Top 50 Most-Played Albums on my iPod

[The Letter M]

So I figured instead of ranking things, I'd do something that's a bit more statistical in nature, as only my self-diagnosed OCD would allow... So I'll do this in groups of 5 and start from the lowest of the 50 and do some short little write-ups as to why they're on the list and what makes me play them so much!

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean this is how much I love these albums, as I listen to music in my car or computer and obviously my iPod doesn't count those plays, but the albums listed are a fair representation of where I would rank them based on plays alone, so this list will likely be skewed because of that fact. I've also only had my 80g iPod Classic for about 6 years now, and after a couple of resets and memory-wipes, the data in this ranking only comes from the last 4 years.

50. Vapor Trails by Rush (68 Plays) - This was the band's first new album when I became a fan of them, and it started a whole journey that would eventually lead to me discovering every other band further up this list. Rush was (and still is) my favorite band, rock, prog or otherwise, and this album, when it came out, was played to death in my CD players. It's been so played it's got scratches and wear-marks on it, but I've been hoping for a remaster/re-release to replace it, but no such luck. This album will always have a special place in my heart and it's ironic that it begins exactly at 50 on this list!

49. Stardust We Are by The Flower Kings (71 Plays) - After going through many reviews and suggestions about this band, I went with this album as my first purchase. I wasn't big into double albums at the time (being that I only had two prior to this - Genesis' Lamb and Yes' Tales), so I was weary about this behemoth of an album, but in the end, I loved every second of it. The epic title track blew me away, but it wasn't just that - it was the near 2 hours of music that preceded it that built up to it, it was a huge climax and the pay off was much bigger having listened to the whole album. Definitely a Top 3 TFK album, and worthy of being in any Top 50.

48. Awake by Dream Theater (74 Plays) - The reason why we're all here, this band was suggested to me after having dived into all things Rush, however this album was NOT the first one I bought or listened to by them, but it was in the first few! It took me awhile to warm up to this album, particularly the first three tracks, but the suite "A Mind Beside Itself" really stuck to me, as did the last three tracks. After a couple years, I grew to appreciate, like, and love the album as a whole, knowing more about it's history and how it sits in the timeline of DT albums.

47. Testimony by Neal Morse (74 Plays) - Neal's break-out prog solo album after quitting both Spock's Beard and Transatlantic is a doozy of a double album, and like many double albums, it's got it's lovers and it's haters, who often cry "FILLER". I mean, it's a concept album that tells an autobiographical story - and like all biographical stories, there's bound to be lulls and dull spots, even ones set to music, but I came to this one with fresh and open ears, and so everything fits together for me. Sure there are TRACKS I can't even name to you, or what they sound like, but if you love a whole movie, do you remember every line in the film? I don't, but I do recall the experience and the feelings it gave me, and this album is like that. Full of emotion and feeling, and it always lifts me up when I need to be.

46. Testimony 2 by Neal Morse (76 Plays) - Naturally, when the sequel to Neal's Testimony came out last year, I caught up in terms of plays, and made a playlist of the 2 albums together, creating a 200+ minute playlist of 42 tracks that chronicle Neal's story. This album took what was great about the first one and amp'd it up a notch or two. Arguably one of Neal's best works, this definitely deserves a place here. This was truly a worthy successor to the first Testimony, and the 2nd disc was icing on an already delicious cake. Those 3 tracks on Disc 2 are so good, they even have more plays than the main album, especially "Seeds Of Gold". Normally I play whole albums together, even ones with separate/bonus discs, but in this case, I made an exception since "Seeds Of Gold" is so good!

Thanks for reading and following, for those who will, and I'll post the next 5 tomorrow night!

-Marc.

[Cedar redaC]

Cool idea dude!

[Jiangsu]

Very much enjoyed reading, and will look forward to the next instalment.

[lonestar]

That's a very solid first five there.

[ReaperKK]

Very cool idea, I've only heard two of those albums but I'll keep an eye out for the rest of the list.

[jingle.boy]

Following.  Ingenious way of changing the rules slightly, and thus not having to wait in the Top 50 line.   

Solid 5 albums to start.  When you quantify your plays, have you played each track that number of times, is it a max/min, or is that the sum total of the plays from all the tracks?  Just curious.

[PuffyPat]

I enjoy music listening statistics (last.fm is the cause for this), so I will definitely be following.

Good records by the way.

[Elite]

So, is this the number of times the tracks themselves have been played? So the play count would be the cumulative number of all the tracks or have you actually listened to those albums in full for 70+ times?

[The Letter M]

Regarding questions in terms of number of plays - I listen to my albums top-to-bottom, so when I cite "# Plays", it's for each track of a whole album. Typically if I have to stop listening to an album for any reason, I'll pick it back up later and complete the listen. I hate have incomplete numbers, they all must be the same!

I do have a FEW exceptions, though, like the aforementioned Testimony 2 Disc 2, where those three tracks have about 20 more plays than the main album, but there's only one more incident like that in the rest of the list!

-Marc.

[Ryzee]

My father is named Marc, and he loves Neal Morse/Transatlantic and everything related like DT, Flower Kings, etc.  In fact- Dad?  Is that you?


Anyway, whether you're secretly my dad or not, cool idea for a thread!

[The Letter M]

My father is named Marc, and he loves Neal Morse/Transatlantic and everything related like DT, Flower Kings, etc.  In fact- Dad?  Is that you?


Anyway, whether you're secretly my dad or not, cool idea for a thread!

  Well, just to be clear, no, I am NOT your father, but your father does have good taste in music! As a hint, there will be more music as you've named on the rest of this list!

-Marc.

[senecadawg2]

Cool idea, I'll be following

[King Postwhore]

I own all 5.  Following!

[The Letter M]

So I figured I would go ahead and do two updates a day on this one just to knock them out, so here is the next five!

45. Moving Pictures by Rush (77 Plays) - More Rush, and this time, it's their classic eighth album. I really don't have much to say about this album other than that it's great, but that really speaks for itself. You've got a side of hits, and a side of more experimental songs, but 7 songs that are undoubtedly Rush! Top-notch playing and lyrics, fueled by a rising fanbase at the time, this is an album that will never get old for me.

44. Signals by Rush (79 Plays) - However, the album that followed Moving Pictures would take things up a notch. The use of keyboards really intrigues me on this album, and the opening song really spoke me. "Subdivisions" a Top 20 Rush song for me, and the rest of the album is pretty great, especially the never-played-live "Losing It". Initially, I hadn't liked songs like "Chemistry" or "Countdown", and even "The Weapon", but as the years have gone by, I've grown to love the whole album (as is usually the case). This was an interesting transitional album for them, one that would mark the rise of keyboards and a slight change in their sound, and it's this album that begins a journey that will lead to other albums that will be further up this list!

43. Keystudio by Yes (81 Plays) - Of all the Yes albums to come out in the 90's, this is my most played and most loved (and yes I know these songs TECHNICALLY weren't an album, but they did get released in 96/97). The material comes from the same line-up that made Tales From Topographic Oceans and Going For The One (as well as Tormato), so there's a lot going for it based on that alone! But the songs are well done, and the production is good. It was a shame these songs weren't initially released as a full album in 1997, because had they been, the history of the band since then might have been really different. The 2 side-long epics are worth it alone, but the shorter songs like "Footprints" and "Be The One" are stellar too. I first went into this album expecting another "Tales", but when I learned more about the history of the band, I knew not to expect that anymore, and thus, have come to appreciate these 7 songs for what they are, and how they fit in the over-all history of Yes.

42. Whirld Tour 2010: Live In London by Transatlantic (81 Plays) - Here's a rare case of a LIVE album being in this list, but this is only ONE of TWO that will show up! Being only about 2 years old, this album quickly grew to be one of my favorite live albums of all time - you've got the entire "Whirlwind", as well as all 3 of their other super long epics, plus their 2 shorter ballads, extended and expanded by other performers. It's just an amazing show, and they take the songs to a higher level on this album, especially the longer-than-usual version of "We All Need Some Light"! The epics are on fire, though, and I appreciate the little covers they throw in here and there. And the performance of "Bridge Across Forever" is truly tear-inducing, very emotional and touching. This will undoubtedly be on this list for years to come!

41. The Sum Of No Evil by The Flower Kings (81 Plays) - This was the band's last studio album for nearly five years before going on an unexpected hiatus, and with good reason. Some fans felt this album was derivative of their prior works, and bringing back Zoltan on the drums only cemented that feeling for some, but for me, this album was a HIT, especially after Paradox Hotel, which was quite a different TFK album than anything they had done before. After visiting the hotel, they took the road back home and made an album that sounded familiar, but to me they went harder on this album (a trend that continued on to Banks Of Eden). Some of the themes were heavier and darker, and I liked it for that reason. There's a lot of great playing on this album and while many TFK fans rank this album in their lower tiers (with the likes of Rainmaker and Adam & Eve), it's in my Top-half of TFK albums.

More to come tonight, and FYI, more from many of the same artists/bands already listed! (But I'm sure you all could have guessed that  )

-Marc.

[wasteland]

I'm following this, -Marc. 

You really are a big Rush fan, it seems! And I cannot but agree on what you say about the TA Live album. The extended version of WANSL, the killer setlist and the perfect venue really brought it up a notch above most other live DVDs!

Just a curiosity, how much do you listen to music daily?

[King Postwhore]

Jeez Marc, I have and listen to all of these as well!

[The Letter M]

Just a curiosity, how much do you listen to music daily?

If I am at work, I listen to music there as I have some on my computer there. If I am at home and generally doing nothing much, I will always have music playing on my iPod dock. I pretty much live and breathe music, so unless I am being social with other people, or at work, I'll be listening to music!

Jeez Marc, I have and listen to all of these as well!

  Let's see how well you keep up in the remaining 40!!!

-Marc.

[jingle.boy]

Just a curiosity, how much do you listen to music daily?

If I am at work, I listen to music there as I have some on my computer there. If I am at home and generally doing nothing much, I will always have music playing on my iPod dock. I pretty much live and breathe music, so unless I am being social with other people, or at work, I'll be listening to music!

Jeez Marc, I have and listen to all of these as well!

  Let's see how well you keep up in the remaining 40!!!

-Marc.

Uuuuhhhhh same here, but I have nowhere near as many listens to any albums.  My highest (according to my last.fm) is in the 70 range, and that's just one album.  Next is in the 40 range.  Mind you, I only started scrobbling Sept of last year.

Still though, 80+ listens of something that's only been around for 2 years or so  .  How deep is your library?  I find myself jumping all over the place, and discovering a boatload of new shit.

[The Letter M]

Uuuuhhhhh same here, but I have nowhere near as many listens to any albums.  My highest (according to my last.fm) is in the 70 range, and that's just one album.  Next is in the 40 range.  Mind you, I only started scrobbling Sept of last year.

Still though, 80+ listens of something that's only been around for 2 years or so  .  How deep is your library?  I find myself jumping all over the place, and discovering a boatload of new shit.

I have nearly 9000 songs on my iPod, and for the last couple years, it's been nearly full to capacity, so much so that I have to pull off music I don't listen to anymore to make room for new stuff!

I do jump all over the place every now and then, although I do tend to find myself listening to two or three bands at a time for a few weeks/couple months, then I move on to a couple other different artists. It really depends on my mood, the seasons, and what I generally feel like at the time - although sometimes it depends on if that band/artist has a new album coming out. I'll generally "gear up" for the new release by listening to the band a couple weeks/a month before the new album, then for about the same amount of time afterwards. I get slightly obsessed

-Marc.

[wolfking]

Fucking love Signals, so underrated.

[Unlegit]

Great list so far!

[ColdFireYYZ]

Cool idea!! I'm following. Signals is my second favorite Rush album, after PeW, so good call on that one.

I thought I was obsessed with music, but over 80 plays for a triple live album That's over 10 days of listening!

[The Letter M]

40. Tales From Topographic Oceans by Yes (83 Plays) - The epic double album by Yes, with four monstrous side-length epics. This took me quite a long time to get in to, as far as double albums go. I think the fact that it was four songs rather than four collections of songs spread over four sides of vinyl (like The Lamb) made it harder to digest. When I was a fledgling progger 8 years ago, songs over 10 minutes long were still tough for me, but 20?! I think between this album, the songs "Close To The Edge", "Supper's Ready", "2112" and "Hemispheres", I grew to love (and now crave) side-long epics. As for TFTO, the opening and closing tracks are my favorite, but the other two have their moments. Not my FAVORITE Yes albums by any means, but it sits in my Top 5.

39. The Light by Spock's Beard (83 Plays) - SB's debut album is my least played SB album, but by no means is it not great! I just find more enjoyable music in every album that came after it (yes, even the Nick-era ones that AREN'T X). However, as debut albums from 90's prog bands go, this is a pretty great one! Three epics and a short pop-rocker, this laid the groundwork for the SB sound and formula, and brought Neal into the limelight of the prog world. And it's for that fact that I hold this album in high regard. One of the strongest debuts (right up there with Kansas's debut, another American Prog band) for a prog rock band, and one of my favorites.

38. Adam & Eve by The Flower Kings (85 Plays) - Here's a more or less unusual culprit, and considering all the music that TFK have put out, it's odd that I find it here, but over the years, I have come to like the whole thing. Not being a double album helps it's cause, they really did trim this one down a bit and you can get a sense that the material was a bit more focused this time around. And while many TFK fans dislike it for one reason or another, I think it's concise and the large line-up on the album helps it instead of hurting it (which some might have felt). The addition of Daniel Gildenlow as a 'full-time member' here helps differentiate the music from it's predecessors through his input. Definitely good, and definitely not at the bottom of my TFK pile!

37. Live In Europe by Transatlantic (86 Plays) - Here is the only other live album on this list, and of course, it's Transatlantic! Before the EPIC Whirld Tour 2010 release, this was it - the key live album by the band. It featured the 3 longest songs from their 2nd album, as well as the 2 epics from their first album! I LOVE the clever cover-integration of the Abbey Road songs with "Suite Charlotte Pike", especially where Pete Trewavas gets to shine with a bass solo! The whole band fires on all cylinders on this performance, and each of the 6 songs are played with inexplicable power and virtuosity! Definitely one of my top 10 live albums of all time! And oddly enough, another album that featured Daniel Gildenlow! What a great addition to the band!

36. Hold Your Fire by Rush (87 Plays) - The album that marks the end of an era for Rush, the 80's Synth Period/their 3rd phase, and also their last studio album with Mercury! Of the 4 80's albums in this grouping, this was the one that I had the most mixed feelings upon at first, but I also grew to love it really fast! Lots of amazing tracks on here ("Force Ten", "Time Stand Still", "Prime Mover", "Lock And Key" and "Mission"), with the only 'stinkers' being the last two tracks, but even after years and years of listening to this album, I've come to at least appreciate "Tai Shan" and "High Water". And while many group this album with Power Windows, I prefer that album over this one. However, this is still a fairly solid album, at least compared to what would come after it. The high amount of synths may turn some fans off, but I love synths and keyboards, and I felt their use on this album had reached the tipping point, so I'm glad they turned back when they did with Presto, but it's that push-to-the-edge experimentation from Geddy that makes me enjoy this album a bit more!

After this batch, we reach albums with 90+ plays, which I'll put 5 more tomorrow morning/afternoon!

-Marc.

[ColdFireYYZ]

Tales still hasn't entirely clicked with me yet, though I do enjoy it. The Light is excellent and Hold Your Fire is very underrated. Haven't heard the other 2 yet.

[Cedar redaC]

I only have Hold Your Fire, but they Yes album particularly interests me. The only Yes album I have is Fragile. They all seem like albums I need to check out.

[The Letter M]

Tales still hasn't entirely clicked with me yet, though I do enjoy it. The Light is excellent and Hold Your Fire is very underrated. Haven't heard the other 2 yet.

Tales took me YEARS, so be patient with it, and it'll be patient with you. I find that the middle of the album goes through a bit of a lull, but if you have a good and wide attention span, you can focus in on it and find something you'll enjoy.

And yes, HYF is underrated, but then again, it's hard to make a great follow-up to a great album like POW.

-Marc.

[King Postwhore]

Ok. I'm 15 for 15.  Bring it on Marc!

[Unlegit]

5 more great picks 

[The Letter M]

Ok. I'm 15 for 15.  Bring it on Marc!

  Considering our seemingly similar tastes in music, you'll likely have nearly all, if not all of the albums on my list! Now I want to get through this just to see which ones you DON'T have! haha

5 more great picks 

Thanks!

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

35. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater (91 Plays) - DT's only double album, and it just happens to my favorite. If anyone recalls the 5 Favorite Albums thread here, my entire list was filled with double albums! Well, in the case of SDOIT, for me, more IS more, and the whole album is the epitome of Dream Theater music! Everything from the heavy "The Glass Prison", to beautiful piano in "Blind Faith" and "Disappear", to the entire 2nd disc suite...when I first listened to this album, it blew me away! I think I can safely say that this was the album that turned me from casual fan to crazed fanatic!

34. Fragile by Yes (92 Plays) - Another timeless classic prog album, I've made a playlist of this album that includes "America", just to expand on the album (as if it were vinyl):
Total - 51:56

Side 1 - 25:59
 1. "Roundabout" – 8:36
 2. "Five Per Cent For Nothing" – 0:38
 3. "Long Distance Runaround" – 3:30
 4. "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" – 2:42
 5. "America" – 10:33

Side 2 - 25:57
 6. "We Have Heaven" - 1:40
 7. "South Side Of The Sky" – 7:58
 8. "Cans And Brahms" – 1:43
 9. "Mood For A Day" – 3:03
10. "Heart Of The Sunrise" – 11:33

It's even more conceptual now that Side 3 opens with "We Have Heaven", and it closes with it with the snippet you hear after "Heart Of The Sunrise", which is my favorite track on the album, with "South Side Of The Sky" right after, and "America" shows, STILL, just what Yes can do with a cover! Of course, "Roundabout" is always good (but one can be burnt out on it with all of it's appearances on live DVD, of which I have PLENTY), and of the solo tracks, "Mood For A Day" stands out for me, and I'm not even a guitar player! The other solo tracks are clever, but the Fish is more interesting, mostly because of it's connection to "Long Distance Runaround". Definitely a favorite Yes album, but still not my most played one...

33. Fly From Here by Yes (93 Plays) - ...especially since this album had caught up in plays since it came out last year! Yes, I was one of the seemingly 50% of fans that truly enjoyed FFH when it came out! Being a huge fan of Drama, this album was like that revisited, only with modern sounds and production. The opening suite is well done, and if you can go into it without expecting "Close To The Edge" or "The Gates Of Delirium", then you can possibly appreciate it more, and for what it is. Of the rest of the album, the last track is really really good, and I only listen to the album with the FULL version of "Hour Of Need", which is a MUCH better song than the album version (and why they cut it, I'll never know, but it was stupid to do so). Definitely in my Top Half of Yes albums, but still not my most played Yes album on this list...

32. Snakes & Arrows by Rush (93 Plays) - Like Vapor Trails, here's another latter-day Rush album that I've attached myself to greatly. I got in to Rush shortly after VT came out, so this was technically their first new full-length studio album to come out after I became a fanatic! At that time, I was already learning dozens of Rush songs on my drums, remembering lyrics and learning so much about the band's history, that when this album came out, I immediately LOVED it, especially the instrumental "The Main Monkey Business"! Within a week, I had learned the song by ear, and recorded me playing it after only practicing it over the course of a single day, and now it's posted on YouTube. I pretty much love every track on this album, but the run of first 6 songs is just killer, and not a bad one in the bunch. And normally, it's about half-way through the album where things go limp, but not in this case! "The Way The Wind Blows" and the duo of "Hope"/"Faithless" keep up the energy, and even the not-played-live tracks of "Bravest Face" and "Good News First" are pretty good, and don't sound like lackluster B-sides (that are often on the back-end of latter-day Rush albums). Even the closer is pretty good, for which they were hit-or-miss since "High Water". It seems Rush were honing their skills once more, and the progression from VT to S&A was amazing, but they would progress even further still...

31. Hemispheres by Rush (94 Plays) - And while I love 00's Rush, 70's Rush is still classic, and this is one of my favorite of the era! When I first got into Rush, this album amazed me. The opening side-long epic had so many meter changes, I spent weeks trying to figure them out on my own (well, I was only a fledgling progger at the time). The two shorter tracks are pretty good, though after awhile I was burnt out on "The Trees", it's still musically challenging, but the final song on the album, the instrumental "La Villa Strangiato", is what cemented my love for the band. Who else does a near 10 minute instrumental?! And one that is THIS good (and not a bunch of fiddly-diddly improvisation, either). There is so much intensity, even during the quiet section of "A Lerxst In Wonderland", and this is where you really see how powerful this power trio can really be. I took weeks learning the drum part to this song, and after I did, I often used it as a warm-up on my drums whenever I was going to practice (yes, a WARM-UP) because it's so demanding. The power, speed, accuracy, and concentration really helped me focus, and it was songs like this that really made Neil Peart my idol, influence, and inspiration on drums.

-Marc.

[King Postwhore]

No shock I have these 5 as well.  SDOIT is my favorite DT album and who doesn't love Fragile, and Hemispheres.  I like S&A a lot and Fly from here is good but not great.

[Unlegit]

5 more albums that I have!  I think I have all the albums you are going to list, not 100% sure though.

[TAC]

Intersting list and concept.
Vapor Trails..68 plays?? WOW!

[The Letter M]

Thanks everyone! This next batch doesn't have too many (or any?) surprises, especially if you know my tastes at all!

30. A Farewell To Kings by Rush (94 Plays) - Just like the previous album, this is another favorite of mine. I often listen to this album and Hemispheres together, and they so happen to fit onto one single CD-r, for easier listening! Before I had an iPod, this is how I listened to this album, and it worked so well having "Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres" follow right after "Cygnus X-1, Book I: The Voyage"! And besides the closing track, the first side is pretty amazing: the opening title track has just enough meter and tempo changes to keep ANY musicians busy for awhile, whilst "Xanadu" explores new territory for the band. They really amp'd up the PROG dial on this album (and the next). The shorter tracks are good, if a bit different for the band, especially "Madrigal", but in the context of the album, I enjoy it!

29. The Sky Moves Sideways by Porcupine Tree (94 Plays) - Another album that I've made my own tracklist for, combining various ideas from it's 3 different releases, creating a full CD's worth of music:
Total - 75:00
1. "The Sky Moves Sideways Phase 1" – 18:39
2. "Dislocated Day" – 5:24
3. "Stars Die" – 5:01
4. "Moonloop (Improvisation)" – 16:18
5. "Moonloop (Coda)" – 4:52
6. "The Moon Touches Your Shoulder" – 5:40
7. "Prepare Yourself" – 1:58
8. "The Sky Moves Sideways Phase 2" – 16:48

It's got a sort of "W"-shaped feel, with the title-track epic book-ending the album while the atmospheric "Moonloop" forms the middle of the album, with the shorter tunes around it. It's an amazing album, and quite a few steps forward for the band that started out as a joke. I think one of the reasons I've grown to love this album so much is because of it's Floydian nature, and when I got into Porcupine Tree, I was also discovering Pink Floyd (and King Crimson). I heard so many elements of those bands in PT that this album stuck out to me. I love everything about it, from the epic title track, to the long and journey-like "Moonloop", to the beautiful "Stars Die", the heavy "Dislocated Day", and the touching "The Moon Touches Your Shoulder". Definitely in my Top 5 PT albums, and the first of three on this list!

28. The Incident by Porcupine Tree (95 Plays) - And this is the 2nd of three PT albums on this list. Now, just because it's so high on here doesn't mean I rank it very high, but I do happen to quite enjoy the album as a whole. The song-cycle is unique (well, for PT/SW), and again, it's the band's Floydian aspects that pop up that really excite me about this album! This, to me, was a blending of everything they've done up to this point as it had the heavy metal-esque parts, the softer and more melodic sections, and the proggy/complicated sections, plus the atmospheric Floydian parts. It has it all, and I cannot complain! I do not rank it as low as some fans do, but it's definitely Top 5 PT material in my book, but on this list, it's not the highest PT album...and the most-played PT album on this list just might surprise some of you!

27. Drama by Yes (96 Plays) - My most played Yes album, and definitely in my Top 5. As alluded to earlier, my enjoyment of Fly From Here comes from my love of this album. The opening track "Machine Messiah" was so unlike Yes, yet still very Yes-like, it was a paradoxial perfection. And Trevor Horn didn't do such a bad job being the new Jon Anderson! Sure, they had two new members who helped change the sound, but Yes was always about changing line-ups and styles, whether by design or by accident, and this album was a welcome change after the semi-clunker that was Tormato. Every track on this album is quite different for Yes, and I think I love it even more for that fact - it's sort of the odd-one-out, and albums like that in a long discography of similar music, really stick out to me and, most of the time, I enjoy them! This album also marks the end of their really proggy era, and 1980 certainly was a year for changing prog (see also Permanent Waves and Duke, also two of my favorite albums).

26. ? by Neal Morse (96 Plays) - This album was Neal's first new album when I became a fan of his in 2004/2005. My anticipation for this release was VERY HIGH as I was already in love with all things Neal Morse-related (SB, TA, his first two prog solo albums), so when this suite of 12 tracks came out, it was prog HEAVEN (no pun intended). The guest list on the album excited me even more, with names like Steve Hackett, Jordan Rudess, Alan Morse, and Roine Stolt (3/4ths of TA!), I knew it was going to be epic, and I was totally right! There isn't a moment or a movement on here that I don't dislike. Neal comes up with some fresh melodic ideas and employs his friends in the prog world to help him flesh them out. And it was on this album that Mike and Randy really gel and become a solid team with Neal, giving Randy some more playing room, while letting Mike go crazy on the drums even more (well, maybe not "Author Of Confusion" crazy...). Of all the albums Neal has done, this was, and still is a must-have!

Well...*whew*...there you have it, the end of the first half of this list!!! How are you guys keeping up? 

-Marc.

[King Postwhore]

How am I keeping up you ask?  Buy owning all you've posted.  Loving this list, well, because it's my taste in music.