Spock's Beard

[KevShmev]

22 days later, after I was told my order would be shipping out the next week, and still no CD.  This sucks big time.  I am still looking forward to hearing the CD, but you can bet I won't order from their website ever again.

[King Postwhore]

22 days later, after I was told my order would be shipping out the next week, and still no CD.  This sucks big time.  I am still looking forward to hearing the CD, but you can bet I won't order from their website ever again.

That sucks Kev.  I know it's killing you but you'll love it when you get it.

[KevShmev]

Actually, I hadn't thought about it all week, but then I was looking over my credit card bill this morning and was like, "Oh, I got charged on June 9th for a CD I still haven't received.  Joyous."

[The Letter M]

22 days later, after I was told my order would be shipping out the next week, and still no CD.  This sucks big time.  I am still looking forward to hearing the CD, but you can bet I won't order from their website ever again.

That sucks... it's just unfortunate for this album because of all the hold-ups and such because of defective products... I'm sure anything else you order at a later date won't take so long.

-Marc.

[Tick]

Actually, I hadn't thought about it all week, but then I was looking over my credit card bill this morning and was like, "Oh, I got charged on June 9th for a CD I still haven't received.  Joyous."

Yeah, that's a good reason to be pissed off.

[KevShmev]

That sucks... it's just unfortunate for this album because of all the hold-ups and such because of defective products... I'm sure anything else you order at a later date won't take so long.

Again, I am pretty sure I will never be ordering from their site again, so I'll have to take your word for it.

Actually, I hadn't thought about it all week, but then I was looking over my credit card bill this morning and was like, "Oh, I got charged on June 9th for a CD I still haven't received.  Joyous."

Yeah, that's a good reason to be pissed off.

I honestly cannot tell if that is sarcasm or not, but either way, it is bad customer service.  Regular places like amazon.com do not charge your credit card until your order has shipped.  Too bad bands do not operate under the same principle when ordering directly from them. 

[Tick]

That sucks... it's just unfortunate for this album because of all the hold-ups and such because of defective products... I'm sure anything else you order at a later date won't take so long.

Again, I am pretty sure I will never be ordering from their site again, so I'll have to take your word for it.

Actually, I hadn't thought about it all week, but then I was looking over my credit card bill this morning and was like, "Oh, I got charged on June 9th for a CD I still haven't received.  Joyous."

Yeah, that's a good reason to be pissed off.

I honestly cannot tell if that is sarcasm or not, but either way, it is bad customer service.  Regular places like amazon.com do not charge your credit card until your order has shipped.  Too bad bands do not operate under the same principle when ordering directly from them. 

I'm not a jerk Kev? Its not sarcasm. I hate a charge on my credit card for something I haven't received yet.

[KevShmev]

Gotcha.

[ich bin besser]

Kev, did you try contacting Glenn at spocksmerch@gmail.com ? He replies very fast.
Here's what he what earlier:

Please send me an e-mail at spocksmerch and make the subject line URGENT REQUEST FOR INFO. I thought I was caught up on responses but obviously something is amiss. my apologies. Glenn

[KevShmev]

That is the guy I emailed with last month, and he was the one who told me that he expected my CD to be shipping out the next week.  That was 24 days ago.  He seemed like a friendly guy, but this is bad customer service.  I am not emailing him again.  I shouldn't have to email him again for something that I paid for over a month ago.  I don't want excuses, an "I'm sorry it's not there yet" email, or anything like that.  I want the damn CD I paid for 34 days ago.

[KevShmev]

Naturally, the CD arrived today.   Better late than never, I suppose.

[rumborak]

BTW, will this CD be sold in regular stores at all? I was asking at my local store the other day, and there was a lot shoulder shrugging regarding X.

rumborak

[ich bin besser]

It is supposed to be out at the end of August.

[The Letter M]

It is supposed to be out at the end of August.

Yes that is correct. Just so everyone knows, the current plans are for an August release through Mascot Records at both brick & mortar stores and at online retailers. The retail edition will NOT include "Their Names Escape Me" on CD, but the track by itself (with and without the "names" in it) will eventually be available at online retailers.

Also, I'd like to make sure every Beard-fan here knows I am now running my Morse-Era Survivor FINALS, so vote away from the top 14 songs til we find out what you all believe is the best SB song from Neal's tenure with the band.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

First listen through, it sounded good.  Will listen more (obviously)...

[KevShmev]

Listened to this again during my workout earlier (my 3rd full listen)...

So far, I like these songs the most:

"Edge of the In-Between"
"The Quiet House" (this is the one I like the best right now)
"The Man Behind the Curtain"
"Jaws of Heaven"

"Their Names Escape Me" sounds pretty cool, but I suspect that long section with all of the names is gonna get old really, really fast.

"From the Darkness" is long, so that will take some work, but it has potential.  "Jaws of Heaven" is long, too, but that one was an immediate grabber.

"The Emperor's Clothes" has a nice chorus, but I am not overly fond of the verses thus far.

"Kamikaze" definitely sounds like the least best song thus far.  Kind of reminds me of "NWC" from Octane in that it has some cool things going on, but is rather directionless, sounding like a mix mash of melodies and riffs. 

Many more listens to come, but so far, I like what I am hearing.

[KevShmev]

"Jaws of Heaven" = 

Ryo's synth work, in particular, in that song is heavenly. 

This CD is damn good.

[Mladen]

Worth waiting for, huh? 

My favorite on the album turned out to be The Man Behind the Curtain, because the chorus is so damn epic, especially the ominous backing vocals. Great bass work by Dave, and some nice guitar harmonies in the middle. An excellent song all around.

[King Postwhore]

Kev, I agree about Jaws Of Heaven. I can't stop playing that song for my ride home from work.

[KevShmev]

My favorite on the album turned out to be The Man Behind the Curtain, because the chorus is so damn epic, especially the ominous backing vocals. Great bass work by Dave, and some nice guitar harmonies in the middle. An excellent song all around.

I like that one quite a bit.  Unfortunately, for it and all of the other songs, I couldn't stop listening to "Jaws of Heaven" today.  In all of my driving around, I must have had that song playing for 90% of the time.  So, yeah, I am right there with kingshmegland right now.  I still can't get over how awesome Ryo's moog work in that song is.

[KevShmev]

I can confidently say that "From the Darkness" and "Jaws of Heaven" are two of the best Spock's Beard songs ever...of any era.

[Mladen]

Yeah, that has to be the thing with this album - the more you listen to it, the better it sounds. It's not one of those that get old in two weeks. I would say this is my 2nd favorite SB album at the moment, right behind the magnificent The Light.

[King Postwhore]

It is one of those albums that you like at first, then you play it over and over till it's played daily.

[rumborak]

Yeah, it's holding up quite well so far!!

BTW, I have to admit that I got the album through email channels. I went to my local record store and they didn't have it; where can I buy it?

rumborak

[The Letter M]

Yeah, it's holding up quite well so far!!

BTW, I have to admit that I got the album through email channels. I went to my local record store and they didn't have it; where can I buy it?

rumborak

I would buy the Limited Edition from their website now before they run out and it won't be available again.

Otherwise, you'll have to wait anywhere between 2-5 weeks as a release through Mascot Records will come sometime in August. However, the retail version will NOT have the exclusive track "Their Names Escape Me", which is only available on the Limited Edition of the album in lossless format. You can download it through iTunes, however, and Dave Meros has said they plan on releasing a version of the song without the names!

Alsol they plan on releasing X on vinyl at the same time as the retail CD version.

-Marc.

[Mladen]

What's the deal with Their names escape me not being on the regular CD edition? Why would they decide to do such a ridiculous thing?

[The Letter M]

What's the deal with Their names escape me not being on the regular CD edition? Why would they decide to do such a ridiculous thing?

Because it's exclusive to the limited edition, and an incentive for fans to buy the first release of the album from the band themselves. Besides, if you REALLY wanted it, it's on iTunes (and possibly other online retailers) for download purchase. It's also a bit of an incentive for those who pre-ordered the album as early as a year ago, and waited so long for the album to be made and come out. I think it's a good idea to differentiate the retail version from the limited edition. It makes owning the limited edition that much more meaningful.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Yeah, that has to be the thing with this album - the more you listen to it, the better it sounds. It's not one of those that get old in two weeks. I would say this is my 2nd favorite SB album at the moment, right behind the magnificent The Light.

I can't say it is that good, but it is definitely in my SB top 5.  Not sure if it will ever break the top 3, but we'll have to see it how holds up over time.

It is one of those albums that you like at first, then you play it over and over till it's played daily.

Pretty much.  I almost feel sorry for the majority of the songs, as the two long epics are dominating my listening time when I reach for this CD.  I will say, though, that "The Man Behind the Curtain" has really grown on me to the point where it might be my 3rd favorite from it.

What's the deal with Their names escape me not being on the regular CD edition? Why would they decide to do such a ridiculous thing?

Because it's exclusive to the limited edition, and an incentive for fans to buy the first release of the album from the band themselves. Besides, if you REALLY wanted it, it's on iTunes (and possibly other online retailers) for download purchase. It's also a bit of an incentive for those who pre-ordered the album as early as a year ago, and waited so long for the album to be made and come out. I think it's a good idea to differentiate the retail version from the limited edition. It makes owning the limited edition that much more meaningful.

-Marc.

This.  Besides, you can still get the LE at their site, which will have that song with the names and all, so if you really want it that badly, order it today!

[KevShmev]

Just for fun, I threw a SB top 25 together.  I am not limiting it to just the Morse era, nor am I including any of the new songs, as they are too new for me to accurately rate.  And I didn't feel like doing it countdown style, so here goes:

25. "Thoughts"
24. "Ghosts of Autumn"
23. "Crack the Big Sky"
22. "Open Wide the Flood Gates"
21. "A Guy Named Sid"
20. "Love Beyond Words"/"39th Street Blues"
19. "The Gypsy"
18. "Go the Way You Go"
17. "Devil's Got My Throat"
16. "June"
15. "The Water"
14. "I'm Dying"
13. "East of Eden, West of Memphis"
12. "Walking on the Wind"
11. "Wind at My Back"
10. "Waste Away"
09. "Solitary Soul"
08. "Flow"
07. "I Will Go"
06. "The Great Nothing"
05. "Harm's Way"
04. "Made Alive Again/Wind at My Back"
03. "The Doorway"
02. "At the End of the Day"
01. "The Light"

I'd be curious to see others' lists, using the same criteria, so, fellow SB fans, feel free to have at it.

[j]

I've recently gotten into Spock's Beard, but I have no albums from the post-Morse era.  Which of these albums are worth getting?  The praise for the most recent effort is duly noted.

-J

[KevShmev]

I've recently gotten into Spock's Beard, but I have no albums from the post-Morse era.  Which of these albums are worth getting?  The praise for the most recent effort is duly noted.

-J

The new one and Feel Euphoria.  The other two both have a few really good songs, but are fairly spotty overall.

[hefdaddy42]

I can confidently say that "From the Darkness" and "Jaws of Heaven" are two of the best Spock's Beard songs ever...of any era.

Well, this might be worth getting, after all.

[KevShmev]

Oh, it's worth getting.

But I will say that, as enjoyable as "The Emperor's Clothes" is, I wish they hadn't done that multiple vocal bit at the beginning of the second verse.  It sounds corny, and the last line of, "Magical, beautiful, that's irrefutable now," is the only cringe-worthy moment on a CD that is otherwise utterly fantastic. 

Still  to both "From the Darkness" and "Jaws of Heaven."

[The Letter M]

Oh, it's worth getting.

But I will say that, as enjoyable as "The Emperor's Clothes" is, I wish they hadn't done that multiple vocal bit at the beginning of the second verse.  It sounds corny, and the last line of, "Magical, beautiful, that's irrefutable now," is the only cringe-worthy moment on a CD that is otherwise utterly fantastic. 

Still  to both "From the Darkness" and "Jaws of Heaven."

Awww... I *like* that part. I guess for you, you should be lucky that they cut out the second choral-part before the last verse. If you read the booklet, there's a section of lyrics that were printed in the book but not sung in the song. One of those last minute changes made after the booklets were printed. Apparently they will fix the booklets for the regular, retail edition to exclude the missing verse...of course.

-Marc.

[j]

I've recently gotten into Spock's Beard, but I have no albums from the post-Morse era.  Which of these albums are worth getting?  The praise for the most recent effort is duly noted.

-J

The new one and Feel Euphoria.  The other two both have a few really good songs, but are fairly spotty overall.

Got Feel Euphoria yesterday and listened to it.  Awesome album, what a pleasant surprise!

Definitely will track down X when I can.  Thanks for the recs.

-J