Progressive Rock Reviews

The Light
SPOCKS BEARD





Spock's Beard are :
Neal Morse on Lead Vocals, Mellotron, Hammond Organ, all other Keyboards, Acoustic and Electric Guitar.
Alan Morse on Lead Electric Guitar, Cello, Mellotron and Vocals.
Dave Meros on Bass and French Horn.
Nick D'Virgillo on Drums, Percussion and Vocals.

The tracks are :
1. The Light (15:33)
2. Go The Way You Go (12:03)
3. The Water (23:14)
4. On The Edge (6:11)

This Californian based four piece brings us a sense of the dramatic with this symphony of sound that combines early Genesis / Yes style of unusual time signatures to their music (in other words you don't just get your standard 4 beats to the bar too often), which may confound the more conventional foot-stomping rockers out there, but is sure to challenge the ear of the more refined listener.

With a combination of rhythmic thumping bass and grinding power chords mixed with a series of catchy and powerful melodies suffused with a swirling blend of omnipresent and potent keyboards (mellotron and hammond organ included), this album takes you on a sensual journey which explores the whole ganut of emotions from rage to despair, while the enigmatic lyrics pound away at you, challenging the mental faculties to the extreme.

The album is arranged almost like a classical symphony, there being only four tracks in total. But with three of these being over 10 minutes long (track 3 is a full 23 minutes +) the comparison to a classical piece seems irresistable especially regarding the way in which each single track is composed of a number of differrent, but related pieces each fusing to form a single story. The band are not afraid to experiment with other musical genres either, injecting jazz and even latin elements in an eclectic blend of styles with the solid rock structure.

For Floyd fans there are some wonderful backing vocals reminiscent of Dark Side Of The Moon's 'Great Gig In The Sky' as well as some pounding bass ala 'One Of These Days'.

Overall, this is a big album, full of drama and emotion and whilst it may not be a stomping sing-along anthem album, it's definatley great for sitting at home with the lights down indulging in some of your other favourite pleasures (whatever that might be).

Expect to be intrigued, expect to be challenged, expect to be entertained by this more than competent group who, for some unknown reason have elected to name themselves after a Vulcan's facial hair (or do they mean the child rearing expert?)

Enigmatic or what?

The Light (GEPCD1017) is released on GEP. Available from most prog dealers and record stores or can be ordered direct from GEP.
GEP, P.O.Box 24, Bishops Waltham, Southampton. SO32 1XJ. England.
TEL : +44 (0) 1489 891815
GEP Website : http://www.gep.co.uk
Radiant Records
P.O. Box 123, Cross Plains, TN 37049, USA
E-mail: radiantus@aol.com
SPOCK'S Beard Website :http://www.altura.com/jordanz/spocks_beard
For More Information please contact Spock's Beard. P.O.Box 123, Cross Plains, TN 37049. USA
There is also an official Spock Beard's Appreciation Society. 2805 Jane Street, Riverside, CA 92506, USA

 

Beware of Darkness
SPOCK'S BEARD



Spock's Beard are :
Neal Morse on Lead Vocals, Mellotron, Hammond Organ, all other Keyboards, Acoustic and Electric Guitar.
Alan Morse on Lead Electric Guitar, Cello, Mellotron and Vocals.
Dave Meros on Bass and French Horn.
Nick D'Virgillo on Drums, Percussion and Vocals.

The Tracks are :
1. Beware of Darkness (5:41)
2. Thoughts (7:10)
3. The Doorway (11:27)
4. Chatauqua (2:49)
5. Walking on the Wind (9:06)
6. Waste Away (5:26)
7. Time Has Come (16:33)

A good follow up to their debut masterpiece "The Light". Although this is strong progressive music too, this album doesn't, unfortunately, reach the same high standard as the debut album from 1995. Still there are those wonderful advanced vocal harmonies, interesting complex arrangements and good songwriting, but this album is almost too pop oriented. The title track is another reason why this album isn't getting a higher rating.

There are some great moments on this CD though. One of the highlights being the Gentle Giant influenced "Thoughts". I know it's partly a carbon copy of the Gentle Giant song "Knots" from the "Octopus" album from 1973, but "Knots" is a good song and so is "Thoughts". I know that maybe I'm to kind on this point, but I think that maybe this was a knowingly move from Spock's Beard, like a homage to their influences. As I'm a big fan of Gentle Giant, one thing I like about Spock's Beard is their similarity to them. But beside this similarity they also got a lot of their own unique style and originality, and that is maybe a presumption to their obvious success among the fans of progressive rock.

"The Doorway" is another great track. Besides the Gentle Giant influences there's also influences from Yes, Genesis, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. As on their previous album there's a lot of Mellotron on this album as well, and to me it's fantastic. The Mellotron really fits in with this music.

This isn't as perfect as their first album, but it's still a Spock's Beard CD that's worth a chance. But if you haven't got their debut album "The Light", I suggest that you get that one first. The Kindness Of Strangers (GEPCD1018) is released on GEP. Available from most prog dealers and record stores or can be ordered direct from GEP.
GEP, P.O.Box 24, Bishops Waltham, Southampton. SO32 1XJ. England.
TEL : +44 (0) 1489 891815
GEP Website : http://www.gep.co.uk
Radiant Records
P.O. Box 123, Cross Plains, TN 37049, USA
E-mail: radiantus@aol.com
Review by Greger Rnnqvist

A Kindness of Strangers
SPOCK'S BEARD





Spock's Beard are :
Neal Morse on Lead Vocals, Piano, All Synths, Acoustic and an occasional Electric Guitar.
Alan Morse on Main Electric Guitar, Cello, Mellotron and Vocals.
Dave Meros on Bass and Vocals.
Ryo Okumoto on Hammond Organ and Mellotron.
Nick D'Virgillo on Drums, Percussion and Vocals.

The Tracks are :
The Good Don't Last (Introduction - The Good Don't Last - The Radiant Is)
In The Mouth Of Madness
Cakewalk On Easy Street
June
Strange World
Harm's Way
Flow (True Believer - A Constant Flow Of Sound - Into The Source)

A Kindness Of Strangers starts with 'The Good Don't Last', an excellent track that is constantly changing direction. Starting with some great keyboards and cello and then going into a heavy guitar riff and bass followed by acoustic guitar and vocals. The vocals are handled superbly by Neal. The start to this track reminded me quite a lot of Gentle Giant. The Good Don't Last has a great melody, the vocals are catchy and within no time you will find yourself happily singing along. There's also a great guitar solo near the end of the track.

The next track 'In The Mouth Of Madness', has in my opinion another Gentle Giant kind of Intro. Again great vocals and on this track they remind me a little of The Electric Light Orchestra in their early days. Great keyboards and some outstanding guitar work.

The third track 'Cakewalk On Easy Street' starts with a heavy bass sound and a piano followed by a heavy guitar riff. Neal's vocals are once again superb. Cakewalk certainly has a catchy melody. There's a nice interplay with heavy guitar and piano and there are nice changes in direction, mood and tempo.

'June', is a great track, it's mainly played on acoustic guitar with some nice keyboards in the background. There are some great harmonies and this is such a catchy little number, I'm surprised the lads haven't released it as a single. I am sure this would do well and probably get them a much wider audience. June is a track with a lot of emtion
And I think the chorus is superb

Then the sun came up on a sleepy day
And Never went down at night
And the crowd kept singin' Waste Away
But it just didn't feel right
And the prince and the drummer and the fire girls
Couldn't get our guitars in tune
And I knew it was over when the sound man said
"I wish we were still in June"

Towards the end, the track then builds up to a climax.

The next track 'Strange World', has quite a heavy Intro until the vocals start. Then there's a combination of piano, heavy guitar, guitar, melodic keybords, heavy keyboards in the background. Another excellent song with great vocals and a strong melody.

Track six is 'Harm's Way', heavy Intro, going into some nice keyboards and some excellent guitar. There are nice changes in direction, mood and tempo. Excellent guitar solo. Some of the keyboards remind me of early Genesis.

The final track is 'Flow', which has a Gentle Giant/Genesis kind of Intro. Great bass, great keyboards, great guitar. Great track, heavy at times, nice interplay between keyboards and paino and vocals. Outstanding guitar, a track full of emotion.

Overall an outstanding album. One I would highly recommend. And one I think every Progrock fan should have in their collection.

The Kindness Of Strangers (GEPCD1022) is released on GEP. Available from most prog dealers and record stores or can be ordered direct from GEP.
GEP, P.O.Box 24, Bishops Waltham, Southampton. SO32 1XJ. England.
TEL : +44 (0) 1489 891815
GEP Website : http://www.gep.co.uk
Radiant Records
P.O. Box 123, Cross Plains, TN 37049, USA
E-mail: radiantus@aol.com
SPOCK'S Beard Website :http://www.spocksbeard.com
For More Information please contact Spock's Beard. P.O.Box 123, Cross Plains, TN 37049. USA
There is also an official Spock Beard's Appreciation Society. 2805 Jane Street, Riverside, CA 92506, USA

 

Day For Night
SPOCK'S BEARD





Spock's Beard are :
Neal Morse on Lead Vocals, Piano, All Synths, Acoustic and an occasional Electric Guitar.
Alan Morse on Main Electric Guitar, Cello, Mellotron and Vocals.
Dave Meros on Bass and Vocals.
Ryo Okumoto on Hammond Organ and Mellotron.
Nick D'Virgillo on Drums, Percussion and Vocals.

The tracks are :
1. Day For Night (7:34)
2. Gibberish (4:18)
3. Skin (3:58)
4. The Distance To The Sun (5:11)
5. Crack The Big Sky (9:59)
6. The Gypsy (7:28)
7. Can't Get It Wrong (4:12)
8. The Healing Colours Of Sound (Part 1) (2:22)
9. My Shoes (4:16)
10. Mommy Comes Back (4:50)
11. Lay It Down (3:18)
12. The Healing Colours Of Sound (3:17)
13. My Shoes (Revisited) (3:54)
14. Hurt (Bonus Track) (3:08)

Formed in Los Angeles in the Spring of 1992, Spock's Beard was brought together by their common love of progressive rock. All consummate and seasoned professionals, the band members have spent their careers playing as session men to some of the biggest names in rock, from Aretha Franklin to Phil Collins and Genesis to Tears For Fears.

Neal Morse, who writes all the band's material and contributes lead vocals, piano and guitars formed the band. Drummer Nick D'Virgilio is one of the more high profile members of the band. He is featured on the latest Genesis album, "Calling All Stations" and has recently recorded with Peter Gabriel. Ryo Okumoto brings Hammond Organ and Mellotron to the band and has previously had stints with the likes of Phil Collins and Eric Clapton. Bassist Dave Meros joined the band after having worked with Eric Burdon of the Animals and Bobby Kimball of Toto. Rounding out the line up is Neal's brother Alan Morse on guitar, cello and mellotron.

The opening track is 'Day For Night', which starts off in typical Spock's Beard fashion. Starting with some atmospheric sounds mixed in with classical inspired keyboards followed by some wonderful heavy bass and heavy guitar. Wonderful vocals and a very catchy chorus. This track also features a nice acoustic break in the middle.

The next track is 'Gibberish', this track shows influences from both Gentle Giant and Yes. The vocal harmonies are done in a similar style to what Gentle Giant were doing back in the 70's. Some of the bass lines remind me of Chris Squire.

The third track 'Skin' is described as radio friendly and I would have to agree. A mixture of The Beatles meets ELO. A very catchy tune indeed!!

The next track 'The Distance To The Sun', is a very emotional track. It is mainly an acoustic track with some nice piano and mellow and emotional vocals.


'Crack The Big Sky', is a melodic track with a catchy chorus and some jazz influences incorporated within. This is the longest track on the album at one second under 10 minutes and is a dramatic track that is full of mystery and intrigue as it twists and turns throughout. With its strong melody and catchy chorus, this is one of my favourites. This track also features a section with handclaps, on first listening, I wasn't sure about this, but after repeated listening, I now think that the handclaps work very well and fit in extremely well. Although I must say that there are some points within the track that do remind me of 'Yours Is No Disgrace' by Yes.

The sixth track 'The Gypsy' starts off fairly quietly with acoustic guitars, then suddenly the whole band comes in. This track does remind me of The Beatles and ELO. 'The Gypsy' has a fairly slow beat up until halfway through then it changes pace and becomes a lot livelier.

The next track 'Can't Get It Wrong', this is another track that is in a similar vein to ELO and for me would quite easily fit into the 'Out Of the Blue' album.

'The Healing Colours Of Sound (Part 1)' starts off quietly and then gradually builds up. This track has quite an orchestral sound to it with a good driving bass, nice acoustic guitar rhythm followed by some stunning lead guitar.
And this flows into...

The ninth track 'My Shoes', starting off mellow with some nice piano and Hammond organ, this track has a catchy tune and chorus. There's a quieter ending section with some nice piano, percussion and bass.
And this flows into...

Track 10 'Mommy Comes Back' carrying on from the previous track, this piano, percussion and bass carry on for about 30 sec's then in comes the guitar and keyboards. There's a nice wah-wah effect on the guitar and bass which is very effective. There are some nice vocals and some excellent keyboards. There's also some guitar work later where the guitarist uses a mouth piece like Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton have used in the past. (Rocky Mountain Way, Etc, Etc). This is another track that is very catchy.

The next track is 'Lay It Down' starts off fairly mellow with softer vocals and acoustic guitar, there's a nice lead break also done on acoustic guitar in the middle and there's some nice piano added towards the end.

The twelfth track is 'The Healing Colours Of Sound' is a nice track with once again is very mellow and also very catchy. Towards the end there's an orchestral feel to the track and there's some Gentle Giant style harmonies.

The next track is 'My Shoes (Revisited)', which is a continuation of the previous track entitled 'My Shoes'. A nice track with a catchy tune, nice harmonies and there's a great guitar solo halfway through.

Track 14, which is not what is listed, is a 40-second track of atmospheric sounds and effects.

The final track is 'Hurt' which is listed as a bonus track and is more of a blues come rock tune with a heavy riff and for me seems slightly out of character with the rest of the album.
But what can you say it is after all a bonus track...

Day For Night (IOMCD 034) is released on SPV/InsideOut.
Available from most prog dealers and record stores.

Radiant Records
P.O. Box 123, Cross Plains, TN 37049, USA
E-mail: radiantus@aol.com
SPOCK'S Beard Website :http://www.spocksbeard.com
For More Information please contact Spock's Beard. P.O.Box 123, Cross Plains, TN 37049. USA
There is also an official Spock Beard's Appreciation Society. 2805 Jane Street, Riverside, CA 92506, USA

Don't Try This At Home

SPOCK'S BEARD

 

Spock's Beard:
Neal Morse - lead vocals, piano, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitar
Alan Morse - electric guitar, cello, Mellotron and vocals
Dave Meros - bass, French horn and vocals
Ryo Okumoto - Hammond organ and Mellotron
Nick D'Virgilio - drums, percussion and vocals

Tracklist:
1. Day for Night (8:03)
2. Mouth of Madness (5:06)
3. Skin (3:54)
4. Gibberish (4:48)
5. June (7:11)
6. The Healing Colors of Sound (20:00)

Recorded live at the 013 in Tilburg, Holland on 28.9.99

Spock's Beard has released almost as many live albums as studio albums. I haven't heard any of their previous live releases but I was really curious about this one. Being a Spock's Beard fan before, I became really impressed by the band when I saw them as special guests at Dream Theater's concert at Solnahallen, Solna, Sweden in mars this year. Three out of the six songs on this album were played that magic evening.

Just like the Eagles they are delivering their songs with almost total perfection both instrumentally and vocally. The vocals really impressed me on the Stockholm concert too. The highlight on this album is the closing "The Healing Colors Of Sound", which is, in itself, a good reason for buying this CD. Unfortunately I'm missing "The Light" and "The Doorway" which were played at the Stockholm Concert. I find it rather strange, as the short playing time of this CD would've allowed at least one of them to make it onto this album.

Considering that Spock's Beards has released three live CD's before, and the short playing time, this release might seem quite unnecessary. But for everyone who was attending Spock's Beard "Day For Night" tour, or as special guests on Dream Theater's Metropolis 2000 Tour, this is a nice reminder. And besides, you don't have to check out for a bootleg recording from the tour. Here you have it with a perfect sound quality. If I hadn't attended the Stockholm Concert though, I might have been a little bit more suspicious to this release, but all in all it's highly recommended.


Released by InsideOut Music.
Klelner Markt 10, 47533 Kleve, Germany.
Fax: +49 (0)2821 26820
Website: http://www.insideout.de
E-mail: info@insideout.de

InsideOut Music America
344 TB Oakville Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15220 USA
E-Mail: info@insideoutmusic.com
Fax: +1 4129379283

-Reviewed by Greger Rönnqvist-