Spock's Beard Discography thread

[bluefox4000]

I've been listening to a ton of SB lately.  To me in the Neal era the run from the Light to V is near unmatched in prog.

I didn't include Snow cause try as I might.......despite it's near universal acclaim......it does very little for me.

And X is as good as any Neal era record.  So is Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep while i'm at it.

This band and Flower Kings are two of my all time fav prog bands.

[Kwyjibo]

I can agree to everything you said, except I was never able to get into The Flower Kings.

[HOF]

I say it every few months in this thread, but Noise Floor is in the conversation for my favorite post-Neal SB album. I think they just hit on a really nice sound on that one.

[bluefox4000]

I say it every few months in this thread, but Noise Floor is in the conversation for my favorite post-Neal SB album. I think they just hit on a really nice sound on that one.

Noise Floor is a weird one for me.  I forget it exists BUT then i play it ad everytime i love it.

the Ted era is actually very good on it's own.

[HOF]

I say it every few months in this thread, but Noise Floor is in the conversation for my favorite post-Neal SB album. I think they just hit on a really nice sound on that one.

Noise Floor is a weird one for me.  I forget it exists BUT then i play it ad everytime i love it.

the Ted era is actually very good on it's own.

I didn't get much out of The Oblivion Particle, but both Brief Nocturnes and Noise Floor have a lot of great stuff on them. Absolutely nothing against Jimmy, but having Nick back on Noise Floor somehow just made it that much better.

[KevShmev]

Noise Floor is good, but just wasn't an album that screamed for attention in my CD player.  For as unusual as it was by their standards, I got a lot of mileage out of The Oblivion Particle, even if it is an album I now rarely revisit.

[bluefox4000]

I say it every few months in this thread, but Noise Floor is in the conversation for my favorite post-Neal SB album. I think they just hit on a really nice sound on that one.

Noise Floor is a weird one for me.  I forget it exists BUT then i play it ad everytime i love it.

the Ted era is actually very good on it's own.

I didn't get much out of The Oblivion Particle, but both Brief Nocturnes and Noise Floor have a lot of great stuff on them. Absolutely nothing against Jimmy, but having Nick back on Noise Floor somehow just made it that much better.

i agree there.  To me losing Neal wasn't a huge deal in the long run  Cause my man wound up being Prolific and EVERYWHERE, lol

Nick however i was so sad when he left after the wonderful X

Nick is awesome on drums AND he can sing to boot.

[HOF]

I say it every few months in this thread, but Noise Floor is in the conversation for my favorite post-Neal SB album. I think they just hit on a really nice sound on that one.

Noise Floor is a weird one for me.  I forget it exists BUT then i play it ad everytime i love it.

the Ted era is actually very good on it's own.

I didn't get much out of The Oblivion Particle, but both Brief Nocturnes and Noise Floor have a lot of great stuff on them. Absolutely nothing against Jimmy, but having Nick back on Noise Floor somehow just made it that much better.

i agree there.  To me losing Neal wasn't a huge deal in the long run  Cause my man wound up being Prolific and EVERYWHERE, lol

Nick however i was so sad when he left after the wonderful X

Nick is awesome on drums AND he can sing to boot.

Yep, although Nick is everywhere too, just a little bit lower profile (and I love Big Big Train even more than Spock's Beard). He's both my favorite drummer and one of my favorite singers. Hard to beat that combo.

[DoctorAction]

Every time I see this thread updated I check in to see if it's some news that Neal has come to his senses and there's going to be another Beard album with the classic lineup. I've never really understood why, after all this time, he's not gone back to it. As much as he's done worthwhile work since, SB is the best. Even TA doesn't touch it for me.

Also, the SB forum was great - and the backbone of this forum!

[bluefox4000]

Every time I see this thread updated I check in to see if it's some news that Neal has come to his senses and there's going to be another Beard album with the classic lineup. I've never really understood why, after all this time, he's not gone back to it. As much as he's done worthwhile work since, SB is the best. Even TA doesn't touch it for me.

Also, the SB forum was great - and the backbone of this forum!

Aside from a few one off events Neal has pretty much stuck to his guns in not returning to SB.  in a way i respect that but a new Album with the classic lineup?  i'm iffy.  i fear Neal would bring too much of his solo touch toit nowadays.  if he could curb it a bit i'd be all for it.

[Kram]

A new album with the classic lineup with Neal and Nick would be great - but I'd still want Ted to be involved as well.

[HOF]

A new album with the classic lineup with Neal and Nick would be great - but I'd still want Ted to be involved as well.

As much as I’d love to see Neal come back, I’d be sad if we didn’t get another album with the Noise Floor lineup (though we did get something close on a couple tracks from Ryo’s new album). That’s just a great band all around.

[KevShmev]

Every time I see this thread updated I check in to see if it's some news that Neal has come to his senses and there's going to be another Beard album with the classic lineup. I've never really understood why, after all this time, he's not gone back to it. As much as he's done worthwhile work since, SB is the best. Even TA doesn't touch it for me.

Also, the SB forum was great - and the backbone of this forum!

Maybe, unlike some fans, he's not living in the past?

Neal hasn't been a full time member in Spock's Beard now in two decades. I think it's time to get over it.

[bluefox4000]

Every time I see this thread updated I check in to see if it's some news that Neal has come to his senses and there's going to be another Beard album with the classic lineup. I've never really understood why, after all this time, he's not gone back to it. As much as he's done worthwhile work since, SB is the best. Even TA doesn't touch it for me.

Also, the SB forum was great - and the backbone of this forum!

Maybe, unlike some fans, he's not living in the past?

Neal hasn't been a full time member in Spock's Beard now in two decades. I think it's time to get over it.


rght, lol.  actually i don't think neal would fit in SB these days.  i'd just see him as one of these things does not belong.

he's been so entrenched in NMB it would just feel off to me....i dunno, lol

[RoeDent]

100% time to get over it. And SB isn't really around anymore anyway. All about P-SA baby!

[DoctorAction]

Every time I see this thread updated I check in to see if it's some news that Neal has come to his senses and there's going to be another Beard album with the classic lineup. I've never really understood why, after all this time, he's not gone back to it. As much as he's done worthwhile work since, SB is the best. Even TA doesn't touch it for me.

Also, the SB forum was great - and the backbone of this forum!

Maybe, unlike some fans, he's not living in the past?

Neal hasn't been a full time member in Spock's Beard now in two decades. I think it's time to get over it.

 

I am over it ... most days. 

I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in the break up of a band, though.

[KevShmev]

I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in the break up of a band, though.

It was a bummer at the time for sure, but it has turned out well for both camps.  Spock's did seven more albums, some of which were outstanding, and never released a dud even if the self-titled album was a bit dodgy, and Neal's output since leaving Spock's has been prolific on an almost Zappa level, so it's all good by me. 

[jammindude]

I never did fully accept SB without NM. I never even attempted an album until BNADS introduced Ted Leonard from Enchant and featured some input from Neal.  But even then I thought the results were not up to the standards of the first 6 albums.  I almost enjoyed TOP even more.

But honestly, I have been meaning to start with FE and just start doing a dive.  Maybe someone should do an album discussion thread? 

[bluefox4000]

I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in the break up of a band, though.

It was a bummer at the time for sure, but it has turned out well for both camps.  Spock's did seven more albums, some of which were outstanding, and never released a dud even if the self-titled album was a bit dodgy, and Neal's output since leaving Spock's has been prolific on an almost Zappa level, so it's all good by me. 

The Nick era started weak and got better and better for me.

Feel Euphoria and Octane both bottom out my SB list.  The self titled  is inconsistent but it's on the right track.

X is glorious. and my third Fav Beard album overall. then Nick was gone, lol

Feel Euphoria and Octane were weird though.  they tried (and failed IMO) to become an odd hard rock/alt. outfit.  it just does not land with me.  Then Self titled kinda returned to what they're best at.  Granted it ain't perfect but it's better than what was attempted prior.

[HOF]

I still think Feel Euphoria is pretty strong on the whole and has a lot of my favorite post-Neal material (The Bottom Line, Shining Star, Ghosts of Autumn, East of Eden West of Memphis, A Guy Named Sid). Octane was the one that threw me off Spock’s for a while (despite two of my favorites being on there in She Is Everything and Watching The Tide). I actually think the self-titled is mostly great and prefer it to X which has some major clunkers (The Emperor’s Clothes and Man Behind The Curtain especially) even if the highs may be higher than some of the other Nick era albums.

[hefdaddy42]

I never did fully accept SB without NM.

I wouldn't go quite that far.  But SB post Neal isn't really SB.  It's a different, much inferior band, IMO.

The worst Morse-era SB album is miles and miles better than the best modern-era SB album, for my tastes.  It just doesn't hold up, at ALL.

But I'm glad that they still appeal to so many other people.

[bluefox4000]

I never did fully accept SB without NM.

I wouldn't go quite that far.  But SB post Neal isn't really SB.  It's a different, much inferior band, IMO.

The worst Morse-era SB album is miles and miles better than the best modern-era SB album, for my tastes.  It just doesn't hold up, at ALL.

But I'm glad that they still appeal to so many other people.

Brief noctournes and X hold up with anything they ever did for me.

but hey....different strokes.

[HOF]

I don't have the same affinity for the post-Neal albums that I do for those first 6 albums, but I still get a lot of mileage out of the post-Neal stuff, and I think they did a fairly remarkable job carrying on given that Neal was basically it in terms of writing those early albums.

[Metro]

Nick-Era SB has plenty of great songs, but I can’t think of one single album that I enjoy all the way through.
Ted-Era started strong with BNADS, but the other two albums do absolutely nothing for me.

[Mladen]

I consider X to be a great record, and I also like Octane a lot. Both would rank above half of the albums fronted by Neal on my list. Brief nocturnes and dreamless sleep is also fantastic and one of the top tier Spock's Beard albums overall. So yeah, plenty of stuff to enjoy post-Snow. 

[Kwyjibo]

V, X and Brief Nocturnes are my three favorite SB records, so there's one from every era.

[ytserush]

I've been listening to a ton of SB lately.  To me in the Neal era the run from the Light to V is near unmatched in prog.

I didn't include Snow cause try as I might.......despite it's near universal acclaim......it does very little for me.

And X is as good as any Neal era record.  So is Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep while i'm at it.

This band and Flower Kings are two of my all time fav prog bands.

Never been a fan of Snow. Least favorite Spock's Beard album. Sounds very forced and tense to me. Always has.

[ytserush]

I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in the break up of a band, though.

It was a bummer at the time for sure, but it has turned out well for both camps.  Spock's did seven more albums, some of which were outstanding, and never released a dud even if the self-titled album was a bit dodgy, and Neal's output since leaving Spock's has been prolific on an almost Zappa level, so it's all good by me. 

The Nick era started weak and got better and better for me.

Feel Euphoria and Octane both bottom out my SB list.  The self titled  is inconsistent but it's on the right track.

X is glorious. and my third Fav Beard album overall. then Nick was gone, lol

Feel Euphoria and Octane were weird though.  they tried (and failed IMO) to become an odd hard rock/alt. outfit.  it just does not land with me.  Then Self titled kinda returned to what they're best at.  Granted it ain't perfect but it's better than what was attempted prior.

Totally agree I think the self-titled album is my favorite of the Nick-fronted era. It's more of a zen-like album. They just let it happen organically.

[XeRocks81]

NDV playing through At The End Of The Day on his youtube channel.  What a classic,
a banger as the kids say:
https://youtu.be/SDjfUbSVSew

[HOF]

This is a bummer. Spock’s Beard having to cancel their European tour because of being unable to play HRH Prog (which pulled the rug out from under BBT and other bands by rescheduling the festival last year. Guessing some similar shenanigans are involved here).

https://www.facebook.com/100047325602689/posts/pfbid02GxwGtuaDSX4XBaZ94gTAAH1ChL49Rv4QPxKLkmFoqKZVpjFQv2L6u7WbuQSY6zwel/?app=fbl

[The Letter M]

This is a bummer. Spock’s Beard having to cancel their European tour because of being unable to play HRH Prog (which pulled the rug out from under BBT and other bands by rescheduling the festival last year. Guessing some similar shenanigans are involved here).

https://www.facebook.com/100047325602689/posts/pfbid02GxwGtuaDSX4XBaZ94gTAAH1ChL49Rv4QPxKLkmFoqKZVpjFQv2L6u7WbuQSY6zwel/?app=fbl

Ted replied to the SB Facebook post saying "Well, this is an odd way to find out."

Yikes...sad that he isn't kept in the loop. Is Al making all the business decisions for the band?

-Marc.

[gzarruk]

This is a bummer. Spock’s Beard having to cancel their European tour because of being unable to play HRH Prog (which pulled the rug out from under BBT and other bands by rescheduling the festival last year. Guessing some similar shenanigans are involved here).

https://www.facebook.com/100047325602689/posts/pfbid02GxwGtuaDSX4XBaZ94gTAAH1ChL49Rv4QPxKLkmFoqKZVpjFQv2L6u7WbuQSY6zwel/?app=fbl

Puzzle,?

Ted replied to the SB Facebook post saying "Well, this is an odd way to find out."

Yikes...sad that he isn't kept in the loop. Is Al making all the business decisions for the band?

-Marc.

 

At this point, SB is way past "done". Best case scenario, PSA becomes the main band for Ted and co.

[KevShmev]

Wow, so they didn't even give Ted the courtesy of telling him before posting it to social media?  Oof, that is shitty.

[HOF]

This is a bummer. Spock’s Beard having to cancel their European tour because of being unable to play HRH Prog (which pulled the rug out from under BBT and other bands by rescheduling the festival last year. Guessing some similar shenanigans are involved here).

https://www.facebook.com/100047325602689/posts/pfbid02GxwGtuaDSX4XBaZ94gTAAH1ChL49Rv4QPxKLkmFoqKZVpjFQv2L6u7WbuQSY6zwel/?app=fbl

Puzzle,?

Ted replied to the SB Facebook post saying "Well, this is an odd way to find out."

Yikes...sad that he isn't kept in the loop. Is Al making all the business decisions for the band?

-Marc.

I could be wrong, but I think Ryo is the one handling their FB account.

I also wonder if Ted is not a full voting band member or something, since you’d think there might be some internal communications. Or it’s possible Ted is joking, as he is known to do.

[The Letter M]

This is a bummer. Spock’s Beard having to cancel their European tour because of being unable to play HRH Prog (which pulled the rug out from under BBT and other bands by rescheduling the festival last year. Guessing some similar shenanigans are involved here).

https://www.facebook.com/100047325602689/posts/pfbid02GxwGtuaDSX4XBaZ94gTAAH1ChL49Rv4QPxKLkmFoqKZVpjFQv2L6u7WbuQSY6zwel/?app=fbl

Ted replied to the SB Facebook post saying "Well, this is an odd way to find out."

Yikes...sad that he isn't kept in the loop. Is Al making all the business decisions for the band?

-Marc.

I could be wrong, but I think Ryo is the one handling their FB account.

I also wonder if Ted is not a full voting band member or something, since you’d think there might be some internal communications. Or it’s possible Ted is joking, as he is known to do.

Maybe he's joking, but if I had to guess, it didn't seem like he was.

Either way, it's gotta be tough to be SB. Barely any touring in the last five years, no new studio album, and pretty much everyone else but Al has been busy with their own music or other bands, AFAIK.

I would not be surprised if they just announced that they're done, and that Ted and Dave should just focus their efforts on P-SA from here on out.

-Marc.