Progressive rock / metal

One thing I’ll say for those thinking about following along on this is that a major positive is it will start with some modern essential prog rock albums. The Light is often cited as the best Spock’s album, but pretty much every Morse era Spock’s album is classic.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Sorry! Too many people, in the words of McCartney. :D
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No problem mate!
Lovely you quoted Paul, one of the biggest songwriters ever! :wub:
JudasMyGuide said:
If you love The Light, you're gonna love a lot of stuff there, I promise. Anyway, you're free to join as much as you please, read the write-ups and maybe decide to check any particular album out.
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I will! I just need to catch up a lot of stuff but it will be fun.
 
Mosh said:
One thing I’ll say for those thinking about following along on this is that a major positive is it will start with some modern essential prog rock albums. The Light is often cited as the best Spock’s album, but pretty much every Morse era Spock’s album is classic.
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Also, it's a good litmus test - if you absolutely, completely, utterly hate The Light and can't be persuaded to at least accept it, there's only a very small chance you're going to love anything else. There are differences, I can see someone preferring some of the projects, but there's not going to be an utter revolution for you.

That said, there's still Portnoy - most of the albums with him are worth at least a listen or two, even if you disliked them. Well, apart from the A Proggy Christmas and the Cover 2 Cov3r ones, I guess. :D
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Also, it's a good litmus test - if you absolutely, completely, utterly hate The Light and can't be persuaded to at least accept it, there's only a very small chance you're going to love anything else. There are differences, I can see someone preferring some of the projects, but there's not going to be an utter revolution for you.

That said, there's still Portnoy - most of the albums with him are worth at least a listen or two, even if you disliked them. Well, apart from the A Proggy Christmas and the Cover 2 Cov3r ones, I guess. :D
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That’s for sure. The Light is the template and there’s very little deviation from there. There’s maybe an outside chance of Transtlantic working because of the Flower Kings side, but even Roine Stolt has a similar enough style.

I will say that I’m one disc into The Great Adventure and found myself kinda surprised at how heavy some of the sections are. Eric Gillette and Portnoy definitely bring more of that metal flavor and it’s cool to hear Morse roll with it. Lyrics are pretty goofy though, even for his standards.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
So, all of you other people who seem to be at least partially interested in prog rock (IIRC - I'm working purely from conjecture - this thread and what I remember of you writing across the forum) - @MrKnickerbocker @Saapanael @Detective Beauregard @KidInTheDark666 @Shmoolikipod @Diesel 11 @Lampwick 43 @terrell39 @The_7th_one @Night Prowler @Collin (tag anyone else whom I forgot) - anybody else interested in going through the MorseWorld? (Spock's Beard, Neal Morse solo and Neal Morse Band, Transatlantic (Morse, Trewavas of Marillion, Stolt of Flower Kings, Portnoy), Flying Colors (Morse, Steve Morse, Portnoy) and so on, even if only through the Portnoy connection? It'd be casual, not updated on a strict schedule, you could approach it as you wished, even as an acquaintance of sorts, I'm just wondering if I should start the thread or not.
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I don't know that I could commit to that, getting even a tenth through Buckethead's discography has been more than enough work for me. I also don't think I've heard any of his stuff before, though, so if you'd like to recommend some songs and/or albums that really stick out or are otherwise important, that might be much simpler for me to get around to spinning.
 
JudasMyGuide said:

Lol. @Mosh might appreciate.
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Just saw this. Bummer that he feels he has to clarify something like that, but I remember being confused seeing that picture back in the day as well given his love of pop music.

I actually checked out the Coldplay debut on his recommendation (via the Album Years podcast) a few months ago. Wasn't bad, certainly not the trite Coldplay that you frequently hear on the radio. Kinda felt like if Radiohead made a follow up to Pablo Honey without constantly trying to innovate.
 
Mosh said:
Just saw this. Bummer that he feels he has to clarify something like that, but I remember being confused seeing that picture back in the day as well given his love of pop music.

I actually checked out the Coldplay debut on his recommendation (via the Album Years podcast) a few months ago. Wasn't bad, certainly not the trite Coldplay that you frequently hear on the radio. Kinda felt like if Radiohead made a follow up to Pablo Honey without constantly trying to innovate.
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For what it's worth
1. I'm still happy I saw Coldplay live (even though it was during the Mylo Xyloto tour, probably the nadir of their career, creative-wise - but the concert was really good)
2. I give them a spin way more often than Radiohead - they're just more palatable, subtler and without Thom Yorke's agonising vocalisations
3. For a mainstream band, they certainly don't feel like vapid, spent cash-machine, they take risks, try to do things differently, they ... feel more creative than some of the "high brow" acts I know.

I bought Viva La Vida with my own pocket money when it came out and I'm still kinda proud of that fact. The title track is overplayed, but the multi-faceted 42, the hypnotic, Eastern vibe of Yes with its transfer to the shoegazing hidden track right afterwards, or the way the final track bookmarks the album (with the main riff being somewhat akin to Life in Technicolor's one) and brings the entire album to a closure... let's just say that I'm still impressed, 16 years later and I can definitely see just a slightly more eclectic proghead like Steven appreciating it.
 
Anyway, I know I slept on it for quite some time, but I'm still having the idea of the All-encompassing Neal Morse thread in the back of my mind - it's just that the past few months were so insane it was completely unthinkable. However, if nothing crazy comes up again, I might actually start with it after I finish the Opeth on MaidenFans project (which is another nightmare and a half).

(just yesterday I played ? with wifey in car, realised how much I still love it after all those years and it certainly pumped up my determination)
 
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Ost+Front / Porco Dio
 
This falls more into progressive rock (and pop) than metal, but I highly recommend MEER!

Their new album, Wheels Within Wheels, is magnificent and so is the previous album (Playing House). Amazing sibling lead singers with killer vocal power and harmonies, twisty compositions that always build to an emotional explosion, and just some damn beautiful music all around.


 
MrKnickerbocker said:
This falls more into progressive rock (and pop) than metal, but I highly recommend MEER!

Their new album, Wheels Within Wheels, is magnificent and so is the previous album (Playing House). Amazing sibling lead singers with killer vocal power and harmonies, twisty compositions that always build to an emotional explosion, and just some damn beautiful music all around.


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Thanks for this reply. I checked them out based on your description and immediately ordered both CDs! Fantastic stuff!!
 
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