Neal Morse Appreciation Thread - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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J-Man

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Topic: Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
Posted: July 24 2009 at 12:04

Best songwriter ever in my opinion, so I figured I'd better appreciate him Tongue

Anyway, let's start out the discussion with ?, shall we?

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rushfan4

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 12:04

J-Man

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 12:08

It's an awesome album!

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natewait

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 13:29

Its no secret that I'm a HUGE Neal Morse fan. His is my favorite songwriter, singer, musician. I love everything that he has done.

? is an incredible album from start to finish! It has everything you could want in a prog album. I particularly like the In The Fire/Solid as the Sun section- some great playing going on here. I love the emotion that comes through, especially in the second half of the album and how the album is brought full circle. It is an amazing album, one of his best works.

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 13:37

I think ? contains something that only Neal Morse can create. That piano chord at the very end ALWAYS makes me listen to the album again. He writes the best conclusions to epic songs and albums hands down!

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rdtprog

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 13:38

I discovered a prog fatigue in me with his 2 latest album. Is it me or is Neil keep playing the same formula a little too much? Nonetheless, i will be the first one to buy his next cd. Confused

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 13:43

Lifeline I didn't find to be his best work, but Sola Scriptura is one of my favorite albums by him.

I think SS has a much different sound than his previous albums because it has prog metal sections IMO at least.

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natewait

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 13:50

I agree that Lifeline is his weakest album, but I don't think it was meant to be compared to the masterpieces of Testimony, One, ?, and Sola Scriptura. It is more a collection of songs as a break from all the massive concept albums he has done. There are still some great tunes on Lifeline that makes it rather enjoyable (Lifeline, So Many Roads, Leviathan...)

I also don't get the criticism that he always sounds the same, has the same formula, etc. I think Testimony, One, ? and Sola Scriptura all sound distinctly different. The only way I understand the "sticking to the same formula" argument is that they are all concept albums with epic grand finales. Besides that, they all have a very different feel to them. Especially Sola Scriptura which is his heaviest album (and perhaps my favorite, although it is a close call).

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 13:55

One of the main problems I have with Lifeline is that he sings from too high in his throat, and his voice doesn't sound up to it's true potential.

I also don't understand how some people think all of his stuff sounds the same. Testimony and Sola Scriptura, while they aren't polar opposites, are extremely different.

My favorite album of his is either ? or Sola Scriptura.

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rdtprog

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 14:13

progrocker2244 wrote:

I also don't understand how some people think all of his stuff sounds the same. Testimony and Sola Scriptura, while they aren't polar opposites, are extremely different.

Maybe because his songs are very long and have the same tempo for too long. I like a song when there's different moods. I didn't have that feeling before SS and Lifeline.

Edited by rdtprog - July 24 2009 at 14:17

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 14:15

I'm thinking that the people that are the most active posters in the Flower Kings Appreciation thread will be the most active in this thread too. I know that it is not 100%, and as soon as I post this the next 10 people will dispute it, but I think that there is an excellent chance that if you are a fan of the Flower Kings, you are also a fan of Spock's Beard, and most likely therefore, Neal Morse. Although each band is unique in their own rights, to me at least, they are the two most similar of the new era prog bands, and I find it hard to believe that you can't like one band without liking the other.

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 14:19

I just acquired this Neal Morse live CD from the CalProg folks the other day, and gave it its first spin yesterday. http://www.calprog.com/NealMorseCD.htm

natewait

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 14:30

^ I was there the night that he performed those songs. I think he is an incredible live performer, very charismatic, fun and emotionally powerful. It was perhaps my favorite concert experience (although I will admit I haven't been to many concerts). What's impressive is that I think this is only the second time the band that supports him performed with him (the first being at 3RP) and they do an amazing job. It must be difficult having to learn songs like "The Creation", "The Door" and "Stranger In Your Soul" but they pulled it all off.

Edited by natewait - July 24 2009 at 14:31

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J-Man

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 14:59

rushfan4 wrote:

I agree. Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings tend to go hand in hand. Transatlantic was the connecting link for most people. I discovered TA from Neal, and then I became a Flower Kings fan because of Roine.

The music doesn't sound even remotely the same, but they tend to have the same general fanbase.

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 15:09

progrocker2244 wrote:

rushfan4 wrote:

Yep. For me, it was Dream Theater and Mike Portnoy. His being in Transatlantic led me to track down The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, and Marillion. I wasn't familiar with any of those bands prior to Transatlantic. Spock's Beard CDs were fairly easy to find since they are a US band I could find their CDs in the brick and mortar stores. I had to do some internet searching to find The Flower Kings and Marillion CDs. I had never really bought any CDs from the internet before I started searching for their CDs.

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 15:17

As a Christian whose spirit resonates with the message and who understands the typological import of the subject matter, ? is one of the best albums ever in terms of lyrics.

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rushfan4

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 15:32

Being that I am Agnostic, if I paid too close of attention to his lyrics I would probably be less of a fan, but ...

I absolutely love Testimony, which I think is one of the best concept albums ever made.

Dalezilla

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 15:37

rushfan4 wrote:

I love Neal Morse, but hate the Flower Kings. (love and hate being exaggarations, but you get my point. Wink

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rushfan4

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 15:39

How is that possible?

(I did say that they will be 10 of you to show up and prove me wrong, so 9 to go).

Dalezilla

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Posted: July 24 2009 at 15:41

^Not sure. I really dislike Roine's vocals and the music sounds way too cheesy to me. Other people might say the same about Morse, but this is how I feel.