Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

Snow is one of my top five albums of all time. The first time I heard it when I was first getting into Spock's Beard was magical and I instantly fell in love with it. I think it is in the same league as other double album concept albums such as The Lamb and The Wall.

It would be incredible if Neal performed this with the Beard. If there was a performance of this in the States, I would travel practically anywhere to see it. I feel the same way about Neal performing with Transatlantic, which could happen with the release of a new album.

I got into Spock's Beard and Transatlantic shortly after Neal left both bands and was devastated that I would never be able to see them live. I would be thrilled beyond belief if I could see either band live with Neal.

But, yeah, Snow is awesome and I never get tired of it. It is the beginning of Neal's incredible run of concept albums that goes all the way until Sola Scriptura. Brilliant stuff!

Whenever somebody has a 'Pick your favorite Neal Morse disc' (from Testimony on), I have such a hard time picking a favorite. With the exception of Lifeline, each disc has it's own personality and brilliance that just touches me. I love Testimony because that's when I was just getting back into prog and that disc had everything I was looking for. ? is an absolute masterpiece, though. Brilliant musicianship and arranging from beginning to end.

Sola Scriptura is quickly becoming a favorite, too. Primarily because of "The Conflict" and "The Conclusion". Much like "Supper's Ready", I love an epic that just has this triumphant climax that just rocks your soul. These two songs have that for me. Especially on "The Conclusion" during the "She's clothed with the sun..." It's just absolutely beautiful.

I'm just so happy that there's a future for Transatlantic. I like Lifeline OK, but I felt that Neal needed a shot in the arm to get that edge back. Hopefully this project will regain his focus. Much like Epignosis, I'm a Christian and really draw inspiration from his faith based lyrics, so that aspect of his work is something I enjoy. The formula was just getting tired with Lifeline.

As for Spock's Beard, I don't know where I lean on that. I've enjoyed his solo output so much that I tend to forget that he was in another band previously. It would be cool to see them get back together and perform Snow in it's entirety. Hopefully it happens.

E

^Not too long then. 

^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.

rushfan4 wrote: 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.

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

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.

rushfan4 wrote: 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.

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.

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

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

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).