Spock's Beard

[The Letter M]

There are indeed a lot of layers and little things sprinkled throughout the album that make me smile, like in BBATM, there are bits that Al and/or Ryo do during the verses just after the vocals end each line, and they're different each time, little runs or melodies that fill in that space so well.

BNADS was a hit with me from the start, it was classic-sounding SB coming off a well-made and well-received album, X, and they needed something that was more familiar than not to help ease fans into another line-up change, and we got some AMAZING music out of that.

This time, they're really out to prove that they've still got the chops to make something exciting and experiment and different than what's come before. I'm not sure how some people say this still sounds like the "same old" and "tired" SB they're used to. To my ears, it's fairly fresh and entertaining, even if it's jarring and unsettling in some moments, due to tone or composition, but I like being challenged like that. "Close To The Edge" was like that for me at first, and I couldn't listen to that song AT ALL for months and would skip to Side 2 of that album, but after awhile, after I had gotten to know the band and understand their writing, it fell into place.

Perhaps because some of these songs are so different than what we're used to, it does sound pretty hard to get into sometimes, and they picked 3 good songs to lead off their release with, to show off that they've still got their classic sound ("Tides Of Time"), some very melodic and catchy choruses ("Bennett Built A Time Machine"), and some heavy, syncopated rocking out ("Minion"). Each track on there, though, stands out to me as being different from the others, though I'd have to say, beyond those first three, "The Center Line" really sticks out to me, as does the closer "Disappear", which REALLY sounds like it could be on a Kansas album, especially with Ryo's choice of keyboard sounds.

"Hell's Not Enough" and "Get Out While You Can" are still taking time to sink in for me, but I like them so far, and the epic "To Be Free Again" is pretty fantastic. I'm sure as the next couple of years pass until the next album, this one will sink in and become another classic release by the Beard!

-Marc.

[rumborak]

So far I'm liking it, more than the previous album.
I know this is a moot point,  but man I wish they didn't have Alan on guitar.

Why?

I think he's very much stuck in his idiosyncratic playing, which makes every single solo of his sound exactly the same.

[Mladen]

Thanks for the info, ich bin besser. Man, that's a lot of John Boegehold. I know he did stuff in the past as well, but there was plenty more contribution from Alan and Dave on the previous two albums, if I recall correctly. It's weird, I'm not used to the songs not being written by the band members, honestly - not that there's something wrong with it, though.

I had to check the writing credits from the previous albums - John has been a writer since Feel euphoria, but the first song that he was solely credited on was Something very strange from the previous album. That's just one song. Here, however, he's a single writer on FIVE songs. Seems like a plausible explanation for why this album sounds so different to me.

[The Curious Orange]

Yeah, I was surprised just how much Boegehold contributed to this album. Odd to see Alan and Ryo co-writing only one song and Dave writing nothing at all.

[Dr. DTVT]

Lots of popular artists don't write their own songs.  I can't speak for John Boegehold, but here are some reasons off the top of my head he just writes songs and isn't a part of the band:

1) He just likes writing, and not everything else that goes with it.  It's a convenient marriage for both, as he has written a lot of songs I enjoy.
2) Playing live isn't his thing, whether by preference or stagefright.
3) He has a full time job that would make being a member of a band difficult.
4) His playing talents don't match his writing talents.

Its not a bad situation, if anything the extra person writing likely means we have fewer clunkers than we would have otherwise.

[RoeDent]

Another thing I've noticed with TOP is that many of the harmony vocals are Ted Leonard multi-tracked rather than the other members singing with him, most notably the "Kansas bit" of Minion.

[Dr. DTVT]

I still stand by "not Mt. Rushmore" comment, but I am liking the album more with each listen.  It's a grower, but it's solid.

[The Letter M]

Something I noticed last night while listening to "The Center Line"...

"Maybe I dreamed it all
I really can’t recall
What came between forever and goodbye
Now it all seems so banal
So "I’ve already heard it all..."
Somebody has to hold it up to the light

But then it gets real
And you have to fall apart or fall together
When you get yours and I got time
When it comes down
When we touch the ground
It’s such a gentle surrender
What if we've found the center line?"

Then I was looking back at the lyrics to "The Light"...

"I: The Dream
What
Makes a dream
So very different
From any other dream
Where is that
Straight line
That I can hold up
To the light
And say no!
This is not right
This does not
Stand up
In the light"

Lots of connections to dreams, lines and light in "The Center Line" relating back to "The Light". I asked about it on the SB Forum on Facebook, but Jimmy says it's just a coincidence... And Ryo and Alan did write this song, so who knows. It could be, or it could be deliberate!

Either way, I thought it was a cool little nugget of lyrical allusion.

-Marc.

[Orbert]

Nugget!

[Kwyjibo]

Listened to it once and kinda liked it, the first half (up to Get out) seemed better than the second half, but I need way more listenings before I can really comment on this thing. Surely much to take in.

[Dr. DTVT]

Listened to it once and kinda liked it, the first half (up to Get out) seemed better than the second half, but I need way more listenings before I can really comment on this thing. Surely much to take in.

That's how I felt after my first listen, but now I think I prefer the second half.

[hefdaddy42]

Something I noticed last night while listening to "The Center Line"...

"Maybe I dreamed it all
I really can’t recall
What came between forever and goodbye
Now it all seems so banal
So "I’ve already heard it all..."
Somebody has to hold it up to the light

But then it gets real
And you have to fall apart or fall together
When you get yours and I got time
When it comes down
When we touch the ground
It’s such a gentle surrender
What if we've found the center line?"

Then I was looking back at the lyrics to "The Light"...

"I: The Dream
What
Makes a dream
So very different
From any other dream
Where is that
Straight line
That I can hold up
To the light
And say no!
This is not right
This does not
Stand up
In the light"

Lots of connections to dreams, lines and light in "The Center Line" relating back to "The Light". I asked about it on the SB Forum on Facebook, but Jimmy says it's just a coincidence... And Ryo and Alan did write this song, so who knows. It could be, or it could be deliberate!

Either way, I thought it was a cool little nugget of lyrical allusion.

-Marc.

Nice!

[ich bin besser]

Regarding the role of John Boegehold: someone on the German SB forum (www.thebearded.de) took the time to look up the songwriting credits on the albums after Neal left (without The Oblivion Particle) - interesting!


Feel Euphoria

1. Onomatopoeia – Alan Morse, Nick d’Virgilio, John Boegehold
2. the Bottom Line  Nick d’Virgilio
3. Feel Euphoria  Nick d’Virgilio, Ryo Okumoto
4. Shining Star  Nick d’Virgilio
5. East of Eden  Alan Morse, John Boegehold
6. Ghosts of Autumn  Dave Meros John Boegehold
7. A Guy named Sid – Intro  Nick d’Virgilio
8. A Guy named Sid – Same old story  Nick d’Virgilio
9. A Guy named Sid – you don’t know  Nick d’Virgilio
10. A Guy named Sid – Judge  Nick d’Virgilio
11. A Guy named Sid – Sid’s Boys Choir  Nick d’Virgilio
12. A Guy named Sid – Change  Nick d’Virgilio
13. Carry On  Alan Morse, Stan Ausmus, John Boegehold
14. Moth of many flames  Alan Morse, John Boegehold
15. From the Messenger  Ryo Okumoto


Octane

1. The Ballet of the impact  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
2. I Wouldn’t let it go  John Boegehold, Alan Morse
3. Surfing Down the Avalanche  John Boegehold, Nick d’Virgilio, Dave Meros
4. She is everything  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
5. Climbing up that hill  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
6. Letting go  Ryo Okumoto
7. Of the Beauty of it all  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
8. NWC  Nick d’Virgilio
9. There was a Time  John Boegehold, Alan Morse
10. The Planet’s Hum  Stan Ausmus, Nick d’Virgilio, Alan Morse
11. Watching the Tide  Nick d’Virgilio
12. As Long as we ride  John Boegehold, Nick d’Virgilio, Alan Morse

Octane Bonus Disc

1. When she’s gone  John Boegehold, Nick d’Virgilio, Dave Meros
2. Follow me to sleep  John Boegehold, Nick d’Virgilio
3. Game Face  Nick d’Virgilio, Ryo Okumoto
4. Broken Promise Land  John Boegehold, Alan Morse


Spock’s Beard 9

1. On a perfect Day Stan Ausmus, John Boegehold, Nick d’Virgilio, Alan Morse
2. Skeletons at the Feast  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
3. Is this Love  Nick d’Virgilio
4. All that’s left  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
5. With your kiss  Nick d’Virgilio
6. Sometimes they stay  Stan Ausmus, Alan Morse
7. the slow crash landing man  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
8. Wherever you stand  Nick d’Virgilio, Ryo Okumoto
9. Hereafter  John Boegehold, Ryo Okumoto
10. Dreaming in the age of answers  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
11. Here’s a man  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
12. They know we know  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
13. Stream of Unconsciousness  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
14. Rearranged  Nick d’Virgilio


X

1. Edge of the In-Between  Dave Meros, John Boegehold
2. The Emperor’s Clothes  Alan Morse, Neal Morse, Larry Kutcher
3. Kamikaze  Ryo Okumoto
4. From the Darkness  Nick d’Virgilio, Alan Morse
5. the quiet house  Dave Meros, John Boegehold
6. Their Names escape me  John Boegehold, Dave Meros
7. The man behind the curtain  Alan Morse, Stan Ausmus
8. Jaws of Heaven  Dave Meros, John Boegehold


Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep

1. Hiding out  Ted Leonard
2. I know your secret  Dave Meros, John Boegehold
3. A Treasure abandoned  John Boegehold, Alan Morse
4. Submerged  Ted Leonard
5. Afterthoughts  Alan Morse, Neal Morse, Ted Leonard
6. Something very strange  John Boegehold
7. Waiting for me  Alan Morse, Neal Morse

Bonus Disc

1. The man you’re afraid you are  Alan Morse, Stan Ausmus
2. Down a burning road   John Boegehold, Alan Morse
3. Wish I were here  Alan Morse
4. Soemthing very strange (Remix) John Boegehold
5. Postcards from Perdition  John Boegehold


Total: 65 songs - 30 by Boegehold, 24 d’Virgilio, 19 Meros, 20 Al Morse, 7 Okumoto, 6 Stan Ausmus, 3 Neal Morse, 1 Larry Kutcher.

[Lowdz]

I really like the album. I really like Bennet - it's a bloody earworm

[RoeDent]

Interesting lyrical nugget there. Maybe "the light" is Spock's Beard's equivalent of Pink Floyd's "the wall", ie. when that is mentioned in any post-album song by them or on a member's solo album, connections try to be made to The Wall, the album.

[Dr. DTVT]

Interesting lyrical nugget there. Maybe "the light" is Spock's Beard's equivalent of Pink Floyd's "the wall", ie. when that is mentioned in any post-album song by them or on a member's solo album, connections try to be made to The Wall, the album.

I was thinking the same thing, but I was afraid it would come off as dickish.  I realize the cover art is basically just a ton of callbacks, but if a song is named after a common object, like "Light" or "Water", you can't expect the band to never use those objects again, anywhere.

Speaking of Nick D, he was the drummer on the Iron Man cover.  I wonder if he came back and did that, or if it was left over from when he was in the band and Ted just sang overtop the old recording.

[The Letter M]

Speaking of Nick D, he was the drummer on the Iron Man cover.  I wonder if he came back and did that, or if it was left over from when he was in the band and Ted just sang overtop the old recording.

Not sure, but these are the credits for the song according to SB's website:
Dave Meros - vocals, bass, guitar
Nick D’Virgilio - drums
Ryo Okumoto - mellotron & synth
Ted Leonard - guitar solos

Looks like Dave was the vocalist for that cover, NOT Ted or Nick. Interesting that both Dave and Jimmy have lead vocals on this album, even if one song is a cover. Looks like it was a cover headed up by Dave since he covers vocals, bass AND guitar, and perhaps he just got Nick to do the drums (perhaps Jimmy was unavailable?) and Ryo to do the keys, then Ted just did the solos later on.

Also, I believe Stan (or maybe John) later replied to my post saying that "it was not unintentional", meaning the use of similar words and phrases in "The Center Line" relating back to "The Light", so who knows!

-Marc.

[RoeDent]

Something I forgot to point out in my earlier post is that Feel Euphoria has a song called The Bottom Line. Could the "Line Trilogy" be the next big sequence of SB songs after the "Thoughts Pentalogy"? (Bearing in mind Part 4 doesn't yet exist...unless it's just a blank space for us to fill with our own Thoughts...That's another story all together.)

[Dr. DTVT]

I just assumed it was Ted singing since I saw him credited somewhere in the song.  I should try reading better.

[KevShmev]

I agree, you should try spelling better.

[The Letter M]

SB had a show last night with Enchant opening for them (which must have been a chore for Ted, I'd assume). This is what they played:

Tides of Time
On a Perfect Day
Hell's Not Enough
The Good Don't Last
Minion
A Better Way to Fly
Afterthoughts
To Be Free Again
June
Waiting for Me

Encore:
The Water

Five new songs, including two of the three songs they previewed before release (BBATM oddly absent, but Jimmy mentioned on FB last week that they would not be playing it this time around), as well as two songs from the last album.

One song from the NDV years, and a good one at that (if a bit overplayed in terms of songs from those four albums), and then three songs from the Neal Morse years, one of which is an SB concert staple (June), a fun surprise from the same album (The Good Don't Last), and then.... THE WATER?! I know they've played the first couple portions as part of a medley (with Go The Way You Go), but not the whole thing, not since the band's first tour, as far as I know.

At least, listing it as THE encore, likely means that it was the whole song. I hope this show got recorded either for CD or DVD release because it seems like a really solid set list!

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

How the hell did Afterthoughts make it on to the set list again?

That's what the kids call epic fail.

Bummer to see nothing from X, but pretty sweet to see The Water in there.

However, I am not going to lie: I would have zero interest in a live DVD by then at this point.  I saw the one from the X tour on YT a while back, and while it was cool to see, the lack of fans there made the environment very sterile.  It sucks that they aren't more popular, but shows in front of 95 people just look bad on television. 

[The Letter M]

However, I am not going to lie: I would have zero interest in a live DVD by then at this point.  I saw the one from the X tour on YT a while back, and while it was cool to see, the lack of fans there made the environment very sterile.  It sucks that they aren't more popular, but shows in front of 95 people just look bad on television.

I tend to agree, prog DVDs where the band plays to a tiny audience (Meet The Flower Kings springs to mind) is a bit depressing, which is why I'd rather enjoy a live CD more than anything. Still get the music and probably better mixed for audio discs anyway, but not having to worry about seeing a poor turn out.

Either way, a full live concert from this line up would be nice, be it on DVD or CD. We've only had Live At Sea, which was barely 68 minutes of music. Something a bit longer, like the set list above, would be nice to have (which works out to be about 110 minutes anyway).

-Marc.

[Mladen]

That concert would be worth seeing just for The Water.

[KevShmev]

Halfway through my 2nd listen of the new album on the way home from work today. Sounds good so far, but nothing has wowed me yet.

[King Postwhore]

Halfway through my 2nd listen of the new album on the way home from work today. Sounds good so far, but nothing has wowed me yet.

It's a grower for sure. I'm really loving it after 8 listens.

[KevShmev]

Track 1 seems pretty good.

I like tracks 2-4 quite a bit.

Track 5, Get Out While You Can, is not very good.

Tracks 6-9 not making a dent yet, either way, but it's early.

[r0cken]

I feel that for me, it's going to be the band's best post-neal album. When song after song I must stop what I'm doing and just listen, it's a sure sign.

I also don't get how some people find it challenging. It's prog, after all... But even as such I find it quite an easy listen.

[The Curious Orange]

After the Snow Medley on the last tour, I was expecting something else from that album (Wind at my Back?), but this is a pretty solid setlist, even without BBATM or Get Out While You Can. Dropping Afterthoughts in favour of Something Very Strange would improve things, as would another NDV-era song.
But I'm most stoked about Better Way to Fly - one of my fave tracks from the new album, and one I really thought didn't stand a chance of making the setlist.
Looking forward to seeing them on Oct 2nd - and hoping a few more people turn up - last time I saw them I think there were more people in the band than in the audience - it's a crying shame.

[KevShmev]

I feel that for me, it's going to be the band's best post-neal album. 

It's gotta a long, long way to go for me to be able to say that, given how tremendous both X and Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep both were.

[KevShmev]

The Center Line is pretty great.

[r0cken]

It's gotta a long, long way to go for me to be able to say that, given how tremendous both X and Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep both were.

Just yesterday morning I threw Brief Nocturnes into my playlist to see how I feel about it now. I hate to say it, but I turned it off mid album. Just personal preference of course, but somehow I don't like that album very much. I do remember liking X a lot, especially "The Man Behind the Curtain". But still, there was never this instant connection like with Oblivion Particle. Maybe it's just... Catchier?

[ariich]

I would say Brief Nocturnes is definitely "catchier" than Oblivion Particle. Doesn't mean it's better of course, and I think lots of people are really liking the fact that TOP is more of a grower.

[KevShmev]

Aside from Afterthoughts, and counting the bonus tracks, Brief Nocturnes... is really consistent in that nearly every song is really, really good.  There's nothing on there I would call one of their best songs ever (like I would with Jaws of Heaven and From the Darkness from X), but it's still a top 5 Spock's album in my book.

[Kwyjibo]

I don't mind Afterthoughts that much and Down A Burning Road is a great song, should've been on the album and not just as a bonus. So, yes, BNADS is at least a top 5 Beard album. Whereas The Oblivion Particle isn't, as of yet, but maybe that will change. It hasn't really clicked with me yet but I like it more with each listening, definitely a grower.