The Neal Morse Band - The Grand Experiment

[Fire breath]

I don't see a thread for this album here and it seems to bloody well deserve one. I ignored NM in the past 'cause I'm not into his style of preachy prog much but this album is amazing so far as I'm listening to the first two songs. The melodies are simply beautiful and don't get me started on track 3 Waterfall. That song is simply too gorgeous. I hope the rest is as good when I listen tomorrow!

 

[TwizstedJesus]

I am going to have to agree on this one. Neal Morse basically fell off of the grid for me when he left Spocks Beard; super talented dude who found God and proceeded to write overly preachy stuff that became unlistenable because of the lyrics. When this cd came out I gave it a quick listen just because, and I found that it was pretty damn good! As the weeks go by I continue to spin it a fair amount of times and it is a damn good disc!

Glenn, your next assignment; Spocks Beard re-unites and plays "Snow" in its entirety as the closing act on Saturday 2017, unless its already booked for 2016

 

[YtseJammer]

Agree as well. Good disk, pleasantly surprised!

 

[Oblivion Ocean]

Glenn, your next assignment; Spocks Beard re-unites and plays "Snow" in its entirety as the closing act on Saturday 2017, unless its already booked for 2016

Snow is one of those interesting albums that really splits SB fans. Some see it as the beginning of the end (that's where I am) while others see it as an epic culmination of the Morse ear.

Personally to me, it is just a mess. It reminds me of Genesis's Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. There are some great moments that are lost in a bad story and you can tell it is basically one member steering the ship. To me this is also the moment where Neal went from broad metaphors about spirituality to blunt preachy lyrics. But like I said, I know many that love the album.

I would rather see them do V or Kindness of Strangers

 

[TheLongshot]

Snow is one of those interesting albums that really splits SB fans. Some see it as the beginning of the end (that's where I am) while others see it as an epic culmination of the Morse ear.

Personally to me, it is just a mess. It reminds me of Genesis's Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. There are some great moments that are lost in a bad story and you can tell it is basically one member steering the ship. To me this is also the moment where Neal went from broad metaphors about spirituality to blunt preachy lyrics. But like I said, I know many that love the album.

I would rather see them do V or Kindness of Strangers

Well, fans would like to see them do Snow, because the band didn't do live shows for the album because Neal left soon after the album came out.

Anyways, I think things have moved so far away at this point that both are better apart. The remaining members of SB have found their own voice and Neal's career is still pretty strong.

 

[Bamafan]

I agree. This is a great prog rock release.

 

[ManipulatorGeneral404]

I haven't been fond of Morse's music in general. Well-performed and lyrically sound but just never seemed to hit me in any significant way.

Until this album. This was an immediate like. Morse has never sounded this technical, and not this heavy very often at all. The new guitar shredder totally jolted the music into high gear, and it benefits immensely.

 

[KingsGene]

Here's some detail as to why this Neal Morse CD might be a bit different from his previous works...

MIKE PORTNOY WEIGHS IN ON THE NEAL MORSE BAND'S GUITARIST ERIC GILLETTE - "HE REMINDS ME A LOT OF MY OLD PARTNER IN CRIME..."

Drum legend Mike Portnoy, who performed on the album, has issued the following:

"This is the first time that Neal, Randy, Bill, Eric and Myself wrote together and from scratch, and it created something entirely unique and new! Bill Hubauer is a HUGE new asset to the band with great musical and melodic ideas and his multi-instrumental talents. And brace yourselves for a new guitar hero in Eric Gillette! He is the new king of shred and feel! He reminds me a lot of my old partner in crime if you know who I mean!)

IMHO, pound for pound this line-up is as strong as any prog band out there, and this very well may be the PROG album of 2015!"

***

For the first time ever, prog icon Neal Morse came into a recording session with his long time friend and collaborator Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Bill Hubauer and Eric Gillette... with NOTHING! He had no prepared material at all.

"I wanted to see what it would be like to create freely in the room with no preconceived notions. It was quite a risk! I made a lot of room for the other guys to create and express themselves and the result is outstanding! We wanted to experiment, do something a bit different, and see what everyone is capable of...we found out...in SPADES!"

This was a "grand experiment" that produced something far beyond anyone's expectations.

The main disc, containing five tracks - two long prog epics that are sure to be favorites for years to come, as well as three shorter songs including the catchy rocking title track "The Grand Experiment" - is sure to blow the minds of all prog fans and appeal to anyone who loves hooky songwriting with virtuoso performances from some of the best musicians in the world.