[continued review from I.M. Hipp]
Found out that the lyric booklet contains scratch offs. Since I have six of them, I could afford to ruin one. In the process, I discovered a whole new set of lyrics….for the flip side of the disc! Now that was an ….astonishing discovery!!!! The setlist scotty cover design was used as its cover. Good job, sir. Herein lies my review of what is now just the original two demo discs of this amazing, soon to be ytsejam bootleg release. Hope enough copies are made available.
1. Awaken (16:36) Not to be confused with the Yes track from 'Going For The One' (though JRs use of St. Patrick's Cathedral organ was a nice touch), or DTs second album, this quick, punchy opener with mood sweeping middle is a call to arms for anyone embattled or oppressed in life by an individual or group. It also further introduces us to our protagonist, a member of the Ravenskill (or RsKill) who goes by the name of 'Meak'. I begin to feel a theme developing. JLB lyrics (with a nod to Jon Anderson), are sung beautifully. 'A' is best listened to in the dark at midnight.
I: 6:01
II: Hanging On By A Thread
III: I'm Beside Myself, So Mind Yourself
IV: Window
V: Truth
VI: Dark Shadows Lifted
VII: Circled
VIII: Tie Dye Jacket
9.7/10 , HOBAT, W, T, and E are great segments, IBMSMY, DSL, and TDJ are arguably superior. The 'awakened, gently must touch myself' often repeated chorus made me want to [expletive deleted verb]!!!!! It's THAT good!
2. Evermore (13:33) A ballad intertwined with creepy ANTR synths and Poe Raven-styled lyrics, touching on Meak's increased standing in the underground Ravenskill (or RsKills, or 'rascals' if you prefer). As speaker, it is here where Meak delivers the historic 'take me as I am' coded speech (telling the RsKills where and when to meet, and a direct order regarding two specific requirements needed). Midway through this track, Mike Portnoy makes his first appearance on this disc, for some growling spoken words in German (translations relate to Genesis (band and book), Queen, Queen Elizabeth, and the weather). A Mangini drum solo eventually enters, drowning out MP. Sounds of a skirmish soon follow. Charlie Dominici's spoken German (and Italian?) LVs are now audible, the drums fade in and out as Kevin Moore joins in for a one minute keyboard solo. Derek Sherinian steps in for an even shorter solo appearance. Speaking of solos, there's a bit of wankery from JP and JR for the final five minutes before the ending fade out. E is good to great in spots, but seems to go on forevermore
a. Evermore b. Achdelieberium (Full Circle). c. Daydreamers, Unite! d. Truly Full Circle e. Seasons Change
6. Six Degrees (rub my axe and balls, it's frickin cold!) f. Forevermore
8.2/10 until the 8 minute mark of E, 2/10 until the 9.876/10 final
3. Screw You (Not Me) (5:26) - Now one of the two leaders of Ravenskill, the more popular Meak speaks to the masses again, a direct call to arms against the Empire. An Easter Egg is available. Play this track backwards, and one is able to hear the original demo, titled 'Screw You (or Me?)' . It has a much better chorus than the second, though the final, nonbackwards track has better production. Debate will be endless on its merits. It may be too similar to 'Never Enough' in its lyrical content ('everything is never enough, so screw you, not me'). I am hoping that the speech is directed at a boss, his enemies, the Empire, and not at us the listeners. Anyway, that's how I'm going to view it. The music is upbeat and oddly a-muse-ing. 6.8/10 for the SY(NM)forward version, 7.6/10 SY(oM) backwards.
not the battle of evermore
4. The Empire (2:45) / Over nothing but a haunting bass line, these spoken commands and orders through a megaphone are very disturbing. John Myung lead vocals on TE.
5. Strike Back (3:36) / Similar to live performances using the theme of 'Close Encounters' with 'Trial of Tears', this epic begins and ends with a wonderful JP solo, similar to the 'Star Wars' music theme, along with subtle MM percussion. MP 'strikes back' with a tasty one minute stickfest. The rallying cry for the Rascals (or RsKills, if you prefer). Beautiful segue into. …..
6. Path of Sorrows (11:04) / Spacey, meandering, rocking joyride of a track. Meak, now with the full backing of the masses, leads the uprising against the Empire. They arrive at a large metropolis, and it is raining. I mean, it is pouring down! The battle begins. People soon are disappearing, the music is fading away, and the rain is constantly beating on the streets of this metropolis battle zone. Systematic breakdowns create chaotic situations for the Rskill. Injured, Meak is told by a faceless man to take something for the pain. After a great bass/drum/keyboard interlude (way to keep the mood on this one JR), Meek awakens. He feels wonderfully miserable, or miserably wonderful (but certainly not beautiful). Agonizing over his next move, he stands ever alert, and moves along, realizing that he and his small group are surrounded by a vast wasteland. As far as he can see, the ground is almost completely covered with ashes...... nothing but ashes. And, damnit....... it's still frickin' raining! How he wishes he were Home, or at least had worn waterproof raingear.
7. The Empire/Strike Back (repriseS) (2:05) Slightly faster instrumental versions of tracks 4 and 5. Or are they tracks 12 and 13? (Crap, here we go again) A terrific crashing reprise of PoS included as well. Love the chimes! The title is oddly familiar. I give TE/SB/PoS/TESB(r) a 9.2/10 (Or is it ntboe'?) for this sweet suite, especially PoS. Trust me, PoS is not a piece of .....
8. The Squire of Gothos (7:26) ......moving on....., Meak and the small band of survivors have escaped the wasteland. As this little group of rascals make their 5 year trip back Home for reinforcements, they have an encounter with a spoiled rotten, childish adult alien named Trilane (friends call him 'Billy' or 'Billie'). Billy, with growling vocals by MP, is emotions in motion. He discusses the 'stroke, and introduces them to his silent brother, Chris, who is also a Squire (sung by either Mangini or Myung). It is inspired by a real life JP experience, where he is frightened that the wine served at dinner might not have any taste (which turned out to be true). Quoting JP: "This was written in my hotel room after I'd encountered the Trilane family. I wanted to write it immediately, while the scenes in my memory were still fresh [wink]. Can't say that about the wine [chuckles]. A 'Star Trek' rerun was on the tube at the time. The similarities are rather, uhm, er, ahhhhhhh-mazing, aren't they?" [grin] Some booklets have the title incorrectly printed as 'The Squires of Gothos', The Squire(s?) of Gothos', 'The Squier of Gothos', and 'The Squiers of Gothos.' However you look at it, 'Squire' (Squier(?), (or TSoG or TS(?)oG if you prefer) has two of the most lovely and haunting guitar leads ever, but the lyrics drag it down. Brother, if only they were different. ?/10
9. 1221 (21:12) Other reviewers commented on its similarities to another concept album played backwards, but I didn't hear it. I will say that its various musical tempos, styles, and themes are memorable and, dare I say it, 'EPIC!' Nice orchestral arrangement included.
SPOILER ALERT:
It starts off with the Empire stating that 'we have assumed control AGAIN' (Myung and Rudess LVs), as Meak and the Rascals leave Gothos. The music and story goes through various ebbs and flows, with all five band members sharing LVs (depending on their roles). Jordan's 'Bebot Bop', using an old rotary dial phone, is slightly out of place, and can be skipped or enjoyed. Our story ends
[I SAID 'SPOILER ALERT!'] on an uplifting note. Meak and the Rascals arrive Home, finally free, after a ten year absence. Due to a dramatic turn, events were scheduled to celebrate the recent Empire's fall the same day. On a hillside on the outskirts of Home, an older Meak and the no longer young Rskills are treated to a heroes' welcome, with a 'W' in the win column for being ahead after five battles. Meak wearily looks at the sky, finds his way across a bridge for some healing water (and scotch). His train of thought is broken by an excited female voice. His images of her are that of a young child, and words are difficult for him to describe the beauty of this young woman. In her hands is an object she discovered and kept hidden while he was away. He has indeed come Full Circle, already a hero, and owning this object will provide the dramatic turn to regaining his spot as THE elite Raven (sorry, Joe of Flacco). As in 'The Foundation', the farthest distance to travel is a circular route back to your starting point. "To think that it was here along!!! We could have ended all of this ten years (or 2 CDs) ago if we had only solved the riddle sooner," he whispers to himself (while a clock ticks in the background, and some hypnotic spoken phrasing enters). The young woman Victory kisses Meak gently on the cheek. After he plays a few notes on this wonderfully strange new object, she kisses him harder. He, in turn, seizes Victory, and, .....well. The final two verses close out this epic, as well as this review, once and for all (I promise), with could be classic lyrics, with all current and ex-DT members singing the first line:
"And MEAK shall inherit the earth."
After a brief, stunning instrumental, JLB follows at his balladeer best:
"Victory is real,
I finally feel,
at peace with the world (girl?) of my dreams...."
[this reviewer heard audible groans at this part]
....before ending with a rousing, rocking instrumental that could well have been the overture. It's a strange deja vu, all over again. This segment is so classic, that it would make a great concert or encore opener. a: Overture Something (or Nothing) b. Tears c. Lessons d. The Astonishing Dream e. Theater of The Absurd f. Twilight Zone
g. Discovery h. The Temple i. Victory j. GrandOvertureUndertureEpilogueFinale 10.9/10
[hope too many secrets weren't disclosed. No further reviews until after the official version is released.]