The New Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

Catcher10 wrote: Not all "prog" bands record 100% "prog" music 100% of the time. Its about the music and not a label that is subjective anyway......Calling something prog is an opinion, depending on what you consider is prog. I am sure there is plenty of music people listen to on this site that is not considered prog.....Just look at the thread on What You Are Listening to. Seems to me not liking a song because it is not "prog" can limit your exposure to good music.   IMO......I like shine

As I said in my comment, I LIKE ballads (which are not generally associated with prog, though could be I guess).  I just find the song to have no value musically, at all.  It's a song that is a dime a dozen if you turn on a radio (maybe not so much today, but go back a decade or two).  It's bland, unoriginal, and quite boring.  OF COURSE, it's my opinion.  Also, Prog is a pretty well established genre.......at least here on this site.  It includes quite a variety of genre's under its roof, and not everyone agrees with them all (myself included).

I just assume that anything anyone on this board states about a band or a song is their opinion, since there really is no unbiased way to judge music (short of people who don't know how to play instruments trying to play music......but there really is nothing like that on Prog Archives).

However, it's a FACT that Transatlantic promote themselves as a supergroup of Progressive Rock legends, playing Progressive Rock music.  So when a song is devoid of Progressive Rock, then I call them on it.  If you think Shine is a Progressive Rock song, then the term has no meaning at all.



Edited by infandous - December 06 2013 at 09:48

I have always liked Portnoy's drumming, and I think he's really become a lot more versatile since the turn of the century (on the first TA album, as much as I love it, he really seems to not know how to do subtlety on the kit.....though that album didn't call for much of that, to be fair).  I've never been crazy about DT, but his playing with them was always stellar, and I think the band has lost the desire to try anything new or different since he left, to their detriment.

He's come a long way since I first heard him in 1995, yet has managed to retain the power and drive that made me like him back then.  I think he gets a lot of criticism because he's less of a forward thinking drummer than a Gavin Harrison or Marco Minneman.  He has a very Neal Peart inspired style, very driving and powerful, but doesn't really have the jazz influence that so many great prog drummers have had.  Also, he's pretty outspoken and definitely has that NYC attitude that puts a lot of people off (not me........I know too many awesome New Yorker's to be bothered by it).


I will say I'm growing a bit tired of the "prog rock legend" hype always applied to him and a lot of his projects.  It's fine for fans to make claims like that, but when it's the bands own promotional material, I just find it a bit tacky (maybe they could present it as something more like, "claimed by many fans to be legends of prog rock" or something).


Edited by infandous - December 06 2013 at 11:34

how are you. keeping up without any new music/live Neal Morse.

infandous wrote: Catcher10 wrote: Not all "prog" bands record 100% "prog" music 100% of the time. Its about the music and not a label that is subjective anyway......Calling something prog is an opinion, depending on what you consider is prog. I am sure there is plenty of music people listen to on this site that is not considered prog.....Just look at the thread on What You Are Listening to. Seems to me not liking a song because it is not "prog" can limit your exposure to good music.   IMO......I like shine As I said in my comment, I LIKE ballads (which are not generally associated with prog, though could be I guess).  I just find the song to have no value musically, at all.  It's a song that is a dime a dozen if you turn on a radio (maybe not so much today, but go back a decade or two).  It's bland, unoriginal, and quite boring.  OF COURSE, it's my opinion.  Also, Prog is a pretty well established genre.......at least here on this site.  It includes quite a variety of genre's under its roof, and not everyone agrees with them all (myself included). I just assume that anything anyone on this board states about a band or a song is their opinion, since there really is no unbiased way to judge music (short of people who don't know how to play instruments trying to play music......but there really is nothing like that on Prog Archives). However, it's a FACT that Transatlantic promote themselves as a supergroup of Progressive Rock legends, playing Progressive Rock music.  So when a song is devoid of Progressive Rock, then I call them on it.  If you think Shine is a Progressive Rock song, then the term has no meaning at all.

I enjoyed Flying Colors, not really prog material but excellent pop rock done by virtuosos. 

Flying Colors first and last track is good, and the middle one that's funky with slap bass is nice, the rest is fine but nothing I want to listen to more than once.

Tom Ozric wrote: Just putting in my usual 'Neal Morse is AMAZING' post

I second that!

Tom Ozric wrote: AlexDOM wrote: Tom Ozric wrote: Just putting in my usual 'Neal Morse is AMAZING' post I second that! ^

Don't have any Morse and stopped buying Spocks Beard when he left. What's  his best album that has that Spocks Beard magic or are they all different from the Beard...?

dr wu23 wrote: Tom Ozric wrote: AlexDOM wrote: Tom Ozric wrote: Just putting in my usual 'Neal Morse is AMAZING' post I second that! ^    Don't have any Morse and stopped buying Spocks Beard when he left. What's  his best album that has that Spocks Beard magic or are they all different from the Beard...?

I find his solo stuff lyrically awful - but why not buy his latest one and make your own mind up?
I have two or three that I may well sell on ebay coz they irritate me that much...

I'd recommend ?, Sola Scriptura and Momentum.