Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[hefdaddy42]

Still no email from Radiant for my bundle.

[The Letter M]

Still no email from Radiant for my bundle.

Have you emailed them with your order number? I did last Thursday, Amy replied back on Monday that it was shipping out, and then I got it in the mail yesterday, both sets signed and all.

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

Still no email from Radiant for my bundle.

Have you emailed them with your order number? I did last Thursday, Amy replied back on Monday that it was shipping out, and then I got it in the mail yesterday, both sets signed and all.

-Marc.

Not yet.  Pretty pathetic that I should have to do that.

[The Letter M]

Still no email from Radiant for my bundle.

Have you emailed them with your order number? I did last Thursday, Amy replied back on Monday that it was shipping out, and then I got it in the mail yesterday, both sets signed and all.

-Marc.

Not yet.  Pretty pathetic that I should have to do that.

I don't disagree, but at least I was able to get an answer and know that my order was shipped, which is honestly better than not knowing whether or not it has shipped. Their whole website has been a mess ever since it changed/moved from radiantrecords.com to nealmorse.com and I'm sure the debacle of the pre-order day back in June really messed things up with a lot of orders, but I was relieved to have gotten my bundle in yesterday, shipped in a box rather than a padded envelope (which is what they normally send stuff in), and both I&D and MF'19 were in good condition, wrapped up fairly well inside the box too.

-Marc.

[gzarruk]

Apparently, the only way to get your Radiant orders right is to not order from Radiant

[RoeDent]

Tbh this isn't great publicity for the whole idea of "order direct from the artist". Whatever other criticisms you can throw at Amazon, at least the stuff gets to you when it should.

[goo-goo]

What sucks is that they should hire an extra person just during release weeks which is where the bottleneck is. Not sure why they haven't explored that route. It's pretty bad at RR and they don't seem to care about it.

[KevShmev]

Not trying to absolve him of blame, but Neal seems pretty hands-off with Radiant, so it makes me wonder how aware he is of the issues they constantly have.

It is easy to blame on the pandemic, but these issues go back many years, and delays with shipping (which happen) are not the main issue. The biggest issue is the poor customer service.  If a delay happens, email your customers and let them know instead of leaving them hanging for weeks, months, etc.  Customers should not have to come begging for answers.  Proactively updating your customers is what is good service, and that is where Radiant has failed miserably for as long as I can remember.

"But she is too busy to answer emails."  Then hire more people.  And that goes back to Neal being hands-off and likely totally in the dark about most of these issues, as he doesn't seem like a guy who would charge the prices he does and allow his fans to receive poor customer service on a consistent basis.

[DTwwbwMP]

I've sent multiple emails and still no response

[Cocopjojo]

Not trying to absolve him of blame, but Neal seems pretty hands-off with Radiant, so it makes me wonder how aware he is of the issues they constantly have.

It is easy to blame on the pandemic, but these issues go back many years, and delays with shipping (which happen) are not the main issue. The biggest issue is the poor customer service.  If a delay happens, email your customers and let them know instead of leaving them hanging for weeks, months, etc.  Customers should not have to come begging for answers.  Proactively updating your customers is what is good service, and that is where Radiant has failed miserably for as long as I can remember.

"But she is too busy to answer emails."  Then hire more people.  And that goes back to Neal being hands-off and likely totally in the dark about most of these issues, as he doesn't seem like a guy who would charge the prices he does and allow his fans to receive poor customer service on a consistent basis.

I would have thought the same thing, but the latest Transatlantic release went poorly enough that he had to address it in a "Statement from Neal Morse" email.

FROM NEAL MORSE (Sunday, Feb. 7):

Hey everyone,

So, here’s a little history of what happened with the current Transatlantic release:

We ordered our stuff back at the end of November beginning of December. January 13th, InsideOut Europe confirmed to us that our shipment was being shipped. (The vinyl, Blu-ray and UE are manufactured there.)

Of course, Amy has been all over it tracking from the beginning. I thought it might be a few days late, due to what's going on with the pandemic, but never dreamed that on Feb. 3rd the shipping company would contact us, asking for additional info.

Anyway, as fast as is humanly possible we followed up, and they said that we were going to get the shipment on Friday, February 5th.

Then Amy told me yesterday, Saturday, Feb. 6, that the shipping company passed it to another shipper and it’s still in Atlanta and we’re supposed to get it beginning of the week.

I am, and we are all, so very, very sorry about this unexpected delay and we are going to be talking to the shipping company and all the people involved to try to figure out what appropriate action to take in the future, so this doesn't happen again.

Anyway, thank you all. TA5 is a wonderful album and you will be blessed… Thank you for your patience!

Maybe that was a special case because everything was so behind schedule? I'm not sure - maybe he is more aware than we think.

[ErHaO]

Honestly, I feel that for every NM release half of the comments are about Radiant fucking up and not about the music. And that is just in a small online community. I would not order there if I would want the physical album on release date.

And if I were Radiant I would make the terms clearer prior to opening orders. If you repeatedly do not ship in time, release after release, just state that the items will likely ship after release prior to opening orders. And maybe include a digital code or a month of Waterfall or something so that your customers do have access on release.

[Mladen]

After about a week, Beyond the years, Another story to tell and Do it all again are my favorites. There is a handful more tracks that are enjoyable but not particularly great. It kind of drops in the middle and picks up slowly with the epics. It's a solid album overall, but not on the level of Similitude and Adventure.

[KevShmev]

Not trying to absolve him of blame, but Neal seems pretty hands-off with Radiant, so it makes me wonder how aware he is of the issues they constantly have.

It is easy to blame on the pandemic, but these issues go back many years, and delays with shipping (which happen) are not the main issue. The biggest issue is the poor customer service.  If a delay happens, email your customers and let them know instead of leaving them hanging for weeks, months, etc.  Customers should not have to come begging for answers.  Proactively updating your customers is what is good service, and that is where Radiant has failed miserably for as long as I can remember.

"But she is too busy to answer emails."  Then hire more people.  And that goes back to Neal being hands-off and likely totally in the dark about most of these issues, as he doesn't seem like a guy who would charge the prices he does and allow his fans to receive poor customer service on a consistent basis.

I would have thought the same thing, but the latest Transatlantic release went poorly enough that he had to address it in a "Statement from Neal Morse" email.

FROM NEAL MORSE (Sunday, Feb. 7):

Hey everyone,

So, here’s a little history of what happened with the current Transatlantic release:

We ordered our stuff back at the end of November beginning of December. January 13th, InsideOut Europe confirmed to us that our shipment was being shipped. (The vinyl, Blu-ray and UE are manufactured there.)

Of course, Amy has been all over it tracking from the beginning. I thought it might be a few days late, due to what's going on with the pandemic, but never dreamed that on Feb. 3rd the shipping company would contact us, asking for additional info.

Anyway, as fast as is humanly possible we followed up, and they said that we were going to get the shipment on Friday, February 5th.

Then Amy told me yesterday, Saturday, Feb. 6, that the shipping company passed it to another shipper and it’s still in Atlanta and we’re supposed to get it beginning of the week.

I am, and we are all, so very, very sorry about this unexpected delay and we are going to be talking to the shipping company and all the people involved to try to figure out what appropriate action to take in the future, so this doesn't happen again.

Anyway, thank you all. TA5 is a wonderful album and you will be blessed… Thank you for your patience!

Maybe that was a special case because everything was so behind schedule? I'm not sure - maybe he is more aware than we think.

Okay, but to circle back to my earlier point, Neal was talking about shipping delays. It is nice that he did that, but the poor customer service and their inability to keep customers updated in a timely fashion when these delays happen seems to be the main issue, not the shipping delays (which are pretty understandable, especially in the last 18 months).

Honestly, I feel that for every NM release half of the comments are about Radiant fucking up and not about the music. And that is just in a small online community. I would not order there if I would want the physical album on release date.

And if I were Radiant I would make the terms clearer prior to opening orders. If you repeatedly do not ship in time, release after release, just state that the items will likely ship after release prior to opening orders. And maybe include a digital code or a month of Waterfall or something so that your customers do have access on release.

Agreed.  In this day and age, it just makes sense to send the album digitally to those who buy the physical product, especially when there are delays.  The usual token response from those who always have Radiant's back is, "You can listen to it on Waterfall or Spotify until your copy arrives," but not everyone has either or both of those (I have neither), and expecting people to spend more money to make up for delays is not the way to go. 

After about a week, Beyond the years, Another story to tell and Do it all again are my favorites. There is a handful more tracks that are enjoyable but not particularly great. It kind of drops in the middle and picks up slowly with the epics. It's a solid album overall, but not on the level of Similitude and Adventure.

Beyond the Years is definitely getting better with each listen (as would be expected with a song that long).  I am still not sure if I dig the DT-like section after the drifting through the years section, as it kind has that "we didn't know where to go after the climax that just happened, so we will just play a bunch of random things" feel, before the song gets back on track and takes us to the final climaxes.  I suspect that I will eventually come around to being fine with that section once I get used to and it seems more normal, but that part has been a tough hill to climb so far.  The rest of the song is pretty money, for sure though.

[Willthescout7]

In regards to Radiant, I'm still waiting for my copy to ship or a response from Amy. Here's the thing, I ordered Sola Gratia from them, and got it a week early. I ordered both of the Absolute Universe albums about 2 weeks before release, and got both of them a week early. I ordered Jesus Christ the Exorcist Morsefest 19, and while it shipped a week early, it got caught up in the mail system due to the Christmas Covid overload.
This is the first time I've been left hanging. I'm angry because this was my most anticipated album of the year.


In more positive news, Father of Forgiveness is a Top 10 Neal song

[Metro]

Beyond the Years still isn’t clicking with me, even after multiple listens. One positive thing I can say is that it doesn’t start with another Overture or extended instrumental like every other Neal Epic. It just gets right into the song.
Absolutely love the rest of the album, especially Not Afraid, Pt.2.

In other news I bought a virtual ticket for this year’s Morsefest. Did anyone here watch the livestream last year? How was the audio/video quality?

[Mr.Mister]

This album is definitely a grower for me. I find it surprisingly strong compared to something like TGE. I think Neal is doing the right thing letting the rest of the band have a bigger role in the making of the music. It sounds classic NM without getting stale.

Current fav songs:
- Not Afraid, Pt. 2
- The Way it had to be
- Bridge over Trouble Waters


Beyond the years is quite a lot to cover in a week. I find myself coming back to the record as a whole so that's always a good thing.

[MinistroRaven]

I just read that major news are going to be dropped Sept. 7th.
What could it be?

[Kram]

I just read that major news are going to be dropped Sept. 7th.
What could it be?

New Spock's Beard album with Neal?

[The Letter M]

I just read that major news are going to be dropped Sept. 7th.
What could it be?

Source? And regarding what/who... Neal? SB? Transatlantic? Flying Colors? NMB? Gotta be specific in a Neal Morse thread, man!!!

-Marc.

[Metro]

A second Morsefest for next year. Morsefest 2022...2

In the August Inner Circle letter, which came out today, he mentioned he's been writing songs for a project called "God's Smuggler", based on a book he read of the same name. I wonder if it's something about that. I could see that being another solo album in the vein of Sola Gratia and JCTE.

[faizoff]

Taking a break from the Maiden and BTBAM album, went to I&D and just love the closing epic track. It's giving me serious Alive Again vibes. Probably will end up as my favorite track.

[King Postwhore]

An announcement that Kev and I are finally meeting up are Morsefest.   

It's big you know.

[KevShmev]

Exactly. 

And if that is not the announcement, it will be Radiant's fault.

[King Postwhore]

You heard it first here on DTF.

Radiant's announcement is delayed.

[KevShmev]

Meanwhile, Portnoy is firing up some new drum sticks to fire at my head when he sees me in the crowd.

[Metro]

I'm sure he'll have some to throw at me too next year, I'm definitely on his shit list. 
He blocked me on Twitter back in 2017. In that same year I was the one figured out that Bumblefoot was in SOA before it was announced, which resulted in MP having a huge temper tantrum on his forum, and not long after that he shut the forum down. That's my lame claim to "fame".

[gzarruk]

I'm sure he'll have some to throw at me too next year, I'm definitely on his shit list. 
He blocked me on Twitter back in 2017. In that same year I was the one figured out that Bumblefoot was in SOA before it was announced, which resulted in MP having a huge temper tantrum on his forum, and not long after that he shut the forum down. That's my lame claim to "fame".

He threatened to block me because of the same thing back then! I don't even use twitter anyone

A second Morsefest for next year. Morsefest 2022...2

In the August Inner Circle letter, which came out today, he mentioned he's been writing songs for a project called "God's Smuggler", based on a book he read of the same name. I wonder if it's something about that. I could see that being another solo album in the vein of Sola Gratia and JCTE.

Hopefully more like SG and less like JCTE.

[King Postwhore]

I don't use Twitter sound so soft.


Man up and get Portnoy to block you dammit. 

[Metro]

It doesn't take much

He blocked me after he tweeted something about his Shattered Fortress band saying "You can take MP out of DT but you can't take DT out of MP"

I responded saying "Nobody took you out of the band. You left."

[KevShmev]

Well, technically he took himself out.

Personally, I don't get trolling or going directly at musicians or celebs on FB or Twitter, but that's me.

[Cocopjojo]

I just read that major news are going to be dropped Sept. 7th.
What could it be?

New Spock's Beard album with Neal?

I doubt it. The way Ted Leonard has been talking lately it sounds like SB may be done. He also made it sound like Pattern Seeking Animals hasn't taken off, either. He said that this next Transatlantic tour may be the "last big cool thing I get to do" at least in part because taking time off from his day job has gotten more difficult.

[The Letter M]

I just read that major news are going to be dropped Sept. 7th.
What could it be?

New Spock's Beard album with Neal?

I doubt it. The way Ted Leonard has been talking lately it sounds like SB may be done. He also made it sound like Pattern Seeking Animals hasn't taken off, either. He said that this next Transatlantic tour may be the "last big cool thing I get to do" at least in part because taking time off from his day job has gotten more difficult.

To be fair, we've been in an 18-month pandemic, so Pattern-Seeking Animals hasn't really had a chance to play live, which I would assume might help them gain a bit more notoriety. They'll be playing their first live shows after releasing three studio albums within 3 years, which seems a bit unusual for a rock band these days, but they couldn't help it. I think they'll do alright once they can start touring and playing a few gigs, but if their day jobs are getting in the way, maybe they won't do any more gigs than SB could in the last decade or so.

Honestly, if SB is done for, I would hope they have the decency to announce it and just say "Well, it was fun, but we can logically carry on as a band", especially with Ted and Dave in P-SA, and Ryo working with many different groups and doing his own solo album now, it seems like the Beard are moving off into separate directions. If all we ever get is what we have, with their 13 album discography, I'd be fine with that. I didn't think Noise Floor was too bad (I liked it more than The Oblivion Particle), and if that's their last album ever, I'm okay with that, which makes the closing song "Beginnings" feel a bit more appropriate as an ending, especially since it was the only song on Noise Floor to feature any vocals from NDV (in addition to Ted and Al). The end of SB has led to some new beginnings, and at the very least, we've gotten P-SA from some of them, and their first two albums have become two of my favorites over the last few years and I eagerly await their third album next year!

-Marc.

[Dedalus]

But I don't know to what extent P-SA intends to play live. Maybe a couple of shows. I think Boegehold isn't much of touring.

[Metro]

I think SB deserves a better ending than that. In a perfect world I'd love to see them do one more album with the current lineup(with whatever drummer they choose) and then another, final, album "XV" bringing back Neal, Nick, and even Jimmy if he wants.

Then they do one last farewell gig, probably at Morsefest, featuring songs from every era of SB.

But if that's just not feasible for whatever reasons, I get it.

[KevShmev]

Eh, most bands do not have a "perfect" or proper ending.  When it's over, it's over.  And almost none of them announce it when it is (R.E.M. was a rare exception).  Spock's had a great run with Neal, but it's over.  And if Spock's in general is over, then that is okay, too. 

Long story short: some fans need to get over the past and look to the future.