Author Topic: Spock's Beard (Read 146843 times)

The Letter M · « **Reply #665 on:** May 23, 2013, 07:30:08 AM »

So I just had a sudden realization... Spock's Beard's eras of albums follow the Star Trek series' eras of films...

1-6
Star Trek's Original Series Films (i.e. Captain Kirk and crew)
Spock's Beard's Neal-Era Albums

7-10
Star Trek's TNG Series Films (i.e. Captain Picard and crew)
Spock's Beard's Nick-Era Albums

11-present
Star Trek's JJ Abrams Films
Spock's Beard's Ted-Era Albums

Granted, Star Trek is a film ahead of SB's albums, but the similarities are eerie...

-Marc.

The Letter M · « **Reply #666 on:** May 25, 2013, 12:54:39 PM »

Also - fans of Nick-era SB should swing on by the Polls/Survivors forum for the Feel Euphoria survivor that I just started as part of my ongoing SB survivor!

-Marc.

lonestar · « **Reply #667 on:** May 25, 2013, 03:19:33 PM »

Quote from: The Letter M on May 23, 2013, 07:30:08 AM

So I just had a sudden realization... Spock's Beard's eras of albums follow the Star Trek series' eras of films...

1-6
Star Trek's Original Series Films (i.e. Captain Kirk and crew)
Spock's Beard's Neal-Era Albums

7-10
Star Trek's TNG Series Films (i.e. Captain Picard and crew)
Spock's Beard's Nick-Era Albums

11-present
Star Trek's JJ Abrams Films
Spock's Beard's Ted-Era Albums

Granted, Star Trek is a film ahead of SB's albums, but the similarities are eerie...

-Marc.

Mindflux · « **Reply #668 on:** May 25, 2013, 04:34:50 PM »

Quote from: The Letter M on May 23, 2013, 07:30:08 AM

So I just had a sudden realization... Spock's Beard's eras of albums follow the Star Trek series' eras of films...

1-6
Star Trek's Original Series Films (i.e. Captain Kirk and crew)
Spock's Beard's Neal-Era Albums

7-10
Star Trek's TNG Series Films (i.e. Captain Picard and crew)
Spock's Beard's Nick-Era Albums

11-present
Star Trek's JJ Abrams Films
Spock's Beard's Ted-Era Albums

Granted, Star Trek is a film ahead of SB's albums, but the similarities are eerie...

-Marc.

So which member of SB would be Deanna Troi?

Mladen · « **Reply #669 on:** June 03, 2013, 09:45:17 AM »

I've always found it weird how some songs get you for whatever reasons after a couple of years. I gave a listen to the Snow a couple of days ago, and suddenly Open wide the flood gates stood out. I mean, I've always fairly liked it, but it became absolutely awesome all of a sudden. It will stay in the playlist for a while...

Mladen · « **Reply #670 on:** June 05, 2013, 12:30:56 PM »

Also, just saw this for the first time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my_xQ67q_mY

KevShmev · « **Reply #671 on:** June 06, 2013, 02:23:48 PM »

Quote from: Mladen on June 03, 2013, 09:45:17 AM

I've always found it weird how some songs get you for whatever reasons after a couple of years. I gave a listen to the Snow a couple of days ago, and suddenly Open wide the flood gates stood out. I mean, I've always fairly liked it, but it became absolutely awesome all of a sudden. It will stay in the playlist for a while...

Funny thing about that song: I was so used to Neal going for those crazy dramatic choruses at that point (I had been listening to SB and TA for 2+ years when Snow came out) that the chorus to Open Wide the Flood Gates was a little disappointing to me at first, because I expected it to have more dramatic oomph, but once I got used to the way it really is, I realized how awesome it is. Definitely one of my favorite songs from Snow; I love the piano breakdown near the end.

Mladen · « **Reply #672 on:** June 08, 2013, 03:33:54 AM »

Oh yeah, awesome stuff. And that theme at the end of the song that actually repeats throughout the album is one of the best SB melodies ever.

darkshade · « **Reply #673 on:** June 09, 2013, 11:46:28 AM »

I haven't gotten the new album, I was not at all in a prog mood when it came out. Since you guys have had time to digest it, how does it stack up against previous albums? I have X, so I know some post-Neal stuff.

RoeDent · « **Reply #674 on:** June 09, 2013, 12:01:18 PM »

I bought Brief Nocturnes & Dreamless Sleep 2 days ago. Absolutely love it! Ted Leonard is a great addition to the group. My favourite songs on first listen are I Know Your Secret and Afterthoughts. I also love the transition from Afterthoughts into Something Very Strange, and the robotic, Ayreon-like vocals in the intro to that song.

I've also ordered X. Should be here this week.

The Letter M · « **Reply #675 on:** June 14, 2013, 09:57:45 PM »

Fans of the band's 10th album X should come to the Polls/Survivors forum and check out my SB Survivor as we are starting on the first round of X, which ends tomorrow morning!

Also, how does everyone rank the tracks from X?

From The Darkness
Jaws Of Heaven
Edge Of The In-Between
Their Names Escape Me
The Man Behind The Curtain
The Quiet House
The Emperor's Clothes
Kamikaze

-Marc.

Mosh · « **Reply #676 on:** June 14, 2013, 11:33:33 PM »

Quote from: darkshade on June 09, 2013, 11:46:28 AM

I haven't gotten the new album, I was not at all in a prog mood when it came out. Since you guys have had time to digest it, how does it stack up against previous albums? I have X, so I know some post-Neal stuff.

It's okay. I have to say it doesn't really feel like Spock's Beard, probably because now both Nick and Neal (the two strongest members imo) are gone. That said, for what it was, it's at least enjoyable. Though I can't really recall specific song names, there were some really strong tunes. I think the biggest issue is that it's missing the big prog epic. Every other Spock's album has at least one, Waiting For Me is long and all but it doesn't have the same power as say, Jaws of Heaven or At The End Of The Day.

Overall I'd say it's not better than X but maybe on par with Feel Euphoria (Which are the best post Neal albums imo).

KevShmev · « **Reply #677 on:** June 14, 2013, 11:49:42 PM »

Agreed, Mosh. It is a very good CD, but it really doesn't sound like Spock's Beard to me. Of course, the argument can be made that this now IS Spock's Beard, and this is what they sound like now, but I mean the classic Beard sound is mostly gone. Even the playing of Meros and Alan Morse has changed enough to sound different than normal. I recently put a bunch of SB songs in a playlist (including songs from all 11 albums) and let them randomly play, and the new songs really stood out as sounding different from everything else. But again, it is a very good CD, and it should be judged on its own merit, but I am just saying, the classic Beard sound is missing, and for a longtime fan like me, that is a bit of a bummer.

The King in Crimson · « **Reply #678 on:** June 15, 2013, 12:11:53 AM »

Quote from: The Letter M on June 14, 2013, 09:57:45 PM

Also, how does everyone rank the tracks from X?

Jaws of Heaven
Edge of the In-Between
The Emperor's Clothes
The Quiet House
From The Darkness
Kamikaze
The Man Behind The Curtain
Their Names Escape Me

Mladen · « **Reply #679 on:** June 15, 2013, 03:34:19 AM »

Ranking the X tracks:

Jaws of heaven
Edge of the in-between
From The Darkness
The Quiet House
The Man Behind The Curtain
Kamikaze
The Emperor's Clothes

Probably like this.

As for the new album, I find that some of the songs do sound like the classic SB. A couple are a bit different but for the most part it's that familiar SB that I grew to love years ago. It's a mystery to me how they accomplished that, considering Joe Boegehold being credited on the tracks that sound the most reminiscent of their old sound, and he certainly wasn't around back then. That's an interesting point, whoever writes the song, the band members grab their instrument and suddenly make it a SB classic. They managed to put out a great album, which is at the moment one of my very favorites.

Mindflux · « **Reply #680 on:** June 18, 2013, 09:14:20 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPVttmX9d2g&feature=youtu.be

Submerged video.

obscure · « **Reply #681 on:** June 18, 2013, 09:19:23 AM »

loved it.. great ideas all around...

KevShmev · « **Reply #682 on:** June 18, 2013, 09:21:35 AM »

Nicely done. That song is catchy enough to where if were by a "name" band, it would probably be a hit.

Mladen · « **Reply #683 on:** June 18, 2013, 09:25:51 AM »

I didn't really get the video, maybe the pretty girls were distracting me from what was actually going on.

It would be nice if Spock's beard finally had a ''hit''. There's a slightly more commercial song on pretty much every album of theirs, but for some reason, none of those tracks took off. Hopefully, they'll make it with Submerged, it's truly a gorgeously catchy song with a solid video. Fingers crossed for some mainstream success.

BlackInk · « **Reply #684 on:** June 18, 2013, 09:26:44 AM »

Just listened to "A Flash Before My Eyes" for the first time. It surprised me, it was good. Expected a boring mess like many of those types of songs can be but this was not bad at all.

ColdFireYYZ · « **Reply #685 on:** June 18, 2013, 06:06:19 PM »

That video was very surprising. Not what I was expecting from SB at all! Hopefully it'll give them some exposure, even if it's not a mainstream hit.

KevShmev · « **Reply #686 on:** June 26, 2013, 08:28:01 AM »

Now that the new album has sunk in, I got around to making what is, for me, the perfect Spock's Beard mp3 CD for my car (699.9 MB..could not have cut it any closer!):

I Know Your Secret
A Treasure Abandoned
Submerged
Something Very Strange (Sanctified Remix)
Waiting for Me
Down a Burning Road
The Light
The Water
Thoughts
The Doorway
Walking on the Wind
Waste Away
Time Has Come
The Good Don't Last
June
Harm's Way
Flow
The Gypsy
At the End of the Day
Thoughts II
Goodbye to Yesterday
The Great Nothing
Stranger in a Strange Land
Long Time Suffering
Love Beyond Words/39th Street Blues (combined as one track)
Devil's Got My Throat
Open Wide the Flood Gates/Open the Gates Part 2 (combined as one track)
Solitary Soul
Wind at My Back
4th of July
I'm the Guy
Reflection/Carie (combined as one track)
All Is Vanity
I'm Dying
I Will Go
Made Alive Again/Wind at My Back
The Bottom Line
East of Eden, West of Memphis
Ghosts of Autumn
She Is Everything
With Your Kiss
Edge of the In-Between
From the Darkness
The Quiet House
Jaws of Heaven

Mladen · « **Reply #687 on:** June 26, 2013, 11:53:52 AM »

It misses On a perfect day, Crack the big sky and a whole bunch of tracks from Octane, but it's really good otherwise.

Also,

Quote from: KevShmev on June 26, 2013, 08:28:01 AM

Love Beyond Words/39th Street Blues (combined as one track)
Open Wide the Flood Gates/Open the Gates Part 2 (combined as one track)

Great idea.

KevShmev · « **Reply #688 on:** June 26, 2013, 12:00:23 PM »

Crack the Big Sky and A Guy Named Sid were the last two to go. It came down to either A Guy Named Sid or The Water, and the latter won out. I tried like hell to keep Crack the Big Sky, but there just wasn't enough room.

Ultimately, given the room I had, I had no choice but to go with just one song each from what I consider far and away their three least best efforts, hence Day for Night, Octane and S/T all only getting one song each. It would be easy to say, "Give each album about the same amount," but every album is not created equal, so the best albums got the most time/songs.

Mosh · « **Reply #689 on:** June 26, 2013, 12:57:17 PM »

I must be one of the only people who love everything on Day For Night.

Never understood why people rank it lower.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #690 on:** June 26, 2013, 01:43:33 PM »

Quote from: Mosh on June 26, 2013, 12:57:17 PM

I must be one of the only people who love everything on Day For Night. Never understood why people rank it lower.

No, you're not. It's my favorite SB album.

KevShmev · « **Reply #691 on:** June 26, 2013, 01:45:03 PM »

I like most of Day for Night (minus three songs). It's just that most of those songs are just good; nothing really stands out as being great enough to call one of their best.

ColdFireYYZ · « **Reply #692 on:** June 26, 2013, 01:46:21 PM »

I like Day For Night. It's not one of my favorites, but it's consistently solid and I enjoy it all the way through.

kirksnosehair · « **Reply #693 on:** June 26, 2013, 02:14:52 PM »

Day for Night's OK, but I skip some of it. The self-titled album is the weakest one in the entire catalog as far as I am concerned. But it still has some great stuff on it.

That's a pretty fine list, Kev

KevShmev · « **Reply #694 on:** June 26, 2013, 02:19:00 PM »

I love it. Like I said before, SB has enough for two full CDs, but this way, I am getting rid of the songs that I don't necessarily always want to hear. I have had it going in my car all week, and it is pretty much one great song after another.

The Letter M · « **Reply #695 on:** July 01, 2013, 09:59:17 AM »

Just started the Consolation Rounds of my Spock's Beard Survivor!

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=37812.0

In just a week or so, the FINALS will begin, so if you were present for the Neal-Era and/or the Nick-Era and haven't voted much lately, or just want to participate in the finals, be sure to keep an eye out!

-Marc.

KevShmev · « **Reply #696 on:** July 02, 2013, 12:32:30 PM »

Updated album ranking:

1. V
2. The Light
3. Beware of Darkness
4. Snow
5. The Kindness of Strangers
6. X
7. Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
8. Feel Euphoria
9. Day for Night
10. Octane
11. Spock's Beard

ytserush · « **Reply #697 on:** July 02, 2013, 04:38:58 PM »

Quote from: Mosh on June 26, 2013, 12:57:17 PM

I must be one of the only people who love everything on Day For Night. Never understood why people rank it lower.

My least favorite Neal Spock album other than Snow, but I still like it quite a bit; unlike Snow.

The tears flowed when I heard Healing Colors of Sound live. It's just amazing.

ColdFireYYZ · « **Reply #698 on:** July 10, 2013, 02:55:47 PM »

So they're playing two shows in California with Sound of Contact. However, Ryo won't be playing with them do to "personal reasons and schedule conflicts". We all know what happened last time they had a live substitute. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen again.

The Letter M · « **Reply #699 on:** July 10, 2013, 03:03:11 PM »

Quote from: ColdFireYYZ on July 10, 2013, 02:55:47 PM

So they're playing two shows in California with Sound of Contact. However, Ryo won't be playing with them do to "personal reasons and schedule conflicts". We all know what happened last time they had a live substitute. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen again.

What are the odds of them getting NEAL to cover for Ryo?!?

-Marc.

News: Video of online chat between fans and members of Dream Theater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx8cLlXnHpA&feature=youtu.be (*no chickens were harmed during the filming of this chat)

Author Topic: Spock's Beard (Read 146843 times)