Neal Morse Survivor 2021 - Results & Discussion

[The Letter M]

Hello and welcome to my 4th (Semi-)Annual Neal Morse Survivor, for the 2021 season (since the majority of the survivor will run through 2021)! Here I will post the album results, and eventually, the finals! To start off with, I'll post the track lists/options for each survivor, then as we finish each album, I'll update the track lists with the final results.

As usual, each album's 3rd place song will move to Consolation, with the exception of the extra-long double albums (Testimony, TSOAD, and TGA), which will have it's 5th and 6th place songs move into Consolation, while it's top 4 songs will move to the Finals (as I have done with previous double albums in other Survivors). These three albums will also begin with multi-song votes/eliminations because otherwise, they would take FOREVER to get through. Folks who have participated in my survivors in the past should be familiar with this method by now!

Because of that, the Consolation Rounds will consist of 14 songs (2 from each of Testimony, TSOAD and TGA, and 1 each from the other 8 albums) and the Finals will consist of 30 songs (4 from each of Testimony, TSOAD, and TAA, and 2 from each of the other 8 albums, plus the top 2 of the Consolation Rounds).

Last time I ran this survivor in 2015, I omitted Neal's debut solo album and It's Not Too Late due to a lack of interest, and I don't think that'll change this time around. I'm also not including Jesus Christ The Exorcist, despite being more proggy than albums like Songs From November and Life And Times, mostly because I'm not overly familiar with it, and I'm sure most NM fans aren't either, so I don't think many of us will miss its inclusion.

Also, last time I ran this, I had the intension of doing the Covers Survivor but never did, so this time, now that Cov3r To Cov3r has come out, I figured I'd finally do it this time.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Testimony
1. Somber Days
2. Sing It High
3. Oh, To Feel Him
4. I Am Willing
5. Long Story
6. Wasted Life
7. Colder In The Sun
8. The Prince Of The Power Of The Air
9. Ready To Try
10. Power In The Air
11. In The Middle
12. Break Of Day
13. Sleeping Jesus
      God's Theme
15. The Promise
      Moving In My Heart
      God's Theme 2
18. The Land Of Beginning Again (1)
      Overture No. 3
      Rejoice
21. Interlude
      Overture No. 2
      Transformation
      Oh Lord, My God
25. Overture No. 1
      California Nights
      It's All I Can Do
      The Storm Before The Calm
      The Land Of Beginning Again (2)

----------------------------------------------------------------

One (Special Edition - Restored Tracklist)
1. Author Of Confusion
2. The Separated Man
3. The Creation
4. Cradle To The Grave
5. Help Me | The Spirit And The Flesh
6. Reunion
7. King Jesus
8. Father Of Forgiveness
9. Nothing To Believe
10. Back To The Garden
      The Man's Gone

----------------------------------------------------------------

?
1. The Temple Of The Living God (1)
2. Another World
3. In The Fire
4. Entrance
5. Solid As The Sun
6. 12
7. The Outsider
8. Outside Looking In
9. Sweet Elation
10. The Temple Of The Living God (2)
11. Inside His Presence
12. The Glory Of The Lord

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sola Scriptura
1. The Conflict
2. The Door
3. The Conclusion
4. Heaven In My Heart

----------------------------------------------------------------

Lifeline (Special Edition)
1. So Many Roads
2. Children Of The Chosen
3. Leviathan
4. Lifeline
5. Fly High
6. The Way Home
7. God's Love
(8. Sometimes He Waits/Set The Kingdom - Exempt)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Testimony Two
Mercy Street
Overture No. 4
Time Changer
Jayda

Nighttime Collectors
Time Has Come Today
Jesus' Blood
The Truth Will Set You Free

Chance Of A Lifetime
Jesus Bring Me Home
Road Dog Blues
It's For You
Crossing Over / Mercy Street Reprise

Absolute Beginner
Supernatural
Seeds Of Gold

----------------------------------------------------------------

Momentum
Momentum
Thoughts (Part 5)
Smoke And Mirrors
Weathering Sky
Freak
World Without End

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Grand Experiment (Special Edition)
The Call
The Grand Experiment
Waterfall
Agenda
Alive Again
New Jerusalem (Freedom Is Coming)
Doomsday Destiny

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Similitude Of A Dream
Long Day
Overture
The Dream
City Of Destruction
We Have Got To Go
Makes No Sense
Draw The Line
The Slough
Back To The City
The Ways Of A Fool
So Far Gone
Breath Of Angels

Slave To Your Mind
Shortcut To Salvation
The Man In The Iron Cage
The Road Called Home
Sloth
Freedom Song
I'm Running
The Mask
Confrontation
The Battle
Broken Sky - Long Day (Reprise)

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Great Adventure
Overture
The Dream Isn't Over
Welcome To The World
A Momentary Change
Dark Melody
I Got To Run
To The River
The Great Adventure
Venture In Black
Hey Ho Let's Go
Beyond The Borders

Overture 2
Long Ago
The Dream Continues
Fighting With Destiny
Vanity Fair
Welcome To The World 2
The Element Of Fear
Child Of Wonder
The Great Despair
Freedom Calling
A Love That Never Dies

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sola Gratia
Preface
Overture
In The Name Of The Lord
Ballyhoo (The Chosen Ones)
March Of The Pharisees
Building A Wall
Sola Intermezzo
Overflow
Warmer Than The Sunshine
Never Change
Seemingly Sincere
The Light On The Road To Damascus
The Glory Of The Lord
Now I Can See / The Great Commission

----------------------------------------------------------------

Consolation
Long Story
Wasted Life
The Creation
In The Fire
The Conclusion
Leviathan
(Testimony Two - 3)
(Momentum - 3)
(The Grand Experiment - 3)
(The Similitude Of A Dream - 5)
(The Similitude Of A Dream - 6)
(The Great Adventure - 5)
(The Great Adventure - 6)
(Sola Gratia - 3)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Finals
Somber Days
Sing It High
Oh, To Feel Him
I Am Willing
Author Of Confusion
The Separated Man
The Temple Of The Living God (1)
Another World
The Conflict
The Door
So Many Roads
Children Of The Chosen
(Testimony Two - 1)
(Testimony Two - 2)
(Momentum - 1)
(Momentum - 2)
(The Grand Experiment - 1)
(The Grand Experiment - 2)
(The Similitude Of A Dream - 1)
(The Similitude Of A Dream - 2)
(The Similitude Of A Dream - 3)
(The Similitude Of A Dream - 4)
(The Great Adventure - 1)
(The Great Adventure - 2)
(The Great Adventure - 3)
(The Great Adventure - 4)
(Sola Gratia - 1)
(Sola Gratia - 2)
(Consolation - 1)
(Consolation - 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Covers Survivor
Tuesday Afternoon (The Moody Blues)
Find My Way Back Home (Blind Faith)

Where The Streets Have No Name (U2)
Day After Day (Badfinger)
What Is Life (George Harrison)
I'm Free / Sparks (The Who)

Pleasant Valley Sunday (The Monkeys)
Badge (Cream)
Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney)
Where Do The Children Play (Cat Stevens)
I'm The Man (Joe Jackson)
Feeling Stronger Everyday (Chicago)
Rock And Roll Suicide (David Bowie)

Crazy Horses (The Osmonds)
Lemons Never Forget (The Bee Gees)
The Letter (Joe Cocker version)
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding (Elvis Costello)
Starless (King Crimson)

Lido Shuffle (Boz Scaggs)
I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number (Steely Dan)
Teacher (Jethro Tull)
Driven To Tears (The Police)
Come Sail Away (Styx)
Southern Man / Needle And The Damage Done / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)

MacArthur Park (Richard Harris)

No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (Yes)
Hymn 43 (Jethro Tull)
Life On Mars (David Bowie)
Baker Street (Gerry Raggerty)
It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr)
Baby Blue  (Badfinger)
One More Red Nightmare (King Crimson)
Black Coffee In Bed (Squeeze)
Tempted (Squeeze)
Runnin' Down A Dream (Tom Petty)
Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz)

----------------------------------------------------------------

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

Some notes - I'm using the Special Editions for One, Lifeline, and The Grand Experiment, including their bonus tracks of original material, but NOT the Cover Songs from those albums (and no "I'm A Heavy Metal Long-Haired Blue Bearded Tattooed Jew" - sorry).

And as stated above, if you didn't see it, I won't be including Neal Morse, It's Not Too Late, or Jesus Christ The Exorcist, since last time I did this, the first two didn't see enough interest in including them, so I'm starting with Testimony. Also, it seems like many fans might not be familiar enough with JCTE, and I myself haven't heard it very much in the last year, so it's not being included either (and I don't think many will miss it).

Anyways, I will be starting the first rounds for Testimony and One in a couple of days (probably Tuesday). Like with my Rush Survivor, I'll be running two albums at once again, just to expedite this process, especially since the last time I did this, Neal has released 2 more NMB albums and a solo album, so we've got a LOT of material to get through!

-Marc.

[Mladen]

Bring it on. 

[darkshade]

I'm down.

[The Letter M]

One's Final Round's Results:
Author Of Confusion 2 (40%)
The Separated Man 3 (60%)

1. Author Of Confusion
2. The Separated Man
3. The Creation
4. Cradle To The Grave
5. Help Me | The Spirit And The Flesh
6. Reunion
7. King Jesus
8. Father Of Forgiveness
9. Nothing To Believe
10. Back To The Garden
      The Man's Gone

Looks like "Author Of Confusion" takes the top spot, but both it and "The Separated Man" will go on to the finals, while album opener "The Creation" goes on to Consolation Rounds. For comparison, here's how this survivor ended back in 2015:

1. The Creation
2. Author Of Confusion
3. The Separated Man
4. Cradle To The Grave
5. Reunion
6. Help Me / The Spirit And The Flesh
7. Father Of Forgiveness
8. The Man's Gone
9. Nothing To Believe
10. Back To The Garden
      King Jesus

The same Top four, even though the top three swapped places a bit, while fifth and sixth places swapped with each other as well.

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

Testimony's Final Round's Results:
Somber Days 1 (33.3%)
Sing It High 2 (66.7%)

1. Somber Days
2. Sing It High
3. Oh, To Feel Him
4. I Am Willing
5. Long Story
6. Wasted Life
7. Colder In The Sun
8. The Prince Of The Power Of The Air
9. Ready To Try
10. Power In The Air
11. In The Middle
12. Break Of Day
13. Sleeping Jesus
      God's Theme
15. The Promise
      Moving In My Heart
      God's Theme 2
18. The Land Of Beginning Again (1)
      Overture No. 3
      Rejoice
21. Interlude
      Overture No. 2
      Transformation
      Oh Lord, My God
25. Overture No. 1
      California Nights
      It's All I Can Do
      The Storm Before The Calm
      The Land Of Beginning Again (2)

"Somber Days" takes the top spot, while "Sing It High" places second, but both songs, along with "I Am Willing" and "Oh, To Feel Him", all move onto the Finals. For comparison's sake, here are the results from the 2015 Survivor:

Testimony
1. It's All I Can Do
2. Sing It High
3. Somber Days
4. Oh, To Feel Him
5. Wasted Life
6. Sleeping Jesus
7. The Promise
8. Power In The Air
9. Colder In The Sun
10. The Land Of Beginning Again (1)
11. The Prince Of The Power Of The AIr
      Ready To Try
13. California Nights
14. Moving In My Heart
15. Break Of Day
      Transformation
      I Am Willing
      The Storm Before The Calm
19. In The Middle
      God's Theme
21. Overture No. 1
      Overture No. 2
23. Rejoice
      God's Theme 2
25. Long Story
      Oh Lord My God
27. Overture No. 3
28. Interlude
      The Land Of Beginning Again (2)

Looks like "I Am Willing" moved way up, but for the most part, the top 10 remained the same.

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

? (Question Mark)'s Final Round's Results:
Another World 3 (100%)

1. The Temple Of The Living God (1)
2. Another World
3. In The Fire
4. Entrance
5. Solid As The Sun
6. 12
7. The Outsider
8. Outside Looking In
9. Sweet Elation
10. The Temple Of The Living God (2)
11. Inside His Presence
12. The Glory Of The Lord

The album's opening two tracks move on to the Finals, with ITF going to Consolation. For comparison's sake, here are the results from 2015:

1. In The Fire
2. 12
3. Sweet Elation
4. Entrance
5. Solid As The Sun
6. Another World
7. Inside His Presence
8. Outside Looking In
9. The Temple Of The Living God (1)
10. The Temple Of The Living God (2)
11. The Glory Of The Lord
12. The Outside

Looks like 4th and 5th places remained the same, but otherwise, it was a huge shake-up! "Another World" jumped up 4 spots, while "12" swapped with it. "Sweet Elation" went down 6 spots while the album opener went from 9th to 1st!

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

Sola Scriptura's Final Round's Results:
The Door 2 (66.7%)
The Conflict 1 (33.3%)

1. The Conflict
2. The Door
3. The Conclusion
4. Heaven In My Heart

The shortest album survivor in this series, with just three rounds, and for the most part, the results is almost always the same. In fact, it was exactly the same back in 2015! In the 2012 Survivor, the top two were swapped.

-Marc.

[darkshade]

Unfortunately I've not been keeping up with this, mostly because my time on the computer these days is erratic.

[The Letter M]

Lifeline's Fin Round's Results:
Children Of The Chosen 3 (75%)
So Many Roads 1 (25%)

1. So Many Roads
2. Children Of The Chosen
3. Leviathan
4. Lifeline
5. Fly High
6. The Way Home
7. God's Love
(8. Sometimes He Waits/Set The Kingdom - Exempt)

I think we all knew SMR would end up in the top two, but I did not expect COTC to end up in the Finals, especially compared to previous survivors!

2015 Results:
1. Leviathan
2. Lifeline
3. So Many Roads
4. Children Of The Chosen
5. Fly High
6. God's Love
7. The Way Home
    Set The Kingdom
9. Sometimes He Waits

2012 Reults:
1. So Many Roads
2. Lifeline
3. Set The Kingdom
4. Children Of The Chosen
5. Sometimes He Waits
6. Fly High
7. God's Love
8. The Way Home
   Leviathan

COTC placed fourth the last two times I ran this survivor, with Lifeline ending up in 2nd place/the Finals as well, but now it didn't even make it to consolation! Quite a bit of a turnaround, but I think slightly less participation might be to blame. Either way, it's good to have a shake-up every now and then, and good to see SMR back into the Finals.

-Marc.