How Middle Earth Shaped Classic Rock
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
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00:00 Intro
00:43 Title Card
00:50 Led Zeppelin
02:40 Black Sabbath
03:10 Genesis
03:39 Prog Rock
04:26 Rush
05:12 Metal
05:21 Tolkien's Appeal
06:05 “Something Human in All of Us”
06:40 Conclusion - Hudba
Oh, and dont forget that the Beatles wanted to do a LOTR movie starring them and directed by Stanley Kubrik
Oh yeah, that... wait, WHAT!?
I could imagine John and Paul playing as Frodo and Sam, and Ringo and George would play Merry and Pippin.
Tolkien was against the Beatles being casted and Stanley Kubrick was one of those people who thought that a adaptation could never work
To which Tolkien coldly said, "no."
"IF" the Beatles could be as serious as Pink Floyd... ya, maybe.
Hummm... PF stared in LotR.
Tolkien was attempting to write a mythology for England, which had lost its myths long ago. It's no wonder that English bands championed his stories.
@@Thomas.Wright I'm not sure if Beowulf is a great example. It was written in English, but set in Denmark. King Arthur and Robin Hood are better examples of English myths.
@Jacob Harton The 12th-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes, who added Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story, began the genre of Arthurian romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature. In these French stories, the narrative focus often shifts from King Arthur himself to other characters, such as various Knights of the Round Table. Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the centuries that followed until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century. In the 21st century, the legend lives on, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media.
@@Aron-ru5zk No, that's not accurate. Sindarin was patterned after Welsh, yes, but most of his mythological influence came from Finland and the _Kalevala._
@@bujfvjg7222 Yeah, the Arthurian cycle was heavily French. The only really English thing about it was the core mythology of the Fisher King.
@@Serai3 The Children of Hurin is basically Tolkien's version of the story of Kullervo.
Even Stairway to Heaven has the lines "there's a feeling I get when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving", referencing the longing of the elves to journey west to the undying lands. Much like the ending-credits song of ROTK, "Into the West". But if you wanna go really bizarre, The Beatles themselves wanted to score and act in a lord of the rings film directed by Stanley Kubrick, who felt the complexity of the novel made it near impossible to adapt. Tolkien however being a traditionalist wasn't too fond of the idea or the band.
Also "In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees and the voices of those who stand looking" which references Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meeting Gandalf the White in Fangorn Forest.
@Varmando Varuso Paul as Frodo, George as Gandalf, John as Gollum and Ringo as Sam.
That was the original casting and I think it wasn't that bad actually
Tolkien hated the hippies trying to visit him in the 60's and 70's..
I always took that lyric as Viking’s wanting to head west to Britain for treasures and raiding lol
Also "there's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold" comes from the first line of a poem about Strider: "all that is gold does not glitters, not all those who wander are lost".
Dear Polyphonic, I think you are missing one really important issue in relation to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Robert Plant, the main wordsmith for Zeppelin, and the original members of Black Sabbath were from Birmingham. Plant was more specifically from Wolverhampton, which is right next to Birmingham. Go Wanderers! Tolkien was from Birmingham, and many of his images of Mordor are pointing to the Industrial blight of Birmingham, which was the great industrial city of 19th and 20th century England. The blight and poverty in Birmingham was so bad that Queen Victoria would close her shades on her train car while riding through Birmingham. For Zeppelin and Sabbath there is a deep geographic connection with Tolkien. He is the great writer of the West Midlands. Once Zeppelin and Sabbath used Tolkien, it was fair game for all of the other derivative groups.
Interesting stuff!
Wtf? Is this serious?
Savage win against Newcastle the other day.
Tolkien later moved to the village that my grandma lives in which you can see the wrekin from which supposedly inspired the lonely mountain
P
The fact that "Battle for Evermore" is so underrated should be classified as one of the great tragedies of mankind.
Not mentioning Christopher Lee's metal singing career... shame on you :D
CseRedHide what WHAT
@@Beatles__ - Yes. That is a real thing. It is okay. Christopher Lee seemed to really enjoy doing it.
@@Beatles__ czcams.com/video/cvKRbi2ovDY/video.html
Yeah, Chris done 'is acd too.
Christopher Lee was hired by Rhapsody (Of Fire) to do narration on some of their albums and he got interested in metal, so he made a metal album about Charlemagne.
I think it helps that the Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit are all damn good books and are so descriptive, it really does give SO many options for people to write off of.
It's like Tolkien actually believed his world to exist. It was all in his head. He could then describe it to you in such great detail. A very talented story teller.
Tolkien died in 73, many bands around that time wanted to pay tribute to him for his fine works. His imagery influenced many authors and songwriters. Nothing wrong with that at all.
These video essays are beyond dope. Soooo good!
I knew I wasnt tripping when I listened to "Ramble On" for the first time
Travis Well, I was! But I definitely knew that I heard what I heard- though for the longest time I thought he said, “...but Gollum, and an evil Warg”.
@@markbrigandi7497 But Gollum, and the evil one
lol same
that doesn't mean you weren't tripping!
The lack of Blind Guardian in this video was disturbing, but great video anyways
Can't really classify Blind Guardian as classic rock though.
@@Belodri But we can always make honoroble mentions and those guys deserve
But nothing that takes away the quality of the video tho
@@LeoLisboa1998 True that! Been my favourite band ever since I discovered them by buying At The Edge Of Time CD just because I really liked the artwork. One of the best choices I ever made!
Seriously. BG are one of the most underrated and disrespected bands ever. How cant you even MENTION it when they fucking made a complete album about it (Nightfall in Middle Earth)
Yeah, Nothing more middle earth than The Bard's Song
Lee was a good friend of Tolkien's? No. "I met him quite by chance, really,” he recalled in the interview. “I met him with a group of other people in a pub in Oxford he used to go to, The Eagle and Child. I was very much in awe of him, as you can imagine, so I just said, ‘How do you do?’” Lee was the only LOTR cast member to actually meet Tolkien, who passed away in 1973
You missed a reference in Stairway to Heaven. "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving"
Zeppelin, Sabbath, Genesis, Camel, Rush AND Marillion in the same video? Am I dreaming??
Queen II is an amazing album, and it gives me a lot of fantasy and Tolkein vibes.
One of the biggest factors you don't say outright, but you hint at is that the creation story of Lord of the rings is literally a song sung by the gods, with the evil figure sowing literal dischord into it. Beautiful symbolism right there.
Caleb Robertson yes! I love how Tolkien had music on the base of his fictional world. It’s a beautiful, and it makes so much sense that so many musicians drew inspiration from it
@JesusFriedChrist They wouldnt have meant it as a metaphor for the mind, they would have meant it as a metaphor for christianity (tolkien didnt just enfluence lewis literarlly, he was also the reason he converted to christianity); themeatically what is good is that which is in harmony with God, and what is bad is that which causes dischord with gods plan. Even Eru getting the the Valar in involed in the creation of the world is meant to mirror god having Adam name the animals.
Tolkien refered to this theme as sub-creation. This was also meant as a meta pun, he as the author of these stories was subcreating a story meant to mimic the biblical story.
@@franug Something Polyphonic should have mentioned!
Here’s a suggestion: How H.P Lovecraft shaped metal
How H.P. Lovecraft shaped Hentai.
This
advocatefish d Touché
Ïa!! Ïa!! Cthulhu F'thagn R'lyeh!
Yeah actually I would love to see this
How dare you forget Leonard Nimoy's "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"!!
Christopher Lee wasn't a friend of Tolkien. I watched an interview where he mentioned running into him once and describing being kind of starstruck. He was a big a fan, but didn't know him personally.
I just thought I'd point that out. Great video--I love your analysis at the end about wanting to experience and get closer to Middle-Earth in any way we can. I think that's spot on.
Huh. I've always assumed "The Wizard" was a metaphor for a drug dealer.
It can be both
The necromacer in Rush :)
well, gandalf smokes a lot
Gandalf smokes weed.
He even gave Radagast some mushrooms.......
Lot of ways to view it haha
"music plays a integral role in the very founding of Middle Earth"...a subtle little wink towards the Silmarillion. I love it-- proving you know your stuff as always. Keep up the stellar content man
With a generous amount of pipe weed thrown into the mix, everything was possible back in the seventies.
Old Toby?
@@teemusid ... Old Mary! 😉
@Jan Hanchen Michelsen - A lot of them can't even remember where they were or what they did, in the 70's
@@oldschoolrr6077 I'm old enough to remember seeing Led Zeppelin on their first 4 tours of America. I doubt I'll ever forget it. .
@@rundoetx - I got to see Zep 3 out of the 4 times they went through L.A. One of the very few bands who were as good live as they were on their albums.
A video about The Kinks is long overdue!
Nitromethanification very underrated & very influential band. The kinks deserve way more praise & recognition than they get
Black R&B acts from the 40s in USA created Rock N' Roll.. *in England with The Kinks and The Who was created ROCK* like is knowed now.
known
Yes yes yes yes this is the bestest video of all time! My two most favourite things: Zeppelin and LOTR!!!!
In 1970, I had a 1959 Strat that was repainted in green metal flake. I had a friend inscribe Elvish on it. Later when a friend of mine really, really wanted it, I gave it to him. He stripped it down to the bare wood! Should have kept it, and had the neck scalloped and new German silver frets added. Would have been worth thousands, especially with the Elvish. My goodness, the joys of youth!
That poor guitar...
Hey great video as usual!!
Please do a video on how science fiction shaped music (Rush - 2112, Cygnus X-1 - Rush, Black Sabbath - Iron man, a Space Oddity - David Bowie and several Pink floyd songs)
that would be awesome! keep up the good work!
Don't forget Gong with their flying teapots in space and Magma that told a story of escaping Earth for the planet Kobaïa. A little less known, but interesting.
I can only think of 4 pink Floyd songs that are related to science fiction: Astronomy Domine, Interstellar Overdrive, Set the controls for the Heart of the Sun and maybe Welcome to the Machine.
It's just 'Space Oddity' without an 'A'
He just uploaded a video on how Science fiction influenced Jimi Hendrix's music.
Also "Watcher of the Skies" and "Get em out by Friday" by Genesis
So much respect for mentioning Camel. I can't believe that band doesn't have more attention. Thankfully Mikael from Opeth mentioned that he was a big fan of that band, which is how I learned about them. I would love it if you covered Camel at some point. I'm surprised they aren't more well known in classic rock.
CS Lewis and Tolkien were so profound so interesting so influential.
Marc Scordato Tolkien*
...and so Christian.
they are in the same group called the inklings, despite what we think of writer as a loner in a dark room, they are literally the opposite of that, most successful artist will be in a group of mostly other artists meeting up usually once per week.
so comma-less
They were old squares so they probably hated rock.
Always wanted this video! Loved it!
Ayyy a polyphonic on classic rock? I'm a clicker
Could u imagine if Rush were high priests in a lord of the rings type film
They would be wearing kimono's and having long hair;)
They are the priests! Of the temples of Sauron!
Wearing their farewell to kings robes.
@@liam1558 that sounds great
But there aren't really priests in Middle Earth
Led Zeppelin totally took the stage. They were the main reference of Tolkien’s cult in rock music
This video is pure gold, thank so much for making it and sharing with us!
Great stuff as always my dude
So much Zeppelin I'm getting goosebumps I forgot how much I loved them
Awesome videos man!!
You should do an analysis of Mastodon, and their concept albums Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye and Emperor of Sand.
Yes! Leviathan!
@@grandunification Yeah, it's my favourite Mastodon record
Indeed!
But Lie Likes Music also did an awesome video on Crack the Skye!
czcams.com/video/crE4hKmcQfY/video.html
Also check his video on Mastodon itself:
czcams.com/video/d61iDxtzYk0/video.html
Nah, Mastodon sucks and their members don't like metal.
@@spacecadet8843 Okay.
Loving all your videos btw.
Loving all the interesting info,
all the topics you cover and loving all the work you put into your videos.
I’m quickly becoming a big fan.
👍🏻
You can add "Ogre Battle", by Queen
I heard that Freddie was creating his own fictional world, and his songs helped him flesh it out. Of course a book or anything was never published, but his songs remain. The most obvious song is Seven Seas of Rhye, the seven seas were supposed to be a main place in his story. Any song that mentions the seven seas is part of this universe. Ogre Battle and MOTBQ were also based on his story I think, but I can definitely see where the Tolkien inspiration would come from.
Don't forget about Elvish Presley. People are right when they claim he didn't die.
He actually sailed West.
Elvis didn’t die, he just went home.
Oh hell yeah, polyphonic video on classic rock AND it includes zeppelin. Cant go wrong with that, thanks for another good video! 🤘🏼
The purple piper plays his tunes. The choir softly sings...
Agent Jens oh man, is that song inspired by LoTR?
@@KilgoreTrout-vo7uy Nope.
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue.
@@KilgoreTrout-vo7uy OH! and Kilgore Trout?!?!?! DO I know you from the Nothintolose75 CZcams page?
In the court of the crimson..
Your videos are amazing man. You give us so much insight into some of the best music ever made. I think a song you could do an excellent analysis on is the Live version of Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers that’s over 20 minutes long. Keep up the great work!
Amazing video man, they are so unique and well presented
Superbly done, good sir! I enjoyed this immensely!!
Terrific channel. Thank you so much 🕊
Loving the videos bro.
Great video and interesting concept too. Bringing up Stagnation by Genesis was unexpected but extremely welcome. Would you ever consider doing a whole video on Genesis? I think they’d be worth the study
Thanks for the video, brother- I originally subscribed to your channel due to a Rush video that popped into my notifications one day. I really enjoy it- and I agree with you about “The Children of Húrin”. I love the story of Túrin Turambar- ever since I first read the Silmarillion, he’s been quite possibly my favorite character- so tragic, though. Anyway- I’ve rambled on long enough(see what I did there?)- Thanks again for the video- it’s got two of my favorite things in life, how could I not love it?
Children of Hurin is my favorite story of Tolkien too. It brings shadows to the Middle Earth lore. Thanks for this video.
:)
Read *Beren and Luthien* and also *The Fall of Gondolin,* as well.
Great topic!!!
Polyphonic, I just started watching most of your videos and I might actually consider you one of my favorite you tubers. I’m not gonna say “oh you’re my biggest fan” or anything I just want to let you know (even though you might get this a lot) I really appreciate your work.
I feel like this channel is the best for aspiring musicians and also fans of songwriting, producing and composing.
Always great!
Perfect video once again.. Thank you
Not only does Music play a huge part in Tolkien's works but in the Silmarillion he writes about how the world was made, and the world itself was literally made from music.
Also *was exist a CLUB in England called 'Middle Earth'* in the Psychedelic Era that shaped the begin of many Progressive Rock acts.
Ramble On was from late 1969, and not 1968. It may not matter at all now, but things were changing so quickly then...
Yeah I have no idea where he got that from. It wasn't even written or recorded in 1968...
Oh man, when I saw the title I knew Zeppelin would be heavily mentioned, but also Genesis and Camel? Hell yeah!
keep it up, adore your videos
The fact that Led Zeppelin had many Tolkien references makes them more than just a hard rock band. They sing of art.
Great post. You nailed it.
A Classic Dark Side of the moon video?:) love the content!
Very nice work.
You should do a video about the The Band or The Who
Big ups for a Polyphonic video about the Who. Maybe telling me all the things I didn't know about Live at Leeds?
The Who?
you could make a whole video about Tommy, Who's Next or Quadrophenia on their own
@@papa_pt Quadrophenia! Who's Next gets all the love, and everyone knows Tommy.
All for a video about The Band
Dude when i saw this video Nimrodel was the first thing i thought of. Lovely song!
that bit about Genesis made me incredibly happy as they’re my favorite band
Michael Moorcock's influence (and proper collaborations) with Hawkwind and BoC would make for an interesting video, too.
Really good vid
Now this is a video I’m excited for 🤘
Always nice to see Camel get a shout out.
Marc Bolan and Tyrannosaurus Rex referenced a lot of Tolkien mythology - Steve Took named himself after a Hobbit of course - plus Marc dedicated their 1968 Album "My people were fair and had sky in their hair but now they're content to wear stars on their brows" to "... Aslan and the Old Narnians"
Never before have I wanted a video to happen so much
Awesome video... I always look forward to checking out your new videos... How about one on Jethro Tull?
Jethro Tull has one album all written in Tolkien runes, didnt made to the video sadly
Please do Fugazi!
One that Polyphonic overlooked - which admittedly is a little obscure - is an AMAZING early-70s concept album by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Bo Hansson, just called "Music Inspired By The Lord Of The Rings." If you're into prog rock and haven't heard it, it's well worth a listen. I absolutely fell in love the first time I heard it, and it's probably my favorite musical treatment of the books. Hansson creates an otherworldly atmosphere that a lot of other adaptations lack.
Good to see Camel getting some love.
This youtube channel is awesome...No politics, no agenda...Just great info on the world of music...Great community also
It would be awesome if you were to make more videos showcasing the links between music & literature.
I would definitely watch and give those videos a thumbs up.
Please do a video on the influence of Michael Moorcock books in rock! (Blue Oyster Cult, Hawkwind, Magnum...)
And again, Blind guardian. Two songs has Tanelorn on the title, ffs.
@@mieiri11 Yeah, and Fast to Madness talks about Elric, I forgot
Thank you so much for this video. You helped me discover Camel. Which has become my favorite band
D.j., that's an amazing idea! Bands such as Gwar, iron maiden and others had to know of his work.
I almost didn't click on that first video I saw from this Channel about Pink Floyd's Echoes and I'm so glad I did cuz the content is just next level
Even Camel's nimrodel is a love poem to Gandalf
Great video man. The Tolkien World is so musical inspired that in the myth of the creation of the world, the Ainur (gods and angels) sang all together and created everything that was going to happen in the world, the good and the evil. And Eru (the great god) made that vision a reality. So every part of TLOTR lore is part of a Universal Song
I already knew about the led zep references but I never knew about the others. Great video
at the past, songs gave references to novels, nowadays just references to some mainstream shit. I wish I was just born 30 years earlier
Great video
Also, The Beatles wanted to do a LOTR movie and Pink Floyds "The Gnome" is a reference to Tolkiens work.
Where did you left Blind Guardian, a band made by and for Tolkien's adventures?? great video, I love what you make!!
Something important to mention i think is the Ainulindalë. Arda was literally created through the music of the Ainur
Tolkien presumably would have considered Metal the music of Melkor, whose music is 'loud and vain' and disrupts the gentle music of the Ainur.
@@catinthehat906 I think he'd consider most modern music to be loud and cacophonous, he wasnt the most modern guy
@@catinthehat906 And some metal bands take cues from the naming structures in both Dwarfish and Orcish.
In fact, IIRC the description of Melkor's music is "like many trumpets braying on a few notes" which can describe metal, or at least bad metal. But in high school and college marching band we got shirts that described the low brass (sousaphone, tuba, baritone horn and bass trombone) as the REAL Heavy Metal and "the balls of the Band"
I love your videos :)
Iv been binge watching all you videos and i was wondering if you could do a video on cliff burton. He was an excellent bassest and inspiration for many.
I love this channel who else can talk about good music and LOTR this video long over due keep em rolling
Thank you for using uncial font. Looks beautiful and matches so well
I feel like king gizzards gonna be the next band to reference Tolkien
Civic Mick They already have. The Balrog is from middle Earth after all!
Civic Mick King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard?
@@sierra3644 No, King Bazza and the Wazza Fazza
>including the original mix of Stagnation with fucking blown out vocals
I appreciated that.
Well done
Nice to see gorgoroth mentioned!
Came here after watching the ‘Tolkien’ trailer!! Looks good, can’t wait to see it.