Spock's Beard Discography thread

[The Letter M]

Neal has just put up some old SB Live albums and demos for digital download at Radiant Records. Of note, he's got the complete Tilburg show that made up Don't Try This At Home and Don't Try This @ Home Either, but finally presented in full concert order (as seen on the DVD). He's also got the Progfest 1995 show (aka The Beard Is Out There/Official Live Bootleg) and the Live At Whisky And NEARfest album.

The demos are also all mostly never-before-released. The only demo of the bunch I currently have is "Walking On The Wind", so if you're into hearing Neal's original demos for the early SB stuff, this might be worth getting!

He's also offering all four releases as a bundle for $24.99, which is a whooping $15 cheaper than buying all four individually, so I may hop on that offer. It also includes the demo for "The Healing Colors Of Sound".

-Marc.

[OpenYourEyes311]

Neal has just put up some old SB Live albums and demos for digital download at Radiant Records. Of note, he's got the complete Tilburg show that made up Don't Try This At Home and Don't Try This @ Home Either, but finally presented in full concert order (as seen on the DVD). He's also got the Progfest 1995 show (aka The Beard Is Out There/Official Live Bootleg) and the Live At Whisky And NEARfest album.

The demos are also all mostly never-before-released. The only demo of the bunch I currently have is "Walking On The Wind", so if you're into hearing Neal's original demos for the early SB stuff, this might be worth getting!

He's also offering all four releases as a bundle for $24.99, which is a whooping $15 cheaper than buying all four individually, so I may hop on that offer. It also includes the demo for "The Healing Colors Of Sound".

-Marc.

It should be mentioned that all of these albums are on his Waterfall app. I’m a big fan of that app. So much Neal!

[The Letter M]

After hearing the new NDV single earlier today, I decided to put on SB's X, and then I realized that this month, the album turns TEN years old! X for X!

What an album, though - a fine collection of eight songs, showcasing each member's talents quite well, and an amazing swansong for Nick for his last album with the band as a full-time member. Which reminds me, I wonder what they'll do for a drummer on their next album?

Back to X - it's been a little while since I've listened to this album, but to my ears, it's still exciting and fresh, front to back. It's probably my favorite Nick-Era SB album by a fair bit!

-Marc.

[Kwyjibo]

X is such a great record, my second favorite from Spock's Beard after V. And it really shows what they were capable of without Neal when everything finally falls into place. Would have been interesting what a follow up record with Nick would have been like. But then the first one with Ted is also very good.

[jingle.boy]

I think X is the best (by far) NDV-era album.

[Fritzinger]

I always loved that all-over-the-place mentality of the first three NDV albums, but X is the most perfect one of that era. I miss NDV in SB, not only as a drummer, but also as (imo) their best singer.

[DTA]

I always loved that all-over-the-place mentality of the first three NDV albums, but X is the most perfect one of that era.

X is the first album of the NDV-era to feel like a cohesive thing rather than a bunch of songs written by different people. The first 3 have lots of great moments but there's quite a bit of inconsistency (and those endlessly dull piano/vocal tracks Hereafter and Watching The Tide). And despite my love for Healing Colors, I really can't stand when epics are broken up into separate tracks. X solved those problems easily.

[KevShmev]

I honestly think that X might be the best Spock's Beard album (of any era). 

It seems odd for me since I am such a big Neal Morse fan to say that the band's best album is one he had no part of (except a co-writing credit on one song), but it's just money from start to finish* and sounds awesome.  I can't say that about any other Spock's Beard album.  Beware of Darkness and The Light are both as good from start to finish musically, but both get dinged just a bit for their sound issues.  Brief Noctures and Dreamless Sleep is up there as well, but Afterthoughts is kinda medicore and some of the best songs from it were put on the bonus disc (and I am judging it based off of the proper album).

*I used to be a little iffy on Kamikaze, but I enjoy it a lot now within the flow of the record.

[ytserush]

I think X is the best (by far) NDV-era album.

I'd go with the one before that. Self-Titled.

[SoundscapeMN]

Sea of Tranquility did a ranking of all the Beard records.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYwuvlfKRyI

[HOF]

I still think X is a little overrated. Don’t get me wrong, the production is amazing and there are some really great songs/parts. But outside Edge of the In Between (a favorite SB track for sure), From the Darkness, and Quiet House, nothing else has really ever done much for me.

The NDV era album that still checks the most boxes for me is Feel Euphoria and it has some weak spots as well. From there, most albums have a real highlight or two but I never felt like they got into a good songwriting groove post Neal (multiple outside songwriters probably doesn’t help). I do think they have gotten a little tighter in the Ted Leonard era, and as I’ve said, Noise Floor feels like the best written album to me since Neal left. It’s all subjective of course though.

I know NDV will probably never come back full time, but I still think a lineup with Nick on drums and sharing vocal duties with Ted would be amazing.

[Mladen]

The great batch of songs:

Edge
From the darkness
The Quiet house
Jaws of heaven

The good batch of songs:
Emperor
Kamikaze
The Man behind the curtain

If you take into account that the great songs add up to more than 50 minutes of music, that's a pretty killer album. 

[HOF]

The great batch of songs:

Edge
From the darkness
The Quiet house
Jaws of heaven

The good batch of songs:
Emperor
Kamikaze
The Man behind the curtain

If you take into account that the great songs add up to more than 50 minutes of music, that's a pretty killer album. 

Yeah, I think if I liked Jaws of Heaven as much as some others, I’d feel different about it. Gonna have to spin that one again and see if my feelings have changed.

[KevShmev]

I stand firm in my opinion that Jaws of Heaven and From the Darkness are both top 10 Beard tunes. Jaws of Heaven might even be top 5 for me on the right day.

[King Postwhore]

I love Jaws Of Heaven.

X is my favorite from the ND era.

[Kwyjibo]

Jaws Of Heaven is one of the best Beard tunes and From The Darkness isn't far behind.

And for those who got the special edition, Their Names Escape Me is a really good tune as well.

[Fritzinger]

Jaws Of Heaven is awesome indeed. From The Darkness kinda is four songs tied together, still good.

I personally love The Quiet House with that mighty bass and the 80s style groove. It has a beautiful middle section too. Very overlooked SB song in my opinion.

[KevShmev]

Yep, that middle section of The Quiet House with the piano is one of my favorite sections of the entire X record. Great stuff.

[DTA]

Can I just say how awesome the heavy, rhythmic part of With Your Kiss is? Such a cool track

[RoeDent]

Can I just say how awesome the heavy, rhythmic part of With Your Kiss is? Such a cool track

Yes! That's a magnificent part! In fact, I love the whole song. The "muted" drumming during the second verse of the first section, then the full drums kicking in and the guitar solo.

[Mladen]

Can I just say how awesome the heavy, rhythmic part of With Your Kiss is? Such a cool track

Yeah, that middle part is fantastic.

[The Letter M]

Things that cannot be unheard:

So I am listening to Snow Live and realized that Neal sings the wrong first line in verse two of "Open The Gates Part 2" - he sings "Open up the flood gates and believe that all will come to pass" instead of "Open up the window feel the calm of the first cool breeze", which makes Nick's following line not rhyme at all ("Feel how the wind blows you can see the forest through the trees".

It's very jarring and now I can't unhear or unknow it, so now I have to share it here and see if anyone else had noticed this.

-Marc.

[HOF]

NDV performs The Slow Crash Landing Man from quarantine:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR07Q_aYD1HldxWyOevHNEdDjUzu5ZeP3tZyJKZoM3F1FK92khbVpC6kFqQ&feature=youtu.be&v=7DU1f1BYYZI

[JayOctavarium]

NDV performs The Slow Crash Landing Man from quarantine:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR07Q_aYD1HldxWyOevHNEdDjUzu5ZeP3tZyJKZoM3F1FK92khbVpC6kFqQ&feature=youtu.be&v=7DU1f1BYYZI

How did I miss this??

[The Letter M]

So I just realized that The Voices Of The Beard are all releasing albums this year: Ted Leonard just released the latest Pattern-Seeking Animals album, Nick D'Virgilio has a new solo album coming out next month, and Neal Morse is finishing up work on a new solo prog album due out sometime this fall.

Wild to think that all three are happening in the same year, yet there have been no movements in the SB camp proper in awhile. In a few days, it'll have been two years since the release of Noise Floor, so I suspect that the band may be working on a new album shortly, hopefully for a 2021 release.

If not, I wouldn't mind seeing new solo albums from Ryo and Al. I really loved their last two, Ryo's Coming Through (2002) and Al's Four O'Clock And Hysteria (2007). It's definitely been a long time for either of them since their last solo albums, so I would love to see them put something out while their SB bandmates have been busy with other projects.

-Marc.

[ytserush]

If not, I wouldn't mind seeing new solo albums from Ryo and Al. I really loved their last two, Ryo's Coming Through (2002) and Al's Four O'Clock And Hysteria (2007). It's definitely been a long time for either of them since their last solo albums, so I would love to see them put something out while their SB bandmates have been busy with other projects.

-Marc.

Not counting Neal, those are two of my favorite solo albums by band members. I really wish either or both would do more.  It was refreshing to see Ryo on the Prog From Home stream.

[gzarruk]

I've been listening to SB a lot the last couple weeks, so I'm hoping they start working on a new album soon. Have they said anything about that? It's been a while since NF was released and they haven't really done much else since.

Also, I had never heard of Mike Thorne before he joined the band as a live member, but from what I've seen he's a really good drummer! I'm thinking they might make him an official member for the next album cycle.

[ytserush]

I've been listening to SB a lot the last couple weeks, so I'm hoping they start working on a new album soon. Have they said anything about that? It's been a while since NF was released and they haven't really done much else since.

Also, I had never heard of Mike Thorne before he joined the band as a live member, but from what I've seen he's a really good drummer! I'm thinking they might make him an official member for the next album cycle.

Not familiar with Mike Thorne either.  I don't think much is going to happen until the pandemic gets sorted out. Seems like their market now is cruises and Europe.

[kirksnosehair]

I still think X is a little overrated. Don’t get me wrong, the production is amazing and there are some really great songs/parts. But outside Edge of the In Between (a favorite SB track for sure), From the Darkness, and Quiet House, nothing else has really ever done much for me.

The NDV era album that still checks the most boxes for me is Feel Euphoria and it has some weak spots as well. From there, most albums have a real highlight or two but I never felt like they got into a good songwriting groove post Neal (multiple outside songwriters probably doesn’t help). I do think they have gotten a little tighter in the Ted Leonard era, and as I’ve said, Noise Floor feels like the best written album to me since Neal left. It’s all subjective of course though.

I know NDV will probably never come back full time, but I still think a lineup with Nick on drums and sharing vocal duties with Ted would be amazing.

If I'm being 100% honest I find all of the post Neal albums to be kind of uneven.  "X" being the strongest of the bunch as far as I'm concerned. 

I like Nick's voice more than Neal's but I like the Neal-era songs more than the NDV and Ted Leonard-era songs. 

[HOF]

Yeah, as far as pure singers go, I think both Nick and Ted have better voices than Neal. But Neal’s SB stuff is just better written than most of what those guys have had to work with. Post-Neal SB has probably suffered from the lack of a main songwriter, and when the singer isn’t the main writer that tends to show through on the performance to an extent. Not to say there aren’t moments in both the Nick and Ted eras that I really love. They just haven’t reached the same heights as the original band.

[LudwigVan]

Neal Morse doesn’t have a great voice. But he has a plaintive, soulful quality that I can connect to better than most of your average prog metal vocalists. It’s as if he’s singing for the common man, instead of trying to reach for the inhuman operatic ranges.

[Dedalus]

Yeah, as far as pure singers go, I think both Nick and Ted have better voices than Neal. But Neal’s SB stuff is just better written than most of what those guys have had to work with. Post-Neal SB has probably suffered from the lack of a main songwriter, and when the singer isn’t the main writer that tends to show through on the performance to an extent. Not to say there aren’t moments in both the Nick and Ted eras that I really love. They just haven’t reached the same heights as the original band.

Indeed. On the other hand, Post-Neal SB has a greater diversity, which is positive.

People listen to NM solo and say it looks like SB, listen to Transatlantic and say it looks like NM Solo. 
There is a reason for that.

[Dedalus]

Neal Morse doesn’t have a great voice. But he has a plaintive, soulful quality that I can connect to better than most of your average prog metal vocalists. It’s as if he’s singing for the common man, instead of trying to reach for the inhuman operatic ranges.

I tried to introduce Neal's music to a friend, and after a second insistence from me he looked at me embarrassed and said "sorry, but I didn't like his vocals". 

[HOF]

Yeah, as far as pure singers go, I think both Nick and Ted have better voices than Neal. But Neal’s SB stuff is just better written than most of what those guys have had to work with. Post-Neal SB has probably suffered from the lack of a main songwriter, and when the singer isn’t the main writer that tends to show through on the performance to an extent. Not to say there aren’t moments in both the Nick and Ted eras that I really love. They just haven’t reached the same heights as the original band.

Indeed. On the other hand, Post-Neal SB has a greater diversity, which is positive.

People listen to NM solo and say it looks like SB, listen to Transatlantic and say it looks like NM Solo. 
There is a reason for that.

Honestly, I don’t think solo Neal Morse sounds very much like Neal-era SB. His style and sound have changed significantly in my opinion. Transatlantic also has the clear influence of Roine as a songwriter so there is some distinction there in my mind, although the last two TA albums have sounded more like Neal’s solo work.

[Dedalus]

Honestly, I don’t think solo Neal Morse sounds very much like Neal-era SB. His style and sound have changed significantly in my opinion. Transatlantic also has the clear influence of Roine as a songwriter so there is some distinction there in my mind, although the last two TA albums have sounded more like Neal’s solo work.

I don't totally disagree. It is not quite the same.
But as I said before, there is a reason for the comments. And they are not uncommon.