Rob's Album Deep Dive: Spock's Beard

 

Last week I took the time to listen to the entire Black Sabbath studio album discography. And while I didn't know most of their albums well at all (and many I didn't know at all), I had a good time playing through them, and writing about my favorite song from each album. In fact, I enjoyed it enough that I thought I would do another entry in the "Rob's Deep Dive Series", but this time I would do it with a band that I love. So this week, I'm going to go through the Spock's Beard discography.

I had a rule with the Black Sabbath deep dive that I can't exactly follow here. For Sabbath, I couldn't choose songs that I did know well, but instead had to stick to the deeper cuts on the albums. This time around, I know every Spock's Beard album pretty well, and so I'm just going to listen to each album, and choose what I think is my favorite tune for that listen through. I could sit and name my favorite from each album now, but who knows, maybe that will change with another listen. And so I begin my journey with one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time. Join me, Neal Morse, and the rest of the Spock's Beard band, as I go on a Deep Dive through the wonderful career of Spock's Beard.

One last thing, as with the Black Sabbath Deep Dive, I will be posting the cover art for each album, but this time I'll be using the CDs from my actual collection. I'm not sure why, it just feels a little more personal to me, and will make this just a little bit more fun. Funny enough is that when I was putting this together, I found out that I have a unique edition of every album except "X" (which I need to get, because it has a song whose name escapes me...haha). So I guess it's time, join me below in "The Light".

Spock's Beard: The Light (Art Book Edition)

01-The Water (The Light)
When I hit play on this debut Spock's Beard album,  I was sure the title track would be my favorite song on the album. With only four track to choose from here, and three of them being absolute classic Spock's Beard songs, I was pretty certain my favorite hadn't changed. However this time 'round, I found that "The Water" has become my favorite track on the album. At just over twenty-three minutes long, this is the longest track on the album, by a pretty long-shot. With six parts, this suite has the epic prog sound that I love, meaning you have no idea which mood each piece of the tune will be. There's some pretty heavy moments, some beautifully melodic pieces, and then there's the "FU / I'm Sorry" section, which I really can't see Neal ever playing again. This song is an early, but perfect example of just how good Neal Morse is, and has always been, at crafting one hell of a great epic, prog-rock masterpiece. From the killer guitar moments, the amazingly melodic passages, and some amazing vocal melodies, this is a great tune, and my new favorite from this album.

Spock's Beard: Beware of Darkness (Special Edition)

02-Walking On the Wind (Beware of Darkness)
To be honest, out of the Neal Morse led Spock's Beard albums, this is the one that took me the longest to get into, though I'm not really sure why, as it is an amazing album. For the longest time, my favorite track on the album was "The Doorway", but after hearing the live version of "Walking On the Wind" on Neal's live album "So Many Roads", this track became my absolute favorite from the album. The entire band sounds great on this tune, and the bass is turned up quite often, and with Dave Meros that can never be a good thing. The song goes through a few moods, which of course makes it one hell of a great prog song. Vocally, Neal is singing some beautifully melodic parts that I just love. This is just one of those songs that I could listen to a dozen times in a row, and never grow tired of it. I don't know what took me so long to love this one, but I'm glad it finally clicked.

Spock's Beard: The Kindness of Strangers (Special Edition)

03-Flow (The Kindness of Strangers)
This is another one of those albums that it's hard to pick a favorite song, as there are several songs that are just so damned good. My favorite song from this album starts off with one hell of a killer instrumental section, with some organs to really make it cool. "Flow" is nearly sixteen minute prog-rock masterpiece. Going through three separate sections of music, I find this to some of Neal's best vocal work thus far in their career. "True Believer" is a melodic-rock beauty, with some really great vocal melodies. The piano/organ combo really make this part pretty fantastic. After the track picks up into some really cool rock, it builds into "A Constant Flow of Sound". Once again, Neal proves just how fantastic he is at writing a really amazing progressive-rock epic. This part of the song is a bit of a rocker, with some really cool guitar, and vocals. I especially love the call-back to "True Believer", I'm a sucker for "bringing it back". It's a bit more sparse than the previous section, and leads into probably some of the most melodically beautiful music in the bands catalog, ""Into the Source". It's a real sing-along section, and for me that is never a bad thing. This song, along with the rest of the album, make this my favorite album out of the first three SB albums.

Spock's Beard: Day For Night (Special Edition)

04-The Healing Colors of Sound (Day For Night)

This time around, I knew my favorite song from the album going in, and wasn't surprised when that didn't change. I love this entire disc (I'm pretty sure it was my introduction to the might Beard!), but for me, "The Healing Colors of Sound is prog-rock at its absolute best. Weaving an amazing tapestry of music through six sections (seven if you count "Urban Noise") of music, this track is the best of Spock's Beard. Part 1 of the title track (a hard-rocking instrumental) opens the song, and sets us up for a 22 minute coaster-ride that you'll have to hear to believe. It's just all written so damned well, that there isn't one dull moment of music here. "My Shoes" is a melodic rock beauty, with some wonderful vocal melodies, and masterful playing from the entire band (especially that guitar performance!). "Mommy Comes Back" is a hard rocker, with lyrics that don't always make sense to me. Still, it's a fun part of the song, with some cool sounding guitar work, and fantastically done organs. "Lay It Down" is just a melodic beauty, with vocal harmonies, some piano, and acoustic guitar, it really is just a very pretty section of music. The second part of the title track is my favorite part of the suite. It's a more upbeat, melodically driven section of music. The vocal harmonies are on point, and the music is just beautifully done. This part just feels so epic to me, that I can't help but love it. The suite concludes with "My Shoes Revistied)", which not only calls back "My Shoes", but also "The Healing Colors of Sound". Neal has always been a master at closing an epic track, and Alan Morse has always turned in one hell of a great guitar performance to end the song. This suite is pure perfection, and one of my top five favorite Spock's Beard songs.

Spock's Beard: V (Special Edition)

05-The Great Nothing (V)

When picking a favorite song from this album, it's hard to not pick "At the End of the Day", because it's such a great song. But then you get to track six, the nearly half hour long epic, "The Great Nothing". This song is epic in every sense of the word, and up until "Falling For Forever" was my all-time favorite Spock's Beard song. This tune runs the emotional gamut, from melodically driven section, with some beautiful vocal melodies, to some really fantastic hard rock moments, and even some fun little dancy feeling moments. There's something for nearly every rock genre here. We get acoustic guitar, we get some amazing electric guitar solos, vocal harmonies with Nick, & Neal. There are some really wonderful keyboard moments from Ryo, and of course that Spock's Beard rhythm section that just does not get the praise that they deserve. Everything about this song, write down to the disillusionment caused by the music business, is just phenomenal. And as I said, if not for that bonus track years later, placed on the greatest hits compilation, I doubt anything would have ever knocked this track from the #1 spot for me. Pure brilliance, and an absolute joy to listen to, every time I play it.

Spock's Beard: Snow (Promotional Copy)

06-Solitary Soul / Wind At My Back (Snow)

For the last album with Neal, Spock's really created something beautiful, and wonderful, and (in my opinion) the greatest concept album of all time. I know that may sound crazy, but that's how I feel. This album has everything that I want in a progressive concept album. The story follows an albino man with a gift of seeing. If he touches you, he can see your future. There are so many great moments on this disc, from hard rock, to beautiful ballads. When picking my favorite, it had to be two tracks: the beautiful, and emotional "Solitary Soul" that can still make me misty eyed to this day (especially that very emotive guitar solo, that just hits you right in the feelers), and the epic, and beautifully melodic "Wind At My Back". This two part, which was put on the greatest hits disc as well, is some of the most beautiful music that Neal has ever been a part of. The vocals are just overflowing with beauty, from the melodies, to the harmonies, it's just wonderful. "Wind At My Back" comes back at the end of the album, but here is where it worked best. "And my soul has been kissed, just because you exist." Just beautiful. 

Spock's Beard: Feel Euphoria (Special Edition)

07-Carry On (Feel Euphoria)
When Neal announced that he left Spock's Beard, I thought it was crazy how quickly the band picked up the pieces and released this album the next year. I wasn't sure what I expected when I hit the play button, but I'm glad I did. This album was pretty phenomenal. And while you would expect me to pick "A Guy Named Sid" here, I went with "Carry On" as my favorite from this first Nick D'Virgilio led album. This song is five minutes of sheer majestic beauty. From the wonderful instrumentation, and orchestration, to the absolutely beautiful vocals, this is one of those songs that still gives me goosebumps to this day. The band really created some lasting magic with this wonderful song.

Spock's Beard: Octane (Special Edition)

08-A Flash Before My Eyes (Octane)

For their second post-NM album, the feel to me is that they took a bit more time, and polished the material up, in the direction that they wanted the music to take with this new lineup. To me, this album is damned near perfect, and there was nothing more perfect than the opening "track", the seven part suite of "A Flash Before My Eyes". Here we follow the band, as they tell the story of a life cut short in a traffic accident. There's moments of amazing melodic rock ("I Wouldn't Let It Go", "Climbing Up That Hill", "Of the Beauty of It All"), crunchy hard-rock ("Surfing Down the Avalanche"), crazy exploration from Ryo ("Letting Go"), and even pure beauty ("She Is Everything"), with what could possibly be one of my favorite Alan Morse guitar solos of all time. This epic prog-rock track was so expertly put together, that each part can stand on their own, or you can listen straight through, and enjoy the ride. Either way, on an album full of great tracks, this amazing tune is a true standout. 

Spock's Beard: Self-Titled (Japanese Release)

09-As Far As the Mind Can See (Spock's Beard)

I wanted to pick the opening cut from this album, as "On A Perfect Day" is one hell of a great song (hell, so is "With Your Kiss"). In fact, this entire album is completely flawless in my opinion. However, there's just something about the epic "As Far As the Mind Can See" that always leaves me wanting more. Kicking off with a bang, "Dreaming In the Age of Answers" is a wonderful intro, with some amazingly melodic music. The vocal melody is of course a favorite part of mine. Nick sounds fantastic here, especially on the harmonies. "Here's A Man" is a bit different, with maracas and a sort of jazzy affair. Dave really steps to the forefront with the bass here, as well as some really good organ work from Ryo. This part of the track is a lot of fun, even if the story is a bit grim. "They Know We Know" is my favorite part of the track, it's a melodic rocker, with some of the best vocal melodies on the album. There's just something about how Nick sounds here, that makes this my favorite NDV vocal of all time. The four part suite ends with some playful instrumentation, with the entire band seeming to have a lot of fun. "Stream of Unconsciousness" is one hell of a way to take out a prog-rock epic, even calling back "Dreaming In the Age of Answers" towards the end. Just another great track, from a great band. 

Spock's Beard: X

10-Jaws of Heaven (X)

"X" would turn out to be the last Spock's Beard album to feature Nick D'Virgilio as the lead vocalist, and the entire album almost feels like an NDV highlight, as he turns in some of the best vocals of his era of Spock's. Saving the best for last, "Jaws of Heaven" is my favorite NDV era SB tune, and a top five song overall. It starts beautifully melodic, with some pretty guitars, and a really sort of smoky vocal performance. Add in some mellotron to that, and the intro is absolutely fantastic, and it doesn't let up for its 16+ minute length. Some piano brings us into the next section, and it's some really killer instrumentation that keeps the songs momentum up, with Ryo really shining on the keys here. As the vocals kick back in, the song is an upbeat rocker, with some amazing vocal melodies, and guitar work. Everything here just goes so well together, it really is an expertly written tune. After a truly bombastic instrumental section, the song takes on another tone, and creates a really cool vibe, with some very nice key work holding it all together. Finally, as we head into the last section of the song, my favorite part of the entire album, we're treated to what I find to be some of the finest vocal melodies ever written. Add to that the fact that the music is so melodically beautiful, and you can see why I love this tune so much. This section of the tune is worth the price of the album alone, for me. The wonderfully chatoic instrumental section that follows, takes out the song, the album, and the D'Virgilio era of this fantastic band. Ten out of ten, on album ten. Say that ten times, fast. 

Spock's Beard: Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep (Limited Edition)

11-Waiting For Me (Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep)

Here we are in a new era of Spock's Beard. Not only is the music decidedly different on this album, but so are the vocals. Enter Ted Leonard (you may remember him from the amazing prog-rock outfit, Enchant), to take us through an album of some really killer prog-rock. As I said, the sound of the band is different, but not in a bad way. There's a lot of growth here, and it only gets better with each album. There is a lot of great material on this album, but my favorite is the epic, melodic track, "Waiting For Me". Once again, saving the best for last, this song has some of the best melodies on the album, both musically, and vocally. There's some really wonderful guitar playing, the keys sound great (just dig that organ work), and the vocals are just perfectly done. There's a guitar solo here that shows Alan Morse channeling his inner David Gilmour, while also making it his own, and it works so very well! Coming out of the guitar solo, we're treated with one hell of a cool guitar/keyboard solo battle, that just never ceases to amaze me. And though I forget to mention it sometimes, the rhythm section is just amazing, as always, with Dave really shining on the bass guitar. And if I've said it once, I've said it a million times, Alan really knows how to play a song out, with some of the best guitar playing of the song running out the grooves of this album. Though this isn't my favorite Ted Leonard fronted album, it's a damned good addition to this band's amazing catalog.

Spock's Beard: The Oblivion Particle (Limited Edition)

12-Hell's Not Enough (The Oblivion Particle)
For their second album with Ted Leonard, Spock's continue in the same vein as the previous album, and for me, the results are better this time around. This is a fun album, and the track "Hell's Not Enough" is my favorite of the bunch here (edging the Jimmy Keegan led track, "Bennett Build A Time Machine" out, just barely). Kicking off with some acoustic guitar work, we're led into some pretty music, with Ted singing this pretty section wonderfully. It's such a beautifully opening to a melodically fantastic song. The song does pick up, and becomes quite the rocker, with some killer guitar, and keyboard work. The vocal melody, as usual, is what keeps bringing me back to this one. I'm a sucker for a well written vocal performance. At less than six and a half minutes, this may be one of the shorter songs on this list, but there's just something so infectiously fun about the song, that I can't help but include it here, as the favorite from the album.

Spock's Beard: The First Twenty Years

00-Falling For Forever (The First Twenty Years)
Normally, I would not add a compilation here, but there is one really big reason why I did so this time. Sometimes when bands do a compilation, they'll uncover something, or even do a new track. And being a completist, this usually helps me justify the purchase. It is for that reason, that I had to have this on my list. Not only is there a new tune on this album, but it's a "reunion" track, bringing all members of Spock's Beard, past and present, together for what has become my favorite Spock's Beard song of all time. Now, it's no surprise that the track is a long one, as Neal Morse wrote this. Neal is the king of the epic track, and this song is no exception. Not only do all three Spock's vocalists sing on this masterpiece (and they all three sound just incredible), but both drummers also have a sort of duel, over an amazing instrumental section. Hearing Nick and Jimmy trade off drum fills, while the rest of the band fill out a truly spectacular instrumental background is something I still thank God for. To think that not only did Neal have to write another amazing prog-rock epic, but he had to make sure all band members had their chance to shine... I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that writing session! If I had only one wish here, it would be that they do an entire album with this line-up, as I believe that the band could definitely catch lightning in a bottle, and have a full disc of epic tunes like this. I'm getting goosebumps just writing this, as it plays in my headphones. The instrumentation, the vocal melodies, the heart, and the soul that are in this track are the exact reasons why Spock's Beard will always be one of my very favorite bands of all time.

Spock's Beard: Noise Floor (Special Edition)

13-Beginnings (Noise Floor)

Released in June of 2018, this is (at the time of this writing) the final album in SB's discography. I don't think will hold forever, but how knows these days. As such, it's so cool to have Nick D'Virgilio back in the band, as a drummer only. Though, I do find myself wishing his vocals would have been used more here. Thankfully, Ted turns in a fantastic vocal performance, as always. "Beginnings" is the end of the album proper (there is a bonus disc of four cuts), and is my favorite on the disc. At 7 1/2 minutes, this tune is the longest song on the album, and is a progressive rock masterpiece. The first verse feels like we joined an epic prog tune already in progress, sort of like Genesis' "Firth of Fifth". Most songs end this epic, this song starts epic, and never lets up. I'm pretty sure that Ted Leonard turns in one of his greatest vocal performances of all time here. We're even treated to some vocals from the wonderful Nick D'Virgilio, which just makes this tune that much better, and the absolute best track on the disc. This track may rival "Jaws of Heaven" for me. I'm just floored at how Ted and Ryo wrote an entire 7 and a half minute tune that sounds like the epic outro of a longer song. This is definitely writing at its best. And will this be the last Spock's Beard song? Only time will tell, but I really hope not.