Spock's Beard - biography
Origin
Los Angeles, California, U.Spock's Beard is a progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse.Neal played keyboards and was the lead vocalist, as well as being the primary songwriter; Alan plays electric guitar.The band played a brand of progressive rock with pop music leanings (drawing much influence from Genesis), as opposed to the hard rock approach of The Flower Kings or the metal feel of Dream Theater.Snow, which tells a story of an albino psychic who acquires a messianic following, who spiritually falls and loses the direction of his calling, then to be rescued with new chance to live in harmony.In early 2005, after a long writing and recording process, Spock's Beard released Octane, their second album after the departure of Neal Morse.This was seen by many fans as a return to a more bright and epic sound after the previous songwriting differences in Feel Euphoria.As posted on their website on November 8th: Their 9th studio album was released on Nov 21st, 2006, simply entitled "Spock's Beard"
Alan Morse came up with the name after a particularly wild party, where he remarked to his brother, Neal, "It's almost as if we were in an alternate universe, like that one episode of Star Trek where Spock had a beard.Then, when it came time to choose a name for the band, Alan made a list of over 100 names and threw Spock's Beard on the end as a joke, and the band chose it.See Copyrights for details.I've been in web hosting hell.Spock's Beard Dot Org Presents:
An interveiw with John Boegehold!With many cool audio samples, including
a sample from the forthcoming new Spocks Beard CD 'Spocks Beard'!Spock's Beard that the web has to offer.Do you have some Spock's Beard content on your website?SPOCK'S BEARD gathered huge praise on mainland Europe with their unashamed forays into complex and often lengthy ProgRock marathons.SPOCK'S BEARD is renowned for holding the listener's attention over tracks that can last in excess of twenty minutes each.The band originally gigged under the name of ONE and employed a now anonymous bassist.Containing a set of sprawling musical landscapes that evoked the 70s Prog heydays SPOCK'S BEARD won over hardened Prog fans with ease.IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?Thank you for sharing your concerns.We can only process copyright complaints submitted by authorized parties in accordance with processes defined in law.You are absolutely correct, and a great performance it was.The worst from Neal's era.Would you like to comment?Spock's Beard live in Holland.Spock's Beard live in Holland.After making your selection, copy and paste the embed code above.SPOCK'S BEARD was formed by Neal Morse, who writes all the band's material and contributes lead vocals, piano, synth and guitars.SPOCK'S BEARD should appeal to fans of the FLOWER KINGS and UK."V") were issued to insatiable fans world wide.This is a musical masterpiece that will appeal to many people also beyond the Progressive community.One thing's for sure, The BEARD is ...SPOCK'S BEARD was formed by Neal Morse, who writes all the band's material and contributes lead vocals, piano, synth and guitars.They combine strong melodies with intricate arrangements and superb musicianship.SPOCK'S BEARD should appeal to fans of the FLOWER KINGS and UK."V") were issued to insatiable fans world wide.Plus, the album page (but not the band page) for Gentle Giant's "Octopus."Studio Album, 2006)
Avg: 3.Studio Album, 2005)
Avg: 3.Feel Euphoria much of a chance.Studio Album, 2002)
Avg: 3.Meros cooling things down a bit helping a lot!Studio Album, 2000)
Avg: 4.While many consider V to be the one when it comes to the Beard's early works, I have to disagree.Neal Morse bothers me...Sign in to get personalized recommendations.After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.SPOCK'S BEARD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST
Maintained by Miguel
Farah
Version 4.This is the Frequently Asked Questions List about Spock's Beard.CONTENTS
Click on any subject to jump directly to it:
CONTENTS
WHERE TO GET THIS DOCUMENT
ABBREVIATIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW
WHAT THE HELL IS SPOCK'S BEARD?BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BAND
WHERE DID THE NAME "SPOCK'S BEARD" COME FROM, ANYWAY?PROGFEST '97
IS THERE A LIVE DATES LISTING?WHAT SONGS HAS SPOCK'S BEARD NEVER PLAYED LIVE?WHAT SONGS HAS SPOCK'S BEARD MADE VIDEOS FOR?DO ANY SPOCK'S BEARD MEMBERS APPEAR ON ANY TRIBUTE
ALBUMS?IS THERE A MAILING LIST FOR SPOCK'S BEARD?IS THERE A SPOCK'S BEARD FAN CLUB?WHAT IS THE RELATION BETWEEN SPOCK'S BEARD AND
TRANSATLANTIC?ABBREVIATIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW
The following are Spock's Beard related abbreviations you should know:
SB: Spock's Beard
TL: The Light (either the album or the song)
TOLB: The Official Live Bootleg
BOD, BoD: Beware of Darkness (either the album or the song)
TKOS: The Kindness of Strangers
FTV: From The Vault
DFN: Day For Night (either the album or the song)
THCoS: The Healing Colors of Sound
LATWAN: Live at the Whisky and NEARfest
DTTAH: Don't Try This At Home
DTTAHE: Don't Try This At Home Either!WHAT THE HELL IS SPOCK'S BEARD?Spock's Beard is an american progressive rock band.Fill with a full blurb
here.Musical influences: Peter Gabriel, The Beatles, Yes, and King
Crimson.Neal occasionally does cover gigs in Europe to help pay the bills.He also writes country and pop songs, and tries to place them with
other artists.In an interview with Nick Shilton of New Frontiers
Magazine, Neal talks about another one of his projects...It's changed a lot since
then; I had a cast in L.Spock's Beard being the immediate
priority.Beatles, If I'm
forced to pick only one.I'd pick June, Mainly because the audiences
are SO into it.Alan never plays with a pick.Musical influences: Chris Squire, Tom Hamilton, Marcus Miller, Chuck
Rainey, Genesis, Jellyfish and Paul McCartney.Canada, Europe, and Japan.In 1996 Ryo was touring in Japan with Peabo Bryson, Aretha Franklin,
and the Original 5th Dimension...Nick at a musicians jam night thing.We had a different bass player originally and when it came time to find a new
guy, Al and I both thought of Dave (we'd known him for a long time).And by
God, he wanted to do it!Not that we weren't good or anything, but I
guess I had just gotten used to people not being into the same stuff as
me.At the
end we all laughed and said "Dude, I think you got the gig!".Nick had been going to these musician jams in town.Neal told
him about the demo he had and asked if Nick was interested in a prog thing.So Nick and I trekked out to this little house Neal was living in at the
time, I think in Santa Monica.Maybe one or two comments wavering between weird stuff,
and this guys is a genius!They named the band "One" which no one really liked and did a
couple of gigs.Much different than Dave!Our mouths were kind of
gaping open and we both just thought the same thing.Who knew it would
become a second family for us all those years ago.Sometimes I feel like we
have been together forever.Being 20 feels like forever ago.Light", which many critics have called the best
progressive album of the decade.Both songs
were well received, especially "June" which drew a standing ovation from the
Progfest crowd.In November 1998, Spock's Beard released a live album in Europe, titled "The
Beard Is Out There".Spock's Beard then did a short Eastern U.NEARfest (North East Art Rock Festival), on Sunday June 27, 1999.Progfest show in August 31.Two Separate Gorillas" (acoustic shows by
Neal Morse and Nick D'Virgilio) and "Don't Try This At
Home Either!".Sunday", a CD single with
reworked versions of some of its songs, intended for European radios, was
released in may 2001.WHERE DID THE NAME "SPOCK'S BEARD" COME FROM,
ANYWAY?As a joke, the name "Spock's
Beard" always came up.Besides, it doesn't matter that much what name you're using.Spock's Beard the best.Actually, the most plausible reason seems to be another one: in the Star
Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror", a transporter accident sends Kirk,
Scott, McCoy and Uhura to a parallel universe, where the "local" Spock has a
beard (it's a pretty good episode, by the way).Some two weeks AFTER that last paragraph was written by the FAQL maintainer,
Neal Morse spilled the beans in an interview for
Detritus:
Actually, it was my brother Alan's idea.We were having a really weird night,
up at a bar in Mammoth Mountain, Calif.DISCOGRAPHY
Spock's Beard has released thirteen albums (six studio, six live and one of
rarities) and two singles to date.Neal Morse has released three solo albums: Neal Morse,
Merry Christmas From the Morse Family and
It's Not Too Late.Ryo Okumoto has released a single: Winners Of The
Heart.The band also appears in the Progfest '97
compilation album."Go The Way You Go" is about one guy
having all kinds of questions and turmoil in his head and the other guy
telling him to relax and let things flow.Was he
performing live with you back then?Neal Morse:
It's sort of odd, what happened with Ryo, that's why I usually don't go into
it, but, since you asked.....Ryo was in the band early on.....So we hired Ryo at first, and we
all enjoyed working with him so much that we made him a member.BEWARE OF DARKNESS
This is the second studio album, released in 1996.Metal Blade in the USA,
by InsideOut In Europe, and by ________________________ in Japan.Is this THE George Harrison?Leon Russell version off the "Shelter People" album.THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
This is the third studio album, released in __ ________ 1997.Neal must be channeling Mozart or
something, he's been so prolific.We had to choose an albums worth of
material out of almost two albums worth of music, and some really excellent
tunes got shelved.My favorite
songs off this third CD will probably be "Cakewalk" and "Very Strange World",
but it's always hard to predict what will wind up at the top of the heap
after all the overdubs and mixing.Then the middle of the month was spent on mixing the CD.It's funny for someone with that goal
to be gone as much as I am but...At the risk of repeating
myself, I think this record is going to rule!If anything this one's more mainstream,
but still plenty prog.Comments from Alan Morse:
Hope you all like it.FROM THE VAULT
This is a rarities album, released in 1998.The european release also contains the bonus track "Hurt", a cover tune
originally by Code Blue.Gentle Giantish thing with the counterpoint vocal
extravaganza bit.What the hell is that machine on the cover of the album?DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
This is the third live album (recorded in Tilburg, Holland, 28 september
1999), released in 25 april 2000.This is the fifth studio album, released in 22 august 2000.The title "V" is the roman numeral 5.Kleine Gruner Kaktus" as well as Spock's favorites
"The Water" and "June".The "From The Vaults" Series Volume 3
This is the fifth live album, containing previously unreleased tracks
recorded in Tilburg, Holland, 28 september 1999).This is the second single (off the V album),
released in may 2001.ROM portion, containing the "All On A Sunday" video.THE SPOCK'S BEARD HOME MOVIE
This is the first video, released in 1998.Total duration: 134 minutes.LIVE AT THE WHISKY
This is the second video, released in 1999.It's an inside look at the recording process of the V
album, recorded by (mostly) Neal Morse with a digital camcorder.Metal Blade in the USA,
by InsideOut In Europe, and by ________________________ in Japan.It's currently distributed by Radiant Records in the USA.IT'S NOT TOO LATE
This is Neal Morse's third solo album, released in 28 august 2001.Karma" chronicle, written by Jim Harrel, that describes a good deal of
the recording process.There is a song I wrote with Kevin Gilbert called "The Game".It is really great because years after his life we are still making music
together.The rest are by good old me!Nick learned about it well
after recording the track.Remember to look for it."Free Fall" is a jammy instrumental, recorded by Spock's Beard without Neal
Morse.Yes, there is a
comprehensive list of
Spock's Beard's live dates at
the band's official website.WHAT SONGS HAS SPOCK'S BEARD NEVER PLAYED
LIVE?Also,
"Hurt", "Goodbye To Yesterday" and
"The Truth" haven't been played live (yet).WHAT SONGS HAS SPOCK'S BEARD MADE VIDEOS
FOR?ROM portion of the All On A Sunday single.WHAT IS THE BAND'S POSITION ABOUT TRADING OF LIVE
RECORDINGS?Neal Morse frowns upon the sales of SB bootlegs.DO ANY SPOCK'S BEARD MEMBERS APPEAR ON ANY TRIBUTE
ALBUMS?The oldest (and the first one to exist at all) is
THOUGHTS.Its purpose is
to hold discussion of Spock's Beard (lyrics, show reviews, etcetera) and
other related music.Spock's Beard bootlegs is NOT
ALLOWED.When you subscribe to the THOUGHTS mailing list you will receive an
introductory document that details the rules governing the list and other
related information.Tech support wasn't
any help, and to make things worse, this happened when Lisa Palma, the
list owner, was away on business.Spock's Beard related
news, tour dates, etcetera.The THE GREAT NOTHING (formerly SPOCKS_BEARD) list is dedicated to prog and
especially the band Spock's Beard.It is a forum to exchange ideas,
information and insights into Spock's Beard as well as related bands and
styles.WHAT WWW SITES SHOULD I BE AWARE OF?IS THERE A SPOCK'S BEARD FAN CLUB?The Official Spock's Beard Appreciation Society Newsletter.The newsletter that keeps Spock's Beard fans informed!The snail mail address is:
Spock's Beard Official Appreciation Society
2805 Jane St.WHAT IS THE RELATION BETWEEN SPOCK'S BEARD
AND TRANSATLANTIC?Neal Morse is a member of the supergroup Transatlantic.Neal and Alan Morse are brothers.Kevin Matthew Gilbert age 29, composer, vocalist, producer and owner operator
of The Lawnmower and Garden Supply Recording Studio in Pasadena, died on May
18, 1996 of accidental causes.Kevin will be remembered for his deep love,
boundless creativity and immense talent.Go to Kevin Gilbert's WWW site for
more information on him and his work.He REALLY was a great musician.Last but not least, extra extra thanks to Lisa Marie Palma for having created
this FAQL in the first place, and having been the maintainer until she handed
it over to Miguel Farah in june 2000.
