Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[Architeuthis]

Is Sola Gratia a religious overtone record? 

[roa71]

yes.  it's the account of Paul, author of many of the books of the New Testament.  it focuses on his conversion from someone who persecuted Christians to becoming a follower.

[bosk1]

I like Sola Gratia a lot.  But the problem I have with it is that, once you get to the climax, it doesn't really go anywhere.  The ending is just kind of "there" and just feels like "standard NM ending tacked on because we didn't know how else to finish this." 

[Fritzinger]

I think, Sola Gratia might be the best sounding album, by Neal Morse. Just listen to MP's drums (octobans!) in the Overture, they sound amazing. All albums by Neal sound good, but this one knocked me out of my socks with its sound. I think the difference in sound can also be made out when it's compared to Kaleidoscope and The Absolute Universe.

[kirksnosehair]

Is Sola Gratia a religious overtone record?

Is it a Neal Morse album? 


I mean, aren't they all religious overtone records now? Every single one of them since Testimony has been about God in some way.  He's tried to keep it interesting, I'll give him that.  And it's a topic that could be mined indefinitely for material and you'd never have to repeat yourself, lyrically.  But I find that Neal Morse's solo albums all seem to kind of blend in to one, long, massive concept album describing his journey with his religion, which is clearly central to his life.  And I don't mean that in a bad way, necessarily.  I think it's kind of cool that he drops breadcrumbs throughout his body of work, but his solo albums all have recycled riffs, melodies and phrases, sometimes the exact duplicate of something he's already done, but most of the time it's very, very similar to something he's done before, and I think that's what makes his body of solo work come across as sort of "samey" sometimes.  I mean, when I listen to a Neal Morse album, it's like putting on my favorite sweater.  I know exactly what I'm going to get, even if it's my first time hearing it.

This is why I've lately, over the last few years, grown much more fond of his Neal Morse Band project because those albums sound quite a bit more collaborative and varied than his solo albums.  That said, I don't think Neal's got a bad record in his entire catalog.  Sure, there are a few I'm not interested in, but the man has a huge body of extraordinary work.  So much creativity.  I really admire him a lot. 

[Kram]

I think, Sola Gratia might be the best sounding album, by Neal Morse. Just listen to MP's drums (octobans!) in the Overture, they sound amazing. All albums by Neal sound good, but this one knocked me out of my socks with its sound. I think the difference in sound can also be made out when it's compared to Kaleidoscope and The Absolute Universe.

Yes, agreed!  The drums, the bass - all the instruments sound clear and powerful.

[The Letter M]

Is Sola Gratia a religious overtone record?

Is it a Neal Morse album? 

 

I mean, aren't they all religious overtone records now? Every single one of them since Testimony has been about God in some way.  He's tried to keep it interesting, I'll give him that.  And it's a topic that could be mined indefinitely for material and you'd never have to repeat yourself, lyrically.  But I find that Neal Morse's solo albums all seem to kind of blend in to one, long, massive concept album describing his journey with his religion, which is clearly central to his life.  And I don't mean that in a bad way, necessarily.  I think it's kind of cool that he drops breadcrumbs throughout his body of work, but his solo albums all have recycled riffs, melodies and phrases, sometimes the exact duplicate of something he's already done, but most of the time it's very, very similar to something he's done before, and I think that's what makes his body of solo work come across as sort of "samey" sometimes.  I mean, when I listen to a Neal Morse album, it's like putting on my favorite sweater.  I know exactly what I'm going to get, even if it's my first time hearing it.

This is why I've lately, over the last few years, grown much more fond of his Neal Morse Band project because those albums sound quite a bit more collaborative and varied than his solo albums.  That said, I don't think Neal's got a bad record in his entire catalog.  Sure, there are a few I'm not interested in, but the man has a huge body of extraordinary work.  So much creativity.  I really admire him a lot.

I think his albums, everything including Spock's Beard, his solo stuff, Transatlantic, the Neal Morse Band, and to some extent Flying Colors, all have some of his touch, at least lyrically. His early work with SB could definitely be seen as having religious connotations if you listen to them in that way. Same goes for the first two Transatlantic albums, but they're all sort of vague enough to be interpreted in many different ways, either personally or in a broader sense.

When Neal left SB and TA and pursued his solo career with greater degree, he definitely wrote with his Christianity in mind, but I think when he got to Momentum, and for most of The Grand Experiment, he dialed back the overtly religious material. This was also the era of Flying Colors and TA's Kaleidoscope, so I think he may have pulled back a bit on it (after releasing one of his most religiously-tinged albums, Lifeline, and a sequel to Testimony). Of course, that isn't to say those works can't also be interpreted as religious in nature, but I'd say Momentum and Kaleidoscope are more like his early SB/TA albums than anything he did between 2003-2010.

Sola Gratia, though, being his first purely solo prog album since Momentum, definitely has his mid-00's feel in terms of lyrics. Being tangentially related to Sola Scriptura should give anyone an idea how Sola Gratia should sound.

-Marc.

[Stadler]

As someone who can tolerate, but does not actively seek out, Morse's more overt religious material, I think it's in the eye of the beholder. I just see a lot of positivity and affirmation in his work (across all his outlets); some might attribute that specifically to his faith, but I think one can just as easily look at more general life observations.  For me, "Alive Again" and "Weathering Skies" fits that model. I know I sent "Supernatural" to a (Catholic) friend, and she immediately identified that as having a religious basis; I've always heard that song more generally as being about "love".

When I met him (albeit briefly) I said to him something to the effect of "thank you for the music; there's a positivity there that I really like" or something equally dumb, and he laughed and said "well, that's the point, really, isn't it?"

[The Letter M]

As someone who can tolerate, but does not actively seek out, Morse's more overt religious material, I think it's in the eye of the beholder. I just see a lot of positivity and affirmation in his work (across all his outlets); some might attribute that specifically to his faith, but I think one can just as easily look at more general life observations.  For me, "Alive Again" and "Weathering Skies" fits that model. I know I sent "Supernatural" to a (Catholic) friend, and she immediately identified that as having a religious basis; I've always heard that song more generally as being about "love".

When I met him (albeit briefly) I said to him something to the effect of "thank you for the music; there's a positivity there that I really like" or something equally dumb, and he laughed and said "well, that's the point, really, isn't it?"

I'm not at ALL religious anymore, but Neal's positivity in his music is definitely something I can agree with, more so when his lyrics are a bit more vague and open to interpretation. Even when his lyrics and songs out-right speak of Jesus and God, I'm not offended in the slightest, and in the case of his concept albums, particularly the narrative based ones, I take them as just stories with a message of positivity and love. To me, his narrative concept albums aren't any different than rock operas like Tommy, The Lamb, or The Wall, although they have different meanings and purposes, they're all just stories.

I do appreciate that Neal is very open to having fans who aren't necessarily religious or Christian, but love his music anyway. I remember watching the Testimony Live DVD for the first time and being touched by how he was willing to share his story about Jayda, but prefaced it with saying he didn't want to offend anyone with his words or music, but wanted to spread, what HE felt, is a miraculous story that obviously touched and moved him in a way that prompted him to make music about it and share it with the world, and I cannot fault anyone for having that drive and passion, regardless of where it comes from.

Neal's music never fails to lift me up, no matter the content or context of his works. If that's the point of his music, then it definitely works for me!

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Bill and Marc, I am with you guys.  By and large, I tolerate the lyrics that are overtly religious, largely because the music is always so damn good.  In the hands of just about anyone else, the lyrics to So Many Road would have me throwing the song in the recycle bin for eternity, but Neal makes his songs sound so uplifting and celebratory that I can't help but love most of 'em.

[ReaperKK]

Sorry to interject here but I've been following this thread for ages it feels like but have never checked out Neal's work. I see there are three albums on Spotify, sola gratis, Jesus christ the exorcist, neal morse collection. What would you guys recommend checking out of those three?

[DTA]

Does the Neal Morse collection have any more description as to what albums/songs are included?

Sola Gratia is a good intro. It’s concise and pretty much encapsulates what he’s all about.

[bosk1]

By process of elimination, I would go with Sola Gratia.  It is the only one of those three that is a "typical" Neal Morse album.  And it's a pretty good one, even if it might not be up near the top of what he has done.  Interestingly, Neal's solo work has more concept albums than not, and Sola Gratia is no exception. 

Jesus Christ the Exorcist is good, but it is not typical in many respects.  It is much more in the Broadway musical style than his other albums, and features guest vocalists for most of the vocal parts.  Think of if you listened to The Astonishing as your first Dream Theater experience:  really good album, and in many ways, does a lot of what DT typically do.  But as an album as a whole, it is NOT typical of their style. 

I don't know what is on "Collection," but I imagine it is a lot of songs taken out of context of their various albums.  And while a lot of them might tend to be fan favorites, I don't think hearings songs from concept albums out of context and mashed together with other songs is the best way to go.

[darkshade]

This is the track list for "The Neal Morse Collection"
I would listen to the bold songs.

First 2 are solid "single" Neal Morse tunes from 2 albums that aren't concept albums.
The Door is almost half of the Sola Scriptura album, and pairs well with Sola Gratia
Author of Confusion  is Spock's Dream Beard Theater
Then you have the first 4 tracks of Testimony 2 and Testimony 1, respectively, acting as the bun of an epic Seeds of Gold sandwich.
I don't think I recognize any of the songs I didn't bold.


My Time of Dying
Daddy's Daughter
Wear The Chains
Momentum
Lifeline
There is Nothing God Can't Change
Talkin' Mega Church Blues
The Door
Author of Confusion
Entrance
Mercy Street
Overture No. 4
Time Changer
Jayda
Seeds of Gold
The Land of Beginning Again
Overture No. 1
California Nights
Nowhere Fast
Emma

[The Letter M]

This is the track list for "The Neal Morse Collection"
I would listen to the bold songs.

First 2 are solid "single" Neal Morse tunes from 2 albums that aren't concept albums.
The Door is almost half of the Sola Scriptura album, and pairs well with Sola Gratia
Author of Confusion  is Spock's Dream Beard Theater
Then you have the first 4 tracks of Testimony 2 and Testimony 1, respectively, acting as the bun of an epic Seeds of Gold sandwich.
I don't think I recognize any of the songs I didn't bold.


My Time of Dying
Daddy's Daughter
Wear The Chains
Momentum
Lifeline
There is Nothing God Can't Change
Talkin' Mega Church Blues
The Door
Author of Confusion
Entrance
Mercy Street
Overture No. 4
Time Changer
Jayda
Seeds of Gold
The Land of Beginning Again
Overture No. 1
California Nights
Nowhere Fast
Emma

"Nowhere Fast and "Emma" are from Neal's 1999 debut solo album. "Entrance" is from the 2005 Question Mark album.
"There is Nothing God Can't Change" and "Talkin' Mega Church Blues" are from his 2007 solo album Songs From The Highway.
The first three, "My Time of Dying", "Daddy's Daughter", and "Wear The Chains" come from his 2014 solo album Songs From November.

All of those except "Entrance" are from his singer-songwriter albums, and are less proggy, but are from an integral side of his musical career.

-Marc.

[darkshade]

Thanks I forgot about Entrance, I treat the Question Mark album as one big epic and I don't always recall the names of some of the individual movements.
That would be best listened to within the context of the album.

[bosk1]

Yeah, looking at that track list, Collection seems like an absolutely awful way to introduce someone to Neal Morse.

[Fritzinger]

I think Neal is one of those artists where you have to listen to complete albums - mostly because most of them are concept albums. I'd recommend One, Question Mark ("?") and Sola Scriptura to start with.

[ReaperKK]

Thanks guys, going to give Sola Gratia a spin later today or tomorrow.

[me7]

I think Neal is one of those artists where you have to listen to complete albums - mostly because most of them are concept albums. I'd recommend One, Question Mark ("?") and Sola Scriptura to start with.

Question Mark and Sola Scriptura get my vote.

[Zydar]

Question Mark was my introduction to his solo stuff. I believe it's still my favourite.

[darkshade]

Yeah, looking at that track list, Collection seems like an absolutely awful way to introduce someone to Neal Morse.

I think Spock's Beard's The Light and the first Transatlantic album are the best introductions to Neal. If you like that, I think you can pick any of his prog solo albums at random, and there's a good chance you'll enjoy it.

Out of the Collection track list, Seeds of Gold would be worth checking out, it's a stand alone epic that isn't connected to Testimony 2, the album it's from, as it's on the bonus disc.

Question Mark was my introduction to his solo stuff. I believe it's still my favourite.

Mine as well, I still think it's one of his best works.

Thanks guys, going to give Sola Gratia a spin later today or tomorrow.

I actually think this album is better than the ho-hum response it got on first release. I saw many comments here about being 'tired' of the Neal Morse sound, and I'm coming into this having mostly not listened to anything Neal related for a while, so even though I also had mixed reactions to the album on first listen, Sola Gratia has been nothing but an enjoyable listen from the 2nd listen on. I've found it to be a strange phenomenon.

The only album of his that I think is a little weak is Lifeline but only in relation to the rest of his other solo/NMB albums, as it's still pretty good. Day For Night (SB) is the only Neal album I really never have any desire to listen to.

[KevShmev]

I agree that Sola Gratia is the best to start with out of those three.  It's not one of Neal's better albums, but it's still good, and then you can work your way up.  Most of Neal's albums are too conceptual to start with a collection that is a mish-mash of songs. 

As for favorite, I know I have said this many times, but for me, it usually varies between One, the Question Mark album and Testimony 2.  I love all three of those albums to pieces and wish one I love the most depends on what day it is.

[Kwyjibo]

The best is Question Mark, and Sola Gratia is one of his better albums.

[darkshade]

I think an issue with Sola Gratia is it starts off promising yet another grand epic only Neal Morse can deliver, but moves to what could be seen as the weakest tracks on the album, Ballyhoo, and maybe the most controversial, Building A Wall. These really aren't so bad, but maybe don't fit the concept here, as after BAW, there's still a lot of album to go, and everything from here on out is good stuff. Overflow is a classic NM melody. Seemingly Sincere is pretty good. There are a bunch of instrumental interludes and a few call backs to Sola Scriptura. Still digesting the album, but I put it somewhere near the middle of his discography, which means solid-standard-good Neal Morse. Not a bad album for a new listener, but there are better.

[KevShmev]

I gave Sola Gratia a spin earlier before the football games and enjoyed it a lot, but it definitely does not stand out when looking at Neal's prolific discography.  It is the rare Neal concept album in which the majority of the songs are merely solid/good, with only a few songs I would call great, Overflow and Never Change being the obvious standouts (IMO).  One major checkmark in its favor is the mix; it sounds fantastic (might be one of Rich Mouser's best mixes ever).

[The Letter M]

I gave Sola Gratia a spin earlier before the football games and enjoyed it a lot, but it definitely does not stand out when looking at Neal's prolific discography.  It is the rare Neal concept album in which the majority of the songs are merely solid/good, with only a few songs I would call great, Overflow and Never Change being the obvious standouts (IMO).  One major checkmark in its favor is the mix; it sounds fantastic (might be one of Rich Mouser's best mixes ever).

This! Rich's work over the last couple of years with Neal and Pattern-Seeking Animals has me REALLY hyped for Transatlantic's The Absolute Universe, as well as Liquid Tension Experiment 3! Rich has always been good, but it seems like he's just gotten better over the years!

-Marc.

[bosk1]

I hate to even say this just because mix is so subjective, and whatever you say about a given mix, you will have people who disagree jumping down your throat...but I'll say it anyway:  The mix on The Absolute Universe is fantastic.

[The Letter M]

Randy has posted that he has begun tracking bass for NMB4! I'm thinking the recording process will take a couple of months, and maybe mixing will begin in mid-Spring, say April or so. I think they're probably aiming for an August release (just in time for Morsefest).

I hate to even say this just because mix is so subjective, and whatever you say about a given mix, you will have people who disagree jumping down your throat...but I'll say it anyway:  The mix on The Absolute Universe is fantastic.

That's good news. I assume that accounts for both versions of the album, correct?

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

This! Rich's work over the last couple of years with Neal and Pattern-Seeking Animals has me REALLY hyped for Transatlantic's The Absolute Universe, as well as Liquid Tension Experiment 3! Rich has always been good, but it seems like he's just gotten better over the years!

-Marc.

For sure.  I don't see his name listed as having worked on the Exorcist studio album (and I never bought a physical copy to check, only the digital files from iTunes), which could explain why the mix on that one is a bit lacking; it sounds very flat and dry.

[Fritzinger]

I agree on the fantastic sound on Sola Gratia! It's Neal's best sounding record in my opinion. I feel like the mix on The Absolute Universe is not as in-your-face as the one on Sola Gratia. Still good, but I would have loved to have that huge sound on there. To me, it sounds a lot like Kaleidoscope, in terms of sound and mix.

[ReaperKK]

I just gave Sola Gratia my first spin and my initial impression is that I liked the album with "In The Name Of The Lord", "Never Change", and "Seemingly Sincere" being my favorite tracks. That said though I think the weakest part of the album were Neal's voice, his voice seeming off at best and jarring at worst. I'll give it a few more listens later down the road and see if it's something I get used to the way I did with JLB when I discovered DT.

[kirksnosehair]

I like the album, "Seemingly Sincere" might be the best song Neal has written over the last few albums.  It's somewhat of departarture from his "normal" style, emphasis on somewhat, it's really just the intro that sounds different than anything else I've heard over the last few albums - but it's a great song.  Almost all of Neal's solo albums are like a collection of old comfortable sweaters, all knitted by the same person.  The minute you put one on, even when it's a new one, you recognize the contours of its knitting pattern, the way the sweater hangs on you and is just a bit too long in the arms, so you have to roll up the sleeves, etc.  Sola Gratia follows this formula if you will.  And I don't mean that as a slam at all.  In fact, I admire him as a musician and songwriter, he is one gifted mofo.



That said, I think his solo albums are becoming a little predictable at this point.  Which is one reason why "Seemingly Sincere" was such a stand-out track.


I'd love to see him really focus on the Neal Morse Band for a few albums, give his solo work a rest.  Maybe a follow that up with a new Transatlantic album after "The Ultimate Universe."  For me, Neal's best music has always been the more collaborative stuff.  That's not to say that he doesn't have his share of masterpieces as a solo artist.  I think "?" was pretty close to perfection.  I still rate it a 5 star album.

[bosk1]

Almost all of Neal's solo albums are like a collection of old comfortable sweaters, all knitted by the same person.  The minute you put one on, even when it's a new one, you recognize the contours of its knitting pattern, the way the sweater hangs on you and is just a bit too long in the arms, so you have to roll up the sleeves, etc.  Sola Gratia follows this formula if you will.  And I don't mean that as a slam at all.  In fact, I admire him as a musician and songwriter, he is one gifted mofo.

Yeah, I know what you mean.  It's why, even though I generally gravitate toward heavier music, Neal has become one of my favorite musicians, and I will buy his solo albums day of release without having heard a note (and Transatlantic too).

[Mladen]

I loved that comparison, kirksnosehair.