Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[Nihil-Morari]

Yeah, give all of the encores to the town that gets to see them all the time, while those who rarely or never do get a shorter one.  That makes sense.

To be fair. The show we saw in StL had what....300 people there? Yeah the venue was sold out essentially but it was a small venue. Just saw pics of the Tilburg crowd and I'd say there was easily 2500 people there. I'd say that's a (4) encore worthy crowd cuz I'm sure if that many folks are showing up they are making some noise.

To be fair, the show we saw was magnificent and I couldn't have been any happier. 

I just hate this idea that certain cities almost always get the extra stuff.  Not that I think our crappy little town in the Midwest deserves more , but why not do a little extra for the cities you are visiting for the first time ever or in a while, rather than giving more to a city that sees you every tour.

Yeah, you do have a point, I know. I'm just too lucky to have the 013 ánd the Boerderij, Zoetermeer within a 2 hour drive. Both are great prog podia. And even my local venue (Hedon, Zwolle) is supporting prog every now and then.

[bluefox4000]

Hi Everybody.

I'm Mick!

I have lurked in the shadows of this forum and particularly this thread for months.  I am of course a DT fan.  but......i am a bigger Neal Morse fan.

Back story I got into Neal via Transatlantic.  i had heard Portnoy had a side bad/supergroup.  so this is a weird thing.  instead of buying an album.  i strangely opted for the Whirlwind tour DVD.

i Immediately clicked with the band but Neal in particular.  there something so charismatic about this guy.  i found i just wanted the Camera on him, lol

Soooooo......off to google i went.  found he was first in Spock's beard.  Youtubed some songs.  loved them bought The Light.

Was completely blown away.  Sparing the details of each i bought each neal era album loved them all......mostly.  snow....not so much love.

i delved into solo Neal.  Full Disclosure being an atheist.  took me a while to get my footing with it.

Does not bother me now.

I could go on but i've rambled enough.


My top 10 Neal Albums/projects involving Neal

1. Similtude of a Dream
2. Sola Scriptura
3. ?
4. The Light
5. Testimony 2
6. V
7. The Kindness of Strangers
8. Bridge Across Forever
9. The Whirlwind
10. Momentum

So sorry for rambling but i love Neal.   top 5 artist.

Mick
 

[kaos2900]

Welcome Mick! Neal has solidified a spot in my top 5 as well.

[KevShmev]

Welcome, Mick!

That's a great top 10, although mine would be a bit different.  Neal has so much great stuff, though, so that is splitting hairs.

Post away!!!

[faizoff]

I'll repost what I wrote on the mp.com forum
Thanks to the Morsefest 2015 release, I've gone on a NM listening binge and realized that Momentum and The Grand Experiment are fantastic albums. I used to not care for Sola Scriptura but really love it now. I think honestly after following the first 3-4 releases (Testimony to Sola Scriptura) I got a little fatigued with the enormous amount of NM solo releases and gave more time other albums (TA, FC) It's great to be able to get back to this material.

[bluefox4000]

Thanks For the welcome guys!!

This thread has been pulling me closer to posting for weeks now.

I also have to say i've loved Morsefest 2015.  it helps that it's two of my fav albums as well.

not to say i didn't enjoy 2014.  but one and Testimony are lower tier albums for me.  both a tad bloated and not as musically interesting.  to me anyway.

Mick

[Mladen]

Welcome aboard, Mick. Great top 10, very brave to place the new album at number one. 

[bluefox4000]

Welcome aboard, Mick. Great top 10, very brave to place the new album at number one. 

it took a while to get there.

but wow is it phenomenal!!

i'm constantly amazed at the consistency of Neal's work.  and to me he outdid himself here.

it's also great that the new album is a band feel.  with more of Eric Bill and Mike being involved.

Mick

[Mladen]

Speaking of that, I think we should really give a hand to the tremendous Bill Hubauer. What a fantastic asset to the band! Vocalist, keyboardist, violinist, saxophonist and even a guitarist when needed. I'm impressed.

[Nihil-Morari]

Welcome Mick. Do you know what, your quote on Neal being a top 5 artist, made me think what mine would be. And I think Neal and Zappa are my two favourite artists. Both very, very different, for different moods and times, but both with an amazing output of mostly consistent material. Both really hit the spot for me. Never thought about it that way. Thanks for making me

[bluefox4000]

Welcome Mick. Do you know what, your quote on Neal being a top 5 artist, made me think what mine would be. And I think Neal and Zappa are my two favourite artists. Both very, very different, for different moods and times, but both with an amazing output of mostly consistent material. Both really hit the spot for me. Never thought about it that way. Thanks for making me

Zappa another biggie.

slightly off topic i think my top 5 aetists may be

1. Tom Waits
2. Zappa
3. Captain Beefheart
4. Neal Morse
5. Billy Joel (Long Island boy here, lol

but yea Neal hitd a spot in me that's just right.  it's the melodies.  the arrangements.  even the lyrics even though he and are are onopposite sides belief wise.

Mick

[Mladen]

Kudos for having Captain Beefheart so high, I'm an enormous fan of his art. And probably one of the very few on this board. 

[KevShmev]

but yea Neal hitd a spot in me that's just right.  it's the melodies.  the arrangements.  even the lyrics even though he and are are onopposite sides belief wise.

It's always nice to see a fan who doesn't get hung up on lyrics that they don't agree with. 

[hefdaddy42]

Just finished disc 1 of the Morsefest 2015 bluray.

Holy crap.

[faizoff]

Yeah I'm still not done with the first disc but it's been amazing so far. I think I have another hour left on the first disc. Those 3 tracks that were never played live before are fantastic to watch and listen. The sound on this bluray is excellent. I just got done with watching the entire Kaliveoscope start to finish along with the bonus tracks which is 3 hours.

[bluefox4000]

I LOVE morsefest 2015.

A bunch more than 2014.  not that 2014 was bad.  not at all.   it just showcased 2 lower tier albums to me.

Sola and ? are numbers 2 and 3 for me.  and hearing them in full was a dream come true for.  particularly the sola night.

i men wow. and the ENCORES on the sola night.

but actually the biggest impact this set had was making me finally click with A Whole Nother trip.  I knew it.  but it just got lost in the crowd of Neal epics.  man it may be top 10 now.

Mick

[KevShmev]

It's splitting hairs, but I tend to think of A Whole Nother Trip as a more of a suite, a collection of songs, rather than an epic, similar to The Healing Colors of Sound in that regard.  To me, Neal's 10 best epics from any of his bands are (not counting ? and The Whirlwind, which are obviously concept albums with many songs, not single songs):

The Light
The Doorway
Flow
At the End of the Day
All of the Above
Duel with the Devil
Stranger in Your Soul
The Separated Man
World Without End
Alive Again

I did not include My New World from the first TA album, since that was more of a Roine epic than a Neal one.

[Mladen]

Seeds of gold, The Conflict and The Water need to be up there for me. 

[bluefox4000]

This is tough so many awesome ones

but let me think.

1. The Light
2. The Door
3. Stranger in your Soul (Transatlantic but it's still has Neal as one of the writers)
4. Seeds of Gold
5. Alive Again
6. At The End of the Day
7. The Conflict
8. The Water
9. World Without End
10. The Whirlwind. (a whole album but it counts, lol)

Mick

[Nihil-Morari]

I'm not even trying to rank Neal's epics, I could never do that, I think.

Just wanted to say I just watched A Whole Nother Trip for the first time. I've been waiting for years to see that track being performed, especially It's Allright, that song always seemed like an awesome way to end an epic. Much in the same way as Soon at the end of The Gates Of Delirium by Yes, or even the end of The Flower Kings' I Am The Sun. An introvert way to end an epic. It did not disappoint. That couple of minutes alone is worth the entire MorseFest set. (Even with the backing vocals getting the lyrics wrong )

[bluefox4000]

I'm not even trying to rank Neal's epics, I could never do that, I think.

Just wanted to say I just watched A Whole Nother Trip for the first time. I've been waiting for years to see that track being performed, especially It's Allright, that song always seemed like an awesome way to end an epic. Much in the same way as Soon at the end of The Gates Of Delirium by Yes, or even the end of The Flower Kings' I Am The Sun. An introvert way to end an epic. It did not disappoint. That couple of minutes alone is worth the entire MorseFest set. (Even with the backing vocals getting the lyrics wrong )

the It's Alright section was always uber Spock's Beard to me.

The Whole epic is but that section in particular.

I love Neal going into child like excitement over the Quica in the live version, lol

I BOUGHT ONE!!!!! lol.. oh Neal

Mick

[darkshade]

I definitely know my top 5 Neal epics. 6-10 can change at any time.
Of course, I just want to post them all, because they're all great! I still have to check out Neal's first solo album, so I haven't heard Whole Nother Trip yet.

The Whirlwind
All Of The Above
?
Stranger In Your Soul
The Light
Duel With The Devil
The Door
Seeds of Gold
The Creation
World Without End

The Conflict
At The End of The Day
So Many Roads
The Separated Man
The Great Nothing
The Water
Kaleidoscope
Into The Blue
Alive Again
Time Has Come
The Healing Colours of Sound

[faizoff]

So thanks to Morsefest 2015, that one purchase escalated to a series of live album purchases of the rest of Neal Morse catalog. Got Morsefest 2014, Live Momentum, Testimony 2 Live at LA & Sola scriptura and Beyond... So much live stuff to catch up on.

[KevShmev]

I'm trying to not get too many live DVDs, since I rarely watch the ones I have already.  Having said that, I am thrilled to have Morsefest 2015 now, and the Alive Again one is amazing.  Testimony 2 Live is a mess because of the bad camera angles and that guy in his band who had a loud shirt that is way too distracting.  Momentum Live is good, but I might give that to my brother to keep since he's a big fan, too, and he'd dig it.

[faizoff]

..and wound up ordering Alive Again as well... I don't know, I'm like addicted to this live stuff and can't get enough of it right now.

[hefdaddy42]

Finally finished my recent Neal Morse blu-ray purchases (Morsefest 2014 & 2015 and Alive Again).

Holy crap, those are all great, but the Morsefest ones are above and beyond.  The effort involved in putting those shows together, and getting all of those musicians prepped and ready, not only for the two big nights of each weekend but also the Inner Circle acoustic shows and worship services, is unbelievable.

Just truly fantastic collections.

[faizoff]

Indeed truly fantastic, I finally got to finish the complete concert part of Morsefest 2015 and it was an amazing performance  all round. I'm going to start watching Morsefest 2014 now, the preparation for this mammoth 5 hour 2 night show must be something else. Funny how a single bluray purchase (Morsefest 2015) ignited a complete discography listen of Neal Morse, both studio and live.

[bluefox4000]

I have most of Neal's DVD/Blurays.  Save for Testimony.  the first Testimony live.  which i have seen online.  Pretty flat IMO.  that band was lifeless

but the Morsefest concerts beat them all.

It's the pressence of the Neal Morse Band.  they just elevate this  music.

Mick

[KevShmev]

I watched the original Testimony Live DVD quite a bit way back when, but with these newer ones being so much better, I doubt I will revisit that one much ever again.  I thought the band was solid, but, yeah, they look pretty mediocre now compared to who he has now.

[bluefox4000]

I actually like the testimony 2 concert/band quite a bit.  but only the audio.

that DVD is a mess.

Mick

[CrimsonSunrise]

So... I recently just got turned on to Neal Morse.  Yeah, I've heard of him and heard his name in different circles, but have never listened to his music until now.  Similitude of a Dream is the first thing I've listened to from him, and is just an outstanding piece of work.  I heard the new DVD was coming out and went ahead and ordered it.   Normally I wouldn't purchase a live performance without "Knowing" the material.  I decided to roll the dice here and was NOT disappointed. The 2015 Morsefest is just incredible.  Especially, for me, the 2nd disc.  The Door...and The Conflict...  WOW!  The rest of disc 2 is spectacular also.  What I didn't know...being new to Neal, is that he is a Christian.  Watching this DVD... and realizing that fact has just added to the experience for me. Next download... Sola Scriptura....

[faizoff]

I just got done watching the almost 3 hour long night 1 of Morsefest 2014. The performance was just electric and I cannot imagine the energy the crowd felt during that concert. Not a single dull moment. I'll watch night 2 tomorrow. I'm definitely going to try and make it to Morsefest 2017.

Does anyone have any idea if Morsefest 2016 was recorded  to be released on video? I can't imagine it won't be released.

[hefdaddy42]

BTW, I've gotta say how impressed I was to see Phil Keaggy playing at the 2015 show.  What a completely awesome musician.

The legendary Hendrix quote about him is almost certainly apocryphal, but it's not far off, either.

[Nihil-Morari]

I just got done watching the almost 3 hour long night 1 of Morsefest 2014. The performance was just electric and I cannot imagine the energy the crowd felt during that concert. Not a single dull moment. I'll watch night 2 tomorrow. I'm definitely going to try and make it to Morsefest 2017.

Does anyone have any idea if Morsefest 2016 was recorded  to be released on video? I can't imagine it won't be released.

Well yeah, that. Although there might be more red tape involved because of Spock's Beard and NM releasing something together.

[bluefox4000]

Morsefest 2016 is the one i'm least looking forward to.  oh yeah i'll still buy it.  but Snow have Always been towards the bottom of the pile as far as Neal/The Beard Goes.

plus i know he did other great stuff the 1st night.  and who knows maybe i'll come out liking Snow more after this release.

Mick