Author Topic: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread  (Read 539595 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline gzarruk

  • Posts: 5140
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3045 on: November 18, 2018, 11:59:23 AM »
Similitude and Testimony 2 remain two of my favorite Neal/NMB studio albums (possibly my actual two favorites, although One and ? sometimes nudge T2 out of 2nd place)

No Sola Scriptura? :omg: That's a top 5 of all time albums by Neal Morse to me (counting solo, SB, TA, etc)

Sola Scriptura would probably be 6th or 7th on my list when looking at his solo/NMB albums.  The Grand Experiment would round out the top 5, and then SS would duke it out with his self-titled debut for 6th place.

TGE is mid to low tier for me. Not a big fan of the title song and it contains that aberration known as Agenda :facepalm:

Btw, am I the only one who thinks it’d be very cool to have Transatlantic for Morsefest?
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3046 on: November 18, 2018, 12:37:46 PM »
A lot of people want to see that, but I'd rather keep it Neal-centric, rather than Transatlantic-focused.  Besides, Transatlantic reportedly has no plans to do anything any time soon anyway. 

Also, what can TA do that we haven't seen them do already?  Do we really need a 3rd live rendition of The Whirlwind?  Another live version of All of the Above?  Another live version of Stranger in Your Soul?

Not saying I wouldn't be there for it, but the cool thing about Morsefest every year is that at least one of the nights is something that hasn't been done before.

Offline MinistroRaven

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 3800
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3047 on: November 18, 2018, 12:54:57 PM »
A lot of people want to see that, but I'd rather keep it Neal-centric, rather than Transatlantic-focused.  Besides, Transatlantic reportedly has no plans to do anything any time soon anyway. 




Patience

Offline gzarruk

  • Posts: 5140
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3048 on: November 18, 2018, 01:15:23 PM »
A lot of people want to see that, but I'd rather keep it Neal-centric, rather than Transatlantic-focused.  Besides, Transatlantic reportedly has no plans to do anything any time soon anyway. 

Also, what can TA do that we haven't seen them do already?  Do we really need a 3rd live rendition of The Whirlwind?  Another live version of All of the Above?  Another live version of Stranger in Your Soul?

Not saying I wouldn't be there for it, but the cool thing about Morsefest every year is that at least one of the nights is something that hasn't been done before.

Well, Neal has TGA for next year, but then he’ll run out of albums, unless he wants to do Lifeline, Momentum and TGE, and I doubt it.

If they already did one with SB, why not one with TA? That would have to be, at least in 2020, and we *could* have a new TA album by then, going by Mike’s tweet shared by MinistroRaven.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Online The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3049 on: November 18, 2018, 03:14:27 PM »
I'd say that Transatlantic has as much of a right to be played in full at a future Morsefest as much as any of Neal's solo material or older Spock's Beard, especially considering that TA is represented in the Morsefest logo itself.

To be honest, I would LOVE to see them play all of SMPT:e and all of BAF in their entirety, one each night, with the second sets filled out with a mix of songs from The Whirlwind and Kaleidoscope, perhaps the bonus-disc original songs from Whirlwind that have never been played live (something Neal has tried to do with his solo stuff at previous Morsefests like with One and T2).

But like Mike said, getting the schedule to line-up with Neal/Mike, AS WELL as Roine and Pete, could be super difficult. Ideally, I would love to see them line-up the time to do a Transatlantic Morsefest in 2019, then while the band is together for those rehearsals and performances, write the next album right after Morsefest, right when they are warmed up together and have the benefit of being together for a few weeks. Then release the new album in Spring 2020 with a Summer tour.

If not, then Morsefest 2019 could probably be another Spock's Beard Morsefest, or another Storyteller's type deal with guest musicians from Neal's various bands. Or perhaps there will just be another NMB performance of the new double album (like he did with TSOAD last year). That would mean the other night could possibly be Momentum in its entirety, though we already have 4 of those 6 songs recorded and released by the Neal Morse Band (+Adson), and from not too long ago as well.

TL:DR - Ideas for Morsefest 2019:
1- Transatlantic plays SMPT:e and Bridge Across Forever (with Whirlwind bonus tracks)
2- Neal does another SB and/or Storytellers show
3- The Neal Morse Band plays TGA and Momentum
4- Neal doesn't do Morsefest next year and takes a year off!

-Marc.

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3050 on: November 19, 2018, 04:54:54 PM »
I guess, for me, I'd rather see Transatlantic come together to do something new and play together again because they are inspired to do so, not just because, "hey, we all have these dates free, let's plan on doing something." You cannot put inspiration and creativity on a schedule. 

I like Kaleidoscope and just recently watched the live DVD from that tour (which I got at Morsefest this year for $5!!), and the magic just wasn't there.  Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable, but the first three albums and tours all felt special, while the last one felt too...scheduled, if that makes sense.  Besides, Neal and Portnoy already have the Neal Morse Band now, which kind of makes TA obsolete, since it is the exact same kind of music just with a few different members.  It would be like if JP and JLB decided to make a DT-like prog metal album with different people..what would be the point?


If they already did one with SB, why not one with TA?

Well, the big difference there is that Snow had never been played in full by the band ever, so that was really special. 

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12786
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3051 on: November 19, 2018, 05:08:53 PM »
I don't know if I would say Kaliedoscope felt too "scheduled," as those guys seem to have no problem writing under those conditions.  But I completely agree that, while it is a good album, the magic is not there for whatever reason.

I also agree that there isn't really a point in doing a TA-centric Morsefest.  If he has done all or most of the material worth doing, then maybe Morsefest has just run its course.  At least for now.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3052 on: November 19, 2018, 05:20:13 PM »
I am sure everyone around him will do everything they can to convince him to do Morsefest again in 2019, but given the drop-off in attendance for this year's, I think he knows he needs to do something really special to get the attendance back up.

Shoot, even though they did in at '17, I'd be down with doing all of Similitude again on night 1 next year, and then doing the new album, which they have said is a sequel of sorts, night 2. And then the encores could be Neal epics that haven't been played at a Morsefest yet, most notably Alive Again and World Without End.  Granted, I doubt Neal will do a repeat like that, but I am just saying, I'd be down for it, and I suspect most fans would be as well.

Offline bluefox4000

  • Posts: 319
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3053 on: November 22, 2018, 10:38:38 AM »
i for sure see him doing a Morsefest for all of The Great adventure.....i think it's a no brainier but......trouble is what else do you do?

night 1 just a mishmash of songs? A flying Colors night?  not Similitude.......again, lol. 

it was great at 17.  but i will not shell out more for a set with it AGAIN.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3054 on: November 22, 2018, 11:03:51 AM »
I would. :biggrin:

I finally watched all of the Similitude Blu-ray from Morsefest 2017 last night (didn't have time till last night to watch it the whole way through uninterrupted) and it was pretty freaking awesome.  It was a good reminder of why night 2 of Morsefest 2017 is right near the top of best concerts I've ever witnessed (and night 1 was not far behind!).   The crowd was totally wound up and energetic as heck the whole night and that was captured well on the Blu-ray (DVD).  :tup :tup

Gonna try to get through all of the night 1 Blu-ray uninterrupted this weekend...

Offline Architeuthis

  • Posts: 3770
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3055 on: November 22, 2018, 11:18:48 AM »
Cool, I just ordered it and it should be here by the weekend. I would think Live in Tilburg is pretty hard to top though..
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3056 on: November 22, 2018, 11:24:44 AM »
I was considering getting that last week when I did a quick run through of the new Blu-rays and became worried that the overlay graphics were gonna be too much, meaning I would want a clean version of Similitude to watch, but they really weren't use much at all on the Similitude Morsefest show, at least to the point of being annoying, so I don't see why I need the same show just on a different Blu-ray/DVD.  Most of the time, I am all about supporting Neal Morse, which is why I spent $70+ on the Morsefest special edition.  Money well spent.  :coolio

Offline Architeuthis

  • Posts: 3770
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3057 on: November 22, 2018, 12:28:11 PM »
Live in Tilburg is money well spent!  Wait there's more, the encores go on for another half an hour.
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Online The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3058 on: November 22, 2018, 01:45:47 PM »
Live in Tilburg is money well spent!  Wait there's more, the encores go on for another half an hour.

For anyone wondering, the only difference between the encores from Tilburg and Morsefest is that the Tilburg show has the extended version of "Momentum" they were playing on that tour, in addition to the 3 songs featured in the Morsefest encore.

It's really up to your preferences as to which show to get, if you aren't set on getting both already. The Tilburg show is JUST the band, the five members playing the album themselves, it's just the show in all its glory, no frills. The Morsefest show has a string ensemble, a brass ensemble, a choir, two dancers, and an extra musician helping out with auxiliary stuff, as well as a photo/video show that gets played on screens and sometimes over-lay on top of the concert video itself, but it's not too distracting.

Both are great shows in their own rights, but that's just the huge Neal-fan in me talking.

As for further discussion on Morsefest 2019 - I think the idea of doing Flying Colors on Night 1 and TGA with the Neal Morse Band on Night 2 sounds like a decent idea, but that would require getting the schedules of 8 musicians (between FC and NMB) to line up together and set aside for a week or more of rehearsals and performance. With the new Flying Colors set to come out next year, they may already be touring around the time a Morsefest would come around, so it might be easy to just work it into the touring schedule. They could play their regular touring set list of whatever they decide to play on the next tour for the first night, and then the NMB would play The Great Adventure on the second night, perhaps with some guest appearances from members of Flying Colors.

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3059 on: November 22, 2018, 09:12:49 PM »
The great thing about the added musicians is that the music not played by the 5 NMB members can be played live instead of them having to be triggered.  Take a song like Breath of Angels.  Instead of having to trigger the pre-recorded strings and choir, there is a string ensemble and an actual choir to do it all live.

I can honestly say that Breath of Angels at Morsefest live had one of the biggest goosebump moments I've ever witnessed live, specifically Eric's solo and that moment when it ends and they erupt back into the chorus with the choir singing. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

Offline Architeuthis

  • Posts: 3770
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3060 on: November 24, 2018, 10:38:55 AM »
Just watched the Similitude portion of Morsefest last night. The sound and production is great and the added musicians was a nice touch. I really like this show and will watch it again at some point. The only thing I didn't like about it was the dancers. I found it a bit distracting and poorly done. It would have been better the dancers were in the background, not up front. Better yet, no dancers at all. We (my friend and I) both thought they ruined the vibe of Breath of Angels which would have been phenomenal otherwise.  Also the whole vibe of the crowed and the presentation seemed a bit too "church-ee" .. lol
 A great show, but it doesn't hold a candle to Live in Tilburg imo.  LIT was a magical night. The band was on fire and the audience was a lot cooler, with a classier vibe.
Maybe next time I watch Morsefest 2017, I'll lose the critical eye and just take it all in. :corn
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3061 on: November 24, 2018, 01:53:10 PM »
That's a good idea. :P

I get a kick out of the dancers, and he only uses them for a few songs, so it's not like they are out there the whole show.

Watching the whole thing made me realize how impossible it is to pick favorite songs from Similitude.  There are literally no weak spots (INB4 someone feels the need to say, "I think x-song could have been left off." :lol), and the whole thing flows immaculately.

Online Zydar

  • Creep With Tonality
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 19210
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3062 on: November 24, 2018, 01:54:29 PM »
Yeah I can't find one bad song on it, but my favourite is probably The Ways Of A Fool.
Zydar is my new hero.  I just laughed so hard I nearly shat.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3063 on: November 24, 2018, 01:57:52 PM »
That is my favorite some days.

Other days it is The Mask.

Other days it is City of Destruction.

The other day it was Breath of Angels.

Tomorrow it could be Makes No Sense.

See what I mean? :lol

Online Zydar

  • Creep With Tonality
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 19210
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3064 on: November 24, 2018, 02:00:06 PM »
Yup some albums are like that :lol
Zydar is my new hero.  I just laughed so hard I nearly shat.

Offline gzarruk

  • Posts: 5140
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3065 on: November 24, 2018, 02:04:32 PM »
There are literally no weak spots (INB4 someone feels the need to say, "I think x-song could have been left off." :lol), and the whole thing flows immaculately.

I’d say that about disc 1, but disc 2 isn’t as good imo.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3066 on: November 24, 2018, 02:08:32 PM »
The only part of Disc 2 that I don't love to death is about half of Slave to Your Mind.  I love the first minute and a half, the instrumental section, and then the outro that leads into Shortcut to Salvation, but the Bill verses and titular chorus sections I find to be merely good. 

Offline axeman90210

  • Official Minister of Awesome, and Veronica knows my name!
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 13505
  • Gender: Male
  • Never go full Nick
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3067 on: November 26, 2018, 09:15:13 AM »
FYI all, Radiant Records is having a Cyber Monday sale today. Some of the items are pretty seriously discounted (I grabbed the last two Transatlantic live releases for $5/each) and then if your order is more than I think $65 you get a bonus 15% off.
Photobucket sucks.

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3068 on: November 26, 2018, 09:55:14 AM »
FYI all, Radiant Records is having a Cyber Monday sale today. Some of the items are pretty seriously discounted (I grabbed the last two Transatlantic live releases for $5/each) and then if your order is more than I think $65 you get a bonus 15% off.

I wanted to order something, too bad it's at least 25 bucks per vinyl shipping to Germany.
any rock can be made to roll

Offline 425

  • Posts: 6910
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3069 on: November 26, 2018, 03:57:29 PM »
Oh, man, this is a really great sale. I've been getting even more into Neal's music lately and a lot of stuff I want is on surprisingly heavy discount.
And if spirit's a sign,
Then it's only a matter of time

Online DTA

  • Posts: 2457
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3070 on: November 26, 2018, 04:24:15 PM »
FYI all, Radiant Records is having a Cyber Monday sale today. Some of the items are pretty seriously discounted (I grabbed the last two Transatlantic live releases for $5/each) and then if your order is more than I think $65 you get a bonus 15% off.

Sweet. I bought the mp3 version of Songs From November and To God Be The Glory for 99 cents. Shipping ups it to about 5 bucks but it's still cheaper than it normally is at 9.99. I wanted to get The First 20 Years Spock's Beard just for Falling For Forever basically, but I think it's all sold out.

Offline 425

  • Posts: 6910
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3071 on: November 26, 2018, 08:24:29 PM »
I'm also disappointed that it looks to be sold out, but I believe Falling for Forever is an encore on Snow Live, which is just $5 (for a few more hours, at least). So if you don't already have it that release, it might be a way to get to that song.

I kind of went a little crazy, though I kept myself under $50 including shipping. I grabbed:
Lifeline
So Many Roads CD
Live Momentum CD/DVD
Morsefest 2014 CD/DVD
Snow Live CD/DVD
Whirld Tour CD

I don't know how often I'll go back to some of those live albums, but at $5 apiece for most of those as multi-CD and often multi-DVD sets, even if I listen to them just a few times it'll be worthwhile. And as a lover of live audio, there's a very good chance I'll get more out of them than that.

Lifeline is the last Neal solo prog album I don't have, so that's completing a discography at a good price.

I've actually never heard Snow at all, but given its reputation and my love of Neal, at that price I'll take a shot on it live.

Whirld Tour is a release I half expected to never own. I own More Never Is Enough, and since it's the same set it didn't seem to make sense to spend for the other release. But I love that show so much—it may be the best setlist I've ever seen on a live album—that at five dollars I'm happy to grab an alternate performance (decided not to spring for the DVD in order to keep my total under $50, and also because I listen to live stuff much more often than I watch it).
And if spirit's a sign,
Then it's only a matter of time

Offline Architeuthis

  • Posts: 3770
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3072 on: November 27, 2018, 10:41:02 AM »
Just got around to watching part 1 of Morsefest 2017.  I've never heard Testimony 2, so seeing it live was a nice experience.  That story about his daughter, wow!  I can tell that Testimony 2 is a very personal album to Neal.  Great performance by the band too. I could have done without the graphics covering the screen during the grand finale of the show (a bit of a buzzkill) as those same pictures were presented earlier in the set. I'd rather see the band clearly in all it's glory during the finale,, but that's just a minor complaint.
 I actually liked the four opening songs even more, Lifeline, So Many Roads, Supernatural, Seeds of Gold. All epic songs with great dynamics and melodies, plus Eric's guitar playing is out of this world good!!!  They also gave a nice nod to YES during that set too.
 I liked the behind the scenes part as well. That story about Mike Portnoy''s Carpe Diem tattoo is pretty heavy!
 As far as part 2 of Morsefest, Similitude is another great performance but Live in Tilburg blows it away imo...  I knew that would be hard to beat, the Tilburg show stands alone!
 
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast, you can make the most of the distance, first you need endurance first you've got to last....... NP

Online DTA

  • Posts: 2457
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3073 on: November 27, 2018, 04:42:30 PM »
I'm also disappointed that it looks to be sold out, but I believe Falling for Forever is an encore on Snow Live, which is just $5 (for a few more hours, at least). So if you don't already have it that release, it might be a way to get to that song.


Didn't even think of that. That would've been a good idea, but I missed the sale by the time I saw your post. One day I will hear FFF!

Offline ronnibran

  • Posts: 747
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3074 on: November 27, 2018, 07:38:35 PM »
Was able to snag Snow live on Monday.  I just went for the Mp3 download ($5) as I didn't feel like paying for shipping and really only wanted to hear Falling for Forever (thanks for the info in this thread, I never would have thought that it was played or even to check).  Hopefully the live version is good, it will be the only version I ever hear haha.  Which means if I ever do end up hearing the studio version someday I'll probably prefer the live version because it will be what I know...   :eek

Offline gzarruk

  • Posts: 5140
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3075 on: November 27, 2018, 07:41:37 PM »
The studio version of FFF is amazing. Definitely worth checking as well :tup
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline goo-goo

  • Posts: 3162
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3076 on: November 27, 2018, 07:42:25 PM »
I don't know if I would say Kaliedoscope felt too "scheduled," as those guys seem to have no problem writing under those conditions.  But I completely agree that, while it is a good album, the magic is not there for whatever reason.


My reason for Kaleidoscope not having “the magic” is it feels very formulatic/: the mandatory epics and the ballad, even in the same order as the first two albums (ballad track 3). I loved the 2nd disc of The Whirlwind with the shorter songs. Would love for TA to go to the shorter songs approach at least for a full length album. It was very refreshing to my ears.

Having said this, the last Neal albums also feel formulaic for me. So I’m very skeptical about the new release and I’m afraid I’m about to jump off Neal’s ship. I enjoy his solo albums a lot, but the band efforts just feel bland and no magic.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3077 on: November 27, 2018, 07:45:01 PM »
Falling for Forever is very good, but Neal has so many long epics that it kind of falls into the same category as the two Kaleidoscope epics in that I rarely listen to them any of them, because if I am dedicating x-number of minutes to a really long epic, I am much more likely to go for The Separated Man, All of the Above, The Light or Alive Again.

Offline bluefox4000

  • Posts: 319
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3078 on: November 27, 2018, 07:57:23 PM »
To me Kaleidoscope isn't bad.  but it really does come across as a Neal solo record then anything else.  i have no idea why that is.  but i just tend Morse and guests over a band effort.

Offline gzarruk

  • Posts: 5140
  • Gender: Male
Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3079 on: November 27, 2018, 09:06:23 PM »
I don't know if I would say Kaliedoscope felt too "scheduled," as those guys seem to have no problem writing under those conditions.  But I completely agree that, while it is a good album, the magic is not there for whatever reason.


My reason for Kaleidoscope not having “the magic” is it feels very formulatic/: the mandatory epics and the ballad, even in the same order as the first two albums (ballad track 3). I loved the 2nd disc of The Whirlwind with the shorter songs. Would love for TA to go to the shorter songs approach at least for a full length album. It was very refreshing to my ears.

Having said this, the last Neal albums also feel formulaic for me. So I’m very skeptical about the new release and I’m afraid I’m about to jump off Neal’s ship. I enjoy his solo albums a lot, but the band efforts just feel bland and no magic.

If you listen carefully, Into The Blue has the same (or very very similar) structure to World Without End. It's, like you say, the same formulaic approach (not saying the songs aren't good, tho).

Kaleidoscope, while really good, is just a TA by the numbers album:

- Into The Blue is just a standard Neal Morse epic
- Shine is basically We All Need Some Light 2
- Black As The Sky is a very cool song and works well as a single
- Beyond The Sun is basically Bridge Across Forever 2
- Kaleidoscope is a classic TA epic.

Great songs, but nothing new.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."