Author Topic: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread  (Read 539871 times)

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Online King Postwhore

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2170 on: February 13, 2017, 06:54:44 PM »
So Kev, you're telling me you've seen monkey balls being suked?
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2171 on: February 13, 2017, 06:56:11 PM »
So Kev, you're telling me you've seen monkey balls being suked?

If that wasn't a monkey, then what the hell were your lips wrapped around?? :P

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2172 on: February 13, 2017, 07:05:52 PM »
If you we were friends on Facebook, you could have seen what Patriots video Mason (DTVT) sent to me and you'd have your answer. :lol
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2173 on: February 13, 2017, 07:10:54 PM »
I shudder to think.. :biggrin: :lol

That aside, this Morsefest compilation is gonna be great. Already ordered it from amazon just now. :hat

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2174 on: February 13, 2017, 07:13:58 PM »
1st half harassment from DTF. :lol

I can't wait to see the band at RoSfest.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2175 on: February 15, 2017, 08:00:35 PM »
I'm excited to see A Whole Nother Trip.  My car CDs are usually condensed a bit, so for a while, The Man Who Would Be King was the only song from it that I listened to regularly, but I upgraded my car CDs recently, and rediscovered how great Bomb That Can't Explode is.  You can tell that came out the same year as Day for Night, as it has that quirky "Healing Colors" vibe to it.  Great tune.

Offline axeman90210

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2176 on: February 16, 2017, 09:04:44 AM »
I have to say, seeing TSOAD live has really helped the album click for me. There were already a few tracks liked beforehand, but last night I went to just play a few tracks for the end of my evening commute and had a hard time bringing myself to skip over most of them :lol

I really like how much vocal time Eric and Bill get on the album as well. Bill's lines just over a minute into Confrontation is my favorite bit of singing on the album.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2177 on: February 16, 2017, 10:07:13 PM »
Hopefully, that similar type balance of lead vocals continues on the next album.  As much as I love Neal's voice, using the other two a lot to sing lead really helped elevate TSOAD a ton.  When you have three singers that good, might as well use them. And their harmonies are aces. :tup :tup

Offline Zydar

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2178 on: February 21, 2017, 06:57:54 AM »
Late to the party, but I gave Similitude a thorough listen this weekend and I'm really loving it. Can't get The Ways Of A Fool and Freedom Song out of my head, for instance.
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Offline goo-goo

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2179 on: February 21, 2017, 07:35:48 AM »
Hopefully, that similar type balance of lead vocals continues on the next album.  As much as I love Neal's voice, using the other two a lot to sing lead really helped elevate TSOAD a ton.  When you have three singers that good, might as well use them. And their harmonies are aces. :tup :tup

Overall, for me at least, TSOAD has been a bit of a disappointment but the addition of Bill's voice really added to the album quite a bit.

Offline Mladen

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2180 on: February 21, 2017, 08:00:40 AM »
Late to the party, but I gave Similitude a thorough listen this weekend and I'm really loving it. Can't get The Ways Of A Fool and Freedom Song out of my head, for instance.
Good picks, my two favorites on the album. I like the entire album, but I overplayed those tracks like crazy,

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2181 on: February 21, 2017, 02:54:30 PM »
Late to the party, but I gave Similitude a thorough listen this weekend and I'm really loving it. Can't get The Ways Of A Fool and Freedom Song out of my head, for instance.
Good picks, my two favorites on the album. I like the entire album, but I overplayed those tracks like crazy,

"The Ways Of A Fool" is easily one of the stand-out tracks of the whole album for me. It's so different but at the same time, it works so very well. I was surprised to learn that it was a Bill-penned track that never got used on TGE, but was brought back up and had its lyrics changed to fit the album. I'm glad they used it because it's some of the most fun on the whole album, and I love the influences from Queen to the Beach Boys and the Beatles, to so many other things in-between. Even "Freedom Song" has a bit of Queen in it, with, I think Mike or Neal, referencing the Queen song "'39".

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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2182 on: February 21, 2017, 08:17:38 PM »
It's still hard to narrow it down to one or two favorites, but as time goes on, if I am on a short drive, like to or from work, The Man in the Iron Cage is my go-to song from it.

Offline Zydar

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2183 on: February 22, 2017, 12:16:08 AM »
Even "Freedom Song" has a bit of Queen in it, with, I think Mike or Neal, referencing the Queen song "'39".

Oh definitely, the first time I heard Freedom Song I instantly thought of '39 :D
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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2184 on: February 22, 2017, 07:28:19 AM »
I've been on a huge Neal Morse kick lately. Just purchased Morsefest 2014 and have been hooked on Testimony.

Offline darkshade

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2185 on: February 22, 2017, 11:00:21 AM »
I haven't listened to much prog lately, much less Neal Morse, but I always keep a few things on my iPod if the mood strikes. I've thrown on some random Flower Kings tracks recently, and the opening song to "?" came on shuffle the other day, it was a gorgeous day out, so I said, "fuck it", and played the whole thing. Whoa, it was like listening to it for the first time, (and "? was the first NM solo album I checked out) but I remembered most of the parts, and with fresh ears it was just a great listen, and now I'm going through his stuff. I've listened to ? , listened to the new album The Simltude of a Dream, and finishing Sola Scriptura now, always a favorite of mine, this is the most I've enjoyed The Conclusion. I forgot how much I like SS. Thinking about going big and listening to Testimony -> Testimony 2 next, then back to the new album.

About the new album, I enjoyed it on first listen yesterday. I can't say the same for The Grand Experiment, which I heard once when it came out and never listened again, but I wasn't really feeling this kind of prog back then so we'll see how the next listen goes. I definitely enjoyed it on first listen than I did with The Astonishing, which I haven't listened to since like April. I'll have to listen to TSoaD again before I comment further on it.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2186 on: February 22, 2017, 06:55:25 PM »
That's great to hear!  :tup :tup

I went through a spell in the late 00s where I was off prog for a while, so I know what you mean.

Also, Morsefest has been announced for September 1st and 2nd.  Details will be forthcoming.  :hat

Offline Nick

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2187 on: February 22, 2017, 07:22:30 PM »
Man, poor Eric Gillette. He's doing Shattered Fortress on Sep. 9 and 12th, will have to keep those songs practiced and sharp, and who knows how much material he'll have to learn or relearn for Morsefest.
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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2188 on: February 23, 2017, 07:03:06 AM »
Was there a Morsefest last year?

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2189 on: February 23, 2017, 07:41:17 AM »
Nevermind. Forgot that they did Snow last year. Looking forward to that release. Depending on the plan for 2017 I'm going to try and go.

Offline darkshade

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2190 on: February 23, 2017, 09:58:42 AM »
That's great to hear!  :tup :tup

I went through a spell in the late 00s where I was off prog for a while, so I know what you mean.


Thanks. I put Momentum on, because I want to go back and listen to some long albums, like TSoaD again, The Astonishing, T&T2, Snow, but I can't commit the time today lol. First world problems.

Momentum is kicking my ass, I'm enjoying this more than ever. Momentum came out right before I moved away from prog, so roughly early Fall 2012. This isn't to say I haven't thrown an occasional prog album on, whether old school or modern stuff, but that was usually the extent to it, and there's a bunch of albums I haven't listened to in a good 4-5 years now, like Momentum, which I'm currently doing air drums in between typing this. Might be this early-Spring-like weather. I first focused on more avant-garde and experimental stuff, but then I went too deep, so I transitioned to jam bands (mostly Phish), jazz, funk, and world music. Lately, though, the prog/rock/metal itch has been coming back, and I find it best to just go with the flow and not worry about what music I'm feeling like listening to at the moment. I missed listening to a lot of stuff, but I would put it on and at some point realize I'm just not feeling it, and hope that maybe some day I will again.

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2191 on: February 23, 2017, 10:00:22 AM »
Announced today (or last night?), MorseFest 2017, September 1st and 2nd! No further details outside of it being held at the same place as usual.

-Marc.
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Offline darkshade

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2192 on: February 23, 2017, 03:33:37 PM »
Reading The Astonishing thread on the DT side reminded me I've never heard Neal's first two albums (self titled, It's Not Too Late) as well as Songs From November. I'll have to remedy that. Doesn't the s/t album have some prog stuff?

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2193 on: February 23, 2017, 05:35:09 PM »
Reading The Astonishing thread on the DT side reminded me I've never heard Neal's first two albums (self titled, It's Not Too Late) as well as Songs From November. I'll have to remedy that. Doesn't the s/t album have some prog stuff?

Mostly the closing epic, a 4-part piece that, up until Morsefest 2015, had never been played live! Well, as far as I know, the WHOLE thing had never been played live. Other than that, the rest of the album is pretty straight forward singer-songwriter kind of pop-ish rock that is a bit more like the less-proggy stuff that Neal did with SB, just without the rest of SB behind him, though I think Nick D'Virgilio did some drums on that album.

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Offline ronnibran

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2194 on: February 23, 2017, 06:23:16 PM »
I haven't seen speculation as to what would be played at Morsefest 17 (maybe it's been done prior to announcement in this thread?) but I'll guess Testimony 2 one night and The Whirlwind the other night (with Roine and Pete not just the Neal Morse Band).  Just for the sake of guessing.  Doubt I'll go, it's quite the trek, but it would be cool to go to another Morsefest (I went to the first one only).

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2195 on: February 23, 2017, 07:20:13 PM »
Reading The Astonishing thread on the DT side reminded me I've never heard Neal's first two albums (self titled, It's Not Too Late) as well as Songs From November. I'll have to remedy that. Doesn't the s/t album have some prog stuff?

Just the 4-part suite that Marc alluded to, but even that is more or less four different songs that all kind of run together.

That aside, that self-titled record is fantastic. I highly recommend it.

Announced today (or last night?), MorseFest 2017, September 1st and 2nd! No further details outside of it being held at the same place as usual.

-Marc.

ORLY??



Also, Morsefest has been announced for September 1st and 2nd.  Details will be forthcoming.  :hat

 :lol :biggrin:

Nevermind. Forgot that they did Snow last year. Looking forward to that release. Depending on the plan for 2017 I'm going to try and go.

I can't say I am excited about the Snow eventual release.  I read too many reviews that said there were a lot of mistakes throughout the show.  That is what happens, I guess, when you have never played a CD that old for the first time ever live, plus Spock's rarely tours anymore, so that could explain their live "rust."

Momentum is kicking my ass...

Not one of my favorites, but still a great record.  :coolio

I haven't seen speculation as to what would be played at Morsefest 17 (maybe it's been done prior to announcement in this thread?) but I'll guess Testimony 2 one night and The Whirlwind the other night (with Roine and Pete not just the Neal Morse Band).  Just for the sake of guessing.  Doubt I'll go, it's quite the trek, but it would be cool to go to another Morsefest (I went to the first one only).

Not sure what the point would be of The Whirlwind again.  It's already performed in full on TWO live DVDs.   

Neal has more than enough great solo/NMB stuff that rarely or never gets played, without having to dedicate a huge chunk of time to stuff from other projects, IMO.

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2196 on: February 23, 2017, 07:23:16 PM »
Speaking of Morsefest, I checked my Amazon cart and noticed the price first MorseFest 2015 had dropped to 29.99!!! Order soon before it goes back up to 39.99.


As for MorseFest 2017, I'm fairly confident Neal will play Lifeline and Testimony 2 live, considering that material wasn't toured by any of the current band members in any great capacity. Some songs from each album have been played, but the majority of those songs have yet to be performed by the Neal Morse Band.

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Offline axeman90210

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2197 on: February 24, 2017, 08:47:54 AM »
Will Morsefest 2015 be available on iTunes? I don't see it listed on there yet. I'll order the CDs from Amazon if need be, but I'd rather not bother with physical copies if I don't have to.


I've been listening to a lot of Neal's stuff ever since seeing NMB kill it on Cruise to the Edge a few weeks ago. Right now I have Similitude of a Dream (love), Sola Scriptura (really like), ? (solid and growing on me), and Lifeline (hasn't made much of an impression yet). Any recommendations for what I should pick up next? I'm thinking The Grand Experiment since it's the same lineup as TSOAD.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2198 on: February 24, 2017, 08:52:41 AM »
Reading The Astonishing thread on the DT side reminded me I've never heard Neal's first two albums (self titled, It's Not Too Late) as well as Songs From November. I'll have to remedy that. Doesn't the s/t album have some prog stuff?
I wouldn't worry about not having heard them.  Neal doesn't even really consider them official albums, but more just separate little projects while he was figuring out what he wanted to do, so I've never bothered either.
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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2199 on: February 24, 2017, 09:31:01 AM »
I have his 3 non-prog solo albums.

Self-Titled is good
It's Not to Late did not do much for me
Songs for November is really good. This one came out a year or 2 ago and is definitely worth a purchase. If you get this one you can skip the first two.

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2200 on: February 24, 2017, 11:40:39 AM »
Also, just popped on Lifeline. This and One took the longest for me to get into but with each listen they get better and better.

What do people think of Leviathan?
« Last Edit: February 24, 2017, 11:45:55 AM by kaos2900 »

Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2201 on: February 24, 2017, 11:48:46 AM »
Hate it.  Probably worst song on the album and one of the worst Neal has ever done.  No idea why he keeps playing it live.
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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2202 on: February 24, 2017, 11:54:39 AM »
Hate it.  Probably worst song on the album and one of the worst Neal has ever done.  No idea why he keeps playing it live.

I was thinking the same thing. Lyrically it's bad and musically it just doesn't fit with the album.

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2203 on: February 24, 2017, 12:40:00 PM »
Don't care about the lyrics, but musically it's the best song on Lifeline, maybe that's why he likes to play it live?
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2204 on: February 24, 2017, 12:40:12 PM »
Also, just popped on Lifeline. This and One took the longest for me to get into but with each listen they get better and better.

What do people think of Leviathan?

Pass.  I can't say I hate it, but it's not good.  Like bosk1 said, why he has played that song on multiple tours, when he has so many songs, is a major mystery.