Reviews discussion

I thought long and hard about the review, and I gave the CD plenty of undivided attention before I got my thoughts together, ready to express my opinion on this latest output from four VERY talented musicians!
However, I couldn't let the paucity of subject matter (conveyed by Morse's insistent preaching like a prog version of Billy Graham!) go.
There is only so many times that the "Healer", "Dreamer" , "Conceiver" can be mentioned ad-nauseum before it subtracts from the musical experience surely? Like I said - we had 78 minutes of the "Whirlwind" and Morse has encapsulated the Ills that have dogged mankind in the past few years, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, Earthquakes, fiscal breakdown, greed and the destruction of the planet we live on - that's OK and he is entitled to suggest that reading an edited & cobbled together 4th century fiction book is the answer to man's problems. However, the same content is continued in the entirety of the new CD and it's tiresome!
Musically - as tight as you would expect from such talented musicians, Lyrically lazy. I rest my case.

Second Life Syndrome wrote: <span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">While it is his opinion, he does ride the line of being downright abusive.  Gallifrey called Stolt a hack, and PA had a meltdown.  This guy attacks those with different beliefs, and almost no one cares.  I mean, I totally disagreed with the lyrics on RPWL's new album, and I gave reason why.  But I didn't call them names, and I didn't purposefully misrepresent their beliefs.  Shame on this guy for his lack of professionalism.  And, I've never heard Transatlantic either.</span>

I have not misrepresented his beliefs nor I have called him names? I have attacked his faith (questioned to be precise), but not his freedom to have faith if he so chooses! I could ask him if he believes in Thor or Odin or Mars, and he would say NO.....oh the irony....

playing the "fascism" card so early in the debate? how droll.

The review is there for all to see, and yes, it's a reflection of my response to the aural stimulus that this CD provides, no more no less.
I REALLY am disappointed that the CD is just (lyrically wise) more of the same from a bunch of musicians who are definitely capable of producing better! And, for the record, I think that ALL religions do far more damage to the people that follow the dogma than those people, like myself who refuses to live their life by the supposed edicts of some tin-pot tyrannical sky-fairy (when in-fact those edicts are in fact man-made and are usually designed to denigrate and persecute those born with XX chromosomes!)
The absurdity of all man-made religion is a disgrace to a species that defines itself as "self aware"....
"He's not the messiah, He's just a very naughty boy"......

Perhaps I took his tongue-in-cheek style for abusiveness.  That could be.  I suspect, though, that the former is a disguise for the later.  I don't really care all that much, really.  It doesn't affect me.  However, I look on there and see someone for whom I feel sadness.  To have that much animosity for God to the point where you feel you have to attack him at every turn is just something that saddens me, not angers me.  You are entitled to your opinion, though.

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:   This site is becoming less and friendly for those of us who believe,. we're treated as idiots, delusional, etc.

I don't find the review abusive, indeed the author is stating his opinion, but I don't think a review is the best place to attack or question religious (or non-religious) beliefs, there is plenty of space in the forum to do that.

Am I interested to know your opinion about a certain belief in a Transatlantic review? Certainly not.
Am I interested to know if you find the lyrics cheesy and un-inspired? Indeed I am. So there is a bit of a difference of how this is approached.

Overall I don't find the review anything special, but knowing Neal Morse's style I may have had a similar opinion about the lyrics too... At the end of the day, everyone has got his one opinion and this is respected here.

ExittheLemming wrote: M27Barney wrote: The review is there for all to see, and yes, it's a reflection of my response to the aural stimulus that this CD provides, no more no less. I REALLY am disappointed that the CD is just (lyrically wise) more of the same from a bunch of musicians who are definitely capable of producing better! And, for the record, I think that ALL religions do far more damage to the people that follow the dogma than those people, like myself who refuses to live their life by the supposed edicts of some tin-pot tyrannical sky-fairy (when in-fact those edicts are in fact man-made and are usually designed to denigrate and persecute those born with XX chromosomes!) The absurdity of all man-made religion is a disgrace to a species that defines itself as "self aware".... "He's not the messiah, He's just a very naughty boy"...... I don't have a problem with your reasoning but just indulge me if you will by answering the following question:If Kaleidoscope had been recorded by an RPI band and you didn't understand a word of written or spoken Italian, would your review have been a positive one and would your lack of understanding of the lyrics have impinged on your enjoyment of the music? I'm just curious about that strange discrepancy we can sometime experience between loving the messenger but loathing the message etc. I have had serious misgivings about some of the lyrics of my favorite artists and although I would question these in a review, I'm not sure I would necessarily mark them down for it (the music would have to suck also for me to do that) Should the 'aural stimulus' (to use your expression) be the focus of our reviews on this site and the artist's textual agenda left to other more specialized sites?

I am intelligent enough to interpret most European languages to get the basic drift even if the language is, German, Italian, French, Spanish or Greek ! - I have a basic grasp of all these languages that I have collected like a sort of language general knowledge !!
The gripe that I was trying to convey in my review is (after the whirlwind) - the new CD has EXACTLY the same theme, it's like Genesis, following SEBTP with another set of songs based on English culture but with slight differences like "The Battle of the New Forest".....THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SLATED !!!

M27Barney wrote: ExittheLemming wrote: M27Barney wrote: The review is there for all to see, and yes, it's a reflection of my response to the aural stimulus that this CD provides, no more no less. I REALLY am disappointed that the CD is just (lyrically wise) more of the same from a bunch of musicians who are definitely capable of producing better! And, for the record, I think that ALL religions do far more damage to the people that follow the dogma than those people, like myself who refuses to live their life by the supposed edicts of some tin-pot tyrannical sky-fairy (when in-fact those edicts are in fact man-made and are usually designed to denigrate and persecute those born with XX chromosomes!) The absurdity of all man-made religion is a disgrace to a species that defines itself as "self aware".... "He's not the messiah, He's just a very naughty boy"...... I don't have a problem with your reasoning but just indulge me if you will by answering the following question:If Kaleidoscope had been recorded by an RPI band and you didn't understand a word of written or spoken Italian, would your review have been a positive one and would your lack of understanding of the lyrics have impinged on your enjoyment of the music? I'm just curious about that strange discrepancy we can sometime experience between loving the messenger but loathing the message etc. I have had serious misgivings about some of the lyrics of my favorite artists and although I would question these in a review, I'm not sure I would necessarily mark them down for it (the music would have to suck also for me to do that) Should the 'aural stimulus' (to use your expression) be the focus of our reviews on this site and the artist's textual agenda left to other more specialized sites? I am intelligent enough to interpret most European languages to get the basic drift even if the language is, German, Italian, French, Spanish or Greek ! - I have a basic grasp of all these languages that I have collected like a sort of language general knowledge !! The gripe that I was trying to convey in my review is (after the whirlwind) - the new CD has EXACTLY the same theme, it's like Genesis, following SEBTP with another set of songs based on English culture but with slight differences like "The Battle of the New Forest".....THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SLATED !!!

No-one is questioning your intelligence, but such defensiveness makes me think you are either evading the question or I have posed it poorly:
In the (unlikely) event of an album being recorded with lyrics you don't understand but with music that you like, would the lack of textual insight make you mark down the album or even cause you not to review it at all?

BTW if Genesis had followed up SEBTP with music as good but with lyrical themes that maybe repeated themselves, it would have still sold in sufficient shedloads to provide Floyd's DSOTM with some credible competition. Lyrics really don't make or break music in any genre (I'm not saying that's necessarily a good thing but just an inescapable fact of consumer/market driven life)

BTW do you research the producers of instrumental music to ensure they don't embrace political or religious views you find morally repugnant? If I told you that Stravinsky never bathed and liked to boil frogs in a can until their eyes popped out, would you still listen to his symphonies?

I feel that whatever, Stravinski did to frogs (hypothetically) is irrelevant. All I am saying that the repetition of themes based on Morse's born again Christianity are becoming boring. For many people the cheesy lyrics of "The Count of Tuscany" make it less enjoyable to listen to. Any track revelling in sexual torture of children and women wouldn't be acceptable to me and I wouldn't listen regardless of the brilliance of the music. I personally like Yes lyrics because they are very esoteric and more of words put in to match the music rather than trying to spell out a dogma. TA's latest effort has suffered by the paucity of lyrical themes (that is my opinion) if some people are up-lifted by it's themes we jolly good luck to them and enjoy!!

Edited by M27Barney - February 08 2014 at 05:21