So I picked up a physical copy of Spock's Beard (self-titled/9) for the first time a few weeks ago. I was already somewhat familiar with it from having streamed it, but never was able to track one down since it's been out of print for a while.
Anyway, I've got a new appreciation for this one now. I think it might be my second favorite of the Nick era behind Feel Euphoria even. The production is stellar (Nick's drum sound is outstanding), and while there are a couple songs I could totally do without (Is This Love? and Wherever You Stand) there are some really great moments on this one. An a Perfect Day isn't a favorite, but it's a decent SB track. Skeleton's at the Feast is one I never liked before, but the middle section and ending are really great. I even really like Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go now (Al's voice doesn't bother me. I kind of dig it). Hereafter is a nice piano ballad that shows off both Nick and Ryo's talents.
But the big highlights for me are All That's Left, With Your Kiss*, The Slow Crash Landing Man, As Far As The Mind Can See, and Rearranged. Al is absolutely on fire throughout this album, but he has some really great solos on these tracks, especially All That's Left and With Your Kiss. The asterisk on With Your Kiss is because I really hate that the song has a second section after the guitar solo and doesn't come back to that groove in the opening section at all. They could have ended it there and it would have been a wonderful pop song, instead it's an ok prop epic (the second section is pretty cool, but the ending doesn't live up to the beginning section). The Slow Crash Landing Man is another great Nick vocal moment, and I love the synth and guitar solos. Rearranged is a fun rocker to close.
The real star of this album is As Far As The Mind Can See. This might be my favorite post-Neal SB epic and honestly might be up there with songs like At The End of the Day and The Great Nothing. There's a bit of a kitchen sink approach to it, but I love all of it. Nick's drum performance is amazing. When the song slows down and you get that kind of Bonham type groove to kick off They Know We Know - that's the stuff. Just a delightful track.
This album definitely could have been a couple tracks shorter and been better. I could even see leaving off Sometimes They Stay or Skeletons at the Feast. But I do think it's a really good effort all around.