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Flying Colors
flyingcolorsmusic.com
CD Reviews
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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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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DVD Reviews
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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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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Concert Reviews
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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Interviews
Flying Colors
Interview by Larry Toering

Interview with Casey McPherson of Flying Colors from 2012


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Related Articles
Steve Morse
Review by Bob Cooper
Interview With Steve Morse from 2002



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Steve Morse
Review by Gary Hill
Interview with Steve Morse from 2010
Audio of this interview is available in our members' area. Log in on the main page or sign up today - memberships start at just six bucks.

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Steve Morse and Sarah Spencer
Review by Gary Hill
Interview with Sarah Spencer from 2010
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Neal Morse
Review by Grant Hill

Interview with Neal Morse from 2011


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Neal Morse
Review by Josh Turner
Interview with Neal Morse from 2005



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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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Neal Morse
Review by Bob Cooper
Interview With Neal Morse From 2003
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Mike Portnoy
Review by Gary Hill
Interview with Mike Portnoy From 1998
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Deep Purple - + Orchestra Live At Montreux 2011 – BluRay
Review by Larry Toering

You have to respect Eagle for all they do concerning their artists’ current work and re-issues, as they have been on a serious roll lately in particular. 


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Various Artists - 108 Rock Star Guitars written by Lisa S. Johnson
Review by G. W. Hill

This is the quintessential coffee table book. That’s particularly true for those who love guitars.


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Dream Theater - 5 Years In A Livetime (Video)
Review by Gary Hill
 This video, the companion to the Once In A Livetime CD, chronicles the recent history of the band through assorted video clips.
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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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Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons
Review by Gary Hill

This is an intriguing disc from Dream Theater. It consists of one awesome 20 minute plus epic that’s a pure roller coaster ride and a series of cover tunes recorded live.


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Rama - Andy West With Rama-Rama 1
Review by Gary Hill
For this album Andy West (Dregs) has compiled an intriguing bunch of musicians who join him at various points on the recording. Among those he has a cast of drummers composed of Rod Morgenstein (Dregs), Jonathan Mover (GTR) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater).
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Steve Morse and Sarah Spencer - Angelfire
Review by Gary Hill
This collaboration is an interesting disc. It tends towards mellower, acoustic driven music.

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John Wetton - Anthology Volume 1: Studio Recordings
Review by G. W. Hill

This anthology of songs from John Wetton is quite strong. It’s not all progressive rock, and for the most par even when it lands there, it’s more in the AOR end of the spectrum.


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Dream Theater - Awake
Review by Gary Hill

Looking at Dream Theater's back catalog, I decided to turn my attention to the final album to feature Kevin Moore as their keyboardist.


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Various Artists - Back Against the Wall
Review by Gary Hill
There are few people who haven't at least heard of Pink Floyd's The Wall. I would hazard to say that those who have never heard the album are in the minority as well.
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Steve Morse - Band – Live in Baden – Baden Germany March 1990 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of the classic Steve Morse Band performance from 1990.
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Steve Morse - Band – Outstanding in Their Field
Review by Gary Hill
The latest disc from Steve Morse and his band, this is exactly what you’d expect.
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Spock's Beard - 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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Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Review by G. W. Hill

This is such a great album.


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Dream Theater - Bucharest, Romania 7/4/02 DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Dream Theater have decided to beat the bootleggers by releasing their own material and cutting them out of the picture.  Now, I know that you can't do that completely because the band tours constantly and they only have a limited amount of product on their label Ytsejam Records.
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Dixie Dregs - California Screamin'
Review by Larry Toering

If I were to be asked if I thought this were among the best Dixie Dregs to be released over the years, I would have to reach for my soapbox and say “no,” for several reasons.


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Dream Theater - Chaos In Motion DVD
Review by Greg Olma
I like being a Dream Theater fan. Not only do you get great music, but they tour a lot and lately, they seem to put out a visual record of every tour.
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The Prog Collective - Dark Encounters
Review by Gary Hill
This new set from the ever-changing group of musicians recording under the name "The Prog Collective" does feel a little darker than some of the rest of their music.

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Dream Theater - Dark Side of the Moon DVD
Review by Bill Knispel
In an effort to provide more material to their fervent fan base, Dream Theater created their own label, Ytsejam Records, to release a series of “official bootlegs.” These releases include interesting live shows, collections of studio demos, and “making of” collections that present works in progress for past studio album releases.
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Spock's Beard - Day For Night
Review by Gary Hill

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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The Winery Dogs - Dog Years - Live In Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016 BluRay
Review by Gary Hill
This is quite a cool set. First we've got a live video of The Winery Dogs.

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Dixie Dregs - Dregs Of The Earth
Review by Larry Toering

In 1980 this music was not an abundant commodity, and that is why it remains one of my favorite prog albums of all time.


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Various Artists - Drum Nation Vol. 2
Review by Gary Hill
The concept is simple but unique: put together a number of tracks from various artists showcasing influential and potent drummers. This was the concept for Magna Carta's first drum nation CD, and they continue it here - why mess up a good thing?
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Various Artists - Encores, Legends and Paradoxes
Review by Gary Hill
With a cast of players that reads like a prog "who`s who", this ELP tribute takes the classics and makes them fresh and new again. The result is an incredibly listenable piece of music that really entertains.

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Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity
Review by Gary Hill
There are those who feel that Dream Theater is not a progressive rock band. However, this album contains many factors indigenous to progressive rock.
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Ian Gillan - Gillan’s Inn
Review by Rick Damigella
Setting convention and professionalism aside for one moment… I am a card carrying Ian Gillan fan. I have seen him live numerous times, have listened to countless hours of his singing from throughout his storied career, from the Javelins through multiple incarnations fronting Deep Purple to his stint as Jesus.
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Dream Theater - Greatest Hit (...and 21 other pretty cool songs)
Review by Gary Hill
You know, a band with one real hit might be bitter. From the humorous title of this set, it seems like that’s not the case with Dream Theater.
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The Winery Dogs - Hot Streak
Review by G. W. Hill

This band seems to really be hot right now.


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Dream Theater - Images And Words
Review by Gary Hill
Images and Words marked the debut of lead singer James LaBrie to the DT fold and his performance here showed him to be a powerhouse of talent. This disc is arguably the most metallic in the DT catalog, certainly fueling the prog versus metal debate in progressive rock circles.
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Dream Theater - Images And Words Live In Tokyo/5 Years In A Live Time DVD Set
Review by Greg Olma
This DVD set is a no frills set that basically took the two videos and put them on DVD.  I’m not complaining.

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Deep Purple - In Concert With The London Symphony Orchestra DVD
Review by Gary Hill
The whole nearly clichéd concept of doing a concert with a symphony orchestra is, thankfully, starting to fall out of style. Just you don’t misunderstand, there are some instances where it works really well, but more often than not it comes across as a gimmicky concept that falls pretty flat.
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Deep Purple - Infinite
Review by Larry Toering
Deep Purple and producer Bob Ezrin return with what could be (and most believe will be) their swan song offering.

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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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Spock's Beard - 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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Various Artists - Legends Play The Beatles
Review by Gary Hill
This new album showcases a lot of cool Beatles covers from a number of artists. It's actually compiled of tracks previously released on a number of albums.

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Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment
Review by Gary Hill
Due to be released on March 10th, this album by Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe), Jordan Rudess (Dregs, Rudess Morgenstein) and Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci (both of Dream Theater), much like the Black Light Syndrome CD by Bozzio, Levin, Stevens was written and recorded over the course of six days (with the exception of some keyboard and guitar overdubs). This album is in fact rather similar to Black Light Syndrome, but with the musical changes being a bit more dynamic and possessing a generally higher energy level.
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Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 2
Review by Gary Hill
If you are into prog, and buy only one album this year, by all means, make it this one. The first Liquid Tension Experiment album was wonderful, and this one is even better.
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Dream Theater - Live at Budokan BluRay
Review by G. W. Hill

I’ve got to admit that I go through phases with Dream Theater.


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Dream Theater - Live At Budokan DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Dream Theater have always made a point of only releasing quality product. Whether you like it or not, you always have to admit that the recordings and videos were done in the best possible way.
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Spock's Beard - Live at London’s High Voltage Festival, July, 2011
Review by Alison Henderson

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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Dixie Dregs - Live at Montreux 1978 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Anyone wanting to see what makes the Dixie Dregs so special would do well to check out this awesome DVD. This band is so tight and purely smokes!
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Deep Purple - Live at Montreux 1996
Review by Gary Hill
Deep Purple has always had a special place in my heart. When I first started getting into hard rock a friend turned me onto the In Rock album and I was amazed.
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Deep Purple - Live at Montreux 1996 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Sometimes it's all about the impression. I saw Deep Purple once quite a few years back, and frankly, I found them to be boring.
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Deep Purple - Live At Montreux 2011
Review by Larry Toering

As a major fan of Deep Purple, I am approaching this with a more informative angle, to not only shed any overly biased factors, but explain a few things from within the Purple frame of mind.


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Dream Theater - Live at the Marcus Amphitheater-August 24th, 1998
Review by Gary Hill
Dream Theater proved that, even as an opening act, they are to be taken seriously in the prog world. In fact, they made a very strong argument for deserving to be placed at a higher point on the bill, meaning no disrespect to the other bands that performed at the show.
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Dream Theater - Live at the Riviera Theater, Chicago IL, August 12, 2000
Review by Steve Alspach
Dream Theater were on their Metropolis 2000 tour, and they performed a number of songs from their latest album, "Scenes From a Memory", but they performed a solid two hour-twenty minute show that never let up in intensity. The band opened with "Metropolis" from their most recent album.
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Dream Theater - Live at the Vic Theater, Chicago, Illinois May 13, 1998
Review by Gary Hill
The debate as to whether or not Dream Theater is progressive/art rock still rages on. After seeing this show, I cast my ballot in the "are" category.
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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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Dream Theater - Live in Boston, MA, August 2005
Review by Josh Turner
Dream Theater was pretty good, but not excellent. With the exception of a couple songs, most of them have been performed untold times in past concerts.
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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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Dream Theater - Live in Chicago, August 2009
Review by Greg Olma
If you are a Dream Theater fan then you know Mike Portnoy takes a lot of effort in making sure that each time the band visits a city, they play a different show. 
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Dream Theater - Live In Chicago, February 13th, 2000
Review by Gary Hill
When a band releases a concept album, there is always the temptation to come out on tour and do the entire album from beginning to end. Quite a few bands have tried it.
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Dream Theater - Live in Chicago, July 19, 2003
Review by Gary Hill
As someone who has seen Dream Theater live quite a few times, let me say that this show has me a little perplexed. First, I was never one to fall into the bandwagon of their detractors who said that they were all about playing millions of notes with no passion or musical theme.
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Dream Theater - Live in Chicago, March 2006
Review by Josh Turner
I've seen Dream Theater live on many occasions. They consistently maintain a high level of quality and innovation.
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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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Deep Purple - Live in Concert
Review by Gary Hill
This is an unusual, but interesting release. Each CD is from a different concert, and actually a different era of the band.

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Liquid Tension Experiment - Live in Downey, CA, June 2008
Review by Michael Bader

Downey, California is best remembered for the spacecrafts, fighter jets and B-1 bombers built there over the past three or four decades.


More (and larger) photos from this concert are available in our members' area.



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Transatlantic - Live In Europe DVD
Review by Larry Toering

This two disc set wasn't an easy pick between the three Transatlantic DVD's on the market, but ultimately I chose this one because I could review it at MSJ as it hadn’t been covered yet.


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Dream Theater - Live in Holmdel, New Jersey, July 2010
Review by Bill Knispel
Dream Theater has not been an opening band for a very long time.

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Sons of Apollo - Live in Houston, Texas May 2018
Review by Greg Olma

Sons of Apollo, for those of you who don’t know, are a new prog metal group featuring an all-star lineup.  


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The Winery Dogs - Live in Houston, Texas, March 2023
Review by Greg Olma
The Winery Dogs are back, and I couldn’t be more excited.  It has been almost eight years since I saw them on stage, and I was lucky to catch them on this your for their latest release III.  

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Deep Purple - Live in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 2017
Review by Larry Toering
Maybe it was overkill, but I haven’t found any evidence in my recall of this concert to back that.

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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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Deep Purple - Live in Portland, Oregon, September 2019
Review by Larry Toering
Of all the Deep Purple tours of America in the past 15 years, this is only the second actual headlining tour I can think of, as I’ve attended all of them myself.
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Deep Purple - Live in Rockford, IL, 2005
Review by Mike Korn
Deep Purple don't play all that many dates in the U.S. anymore, preferring to concentrate on the more lucrative foreign markets, so it was quite a surprise to see they got a gig here in Rockford. This is a band that got its start the same year that Led Zeppelin did and they have been prolific since that long ago year of 1968.
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Dream Theater - Live in Rosemont, IL May 13, 2008
Review by Greg Olma
Dream Theater hit the road again but this time it is more of a tour package instead of the usual concert with a support group. Titled Progressive Nation 2008, Dream Theater headlined a four band bill that consisted of bands hand picked by Mike Portnoy.
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Dream Theater - Live in Rosemont, IL, August 2007
Review by Greg Olma
I was surprised when I bought my ticket for this Dream Theater show. The past few tours that I saw them, they were the only band and it was billed as “An Evening with…”
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The Winery Dogs - Live in St Charles, Illinois, October 2015
Review by Greg Olma

The Winery Dogs have been tagged with the label of “super-group,” and while I agree that they deserve that lofty title, they are more than that.


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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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The Winery Dogs - Live in St. Charles, Illinois, March 2014
Review by Greg Olma
The words “Super Group” are thrown around a lot but very often these bands consist of only members of other popular groups.
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Portnoy, Sheehan, MacAlpine and Sherinian - Live in Tokyo
Review by G. W. Hill

When I got this disc I was really looking forward to it. I mean, with a list of names like that how could you go wrong?


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Deep Purple - Live in Ventura, California, August, 2007
Review by Rick Damigella
Deep Purple stormed through Southern California in August as part of their current world tour, playing three shows from San Diego to Ventura over five days. I took in two of the gigs, the first being in Costa Mesa at the long underutilized Pacific Amphitheater and then the very next night at the Ventura Theater.
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Dream Theater - Made in Japan
Review by Rick Damigella
There are only a handful of bands with the boldness, chutzpah and talent to record and release a series of official live bootlegs where they cover another well known band’s album.
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Various Artists - Magna Carta Guitar Greats – Volume I
Review by Gary Hill
These Magna Carta sampler discs serve as a great way for people to sample a number of their releases without having to shell out the cash for each and every one of them. I'd have to say that as these things go, this is one of the better ones – and they are all quite good.
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Steve Morse - Major Impacts
Review by Gary Hill
Steve Morse has come up with a very intriguing concept for an album in this release. The disc is an all instrumental excursion through his varied influences.
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Steve Morse - Major Impacts 2
Review by Steve Alspach

I suppose it makes sense that if Steve Morse can't really be pegged to any one style, it's because his influences can't be pegged either. On Major Impacts 2 Morse continues to pay respect to the musicians who caught his ear.


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Dream Theater - Master Of Puppets
Review by Greg Olma
From the beginning, Dream Theater always gave the fans something special. When they go out on tour, if they have a 2 night stay at any venue, the second night becomes “cover” night.
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Dream Theater - Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York DVD
Review by Greg Olma

Dream Theater never do anything half way.  They created the masterpiece Metropolis: Scenes From A Memory and then decided to play the whole thing on tour.  


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Sons of Apollo - MMXX (Deluxe Edition)
Review by Gary Hill

It is still pretty early in the year, but I'll be surprised if this release doesn't make my "best of 2020" list. The mix of sounds here includes metal, good solid hard rock and plenty of progressive rock.


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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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Dixie Dregs - Night Of The Living Dregs
Review by Larry Toering

This is a half studio, half live recording, and one of the best Dixie Dregs outings from which to choose.


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Robby Steinhardt - Not In Kansas Anymore: A Prog Opera
Review by Gary Hill
Robby Steinhardt was probably best known as the violinist for the band Kansas. He was certainly a unique individual in the prog rock scene of the day playing that instrument.

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Dream Theater - Octavarium
Review by Steve Alspach
For years I tried. Honest, I tried.
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Dream Theater - Once In A Livetime
Review by Sean Faust
For the past 9 years, progressive virtuosos Dream Theater (currently Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, John Myung, James LaBrie and Derek Sherinian) have been blessing the music world with their highly textured (and sometimes ethereal) music and thought-provoking lyrics.
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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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Kansas - Power
Review by Larry Toering

This is the first Kansas album to feature Steve Morse, and it holds up very well.


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Steve Morse - Prime Cuts
Review by Gary Hill
Joining Magna Carta's Prime Cuts series is this release of music by Steve Morse. The majority of the material comes from three solo albums of his, Split Decision, Major Impacts 1, and Major Impacts 2.
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Billy Sheehan - Prime Cuts
Review by Steve Alspach
Ever play a bass guitar? "Strings" are a misnomer - they use great big, fat, wires. You have to work up some muscle in your fingers to aptly play a bass.
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Mike Portnoy - Prime Cuts
Review by Gary Hill
Mike Portnoy now has his own entry in the Magna Carta Prime Cuts collection. This disc, as the rest of the series, features selected tracks from albums that the artist has contributed to, presented here as sort of a slice of some of the best of the work from him.
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Sons of Apollo - Psychotic Symphony
Review by Gary Hill

Had I heard this album last year, it would have definitely made my best of 2017 list, and been pretty high on the list. This is an amazing album.


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John Wetton - Raised in Captivity
Review by Gary Hill

The latest solo release from John Wetton finds him with a lot of great guest appearances. 


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Deep Purple - Rapture Of The Deep (Special Edition 2CD)
Review by Greg Olma
Deep Purple never seems to get the respect that they deserve. Everyone talks about Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as the creators of the hard rock sound.
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Jordan Rudess - Rhythm of Time
Review by Josh Turner
Jordan Rudess is a virtual virtuoso. His must be an android based on the way that he plays.
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Dream Theater - Santiago, Chile 12/6/05 DVD
Review by Greg Olma

I have said it many times, Dream Theater are a band of the fans for the fans.


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Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
Review by Vivian Lee
Since 1985, the five-man outfit named Dream Theater has offered progressive rock fans thoughtful and emotional music that makes them marvel and ask, how do they do that? DT's brand of prog vividly shows eclectic, hard-to-place influences, which include jazz, neo-classical, and ethnic music forms.
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Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with The Octavarium Orchestra
Review by Bill Knispel
Dream Theater closed their 2006 20th Anniversary tour with a sold out show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Joined onstage by a specially assembled orchestra, the band performed two sets.
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Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live With the Octavarium Orchestra DVD
Review by Bill Knispel
Dream Theater has heavily embraced the home video/DVD market over the years, releasing five full-length videos over the past 12 years. Their latest video release, Score, celebrates the band’s 20th anniversary with a full headlining set recorded live at New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall on 1 April 2006.
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Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Review by G. W. Hill

This isn’t a favorite Dream Theater album for me.


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Spock's Beard - 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 - 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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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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The Prog Collective - Songs We Were Taught
Review by Gary Hill
The Prog Collective releases compelling progressive rock album after album.

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Vapourspace - Sonic Residue from Vapourspace
Review by Steve Alspach
Here's an interesting concept - take songs from various releases from a progressive rock record label and let the music be transformed by a techno mix until it's nearly unrecognizable from the original source.
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Steve Morse - Split Decision
Review by Gary Hill
According to the liner notes, this album is named "Split Decision" because Morse had in mind two different albums, one a hard rocking collection and the other a sedate set of pieces.
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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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Steve Morse - Stressfest
Review by Larry Toering

After Steve Morse found himself in Deep Purple by way of Joe Satriani's rather swift exit due to contractual obligations, or so the story goes, this was one of his opportunities to continue in the fiery direction he was going in on his solo albums with Dave LaRue on bass and Van Romaine on drums.


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Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Review by Bill Knispel
Dream Theater really needs no introduction. As perhaps the foremost and best-known proponent of progressive metal, they have forged a more than 20-year career.
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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

According to Bill Evans Media (http://billevansmedia.com), Neal Morse is the best selling solo progressive rock artist since 2003.


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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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Dream Theater - The Dark Side of the Moon
Review by Bill Knispel
As a way of providing something different and special to their fans, Dream Theater began a series of cover shows in 2002. Whenever the band were scheduled to perform two nights in the same venue/city, they would dedicate part of their second show to a performance of a classic album, covered in its entirety.
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Various Artists - The Drum Pad's 20th Anniversary Show
Review by Gary Hill
Drummers and drum fans unite and purchase this DVD! It features a number of world class drummers and you just don't get any better than this if your musical passion is geared towards percussion.

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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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Dream Theater - The Number Of The Beast
Review by Greg Olma
Dream Theater has never been a band that does things without giving 110% effort and value. To beat the bootleggers, Dream Theater has created its own label to release live shows along with studio demos and assorted material otherwise unavailable to the public.
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Various Artists - The Show That Never Ends
Review by Gary Hill

This album is a compilation of various progressive rock performances that were presented on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. All of the outings are quite good, and the selection of artists is also. 


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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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The Winery Dogs - The Winery Dogs
Review by G. W. Hill

When I heard the lineup on this, I assumed it would be a progressive rock release.


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Kansas - There’s Know Place Like Home DVD
Review by Greg Olma
I can’t believe that Kansas is 35 years old.  I remember first getting Leftoverture when it came out and that is 33 years ago.  
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Deep Purple - They All Came Down To Montreux – Live at Montreux 2006 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
When it comes time to figure out a list of the best videos of the year, this one will be very close to the top. While I enjoyed the DVD of Purple’s earlier Montreux appearances, this one is heads above that one.
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Dream Theater - Train of Thought
Review by Gary Hill
When I heard Dream Theater was releasing another album, this immediately piqued my interest. Dream Theater had been my gateway into the Progressive Metal genre.
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Deep Purple - Turning to Crime
Review by Gary Hill
This is a very unusual Deep Purple album, yet there is no mistaking it as Deep Purple. It's also a lot of fun.

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Carmine Appice - Ultimate Guitar Zeus
Review by Gary Hill
An album like this could be a tricky venture. Essentially the concept is a series of songs with the same basic core band.
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Dream Theater - Uncovered 2003-2005
Review by Greg Olma

Dream Theater continues to release great CDs through their Ytsejam Records label.  They have released live discs and demos but this one is kind of odd as it is a compilation of songs from different sources.  


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Spock's Beard - 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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Various Artists - We Wish You a Metal Christmas And a Headbanging New Year (2010 Edition)
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of a CD I’ve already reviewed – with a few extra cuts.
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Various Artists - We Wish You a Metal Xmas...and a Headbanging New Year
Review by Gary Hill

So many times discs like this are really uneven. Well, that’s not the case here.


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Dixie Dregs - What If
Review by Steve Alspach
What If was the second album by the Dixie Dregs, released in 1978. The band left Capricorn after one album and signed to Polydor (which may have been a good move - those who had never heard the band would not be blamed if they thought that this band from Miami, signed to Capricorn, would be another southern-fried boogie band).

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Dream Theater - When Dream And Day Reunite DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Dream Theater is truly a prog band of the people, by the people, and for the people. I can’t think of a band that really has such a close tie with their fans.


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Dream Theater - When Dream and Day Unite
Review by Gary Hill
This was the debut disc from Dream Theater and the first album from them I ever had.
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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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Various Artists - Working Man
Review by Gary Hill
One of the early Magna Carta tribute CD's, this one is definitely not one of their finest. It does have some strong points, though, and the main area in which it is lacking is vocals.
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