brian makes a great progression out of the whole piece, which is driven home by the shift from 'Oh-ohs' to 'Ah-ahs' in the chorus (I'm an absolute sucker for that sort of thing - it's put to beautiful use on the single and 'Naked' versions of Let It Be, with Paul, George, and Linda singing the chorus backing vocals).

I don't love the middle section, but I don't think it detracts from the song, either - if anything, the return to full band is more impacting because of the break.

It's a shame it translated into such a lackluster live song. If Freddie had played the piano for it, a la White Queen, it probably would have helped a lot. Add Roger singing alongside Freddie for the ascending pre-chorus and harmonising with Freddie while hitting the top notes, and better arrangement/delivery of the vocal harmonies, and they would've had something pretty nice.

T

tomchristie22 15 June 2015 03:25 · Member since December 2011

master marathon runner wrote:

Would C matt walk into the national gallery and touch up 'sunrise, an impression ' by Claude Monet, or ' colour in' , da vinci's cartoon 'cos he don't fully approve ?
my Point being, we must accept the works as the artist puts out, not sit in judgement to the extreme of editing out, bits we don't like.
Crikey moses.

The difference between C_Matt's mixes and your example is that C_Matt isn't replacing the original whatsoever. He's just providing an alternative through which we can more clearly hear elements which we mightn't have noticed before.

'we must accept the works as the artist puts out'

Why? Should we not have opinions, or any capacity for critical thought at all? Should we just passively consume what we're given? You're basing what you're saying on media effects theories which haven't been taken seriously for decades.

Not all art that's made is good - far from it. Many here would assert that not even all Queen music is good.

B

br5946 15 June 2015 05:30 · Member since June 2010

I love both Bo Rhap and Prophet's Song - the former moreso. The vocal canon puts me in two minds. If I'm in a certain mood, I can adore the prog-rock nature of that middle section, but it can bother me slightly at other times. That having been said, everyone knows how much that the band were for having as a single before Freddie came up with Bo Rhap. I think if a smooth edit had been made, it would've made a good third single from A Night At The Opera. Freddie is quoted as having said about how Now I'm Here was a total contrast to its predecessor Killer Queen, and I think the same formula would've been perfect for Prophet's Song, following YMBF and all.

M

master marathon runner 15 June 2015 06:38 · Member since July 2008

..............right, im just off to the national gallery with me paints.

T

tomchristie22 15 June 2015 06:47 · Member since December 2011

master marathon runner wrote:

..............right, im just off to the national gallery with me paints.

To make your own copy which you like better, not to paint over the original - otherwise you're not doing something comparable to C_Matt.

C

Chief Mouse 15 June 2015 07:02 · Member since March 2013

C

Chief Mouse 15 June 2015 07:15 · Member since March 2013

master marathon runner wrote:

..............right, im just off to the national gallery with me paints.

Try to forget this cut version and listen to his remasters. It's really the best Queen music has ever sounded, the guy has great skills and talent. He makes 2 CDs - one of them has the unaltered album tracks with improved mastering but other CD has stripped mixes or edits. Check the first CD of his and compare it to the 2011 remaster. You might hear things clearer than before and perhaps discover some new sounds. You'll miss out a whole lot of good stuff due to your stubbornness. But if that's what you really want, feel free :)
I know you'll probably reply without giving it a chance anyway.

K

Kamenliter 15 June 2015 09:19 · Member since November 2004

I'm in amazement at the bashing The Prophet's Song is getting here..at least the middle section. Who the hell cares if it's not for the regular guy on the street? Since when do Queen fans suddenly want everything to be a track on Greatest Hits? Next we'll be hearing that March Of The Black Queen is too long or too weird and never would have made it as a single. Thank god!! They're album tracks and show off the genius of this band. The middle section of The Prophet's Song is just that - sheer genius...it's incredible! It's a tour de force of vocal orchestration and studio wizardy done forty years ago...imho it's mind-blowing. And why compare the two songs? Each is unique in it's own way..Bo Rhap will likely never be bettered...but P.S. has so much amazing stuff that's all it's own...it's powerful, deep music...good lord, cutting out the middle part? Are you Queen fans or not!??

T

The King Of Rhye 15 June 2015 09:30 · Member since August 2004

tomchristie22 wrote:
How about quickly googling 'emancipation' and then feeling good about the slight improvement of your vocabulary, and without the need for pointless negativity :)

Personally, I thought everyone learned that word in history class in school.........lol

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