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Neal Morse Band - The Similitude of a Dream


The K Man
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I was surprised by how much I liked it. The christian rock elements are pretty subdued and it's really not preachy/Jesus-this-and-that. Musically there's many great tracks, while at other times they seem to borrow a bit too heavily from classic rock songs. I kinda burnt out on it after a week in the car and maybe I'll come back to it sometime. For it to stay stuck on play that long is really more a matter of its duration (100 minutes) than repeat listenability. I figured I needed 5 or 6 times through the album before I could say I gave it a fair shot. IMO this is easily Portnoy's best post-DT release he's been involved with.

 

It ended up on my 10 best list for 2016.

 

1. Haken - Affinity

2. Frost* - Falling Satellites

3. Anderson Stolt - Invention of Knowledge

4. Opeth - Sorceress

5. Gojira - Magma

6. John Wesley - A Way You'll Never Be

7. Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts

8. The Neal Morse Band - The Similitude of a Dream

9. Nosound - Scintilla

10. Steven Wilson - 4.5

 

[note that these are all (mostly) prog albums, as this list was for dprp a prog review site I'm involved with]

Edited by stoopid
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I am admittedly a big Neal Morse fan - he could sing the phone book and I'd enjoy it :D - but there his something really special about this record. It manages to sound very much like a Neal Morse record, and yet very fresh at the same time. The additions of Gillette and the keyboard guy whose name I never spell right were huge. And I agree that the christian lyrics are toned down (as they have been on the last few records).
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I'm the first to admit i'm a neal fan boy. so i'm less them objective.......but i adored it. Beats the Shit outta the Double album Dream Theater did.

 

May be album of the year for me.

 

Mick

Edited by bluefox4000
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Definitely a fan of the album. I have listened to it about a half dozen times and it grows on me more each time. I find the songs playing in my head which is a good sign. I can't wait to see it live in January. Edited by catherine
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This is outstanding.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Stoopid, your list looks intriguing. I'm going to check all those albums out!

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This is outstanding.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Stoopid, your list looks intriguing. I'm going to check all those albums out!

 

did you listen to the album? you need more Neal in your life, lol

 

Mick

 

I got bored really quickly but I liked it more than I expected but haven't finished it yet

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This is outstanding.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Stoopid, your list looks intriguing. I'm going to check all those albums out!

 

did you listen to the album? you need more Neal in your life, lol

 

Mick

 

I got bored really quickly but I liked it more than I expected but haven't finished it yet

 

the thing about morse is he has a formula and sticks to it.........but for once for me it's not a negative. it's a a winning formula of Melodic prog for me.

 

and i thought it would bore me eventually.........3 years a fan.........nope, lol'

 

Mick

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I like it a lot. There's a lot of diverse elements in it that usually aren't explored to the degree they are on this record. I don't know if its his best, but it's up there.

 

 

Of course this guy thinks it's the best thing he's ever done.

 

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I like it a lot. There's a lot of diverse elements in it that usually aren't explored to the degree they are on this record. I don't know if its his best, but it's up there.

 

 

Of course this guy thinks it's the best thing he's ever done.

 

 

Prtnoy says that about anything he's ever on. lol.

 

it's great but it's far from the best thing he or Neal have ever done, IMO.

 

Mick

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it's great but it's far from the best thing he or Neal have ever done, IMO.

 

I can't think of anything Portnoy has done outside of Dream Theater that's better. Not even by a long shot.

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it's great but it's far from the best thing he or Neal have ever done, IMO.

 

I can't think of anything Portnoy has done outside of Dream Theater that's better. Not even by a long shot.

 

Transatlantic for e is up there but Still, lol

 

And Portnoy is such a stale drummmer now. He's got a archive of about 8 fills that he uses over and over and over.

 

and i can predict which in my head before he does them, lol.

 

and that tells me him leaving DT was still the right move for that band.

 

Mick

Edited by bluefox4000
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it's great but it's far from the best thing he or Neal have ever done, IMO.

 

I can't think of anything Portnoy has done outside of Dream Theater that's better. Not even by a long shot.

 

Transatlantic for e is up there but Still, lol

 

Never got into that project, or really any of his side projects, before this. They always seemed forced, trite, or overblown. His entire 'solo' career has been a musical contradiction. He plays in bands way below his pay grade and bands that could have anyone else drumming for them and sound the same. Then there's Transatlantic which is noodley prog at its worse. I fear his career as a musician ended years ago and he just hasn't realized it yet. Then he gets lucky(?) to work on this, and maybe his drumming isn't the driving force on most of the tracks, it certainly worked out fine contributing to the whole without being overblown.

 

I miss him in DT, I don't feel Mangini brings anything distinctive to the band. He sounds like a drum machine to me, no feel.

Edited by stoopid
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it's great but it's far from the best thing he or Neal have ever done, IMO.

 

I can't think of anything Portnoy has done outside of Dream Theater that's better. Not even by a long shot.

 

It's probably the most diverse album he's ever played on so I get why he loves it so much.

 

He's had his moments in Dream Theater.

 

But the stuff he's played on since has been pretty sweet. Transatlantic, Neal Morse Band, Flying Colors Liquid Tension Experiment and the fusino band with Derek, Tony MacAlpine and Billy Sheehan. Even the Winery Dogs live can be pretty special.

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I'm a huge fan of the first three Transatlantic records, and the fourth was really good as well (just didn't measure up to the awesomeness of the first three). I'm not sure Neal on his own has made an album as great as any of those three, although the Question Mark album and this new one are really close. Edited by The K Man
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Been giving the new album a few spins. He has his own formula for writing. He just needs to get rid of the religious blah. Nothing there or content. I guess they are stories and personal hope. Lots of contrast on this new effort. Nothing sticks out as super fun. Some good melodies. I dig the videos from the new album on YouTube. There's like two or three of them live in the studio playing along. Super talented guys. The lead guitar player is a monster! Great solos and can sing like. No other. Keyboard player also has killer vox
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About the religious thing......i can honestly forgive it cause the music surrounding it is always awesome......and he's really dcaled it back a LOT on the past 3 records. it used to be WAY in your face.

 

And this is an atheist talking.

 

and i loved testimony in spite of it's Christian-ness. and i just ordered 2 Neal blu rays, lol

 

Mick

Edited by bluefox4000
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Flying colors go into studio this month to record.

 

I am really looking forward to this. :-)

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I was going through. and i think my top ten albums by or Feturing Neal are......in no order.

 

1. The Light (Spocks Beard)

2. V (SB)

3. The Whrilwind (Transatlantic)

4. ? (Morse)

5. Testimony 2 (Morse)

6. The Kindness of Strangers (SB)

7. Bridge Across Forever (Transatlantic)

8. Testimony (Morse)

9. Sola Scriptura (Morse)

10. Second Nature (Flying Colors)

 

Mick

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you can say what you want.

 

I appreciate the permission. ;)

 

 

About the religious thing......i can honestly forgive it cause the music surrounding it is always awesome......and he's really dcaled it back a LOT on the past 3 records. it used to be WAY in your face.

 

And this is an atheist talking.

 

and i loved testimony in spite of it's Christian-ness. and i just ordered 2 Neal blu rays, lol

 

Mick

 

Absolutely, also being non-religious I can relate to the spiritual elements of the music if that's the approach (the "feelings" being dealt with).

 

I don't think the lyrics are a strength on the album, but they're not a glaring fault either. There's a lot of good melodies and vocal parts/performances which help elevate what would otherwise be a very mediocre effort at conceptual content. The more raw and personal the song the better its overall execution. When the song or topic is preachy, the less effective.

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