Spock's Beard

[ariich]

I love Afterthoughts and don't really understand Kev's hatred of it.

[King Postwhore]

I love Afterthoughts and don't really understand Kev's hatred of it.

And it rocks live too.

[Mladen]

Despite being initially disappointed with the new album, it actually grew on me enough to be a solid Spock's beard release. Far from the excellence of the previous two, but still fairly enjoyable.

Hell's not enough remained my absolute favorite, the keyboard theme is magnificent, I adore the insanely catchy chorus and the pre-chorus has a classic SB feel to it despite the fact that the song is written by Ted. A Better way to fly is my 2nd favorite because of being the craziest tune on the record but still remaining memorable, and the Minion is quite great as well.

Get out while you can turned out to be a lesser favorite of mine, I liked it at first but it turned out to be merely okay. I also don't care for Bennett at all, it's rather generic melodically and, as someone pointed out, the lyrics don't go anywhere and that's kind of a cliffhanger.

[Nick]

I would say Brief Nocturnes is definitely "catchier" than Oblivion Particle. Doesn't mean it's better of course, and I think lots of people are really liking the fact that TOP is more of a grower.

There is no doubt in my mind that BNaDS had a more immediate punch than TOP. It hit home from day one, and the new one is definitely more of a grower. Will be interesting to see which one I end up enjoying more.

[KevShmev]

I love Afterthoughts and don't really understand Kev's hatred of it.

I don't hate it; I just think it's not good at all.

Those songs that center around those Gentle Giant-live harmonies are rarely ones I like a lot, and the ones in this one just sound bad.  That section near the end where it just the voices with no music, is embarrassingly bad.

[kirksnosehair]

Love the new album. 


 

[RoeDent]

I have claimed Afterthoughts as my own theme song.

[Nick]

I have claimed Afterthoughts as my own theme song.

Careful, Kev might fight you for it.

[KevShmev]

I have claimed Afterthoughts as my own theme song.

Careful, Kev might fight you for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=facUcZzJ_jI&feature=youtu.be&t=655

 

[Nick]

I have claimed Afterthoughts as my own theme song.

Careful, Kev might fight you for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=facUcZzJ_jI&feature=youtu.be&t=655

 

I had honestly no idea what to expect when I opened that, but it was on point and on topic, well done.

[KevShmev]

 

[ariich]

Nicely played Kev.

[The Letter M]

The Center Line is pretty great.

  One of my instant faves when I first started spinning the whole album. Between that, "Bennett Built A Time Machine" and "To Be Free Again", they make up my current top 3 of the album. "A Better Way To Fly" and "Disappear" are also pretty good, as is the opener. Still haven't really clicked with "Get Out While You Can" (though that chorus is catchy) or "Hell's Not Enough", and "Minion" is just pretty good.

Over all, it's a pretty strong album of growers, and I think it'll become a solid fave in the coming years. I still find myself spinning BNADS and X almost as much as TOP lately, so the boys in the Beard have really been on a huge roll, so I hope SB13 turns out just as good, if not better!

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Marc, it is now time for the Spock's discography thread.  If you don't want to do it, say the word, and I'll do it.

[King Postwhore]

Disappear is my favorite track on the album.  This has become such a grower on me.  Loving it more with every listen.

[KevShmev]

I can't pick a favorite yet, but it is definitely a grower.  Loving it more and more with each listen.  Get Out While You Can is even growing on me!

Two things must be said, too:

1) Since V, pretty much every SB album has the same sound and mix, which is a good thing.  For their style, you couldn't get a better mix than what they always do.

2) Ryo is the MVP of the last three albums.  His playing is never over the top, always tasteful, and his choice of keyboard tones is always just right.

[The Letter M]

Marc, it is now time for the Spock's discography thread.  If you don't want to do it, say the word, and I'll do it.

At this point, go ahead. I've been wanting to do it, but without a working laptop at home, I can't always guarantee I'll be able to reasonably update regularly, so go ahead and take up the task of doing it! I'll definitely contribute my thoughts (har har) whenever I can and actively participate in the thread!

-Marc.

[RoeDent]

When I saw the tracklisting, I thought Disappear would serve a similar function to DT's Beneath the Surface, ie. a comedown/epilogue after the album's 'epic', but Disappear feels a bit more substantial than that. A nice ending to the album.

[KevShmev]

When I saw the tracklisting, I thought Disappear would serve a similar function to DT's Beneath the Surface, ie. a comedown/epilogue after the album's 'epic', but Disappear feels a bit more substantial than that. A nice ending to the album.

Great tune.  Very Kansas-esque, especially with that violin solo in the middle, played of course by former Kansas violinist David Ragsdale. 

Marc, it is now time for the Spock's discography thread.  If you don't want to do it, say the word, and I'll do it.

At this point, go ahead. I've been wanting to do it, but without a working laptop at home, I can't always guarantee I'll be able to reasonably update regularly, so go ahead and take up the task of doing it! I'll definitely contribute my thoughts (har har) whenever I can and actively participate in the thread!

-Marc.

Got it.  Perhaps I'll give it a go this week...

[hefdaddy42]

 

[King Postwhore]

I'm in!  Love to here your take Kev and others views.

[Kwyjibo]

Do it, I'm in too. 

[KevShmev]

I won't have a lot of inside information or anything, so my write-ups will merely be reviews of the albums, but I'll do it.  Very soon.

[The Letter M]

I won't have a lot of inside information or anything, so my write-ups will merely be reviews of the albums, but I'll do it.  Very soon.

  No issues here with that. It'll be a good way to get everyone's views on each of the band's albums in chronological order!

When I had the idea to do it, I was planning on reading Neal's Testimony book to provide insight into the creation of those albums, as well as supplementing that with his liner notes for the first three albums' re-issues through InsideOut, and other tidbits from various DVDs and shows. Of course, I could never find the time to do all of that between work and social things, and then my laptop died on me back in March, so I've really not had time for it.

I just recently re-read Neal's liner notes he wrote for InsideOut and they are pretty good tidbits of history behind the songs from the first three albums. Such humble beginnings for a band born out of LA that had no idea they would become so well-known in the world of prog, despite not having the following they probably deserve.

-Marc.

[RoeDent]

I've bought a few more of the albums since the discography thread idea was first mooted, so I'm able to "take part" more often than previously thought now. Looking forward to it.

On another thought, I see that Nick d'Virgilio joined Neal Morse during his Morsefest event this weekend. Morse has also joined SB on stage on several occasions in the last few years. This has got be thinking of the possibility of seeing all current and former members of Spock's Beard on stage together (current band plus Neal and Nick). Imo, that would be pretty awesome. And, unlike many other bands with ex-members, there doesn't seem to be any acrimony between the guys, so it is quite possible that it could happen one day.

[me7]

What's the best starting point in their discography? Looking to give them a try.

[KevShmev]

I think V and Beware of Darkness are the two best starting points. 

[Dr. DTVT]

Beware of Darkness is my least favorite Neal era album, but that is mostly due to strong competition.

I'll second V as a good starting point.  Kindness of Strangers would be my second Neal era choice; although I think X and BNaDS are other great ports of entry.

[ariich]

V and Brief Nocturnes I would say are the best starting points, for being both excellent and also accessible.

[The Letter M]

Now that the 12th album is out, I figured I'd do what I like to do with most other bands I like around here and that's play the Evens Or Odds game!

Basically, you guys pick which half of the band's discography would you prefer, if you had to choose:

The Evens:
Beware Of Darkness
Day For Night
Snow
Octane
X
The Oblivion Particle

The Odds:
The Light
The Kindness Of Strangers
V
Feel Euphoria
Spock's Beard
Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep

For me, I'd have to go with the Evens - BOD and Snow are two of my favorites of all time, and X is right up there. Their newest album is also really growing on me as well, even though I loved BNADS too. Also have to say that I really do enjoy Octane as well, as it was their first new album/latest album when I became a fan of them.

-Marc.

[ariich]

I would definitely go with the Odds, as they have my favourite from each era (V, Spock's Beard and Brief Nocturnes).

[Kwyjibo]

V is the best Neal era album and X is the best Nick era album, but the rest of the odds is better than the rest of the evens so the odds it is for me.

Going by the numbers they have to name their 15th album XV and it will be the best of the Leonard era. 

[RoeDent]

At the moment, the Odds, despite owning only 3 of those albums compared to 4 Evens. The Kindness of Strangers is on heavy rotation atm, and Brief Nocturnes is my No. 1.

Going by the numbers they have to name their 15th album XV and it will be the best of the Leonard era. 

Unless they decide to use that for a 2CD reissue of V and X, of course. 

[The Letter M]

Holy crap, John Boegehold just posted on Facebook that Inside Out is releassing a new SB compilation of 2CD and 1DVD that spans their entire career, including a new 19-minute epic written by Neal that includes ALL Beard members past and present! Posting from my phone so I can't copy the text, but if you're on Facebook, check it out at the SB Forum group page! Release date is November 20th

-Marc.

[ariich]

Hah, in exactly the same position here Marc, but you beat me to it. SB themselves have also posted it on Facebook. Very cool!

EDIT: Ok so it's the main article on the homepage of their website: https://www.spocksbeard.com/

Spock’s Beard – ‘The First 20 Years’ collection announced!

From InsideOut Music:

Legendary Californian progressive-rockers Spock’s Beard are set to release ‘The First Twenty Years’ collection on the 20th November 2015. Arriving as a special 2CD & DVD package, it includes a selection of the best tracks from their entire career, as well as a brand new 19-minute long track titled ‘Falling For Forever’ that features every member of Spock’s Beard past and present performing, including Neal Morse (who also wrote the track), Nick D’Virgilio & current vocalist Ted Leonard. All the tracks have also been re-mastered by long-term collaborator Rich Mouser, and the DVD portion of the release will feature old, live and archival footage from the band’s impressive 20+ year career.

Dave Meros talked about the album: "We’ve discussed the idea of a “Best Of” release on-and-off for several years, and it’s finally come together. Of course, there were some tricky issues to work through. Deciding which songs would best represent the band over 20+ years, 12 albums and three different lineups was challenging enough, but add the fact that a lot of our songs clock in anywhere from 8 to 20 minutes or more and the selection process became that much more daunting to make everything fit. Finally, after a lot of back-and-forth between everyone involved, we’ve come up with a song list which we think represents each album and era of the band quite well.

That left us with another concern though. We were adamant about not wanting to just release a bunch of our earlier material in a new package, especially to loyal fans who probably own most, if not all of our albums already. With that in mind, Neal came up with the new epic “Falling For Forever” which clocks in at almost 20 minutes and was written specifically to include all current and past members of the band.  Luckily, everyone’s schedule lined up to be able to record it and even better, Rich Mouser was available to record and mix it as well as remaster all of the earlier songs.  Add to that a DVD with a lot of previously unseen video footage from the early days of the band and we think we have a package our fans will really get into."

Neal Morse had this to say about the release:
"As we were kicking around the idea of a Spock's Beard 'Best Of', the idea of having some kind of an additional track came up. I felt, as always, like it would be more exciting to do something new than to rehash something we had already done. Then one morning I got inspired and wrote the music that would become 'Falling for Forever'. It was a lot of fun writing for the Spock's gang including Ted and Nick's voices… I definitely had them all in my mind… and I think the end result is really, really cool. Al is killing it on guitar, Dave's bass tone will take the paint off your walls, Ryo is ripping on the keys as usual, and both Jimmy and Nick trade off drum solos toward the end of the song! Ted sings the choruses, Nick sings the middle section, and I sing the verses. It's truly a team effort. The SB fans are going to love it!"

‘The First Twenty Years’ showcases just how important Spock’s Beard have been to progressive rock since their formation in 1992, and how consistently brilliant they remain to this day.


Disc 1

1. The Light
 2. Thoughts
 3. The Doorway
 4. June
 5. Day For Night
 6. At The End Of The Day
 7. Solitary Soul
 8. Wind At My Back
 
Disc 2

1. The Bottom Line
 2. She Is Everything
 3. On A Perfect Day
 4. Jaws Of Heaven
 5. Waiting For Me
 6. Tides Of Time
 7. Falling For Forever