I thought when Neal Morse left Spock's Beard the band would just fold - wow was I wrong! Love love the latest album!
I thought when Neal Morse left Spock's Beard the band would just fold - wow was I wrong! Love love the latest album!
echolynfan
Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Spocks Beard without Morse are good, but with Morse they were very good. The Light, Day for Night,The Kindness of Strangers,and V, are quality records.
I totally agree. Spock's with Neal is astounding. I liked a lot of the NDV-era, too. But the latest release brings them right back to the fore. Kind of cool that Neal co-wrote two of the tracks, and that now Ted is touring with Transatlantic. It's becoming one big Spock's family!Originally Posted by echolynfan
The new one falls flat to my ears. Limited (if any) depth, limited (if any) excitement in the playing to my ears. I was also disappointed in the drumming.
Ted has a good voice though.
Please don't ask questions, just use google.
Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.
I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.
You shouldn't have listened to the parallel universe version of the album; you should have listened to THIS one. The music I'm hearing is powerful and inspired.
"Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)
I listened to the first few tracks of the latest album yesterday, and it seemed pretty uninteresting to me. But I haven't cared for any post Neal SB, and wasn't actually THAT big a fan of SB even wen Neal was in it. I do always try to check out what they've done though, just in case.
The new one is really good, I like some of the tracks quite a bit. But it's no where near as timeless as the original albums with Neal, neither is anything Neal currently is involved with.
I like Ted's voice on the new one, a lot more than Nicks. So, that's a big plus. About 1/2 the songs are really cool. Ryo's playing is always fantastic, and Something Very Strange is a standout track. But the harmonies on Afterthoughts are a bit off, maybe a bit flat sounding compared to the earlier type tracks.. (the magic harmonies being Nick & Neal, with touches from Dave & Al), I just don't think the new guys sound as natural singing this Gentle Giant type stuff. Both the tracks Neal wrote are interesting I suppose, but it's Neal. So, why not just have Neal sing them?
I like all era of Spock's and they are still one of my favorite bands. I think the latest one is very very good. I am not going to go so far as saying they are better, but they are still putting out very high quality stuff. It is also hard to judge without seeing this lineup live yet.
I guess I need to spend more time with it, because it hasn't really grabbed me. I was willing to give it a try, based on the positive reactions here and my hopes that a change of direction would be good for the band. I found myself liking each NDV-fronted release less than the one that came before.
I can only listen to the music presented on the disc.
Please don't ask questions, just use google.
Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.
I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.
As I was a big fan of X, the new one was a disappointment to me.
That seems a bit harsh to me, but I get where you're coming from. I really miss Nick D'Virgilio's drumming.
The other week I listened to 'X' and 'Brief Nocturnes' back to back, and I got a lot more of a kick out of 'X'.
Still, I like 'Brief Nocturnes' well enough, and I'm glad the band has kept going despite the departure of two successive leaders.
Incidentally, some of my favourite Spocks tracks are actually from the NDV era.
To me, they're always a great band, whether it's Neal, Nick or Ted. Saw them live last year and thought they were fantastic on songs from all eras of the band, and the live harmonies on Afterthoughts were great - well worked out.
I think they have a couple of outstanding albums in Snow & X, but the rest are all pretty great too, and the new one is almost up there with X. Ted does a great job, on record & live.
I can't wait to see Transatlantic in March, whether it's Ted or Daniel. As someone said above, it's all becoming an extended Spock's family.
Every time they release a new album there are a bunch of posts that say "this one has them back to form, they sound just like the Neal years". Well, after falling for that several times already I'm more than a little skeptical. I think I'll pass unless I can give it a full out listen, not just 20-30 second snippets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A gentleman is defined as someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't.
Here you go, have at it.
http://spocksbeard.bandcamp.com/
I'm loving what I'm hearing! Some of the most brilliant material I've heard from them in years! I can't remember the last time I got goose bumps from listening to Spock's Beard ... some time before Snow I'm sure. They're pulling some absolutely awesome stuff out of the ether!
The last time I wrote them a fan note was when I discovered them in the late 90's. I think it's time for another.
Thanks to the OP for bringing this up, and Gerhard for the Bandcamp link. Great stuff and I'll definitely be buying the CD.
I'm in this camp! I applaud the bearded boys for sojourning on and continuing to craft some great prog.
I think the new album is pretty solid, but I don't think it will change your opinion of Neal-less Beard. I don't think it's as good as the best Beard albums but it's better than anything they've done since "Snow", IMO.
I just don't like Al's ham-handed guitar playing on this album. I like Ted's singing very much but something tells me that Nick or Neal's influence helped to keep Al's playing focused, but on this album he's all over the place.
I enjoy the newest album far more than the NDV-fronted Spock's. It's just a personal thing, but I never cared much for NDV's vocals (aside from backing vocals).
<sig out of order>
This is exactly what I was going to say! It's not Neal's Spocks, but it's pretty damn good!
Thanks - this is just what I was looking for. Just finished the first 7 tracks that are on the regular album and starting the bonus tracks now (not quite as good as the rest though).
Much better than "X" or "Spocks Beard". For $10 at Bandcamp this is worth a download.
Nothing cringeworthy that I could hear - OK, that was uncalled for, the regular songs are really quite good.
Last edited by BobM; 02-06-2014 at 02:26 PM.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A gentleman is defined as someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't.
All hail Bandcamp. When a band asks for a stream at Progstreaming, but I can't find a decent webshop nor a decent distribution I send them away with the advice (or homework) to pick up a Bandcamp-page and get on with it.
Bandcamp. I wish I'd invented it. Ah well, I can't complain.
Nothing has surpassed the Neal years
Glad he went out on a high as Snow was their masterpiece!
AS mentioned above, not as good as the early days IMO. This is the fisrt one ive even tried to get into since snow, which i didnt like at all. I might have feeling euphoria, not sure, it clearly wasn't that memorable i guess if i DO have it. To me, they cant top the early days before neals departure. I loved his voice, so perfect for the band.
Anyway, thanks for the bandcamp link, I wouldnt have bothered otherwise.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks