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Spock's Beard
www.spocksbeard.com
CD Reviews
Beware of Darkness
Review by Gary Hill
The leanings on this album are widespread (Neil Young, Yes, Beatles, King Crimson), and the changes are so fast as to be difficult to keep track of at times.

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Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
Review by Gary Hill
I hate to have to say it, but I was a little disappointed with this album.

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Day For Night
Review by Steve Alspach

Day for Night is the fourth studio album from Spock`s Beard. The album is a departure from their earlier albums in that shorter numbers has replaced the fifteen-minute suites.


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Feel Euphoria
Review by Steve Alspach
Well, it isn't the Spock's Beard that we've all grown accustomed to. With Neal Morse's departure, the band bares little semblance to it's old self, but that's not to say that the band hasn't lost its edge.
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Gluttons for Punishment (Live in '05)
Review by Josh Turner
It's been years since I've gotten to see Spock's Beard live. It's not for lack of desire or anything.

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Kindness of Strangers
Review by Gary Hill

Considered by many to be one of the best of the new wave of progressive rock bands, Spock`s Beard was formed in 1992 in Los Angeles.


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Live
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit, I haven’t seen Spock’s Beard live since the departure of Neal Morse. While this wasn’t a conscious decision, I have to admit to some trepidation about how the band would sound without their former front man.
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Octane
Review by Josh Turner
Octane is accessible, progressive, modern and diverse. It's delicate at times, heavy at others.

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Snow
Review by Steve Alspach
The parallels are amazing. A band, noticed for its work in progressive rock, releases for its sixth album an epic tale of a young man making his way in the world, only to have the band's lead singer surprisingly pack it in and leave the band.

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Spock's Beard
Review by Julie Knispel
Spock’s Beard needs no introduction, as they are one of the highest profile American prog bands of the past 15 years..
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The Light
Review by Gary Hill

This album shows influences from many prog directions (Yes, Genesis, Alan Parsons) and nonprog directions (metal, Elton John). .


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The X Tour Live
Review by Gary Hill
When Spock’s Beard filmed and recorded this show in 2010, they had no idea the type of significance it would have.

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V
Review by Steve Alspach

The fifth album from Spock's Beard shows them to be at the forefront of current progressive music. In this album the band is able to play exciting, adventurous music without ever becoming self-indulgent or pompous.


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X
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve followed Spock’s Beard for quite some time and have always enjoyed their music. From the start they’ve had a great ability to merge more pop oriented sounds with pure progressive rock.

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DVD Reviews
Spock's Beard - Live DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I remember when I heard Spock’s Beard for the first time way back when I wasn’t really blown away by them. Mind you, I enjoyed their CD’s enough, but they just didn’t seem to have any “magic” to them.
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Spock's Beard - Snow Live DVD/CD set
Review by Gary Hill
Who says progressive rock can't be serious and showcase a spirit of fun at the same time? Obviously anyone who says that has never seen Spock's Beard live.

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Concert Reviews
Spock's Beard - Live at London’s High Voltage Festival, July, 2011
Review by Alison Reijman
It was quite a feat that the US prog legends were at the festival at all because of the notable absence of Nick D’Virgilio.

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Spock's Beard - Live at RoSFest, April, 2007
Review by Josh Turner
Spock’s Beard was the ideal festival closer. After taking an exorbitant amount of time tuning up and an extensive raffle that proved little to no winners, this wick was lit and the act was underway.
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Spock's Beard - Live in Chicago IL, August, 2000
Review by Steve Alspach
Opening for Dream Theater, Spock's Beard played a surprisingly short set. With their new album, "V" due out shortly, one would think that the band would have played a few songs from that album, but it wasn't to be. 
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Spock's Beard - Live in Chicago, May 2006
Review by Josh Turner
More  pics from this show are available in our members' area.
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Spock's Beard - Live In Chicago, May, 1999
Review by Gary Hill and Steve Alspach
Who says that progressive rock can`t be fun and funny? Certainly not Spock`s Beard.

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Spock's Beard - Live in Quebec City, July, 2007
Review by Sonya Kukcinovich Hill
Spock's Beard has drawn many musical comparisons through the years, most often to progressive giants early Genesis and Yes. Indeed, Dave Meros' Rickenbacker sound is frighteningly close to Yes' Chris Squire, especially his sophisticated use of counterpoint in advanced rhythmic passages.
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Interviews
Spock's Beard
Interview by Sonya Kukcinovich Hill
Interview with Dave Meros of Spock's Beard - December 2007
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Spock's Beard
Interview by Gary Hill
Interview with Dave Meros and Alan Morse of Spock's Beard
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Spock's Beard
Interview by Gary Hill
Interview with Spock's Beard's Dave Meros From 2008
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Spock's Beard
Interview by Gary Hill, Alison Reijman and Greg Olma

Interview with Dave Meros and Alan Morse of Spock’s Beard from 2012


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Spock's Beard
Interview by Gary Hill

Interview with Dave Meros of Spock's Beard from 2017


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Related Articles
Alan Morse
Review by Sonya Kukcinovich Hill
Interview with Alan Morse of Spock's Beard  - December 2007
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Neal Morse
Review by Josh Turner
Interview with Neal Morse from 2005



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Neal Morse
Review by Bob Cooper
Interview With Neal Morse From 2003
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Neal Morse
Review by Gary Hill
Interview with Neal Morse From 1999
Audio of this Interview is In Our Members Area - along with the full text

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Ryo Okumoto
Review by Lorraine Kay
Interview with Ryo Okumoto From 2006
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Neal Morse
Review by Grant Hill

Interview with Neal Morse from 2011


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Ted Leonard
Review by Sonya Kukcinovich Hill
Interview with Ted Leonard - December 2007
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Ted Leonard
Review by G. W. Hill

Interview with Ted Leonard from 2012


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Ryo Okumoto
Review by Grant Hill
Interview with Ryo Okumoto from 2013
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Alan Morse
Review by G. W. Hill

Interview with Alan Morse from 2013


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Neal Morse
Review by G. W. Hill

Interview with Neal Morse from 2016


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Neal Morse - ?
Review by Josh Turner
He did everything I would have asked of him and a whole lot more. This is his best album out of his most recent batches and one that rivals all the best from the year.
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Enchant - A Blueprint of the World
Review by Gary Hill
Although, perhaps more progressive than metal, this album still seems to fit fairly well into this category. The musicianship and song writing on this disc are quite accomplished.
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Robert Berry's 3.2 - Alive at Progstock
Review by Gary Hill
This new set is a double CD with bonus DVD. It captures a concert that feels more like an event than just a gig.

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The Anabasis - Back From Being Gone
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a killer album. It’s a concept disc with three epic length pieces and several others that are still respectable in terms of length.


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K2 - Black Garden
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve heard some great things about K2, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard K2 before. Well, I’m anxious to hear the rest of their albums.

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Enchant - Blink of An Eye
Review by Gary Hill
Fans of modern neo prog will surely like this disc. There’s not a bad song on the set.
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K2 - Book of the Dead
Review by Josh Turner
With an Egyptian on the cover, you'd expect something from The Bangles. However, this is much more progressive in nature.
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Enchant - Break
Review by Gary Hill
With Break Enchant have created a concept album that is both personal and universal. Such a dichotomy is appropriate for this band, as they seem to be experts at dual natured concepts.
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Genesis - Calling All Stations
Review by Gary Hill
This album has been causing as much controversy among Genesis fans as Open Your Eyes has among Yes fans. Again many really like the album, while others hate it.

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Various Artists - Citizens of Hope and Glory. The Story of Progressive Rock written by Stephen Lambe
Review by Scott Montgomery

This is an enjoyable read that saunters through the chronology and culture of progressive rock.


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Ryo Okumoto - Coming Through
Review by Lorraine Kay
One of the most sought-after musicians in the prog-rock scene and then some, keyboardist Ryo Okumoto has earned a global reputation performing with some of the biggest names in music, including Kitaro, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, and Roberta Flack.
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Steve Thorne - Crimes & Reasons
Review by Alison Henderson

Steve Thorne is one of the great unsung British prog heroes, a veritable one man band who has released a series of consistently well-crafted and thought-provoking solo albums, Crimes & Reasons being his fourth.


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Mike Keneally - Dog
Review by Josh Turner
Nick D' Virgilio says he's done his best drumming on this album. With so much great material to date, it is hard to validate a statement such as this one.
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Steve Thorne - Emotional Creatures - Part One
Review by Gary Hill
What a pleasant surprise this album is! I had never really heard of Steve Thorne before, but you can bet after this one I'll be keeping track on him.

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Lisa LaRue/2KX - Fast and Blue
Review by Mark Johnson

2KX is the permanent band formed from the recent international prog endeavor, Lisa LaRue Project 2K9.


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Flying Colors - Flying Colors
Review by Larry Toering

Flying Colors, for once in a long time prove that rock music can still be everything it's supposed to be in a landscape that constantly attempts to limit it.


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Alan Morse - four o'clock and hysteria
Review by Gary Hill
When I popped this CD in I was kind of expecting something that would sound like Morse's band Spock's Beard. Had I read the press materials that came with, I would have realized that the ride in store was different, but I usually prefer to give first impressions the chance to sink in before clouding them with words written about the disc.
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Nick D' Virgilio - Invisible
Review by Gary Hill

On the one hand, Nick D'Virgilio has been out of Spock's Beard for a while now. That means that perhaps the mentions of the band and comparisons aren't entirely appropriate.


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Neal Morse - It's Not Too Late
Review by Steve Alspach
Neal Morse is showing that there are two sides to his musical persona - one as the leader of Spock's Beard, but another that shows that he is at home writing well-crafted rock numbers.
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Enchant - Juggling 9 or Dropping 10
Review by Steve Alspach
You know when you're in Europe when even the little record shop at the airport has a Prog section. Duly impressed, I took a chance on this band based on the interesting album title alone.
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Nick D' Virgilio - Karma
Review by Gary Hill
Nick D' Virgilio, the drummer best known for his work with Spock's Beard, but he also served as the drummer on part of Genesis' single post Phil Collins disc.
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Neal Morse - Life & Times
Review by Gary Hill

This brand new release from Neal Morse finds him moving from his usual Christian lyrical territory into slice of life stories that seem poignant and personal. Musically he creates sounds that are among the most mainstream and pop-rock based of his career.


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Transatlantic - Live in America
Review by Steve Alspach
It takes cajones to record an album consisting of your fifth or sixth performance ever as a band. But if you're as talented as the guys in Transatlantic, nerves are perhaps the only problem.



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Flying Colors - Live In Europe DVD
Review by Greg Olma

Flying Colors is a prog super group that has been around for quite a few years now.


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Neal Morse - Live in Los Angeles, CA September, 2008
Review by Michael Bader
Having not followed Neal Morse’s post Spock’s Beard and TransAtlantic career, you could imagine my surprise when I learned that Neal Morse has redirected his amazing musical talents towards promoting God’s word, “Prog Style.”

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Ryo Okumoto - Live in N. Hollywood, CA, July 2006
Review by Lorraine Kay
As if he doesn't already have a full plate, Spock's Beard keyboardist Ryo Okumoto has added to his list of things to do - "build a new band and call it Code Red."
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Flying Colors - Live in St Charles, Illinois, October 2014
Review by Greg Olma

Flying Colors, for those of you who don’t know, is a prog super group that has been around for a few years now.  


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Transatlantic - Live in St. Charles, Illinois, February 2014
Review by Josh Turner

Transatlantic covered all the albums and spread their material evenly throughout the night.


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Neal Morse - Momentum
Review by Grant Hill

When I first saw the official video of the title cut, I became pretty excited.


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Neal Morse - Morsefest 2015: ? and Solo Scriptura LIVE
Review by Gary Hill
In 2015 Neal Morse put together Morsefest. It was a two night event. On one night of the show, he performed his ? album, while the second night they did Solo Scriptura.

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Neal Morse - Neal Morse
Review by Steve Alspach
On "Day for Night," Spock's Beard songwriter, frontman, and head whisker Neal Morse said that he wanted to put emphasis on the songs rather than the long suites so prevalent on their first few albums.
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Neal Morse - Neal Morse Band: Alive Again
Review by G. W. Hill

This new live set from Neal Morse includes the double disc CD set and a bonus DVD. The performances are powerful. T


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Neal Morse - One
Review by Josh Turner
While Testimony is spoken in the first person, One is in the third. Neal has the knack for relaying meaning through song. He tells a smooth flowing story, yet it's nowhere near a monologue.
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Steve Thorne - Part Two: Emotional Creatures
Review by Gary Hill
Steve Thorne's first Emotional Creatures CD was a masterpiece of melodic progressive rock. Well, this one is, too.
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Various Artists - Poetry of the Air: A Collection of Love Letters to Music from Musicians written by Gary Hill
Review by Greg Olma
I have known Gary Hill for a while now and the one thing that I can say with complete certainty about him is that he takes his music seriously. 


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Various Artists - Popoff Archive 2: Progressive Rock written by Martin Popoff
Review by Greg Olma
The music world has many characters who work behind the scenes, from producers to engineers to marketing people (and many more). 

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Flying Colors - Second Nature
Review by Larry Toering

This band has succeeded the sophomore curse by not trying to defeat it, but succumbing to all of the cliches and eclectic efforts to do so.


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Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura
Review by Josh Turner
This album is outstanding. If there was any stronger word to use in its place, I’d have chosen that instead to sanction my approval.
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Neal Morse - Songs from November
Review by G. W. Hill

I’ve liked Neal Morse’s music from all the way back in the Spock’s Beard days.


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Transatlantic - STMPE
Review by Gary Hill and Steve Alspach
When you talk progressive rock and the term "supergroup" comes up, this band will certainly come to mind. The band is made up of Roine Stolt of Flower Kings, Pete Trewavas of Marillion, Neal Morse of Spocks Beard and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater.
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Big Big Train - Summer Shall Not Fade (Blu-Ray double CD set)
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit that I'm not all that familiar with Big Big Train. They have so many hardcore fans in the progressive rock community.

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Various Artists - Supper`s Ready
Review by Gary Hill
A tribute album devoted to the music of Genesis, Supper`s Ready is a strong work. The renditions here stay more true to the original performances than on some similar albums, but this does not take away from the relevance of the CD.
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Various Artists - Tales From Yesterday
Review by Gary Hill
A tribute to the music of Yes, Tales From Yesterday, features some very fine renditions of Yessongs performed by a variety of artists (including several past and present members of Yes). This is a mixed bag. Some of the tracks are quite faithful to the original, while others represent major reworkings.
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Neal Morse - Testimony
Review by Steve Alspach
Neal Morse's first post-Spock's Beard album is a big pill to swallow - over two hours' worth of music that document Morse's conversion to Christianity.
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Neal Morse - Testimony 2
Review by Grant Hill

What is life? Are we just pawns in someone’s game of chess? These are just two of the life mystery questions posed in the epic album, The Suffering Joy, by Norwegian progressive rock band, Magic Pie.


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Neal Morse - Testimony DVD
Review by Josh Turner
If there is one music DVD to get this year, I have the one for you. There is no doubt in my mind that I would choose Neal Morse: Testimony Live as DVD of the year.
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Transatlantic - The Bridge Across Forever
Review by Steve Alspach
Prog's premier supergroup (Neal Morse, Roine Stolt, Mike Portnoy, and Pete Trewavas) strike again with this 2001 release. This album sounds similar to their first effort, but there are many differences that set this album apart.
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Big Big Train - The Difference Engine
Review by Gary Hill
This latest disc from Big Big Train is a fine example of how an artist can combine classic progressive rock sounds with more modern textures in a mélange that, while nodding to the music of others is as a whole something unique.
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Aeon Zen - The Face of the Unknown
Review by Josh Turner

The title of this album is a bit of a misnomer since it features well-known talent. 


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Flying Colors - The Making of Flying Colors DVD
Review by Larry Toering

When this band broke on the scene in mid 2012, the fans were expecting a lot, and a lot is what they got and then some.


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Cosmograf - The Man Left in Space
Review by Alison Henderson

Cosmograf is the musical project of Robin Armstrong, a multi-talented composer, producer and musician based in southern England.


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Neal Morse - The Neal Morse Band - Live in Saint Charles, Illinois, February 2019
Review by Josh Turner

In a snap, Neal Morse took center stage behind his keyboards with an arsenal of guitars in tow. Modeled after most of his creations, the music began with an overture.


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Neal Morse - The Neal Morse Band – Live in Portland, Oregon, March 2019
Review by Larry Toering

This band seem to be very pumped, and it could be coincided with the Morsefest coming on, as announcements have been going out about it while NMB are on tour.


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Neal Morse - The Neal Morse Band - Live in Saint Charles, Illinois, January 2017
Review by Josh Turner
The album, "Similitude to a Dream," is nearly two hours of seamlessly integrated music. The Neal Morse Band played it in its entirety with a single intermission where the discs split.

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Neal Morse - The Neal Morse Band The Similitude of a Dream Live In Tilburg 2017 DVD Box Set
Review by Gary Hill

Say what you will, but Neal Morse and his band are among the most talented people out there. Morse keeps releasing such high quality stuff, too.


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Transatlantic - The Whirlwind
Review by Scott Montgomery
From the very beginning, I felt a sense of recognition, as SMPT:E is conjured.  
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Enchant - Tug Of War
Review by Greg Olma
I just recently discovered Enchant. How they have been able to fly under my prog radar for so many years, I'll never know.
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Ted Leonard - Way Home
Review by Sonya Kukcinovich Hill
I have been aware of the west coast prog band called Enchant, but in the myriad of things heard and unheard I have simply not been familiar with their personnel nor their material. I'm certain that will change now that I have become familiar with lead vocalist Ted Leonard and his recently released solo Christian project entitled "Way Home."


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Transatlantic - Whirld Tour 2010 Deluxe Edition – 2 DVD & 3 CD
Review by Scott Montgomery
This is ridiculous!  Really!  The degree of virtuosity, complexity, and sheer stamina involved in performing this music live is staggering…almost to the point of absurdity.

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GPS - Window To The Soul
Review by Josh Turner
Spock’s Beard is prog rock’s pop equivalent.
 

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Spiders & Snakes - Year of the Snake
Review by G. W. Hill

A lot of times we put things featuring progressive rock artists under prog, even when they don’t fit that banner based on the music.


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Various Artists - Yesterday and Today: 50th Anniversary Tribute To Yes
Review by Gary Hill

This new various artists collection, as you would imagine, pays tribute to the music of Yes. It's an intriguing set.


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