The Official Flying Colors Thread

[The Letter M]

I got my Vinyl LP in the mail from Radiant Records yesterday. The package looks beautiful, lovely gatefold and the insert sleeves look great, too!

I tried using my download code on Mascot's website but everytime I tried, it said "No Tracks Available For Download".

-Marc.

[Mindflux]

I got my Vinyl LP in the mail from Radiant Records yesterday. The package looks beautiful, lovely gatefold and the insert sleeves look great, too!

I tried using my download code on Mascot's website but everytime I tried, it said "No Tracks Available For Download".

-Marc.

Didn't you get a link from Radiant? They're the same exact tracks, same bitrate and everything from Mascot.  I compared them both when I got my emails.

[The Letter M]

I got my Vinyl LP in the mail from Radiant Records yesterday. The package looks beautiful, lovely gatefold and the insert sleeves look great, too!

I tried using my download code on Mascot's website but everytime I tried, it said "No Tracks Available For Download".

-Marc.

Didn't you get a link from Radiant? They're the same exact tracks, same bitrate and everything from Mascot.  I compared them both when I got my emails.

Nope. I'm talking about for the full album, not for the bonus tracks. The vinyls all come with a Download Card with a code on them to download the full album in digital format from Mascot's website, regardless of where you bought the LP from.

EDIT - I got an email earlier today from Mascot saying that my order with them has been "completed", which I guess means they've shipped it to me. I suppose I'll get it Monday or Tuesday. Looking forward to the t-shirt and poster with it, as well as that DVD!

-Marc.

[Mladen]

Well, it just topped their debut for me - this stuff is still growing! Cosmic symphony is just gorgeous, and so are The Fury of my love and Peaceful harbor. Mask machine grew on me as well, I'm still not sold on the chorus but the rest of the song is brilliant, it's got such a great attitude that I need to crank it up every time it comes on. As for the individual performance, everyone is amazing on here, but I'm still impressed with Casey the most, the guy has a fantastic voice.

It's so great to have a ''new'' band like this around these days, it will be very exciting to follow them as long as they keep doing this.

[KevShmev]

Yep, I really like this new one as well.  I like the fact that they didn't do another album just like the first one, while still retaining the catchy elements.  I wasn't sure about Mask Machine at first, but I couldn't get it out of my head all last night.  The last three songs really stand out as the best ones, IMO.  I don't like the end of Open Up Your Eyes that much (the last 55 seconds is waaaay too busy), but everything else about it I am really enjoying so far. 

[rumborak]

Mask Machine is the most enjoyable tune on the album for me. Don't care too much for the ballad, I think it's a bit too predictable.

[KevShmev]

Which ballad?  I think The Fury of My Love and Peaceful Harbor are both ballad-esque, and Lost Without You is a bit, as well.

[Nihil-Morari]

First listen, listening to the last epic right now. I like it, it needs to grow a lot, but I really think it will. I'll try not to overplay it as much as I did with the first album. The second half of the album was definitely better, as I recall it right now.

[The Letter M]

I got my Vinyl LP in the mail from Radiant Records yesterday. The package looks beautiful, lovely gatefold and the insert sleeves look great, too!

I tried using my download code on Mascot's website but everytime I tried, it said "No Tracks Available For Download".

-Marc.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand today, I got my SIGNED POSTER!!! Number 32 out of 200!

https://instagram.com/p/teK52zCh7F/

-Marc.

[Mindflux]

I got my Vinyl LP in the mail from Radiant Records yesterday. The package looks beautiful, lovely gatefold and the insert sleeves look great, too!

I tried using my download code on Mascot's website but everytime I tried, it said "No Tracks Available For Download".

-Marc.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand today, I got my SIGNED POSTER!!! Number 32 out of 200!

https://instagram.com/p/teK52zCh7F/

-Marc.

23 here for the poster.

I got my lp from mascot but no bonus dvd and the jacket corners are kind of bashed in.

[The Letter M]

I got my Vinyl LP in the mail from Radiant Records yesterday. The package looks beautiful, lovely gatefold and the insert sleeves look great, too!

I tried using my download code on Mascot's website but everytime I tried, it said "No Tracks Available For Download".

-Marc.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand today, I got my SIGNED POSTER!!! Number 32 out of 200!

https://instagram.com/p/teK52zCh7F/

-Marc.

23 here for the poster.

I got my lp from mascot but no bonus dvd and the jacket corners are kind of bashed in.

That sucks. Mine LP from Radiant is practically perfect in every way, except maybe a bit of denting at the top of the front half of the gatefold cover due to the vinyl pushing up against it. No other flaws to report, really.

And that sucks that you didn't get the DVD. Did you email Mascot? They're usually pretty quick about getting back to you on that kind of stuff. They sent me another poster from FC's Live In Europe when my first one came all messed up and wrinkly. Did you check the LP itself to see if the DVD hadn't been packed inside the cover?

-Marc.

[As I Am]

GREAT album and I wish that JP would give a listen to Steve Morse play on this album and remember back during the FII/SFAM days, when he played with emotion and spirituality. I've really missed that with his playing since and the constant mind numbing shredding that has become his signature. He stood out for me when he played with more emotion.

[Sycsa]

GREAT album and I wish that JP would give a listen to Steve Morse play on this album and remember back during the FII/SFAM days, when he played with emotion and spirituality. I've really missed that with his playing since and the constant mind numbing shredding that has become his signature. He stood out for me when he played with more emotion.

I haven't heard the new Flying Colors album yet, but I really liked Steve's playing on the latest Deep Purple album, by far his most tasteful and fitting contribution to their discography, as opposed to some of the out-of-place shredding he occasionally indulged himself with before. I'm looking forward to hearing this one.

Regarding JP, shredding was always an essential component of his musical vocabulary and I find that there is plenty of 'emotion' in his more recent work as well, like the solos in Breaking all Illusions or The Best of Times.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

GREAT album and I wish that JP would give a listen to Steve Morse play on this album and remember back during the FII/SFAM days, when he played with emotion and spirituality. I've really missed that with his playing since and the constant mind numbing shredding that has become his signature. He stood out for me when he played with more emotion.

I'm sorry, but have you heard the solo section of Breaking All Illusions?

[KevShmev]

Without getting into that nonsense about JP (whose playing is still plenty emotional), I'll agree that Steve Morse's playing on Second Nature is pretty great.  Plenty of tasty solos.

[Mindflux]

And that sucks that you didn't get the DVD. Did you email Mascot? They're usually pretty quick about getting back to you on that kind of stuff. They sent me another poster from FC's Live In Europe when my first one came all messed up and wrinkly. Did you check the LP itself to see if the DVD hadn't been packed inside the cover?

-Marc.

I did email them, but I didn't check to see if the DVD was in the cover. I figured the shrink was put on by manufacturing so I don't think it's in there.

[RoeDent]

Happy release day to everyone in mainland Europe. We have to wait an extra week here in the UK.

[Mindflux]

Those that haven't bought the Live in Europe 3 LP set.. Radiant is blowing them out for $25. 

https://www.radiantrecords.com/products/444-flying-colors-live-in-europe.aspx

[Ben_Jamin]

Got my copy Saturday.  Haven't quite listened,  but so far its great.

[KevShmev]

I've listened enough now to where I can give a tentative order of preference:

1. One Love Forever (best Flying Colors song yet)
2. Cosmic Symphony (flows very well, plenty of great vocal melodies, and has several killer solos by Steve Morse)
3. Peaceful Harbor (gorgeous song, on all levels)
4. A Place in Your World (manages to sound very Neal Morse-ish, while still sounding more like Flying Colors than simply a Neal song)
5. Mask Machine (I wasn't sure about it at first, but it ended up being sneaky catchy, and rocking as heck)
6. Lost Without You (I could see this one moving up several spots very soon)
7. Open Up Your Eyes (love the vocal melodies and the proggy themes, but the arrangement sounds very copy and pasted, and I do not like the last 55 seconds much at all)
8. Bombs Away (good, solid tune)
9. The Fury of My Love (I like this song, even though Casey's vocal delivery on the verses is kind of strange, given the halting way he delivers some of the lines)

[The Letter M]

I was wondering if anyone has had enough time to listen to SN to rank the 9 songs against the 11 from the debut and rank all 20 in order?

I'll come up with mine sometime this week, but I figure I'd pose that question/challenge to everyone here.

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Peaceful Harbor may be their best song yet.

[KevShmev]

I've listened to the new one a ton since last week (and am still getting the physical copy this week), but I am not sure I could do a list like that already.  My ranking of the new ones is very early and tentative.  I don't remember ever ranking the songs from the first one, but I know that Infinite Fire, Everything Changes, Love Is What I'm Waiting For and Blue Ocean would be my favorites, and All Falls Down, Fool in My Heart and Shoulda Coulda Woulda would my bottom three.

[Nihil-Morari]

Before this album came out, I saw that their only show around here would be in Tilburg, which will no doubt be awesome, but since I didn't have any expectations for this record I never bothered to order tickets. Now, the album's great, my NM fandom has grew to an all time high, and I'm trying to buy tickets. Not even is this sold out. But I've got a gig myself, some sort of politician-get-together, I get to be the background pianist. Dammit. 

[rumborak]

Stream is down I take it?

[ronnibran]

I got this in the mail and am SO glad I ordered it.  I didn't really care for their first release, but heard Mask Machine and thought it had promise, so I ordered it.  Honestly, since receiving the cd I haven't even listened to Mask Machine much even.  There's so many good songs!!!

The standouts for me...  Cosmic Symphony is hands down my favorite FC song.  The last section is simply brilliant!  Peaceful Harbor is another great surprise.  So unique (at least to me) and so beautiful.  A Place in Your World and Open Up Your Eyes round out the rest of my favorites. 

In addition to the great songs, I am loving the music side of things.  Some friggen awesome guitar solos, and some bass guitar solos that are just pure awesomeness you don't hear many places.

Good year to be a Neal fan for sure.  TA's latest is BY FAR my favorite TA album, and now this...  Can't wait to see what Neal Morse Band churns out.

[RoeDent]

The stream may be down now, but the teaser that the band have put up on Youtube contains my favourite bit of Bombs Away (the verse), so it's all good.

[The Letter M]

Question, although I'm fairly certain of my answer - there's a "Deluxe Edition" floating around mp3 download sites like iTunes and Amazon that includes two bonus tracks (of which you can purchase separately, like I did late last night), both are acoustic versions of songs on the album ("The Fury Of My Love" and "Peaceful Harbor"). Now, is there a PHYSICAL version of this Deluxe edition? Or is it purely digital?

I only ask because I ordered the CD from the band's label's store, Mascot Records, and their tracklists only show the standard edition for every CD option. Not that I'm complaining much since I already bought the bonus tracks, but I was just wondering if there was a CD with those tracks on it.

-Marc.

[bosk1]

https://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=let%27s+get+physical+images

[The Letter M]

https://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=let%27s+get+physical+images

Gotta get physical, Bosk.

-M.

[Tom Bombadil]

Would it be worth it to see these guys live for about $60?

[Nick]

Would it be worth it to see these guys live for about $60?

When they first toured it was a no brainer, it was a great lineup and a solid album you pretty much knew they'd be playing in full. And while I enjoyed their show something about how it came across made it seem... sterile. I don't know how to describe it, but it just didn't seem to come across live as well as it should have. That said they are playing closer to me (and not in NYC) this time around and in a great venue, and so I paid the $50 to see this without issue. That said, chances are they will be playing the new album in full or nearly so, so I'd judge a lot around how you like it.

[The Letter M]

Would it be worth it to see these guys live for about $60?

When they first toured it was a no brainer, it was a great lineup and a solid album you pretty much knew they'd be playing in full. And while I enjoyed their show something about how it came across made it seem... sterile. I don't know how to describe it, but it just didn't seem to come across live as well as it should have. That said they are playing closer to me (and not in NYC) this time around and in a great venue, and so I paid the $50 to see this without issue. That said, chances are they will be playing the new album in full or nearly so, so I'd judge a lot around how you like it.

I see them playing BOTH albums in full, really. With 2 hours of music, and possibly a 2.5 hour show, they have the room for both albums. Perhaps they could do some re-arrangements of songs from the first album, or play a couple of them in an acoustic format. Or they could throw in some solo spots before/after/in the middle of songs from the first album, so they're not exactly as they were on the first live tour/album.

Either way, I would like them to play both albums if possible, and maybe two or three covers to fill out the set. And I just hope they record a show for future release. I'd love to go see them this weekend, but I'm already busy/poor.

-Marc.

[rumborak]

When they first toured it was a no brainer, it was a great lineup and a solid album you pretty much knew they'd be playing in full. And while I enjoyed their show something about how it came across made it seem... sterile.

I know what you mean, and yeah, the concert was a bit flat in that sense. I actually mostly blamed Casey for that, he felt out of place at times.

[theanalogkid7]

This album is fantastic.  I was listening to the last two tracks on the drive home and, wow, it was an experience.