Snow: Spocks Beard: Amazon.ca: Music

Disc: 1
1. Made Alive/Overture
2. Stranger In A Strange Land
3. Long Time Suffering
4. Welcome To NYC
5. Love Beyond Words
6. I'm Sick
7. Devil's Got MY Throat
8. Open Wide The Flood Gates
9. Open The Gates Part 2
10. Solitary Soul
See all 11 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. 2nd Overture
2. 4th Of July
3. I'm The Guy
4. Reflection
5. Carie
6. Looking For Answers
7. Freak Boy
8. All Is Vanity
9. I'm Dying
10. Freak Boy Part 2
See all 15 tracks on this disc

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Spectacularly executed and ambitious, this double-CD marks a logical plateau for Spock's Beard: the full-blown concept album. While there's no denying the band's central irony--they make what is essentially '70s retro-prog--it's executed by founder and vocalist Neal Morse and company (brother Alan on guitars, bassist Dave Meros, Ryo Okumoto on keyboards, drummer Nick D'Virgilio) with compelling zeal and wide-eyed wonder. There's ever-so-brief nods to thrash metal and industrial abrasiveness, but the touchstones remain the glorious vocal harmonies of Yes and Kansas, the moody pomp of early Genesis, and the machine-gun arpeggios and jagged time-shifts of King Crimson. The band has the good sense to mock the genre's inherent excesses (and itself) on "Ladies and Gentleman, Mister Roy Okumoto on the Keyboards," even as Okumoto resurrects Keith Emerson's late-'60s torture-the-Hammond routine. If the story (albino misfit Snow finds corruption in the big city, eventually becomes the Messiah, ultimately prefers personal redemption) cribs motifs off everything from Tommy to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, its message of renewed hope and innocence reclaimed can seem mighty appealing, especially after decades of punk cynicism and postmodern navel gazing. Hold those lighters high! --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

Spock's Beard's 2002 double album Snow, a monumental work with 26 songs & more than 115 (!!) minutes of playing time. Snow is certainly not for the superficial, musical fast-food loving fan. However, for fans of passionately played, diversely arranged, orchestrated rock, this album will open up a world into which one can happily plunge and, for almost two hours, leave the horrors of today's one-dimensional music landscape far, far behind. So it's no wonder that drummer legend Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) spoke about Snow so enthusiastically in the July 2002 edition of the French Rock Hard magazine, 'I think that Spock's Beard's seven year career has been continuously developing & leading up to this album. Snow is an exemplary concept album in the tradition of The Who's Tommy or Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Metal Blade Records. Two CD set packaged with a 28 page full color

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

120 Reviews

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (120 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A good album, July 7 2004

By

Mr. Jonathan Ledbury - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Snow (Audio CD)

Snow may not be entirely original, and neither is it flawless, but it has to be given credit for being so spectacularly filled with passion and emotion. It would almost be cheesy, but it is driven with so much zest and confidence that I personally can overlook any slight pretention.
Some of the reviewers of this album have been very harsh in pointing out that the music has heavy influences. Surely the point of reviewing an album objectively is to isolate it from other music which may have influenced it. Whether or not it is original does not effect it's over all quality in the slightest. The concept and lyrics have also been heavily critisized I have noticed, but to me these aspects of the album are on the positive side of tolerable, so long as you don't take it too seriously, and are happy to giggle every now and then then you shouldn't have a problem.
Perhaps my being a christian increases my opinion of the album. I am obviously as a result of my faith willing to overlook the possibly "preachy" attitude of the album. Certainly the two "wind at my back" songs are very reminiscint of a christian rock song, though a refreshingly good one (I can't stand most christian rock.) Play these songs isolated to any christian and they'll have no doubts as to their meaning - so the joke's on all the athiests who love these songs, ha ha!
The album is well balanced, and combines heavier songs, which practically stray into metal territory, as well as softer, acoustic guitar based ballads with soothing vocal harmonies. Keyboards also feature prominently throughout. Themes do repeat, a little like in a musical, but not tiresomely, and you will welcome their refreshingly altered but recognisable return.
It is all executed flawlessly and seemingly efforletlessly by what is clearly a very talented band.
Overall, any flaws in the album are made up by the sheer epic aristic vision of morse and co. This album is worthy of high praise, despite what the negative reviewers have to say. This is my first spock's beard purchase, and apart from porcupine tree my only (disputably) progressive rock purchase so I cannot really compare it with other similar releases, but can truly say that alone it stands strong in my estimation.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

4.0 out of 5 stars Snow - a man on an emotional journey, Jun 23 2004

By

Wyldephang (Maryland, U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snow (Audio CD)

Perhaps the main point that should be made about this album is that it was not created to be an album filled with radio friendly hooks (even though we surely find some good ones in here); this is a concept album. We are going to be thrown around with a variety of music because the melody is created to follow the emotions that the albums focus character, "Snow," is going thru.

That being said, though, dont get the wrong impression that this album is just random confusion that seems more like a compilation disk. There are songs that can stand by itself exceptionally well, such as the hook filled quazi-ballad "Looking for Answers" or the Hard Rock motivational anthem "Long Time Suffering."

For certain though, you are taken on an emotional journey start to finish. From the beginning of the CD with Snow's birth (Made Alive / Overture), and his journeys in New York City, coming across characters such as the stereotypical drug addict (Devil's Got My Throat) in songs that rush along with musical intensity; and you follow this man thru the cycle of his life, being acquainted with the various emotions he is feeling: deception, alienation, loneliness, doubt, hopelessness, desperation, and defeat. We've all felt these themes before, but they are exaggerated in "Spock's Beard - Snow."

The sooner the listener realizes that the album was created to be viewed in a sequence - like reading a book, or viewing a movie - the sooner they will get over the strange arrangements or random melodic selections.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent concept, great songs, April 16 2004

By

R. Hessler (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Snow (Audio CD)

Spock's Beard has some great songs on this album. The story itself isn't really original, however they put great music to it. Uplifting music like Open the Floodgates and rocking songs like The Devil's got my Throat fill the album. A strong, very strong Kansas feel can be heard with the keyboard. In fact, when I first heard Spock's Beard I thought it might have been Kansas. This album has some classics on it, which makes it a must have. They do revisit many themes in the second disk, but they are themes that should be revisited!

If you can find the special edition release, you can get the third disk with tracks from the making of Snow and a sharply turned up rendition of Yes's classic South Side of the Sky.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 120 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 153 reviews 4.1 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars ugh
This is nothing but mind numbing prog-noise, very annoying very pointless......i dont see any real musicianship in this band at all whats the big deal with these guys...... Read more

Published on Mar 21 2004 by progpatron01

5.0 out of 5 stars Please Don't Hate On Teh_Snow
Opinions have been flung in both directions concerning this album, and therefore there's not much need for another. Read more

Published on Mar 6 2004 by D. Lawson