Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[KevShmev]

That's a bummer that there were so many technical problems, but good to hear the band still had a good time regardless.

Thanks for the link, hef, although that was your run-of-the-mill Neal interview.   He seems, if nothing else, like a genuinely great guy, but he's never been the most interesting interviewee.  His enthusiasm for music is always apparent though, for sure.

[jammindude]

Wow....is anyone else watching the Portnoy meltdown on FB?

I'm certainly willing to chalk it up to him just not feeling well right now.....but wow.   

I hope he's OK.   It doesn't sound like he's going to be able to play the show...but he's bashing the hospital ER for not bumping him to the front of the line because he had a show.     Not cool....

I'm sure he's just in a bad mood because he's obviously really sick.  I hope he's OK...

[Nihil-Morari]

While I don't get why he would post it to facebook, but I do get the wish for making way for him. When you're on tour there's no way you can stay in line for an hour or two. You're not in the same place for that long. I know of stories of sailors (I don't mean sailors, shipmen?) getting special treatment at the docters office because they had to get going again. I know that being famous doesn't mean that other people should die for whatever complaint you have, but something must be possible, I'd say.

[RoeDent]

I'm sure musicians don't rank that highly in the "pecking order".

[Nihil-Morari]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think they should, but I guess that something can be done. Maybe a phonecall beforehand, or some emergency service, or even outside of a regular hospital maybe just paying a private doctor.
I don't know what my point is exactly, mainly because nobody knows what they already tried beforehand. I sure hope they tried everything.

Finally, I think at least that MP should've closed facebook after posting that, instead of angrily reacting to people who just say how things work in a hospital.

[ich bin besser]

The new keyboard player wasn't audible most of the time, and when he was he wasn't sounding certain at all.

New keyboard player???

[ariich]

Whittington is a public hospital, and therefore is almost certainly very stretched (the whole NHS has been recently). If he's such an important musician he can go to a private hospital instead! As an American he'll presumably have to pay for it himself either way.

[Phoenix87x]

As someone that works in healthcare, I take some offense with what he's saying. As far as I'm concerned, he can get in line like everyone else. Its character traits like that why I don't respect him.

[Nihil-Morari]

The new keyboard player wasn't audible most of the time, and when he was he wasn't sounding certain at all.

New keyboard player???

Yeah, they announced the keyboard player as new. I've never seen the band before so that's all I know. There was a singer/key/guitar, a guitarist, a drummer, bass player and then the new one.

[rumborak]

While I was on vaca in Germany my brother was pitching The Grand Experiment to me, so I listened to it several times on train and plane rides.
I dunno; I don't want to constantly diss Neal, he seems like a genuinely nice guy on a mission, but it's just, except a few tunes (e.g. Agenda), it all sounds so much the same to me. Maybe, if the lyrics explored more topics it could somehow offset that a bit, but by the time "the King of Angels will return" is sung, it's like a death knell for the album to me. I feel I heard the music a hundred times before, and I heard the lyrics a hundred times before.
Dunno. Really gave it a try.

[ariich]

Weird, I would say the music is fresher on this album than any of his "prog" solo releases have been for years.

Lyrically though, I'm with you, but I don't mind that too much because, as you say, he's on a genuine mission and even though the lyrics don't speak to me personally, they do come across as sincere and genuine.

[Prog Snob]

Weird, I would say the music is fresher on this album than any of his "prog" solo releases have been for years.

Lyrically though, I'm with you, but I don't mind that too much because, as you say, he's on a genuine mission and even though the lyrics don't speak to me personally, they do come across as sincere and genuine.

That's basically my take on the lyrics.  I'm not the most religious person but I really do love the positivity of the message.

[OpenYourEyes311]

Hey guys, I'm trying to order a subscription to the Inner Circle, but every time i try to confirm the order it tells me the transaction can not be processed. I've tried different cards and different shirt sizes and it all comes back the same. I tried contacting radiant through their 'contact us' email and havent heard back (since yesterday). Is anyone else going through this/gone through this?

[Big Hath]

I blame Portnoy

[KevShmev]

While I was on vaca in Germany my brother was pitching The Grand Experiment to me, so I listened to it several times on train and plane rides.
I dunno; I don't want to constantly diss Neal, he seems like a genuinely nice guy on a mission, but it's just, except a few tunes (e.g. Agenda), it all sounds so much the same to me. Maybe, if the lyrics explored more topics it could somehow offset that a bit, but by the time "the King of Angels will return" is sung, it's like a death knell for the album to me. I feel I heard the music a hundred times before, and I heard the lyrics a hundred times before.
Dunno. Really gave it a try.

I can't argue with you giving a try, but I totally disagree about this sounding like just another Neal album.  The presence of his new guitar player gives it a very different feel at times, especially since he is more John Petrucci in style than Roine Stolt or Alan Morse, so you don't really get that TA or SB vibe from his playing, so that "been there, done that" feel in the guitar playing really isn't there.  Hell, the first several minutes of Alive Again is far more guitar-driven than any extended intro for an epic on a Neal album to date. 

[r0cken]

I used to adore his music and I hate to admit how much all his output since "Lifeline" sounds the same to me.
I still enjoy it, mildly, and I still love the epics on each album, last one included, but the rest is forgettable.
So yeah, "Alive Again" is stunning, but I could totally live without "Agenda" or "The Grand Experiment".

[KevShmev]

I used to adore his music and I hate to admit how much all his output since "Lifeline" sounds the same to me.
I still enjoy it, mildly, and I still love the epics on each album, last one included, but the rest is forgettable.
So yeah, "Alive Again" is stunning, but I could totally live without "Agenda" or "The Grand Experiment".

Songs from November sounds like all of his other work?

[r0cken]

KevShmev, I was referring to his prog output. But "Songs from November" actually does sound like his two early pop albums (which I love)... So yeah, it does also feel like I heard it all before.
Lots of artists get locked up in their own shticks, and even if it's top-notch shticks, it's get boring. That's why I like it when Neal collaborates with other artists - it dilutes his signature songwriting a bit, and the music gets fresher.

[KevShmev]

That's what he did on the new album.  While the Neal blueprint is definitely still there, there is a lot of stuff on there that is kind of new and different for him.

[The Letter M]

That's what he did on the new album.  While the Neal blueprint is definitely still there, there is a lot of stuff on there that is kind of new and different for him.

This, and aside from Songs From November, his last three albums have all been collaborative: Transatlantic's Kaleidoscope, Flying Color's Second Nature, and the aforementioned Neal Morse Band release, The Grand Experiment. Even on his previous solo prog album, both Mike and Neal had a lot mo're input than ever before, so it seems Neal has grown more comfortable with sharing the workload on his albums, and I think we can thank TA and FC a bit for that.

-Marc.

[Prog Snob]

I just got my CD from Inner Circle, More Songs From November. I'm really loving this disc.  I've listened to it twice already.  I don't know about any of you guys, but I can always here The Beatles influence in his shorter and simpler songs.  Anybody else?

[hefdaddy42]

The Beatles influence is strong in Neal's work, whether short or long compositions.

[Prog Snob]

The Beatles influence is strong in Neal's work, whether short or long compositions.

Not saying it doesn't exist in the longer pieces but I hear it more in the shorter pieces as opposed to to something like At The End Of The Day or Alive Again. 

[hefdaddy42]

True.

[Prog Snob]

True.

Either way I love his sound and I love the positivity in his music.  He's partially inspired me to maybe read more about Jesus and what he said. 

[hefdaddy42]

True.

Either way I love his sound and I love the positivity in his music.  He's partially inspired me to maybe read more about Jesus and what he said.

Awesome.  Let me know if I can help in any way.

Or just start a thread in P/R and we'll see what happens lol

[Prog Snob]

True.

Either way I love his sound and I love the positivity in his music.  He's partially inspired me to maybe read more about Jesus and what he said.

Awesome.  Let me know if I can help in any way.

Or just start a thread in P/R and we'll see what happens lol

 

True.  I don't want to delve any deeper into it here.  I'll give it a thought and maybe open up a thread later on. 

[bosk1]

Or just start a thread in P/R and we'll see what happens lol

[hefdaddy42]

 

[hefdaddy42]

Neal Morse announced Morsefest 2015, in September.  Albums to be performed are ? and Sola Scriptura.   

[King Postwhore]

I would love to see ? performed live.

[Prog Snob]

I was going to say those are two of my favorites, but I say that about all his stuff.   

[ronnibran]

Any Neal albums played in their entirety is going to be awesome.  I don't think the first Morsefest can be topped, but the shorter albums will I'm sure be accentuated with lots of extras and nice guests.

I definitely won't be making it to this years fest.  Last year was really a once in a lifetime thing driving that far for a concert.  But to anyone who can make the trip and is a Neal fan....  It is truly an amazing experience.  More than any other concert I've been to, they REALLY went out of their way to make it a unique concert experience, or at least I thought so.

Man, oh man....  I would love to see Sola Scriptura performed live (yes I have the DVD lol but you know what I mean).

[reneranucci]

The Grand Experiment is the best album I've heard in many years (probably since 2010). I haven't felt so overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of music probably since I discovered Rush, Dredg or The Flower Kings. I've been playing it non-stop since I bought it (the fact that my wife also likes it helps a lot, of course  )

I went to the very first Morsefest night but didn't stay for the concert, which I'm probably going to regret for the rest of my life  I'd like to go to this year's event but I will probably move to another country during the summer. At least I went to the first night of the Grand Experiment Tour.

That's what he did on the new album.  While the Neal blueprint is definitely still there, there is a lot of stuff on there that is kind of new and different for him.

Agreed. As much as I love Neal, I felt that he wasn't going in the right direction with Lifeline and specially Momentum. I didn't have issues with him repeating the formula, it was just that the result of the formula wasn't as good as before and that he needed to make changes and try to push forward. He has definitely made the right changes.

Does anybody know how he's doing in terms of reaching a bigger audience? I'm not talking about a massive breakthrough but just gaining more recognition and support from the prog rock world. The album had good reviews so I thought that would help but the tour seemed to be of small-scale, even for him.

I have to say it was very nice to see he has very dedicated fans. There were people at Morsefest that traveled from England and Mexico to Nashville just to see him. I chatted with other fans and heard stories about people driving 10 hours in the snow to attend the concert. That's always nice to hear, he's such a nice, dedicated and talented guy that I think he deserves that kind of unconditional support.

[KevShmev]

Dang, it is a bummer that renaranucci's post there went unquote and undiscussed, but yeah, The Grand Experiment is pretty damn awesome. I've been listening to it a lot again recently, and I definitely think it is one of his best "solo" albums to date (I put "solo" in quote since I know it is technically by the Neal Morse Band).

The Call was one I wasn't sure about at first, but I've grown to love it.  That keyboard solo before the final vocal section is one of Neal's best to date. For as much as we talk about Neal's overall skills as a musician, I feel we sometimes overlook what a great player he is when it comes to the piano and keys.

I think the fact that this album is only 53 minutes is a big reason why it is so awesome.  It is not too long or overdone or anything.  Its length is perfect.  I'm definitely ready to put it in the mix with One, ? and T2 when it comes to Neal's best.