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Thread: Marco Minneman's Borrego featuring Lifeson and Satriani

  1. #1

    Marco Minneman's Borrego featuring Lifeson and Satriani

    Hey in case you're interested, here's my review of the new double album by Marco Minneman:
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    When I was 13 years old, The Beatles released a revolutionary self-titled double record that came to be known as the White Album. As revolutionary as we were getting used to each new Beatles album being, this one was twice as long and overflowing with new sounds, vistas and moods. I spent hours, weeks, months sitting and listening to it, enthralled by the many worlds it took me to and the abundance of feelings it evoked. You could say that, since that time, many great bands at the peak of their careers have released timeless double records of seemingly perfect anthems to wed themselves to your soul for a lifetime and you'd be correct. But as great as some of these opuses are, none of them have ever made me feel like I was 13 again hearing the White Album. And neither has the new Marco Minneman double CD called Borrego. But it comes really close.

    When I was presented with a copy of this set I was eagerly expecting an assortment of hot drumming, maybe tinges of metal, prog rock and fusion and the flavors of some of his higher profile collaborators like UK, Satriani, etc. And I got that. In the first song or two and sprinkled throughout the album. But I also got some things I wasn't anticipating at all. Lots of things. Glorious, hitherto unheard varieties, all delivered with a childlike sense of wonder permeating the tunes, one new view after another, calling me back to listen again and again. No, it's not the Beatles, but it's similarly hook-laden, edgy, exploratory rock that keeps surprising as it entertains. Had the Beatles been composed of Mike Keneally, Reeves Gabrels and David Torn then yeah, this could be a Beatles album. It is borne out of a boundless musical imagination given free reign to soar and embodies all that has happened in great rock. And super drummer Marco has played every instrument on it himself besides a small handful of guest appearances in an astonishing display of musicality.

    Some of you will buy this because it features great artistic splashes by Alex Lifeson and Joe Satriani. And you won't be disappointed! But I invite everyone who craves that place where two unexpected but familiar friends meet and invent something that never was before to buy it, swim in it, surf it, revel in it. Cuz double albums like this don't come along often, but when they do....

  2. #2
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Interested... Can you give us a little more detail on Lifeson's contribution(s)?

  3. #3
    Sure. He plays an electric solo, acoustic guitar and reverse guitars/FX guitars (a quote from the credits) on one song and acoustic and FX guitars on two others. Not a blazing guns firing lead a la Free Will but more textural and bizarre stuff.

    Satriani's solos are blazing with attitude, unlike a lot of his own work (to my ears).

  4. #4
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Thanks. While I of course love Lifeson's blazing lead solos, I also enjoy his more textural stuff - there's a ton of it on Vapor Trails and the Feedback EP!

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    Member Wounded Land's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Thanks. While I of course love Lifeson's blazing lead solos, I also enjoy his more textural stuff - there's a ton of it on Vapor Trails and the Feedback EP!
    I'm totally with you re: Vapor Trails. Some really good guitar playing on that one.

    This Minneman album sounds interesting. I'll put it on the list.

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    Member Gerhard's Avatar
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    Marco is amazingly prolific, I can barely keep up with his output (similar to Morse and Stolt in that respect). I have a lot of his releases and enjoy most of his music, but haven't really internalized much of it yet. I need to spend more time with Borrego soon.

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    Member Rajaz's Avatar
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    Dream Theater had a chance to hire him but opted for Mike Mangini, missed opportunity.
    And it's very sad UK will never be again because Marco made an incredible mark in UK history, Bruford and Bozzio material is not easy and he surpassed them.
    This one I am very interested in for sure.

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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rajaz View Post
    Dream Theater had a chance to hire him but opted for Mike Mangini, missed opportunity.
    And it's very sad UK will never be again because Marco made an incredible mark in UK history, Bruford and Bozzio material is not easy and he surpassed them.
    This one I am very interested in for sure.
    Marco didn't want the job, he just tried out for the kick of it and because people were bugging him to try it.

    Magnini deserved the fate he got. He really wanted it bad, so good for him!

    It only would have clipped Marco's wings to be in DT. He's too great to spend his days with them.

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    Member Rajaz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean View Post
    Marco didn't want the job, he just tried out for the kick of it and because people were bugging him to try it.

    Magnini deserved the fate he got. He really wanted it bad, so good for him!

    It only would have clipped Marco's wings to be in DT. He's too great to spend his days with them.
    Yes, Marco is in a far more finesse driven and highly developed musical league than DT is.

  10. #10
    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    Granted, they could have given him a lobotomy....

  11. #11
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    This thread really needs some camples

    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  12. #12
    Member Proghound's Avatar
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    So far this has certainly been better than some of his solo albums. All have amazing drumming, but not a fan of his guitar playing.. I find the ones I like generally are a multitude of players. Some of the more jazzed based are great.

  13. #13
    Don't buy this for Lifeson or Satch (I guess you'd call that added value.).

    This is pure unadulterated Marco and you can't just put this music in a box.

    Thanks for the review Greg.

    I just wish there was a US Tour.

  14. #14
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ytserush View Post
    Don't buy this for Lifeson or Satch
    Satch?

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Satch?
    Satriani has been called that for about 30 years.
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

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    Member Gerhard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    Satriani has been called that for about 30 years.
    Satriani?

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Gerhard View Post
    Satriani?
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

  18. #18
    Oh sure. Thanks for reading it.

    Quote Originally Posted by ytserush View Post
    Don't buy this for Lifeson or Satch (I guess you'd call that added value.).

    This is pure unadulterated Marco and you can't just put this music in a box.

    Thanks for the review Greg.

    I just wish there was a US Tour.

  19. #19
    Watching that video for Satch Boogie, I'm reminded how odd it is that, though I'm a proghead through and through, on this album, other than the incredible Always With Me, Always With You this and the opening title track are my absolute faves even though both are hopped up variations of 145 standard progressions. So I guess the Chuck Berry feel isn't what bores me, but what boring folks do with it.

  20. #20
    Member Wounded Land's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by arabicadabra View Post
    Watching that video for Satch Boogie, I'm reminded how odd it is that, though I'm a proghead through and through, on this album, other than the incredible Always With Me, Always With You this and the opening title track are my absolute faves even though both are hopped up variations of 145 standard progressions. So I guess the Chuck Berry feel isn't what bores me, but what boring folks do with it.
    Surfing with the Alien is one of my favorite albums. I can sing the entire thing all the way through, guitar solos and everything. It's fabulous!

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Wounded Land View Post
    Surfing with the Alien is one of my favorite albums. I can sing the entire thing all the way through, guitar solos and everything. It's fabulous!
    If it was only a bit longer.
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    If it was only a bit longer.
    WDHA played the crap out of the singles for that album when it came out.

  23. #23
    Member Wounded Land's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    If it was only a bit longer.
    I'd rather have an album be on the short side than on the long side. All killer no filler, baby!

  24. #24
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Recently got a copy of Dave Kerzner's In Continuum project live, and saw one of Marco's 8-minute drum solos. Pretty entertaining for a drum solo! I see there are others on YouTube, so it's something he's done for a while now. Now I'm interested to check out some of his own solo projects. BTW, Randy McStine plays guitar (along with Fernando Perdomo on the show I watched, which was from ProgStock 2018), and some of his guitar solos are amazing - I hadn't really heard him let rip with a real solo before either, and he's great. He's pretty reserved on the two albums he did with Minneman. I guess because the songs themselves have so much energy, they didn't want to distract from that or something. Kerzner himself plays some awesome keyboard solos - he's got Tony Banks-style chord changes down pat!

    I'd recommend listening to some of this audio version of the ProgStock show (Marco's drum solo is 10 minutes!):


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