Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[Fritzinger]

So...in the last few days I finished collecting Neal Morse albums. From this time in Spock's Beard, to Transatlantic, to Flying Colors, I have at least a digital download. I planned to listen to one a day until I got through it, but since life just took a nasty turn I'm changing the plan. I'm listening to all of it. In one sitting. Or, more likely, until I pass out from exhaustion forgetting that reality exists. Either option is preferable at the moment. I will be making a post for each album with my thoughts, or delirious ramblings more like. I don't expect anyone to particularly care, but just skip over these musings then. I will be going roughly in chronological order starting with Spock's Beard. The whole album list is as follows:
Spock's Beard: The Light, Beware of Darkness, The Kindness of Strangers, Day for Night, V, Snow
Neal Morse: Neal Morse, It's Not Too Late, Testimony, One, Lead Me Lord, God Won't Give Up, ?, Hitman, Whispers in the Wind, Send the Fire, Songs from the Highway, Sola Scriptura, Homeland, Acoustic Sunrise, Secret Place, Lifeline, The River, Mighty to Save, Time and Seasons, Testimony 2, A Proggy Christmas, Momentum, Get in the Boat, Songs from November, More Songs from November, To God be the Glory, Life & Times, Jesus Christ: The Exorcist, Sola Gratia, Last Minute Christmas Album
Transatlantic: SMPT:e, Bridge Across Forever, The Whirlwind, Kaleidoscope, The Absolute Universe
Flying Colors: Flying Colors, Second Nature, Third Degree
Neal Morse Band: The Grand Experiment, The Similitude of a Dream, The Great Adventure

There is absolutely no way I'm going to make it, but I'm going to try. According to Windows Media Player it is 594 tracks totaling 56 hours. Join me as I marathon it all or pass out and fall out of my chair and potentially give myself a concussion.

I'll join you! Looking forward to reading your opinions 

I hope the turn your life took wasn't all too nasty and that you are fine!

[Willthescout7]

First up: Spock's Beard the Light
1. The Light-Great song. It's all over the place, but somehow works. Other epics are just as splintered and I hate them, but not this one. Weird.
2. Go the Way You Go- There are a lot more guitars than I remember on this album. That is a good thing. My first listen I felt that it was oversaturated with keyboards and it kind of watered down the whole album to me.
3. The Water- This is the first song to sound like a Neal Morse song. But it also features the most congnitive dissonance of any song. Hearing Neal drop F bomb after F bomb is wild.
4. On the Edge- I expected this song to feel too short because of how long the rest of the songs were, but I was surprised when it didn't. I have to say I really enjoyed this one.

Overall: This album is much better when I caught the guitars. It adds an oomph to it that it missed my first time through. Neal sounds young, and at times like he isn't quite sure where to go with the vocal melody. It's a good freshman album. Next up is Beware of Darkness.

Unfortunately, my wife choose now to ask to go to the zoo, so off I go (why is it always when I start to listen to music lol). When I return the marathon will continue, sans interruptions (I hope).

[KevShmev]

I am distracted with binges of other artists at the moment and don't have the time for a Neal binge (even with eliminating the worship albums, all of which I have zero interest in hearing), which feels like such a full time job that I would have to burn the rest of my vacation time for the year in order to fully participate , so I cannot be a part of it, but I will enjoy the posts by those doing it. 

[darkshade]

Out of left field I found myself listening to Sola Scriptura which is not in line with what I've been listening to lately.

I'm not sure I'm looking to go through everything chronologically but I'll follow along.
The Light is an underrated album. Title track is a fun mini epic. The Water is a less discussed Neal epic, and the other two tracks are solid Spock's songs. The whole album sounds weird, though, and later albums would have better production, peaking in the last two SB albums with Neal.

Decided to put on Sola Gratia to follow up SS, I haven't done that yet I don't think.

[Kwyjibo]

Not sure if The Light is underrated. I get the impression that for many it is one of the best SB records, at least regarding the Neal era.

[darkshade]

Not sure if The Light is underrated. I get the impression that for many it is one of the best SB records, at least regarding the Neal era.

The title track gets a lot of attention, and it's a great debut album, but I think V and Snow are usually regarded as the best albums among fans. The Light is definitely up there as well.

[HOF]

Not sure if The Light is underrated. I get the impression that for many it is one of the best SB records, at least regarding the Neal era.

The title track gets a lot of attention, and it's a great debut album, but I think V and Snow are usually regarded as the best albums among fans. The Light is definitely up there as well.

Yeah, I think the title track is great but the rest is only OK and it’s all a bit rough due to the low budget production.  Also oddly the last Neal Morse SB album I got so it doesn’t hold the same fondness for me as it might for some.

[darkshade]

Sola Gratia may not be Neal's best album, but I like it, and far from his least best. It's his best mid-tier album or his worst upper (not top) tier album. Solid stuff, it keeps growing on me, Building A Wall is a little bare bones, but it's a fun track, and I'm glad there aren't a whole lot of call backs to SS throughout the album.

[emtee]

New song is very catchy. Maybe I'll buy this one.

[Willthescout7]

Alright, I'm finally back. On to Beware of Darkness:
1.Beware of Darkness-Keyboard heavy, but it doesn't irritate me this time
2. Thoughts-Neal keeps trying to use a nasally voice and I'm not a fan
3. The Doorway-I loved this one. Part of it sounded like Jurassic Park, but this was probably the best Spock's Beard song so far. It flowed and it ended powerfully without overdoing it.
4. Chatauqua-A neat little instrumental, which is a nice change of pace. Slower than the rest of their songs so far. It has the most guitars I've heard on this album.
5. Walking in the Wind-Another good one. More guitars which is nice. Neal has backed off of the nasally sound. The album has a nice flow to it.
6. Waste Away-I'm pretty sure the chorus vocal melody is used in another song, but I can't think of it now. Song is decent but the ending is a little much for it.
7. Time Has Come-Felt kind of disjointed. Decent, but not great. Just kind of an average epic.

[Willthescout7]

Next up, the Kindness of Strangers:
1. The Good Don't Last- Meh. It's a good song, but it's your average Neal song. Good ending, good chorus, good intro, but nothing spectacular.
2. In the Mouth of Madness-I feel like this is the heaviest song yet. I like it.
3. Cakewalk on Easy Street-Easy Breezy, nothing fancy to see here. A filler song.
4. June-A nice ballad, probably used to change the tempo of the album. So far I'm not liking it as much as Beware of Darkness. It's not bad, but not as good.
5. Strange World-Another decent short song. This album feels more consistent than great.
6. Harm's Way-This song is pretty good. I like the vocal lines and the keyboard is quite entertaining.
7. Flow-Another great one. This song is pretty good and encapsulates everything I like about Spock's Beard.

Overall thoughts: This album is consistent. While it doesn't reach the highs of Beware of Darkness, it comes close. I have noticed a continuing trend towards less experimentation. Less weird sounds and rhythms and more traditional progressive space. I'll be looking to see if Day for Night continues that trend.

[HOF]

6. Waste Away-I'm pretty sure the chorus vocal melody is used in another song, but I can't think of it now. Song is decent but the ending is a little much for it.
7. Time Has Come-Felt kind of disjointed. Decent, but not great. Just kind of an average epic.

Waste Away is one of my favorite SB songs. It’s Neal at his poppy finest. Conversely, Time Has Come is one of the worst Neal era SB tracks. No melody or coherence. Oddly it’s one of Neal’s favorites I believe.

[HOF]

Next up, the Kindness of Strangers:
1. The Good Don't Last- Meh. It's a good song, but it's your average Neal song. Good ending, good chorus, good intro, but nothing spectacular.
2. In the Mouth of Madness-I feel like this is the heaviest song yet. I like it.
3. Cakewalk on Easy Street-Easy Breezy, nothing fancy to see here. A filler song.
4. June-A nice ballad, probably used to change the tempo of the album. So far I'm not liking it as much as Beware of Darkness. It's not bad, but not as good.
5. Strange World-Another decent short song. This album feels more consistent than great.
6. Harm's Way-This song is pretty good. I like the vocal lines and the keyboard is quite entertaining.
7. Flow-Another great one. This song is pretty good and encapsulates everything I like about Spock's Beard.

Overall thoughts: This album is consistent. While it doesn't reach the highs of Beware of Darkness, it comes close. I have noticed a continuing trend towards less experimentation. Less weird sounds and rhythms and more traditional progressive space. I'll be looking to see if Day for Night continues that trend.

The “Radiant” section of The Good Don’t Last is Neal Morse at his best (Al Morse as well). Cakewalk on Easy Street is another poppier song that I love. I miss those sorts of songs from Neal. Harm’s Way and Flow are two of my favorite Neal Morse epics. Flow also has a wonderful closing guitar solo. Overall, TKOS is probably my favorite SB album as I don’t think there’s a bad song on it.

[Willthescout7]

Now for Day for Night. This one came in the mail yesterday, so I'm excited to get to it.
1. Day for Night-Fun song. Very Energetic. I can hear a lot of future Neal in this one.
2. Gibberish-More of the fun side of the band. I like it.
3. Skin-I absolutely love this chorus. The chords are perfect for it.
4. The Distance to the Sun-A much slower song. Pretty, but unmemorable.
5. Crack the Big Sky-Another fun song. I appreciate that we are getting back to the fun rhythms that were left behind in the previous album.
6. The Gypsy-Neal's voice didn't fit the beginning of the song, but I enjoyed the rest of it. A nice heavy song.
7. Can't Get it Wrong- I really liked this one. I don't even know why.
8. The Healing Power of Sound, Pt. 1-A really nice instrumental. I don't have much else to say.
9. My Shoes-It's a song. Doesn't really grab my attention.
10. Mommy Comes Back-A nice song, short, sweet, fun. I like that this album is majority shorter songs.
11. Lay it Down-I like that there is a nice variety on this album.
12. The Healing Power of Sound, Pt. 2-I loved this one. Probably my favorite on the album.
13. My Shoes (Revisited)-A decent finale, bringing everything together.
14. Urban Noise-Just a white noise final track.

Overall thoughts: This album was solid. I liked the back half the best, but the front half wasn't a slouch either. I don't think it is the best Spock's Beard album, but it is a great album that challenges pretty much any other band.

[HOF]

Now for Day for Night. This one came in the mail yesterday, so I'm excited to get to it.
1. Day for Night-Fun song. Very Energetic. I can hear a lot of future Neal in this one.
2. Gibberish-More of the fun side of the band. I like it.
3. Skin-I absolutely love this chorus. The chords are perfect for it.
4. The Distance to the Sun-A much slower song. Pretty, but unmemorable.
5. Crack the Big Sky-Another fun song. I appreciate that we are getting back to the fun rhythms that were left behind in the previous album.
6. The Gypsy-Neal's voice didn't fit the beginning of the song, but I enjoyed the rest of it. A nice heavy song.
7. Can't Get it Wrong- I really liked this one. I don't even know why.
8. The Healing Power of Sound, Pt. 1-A really nice instrumental. I don't have much else to say.
9. My Shoes-It's a song. Doesn't really grab my attention.
10. Mommy Comes Back-A nice song, short, sweet, fun. I like that this album is majority shorter songs.
11. Lay it Down-I like that there is a nice variety on this album.
12. The Healing Power of Sound, Pt. 2-I loved this one. Probably my favorite on the album.
13. My Shoes (Revisited)-A decent finale, bringing everything together.
14. Urban Noise-Just a white noise final track.

Overall thoughts: This album was solid. I liked the back half the best, but the front half wasn't a slouch either. I don't think it is the best Spock's Beard album, but it is a great album that challenges pretty much any other band.

I like the shorter songs more than the quirky proggier songs on this one (title track is great but I don’t love Gibberish or The Gypsy, and Crack the Big Sky feels like it would be better without the middle section, though I do like it). That said, The Healing Colors of Sound is more or less one epic made up of shorter songs, and it’s brilliant. Lots of poppy Neal on this one.

[Willthescout7]

Now for something new, Neal Morse's debut solo album.
1. Living Out Loud-I love the piano solo, and just the general feel of the song.
2. Lost Cause-I love this song. One of my favorite Neal tunes and woefully underappreciated.
3. Landslide- I love the mellowness of this album, it's a nice contrast to Spock's Beard.
4. That Which Doesn't Kill Me-Another banger, this is probably one of my favorite albums.
5. Everything is Wrong-I think this song could be played in a hotel lobby, it has that nice quality to it. Another great track to add to this album.
6. Nowhere Fast-This is Neal's "Weird Al Yankovic Song".
7. Emma-I love this song (even if he does overdo it at the end with the strings).
8. Bomb That Can't Explode-Here Neal returns to Prog. It's solid, but a bit too loud when compared to the rest of the album.
9. Mr. Upside Down-I really like the guitar solo in this one.
10. The Man Who Would Be King-I love the tango feel of this one. Continues the prog direction of the album.
11. It's Alright- I kind of feel let down with this as the ending. It's not bad, but it's not what it could be.

Overall thoughts: I love this album. The poppy side is fantastic, it's a decent prog epic, it just works. This is in my top ten albums. Where exactly it sits in there I have no idea, seeing as about 20 albums are in my top ten.

[KevShmev]

Jeez, I can't keep up with all of these rapid fire reviews , but they are an interesting read nonetheless.

As much as I love Neal's self-titled debut solo album, I totally agree about It's Alright.  It's a very underwhelming ending to both the suite and the album.  Emma and Everything Is Wrong remain two of the best short standalone* songs Neal has ever written.

*Meaning songs that stand on their own and have no relation to any other songs from their studio album.

[HOF]

I’ve never been able to track down those first two NM solo albums. Should check discogs.

[Willthescout7]

Next up, SMPT:e. The beginning of a mostly beautiful, occasionally melodramatic partnership.
1. All of the Above-This a powerful start to the album, and I love it. Probably one of the all time best Transatlantic songs. The guitar solos, the atmosphere the keyboards lay down, it all just works.
2. We all Need Some Light-I love how this one slowly builds until you're at a giant climax that just works. Power ballad at its finest.
3. Mystery Train-This song is going to be stuck in my head for a freaking week.
4. My New World-I really noticed the youth in Neal's voice during this song. He sounds so young compared to Sola Gratia.
5. In Held (Twas I)-I know that this song gets mixed opinions, but I enjoy it. I like how weird all of the vocals sound, and the guitar leads are lovely.

Overall thoughts: A great album, probably my favorite Transatlantic collection. Neal sounds great, Portnoy finally appears, and Stolt of course is awesome. Everything here just works. I'm really glad I got into them.

[Willthescout7]

Jeez, I can't keep up with all of these rapid fire reviews , but they are an interesting read nonetheless.

As much as I love Neal's self-titled debut solo album, I totally agree about It's Alright.  It's a very underwhelming ending to both the suite and the album.  Emma and Everything Is Wrong remain two of the best short standalone* songs Neal has ever written.

*Meaning songs that stand on their own and have no relation to any other songs from their studio album.

Neal was firing on all cylinders when it comes to his first two albums.

I’ve never been able to track down those first two NM solo albums. Should check discogs.

Radient had a digital download of It's Not Too Late for a while, and I think ebay and amazon have copies (thought they would be more pricey). I got mine on ebay, and his debut on Radient.

[The Letter M]

5. In Held (Twas I)-I know that this song gets mixed opinions, but I enjoy it. I like how weird all of the vocals sound, and the guitar leads are lovely.

You'd think between "In Held ('Twas) In I", "A Salty Dog", and "Conquistador", I would've sought out more Procol Harum after hearing the Transatlantic covers, but I've never really given them a chance. I've always liked the TA covers, but always felt it was odd that the first album ended with one. I'm not sure if it would have been better if "In Held ('Twas) In I" was relegated to the bonus disc or not, but I'm not upset that they recorded it at all.

-Marc.

[425]

I really like the TA cover of In Held and think it actually works pretty well on the album, though I wouldn't really want them to give so much room to a cover on a future release. I do like it better than Mystery Train and maybe a little better than My New World, so that probably helps. But like Marc, I haven't really given Procol Harum their own look.

[Mladen]

I think It's alright is a fantastic closer to the suite and to the Neal's debut. It's soothing, original and pretty. 

[Willthescout7]

We return to Spock's Beard with V.
1. At the End of the Day-I really liked this one. The backing vocals sound like stuff right out of his solo work. The band is working well together, though I miss the weird sounds and rhythms.
2. Revelations-A nice heavy song, but it seems to be Spock's Beard by the numbers. Not bad, but nothing spectacular.
3. Thoughts (Pt. II)-Another good one, though I don't think the ending vocal line fits the rest of the band. Felt off to me.
4. All On a Sunday-Nice and poppy, I enjoyed it but it's not my favorite.
5. Goodbye to Yesterday-This is his first crack at Contemporary Christian Music. Some of the rhythms and the vocal line sound like something that would be played in church.
6. The Great Nothing-The ending kind of came out of nowhere, but is very good. I think Neal reused some of the final vocal lines in 'One', but that doesn't hurt my enjoyment. Not my favorite epic, but it is very solid.

Overall Thoughts: Another great album. He spent his time in Spock's Beard churning out fantastic album after fantastic album.

[darkshade]

V is probably Spock's Beard's best album, I find the other albums to be hit or miss. Even here the 4th and 5th tracks wouldn't be missed by me if removed, but overall the sound and the quality of the music is strongest here. SMPTe was created around the same time (a few months earlier?) so I always find that Neal hooking up with MP is what gave Neal that extra jolt in his writing, as there is a significant (to my ears) difference between the first 4 SB albums and the last two with Neal, with both sound production, increase in epic-length pieces/suites, less quirky stuff (to me, that stuff doesn't work with Neal's music) and the energy is through the roof.

I like Neal's first solo album, not as much the 2nd one, but I've only heard it a couple of times. I felt like the songs on the first album were better.
The first album is a nice balance of rock tunes, with a prog rock epic at the end. I still need to listen to it more, but overall I enjoy the album as a solid upbeat soft-rock album with some nice prog mixed in. I bought it from Radiant. I don't own the 2nd album.

[Willthescout7]

Next up we return to Transatlantic, with Bridge Across Forever. There is one melody in this album that I absolutely love, but I never remember which one it is. Which begs the question, do I really love it, or the idea of it?
1. Duel with the Devil-This song is a banger. Motherless Children gets stuck in my head, Neal has a wonderful harder edge in the first part. The guitar leads are exquisite. All together a near perfect song.
2. Suite Charlotte Pike-I love the energy of this one. Even when it slows down it keeps charging on. I'm unsure how I feel about the beginning. Generally I'm not a fan of these types of fourth wall breaks, but I don't know. Temple of the Gods is my favorite section.
3. Bridge Across Forever-Very very pretty. I like it as an interlude.
4. Stranger In Your Soul-Found the melody. It's just perfect. The song is a little overlong, but the guitar leads and that melody make up for any shortcomings. I love this song.

Overall Thoughts: A fantastic album. Neal was incredible at the beginning of his career to have this many hits and no misses.

[Fritzinger]

I think all 3 Thoughts parts Neal wrote are within my favorite under-10-mins songs by him. I'll have to make up a list for this.

Keep these little reviews coming please, although I can't respond to every one of your posts right now, I really enjoy reading them 

[Willthescout7]

Next up we have It's Not Too late, Neal's second solo album. This one is much in line with his first, though I remember it being a tad overlong. We'll see if I like it better this time through.
1. It's Not Too Late-This is a really fun and jaunty track. I like how it is just the piano and drums.
2. All the Young Girls Cry-Poppy Neal is fun Neal.
3. Leah-Lovely restraint on this one. It's sad that he has kind of left this element behind as he's gotten older.
4. The Angels Will Remember-No misses so far. I love the laidback tone of this one.
5. So Long Goodbye Blues-A good song, but I feel like it is missing something. What that is I have no idea.
6. The Change-I wish he hadn't kept going for those high notes, otherwise a fantastic song.
7. Broken Homes-This song is perfect and a highlight of the album.
8. Oh Angie- It's good but not spectacular.
9. The Eyes of the World (George's Song)-Solid, but nothing special. This album is very consistent but that is starting to hurt it. I would trim these last two I think.
10. Ain't Seen Nothin' Like Me-It's good, but I don't think it's executed as well as it could have been. Things get muddy towards the end.
11. I Am Your Father-That's another great one.
12. Something Blue-He definitely copies this one in '?'. I don't mind but it amuses me.
13. The Wind and the Rain-This is a solid closer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Overall Thoughts: This album is much better than I remember it being. I think if you cut out Oh Angie and The Eyes of the World you have a fantastic record. With them, we'll have to settle for great.

[Willthescout7]

We turn at last to what many call the best Spock's Beard album, and Neal's last as a member of the band. As a result, this will be the last Spock's Beard album we will be visiting this trip.
1. Made Alive/Overture-We have here the first overture. Do not fret, we will grow well acquainted with them. As for this one, it's good. I like the sax that shows up. I'll be honest, I'm awful at picking out themes in overtures, so I just look at it like a decent instrumental.
2. Stranger in a Strange Land-Good song, but I find myself waiting for it to kick in and it doesn't. Probably because this is still kind of an introduction.
3. Long Time Suffering-Love this one. The Chorus is an earworm, and the backing instruments just work.
4. Welcome to NYC-A nice heavy piece
5. Love Beyond Words-Slowing it down again, for a pretty piece furthering the story.
6. 39th Street Blues (I'm Sick)-Snow is gathering a posse...
7. Devil's Got My Throat-Fun song, especially the end.
8. Open Wide the Flood Gates-Very solid, but not one I'm going to remember.
9. Open the Gates Pt. 2-I like how the album is slowly getting more intense.
10. Solitary Soul- A really nice ballad.
11. Wind at my Back-I feel like I've heard this chorus later in his career. It's a great catchy tune.
12. Second Overture- I took a small break to deal with something, but I'm back now. Decent instrumental. Let's see if the album can finish strong.
13. 4th of July-Feels like a reestablishing song.
14. I'm the Guy-I like the menace in this song.
15. Reflections-Ominous but unnecessary.
16. Carie-I felt like I was listening to Starship.
17. Looking for Answers-Tasty guitar solo.
18. Freak Boy-RIP Snow's self esteem
19. All is Vanity-That was a wonderful transition. Lyrics are a little on the nose.
20. I'm Dying-I feel like we are building to something, but I'm going to be let down. It's weird.
21. Freak Boy Pt. 2-Neat little inversion here. I like the emotion being carried between the songs.
22. Devil's Got My Throat Reprise-The second half is much heavier.
23. Snow's Night Out-Fun instrumental
24. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mister Ryo Okomoto on the Keyboards-I hate the title of this song. It just feels so out of place. Sounds decent.
25. I Will Go- Not bad.
26. Made Alive Again/ Wind at My Back Reprise-Got real muddy there at the end. Decent enough finale, but I feel like the awesomness that was disc 2 was underserved by it. It works, but not as well as it could have.

Overall thoughts: The second disc is by far the best part. It was pretty awesome. Disc One isn't bad, just really overshadowed. I enjoyed all of it; for a first crack at a concept album it was pretty well done. I don't know how often I'll listen to it, but it'll go in the rotation somewhere.

[The Letter M]

We turn at last to what many call the best Spock's Beard album, and Neal's last as a member of the band. As a result, this will be the last Spock's Beard album we will be visiting this trip.
1. Made Alive/Overture-We have here the first overture. Do not fret, we will grow well acquainted with them. As for this one, it's good. I like the sax that shows up. I'll be honest, I'm awful at picking out themes in overtures, so I just look at it like a decent instrumental.
2. Stranger in a Strange Land-Good song, but I find myself waiting for it to kick in and it doesn't. Probably because this is still kind of an introduction.
3. Long Time Suffering-Love this one. The Chorus is an earworm, and the backing instruments just work.
4. Welcome to NYC-A nice heavy piece
5. Love Beyond Words-Slowing it down again, for a pretty piece furthering the story.
6. 39th Street Blues (I'm Sick)-Snow is gathering a posse...
7. Devil's Got My Throat-Fun song, especially the end.
8. Open Wide the Flood Gates-Very solid, but not one I'm going to remember.
9. Open the Gates Pt. 2-I like how the album is slowly getting more intense.
10. Solitary Soul- A really nice ballad.
11. Wind at my Back-I feel like I've heard this chorus later in his career. It's a great catchy tune.
12. Second Overture- I took a small break to deal with something, but I'm back now. Decent instrumental. Let's see if the album can finish strong.
13. 4th of July-Feels like a reestablishing song.
14. I'm the Guy-I like the menace in this song.
15. Reflections-Ominous but unnecessary.
16. Carie-I felt like I was listening to Starship.
17. Looking for Answers-Tasty guitar solo.
18. Freak Boy-RIP Snow's self esteem
19. All is Vanity-That was a wonderful transition. Lyrics are a little on the nose.
20. I'm Dying-I feel like we are building to something, but I'm going to be let down. It's weird.
21. Freak Boy Pt. 2-Neat little inversion here. I like the emotion being carried between the songs.
22. Devil's Got My Throat Reprise-The second half is much heavier.
23. Snow's Night Out-Fun instrumental
24. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mister Ryo Okomoto on the Keyboards-I hate the title of this song. It just feels so out of place. Sounds decent.
25. I Will Go- Not bad.
26. Made Alive Again/ Wind at My Back Reprise-Got real muddy there at the end. Decent enough finale, but I feel like the awesomness that was disc 2 was underserved by it. It works, but not as well as it could have.

Overall thoughts: The second disc is by far the best part. It was pretty awesome. Disc One isn't bad, just really overshadowed. I enjoyed all of it; for a first crack at a concept album it was pretty well done. I don't know how often I'll listen to it, but it'll go in the rotation somewhere.

Huh, I rarely see anyone say they like Disc 2 more than Disc 1 of Snow, so it's refreshing to see that opinion! Did you notice that "All Is Vanity" is the same keyboard solo that Neal plays on piano in "Love Beyond Words"? It took me awhile to figure that one out, but it's cool to see it come back in synth form later in the album. Snow remains my all-time favorite SB album, and it came at a time in my life when I really needed something to lift me up and out of a bad end of a relationship, and Neal's music really helped with that. It might be the best thing he's done outside of Transatlantic, at least for me, and every time I listen to it, I still feel the same joy that I did when I first heard it over 15 years ago.

-Marc.

[HOF]

22. Devil's Got My Throat Reprise-The second half is much heavier.
23. Snow's Night Out-Fun instrumental
24. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mister Ryo Okomoto on the Keyboards-I hate the title of this song. It just feels so out of place. Sounds decent.

Well, you see, Snow fell back in with the wrong crowd and gets taken out on a night of heavy drink and drugs, finds himself at a Spock’s Beard concert where Ryo’s keyboard solo takes him on a fantastic trip but he blacks out/ODs and then has a conversion experience when he comes to.

Or something like that!

[Willthescout7]

Stopping for the day. We will resume tomorrow morning around 5 or 6 AM.

22. Devil's Got My Throat Reprise-The second half is much heavier.
23. Snow's Night Out-Fun instrumental
24. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mister Ryo Okomoto on the Keyboards-I hate the title of this song. It just feels so out of place. Sounds decent.

Well, you see, Snow fell back in with the wrong crowd and gets taken out on a night of heavy drink and drugs, finds himself at a Spock’s Beard concert where Ryo’s keyboard solo takes him on a fantastic trip but he blacks out/ODs and then has a conversion experience when he comes to.

Or something like that!

That's a lot lol

[darkshade]

Snow has never clicked for me, but I also haven't listened to it as much as other albums. I don't think it's a bad album, I just think it's too long, which I also feel Neal's double album "follow up" Testimony to be too long as well, even though I've listened to that one more. Snow also feels like the band's 'Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' and I've never been a huge fan of that album either. There isn't one track on Snow I've ever listened to outside the context of a full album listen.
I'm in the camp that thinks Neal made the right artistic decision to leave SB and go solo, team up with MP, and eventually RG, and the rest is history, as I think he topped all of Spock's albums with One, ?, Sola Scriptura, The Whirlwind, and Testimony 2 (that's without mentioning his work with TNMB)

[Willthescout7]

Sorry for the gap, but we return at last with Testimony
1. The Land of Beginning Again-I love how soft this one is. Neal's voice really shines here.
2. Overture No. 1-Some nice simple melody's in here. It feels very subdued compared to the live version. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
3. California Nights-This is a banger. The last chorus is awesome.
4. Colder in the Sun-it's good, but not my favorite.
5. Sleeping Jesus-I really like the drums here.
6. Interlude-Decent, but nothing special.
7. The Prince of the Power of the Air- Neal sounds great here.
8. The Promise-Short fun song.
9. Wasted Life-Neal struggled to make some of the vocal lines fit on this one, especially during the verses. Nice solo though.
10. Overture No. 2-I love how happy this one feels.
11. Break of Day-Every time I hear the bridge I get the urge to watch Love Actually again.
12. Power in the Air-I like the guitar work on this one.
13. Somber Days-Neal sounds great here. Going solo helped his voice shine I think.
14. Long Story-One of my favorites on the album.
15. It's All I Can Do- Good song even with the solo being too long.
16. Transformation-It's missing something but I don't know what.
17. Ready to Try-Great song. The simpleness works.
18. Sing it High-Top 5 Neal song. It's not long enough. That's the only flaw.
19. Moving in My Heart-I love how I can feel the joy radiating from this song.
20. I Am Willing-I don't know how Neal is wringing so much emotion in this section. It's beautiful.
21. In the Middle-I identify deeply with this one, so despite it being unnecessary, I enjoy it.
22. The Storm Before the Calm-This song, however, is completely pointless. He's lucky the instrumental portion is awesome.
23. Oh, to Feel Him-This song is my #1 song. I don't even have words to describe it. Everyone just needs to listen to it.
24. God's Theme-Beautiful.
25. Overture No. 3-As an introduction to a Praise service, it works.
26. Rejoice-Once I understood what Neal was doing here, I fell in love.
27. Oh Lord My God-As emotional climax, it's perfect.
28. God's Theme 2-This is the alter call.
29. The Land of Beginning Again-It's pretty, and I can see why it is here to let out the album on a calmer note.

Overall thoughts: I love this album. He learned a lot from Snow, and turned this into a masterpiece. Everyone who loves progressive rock needs to listen to this album. Everyone who loves music needs to listen to this album. This album is almost perfection. Only 1 of his albums will get close to this level. And even that one will never beat this.

[bosk1]

22. The Storm Before the Calm-This song, however, is completely pointless. He's lucky the instrumental portion is awesome.

Crazy talk.  This might be my all-time favorite NM song.