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

  1. #151
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    I'm about 30 spins into this and it's marvelous.
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    随缘 SRS's Avatar
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    I'm not at 30 listens yet! But I've listened about 6 times (with a revisit to Similitude in the middle)

    I don't think TGA quite reaches the level of TSOaD but it is very very close and a worthy companion album for sure! This one has a little more of a rock/metal feel to it compared to the more symph/prog of the first one so it probably depends on which side of Neal you prefer most.

    But yes this new one is fantastic. Neal and band are pretty amazing putting out another massive double album like this with such high quality. Excited to hear the whole thing live (I'm guessing they will play the whole album like they did with the other one)


    ...one trivial criticism and that is the packaging. Wasn't thrilled that they just copied the cover of Similitude but if you are going to do that then be sure to get it right. TGA doesn't have the raised lettering on the front and also the CD spine of the book is different, reads vertical instead of horizontal, so they don't look like a matched book set when put on the shelf!

  3. #153
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    Quote Originally Posted by SRS View Post
    I'm not at 30 listens yet! But I've listened about 6 times (with a revisit to Similitude in the middle)

    I don't think TGA quite reaches the level of TSOaD but it is very very close and a worthy companion album for sure! This one has a little more of a rock/metal feel to it compared to the more symph/prog of the first one so it probably depends on which side of Neal you prefer most.
    My take on it as well after 5 or 6 listens. Thankfully the themes from Similitude are just quick nods and they don't expand on them again. This one's got a fair share of its own recurring themes, especially 3 or 4 melodies from the song A Love That Never Dies which are all over the album.
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

  4. #154
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    ^^^^ when you're dealing with a large chunk of music on 2 CD's, you get a lot more 'wiggle' room.
    and in Neal Morse's case, that's more recurring themes, weaker tracks and nods to previous releases.
    when you restrict yourself to one disc you tend to cut out more fat, filler and repetition.
    Last edited by BravadoNJ; 01-31-2019 at 10:10 PM.

  5. #155
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    Wow, I am traveling at the moment, but when I get home its time to break out the plastic and get ready for a good solid day or two of listening. I hope the music is strong. I haven't heard if Portnoy is on target or not, but I like Mikes drumming a lot. Just keep his mouth away from a mic.

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    Apparently Neal is telling people that Transatlantic is reconvening at the end of the year to work on LP5...
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    I think I spent enough time with the new album to post my first thoughts now.

    As suggested by a few of my posts, my first impression was quite negative, but I find I often have that with Morse because of the deja vu feeling you get with his music. There was also the fact that the album was noticeably heavier than Similitude, which is not what I prefer. But eventually I came around to enjoying the album quite a bit, to the point where I now consider hearing it played live in full, when I first doubted I'd actually go to the gig.

    As expected, the Morse Code is all over this album, with all the usual tricks he uses, especially recurring themes which are always fun to spot (I actually mapped out the recurring themes of the whole album which was a nice way to get familiar with it). Again, as usual, he comes close to the saturation point with all these repeated melodies across the album, but like candy I always end up falling for it.

    Thankfully, the nods to Similitude are rather few so he's not rehashing those themes all over the new album like I feared he would.

    On the whole, The Great Adventure is heavier and darker, with slightly less variation in musical styles. Similitude had more acoustic songs and jazzy bits, which made it more diverse, good for more than 100 minutes of music. Another strong album from Morse, but I still prefer Similitude by a wide margin.
    Last edited by LeFrog; 02-08-2019 at 10:55 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by LeFrog View Post
    I think I spent enough time with the new album to post my first thoughts now.

    As suggested by a few of my posts, my first impression was quite negative, but I find I often have that with Morse because of the deja vu feeling you get with his music. There was also the fact that the album was noticeably heavier than Similitude, which is not what I prefer. But eventually I came around to enjoying the album quite a bit, to the point where I now consider hearing it played live in full, when I first doubted I'd actually go to the gig.

    As expected, the Morse Code is all over this album, with all the usual tricks he uses, especially recurring themes which are always fun to spot (I actually mapped out the recurring themes of the whole album which was a nice way to get familiar with it). Again, as usual, he comes close to the saturation point with all these repeated melodies across the album, but like candy I always end up falling for it.

    Thankfully, the nods to Similitude are rather few so he's not rehashing those themes all over the new album like I feared he would.

    On the whole, The Great Adventure is heavier and darker, with slightly less variation in musical styles. Similitude had more acoustic songs and jazzy bits, which made it more diverse, good for more than 100 minutes of music. Another strong album from Morse, but I still prefer Similitude by a wide margin.
    Man! I could have written this review!! My thoughts EXACTLY! Almost too heavy in parts for me, but just when I think it is, they pull back...Great album, but Similitude is better to me...
    So much music....so little time....

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    it's been 2 weeks since The Great Adventure was released and i have pretty much listened to it almost everyday, so i'm ready............

    first of all, i think it's just as good as it's previous album SOAD. it has some dark themes as per the story of the book. but that makes it stand out from the other. there are about 6 or 7 fantastic songs on this album, just like the other one. recurring themes start to become just a bit annoying. the main song A Love That Never Dies is repeated about about 6 times in different mixes and vocals. but when you have a double concept album and Neal Morse, recurring themes is the norm. i think i would understand the story more if i read the book ,but i'm not interested in reading it. the highlights are Welcome To The World, Dark Melody, I've Got To Run, The Great Adventure, Hey Ho Let's Go, Fighting With Destiny, Vanity Fair, Child Of Wonder, The Great Despair & A Love That Never Dies. if you took these songs stand alone onto one CD you'd have the best ever Neal Morse album. but with filler, alternates, recurring themes, etc..... the continuity is lost in the crowd. but today no one is putting out music any close to the quality of Neal Morse. probably why i discovered him late in the game. keep going Neal!

    just to add there should be a rule about concept albums only being on one disk!
    Last edited by BravadoNJ; 02-09-2019 at 08:56 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BravadoNJ View Post
    the main song A Love That Never Dies is repeated about about 6 times in different mixes and vocals.
    Having listed all the recurring themes of the album, I can tell you that every single melody of this song (verse, chorus, bridge, guitar solo, ending...) is repeated in one form or other, and usually several times, across the album. I think it's actually the first time that Morse has recycled every element of one song across an album. Usually each song will have at least one melody that does not appear anywhere else. Even Broken Sky/Long Day(Reprise) on SOAD, which brings together the main recurring themes of that album, has a melody in the verses that does not appear anywhere else.
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    Fortunately I have no idea what any of you are talking about..I don't own any Neal Morse CD's etc..I just know I have a seated ticket to Monday's show in Charlotte, NC, and I am PSYCHED! !!

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    Neal is eco friendly. He likes to recycle

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    Attending tonight’s show in Atlanta....really looking forward to it!
    So much music....so little time....

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    Going tomorrow night in Charlotte..Also very excited..Saw Spock's Beard twice at Rosfest..1st time in 2007..They were the Sunday night headliner but came on really late and I had to drive back to NY and be at work in the morning so only caught about 30-45 minutes..2nd time was in 2016 (sans Neal)...

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    Quote Originally Posted by beano View Post
    Going tomorrow night in Charlotte..Also very excited..Saw Spock's Beard twice at Rosfest..1st time in 2007..They were the Sunday night headliner but came on really late and I had to drive back to NY and be at work in the morning so only caught about 30-45 minutes..2nd time was in 2016 (sans Neal)...
    2007 would have been sans Neal as well. You might have meant sans Nick
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  16. #166
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    I didn't know much about them in 2007..I wasn't too impressed with their sound quality that night either..I believe it was Nick on drums, though? This June will be my 40th anniversary of attending concerts..( June 13 1979 YES @ Madison Square Garden) My memory is getting a little "fuzzy" !!!

  17. #167
    Quote Originally Posted by SRS View Post
    ...one trivial criticism and that is the packaging. Wasn't thrilled that they just copied the cover of Similitude but if you are going to do that then be sure to get it right. TGA doesn't have the raised lettering on the front and also the CD spine of the book is different, reads vertical instead of horizontal, so they don't look like a matched book set when put on the shelf!
    I'm with you, I hate these things!

  18. #168
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    Quote Originally Posted by SRS View Post
    ...one trivial criticism and that is the packaging. Wasn't thrilled that they just copied the cover of Similitude but if you are going to do that then be sure to get it right. TGA doesn't have the raised lettering on the front and also the CD spine of the book is different, reads vertical instead of horizontal, so they don't look like a matched book set when put on the shelf!
    Just for the record, since I do a lot of artwork/packaging for Neal... I had nothing to do with either of those particular album covers or packages. So, that's a shame they don't match properly. My guess is he didn't use the same artist on those packages, and they didn't pay attention to detail.

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    Went to see the show last night in Atlanta....one of the worst sounding concerts ever!!!!!! They played at City Winery, a small place....but the sound was LOUDER than the Kansas concert a few months ago. And that was in a large venue!....This was so loud you couldn’t differentiate between guitar and keyboards in some places! The speaker to the left of the stage sounded like it blew midway through the second half of the show! Glad I was wearing ear plugs, but it didn’t help much....my hearing still isn’t back. Hope future shows sound better....I’m a huge fan, but this was awful!!!!
    So much music....so little time....

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    The new album should be a lot of fun live!!!
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    Grabbing a few sets from work today just in case it's too loud tonight in Charlotte!!
    Quote Originally Posted by miamiscot View Post
    The new album should be a lot of fun live!!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by beano View Post
    Grabbing a few sets from work today just in case it's too loud tonight in Charlotte!!
    Post a review after the show...I’m interested to see if you think it is too loud.....hopefully it won’t be....
    So much music....so little time....

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    I'm surprised I don't see many people here reporting back on the new album. Maybe it's because there's so much to take in...
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by LeFrog View Post
    I'm surprised I don't see many people here reporting back on the new album. Maybe it's because there's so much to take in...
    Well since the benchmark is to spin it 30 times, I might be dead before I can report.
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    look at that double neck!

    live in the studio- Vanity Fair


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