The TAC Roulette V.5...DTF Faves..WTF Am I Missing?? MastoDONE!

[HOF]

There are some really good Spock’s songs in this round.  At The End Of The Day is, in my opinion, the definitive Neal era SB song.  Nick’s drumming is so damn good.

Agree with all of this.

[425]

The Call just feels like a song you can't leave on the table. I knew a ton of people would send it, but if I'm playing to win, I can't just leave it out there.

Interesting choices from the Omniscient One. I love Freedom Song, but it's hard to imagine it being a hit with Tim.

I'll just drop this tidbit: I used my wildcard, and it's interesting knowing which song was not chosen, especially since other people sent it.

[jingle.boy]

Omincient One

Ziltoid, is that you?

Must be King Ziltoid, since he can't spell.

[Kwyjibo]

Ha ha, didn't even see that 

[Kwyjibo]

The Call just feels like a song you can't leave on the table. I knew a ton of people would send it, but if I'm playing to win, I can't just leave it out there.

Interesting choices from the Omniscient One. I love Freedom Song, but it's hard to imagine it being a hit with Tim.

I'll just drop this tidbit: I used my wildcard, and it's interesting knowing which song was not chosen, especially since other people sent it.

I considered sending Seemingly Sincere myself, that's a great song with a big buildup. Freedom Song is nice, but nothing special imo, and it works better in context with the album.

[425]

Yeah, Seemingly Sincere is a good choice. I like Freedom Song as a standalone, but that's because I enjoy that style. Working better in the context of the album is not something that would've stopped me by itself, as you can see from my Broken Sky/Long Day submission.

[King Postwhore]

Chad, are you saying I have a dual personality?

[Elite]

for Kwyjibo sending Thoughts II as well

Good Spock’s Beard picks all around, apart from My Shoes away from the rest of The Healing Colors of Sound. I can’t comment on the Neal Morse (Band) songs.

[TAC]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion.

There are at least three songs better than it on first listen..

[jingle.boy]

I think Into Fire and Freedom Song are either going to be very smart, or very dumb (or one of each).  Both are *completely* different from any other song submitted ... hell, different from any other NM/NMB/SB song in general.  The former is almost Accept-like.  And the latter is catchy af.  But then again, so is chlamydia.

[Buddyhunter1]

I hadn’t heard anyone talking about The Call so I didn’t know it’d be the popular pick, I just sent it because I thought it was actually good.

Devil’s Got My Throat is one of the songs I had a violent reaction to when doing my research. I could not stand Neal’s voice on that album.

[TAC]

Devil’s Got My Throat is one of the songs I had a violent reaction to when doing my research. I could not stand Neal’s voice on that album.

So..maybe the devil actually DID have his throat?

[Stadler]

Whoops!  Sorry Stads.

Fucking killing me. 


(I'm kidding; I appreciate you stepping up.)

[jingle.boy]

Devil’s Got My Throat is one of the songs I had a violent reaction to when doing my research. I could not stand Neal’s voice on that album.

So..maybe the devil actually DID have his throat?

[TAC]

Whoops!  Sorry Stads.

Fucking killing me. 


(I'm kidding; I appreciate you stepping up.)

Seemed like he actually stepped down...

[425]

I hadn’t heard anyone talking about The Call so I didn’t know it’d be the popular pick, I just sent it because I thought it was actually good.

That doesn't really surprise me. The Call is so good that I can easily see it being one of those "I'm not really a fan of NM, but I do like this" songs.

It's cool that The Call is the first song on the first Neal Morse Band album. What a way to say "yeah, this 'Band' thing is not a gimmick, there's something special here." (For the uninitiated, "Neal Morse Band" is a five-piece, truly collaborative project that should probably have a different name, while "Neal Morse" solo albums are truly solo.) Actually, the first song on the first album of a lot of NM projects end up being pretty special: The Light, All of the Above, The Call.

[Crow]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

spoilers: it was my """wildcard""" that TAC liked less than my other two 
if the call had been banned, i would've had the exact same submission as wolfking, apparently 

tbh i don't think nearly enough people sent The Call
it was kind of the obvious highlight of what little neal morse i did listen to for this tho, so

[wolfking]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

The first couple of minutes was enough for me to send it.  While the vocals were interesting, surprisingly I thought the whole damn thing was pretty good actually.  Not sure what Tim will think but it was cool enough for me to send.

425 did recommend it but I stumbled across it first and his cautious recommendation also was enough to send it.

[wolfking]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

spoilers: it was my """wildcard""" that TAC liked less than my other two 
if the call had been banned, i would've had the exact same submission as wolfking, apparently 

tbh i don't think nearly enough people sent The Call
it was kind of the obvious highlight of what little neal morse i did listen to for this tho, so

Ah.....well okay then. 

[TAC]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

The first couple of minutes was enough for me to send it.  While the vocals were interesting, surprisingly I thought the whole damn thing was pretty good actually.  Not sure what Tim will think but it was cool enough for me to send.

425 did recommend it but I stumbled across it first and his cautious recommendation also was enough to send it.

I was thinking you heard the first 30 seconds and clicked Send.

[lonestar]

That's what did it for me 

[Crow]

yeah that one dropped a few spots in my TAC-rating when the vocals came in  not really a fan of the vocals there either tbh
the first few minutes were pretty cool though

[TAC]

That's what did it for me 

It started out, and I was thinking, Gee this is pretty cool...

[wolfking]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

The first couple of minutes was enough for me to send it.  While the vocals were interesting, surprisingly I thought the whole damn thing was pretty good actually.  Not sure what Tim will think but it was cool enough for me to send.

425 did recommend it but I stumbled across it first and his cautious recommendation also was enough to send it.

I was thinking you heard the first 30 seconds and clicked Send.

Okay, you got me. 

[ariich]

Ok well it hopefully sounds like I made a good judgement call there then.

[TAC]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

The first couple of minutes was enough for me to send it.  While the vocals were interesting, surprisingly I thought the whole damn thing was pretty good actually.  Not sure what Tim will think but it was cool enough for me to send.

425 did recommend it but I stumbled across it first and his cautious recommendation also was enough to send it.

I was thinking you heard the first 30 seconds and clicked Send.

Okay, you got me. 

It was fucking obvious and was exactly what I was thinking when I listened to it. 

[ProfessorPeart]

Holy crap! I totally missed that Into Fire was sent. I cannot wait for that write-up.

TAC, you probably need some backstory on that track if it was not provided.

"Dave says of this writing/recording session, "By far, that's the most fun I've ever had in the studio!". This was also recorded at Kevin's in April of '97 and was written and recorded in 4 hours. Ryo brought the charts (he had written the music that day) and while the rest of the band was cutting the track, I was in the corner scribbling down lines like "Throw yourself upon the flaming pyre". In the 3rd hour Dave, Ryo and I wrote the whole lyric. I remember Dave throwing in critical words when I was stuck like, 'tainted', to which came a resounding "ooohhhh, that's good!" from the rest of us, and the line "bathed in tainted blood" was born. collaboration at it's finest!

Note: that's Ryo on the top background vocal part. While Dave, Ryo and I were doing the backgrounds we were laughing so hard we were crying! Maybe you had to be there..."

Note: "Into Fire" is the result of JVC requesting a Heavy Metal song as a bonus track for the Japanese release of "The Kindness Of Strangers"

[Crow]

it's annoying the hell out of me that there's both an "In the Fire" and "Into Fire" in his discog, and both were sent in the same round, like c'mon man 

[425]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

The first couple of minutes was enough for me to send it.  While the vocals were interesting, surprisingly I thought the whole damn thing was pretty good actually.  Not sure what Tim will think but it was cool enough for me to send.

425 did recommend it but I stumbled across it first and his cautious recommendation also was enough to send it.

Worth emphasizing the "cautious" part of that, lest I be accused of sending dubious recommendations! I sent wolfking a list of options, including some I regard as safer, and said the following about Author of Confusion: "Author of Confusion is a quirky piece that has a lot of interweaving vocal parts, which IMO make it a risky submission, but it's one I'm really tempted to try."

And, also, I sent it myself! I wanted to use my wildcard to send two songs I thought of as risky for very different reasons along with the safe choice of The Call. So with it being both Cyril's wildcard and mine, we know that on the first listen, The Call, Broken Sky and In the Fire had a lead over Author of Confusion.

[ProfessorPeart]

it's annoying the hell out of me that there's both an "In the Fire" and "Into Fire" in his discog, and both were sent in the same round, like c'mon man 

That's how I missed Into Fire. It blended together when skimming the list. It wasn't until someone brought it up later in the thread did I realize it was sent. On my second look, I thought you sent it. Confusing, indeed.

[TAC]

Holy crap! I totally missed that Into Fire was sent. I cannot wait for that write-up.

TAC, you probably need some backstory on that track if it was not provided.

"Dave says of this writing/recording session, "By far, that's the most fun I've ever had in the studio!". This was also recorded at Kevin's in April of '97 and was written and recorded in 4 hours. Ryo brought the charts (he had written the music that day) and while the rest of the band was cutting the track, I was in the corner scribbling down lines like "Throw yourself upon the flaming pyre". In the 3rd hour Dave, Ryo and I wrote the whole lyric. I remember Dave throwing in critical words when I was stuck like, 'tainted', to which came a resounding "ooohhhh, that's good!" from the rest of us, and the line "bathed in tainted blood" was born. collaboration at it's finest! Note: that's Ryo on the top background vocal part. While Dave, Ryo and I were doing the backgrounds we were laughing so hard we were crying! Maybe you had to be there..." Note:

"Into Fire" is the result of JVC requesting a Heavy Metal song as a bonus track for the Japanese release of "The Kindness Of Strangers"

Well, I will give away one First Impression..

WTF? That’s Demon music.[Into Fire]

[425]

it's annoying the hell out of me that there's both an "In the Fire" and "Into Fire" in his discog, and both were sent in the same round, like c'mon man 

I'd literally never heard of Into Fire until today. Apparently it's a Japanese bonus track and on the SB equivalent of Cleaning Out the Closet.

[TAC]

it's annoying the hell out of me that there's both an "In the Fire" and "Into Fire" in his discog, and both were sent in the same round, like c'mon man 

The funny thing is, it was sent to me as Into The Fire. I'm confused enough.
I had to ask for clarification.


Plus, a Thoughts II AND a Thoughts V?

Also, a Broken Sky, a Crack The Big Sky, and not only that, but a Weathering Sky to boot.

Not to mention a Flow and a damn Overflow!

[wolfking]

RJ and Kade, good call with Author of Confusion. That's a great tune and I very much considered sending it, but in the end wasn't sure what Tim would think of the vocal approach in literally all the vocal sections in that song.

The first couple of minutes was enough for me to send it.  While the vocals were interesting, surprisingly I thought the whole damn thing was pretty good actually.  Not sure what Tim will think but it was cool enough for me to send.

425 did recommend it but I stumbled across it first and his cautious recommendation also was enough to send it.

Worth emphasizing the "cautious" part of that, lest I be accused of sending dubious recommendations! I sent wolfking a list of options, including some I regard as safer, and said the following about Author of Confusion: "Author of Confusion is a quirky piece that has a lot of interweaving vocal parts, which IMO make it a risky submission, but it's one I'm really tempted to try."

And, also, I sent it myself! I wanted to use my wildcard to send two songs I thought of as risky for very different reasons along with the safe choice of The Call. So with it being both Cyril's wildcard and mine, we know that on the first listen, The Call, Broken Sky and In the Fire had a lead over Author of Confusion.

I don't blame anyone mate.  I still think the whole thing was pretty cool and experimental.

[425]

it's annoying the hell out of me that there's both an "In the Fire" and "Into Fire" in his discog, and both were sent in the same round, like c'mon man 

The funny thing is, it was sent to me as Into The Fire. I'm confused enough.
I had to ask for clarification.


Plus, a Thoughts II AND a Thoughts V?

Also, a Broken Sky, a Crack The Big Sky, and not only that, but a Weathering Sky to boot.

Not to mention a Flow and a damn Overflow!

He likes "sky"

I'll add to the "Thoughts" confusion: There's a "Thoughts" and a "Thoughts Part 2" from when Neal was in Spock's Beard. Then Neal did "Thoughts Part 5" on a solo album. Then Spock's Beard did a song called "Afterthoughts" without Neal in the band, but co-written by Neal. But there's no Part 4.

Worth emphasizing the "cautious" part of that, lest I be accused of sending dubious recommendations! I sent wolfking a list of options, including some I regard as safer, and said the following about Author of Confusion: "Author of Confusion is a quirky piece that has a lot of interweaving vocal parts, which IMO make it a risky submission, but it's one I'm really tempted to try."

And, also, I sent it myself! I wanted to use my wildcard to send two songs I thought of as risky for very different reasons along with the safe choice of The Call. So with it being both Cyril's wildcard and mine, we know that on the first listen, The Call, Broken Sky and In the Fire had a lead over Author of Confusion.

I don't blame anyone mate.  I still think the whole thing was pretty cool and experimental.

Didn't think you would, just didn't want to leave the impression out there. I like the song a lot, and I'm glad you thought it was cool.

Also, people were talking about no one having the courage to send Cockroach King, so I figured it'd be cool to send the Neal Morse equivalent—didn't know so many people had the same idea, sending both it and some of the Thoughts songs!