Author Topic: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread  (Read 539730 times)

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Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2485 on: January 08, 2018, 02:58:39 PM »
If we're ranking Neal's works, here's what I've got:
Transatlantic
Spock's Beard
Neal Morse (solo prog)
The Neal Morse Band
Flying Colors
Neal Morse (solo singer/songwriter)

As enjoyable as Neal's  non-prog output is, I just don't spin it very often. I love Flying Colors as much as anyone, but with the other 4, they've got more going for them.

I out NMB's 2 albums under Neal's 7, which comprise some amazing albums and songs. As good as TGE and  TSOAD are, the new band's output hasn't quite yet topped what came before it.

Above those, however, had to be the two bands Neal was in before 2002, with TA up top and SB just behind it, with 6 pretty stellar albums that I enjoy to this day. I can put any of them on and enjoy them straight through, even Snow!

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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2486 on: January 08, 2018, 06:38:11 PM »
I still find if bizarre to separate Neal's prog solo stuff from his singer/songwriter stuff when ranking his projects of officially released material. It's all Neal Morse solo, so it falls under the same titular umbrella.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2487 on: January 08, 2018, 08:44:48 PM »
I still find if bizarre to separate Neal's prog solo stuff from his singer/songwriter stuff when ranking his projects of officially released material. It's all Neal Morse solo, so it falls under the same titular umbrella.

What I find bizarre is to separate Neal’s prog solo albums from NMB albums. It’s pretty much the same players and the music is very similar (all great albums btw). I just don’t see how adding “band” after Neal’s makes any difference since he’s still in charge and rights most of the music anyway. I have TGE and TSOAD under “Neal Morse” on my itunes/iphone so I have all his prog albums under the same artist name.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline kaos2900

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2488 on: January 09, 2018, 07:10:35 AM »
I'd rank as follows
Neal Solo (including non-prog and NMB)
Flying Colors
Transatlantic
Spock's Beard


Offline Kwyjibo

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2489 on: January 09, 2018, 07:18:37 AM »
Spock's Beard (has lower lows but also higher highs than NM solo)
Flying Colors (sounds different from his usual stuff, maybe it's the "new smell" but with two records it's actually too early to properly rank this project)
Neal Morse (? and TSOAD are masterpieces but I'm not too fond of all that Testimony stuff and Lifeline, and he gets kinda samey after a while)
Transatlantic (Bridge Across Forever is the best them, the rest is solid, Kaleidoscope suffers (imo) from too few time spent on the writing/recording)
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline OpenYourEyes311

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2490 on: January 09, 2018, 07:22:06 AM »
I still find if bizarre to separate Neal's prog solo stuff from his singer/songwriter stuff when ranking his projects of officially released material. It's all Neal Morse solo, so it falls under the same titular umbrella.

What I find bizarre is to separate Neal’s prog solo albums from NMB albums. It’s pretty much the same players and the music is very similar (all great albums btw). I just don’t see how adding “band” after Neal’s makes any difference since he’s still in charge and rights most of the music anyway. I have TGE and TSOAD under “Neal Morse” on my itunes/iphone so I have all his prog albums under the same artist name.

I don't think it's bizarre at all to do either of these things. How can one lump together Sola Scriptura, One, and Momentum with Songs From November, Songs From the Highway, and It's Not Too Late? They're completely different styles. Neal purposefully chooses which one he's going to pursue before he starts the recording process. His album coming up this February is clearly in the "singer/songwriter" category, and will probably not be anything like ? or Testimony in any way.

As for separating The Neal Morse Band from Neal Morse solo, well I think it's pretty obvious that there's a big difference between the projects. Yes, they are both prog (when talking solo prog albums). But adding Bill and Eric to the mix as writers, singers, and performers gives it a completely different feel. It's not just Neal doing it all anymore, he has more guys bringing in ideas and helping flesh out the ones he has. Not to mention that some people (like me) hear the difference and prefer the last two albums over any that came before. There's a reason for that.
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Offline kaos2900

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2491 on: January 09, 2018, 07:35:58 AM »
After thinking some more on this I could easily put transatlantic at the bottom. The issue is the Whirlwind. I freaking love that album and their first album also has All of the Above and We All Need Some Light which are the two songs that got me into Neal's work. That being said, I could live without Bridge Across Forever and Kaleidoscope.

My new list.
Neal Solo (including non-prog and NMB)
Flying Colors
Transatlantic (Whirlwind &SMPT:e)
Spock's Beard
Transatlantic (Bridge Across Forever and Kaleidoscope)

Offline OpenYourEyes311

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2492 on: January 09, 2018, 08:03:44 AM »
I could live without Bridge Across Forever and Kaleidoscope.

 :o
I don't want MP playing with DT unless they were making a drummer change. If they let MM go and bring back MP, then fine, but no guest appearance please.
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Offline kaos2900

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2493 on: January 09, 2018, 12:08:11 PM »
I could live without Bridge Across Forever and Kaleidoscope.

 :o

I know I'm in the minority when it comes to Bridge Across Forever. I've never been able to connect to that album for some reason. I enjoy it when I listen to it but there's nothing that sticks with me.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2494 on: January 09, 2018, 03:03:46 PM »
I could live without Bridge Across Forever and Kaleidoscope.

 :o

I know I'm in the minority when it comes to Bridge Across Forever. I've never been able to connect to that album for some reason. I enjoy it when I listen to it but there's nothing that sticks with me.

I’m with you, it’s my least favorite TA album.

I rank them:
The Whirlwind
Kaleidoscope
SMPT:e
Bridge Across Forever
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2495 on: January 09, 2018, 03:30:16 PM »
I could live without Bridge Across Forever and Kaleidoscope.

 :o

I know I'm in the minority when it comes to Bridge Across Forever. I've never been able to connect to that album for some reason. I enjoy it when I listen to it but there's nothing that sticks with me.

I’m with you, it’s my least favorite TA album.

I rank them:
The Whirlwind
Kaleidoscope
SMPT:e
Bridge Across Forever

Maybe this has to do with when you discovered Transatlantic? Say, if you discovered them before 2008, you'd only have the first two albums to listen to. But if it was after 2009, they had released The Whirlwind, and I could see how that could make a greater impression than the first two.

Personally speaking, I discovered them in 2004, so their first two albums were still fairly fresh in terms of release (comparatively speaking), and so for about 5 years, all I had to listen to from them were those first two albums. Not that I don't like the last two, but I grew insanely fond of BAF over the years, almost obsessively so. I made cuts of the album with the 17 movements indexed as separate tracks; I also made a cut of the album that unfaded the album-ending of "Suite Charlotte Pike" and put back the original ending heard after "Stranger In Your Soul" to create the complete 17:06 version of SCP.

If we're ranking them, here's where I'd put them:
Bridge Across Forever
The Whirlwind
SMPT:e / Kaleidoscope (they both get an even amount of spins, but not as much as the above two).

-Marc.
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Offline Mladen

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2496 on: January 09, 2018, 03:33:20 PM »
I keep going between the first and the second Transatlantic album when picking my favorite one. Both are equally great and I've never been able to decide.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2497 on: January 09, 2018, 03:53:34 PM »
I discovered TA after Whirlwind was released, so yeah, that might have a lot to do with that, but I just don’t like the songs on BAF too much. DWTD is really cool, but none of the other songs click with me, specially SCP, I just can’t listen to it.

On the other hand, All of the Above is easily my favorite TA song (not counting The Whirlwind) and I like the songs on that album (and the other two) much more than the ones on BAF.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2498 on: January 09, 2018, 03:56:53 PM »
Maybe this has to do with when you discovered Transatlantic?

Funny you should say that because I think the timing definitely had an impact on me.  I don't remember what year it was, but it was definitely pre-Whirlwind.  The first thing I bought, sight unheard, was Live In Europe.  I listened to it quite a bit before getting the (then) two studio albums.  I didn't even know for sure which song went with which album.  The SMPT:e and BAF tracks were just all there, and they had about equal status in my eyes.  I thought Duel was okay.  It had some good parts that I really liked, and some other parts that were just okay.  My new world was just okay as well.  I really liked We All Need Some Light.  The Charlotte Pick medley was okay.  Stranger and All of the Above were amazing.  So, really, both albums ended up being somewhat interchangeable.  I would probably rank SMPT:e slightly above BAF.  But they are very close. 

The Whirlwind just took everything I liked about TA and Neal, and turned it all up a notch.  It is just about a perfect album. 

To me, Kaleidoscope sounds like it tried to just take the best of what TA does, but with less feeling and conviction.  I don't dislike it.  But it just doesn't rise to nearly the level of the prior albums.
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Offline Mosh

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2499 on: January 09, 2018, 04:04:26 PM »
Interesting. My introduction to Transatlantic was The Whirlwind and I was pretty underwhelmed. Awhile later I heard Bridge Across Forever and it blew me away, still among my all time favorite albums. So pretty much the exact opposite of Bosk's experience (although I've yet to listen to SMPT:e).

I agree on Kaleidoscope though. Some really good parts but kinda average in comparison to their other work.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2500 on: January 09, 2018, 05:14:20 PM »
2112 has been my favorite song for over 25 years now, and only one song in that time span has been a serious threat to knock it down to number 2.  That song is Stranger in Your Soul. To say I was obsessed with that song for like two years ('01-03) would be an understatement.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2501 on: January 09, 2018, 05:23:45 PM »
Well, that's a fine song to be in contention for your favorite, if I may say so.
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Offline HolidaysAnoraks

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2502 on: January 09, 2018, 07:28:43 PM »
For those of you that are longtime Inner Circle members, what past releases would you recommend? I joined in July 2016, so I have Falling For Forever / The Kansas Demos onward. After getting some Christmas money, I'm considering the following:

May 2007 - ? Live

January 2009 - Roine's Love Mix (big ? Fan and stating to listen to The Flower Kings; really curious to hear what Roine does with this)

May / July 2009 - Lifeline Tour 2008 Parts 1 & 2 DVDs

May 2013 - Momentum Live in LA

July 2014 - Live in India DVD

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2503 on: January 10, 2018, 01:47:11 PM »
Maybe this has to do with when you discovered Transatlantic?

Funny you should say that because I think the timing definitely had an impact on me.  I don't remember what year it was, but it was definitely pre-Whirlwind.  The first thing I bought, sight unheard, was Live In Europe.  I listened to it quite a bit before getting the (then) two studio albums.  I didn't even know for sure which song went with which album.  The SMPT:e and BAF tracks were just all there, and they had about equal status in my eyes.  I thought Duel was okay.  It had some good parts that I really liked, and some other parts that were just okay.  My new world was just okay as well.  I really liked We All Need Some Light.  The Charlotte Pick medley was okay.  Stranger and All of the Above were amazing.  So, really, both albums ended up being somewhat interchangeable.  I would probably rank SMPT:e slightly above BAF.  But they are very close. 

Live In Europe was, for the longest time, my most-played and beloved live album/concert video among so many that I owned. It's still one of my favorites to this day, and it helped cement Transatlantic's place in my top bands. The songs are performed expertly, the piano break from "Love Beyond Words" was played before it was released on Snow, and the Beatles/SCP medley is pretty well constructed. I do agree that SIYS and AOTA are two of their best songs, if not THE two best songs they've written (not counting The Whirlwind as a whole).

Looking back at my Amazon orders, I noticed that in January of 2005 I had ordered both SMPT:e and Bridge Across Forever, then I got the live albums and videos later that year into 2006, but Live In Europe was easily the better of the two live albums for me.

The Whirlwind just took everything I liked about TA and Neal, and turned it all up a notch.  It is just about a perfect album. 
Agreed! The synergy of performance and writing on display on this album is stellar. :tup

To me, Kaleidoscope sounds like it tried to just take the best of what TA does, but with less feeling and conviction.  I don't dislike it.  But it just doesn't rise to nearly the level of the prior albums.

I like it well enough, but to me, it did seem a bit like they were trying to emulate the formula of their first two albums: Open with an epic and follow-up with a softer ballad, then a wacky rock tune, all like on SMPT:e - then close the album with a piano ballad that leads into the sprawling final epic. They also tried the shared-themes idea used on BAF, but it's not as prominent or well-executed as on there. Even though it's my least favorite of the four (by a small margin, tied with SMPT:e), it's still an amazing album, especially compared to some of their contemporaries.

-Marc.
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Offline Mebert78

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2504 on: January 10, 2018, 01:51:44 PM »
I've been starting to work my way back through Neal's discography since being obsessed last year with The Similitude of A Dream.  Aside from that album, the only Neal Morse albums I have are Transatlantic's The Whirlwind and the first Flying Colors album.  So, I got The Grand Experiment for Christmas and I just started listening today.  My first reaction is a big WOW to "Waterfall."  I immediately stopped working when that song came on and listened to it about 6-7 times in a row.  What a beauty! 
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Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2505 on: January 10, 2018, 01:53:39 PM »
For those of you that are longtime Inner Circle members, what past releases would you recommend? I joined in July 2016, so I have Falling For Forever / The Kansas Demos onward. After getting some Christmas money, I'm considering the following:

May 2007 - ? Live
IIRC, there's an officially released version of this IC set, and it includes the encore, which I believe the IC release did not. You might want to research this a bit more before purchase!

January 2009 - Roine's Love Mix (big ? Fan and stating to listen to The Flower Kings; really curious to hear what Roine does with this)
I haven't spun this more than once, but it's not a mix by Roine. It's just a mix of the album with all of his guitar parts turned up a bit, I believe. It's been awhile since I've listened to it, though.

May / July 2009 - Lifeline Tour 2008 Parts 1 & 2 DVDs
This is a good one to have. It's the last tour Neal did with the European band he had for a few years, and there's some good song choices there.

May 2013 - Momentum Live in LA
July 2014 - Live in India DVD
These are also both good purchases. Basically, any live CDs or Videos are good picks, but just be sure to check them out and read reviews if you're curious.

If you're into demos, there's plenty of those in the IC shop, as well as some Behind-The-Scenes documentaries for Neal's solo prog albums, which are always a joy to watch!

-Marc.
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Offline gmillerdrake

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2506 on: January 10, 2018, 02:07:55 PM »
  My first reaction is a big WOW to "Waterfall."  I immediately stopped working when that song came on and listened to it about 6-7 times in a row.  What a beauty!

I LOVE that song. It's an amazing song....period. so powerful, so beautiful.....
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2507 on: January 10, 2018, 07:53:18 PM »
Waterfall is most definitely a killer song.  :hat

Offline Stadler

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2508 on: January 11, 2018, 08:34:50 AM »
I've been starting to work my way back through Neal's discography since being obsessed last year with The Similitude of A Dream.  Aside from that album, the only Neal Morse albums I have are Transatlantic's The Whirlwind and the first Flying Colors album.  So, I got The Grand Experiment for Christmas and I just started listening today.  My first reaction is a big WOW to "Waterfall."  I immediately stopped working when that song came on and listened to it about 6-7 times in a row.  What a beauty!

Find the deluxe version of Testimony 2.   Testimony 2 is great, albeit a lot to digest, but the bonus disk, with Seeds of Gold (epic) and my personal favorite Neal song, "Supernatural" are really good.  I'm a huge fan of The Grand Design and Momentum as well.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2509 on: January 11, 2018, 08:46:11 AM »
I thought Momentum was great as well.  Lifeline was the first prog album Neal did on his own that wasn't a concept album, and although I could be dead wrong, it kind of felt like he wasn't sure what he wanted to do and lacked direction and focus.  To me, Momentum took the things Lifeline did well and just felt more focused and comfortable.  But on the flip side, I also feel that maybe just as a fan, *I* was a bit thrown off and uncomfortable by Neal not doing a concept album, and may just be projecting my own feelings onto Lifeline.  And, by extension, since Momentum was the second non-concept album, *I* may have simply become more comfortable at that point with Neal not doing a concept album, and projected that onto the music.  Not sure.  But it is what it is. 

I hate to do rankings for the sake of rankings, but just to give a feel for where I put these albums in relation to each other and why:
1.  One:  Could be my favorite album of all time from anyone (which is saying something since I am definitely more of a metal guy; other than this and The Whirlwind, all my top albums would be more in the metal vein).  It definitely has some dips and lulls.  But overall, it's just so solid.  And the concept makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts, so the few dips are easily forgotten and swallowed up by the role they play in being pieces of the bigger picture.
2.  Sola Scriptura:  Great music.  Great message that transcends the biography of Martin Luther himself.  Paul Gilbert's solo in The Door is my favorite guitar solo ever.  Prior to release, I knew of Martin Luther only in general terms, and wasn't expecting to have such a connection with this album, but it really works for me.
3.  Testimony:  Holds a special place in my heart for reasons I have already discussed elsewhere in the thread.  But the high esteem I have for this album isn't just emotion.  I feel the music and writing are solid, and definitely justify the ranking.  In the Middle -> Storm Before the Calm is one of my favorite musical passages ever. 
4.  The Similitude of a Dream:  I can't help but feel like there is something wrong with ranking this album fourth.  It is so good.  There is nothing in it that I find objectively inferior to my top three Neal albums.  I just connect ever so slightly more with those top 3. 
5.  The Grand Experiment:  This iteration of the band feel like they injected new life into Neal.  Everything about this album is fantastic. 
6.  Momentum:  A bit of a dropoff from the top 5, but not much.  I really feel like I need to revisit this album, as I haven't really listened to it in awhile.  Interestingly, the shorter songs are the ones I like and remember most (Momentum, Smoke and Mirrors, Weathering Sky, and Freak).
7.  Testimony 2:  Some stunning moments.  When I found out he was doing Testimony 2, my response was "Why?"  But the music answers that question.  This album is solid.  It is a well-done follow-up to the original, and worthy of being in the Neal discography, even if it might not be as consistently good as his other works.
8.  ?:  The biggest drop-off for me occurs with this album.  There are some stunning moments.  But as a whole, this album has never done much for me.
9.  Lifeline:  Not a "bad" album.  But with all the good music out there, this album never stood out to me and begged to be listened to like others in the discography.  I like the title track and So Many Roads.  But other than Leviathan, which I have never liked, none of the other songs made enough of an impression on me that I can really remember much about them.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2018, 01:50:14 PM by bosk1 »
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Offline Stadler

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2510 on: January 11, 2018, 08:51:07 AM »
That's a really great point, because I like both of them (obviously I love Momentum, because I said so) but there is a vague sense of... discontinuity.   I think I know exactly what you mean.   That might just as well be a testament to how well Neal can focus and tell a story, though.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2511 on: January 11, 2018, 09:05:40 AM »
That's a really great point, because I like both of them (obviously I love Momentum, because I said so) but there is a vague sense of... discontinuity.   I think I know exactly what you mean.   That might just as well be a testament to how well Neal can focus and tell a story, though.

Yup, that's a great point.  He is such a great story teller through music that he is really often at his best when doing a concept album.
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Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2512 on: January 11, 2018, 11:15:32 AM »
I've been starting to work my way back through Neal's discography since being obsessed last year with The Similitude of A Dream.  Aside from that album, the only Neal Morse albums I have are Transatlantic's The Whirlwind and the first Flying Colors album.  So, I got The Grand Experiment for Christmas and I just started listening today.  My first reaction is a big WOW to "Waterfall."  I immediately stopped working when that song came on and listened to it about 6-7 times in a row.  What a beauty!

Find the deluxe version of Testimony 2.   Testimony 2 is great, albeit a lot to digest, but the bonus disk, with Seeds of Gold (epic) and my personal favorite Neal song, "Supernatural" are really good.  I'm a huge fan of The Grand Design and Momentum as well.

I hate to be "that guy", but there are only 2 versions of Testimony 2, and both include 2 CDs. The 3-track second disc is standard, and was never considered a bonus disc of any sort. It's just more music that couldn't fit in the story of T2, nor it's disc. Think like Porcupine Tree's The Incident, which had a second disc of unrelated songs (though in that case, it COULD have fit on the first disc).

Also... The Grand Design? Got Rush on the brain? :lol

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Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2513 on: January 11, 2018, 11:22:08 AM »
I like the standard T2 disk just fine.  But the songs on the bonus disk never did much for me.
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Offline Stadler

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2514 on: January 11, 2018, 11:56:59 AM »
I've been starting to work my way back through Neal's discography since being obsessed last year with The Similitude of A Dream.  Aside from that album, the only Neal Morse albums I have are Transatlantic's The Whirlwind and the first Flying Colors album.  So, I got The Grand Experiment for Christmas and I just started listening today.  My first reaction is a big WOW to "Waterfall."  I immediately stopped working when that song came on and listened to it about 6-7 times in a row.  What a beauty!

Find the deluxe version of Testimony 2.   Testimony 2 is great, albeit a lot to digest, but the bonus disk, with Seeds of Gold (epic) and my personal favorite Neal song, "Supernatural" are really good.  I'm a huge fan of The Grand Design and Momentum as well.

I hate to be "that guy", but there are only 2 versions of Testimony 2, and both include 2 CDs. The 3-track second disc is standard, and was never considered a bonus disc of any sort. It's just more music that couldn't fit in the story of T2, nor it's disc. Think like Porcupine Tree's The Incident, which had a second disc of unrelated songs (though in that case, it COULD have fit on the first disc).

Also... The Grand Design? Got Rush on the brain? :lol

-Marc.

I didn't realize that fact about Testimony 2.  I stand corrected.   

As for the other mistake, YES!  :) 

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2515 on: January 11, 2018, 01:15:19 PM »
I like the standard T2 disk just fine.  But the songs on the bonus second disk never did much for me.

"Seeds Of Gold" is arguably my favorite non-TA/SB Neal Morse epic. The flow, the sound, the feel and the lyrics are all top-notch for me, and that Steve Morse guitar solo is pretty amazing as well. The other two songs are merely OK, and I'm saddened that "Absolute Beginner" wasn't played at the last Morsefest, though thankfully "Supernatural" was.

I didn't realize that fact about Testimony 2.  I stand corrected.   

As for the other mistake, YES!  :) 

Yeah, it's alright, most people seem to think it's a bonus disc because the songs aren't related to the story of T2, but there is no single disc edition of the album, so the second disc is the standard version. The deluxe version comes with the bonus DVD disc with the behind-the-scenes making-of documentary, which is pretty insightful and fun to watch (as are all of Neal's BTS docs).

As for Neal album rankings (from Testimony to TSOAD), I'd like to post mine a little later. I'll have to think on it. Recent activity in this thread has put Neal's music back into my listening rotation, so I've been listening to some SB and TA lately, but I'll want to freshen up on the NM solo albums first before I post my updated ranking. I can tell that TSOAD will easily be in the upper-half, and, like bosk, I will likely put Lifeline at the bottom (of which I really only enjoy "Lifeline", "Leviathan" and "So Many Road").

-Marc.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2516 on: January 11, 2018, 08:34:23 PM »
As awesome is Seeds of Gold is, I don't listen to it as much as most of Neal's other 20-minute plus songs from his post-SB career.  Not sure why that is.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2517 on: January 11, 2018, 09:22:24 PM »
As awesome is Seeds of Gold is, I don't listen to it as much as most of Neal's other 20-minute plus songs from his post-SB career.  Not sure why that is.

Well, if you're like me and you listen to albums rather than singles and randomized playlists, you probably don't get to "Seeds of Gold" after getting through Testimony 2, which means you probably don't listen to "Absolute Beginner" or "Supernatural" all that often either. I think SoG's inclusion in Morsefest 2017 might remedy that, if you plan on spinning it as a whole whenever it comes out.

With that in mind, I wonder if you listen to the four original songs on The Whirlwind's bonus CD - "Spinning", "Lenny Johnson", "For Such A Time", and "Lending A Hand"? I didn't, at first, but then I tacked them on to the end of my Whirlwind playlist on my iPod, so whenever I spin the whole thing, I get those four in there as well.

-Marc.
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Offline Fritzinger

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2518 on: January 12, 2018, 02:01:53 AM »
Quote
The biggest drop-off for me occurs with this album.  There are some stunning moments.  But as a whole, this album has never done much for me.

Can you explain why? I always thought ? was his least controversial album (which of course doesn't mean everyone has to like it). Also, it follows the concept of The Whirlwind of one huge song (or rather: TW follows the concept of ?) and the parts flow into each other perfectly (if not even a little better than in The Whirlwind), I think.
I like it's straight approach (most of the album is in 4/4 except for two songs) and its conciseness. Clocking at 55 mins, I believe, it's his shortest one and I think this fits the album well.
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Offline Mladen

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2519 on: January 12, 2018, 05:09:16 AM »
I used to really like ?, but at some point it occured to me that it doesn't quite have songs that can stand on their own. It's a nice listen from start to finish, but if I had to pick a song that's a clear highlight, it would be a problem. I have favorites, but no real highlights.