Spock's Beard Discography thread

[KevShmev]

My full ranking was:

01 Snow
02 Beware of Darkness
03 X
04 The Light
05 Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
06 V
07 The Kindness of Strangers
08 Feel Euphoria
09 Day for Night
10 Octane
11 The Oblivion Particle
12 Spock's Beard
13 Noise Floor

I rank albums based off the proper albums. I do not consider the bonus tracks part of the proper album.  Had Brief Nocturnes included some of those awesome bonus disc songs and left off Afterthoughts, that could have been 02 or 03 on my list.

Despite being only at 10, Octane has aged really well for me.  The gap between the top 10 and the bottom 3 is, well, maybe not large, but somewhat sizable.

The Oblivion Particle sounds awesome, I love how colorful and flavorful it sounds, and I like some of the weirdness of it, but too many of the songs simply do not stick to landing.

V is a hard one to judge sometimes. It has a borderline top 5 tune and everything else is pretty darn good, but there is something about the album that prevents it from a top tier one, and I still have a hard time defining what that is.  The songwriting is still strong enough to put at 06, but there is something odd about the overall vibe as a whole that prevents me at this point from calling a top tier Spock's record.

[HOF]

V is a hard one to judge sometimes. It has a borderline top 5 tune and everything else is pretty darn good, but there is something about the album that prevents it from a top tier one, and I still have a hard time defining what that is.  The songwriting is still strong enough to put at 06, but there is something odd about the overall vibe as a whole that prevents me at this point from calling a top tier Spock's record.

V was my first SB album, and I got it soon after getting the first two TA albums, so I’ve always associated it somewhat with those albums. But it could be that Neal was somewhat influenced by the experience making SMPTe when making V.

[DTA]

Snow just has too much bloat for me to rate it higher...it'd rank dead last in my ranking (and I find Wind At My Back to be one of his blandest endings). It's also where Neal's old quirky style seemed to die out and be replaced by the more typical prog sound he has now. There's a lot to like on it though, I just wish it had been edited a bit more (along with Testimony).

My full ranking was:

V is a hard one to judge sometimes. It has a borderline top 5 tune and everything else is pretty darn good, but there is something about the album that prevents it from a top tier one, and I still have a hard time defining what that is.  The songwriting is still strong enough to put at 06, but there is something odd about the overall vibe as a whole that prevents me at this point from calling a top tier Spock's record.

V is my all-time favorite SB album but I actually kind of agree about the oddness of the vibe. I feel like it's missing a song or something (I have the same opinion about The Light, Permanent Waves, and Hemispheres). But the strength of each other track just pushes it over the edge. Revelations has to be the absolute most overlooked SB track in existence.

My ranking:

1. V
2. Day For Night
3. Feel Euphoria
4. Beware Of Darkness
5. The Kindness of Strangers
6. The Oblivion Particle
7. Noise Floor
8. X
9. The Light
10. Octane
11. Brief Nocturnes & Dreamless Sleep (agreed about the bonus tracks...they exceed a good portion of the regular tracks imo)
12. Spock's Beard
13. Snow

[Kwyjibo]

But it could be that Neal was somewhat influenced by the experience making SMPTe when making V.

Could be that I read this wrong, but if you're saying Neal was influenced by SMPTe when making V then no. V is from 2000 and SMPTe is from 2001.

[KevShmev]

SMPTe is from 2000 and came out a few months before V.

I know this because I got SMPTe shortly after its release (my brother heard it first and played it for me and I was won over right away), which led me to check out Spock's and Flower Kings immediately.  I got Beware of Darkness and The Kindness of Strangers first, and then V came out shortly after that.

[HOF]

SMPTe is from 2000 and came out a few months before V.

I know this because I got SMPTe shortly after its release (my brother heard it first and played it for me and I was won over right away), which led me to check out Spock's and Flower Kings immediately.  I got Beware of Darkness and The Kindness of Strangers first, and then V came out shortly after that.

Yeah, I even double checked this before I posted last night. SMPTe was March of 2000 and was recorded in June/July of 2019. V was released in August of 2000 so I’m assuming it was recorded somewhere between then and July 2019 but I don’t know that for sure. It does seem to have a similar epic feel though (probably more just the kind of songs Neal was into writing at the time).

[The Letter M]

SMPTe is from 2000 and came out a few months before V.

I know this because I got SMPTe shortly after its release (my brother heard it first and played it for me and I was won over right away), which led me to check out Spock's and Flower Kings immediately.  I got Beware of Darkness and The Kindness of Strangers first, and then V came out shortly after that.

Yeah, I even double checked this before I posted last night. SMPTe was March of 2000 and was recorded in June/July of 2019. V was released in August of 2000 so I’m assuming it was recorded somewhere between then and July 2019 but I don’t know that for sure. It does seem to have a similar epic feel though (probably more just the kind of songs Neal was into writing at the time).

Neal must be a time lord if he recorded V 19 years after it was released!

If I had the time today, I'd pop in my Making Of V DVD to find out exactly when V was written and recorded in relation to the first Transatlantic album sessions (June/July 1999) and tour (June 2000). I'd imagine they recorded V sometime in early 2000 but I can't be too sure, but I'm certain it was written after the SMPTe sessions, so Neal may have been influenced by it. I did read in a review that Neal was listening to a lot of Genesis' Three Sides Live when writing V though!

-Marc.

[HOF]

SMPTe is from 2000 and came out a few months before V.

I know this because I got SMPTe shortly after its release (my brother heard it first and played it for me and I was won over right away), which led me to check out Spock's and Flower Kings immediately.  I got Beware of Darkness and The Kindness of Strangers first, and then V came out shortly after that.

Yeah, I even double checked this before I posted last night. SMPTe was March of 2000 and was recorded in June/July of 2019. V was released in August of 2000 so I’m assuming it was recorded somewhere between then and July 2019 but I don’t know that for sure. It does seem to have a similar epic feel though (probably more just the kind of songs Neal was into writing at the time).

Neal must be a time lord if he recorded V 19 years after it was released!

If I had the time today, I'd pop in my Making Of V DVD to find out exactly when V was written and recorded in relation to the first Transatlantic album sessions (June/July 1999) and tour (June 2000). I'd imagine they recorded V sometime in early 2000 but I can't be too sure, but I'm certain it was written after the SMPTe sessions, so Neal may have been influenced by it. I did read in a review that Neal was listening to a lot of Genesis' Three Sides Live when writing V though!

-Marc.

When you’re old the decades all run together. Not sure how I came up with 2019 for 1999 though!

[KevShmev]

I probably haven't watched the making of V since shortly after its release, but I seem to recall that that was one where it showed a clip of Neal driving to the studio in his car and he had All of the Above from SMPTe playing.

[HOF]

Well now I’m on a total SB kick. Listened to Day for Night earlier this week, Kindness of Strangers and Beware of Darkness yesterday, Feel Euphoria and V this morning.

One thing I’m noting is the sound/production quality seems to have jumped a good bit with V.

[HOF]

Well now I’m on a total SB kick. Listened to Day for Night earlier this week, Kindness of Strangers and Beware of Darkness yesterday, Feel Euphoria and V this morning.

One thing I’m noting is the sound/production quality seems to have jumped a good bit with V.

Just finishing up Brief Nocturnes. It really is a strong album, and I find myself enjoying all of the songs. The highlights are Hiding Out, Submerged, and Waiting for Me. Afterthoughts is a fun recall of early SB too. Some of the rest of it mushes together in my brain again. I will say the overall production on this and Oblivion Particle feels a bit too heavy handed (and part of that might be Jimmy’s drumming style). Just a very in your face production/mix without a ton of dynamic range. Gets a little fatiguing. I also think Noise Floor was a big step up in terms of production and range of sound and style.

That said Waiting for Me is a magnificent song in every way, with some really wonderful Al Morse guitar solos and a strong early SB vibe. Was that one written with Neal?

[Kwyjibo]

SMPTe is from 2000 and came out a few months before V.

I know this because I got SMPTe shortly after its release (my brother heard it first and played it for me and I was won over right away), which led me to check out Spock's and Flower Kings immediately.  I got Beware of Darkness and The Kindness of Strangers first, and then V came out shortly after that.

Yeah, I even double checked this before I posted last night. SMPTe was March of 2000 and was recorded in June/July of 2019. V was released in August of 2000 so I’m assuming it was recorded somewhere between then and July 2019 but I don’t know that for sure. It does seem to have a similar epic feel though (probably more just the kind of songs Neal was into writing at the time).

Ok, I stand corrected, I looked up Bridge Across Forever and got that mingled up with the debut

[KevShmev]

The production/mix definitely took a big leap with V in regards to Spock's.  Day for Night was an improvement over the first three, but still a little rough around the edges.  V is when they really nailed it.

I do think Neal co-wrote Waiting for Me, but I'd have look it up to be sure.  Great song for sure.  A Treasure Abandoned and the shorter version of Something Very Strange from the bonus disc are probably my favorites from the Brief Nocturnes sessions, but Waiting for Me is right behind them along with Hiding Out, I Know Your Secret and Down a Burning Road.  How that last one (DaBR) didn't make the proper album is a total mystery.

[The Great Zo]

1) V
2) X
3) Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
4) The Kindness of Strangers
5) Snow
6) Beware of Darkness
7) The Light
8) Spock's Beard
9) Day for Night
10) Octane
11) Noise Floor
12) The Oblivion Particle
13) Feel Euphoria

I have about a million things I could say about this band, especially as they're one of the only bands with a lengthy discography where I know everything they've done really well. But for now I'll just note:
* You could replace the middle portion of V with, I don't know, Pat Metheny's "Zero Tolerance for Silence" or something ... and it'd still rank #1 because the first and last tracks are just that amazing.
* My top 3 is, completely without intent, one album from each era of the band.
* There's a run on Neal albums immediately thereafter.
* I have SB9 higher than most other rankings -- a flawed album that I nonetheless think is one of the band's most interesting.

[Kwyjibo]

Great:
V
X
Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep

Almost great:
The Light
The Kindness Of Strangers

Still really good:
The Oblivion Particle
Octane
Spock's Beard

Solid:
Beware Of Darkness
Day For Night
Feel Euphoria
Noise Floor

The Rest:
Snow

[The Letter M]

The production/mix definitely took a big leap with V in regards to Spock's.  Day for Night was an improvement over the first three, but still a little rough around the edges.  V is when they really nailed it.

I do think Neal co-wrote Waiting for Me, but I'd have look it up to be sure.  Great song for sure.  A Treasure Abandoned and the shorter version of Something Very Strange from the bonus disc are probably my favorites from the Brief Nocturnes sessions, but Waiting for Me is right behind them along with Hiding Out, I Know Your Secret and Down a Burning Road.  How that last one (DaBR) didn't make the proper album is a total mystery.

IIRC, Neal co-wrote "Afterthoughts" and "Waiting For Me" in a writing session with AL not long before the band began the sessions for BNADS. It's always interesting to see X and BNADS so high on folks' lists since they're the two Post-Neal albums with song-writing credits for Neal. Just seems like even the tiniest bit of Neal's touch just sort of elevates the albums just enough, but honestly, those two albums are amazing through out, regardless of Neal's contributions.

-Marc.

[HOF]

The production/mix definitely took a big leap with V in regards to Spock's.  Day for Night was an improvement over the first three, but still a little rough around the edges.  V is when they really nailed it.

I do think Neal co-wrote Waiting for Me, but I'd have look it up to be sure.  Great song for sure.  A Treasure Abandoned and the shorter version of Something Very Strange from the bonus disc are probably my favorites from the Brief Nocturnes sessions, but Waiting for Me is right behind them along with Hiding Out, I Know Your Secret and Down a Burning Road.  How that last one (DaBR) didn't make the proper album is a total mystery.

IIRC, Neal co-wrote "Afterthoughts" and "Waiting For Me" in a writing session with AL not long before the band began the sessions for BNADS. It's always interesting to see X and BNADS so high on folks' lists since they're the two Post-Neal albums with song-writing credits for Neal. Just seems like even the tiniest bit of Neal's touch just sort of elevates the albums just enough, but honestly, those two albums are amazing through out, regardless of Neal's contributions.

-Marc.

I didn’t realize Neal wrote anything for X. Which track(s) was that?

[Mladen]

I think he was involved in writing of The Emperor's clothes. The verses have his signature all over them.

[HOF]

I think he was involved in writing of The Emperor's clothes. The verses have his signature all over them.

That’s never been one I’ve liked all that much. Interesting.

[KevShmev]

I like The Emperor's Clothes, but it's one of two songs from X that I never seek out on its own, with Kamikaze being the other.

I still wish they would have released a version of Their Names Escape Me (from the limited edition release) without all of the name call-outs, as that gets pretty repetitive and ends up taking up over half of the song.

I still love X, though, as I consider Jaws of Heaven and From the Darkness to be top 10 Spock's tunes, and I am also a huge fan of The Quite House and The Man Behind the Curtain.

[Kwyjibo]

I think Their Names Escape Me is fine as it is. While reciting the names there's a nice musical build up underneath.

[The Great Zo]

I still wish they would have released a version of Their Names Escape Me (from the limited edition release) without all of the name call-outs, as that gets pretty repetitive and ends up taking up over half of the song.

Here it is, courtesy of John Boegehold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWzBykPK51k

[KevShmev]

Ya know, I think I remember seeing that at some point, but forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder! 

[gzarruk]

I think he was involved in writing of The Emperor's clothes. The verses have his signature all over them.

Yes, since he left he's been involved in the writing for The Emperor's Clothes, Afterthoughts, Waiting for Me and Falling for Forever

[ytserush]

The Venus slowly rises in the night
The people softly lit by restless moonlight
And as the Jackal preys upon the Netherworld
You can hear as she surprises and sings... RISE!

*drum solo*

Harm’s Way and the whole Kindness of Strangers album has to be some of Neal’s finest songwriting.

Agreed. I've been appreciating that section you quoted for 20 years now, and it hasn't gotten old. Top tier Neal.

Sure is....

[ytserush]

Snow just has too much bloat for me to rate it higher...it'd rank dead last in my ranking (and I find Wind At My Back to be one of his blandest endings). It's also where Neal's old quirky style seemed to die out and be replaced by the more typical prog sound he has now. There's a lot to like on it though, I just wish it had been edited a bit more (along with Testimony).

My full ranking was:

V is a hard one to judge sometimes. It has a borderline top 5 tune and everything else is pretty darn good, but there is something about the album that prevents it from a top tier one, and I still have a hard time defining what that is.  The songwriting is still strong enough to put at 06, but there is something odd about the overall vibe as a whole that prevents me at this point from calling a top tier Spock's record.

V is my all-time favorite SB album but I actually kind of agree about the oddness of the vibe. I feel like it's missing a song or something (I have the same opinion about The Light, Permanent Waves, and Hemispheres). But the strength of each other track just pushes it over the edge. Revelations has to be the absolute most overlooked SB track in existence.

My ranking:

1. V
2. Day For Night
3. Feel Euphoria
4. Beware Of Darkness
5. The Kindness of Strangers
6. The Oblivion Particle
7. Noise Floor
8. X
9. The Light
10. Octane
11. Brief Nocturnes & Dreamless Sleep (agreed about the bonus tracks...they exceed a good portion of the regular tracks imo)
12. Spock's Beard
13. Snow

I'm with you. Snow is by far my least favorite of the bunch.

[Qrusher14242]

1. Snow
2. V
3. X
4. The Kindness of Strangers
5. The Light
6. Octane
7. Spock's Beard
8. Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
9. Day for Night
10. Oblivion Particle
11. Feel Euphoria
12. Noise Floor (but i haven't given this enough spins, i didnt care for it after a couple though)

Snow got me in Spock's Beard. I had heard The Light before but it didnt grab me at the time. Snow was just the right album at the right for me i think. It has so many of my favorite Beard songs: Stranger in a Strange Land, Long Time Suffering, Solitary Soul, Wind at My Back, Open Wide the Flood Gates.

X is a big favorite as well, i got to see them in Downey play the album and it was so good. From the Darkness/The Quiet House are just top tier songs for me.

[RoeDent]

I can't do a full ranking. I have to go by era.

Neal era:
1. Beware of Darkness
2. V
3. Snow
4. Kindness of Strangers
5. The Light
6. Day for Night

Nick era:
1. X
2. Feel Euphoria
3. Spock's Beard
4. Octane

Ted era:
1. Brief Nocturnes & Dreamless Sleep
2. The Oblivion Particle
3. Noise Floor

[kirksnosehair]

I, too, have a difficult time ranking the albums in one big bunch.  Each era of the band is so different that they really sound quite different, more so when comparing Neal's Beard to the other two.  Obviously that has a lot to do with songwriting.  While I definitely appreciate all versions of the band and have even had the good fortune of forging friendships with and collaborating with Ryo and Jimmy, nothing will ever touch those first 6 albums with Neal.  That version of the band was, to me, very special and rare.  Because of that I think it's a little unfair to rank them all together because the Neal albums will always outshine the others, IMHO.

Neal's Beard:
1. The Light
2. Snow
3. V
4. Kindness of Strangers
5. Beware of Darkness
6. Day for Night

Nick's Beard:
1. X
2. Octane
3. Feel Euphoria
4. Spock's Beard

Ted's Beard:
1. Brief Nocturnes & Dreamless Sleep
2. The Oblivion Particle
3. Noise Floor

[gzarruk]

Count me in the group of those who love V, X and BNADS. Those are my favorite SB albums, one for each era.

I need to dive more into the rest of the catalog, as I've focused mostly on different songs I like, rather than full albums. Hopefully I can do a dedicated SB catalog run soon.

As for Snow, I think it's a bit too long and sometimes it feels like it and Testimony 1 are basically the same album. Don't know if someone has ever said that before and I hope it's not something bad to say, they just feel way too similar as back to back Neal releases. I still enjoy both, tho.

[KevShmev]

I don't see Snow and Testimony being that similar at all.  Okay, they are both double albums with strong spiritual messages in the lyrics, but that is about it.  Snow is much more of a rock record while still featuring a lot of piano and acoustic guitar and sounds very bright and colorful, while Testimony relies a lot on strings and sounds very dry and more orchestrated, if that makes sense.  To me, Snow is one of the best sounding albums Neal has ever done from a mixing standpoint, while Testimony is one of his few prog albums since 2000 (when his overall sound got a massive upgrade with SMPTe and V) that I wish sounded a little better (along with Sola Scriptura and The Exorcist).

[HOF]

I don't see Snow and Testimony being that similar at all.  Okay, they are both double albums with strong spiritual messages in the lyrics, but that is about it.  Snow is much more of a rock record while still featuring a lot of piano and acoustic guitar and sounds very bright and colorful, while Testimony relies a lot on strings and sounds very dry and more orchestrated, if that makes sense.  To me, Snow is one of the best sounding albums Neal has ever done from a mixing standpoint, while Testimony is one of his few prog albums since 2000 (when his overall sound got a massive upgrade with SMPTe and V) that I wish sounded a little better (along with Sola Scriptura and The Exorcist).

Yeah, I see some broader thematic similarities in terms of Neal’s faith, but stylistically I don’t see them as all that similar. Snow has always felt very organic sounding to me, more like a 70s/analog type of recording and production than some of the other Spock’s Beard and solo Neal Morse albums.

Edit: Snow and Testimony do start similarly with a quiet acoustic intro followed by an overture I suppose. I’d also agree that Snow was Neal’s first foray into conceptual writing, and there is some similarities with Testimony in the songwriting in that regard.

[HOF]

Haven’t watched these yet, but these were just posted on the band’s Facebook account.

To Breath Another Day, live in Stockholm 2018:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=abaeiTUy-28

One So Wise, live in Stockholm 2018:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2A30RTcJPOKgOHQg0IgHHa-eZofMk_aLr5ICYQfRGvfjDDPR_MseMfz10&v=z8qrASLpQAw&feature=youtu.be

Any activity from the SB camp is nice to see.

[kirksnosehair]

Count me in the group of those who love V, X and BNADS. Those are my favorite SB albums, one for each era.

I need to dive more into the rest of the catalog, as I've focused mostly on different songs I like, rather than full albums. Hopefully I can do a dedicated SB catalog run soon.

As for Snow, I think it's a bit too long and sometimes it feels like it and Testimony 1 are basically the same album. Don't know if someone has ever said that before and I hope it's not something bad to say, they just feel way too similar as back to back Neal releases. I still enjoy both, tho.

I love Neal Morse and everything he puts out other than his praise and worship stuff is an instant buy for me, no questions asked.  But with that said, it's pretty obvious to me that he's been making pretty much the same album over and over since Snow.  (<--that's hyperbole for those who are hyperbole-challenged  )


There are certainly differences between the albums, but generally speaking they're all pretty much about the same topic and they are all filled with his signature bag of suspended 4th opportunities sprinkled across an hour or two of melodic retro-prog with Christian messaging.  Not that there is anything wrong with that at all.  I tend to prefer that artists write about topics they are passionate about because I believe that produces the best end product and Neal rarely disappoints with the only exception being that a lot of his music sounds a lot like other music he's already released.


I firmly believe that most artists have a limited musical vocabulary and a guy as prolific as Neal is bound to start repeating himself, especially when he makes 2,345,128 albums in a row on pretty much the same lyrical topic. (<---yep, that's more hyperbole  )

[HOF]

Count me in the group of those who love V, X and BNADS. Those are my favorite SB albums, one for each era.

I need to dive more into the rest of the catalog, as I've focused mostly on different songs I like, rather than full albums. Hopefully I can do a dedicated SB catalog run soon.

As for Snow, I think it's a bit too long and sometimes it feels like it and Testimony 1 are basically the same album. Don't know if someone has ever said that before and I hope it's not something bad to say, they just feel way too similar as back to back Neal releases. I still enjoy both, tho.

I love Neal Morse and everything he puts out other than his praise and worship stuff is an instant buy for me, no questions asked.  But with that said, it's pretty obvious to me that he's been making pretty much the same album over and over since Snow.  (<--that's hyperbole for those who are hyperbole-challenged  )


There are certainly differences between the albums, but generally speaking they're all pretty much about the same topic and they are all filled with his signature bag of suspended 4th opportunities sprinkled across an hour or two of melodic retro-prog with Christian messaging.  Not that there is anything wrong with that at all.  I tend to prefer that artists write about topics they are passionate about because I believe that produces the best end product and Neal rarely disappoints with the only exception being that a lot of his music sounds a lot like other music he's already released.


I firmly believe that most artists have a limited musical vocabulary and a guy as prolific as Neal is bound to start repeating himself, especially when he makes 2,345,128 albums in a row on pretty much the same lyrical topic. (<---yep, that's more hyperbole  )

I do agree with this broadly. I kind of stopped following Neal’s solo career after One (have picked a few things up since but not really changed my opinion). I think his albums are still somewhat shaped by the band he has around him. Snow is different from Testimony in part because of the players involved, and just like Transatlantic is different from SB or Neal’s solo stuff. But in terms of his writing, Snow was really the first (and best IMO) of many similar albums.