Transatlantic Official Thread

[ytserush]

Let's be real, Neal's albums are the continuation of the Spock's Beard sound. Post Neal-Spock's may be branded as Spock's Beard, but they're more like New Coke.

Eh, I’d pretty strongly disagree. Post-SB Neal is very different than SB in my view, in no small part because of the players involved. Not that post-Neal SB doesn’t sound different too, but I think in general they are closer to the original SB in sound and style than Neal’s solo stuff is. I prefer post-Neal SB to Neal’s solo stuff for sure.

Yeah. Totally different vibe on most of it.

[ytserush]

Nearly confirms we're getting two live releases, then, since I think the odds of Morsefest not getting released are very low.

Both of them need to happen.

[The Letter M]

Another reminder about my Transatlantic Survivor in the Polls/Survivor subforum here, the rounds for the final four songs for The Whirlwind, Kaleidoscope, and The Absolute Universe have all been put up today, so if you want to help decide the fate of these album's top songs, please go over and vote!

-Marc.

[darkshade]

The title track for Kaleidoscope still hasn't grabbed me. Not sure why, it just doesn't come together for me. It sounds like I should love it, and there are moments I do enjoy.
Maybe one day..

[ErHaO]

Listened to TAU: Forevermore quite a bit lately. I enjoy it more with each listening.  I ordered the turquise vinyl+cd boxset. Really looking forward to the concert next year.

The title track for Kaleidoscope still hasn't grabbed me. Not sure why, it just doesn't come together for me. It sounds like I should love it, and there are moments I do enjoy.
Maybe one day..

I barely listened to the studio album, but I really like the live version (video recording) of the title track. I have frequently revisited that video.

[The Letter M]

Just another reminder about my survivor, the final rounds for The Whirlwind, Kaleidoscope, and The Absolute Universe will go up later this afternoon, but you can still vote in the second-to-last rounds for the next hour, and one of them needs a tie broken, so more votes would be helpful!

Thanks again to everyone who has participated in my Transatlantic Survivor! It's been a great turn out this year, and I'm looking forward to the Finals!

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

So I'm finally watching the "Making Of The Breath Of Life" video (on YouTube because every time I tried to download/unzip from Inner Circle, the download was corrupted and after messaging Radiant about it a couple of times, and not getting a response, I got tired to asking, but it popped up on YouTube earlier), and I had NO idea what kind of struggle Neal put himself in to get TBOL finished in 2020, from the initial ideas for the two versions in March, then struggling to get parts and edits done in July, and finally in the final stretch in late September/October of 2020, when Neal got COVID, and even into late October getting lyrics and final mixing decisions done (when the albums were supposed to be finished by October 1st).

I've never quite seen Neal act so upset or "angry" at times, and he even seemed a bit mad at Jerry and Rich at a couple of points during the video, though I'm sure it wasn't hateful or mean-spirited, just a bit angry at the circumstances, but then again, he's the one who suggested they do a shorter version of the album. Honestly, if he hadn't done that, the album probably would've been finished in Spring 2020 and would have saved Neal an extra 4-6 months of struggling to finish the album.

Interesting to note that he cut the "Overture" a bit because he didn't want the first vocal to be "Belong Belong" and he wanted it to be the first verse of the first real song, but he also went ahead and added a bit of new stuff into the Overture as well.

It's just funny to me that he felt like it was a nightmare to get through making the album, but it's really kind of his fault if you think about it, from March to November 2020. It's also funny to me because it seems like, for the most part, people have gravitated to Forevermore and/or The Ultimate Mix, even if those same fans liked TBOL.

I suppose if Transatlantic ever play together again after next year and they do any more TAU music, they might do TBOL instead of either of the longer versions, which would be interesting. I could see them playing TBOL as a single set, which would give them another reason to release a live album with TAU on it (since it'll technically be a different version).

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

What's crazy is that they said in the making of that this was the longest they have worked on one of their albums, yet (IMO) it is still lacking a bit.  It is very good overall, but the longer version is too long, and the shorter version eliminated too much of the best stuff.  My own personal ultimate edition is quite good, but it's not the real album, so I can't really consider that a proper album in the context of evaluation. 

A buddy of mine who has given it a lot of spins lately said it best to me this week: it feels like another Whirlwind, only not nearly as good.

I think the best songs from TAU are on par with their best "shorter" songs (under 10 minutes) from the first four albums, but Pete's lead vocals and the somewhat lackluster ending are hills that I feel will be tough for me to ever climb.

[gzarruk]

I edited the tracks from the two versions myself to mirror the Ultimate Edition with slight changes (SHSL instead of TNMS, TBOL version of LMAW), and now that's the "real" album to me and the only one I really need to listen to going forward.

I think they could've worked more on releasing THE best version of their album instead of making two/three different ones, but what it's done it's done. Mike can now take pride in them being the first ones to do anything like this and hopefully Neal learned the lesson and doesn't try to do something like this again

[The Letter M]

I edited the tracks from the two versions myself to mirror the Ultimate Edition with slight changes (SHSL instead of TNMS, TBOL version of LMAW), and now that's the "real" album to me and the only one I really need to listen to going forward.

I think they could've worked more on releasing THE best version of their album instead of making two/three different ones, but what it's done it's done. Mike can now take pride in them being the first ones to do anything like this and hopefully Neal learned the lesson and doesn't try to do something like this again

Given Neal's VERY visible frustration with regards to making TBOL, I doubt he'll EVER agree to doing anything like that ever again.

-Marc.

[Ben_Jamin]

I edited the tracks from the two versions myself to mirror the Ultimate Edition with slight changes (SHSL instead of TNMS, TBOL version of LMAW), and now that's the "real" album to me and the only one I really need to listen to going forward.

I think they could've worked more on releasing THE best version of their album instead of making two/three different ones, but what it's done it's done. Mike can now take pride in them being the first ones to do anything like this and hopefully Neal learned the lesson and doesn't try to do something like this again

Given Neal's VERY visible frustration with regards to making TBOL, I doubt he'll EVER agree to doing anything like that ever again.

-Marc.

That's actually a good Ego lesson. Of having the Ego take over and then you end up having an obligation that is quite stressful and frustrating because you wanted to make what was finished, different to your standards. 

[Setlist Scotty]

Marc, thanks for the head's up on the Making of TBoL being on YT - will have to check it out. I know I'm in the minority, but I still stand by TBoL as being my preferred version to listen to. I'm usually a more is better kinda person, but I agree with the stuff that Neal cut out and I like the changes he made, as well as Can You Feel It - one of my favorites on the album.

Judging by what the video has been described as, it does sound like we'll never see something like this again - at least from Neal/TA. But I'm glad he pushed forward with it, and personally, I hope he and/or the other guys do something like this again.

[KevShmev]

I edited the tracks from the two versions myself to mirror the Ultimate Edition with slight changes (SHSL instead of TNMS, TBOL version of LMAW), and now that's the "real" album to me and the only one I really need to listen to going forward.

I think they could've worked more on releasing THE best version of their album instead of making two/three different ones, but what it's done it's done. Mike can now take pride in them being the first ones to do anything like this and hopefully Neal learned the lesson and doesn't try to do something like this again

Given Neal's VERY visible frustration with regards to making TBOL, I doubt he'll EVER agree to doing anything like that ever again.

-Marc.

That's actually a good Ego lesson. Of having the Ego take over and then you end up having an obligation that is quite stressful and frustrating because you wanted to make what was finished, different to your standards. 

Right.  Neal kind of brought it on himself, and it seems a bit strange to say he agreed to it since it was HIS idea, to make a shorter version of the album, so, yeah.

But ultimately I am sure he just wanted it to be as great as it could be. That seems to always be his goal. I just think his view got a bit myopic when working on the shorter version on his own which why he became more of the focus and Roine's contributions were de-emphasized.  I am sure that was not intentional on his part, but Neal definitely has a little bit of that "I know best" thing going on, which, let's face it, most prolific songwriters do, so that is not meant as a criticism by any means.  It's just comes with the gift of being a great and prolific songwriter. 

[HOF]

So today is (more or less) 20 years since I first got a copy of SMPTe. It was Labor Day 2001 (not the same day every year). My freshman year of college and about a week before 9/11. Needless to say, this album had a tremendous impact on me and was pretty much the soundtrack of that time in my life (Bridge Across Forever too, which was released the following month). My introduction to Neal Morse, Roine Stolt, and Pete Trewavas, and subsequently their respective bands, all of which are among my favorite bands now. It was really “My New World” musically. Such a wonderful album. Spinning it again now.

[Mladen]

That truly was a gateway album to so many people. It's great reading stuff like that. 

[bosk1]

I was behind in exploring any "DT side projects," which included TA.  My gateway ended up being the Live in Europe DVD.  I was (and still am) more of a metal guy, and wasn't really into prog as a genre, so it took me awhile to really appreciate.  And Roine having such a quirky voice didn't help.    But I'm glad I stuck with them, because they have really put out a lot of very special music through the years.

[darkshade]

I didn't hear about Transatlantic until 2005, but it was this time of year in '05 that I heard All Of The Above from SMPTe for the first time, and soon after, the rest of the album. I also heard a few songs by The Flower Kings for the first time around the same time period.

[bosk1]

That's probably around the time I made that purchase.

[jammindude]

I looked into The Flower Kings after the first TA album, and the first thing I heard was the title track from World of Adventure, which I immediately LOVED. But then I bought the album, and thought the rest was pretty meh. Got a demo of the Alive on Planet Earth album when I was working at a CD shop and that didn’t wow me either. Then someone suggested Stardust We Are and none of that really grabbed me either. So I haven’t done any exploring beyond that. The title track from WOA was the only thing that blew my mind.

But maybe I just wasn’t feeling it at the time. I should give them another spin.

[HOF]

I looked into The Flower Kings after the first TA album, and the first thing I heard was the title track from World of Adventure, which I immediately LOVED. But then I bought the album, and thought the rest was pretty meh. Got a demo of the Alive on Planet Earth album when I was working at a CD shop and that didn’t wow me either. Then someone suggested Stardust We Are and none of that really grabbed me either. So I haven’t done any exploring beyond that. The title track from WOA was the only thing that blew my mind.

But maybe I just wasn’t feeling it at the time. I should give them another spin.

I had Stardust We Are for close to 15 years before it really clicked. There were select tracks I liked, but I had a hard time taking the whole thing in because there’s so much music. About little while back I gave it another shot after becoming familiar with some of the other TFK material and it really clicked. It does help to have a chunk of time to sit and listen to it in one go. I think my rediscovery was on a long car ride.

[hefdaddy42]

First Flower Kings I heard (after listening to Transatlantic for the first time) was the Meet The Flower Kings! live DVD.  Good stuff.

[Trav86]

I keep trying to get into this, but it’s hard for me to even get through it. I’ve been a fan since BAF came out. I love the first three and I like Kaleidoscope. This one…I don’t know. I tried when it came out, and moved on. After listening to the new NMB I’m trying again. For the record, I’ve only been listening to Forevermore.  I really don’t know if that makes a difference.

[gzarruk]

I keep trying to get into this, but it’s hard for me to even get through it. I’ve been a fan since BAF came out. I love the first three and I like Kaleidoscope. This one…I don’t know. I tried when it came out, and moved on. After listening to the new NMB I’m trying again. For the record, I’ve only been listening to Forevermore.  I really don’t know if that makes a difference.

That's the "better" version, though there's some great stuff in TBOL. I'd suggest listening to the Ultimate Edition, which is mostly the best of both and see if you like it. It's on YouTube, I think.

[Setlist Scotty]

I keep trying to get into this, but it’s hard for me to even get through it. I’ve been a fan since BAF came out. I love the first three and I like Kaleidoscope. This one…I don’t know. I tried when it came out, and moved on. After listening to the new NMB I’m trying again. For the record, I’ve only been listening to Forevermore.  I really don’t know if that makes a difference.

That's the "better" version, though there's some great stuff in TBOL. I'd suggest listening to the Ultimate Edition, which is mostly the best of both and see if you like it. It's on YouTube, I think.

I beg to differ on the bolded part of gzarruk's post. I started off with listening to TBoL exclusively to become intimately familiar with it so that when I started listening to FM, it would be easy to spot the differences (kinda like watching a Director's cut of a movie, which is usually better). And I gotta say that, IMO, when I finally got to listening to FM, it was surprisingly disappointing (especially given all the praise FM was being given here on the forum). To me, FM has a lot of bloat and excess that was (wisely) trimmed from the album for TBoL. So Trav86, before you give up on TAU, give TBoL a couple of spins. Maybe it will appeal to you in a way that FM didn't.

[425]

I'm still undecided on which of the two shorter versions I think is better (although I lean Forevermore) but I think if your life's experience with this album never includes Can You Feel It, you're really, really missing out.

[ariich]

I keep trying to get into this, but it’s hard for me to even get through it. I’ve been a fan since BAF came out. I love the first three and I like Kaleidoscope. This one…I don’t know. I tried when it came out, and moved on. After listening to the new NMB I’m trying again. For the record, I’ve only been listening to Forevermore.  I really don’t know if that makes a difference.

That's the "better" version, though there's some great stuff in TBOL. I'd suggest listening to the Ultimate Edition, which is mostly the best of both and see if you like it. It's on YouTube, I think.

I beg to differ on the bolded part of gzarruk's post. I started off with listening to TBoL exclusively to become intimately familiar with it so that when I started listening to FM, it would be easy to spot the differences (kinda like watching a Director's cut of a movie, which is usually better). And I gotta say that, IMO, when I finally got to listening to FM, it was surprisingly disappointing (especially given all the praise FM was being given here on the forum). To me, FM has a lot of bloat and excess that was (wisely) trimmed from the album for TBoL. So Trav86, before you give up on TAU, give TBoL a couple of spins. Maybe it will appeal to you in a way that FM didn't.

I agree with this entirely. There are some bits on Forevermore I like which were excluded from TBOL, so for my own digital copy I've added three tracks back in to make a sort of combined version. But for the official versions, I find TBOL far superior.

[ErHaO]

Upon listening to it more, I do think TBOL is overall a better album. I wish it had more of the material of Forevermore put into it, but what is there is better to my taste/ears.

[Ben_Jamin]

I still think it'd be cool if they combine the chorus lyrics to Swing High, Swing Low/Take Now My Soul.

"Swing High, Swing Low
Just get me through to tomorrow
Take Now My Soul
Carry me through, lord, I'm coming home. "

Combining those two lyrics really adds a lot more to it.

[Kram]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Forevermore is better, as TBOL cuts out The World We Used To Know - which is the best song on the whole thing IMO

[KevShmev]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Forevermore is better, as TBOL cuts out The World We Used To Know - which is the best song on the whole thing IMO

Agreed.  Neal definitely made a few things better- Reaching for the Sky is way better than Heart Like a Whirlwind, I greatly prefer the shorter Overture, and Can You Feel It is pretty darn cool - but losing The World We Used to Know (which I agree is the best song on the whole thing) is just too devastating, and the Forevermore version of Higher Than the Morning runs circles around the BOL version.  I also think Swing High, Swing Low is better lyrically than Take Now My Soul, although I think the "Carry me through, Lord, I'm coming home" is a bit much for me in either version.  Strange that a lot of Neal's God and Jesus lyrics do not bother me usually, but that line just does.

[Kram]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Forevermore is better, as TBOL cuts out The World We Used To Know - which is the best song on the whole thing IMO

Agreed.  Neal definitely made a few things better- Reaching for the Sky is way better than Heart Like a Whirlwind, I greatly prefer the shorter Overture, and Can You Feel It is pretty darn cool - but losing The World We Used to Know (which I agree is the best song on the whole thing) is just too devastating, and the Forevermore version of Higher Than the Morning runs circles around the BOL version.  I also think Swing High, Swing Low is better lyrically than Take Now My Soul, although I think the "Carry me through, Lord, I'm coming home" is a bit much for me in either version.  Strange that a lot of Neal's God and Jesus lyrics do not bother me usually, but that line just does.

Yep, The World We Used To Know is great!  I just love that ending part, starting at about 6:40 with that short (but sweet) guitar solo of Roine, then Neal coming in singing the bridge, and Roine singing the harmony on the second time through the bridge - that's just pure Transatlantic gold as far as I'm concerned.

[darkshade]

Finally got around to listening to the Ultimate version of TAU and this might be my preferred version, but I'm still not sure.
I don't think this album is as good as TW or BAF, but it's right under them. It's got its flaws, but the material itself is strong enough here to get past it. This album is beginning to really grow on me.

[Kram]

Finally got around to listening to the Ultimate version of TAU and this might be my preferred version, but I'm still not sure.
I don't think this album is as good as TW or BAF, but it's right under them. It's got its flaws, but the material itself is strong enough here to get past it. This album is beginning to really grow on me.

I would agree that the material is super strong and as a whole it's just a notch below BAF and TW - it's that good.  Also, Pete Trewavas bass performance throughout is just tremendous!  It's grown to be one of my favorite bass performances for an entire album of all time - by anyone..

[HOF]

The daily Doug dude does Rose Colored Glasses.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-IYhsL8Lj6k

Would not be the first TA song I’d recommend to someone. Haven’t watched this yet so not sure what he thinks of it.

[The Letter M]

The daily Doug dude does Rose Colored Glasses.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-IYhsL8Lj6k

Would not be the first TA song I’d recommend to someone. Haven’t watched this yet so not sure what he thinks of it.

Watched it a bit earlier. A bit underwhelming but having been familiar with the members involved, I think he liked it. I hope that when he revisits Transatlantic, he goes for one of the big 3 epics from their first two albums.

-Marc.