FEATURED CD - Transatlantic : Bridge Across Forever

[the illusionist]

No matter what anyone says about any specific recording, Neal Morse is an absolute master of prog compositions and elevates everything he is involved with.
I would put him on top of the progressive world and an absolute genius of his genre. There, I said it and I don't regret it.

[DTA]

I think the first "instrumental bullshit" section may be the overture. That's usually my favorite part of the song - several ideas packed into a short space.

Yep! The overture is definitely one of his trademarks and is usually pretty full of cool ideas

[DTA]

No matter what anyone says about any specific recording, Neal Morse is an absolute master of prog compositions and elevates everything he is involved with.
I would put him on top of the progressive world and an absolute genius of his genre. There, I said it and I don't regret it.

I know it sounds like I hate Neal, but I really do think he has written, and still does occasionally write, some of the greatest prog that has ever existed. I just think he should return to shorter songs that suit his strengths rather than endless by-the-numbers epics to satisfy those who need to have a song length pass the 20 minute mark to enjoy it. Or at least do an epic that doesn't follow such a specific formula.

[Dan Marsh]

Great album and Neal at the top of his game!

[infandous]

I never felt (and still don't) that his SB epics follow his formula. Maybe TGN because of the excessively long fadeout, but the other ones seem to have their own unique structure. And any song with a solo like in My Shoes Revisited or a groove like Mommy Comes Back is an awesome epic IMO. I think The Healing Colours of Sound may be my favorite Neal creation ever. So underrated! AOTA is probably very similar, but the parts were so interesting that it never felt formulaic to me.

To me the Neal-formula is:

Quiet Intro Fade
Main Synth Theme
Instrumental Bullshit
Verse/Chorus
Instrumental Bullshit
Verse/Chorus
Slower Instrumental Bullshit
Bass Groove (drums have hihat/splash interplay)
New Verse/Chorus
Bass Groove Bullshit
New Verse/Chorus
Bass Groove Bullshit Builds Intensity
Instrumental Bullshit
Acoustic Interlude
Reprise Main Synth Theme
Fadeout

Rinse/repeat and interchange parts as needed.

Very funny, and pretty accurate I started referring to the "patented Neal Morse prog formula" at the time of the "V" album, so I seem to have felt it was in place before you did. Having said that, TGN is my favorite Neal epic, and until very recently, I have never tired of his "patented Neal Morse prog formula". In other words, for me that phrase, while humorous, is said with affection and admiration. As I mentioned before though, this latest Transatlantic album has left me very cold.......though I can't blame Neal completely for that, obviously.