FEATURED CD - Neal Morse : Testimony

[LeFrog]

My album of the year in '03 and his best to date (imho). Neal, Mike, and Randy possess an almost otherworldly chemistry.

...but Randy doesn't play on Testimony. Morse plays the bass parts himself on this one, and Randy came onboard on One.

[Vic2012]

I bought this CD at a b-and-m store when it came out. I remember liking it. I was impressed that Kerry Livgren made an appearance on it. I do remember that a couple tracks at the end of disk two had some production defects. You could hear a click-track on a couple tracks, which I found irritating. I didn't know if it was some intentional sound effect or a defect. I read something online (might've been the Spocks message board) that it was defective. Took it back to the store, got another copy. Again, the annoying click-track was to be found in the same spot. Took it back, got my refund, and forgot about it. I believe I read something on the message board about sending the CD and proof of purchase to the record label and they'd replace the album but by then it was too late. I just couldn't understand why they couldn't get it right the first time. I just never followed up and bothered with Neal Morse. I was going through some of my own philisophical, religious changes at the time and didn't want to listen to "christian prog." Not long after I got bored with Spocks Beard and that whole scene. So, my memory of this album was that musically it had a lot of adventure and I remember liking it back then. Today I'd have no patience with it. These bloated, 2-CD prog albums are hard to sit through for me. I got rid of "Snow" for more, or less the same reason.

[LeFrog]

I bought this CD at a b-and-m store when it came out. I remember liking it. I was impressed that Kerry Livgren made an appearance on it. I do remember that a couple tracks at the end of disk two had some production defects. You could hear a click-track on a couple tracks, which I found irritating. I didn't know if it was some intentional sound effect or a defect. I read something online (might've been the Spocks message board) that it was defective. Took it back to the store, got another copy. Again, the annoying click-track was to be found in the same spot. Took it back, got my refund, and forgot about it. I believe I read something on the message board about sending the CD and proof of purchase to the record label and they'd replace the album but by then it was too late. I just couldn't understand why they couldn't get it right the first time. I just never followed up and bothered with Neal Morse.

I've never heard about this defect, maybe others can report about it. There's a track at the end of Disc 1 (It's all I can do) that has a click track that sounds a bit like a demo, but it seems deliberate to me.

[Plasmatopia]

sounds like I should get ? next

That's the one I would recommend. It's a single disc and therefore perhaps a bit more concise than Testimony. "One" and "?" are my favorites, but I don't have the last couple of NM solo albums.

Testimony is very good and nicely varied compared to some of his generally more homogenized works. I saw NM on this tour, but it was before Portnoy joined the festivities. My wife and I sat about 15 feet in front of Neal with an unobstructed view (I think this was at the Lowell Brewery Exchange/Playloft or whatever it was called) and Neal gave one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen from anyone. His vocals were spot on, he was switching from guitar to keys with ease, etc.

But ultimately, (and not meaning to offend, just a personal opinion) I have to say that I am turned off by the content in the lyrics. I suppose they are the inspiration behind the music so the music probably wouldn't exist without them, but they are just too front-and-center which knocks this album down a few pegs in terms of long-term enjoyment.

[Ozgorilla]

What's with the first (18 second) track on the 3rd disc, "The fang...sings"?

[ScottAM]

I've been listening to this a lot in preparation for Morsefest in November, when he's going to play the whole thing in its entirety -- and all of One the night after! There's a lot to like here...I think if you like Snow, this follows a somewhat similar format in terms of song structure, though Snow has stronger melodies in my book. I too think this would've been a killer single CD, and feels just too long at 2 CDs, though most everything is still enjoyable if not outright fantastic. But, I guess he felt he wanted to tell the whole story (...until Testimony 2 came along, which is quite good, too!).

Still, for those Spock's fans who are looking at Morse's solo catalog, I would mostly highly recommend One and Momentum, I think those are best for the majority of listeners, though some fans really love ? and Sola as well. Testimony is neither tops or bottoms for me...just decent Neal Morse.

By the way, this month they are continuing work on Morse's next prog album, which is going to be the first one written by his entire band, so there should be some new approaches on there and of course, excellent playing.

[SteveSly]

Still, for those Spock's fans who are looking at Morse's solo catalog, I would mostly highly recommend One and Momentum, I think those are best for the majority of listeners, though some fans really love ? and Sola as well. Testimony is neither tops or bottoms for me...just decent Neal Morse.

.

I think "Momentum" is really strong, and probably his least religious oriented release. It is there, but quite a bit more subtle than on most of his other ones.

[chalkpie]

Does he do satanic death growling on this? If so, I'm in.

[Rufus]

ONE was a dissapointment after this. The 'indicator' of this appraisal is that he never played anything off of ONE on any subsequent tours. He has always played something off of Testimony, usually a medley. Artists always play their strongest material & what the fans want to hear!!! Everything else that followed ONE has some great music but he has not to date eclipsed Testimony!!!!

[LeFrog]

Does he do satanic death growling on this? If so, I'm in.

Yeah maybe he should do an Opeth in reverse and start adding death growls to his music

[Yves]

ONE was a dissapointment after this. The 'indicator' of this appraisal is that he never played anything off of ONE on any subsequent tours. He has always played something off of Testimony, usually a medley. Artists always play their strongest material & what the fans want to hear!!! Everything else that followed ONE has some great music but he has not to date eclipsed Testimony!!!!

Admittedly I'm not that versed in Morse's solo works but The Separated Man off One is about as strong a track as I've heard from him. I'm surprised it never gets played live.

[Rufus]

Admittedly I'm not that versed in Morse's solo works but The Separated Man off One is about as strong a track as I've heard from him. I'm surprised it never gets played live.

Maybe I need to re-visit ONE, especially that song as I have no recollection of anything 'sticking' in my memory!!!

[Lou]

ONE was a dissapointment after this. The 'indicator' of this appraisal is that he never played anything off of ONE on any subsequent tours. He has always played something off of Testimony, usually a medley. Artists always play their strongest material & what the fans want to hear!!! Everything else that followed ONE has some great music but he has not to date eclipsed Testimony!!!!

I've seen Neal in concert many times, and I can say that One has always been represented in his shows. The Creation, Author of Confusion, The Separated Man, Father of Forgiveness, and Rejoice have all been played.

As for Testimony, it will always have a special place in my heart. I am a full fledged Neal Morse fanboy, who was devastated when he left Spock's. Snow had just come out
and I was so happy with that recording. Then, it looked like Neal pulled the rug out from under me. No more Spock's? Aarrrgh! A bit later I see that Neal is recording his first Christian
album. Lets just say I was skeptical. Being a Christian, I was all too familiar with contemporary Christian music. Most of it did not do a lot to keep my interest. But this being Neal,
I had to give him the benefit of the doubt and pre order. Once I got the discs, I was floored! The master of melody had lost nothing! The instrumental passages were vintage
Neal Morse. The songs had tons of hooks that stayed with me. And it was such an introspective and honest look into his life. I felt as though I really knew him afterwards. True, it is a
bit long, but I give him a pass since it is HIS story.

[Yves]

I think I need to look into Testimony. I've been on a Morse kick of late, since the release of his latest singer-songwriter disc.

[Rufus]

I think I need to look into Testimony. I've been on a Morse kick of late, since the release of his latest singer-songwriter disc.

^^^his latest 'songs' album has resonated yet!!!

[Rufus]

I've seen Neal in concert many times, and I can say that One has always been represented in his shows. The Creation, Author of Confusion, The Separated Man, Father of Forgiveness, and Rejoice have all been played.

I too love 'Rejoice' but isn't it on Testimony!!!

[Lou]

I too love 'Rejoice' but isn't it on Testimony!!!

Yep, my bad!! I was thinking of Reunion.

[Wounded Land]

This thread has inspired me to give One a listen, which I don't feel like I've done in a while. Wow...some great stuff on that one. I'm not sure if the vocal melodies are as great as some of his other work, but there are some seriously awesome riffs. "Author of Confusion" is KILLER.

[Lou]

This thread has inspired me to give One a listen, which I don't feel like I've done in a while. Wow...some great stuff on that one. I'm not sure if the vocal melodies are as great as some of his other work, but there are some seriously awesome riffs. "Author of Confusion" is KILLER.

The Phil Keaggy solo in The Separated Man is gorgeous!

[Man In The Mountain]

The Separated Man off One is about as strong a track as I've heard from him. I'm surprised it never gets played live.

It was played on the T2 tour. Documented on T2 Live CDs and DVD sets. Pretty amazing, indeed. Worth getting just for that cut and Seeds of Gold.

I'm not sure why some people said Neal never plays cuts from ONE. He's done quite a bit of it over the years.


As for the original Testimony... Hmmm. Liked it a lot when it came out. The Testimony concert in NJ gave me bad vibes, and was never able to re-connect with the material. I think Momentum is his best solo album. It's the only one I can listen too, and it's his most secular. Though "?" is also really fantastic musically, some parts remind me of ELP - but at some point a Christian explained the lyrics to me, and there's a bit with Neal's pastor on it, and I don't know.... I don't return to the album any more. The whole Christian Prog thing as worn very thin on me. I've heard enough.

[Yves]

Question for you people who have kept up with his solo career: If I were to buy just one live DVD (Blu Ray if available) which would be the one to go with. I am assuming he has released a few...

NOTE: I'm not interested in attending church.

[Man In The Mountain]

Question for you people who have kept up with his solo career: If I were to buy just one live DVD (Blu Ray if available) which would be the one to go with. I am assuming he has released a few...

NOTE: I'm not interested in attending church.

Easy... Momentum Live.

[Yves]

Noted!

EDIT: I should have figured it would be a CD/DVD boxset set. I'm interesting in just DVD or Blu-Ray alone.

[Poisoned Youth]

Agreed with the comments regarding Momentum. It's totally entrenched in the Morsian style, but enjoyable.

I'm hoping that gone are the days of the 2-Disc sets AND the 15-part epic tracks. I find many of these hamper my continued enjoyment of the music. There are parts I really enjoy from Testimony, but it's all wrapped up in this 'continuous track' concept that the songs don't really stand alone. And the sheer length of some of the albums (120-150 minutes) is just not realistic to digest.

This is one reason I actually enjoy Momentum. It's about 60 minutes (short for a Morse album) with one epic track.

Although it is essentially a continuous track, I enjoy ? for the same reasons (shorter, catchy songs - under 60 minutes).

Regarding the other areas of his catalog, lots to enjoy but not so much as full albums. One has great material, but is fatiguing over it's 75+ minutes. Testimony 2 - similar. Lifeline has some great songs. Neal Morse's 1st solo also has much going for it. Only one I have really had a problem getting into is Sola Scriptura.

[Duncan Glenday]

Incidentally - I interviewed Neal shortly after Testimony was released. (It was one of the first interviews he did after leaving Spock's Beard.)

It was a long, fun conversation, which ranged across several issues directly - or loosely - related to Testimony.

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