The Official Flying Colors Thread

[Nekov]

Hey, don't judge the guys if they want to make dance music! This prog forum is so close minded sometimes....

[axeman90210]

they were just inspired by Permanating!

[KevShmev]

Has anyone heard anything about the next album and a possible tour.....

No.

I don't have the links, but Neal said in several interviews this year that a 3rd Flying Colors record is now not a certainty.  I am not counting on anything else from them again any time soon, if ever. 

[SwedishGoose]

Has anyone heard anything about the next album and a possible tour.....

No.

I don't have the links, but Neal said in several interviews this year that a 3rd Flying Colors record is now not a certainty.  I am not counting on anything else from them again any time soon, if ever.

Haven't they been working with it since at least December 2016.... on and off?

[Mladen]

I wouldn't be surprised if they threw in the towell due to conflicting schedules. Maybe they tried to make it work and just couldn't find time.

[Fritzinger]

I wouldn't be surprised if they threw in the towell due to conflicting schedules. Maybe they tried to make it work and just couldn't find time.

So they could wait and see if it will work another time instead of calling it quits? They don't have to release anything right now.

But we'll see 

[Mladen]

What if the waiting is already two years long? It actually has been quite some time since the last tour. 

[KevShmev]

Haven't they been working with it since at least December 2016.... on and off?

I thought they did a little work on it, but then it got put on the backburner.

I wouldn't be surprised if they threw in the towell due to conflicting schedules. Maybe they tried to make it work and just couldn't find time.

That, and I got the feeling that they thought the band would reach a wider audience due to how accessible the first album was, but it didn't seem to work out that way, unfortunately.  I think had the band sold more records and drew bigger crowds, working on a new album would be much more of a priority.

[SwedishGoose]

Well for me personally I would much rather that Mike put his time into Flying Colours than Sons of Apollo. I think I read somewhere that he would have time for both NMB and FC during 2018 even though the "whole" year was devoted to SOA touring.

[The Walrus]

Well for me personally I would much rather that Mike put his time into Flying Colours than Sons of Apollo. I think I read somewhere that he would have time for both NMB and FC during 2018 even though the "whole" year was devoted to SOA touring.

+1... gimme more Flying Colors. They're more prog than SoA is... and better!

[DTA]

My interest in FC waned as soon as I heard Open Up Your Eyes. Sounds exactly like a NMB/TA song and I know it’s only going to get worse if a third album ever comes out. FC is just better as a poppy band with some prog tendencies.

[gzarruk]

Well for me personally I would much rather that Mike put his time into Flying Colours than Sons of Apollo. I think I read somewhere that he would have time for both NMB and FC during 2018 even though the "whole" year was devoted to SOA touring.

+1... gimme more Flying Colors. They're more prog than SoA is... and better!

Indeed! But with Casey busy touring with TSW (and, maybe joining if Daniel can't clear his schedule), Steve Morse doing the Dregs reunion tour, Neal with the new NMB album, and Portnoy doing that plus SOA (who are supposed to write a new album at the end of the year), there's no way FC is a priority for them. And what bothers me is that Mike still brags about being in many bands at the same time. Yes, you're technically part of many bands, but half of them are either dead or inactive for an indefinite time (TA, FC, TWD), so it isn't entirely true, is it?

[RoeDent]

Well for me personally I would much rather that Mike put his time into Flying Colours than Sons of Apollo. I think I read somewhere that he would have time for both NMB and FC during 2018 even though the "whole" year was devoted to SOA touring.

+1... gimme more Flying Colors. They're more prog than SoA is... and better!

+2. By far and away the best post-DT band Portnoy's been involved with. And I don't get how FC apparently sounding like other NM/MP bands is a problem. TA is amazing, so more of that should not be a problem at all. Also, Trewavas doesn't do slap, so there's a FC-unique element.

[jammindude]

Well for me personally I would much rather that Mike put his time into Flying Colours than Sons of Apollo. I think I read somewhere that he would have time for both NMB and FC during 2018 even though the "whole" year was devoted to SOA touring.

+1... gimme more Flying Colors. They're more prog than SoA is... and better!

+2. By far and away the best post-DT band Portnoy's been involved with. And I don't get how FC apparently sounding like other NM/MP bands is a problem. TA is amazing, so more of that should not be a problem at all. Also, Trewavas doesn't do slap, so there's a FC-unique element.

+3

Flying Colors are now (for me) the bar that all other MP projects are measured against, and probably the main reason I walked away disappointed from SOA.  I really wish FC was a full time gig for everyone involved.

[MinistroRaven]

I wouldn hold hopes about a third FC
Bill Evans posted a photo the other day working on new music with the following message:

What's the best thing after a gruelling workout? Working on  new music with Steve Morse, Dave LaRue, and friends. Especially sweet using the new SpectraLayers, which Robin and I designed for it!

Someone asked him if it was FC and he said:

Different project.

[KevShmev]

+2. By far and away the best post-DT band Portnoy's been involved with. And I don't get how FC apparently sounding like other NM/MP bands is a problem. TA is amazing, so more of that should not be a problem at all. Also, Trewavas doesn't do slap, so there's a FC-unique element.

More prog by Neal/Portnoy is not the problem, but given that we've already got Transatlantic and Neal Morse Band, it was nice for them to have a project that was more about catchy songs without the self-indulgent prog. Even the one prog song on the debut, Infinite Fire, was not a wankfest by any means. Then the second album came out and we got that ending to Open Up Your Eyes, which is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping they would avoid with Flying Colors.  If they are going to make Flying Colors sound like TA or NMB, then what is the point of Flying Colors?  The same style with just a couple of different players? 

[Adami]

Did anyone listen to the second album past the first song? It’s awesome.

I just deleted the opening song on my IPod and it’s a great album.

[KevShmev]

For sure, I do like the second album a lot.  Bombs Away is a total dud, but everything else is at least good, and the majority is very good. The first album just has a vibe and a magic to it that they failed to recapture on the second.

[Adami]

For sure, I do like the second album a lot.  Bombs Away is a total dud, but everything else is at least good, and the majority is very good. The first album just has a vibe and a magic to it that they failed to recapture on the second.

I can see that. I like Bombs Away, though it's not amazing.

I also didn't like the super Beatles songs they did on the first album that everyone else seemed to love.

[The Walrus]

I don't like those songs either. I don't like Kayla either. I like the second album a lot more just because of A Place In Your World and (especially) Peaceful Harbor.

[King Postwhore]

I don't like those songs either. I don't like Kayla either. I like the second album a lot more just because of A Place In Your World and (especially) Peaceful Harbor.

Placed in concussion protocol. 

[The Walrus]

I don't like those songs either. I don't like Kayla either. I like the second album a lot more just because of A Place In Your World and (especially) Peaceful Harbor.

Placed in concussion protocol. 

The chorus is so annoying! I'm also just not crazy about Casey's voice. 

[KevShmev]

Medic!!

[Stadler]

I don't like those songs either. I don't like Kayla either. I like the second album a lot more just because of A Place In Your World and (especially) Peaceful Harbor.

Dude, Kayla and The Storm are the highlights of the album, and maybe the band to me.  Those choruses in Kayla are killer, and the drums in The Storm are top five Portnoy for me.

[The Walrus]

I don't like those songs either. I don't like Kayla either. I like the second album a lot more just because of A Place In Your World and (especially) Peaceful Harbor.

Dude, Kayla and The Storm are the highlights of the album, and maybe the band to me.  Those choruses in Kayla are killer, and the drums in The Storm are top five Portnoy for me.

I don't think the drums are anything special, but The Storm does kick ass. Kayla? Bah! Bah, I say!

[gzarruk]

I also didn't like the super Beatles songs they did on the first album that everyone else seemed to love.

This. I never listen to those songs on the first album, and, to me, Second Nature is much better overrall, but I agree with the idea that it shouldn't be similar sounding to NMB or TA, because it would be pointless to have FC as another band.

Oh and, btw, The Storm and Kayla are two of the best FC songs, by far!

[Lethean]

I agree with Kattelox.

[RoeDent]

but I agree with the idea that it shouldn't be similar sounding to NMB or TA, because it would be pointless to have FC as another band.

But it doesn't sound similar to them at all, because TA and NMB don't have Steve Morse, Dave LaRue or Casey McPherson in them. This is like saying Liquid Tension Experiment is pointless because Dream Theater exist. No band's existence is pointless, ever.

[Fritzinger]

but I agree with the idea that it shouldn't be similar sounding to NMB or TA, because it would be pointless to have FC as another band.

But it doesn't sound similar to them at all, because TA and NMB don't have Steve Morse, Dave LaRue or Casey McPherson in them. This is like saying Liquid Tension Experiment is pointless because Dream Theater exist. No band's existence is pointless, ever.

That's true, but I still kinda agree with DTA. While Open Up Your Eyes is still a great song, I wish they would have completely stayed with the initial pop approach. Open... could have been performed by any other band involving Neal.

[Nekov]

Both albums are good but as people pointed out, the first one was really special. I think it's been mentioned before that the fact they had an external producer for the first one made a big difference both in sound and in preventing it from being a prog wankfest.

[Stadler]

I don't like those songs either. I don't like Kayla either. I like the second album a lot more just because of A Place In Your World and (especially) Peaceful Harbor.

Dude, Kayla and The Storm are the highlights of the album, and maybe the band to me.  Those choruses in Kayla are killer, and the drums in The Storm are top five Portnoy for me.

I don't think the drums are anything special, but The Storm does kick ass. Kayla? Bah! Bah, I say!

I just love how Mike mirrors the lyrics in the chorus; echoing the frenzy of the storm itself:

The storm... We will dance as it breaks (BAP, BAP, BAP...)
The storm... It will give as it takes (BAP, BAP, BAP...)

Then the calm as the love part of the metaphor kicks in:
And all of our pain is washed away (boom boom, BAP, boom boom, BAP...)
Don't cry or be afraid (boom, boom, BAP, boom, boom, BAP...)
Some things only can be made... in the storm

[Fritzinger]

I don't like those songs either. I don't like Kayla either. I like the second album a lot more just because of A Place In Your World and (especially) Peaceful Harbor.

Dude, Kayla and The Storm are the highlights of the album, and maybe the band to me.  Those choruses in Kayla are killer, and the drums in The Storm are top five Portnoy for me.

I don't think the drums are anything special, but The Storm does kick ass. Kayla? Bah! Bah, I say!

I just love how Mike mirrors the lyrics in the chorus; echoing the frenzy of the storm itself:

The storm... We will dance as it breaks (BAP, BAP, BAP...)
The storm... It will give as it takes (BAP, BAP, BAP...)

Then the calm as the love part of the metaphor kicks in:
And all of our pain is washed away (boom boom, BAP, boom boom, BAP...)
Don't cry or be afraid (boom, boom, BAP, boom, boom, BAP...)
Some things only can be made... in the storm

Okay that's it. I haven't heard this album in years. And just ordered it on vinyl via Amazon for 19€ (including shipping) 

[DTA]

Both albums are good but as people pointed out, the first one was really special. I think it's been mentioned before that the fact they had an external producer for the first one made a big difference both in sound and in preventing it from being a prog wankfest.

The lack of producer is problematic because then everything winds up being recorded by the same engineer, in the same studio, by the same production team (MP/NM), with the same instruments that makes every album end up sounding the same. Second Nature honestly sounds like any one of Morse's solo albums from a sonic perspective and having tracks like Open Up Your Eyes completely destroyed any sense of a full band composition rather than yet another NM/MP composition. To be fair, Cosmic Symphony is a longer track that is really well done and A Place In Your World and Peaceful Harbor are incredible songs so they did retain some sense of their initial vision. but Open... is just a disaster.

[Fritzinger]

Both albums are good but as people pointed out, the first one was really special. I think it's been mentioned before that the fact they had an external producer for the first one made a big difference both in sound and in preventing it from being a prog wankfest.

The lack of producer is problematic because then everything winds up being recorded by the same engineer, in the same studio, by the same production team (MP/NM), with the same instruments that makes every album end up sounding the same. Second Nature honestly sounds like any one of Morse's solo albums from a sonic perspective and having tracks like Open Up Your Eyes completely destroyed any sense of a full band composition rather than yet another NM/MP composition. To be fair, Cosmic Symphony is a longer track that is really well done and A Place In Your World and Peaceful Harbor are incredible songs so they did retain some sense of their initial vision. but Open... is just a disaster.

I wouldn't say it's a disaster. I think it's still la great song! But played by the wrong band. I think people would have loved it, had it been played by the Neal Morse Band.

I think, next to Peaceful Harbour, my favorite song on Second Nature is Lost Without You. Great harmonies, great arrangements (the strings in the chorus), great backing vocals. Love the back and forth thing in the chorus:
Cause I'm - loooooooost (yeeees I'm looohohost)
Without - yoooouuuuu (Wiiithouut yooouuuu)
And Steve plays one awesome guitar solo.

[ytserush]

Probably have said this before but for me the first album is pretty evenly good while the second has songs that are better than the first album and songs that clearly aren't.

 I realize nobody is going to get rich off of a third Flying Colors album and tour but I sure like to be able to enjoy it should it happen when things settle down for those involved somewhere down the road.