The "Forget the concept" album

[dwoakee]

As Mikael reveals in the liner notes to the GR special edition there had been a concept for GR but a) Isolation Years did not fit in and b) the sequence of the songs was changed. This brings up two things.

a) In my view Isolation Years can still be regarded as an addition to the concept by moving the point of view from the protagonist to his partner/wife who lost him to the devil and still mourns the loss years later.

b) Now, what was the intended ordering of the songs? I'ld like to listen to the songs in that order. Maybe Mikael can help us out here or maybe we find the solution ourselves? I remember Mikael saying somewhere that GoP was really meant to be the first song. He wanted the listener to go "WOW" when listening to that. Also, it seems quite plausible that the death of someone's mother can put him on the path to insanity. Well, it's not a must, but ... So. Also, TGC is probably the last one bc here the protagonist finally surrenders to satan. But apart from that I have not much of an idea. Any suggestions?

 

[BRI]

Maybe TGC was initially track 1 but Mike was worried everybody would skip to track 2 when they put it on and then let the album play through to the end

 

[Lothlorien]

As Mikael reveals in the liner notes to the GR special edition there had been a concept for GR but a) Isolation Years did not fit in and b) the sequence of the songs was changed. This brings up two things.

a) In my view Isolation Years can still be regarded as an addition to the concept by moving the point of view from the protagonist to his partner/wife who lost him to the devil and still mourns the loss years later.

b) Now, what was the intended ordering of the songs? I'ld like to listen to the songs in that order. Maybe Mikael can help us out here or maybe we find the solution ourselves? I remember Mikael saying somewhere that GoP was really meant to be the first song. He wanted the listener to go "WOW" when listening to that. Also, it seems quite plausible that the death of someone's mother can put him on the path to insanity. Well, it's not a must, but ... So. Also, TGC is probably the last one bc here the protagonist finally surrenders to satan. But apart from that I have not much of an idea. Any suggestions?

You seem to have a pretty good idea of the story going on. That's what I get from the story is that the guy's mother makes me him go insane and surrender to satan. I still consider GOP-TGC a story when i listen and i just think of isolation years as a great song that has nothing to do with the other tracks.

 

[neuroticandroid]

As Mikael reveals in the liner notes to the GR special edition there had been a concept for GR but a) Isolation Years did not fit in and b) the sequence of the songs was changed. This brings up two things.

a) In my view Isolation Years can still be regarded as an addition to the concept by moving the point of view from the protagonist to his partner/wife who lost him to the devil and still mourns the loss years later.

b) Now, what was the intended ordering of the songs? I'ld like to listen to the songs in that order. Maybe Mikael can help us out here or maybe we find the solution ourselves? I remember Mikael saying somewhere that GoP was really meant to be the first song. He wanted the listener to go "WOW" when listening to that. Also, it seems quite plausible that the death of someone's mother can put him on the path to insanity. Well, it's not a must, but ... So. Also, TGC is probably the last one bc here the protagonist finally surrenders to satan. But apart from that I have not much of an idea. Any suggestions?

ah fuck, here we go again

 

[dwoakee]

ah fuck, here we go again

What do you mean? Has this topic been covered before? I thought this was new info, so I did not search the forum. Also, I wouldn't know how to search for it

 

[hibernal_dream]

Well, I for one can say I have never been the slightest bit interested in whether an album has a concept or not and what that concept is. All albums should be based on a conceptual theme, whether singular or multiple, so it isn't a novel device. Secondly, all music I listen to I like to approach on a clean slate, attributing to it my own abstract thoughts to it. I don't like to equate a story or outside meaning to each part of each section of each song - If the musician has a meaning it will be evident and interpretable from listening to the song; if it isn't it doesn't mean he's failed, just that it is human nature to interpret things differently. What someone else thinks about the song and what it should mean (including the musician) is, for my purposes, irrelevant.

 

[opethpainter]

if mikael says that isolation years is NOT part of the concept, WHY all the people goes on saying it can be so????

stop trying to guess something which is NOT true.

 

[dwoakee]

Well, I for one can say I have never been the slightest bit interested in whether an album has a concept or not and what that concept is.

I didn't say that you need to be. But I am. Musically, I find the sequence of the songs on GR completely fitting. Yet, lyrically, I was wondering eg. why the protagonist hears "the baying of the hounds" in the second track and then 3 tracks later he is suddenly chased by some dogs through some forest. And why would "Atonement" happen right in the middle of it all? I felt that this was a bit messy. Now knowing that this was indeed not the intended sequence I'ld like to know the "correct" one to see if I can make more sense of it.

if mikael says that isolation years is NOT part of the concept, WHY all the people goes on saying it can be so????

stop trying to guess something which is NOT true.

I wasn't talking about truth, I was talking about my interpretation. You are free not to share it.

 

[a rofl nazi]

who cares good lord

 

[billyneverdies]

who cares good lord

lofl.

 

[neuroticandroid]

What do you mean? Has this topic been covered before? I thought this was new info, so I did not search the forum. Also, I wouldn't know how to search for it

yes, this topic has been discussed to death.
if you look for the "search" tab at the top of the screen and search for GR concept, or opeth concept albums, i'm sure you'll find it's been discussed more than thoroughly.



and, for the record, if an album breaks the concept, it is NOT a concept album.

 

[salient]

Deliverance of soul who's suffered through isolation years.

 

[biggsy]

wtf i love you salient!

 

[Benighted Joe]

I didn't say that you need to be. But I am. Musically, I find the sequence of the songs on GR completely fitting. Yet, lyrically, I was wondering eg. why the protagonist hears "the baying of the hounds" in the second track and then 3 tracks later he is suddenly chased by some dogs through some forest. And why would "Atonement" happen right in the middle of it all? I felt that this was a bit messy. Now knowing that this was indeed not the intended sequence I'ld like to know the "correct" one to see if I can make more sense of it.

Yes, I've also read/heard that "Ghost of Perdititon" was intended as
the first track.

The hounds most definitely symbolize demon hounds. Demons may
appear on earth as hounds (like in the movie Omen). The lyrics in TBOH say
that he hear the hounds calling him to sit by the devil's(?) side. That
would make perfect sense, since it's followed by a description of Lucifer
himself.

I think "Atonement" fit that "shattered" concept very well: he wants to make
up for what he's become, but then he realize that it's to late and after that he's
completely possessed! Poor bastard

My thoughts on concept: When I first read about the album - and finally
got it - I still thought it was a concept album. It made perfect sense to me...
I did not however understand all lyrics, but who does? I don't want to
understand them completely, because I find poems and lyrics better when
it's me that interpret them.

 

[KeithRT99]

what order would it go in?