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Thread: NEAL MORSE BAND: The Great Adventure - January 25 2019

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    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    NEAL MORSE BAND: The Great Adventure - January 25 2019

    cd3.jpg

    October 15, 2018 -- THE NEAL MORSE BAND—Neal Morse (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Randy George (bass), Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals), Eric Gillette (guitars, vocals)—will take fans on THE GREAT ADVENTURE with their latest double concept album due out January 25, 2019 on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Worldwide. It will be available in three formats: a two CD package, two CD/DVD Special Edition featuring behind-the-scenes video clips of the making of the album, and three vinyl LPs. Pre-orders begin December 4 on Radiant Records’ website.

    The follow-up to 2016’s critically acclaimed THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM, which critics hailed as “a masterpiece,” will be the ninth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the third as a true collaboration with this current lineup. Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been THE NEAL MORSE BAND.

    “Let the great adventure now begin…” The closing line of THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM, has proved to be strangely prophetic. The new album is exactly that: a perfect companion piece to TSOAD’s partial retelling of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. It has everything that fans would expect from an album by THE NEAL MORSE BAND, and more: rock, metal, classical and jazz elements appear throughout, as well as some killer melodies, all played faultlessly by some of the greatest rock musicians on the planet.

    As Neal Morse explains, “This band continues to amaze me! I have to say it was a little daunting to follow up THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM as it was such a special album and it delivered every night at our concerts, but I believe that THE GREAT ADVENTURE will have a tremendous impact as well. This new double album is everything that I hoped it would be! I listened through last night and I was in tears at the end!“

    Mike Portnoy emphatically agrees. He says, “How do you follow an epic double concept album??? Well, create another epic double concept album!! Hahaha. I always knew topping THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM was going to be difficult, if not impossible, as I held it in such high regard, but alas, I am absolutely blown away with what we achieved here! We’ve created what is the ultimate companion to TSOAD.”

    “Sometimes there are things that you just can’t mess with,” Randy George continues. “On THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM we tapped into something special. I was sure that the follow up should be something quite different, but you have to follow your heart and follow the music where it wants to go. THE GREAT ADVENTURE is nothing short of a miracle. It’s similar to SIMILITUDE in concept and form, but yet it’s tougher and deeper in its tone! This is a powerful work and I look forward to playing it live!

    True to the album’s title, the creative process was indeed a “great adventure.” Unlike many previous Morse albums, which have often been written and arranged within weeks, this time around these prolific and world-class musicians spent almost a year working on the end result, producing an abundance of top quality material. This meant some ruthless decision-making: some already completed songs and characters had to go, and-–with studio time running out–new links and ideas were being composed and recorded up to the eleventh hour. “A lot of work and re-work has gone into this,” says Morse, “but I know that some of the most successful and far-reaching albums I’ve been involved with have been just like that. SOLA SCRIPTURA and Spock’s Beard’s SNOW album come to mind.”

    Another key question that had to be addressed in the studio was how to pull all the ideas together into a coherent whole. In the end, what unlocked this “adventure” for Morse was the realization that THE GREAT ADVENTURE needed a new voice and perspective. This time, it is that of the Pilgrim’s abandoned son, a younger, perhaps angrier, voice than was heard on THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM.

    THE NEAL MORSE BAND will bring THE GREAT ADVENTURE to fans worldwide with a new round of headlining tour dates, which begin February 3, 2019 in Nashville at City Winery. For ticket information and VIP ticket sales go to www.radiantrecords.com. Check them out at any of the following stops, with more shows to be added in the coming months:

    DATE CITY VENUE

    Sat 2/2 Nashville, TN City Winery
    Sun 2/3 Tampa, FL The Ritz (Cruise To The Edge Pre-Cruise Party)
    Mon 2/4 Tampa, FL Cruise To The Edge 2019 (through February 9)
    Sun 2/10 Atlanta, GA City Winery
    Mon 2/11 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
    Tue 2/12 Baltimore, MD Soundstage
    Wed 2/13 Jersey City, NJ White Eagle Hall
    Fri 2/15 Boston, MA The Sinclair
    Sat 2/16 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theatre
    Sun 2/17 Westbury NY The Space at Westbury
    Mon 2/18 Montréal, QUE. Club Soda
    Tue 2/19 Quebec City, QUE. Salle Sylvain Lelievre
    Thu 2/21 Toronto, ONT. Opera House
    Fri 2/22 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
    Sat 2/23 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
    Sun 2/24 Detroit, MI The Crofoot Ballroom
    Tue 2/26 St. Charles, IL Arcada Theatre
    Wed 2/27 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
    Thu 2/28 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Live
    Fri 3/1 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre
    Sat 3/2 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
    Tue 3/5 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
    Wed 3/6 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
    Thu 3/7 San Francisco, CA Slim's
    Fri 3/8 Whittier, CA The Whittier Center Theatre
    Sat 3/9 Chandler, AZ Bogle Theatre (Chandler Center For The Arts)

    Sun 3/24 London, United Kingdom Islington Assembly Hall
    Mon 3/25 Paris, France The Alhambra
    Tue 3/26 Tilburg, Netherlands O13
    Wed 3/27 Esch /Alzette, Luxembourg Rockhal Esch Sur Alzette
    Fri 3/29 Koln, Germany Kantine
    Sat 3/30 Copenhagen, Denmark Viften
    Sun 3/31 Goteborg, Sweden Stora Teatern
    Mon 4/1 Stockholm, Sweden Skandiascenen
    Wed 4/3 Berlin, Germany Heimathafen
    Thu 4/4 Hamburg, Germany Markthalle
    Fri 4/5 Leipzig, Germany Halle d / Werk 2
    Sat 4/6 Warsaw, Poland Progresja
    Sun 4/7 Brno, Czech Republic SONO Music Club
    Tue 4/9 Munich, Germany Technikum
    Wed 4/10 Pratteln, Switzerland Z7 Konzertfabrik
    Thu 4/11 Lyon, France C.C.O.
    Fri 4/12 Trezzo sull'Adda MI, Italy Live Club
    Sat 4/13 Barcelona, Spain Salamandra 1
    Sun 4/14 Madrid, Spain Sala Mon
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

    *** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***

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    Another double concept and a big tour! Wow.

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    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progatron View Post
    Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been THE NEAL MORSE BAND.
    So, I guess they're just ignoring Transatlantic and Neal's solo albums?


    This is an autobuy, of course. I love Eric Gillette's work, and these guys never fail to deliver. If you like what they do, they're great at it (if that makes any sense).
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

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    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Wow, that's a nice chunk 'o touring!

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    Moderator Poisoned Youth's Avatar
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    It's an excellent album, just ask Neal! lol

    Seriously though, I'll purchase this and I'm sure it will be decent. But I have a hard time connecting long term with these mega concept albums, where the tracks all run into each other.
    WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.

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    Morse is an expert in recurring musical themes but sometimes he's on the verge of overdoing it. TSOAD has so many of those, I analyzed it and found there wasn't a single song that didn't include a theme from another song. I wonder, if Neal rehashes those musical themes yet again on this new double album, won't it be a bit too much?
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by LeFrog View Post
    Morse is an expert in recurring musical themes but sometimes he's on the verge of overdoing it. TSOAD has so many of those, I analyzed it and found there wasn't a single song that didn't include a theme from another song. I wonder, if Neal rehashes those musical themes yet again on this new double album, won't it be a bit too much?
    He's been recycling ideas for years which is why I got off the Neal Morse bus when Testimony II came out. I have big respect for Neal though, good luck to him and I hope all his fans enjoy the new album and tour.

  8. #8
    I still haven't really gotten into TSOAD. I mean, it's obviously meticulously performed and written, but I just don't get any kind of feeling from it (aside from, these guys are really good at what they do). I don't really remember much of it when it ends and it just never connected with me like previous albums (I still love The Grand Experiment as a kind of great "could have been a Spock's Beard album" album).

    So I will approach this one with as open a mind as possible. TSOAD I was kind of put off right away by all the praising the band members had for it. I mean, I get that most musicians are going to be most proud of their latest accomplishment, but how many Lamb, The Wall (insert famous prog concept albums here), etc. comparisons has Portnoy made about albums he's worked on? That kind of thing turns me off for some reason, probably because I don't think those albums are really on that level of creativity and originality.

    Still, I'll undoubtedly buy the album and hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.

  9. #9
    You've gotta remember that reusing themes is also something Portnoy loves doing. Didn't he say that the original Testimony 2 was lacking that?

  10. #10
    Wow, emotions....
    Out of all the possibilities, I never would have expected there to be a companion double album.
    I saw TSOAD live last year - easily one of my favorite concerts.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by anesthetize2112 View Post
    Out of all the possibilities, I never would have expected there to be a companion double album.
    Really?

    Oh, just have say again for good measure, looks like they're skipping NYC on this tour.

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    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
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    Has there ever been a band that has used the same album cover twice?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    Has there ever been a band that has used the same album cover twice?
    Talk about lazy

    Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

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    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    Has there ever been a band that has used the same album cover twice?
    What's the story with that? Is this a "2nd in a series" he's trying to continue?

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    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gruno View Post
    What's the story with that? Is this a "2nd in a series" he's trying to continue?
    It would seem so. This is the first I’m seeing this cover, so I was not involved.

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    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    It would seem this way, though nowhere does he say it is. In fact, for the last year he denied they would do a continuation of TSOAD. This is the first I’m seeing this cover, so I was not involved.
    Interesting...


    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    This is the first I’m seeing this cover, so I was not involved.
    ....VERY interesting...

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    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gruno View Post
    ...VERY interesting...
    Not this time. He used Thomas Ewerhard, who does most of his major prog covers. I’m is #2 artist. Or have been anyways.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    Has there ever been a band that has used the same album cover twice?
    It's the same music, why not the same cover?

    Ok, I kid, I kid. Sort of.

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    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    Has there ever been a band that has used the same album cover twice?
    Queen A Night at the Opera/A Day at the Races... sorta?

    Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant/Three Friends (USA version - not the band's idea I would guess)

    Guns 'n' Roses - Use Your Illusion (which I guess was sort of a double album or whatever)

    I'm starting to think this was a rhetorical question...
    "Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by ThomasKDye View Post
    Queen A Night at the Opera/A Day at the Races... sorta?

    Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant/Three Friends (USA version - not the band's idea I would guess)

    Guns 'n' Roses - Use Your Illusion (which I guess was sort of a double album or whatever)

    I'm starting to think this was a rhetorical question...

    Bowie-- Heroes and The Next Day

    Lou Reed-- Transformer and Blue Mask

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    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    Has there ever been a band that has used the same album cover twice?
    If this is any indication, I fear this album is going to be slightly overkill. A double album sequel to a double album? Really ? I loved the first 2 Neal Morse band albums which I thought were a return to form, but knowing Morse's tendency to repeat himself, this new album does not bode well IMO. Hope I'll be proven wrong though...
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by LeFrog View Post
    If this is any indication, I fear this album is going to be slightly overkill. A double album sequel to a double album? Really ? I loved the first 2 Neal Morse band albums which I thought were a return to form, but knowing Morse's tendency to repeat himself, this new album does not bode well IMO. Hope I'll be proven wrong though...
    i agree. they are forcing themselves into a corner. i noticed by the track list that the whole thing is divided into 5 large pieces- similar to the Testimony CD's. where TSOOD was a continuous array of individual songs segued together. hopefully the cover will only be the thing repeated. these long scale concepts can make or break and album. the previous was successful. the other problem is they will tour performing the whole album.... again! the problem with playing more new stuff is you get less old stuff. Neal has a great catalog of great songs the fans wanna hear live... since he plays for 2.5 hours and the new album is just under 2 hours.

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    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BravadoNJ View Post
    the problem with playing more new stuff is you get less old stuff. Neal has a great catalog of great songs the fans wanna hear live... since he plays for 2.5 hours and the new album is just under 2 hours.
    In the case of Similitude, which was so strong, playing the entire album was a good thing IMO. I loved that show when I saw it. If this new one is as good as that, I would guess that the show will be equally enjoyable, and there's always the encore for a few back catalogue favourites. The other advantage to a completely new set list is the inevitable live release will not have any repeats from previous ones (other than the aforementioned encore songs.)
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

    *** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***

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    Quote Originally Posted by BravadoNJ View Post
    i agree. they are forcing themselves into a corner. i noticed by the track list that the whole thing is divided into 5 large pieces- similar to the Testimony CD's. where TSOOD was a continuous array of individual songs segued together. hopefully the cover will only thing repeated
    Knowing Neal he won't help quoting themes from Similitude here and there since this is going to be a sequel. Let's just hope he keeps it to a minimum since Similitude itself was already packed with recurring themes.
    As for the 5 large pieces, I though Testimony sounded more like a string of short songs organized into chapters for the sake of the story, rather than 5 bona fide epics. I would bet it will be the same here, so in fact it might not be so different from Similitude.
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

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    oh no not another double concept album! just kidding, if it's half as good as Similitude it'll be great.
    but i have to admit, i was hoping for a regular NMB album, a few great tunes sandwiched between 2 epics.

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