This
is a show recorded last year at the
Columbia Club in Berlin, but first
of all, a resume is an absolute necessity,
because Neal Morse isn't just
anybody. Since the days of Spock's
Beard's debut, "The Light",
back in 1994 and till now Morse has
never stopped to compose, inspire
us or being inspired by some of the
giants, such as Yes, Pink Floyd,
ELP, Marillion, Dream Theater and
Porcupine Tree. Through his personal
albums he provided music complex
yet accessible based on highly accomplished
musicians. Nevertheless, his spirituality
was asking for something new and
for that reason he took up Christianity
from the "Testimony" release
in 2003. Now, I'm aware that
I'm addressing a basically
metal reading public, but I'm
also aware that great music should
have no frontiers. In fact, frontiers
are such a repressive regime that
can ruin any true progressive rock
attempt before it even gets started!
So be free of prejudices and stay
focused on the music.
Morse is responsible
for some classics in the prog scene,
and I make reference to "Beware
Of Darkness" & "Snow" with
Spock's Beard, "SMPTe" with
Transatlantic, plus "Testimony", "Sola
Scriptura" (with "?" running
close) from his personal portfolio.
Not bad for a 14 year-old-career, is
it?
Regarding the current
live album, I must admit that the
first CD (?) is far better than the
second one (One), in terms of temper
and performance. Bringing "?" on stage isn't
the easiest thing to do, especially
when you had to search from the start
for a band that ought to have the qualitative
qualifications in order to deliver.
The Dutch musicians that accompany
Morse in his first live release are
competent, but not extraordinary, except
perhaps for the drummer. The good things
include an excellent live version of "The
Temple of the Living God" at
the beginning and the end of the first
CD, a frenetic "In The Fire" and
a soul searching "Help Me / The
Spirit and The Flesh". This live
is a testament to the virtuosity of
Neal Morse, despite the fact that there's
a relative asymmetry between first
and second disc.
To sum up, this
live deserves your attention, but
the most important of all is to seek
for the mentioned above albums. If
you consider yourself to be a prog
fan, you, certainly, owe it to yourself.
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