Snow (Spock's Beard album)
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Snow is the sixth studio album of the progressive rock band Spock's Beard, and the final album with main songwriter and vocalist Neal Morse, who left immediately after the release of the album due to his conversion to Christianity. It was released in 2002 on Radiant Records.
A concept album, Snow tells the story of a young albino man named John “Snow” who possesses extraordinary spiritual and prophetic abilities. He grows up as an outcast but eventually embarks on a journey of self-discovery, gaining a following due to his wisdom and charisma. However, as he becomes more famous and influential, he struggles with the corrupting nature of power, as well as betrayal and personal crises.
Throughout the album, Snow experiences both triumphs and setbacks, eventually realizing that his purpose is not to seek external validation but to embrace his true self. The story explores themes of redemption, self-acceptance, and spiritual awakening, which became a hallmark of Neal Morse’s songwriting.
Background and recording
Neal Morse began recording Snow in summer of 2001, when he flew from Tennessee to Los Angeles, California. Upon arrival, he wasn't satisfied with his recording of the album, and decided to re-write it, in order to create a decent concept piece. For that, he needed to fly back. He then returned with an almost completely rewritten version, which Dave Meros was surprised by, because he awaited the revised version. The group then completed recording it overnight, on September 10, 2001. The next day, Spock's Beard was scheduled to fly back to Tennessee, but due to the September 11 attacks, ended up stranded in the airport.<ref name=LS>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Spock's Beard decided to rent a car so they could get safely home. During that time, while the group listened to Bob Dylan and God Bless America (which was sung by Congress over the radio), Neal Morse got an idea for the album's concept. It will become a mysterious Albino psychic and healer. Upon returning to Tennessee, Neal spent months polishing the concept and writing more songs, but upon returning to LA, he suffered an emotional wreck, and decided to quit the band, the announcement of which came nine months after the first recording of the album. He told his band members that he was a devoted Christian, and viewed the songs "Open Wide the Flood Gates," "Love Beyond Words," and "Wind at My Back" as prayers. He then had a hard time deciding whether to go with the band's ideology, or create his own solo album, with a focus on Christianity as its base. After the recording was complete, Neal said his farewells to the former band. Due to Neal's departure, the Snow tour was cancelled.<ref name=LS/>
Neal Morse and Nick D'Virgilio returned to the band in 2016 for the Snow Live concert at Morsefest in Nashville, Tennessee.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Snow Live was also performed once more in 2016 at the Night of the Prog festival in Loreley, Germany.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Live release
On November 10, 2017, Spock's Beard released a live Blu-ray DVD version of the album via Metal Blade and Radiant Records. The DVD version contains both parts of the album, as well as encores "June" and "Falling for Forever", and behind the scenes featurette "The Making of Snow Live".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Track listing
All songs written by Neal Morse, except where noted.
Disc one
Disc two
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Disc three
The Special Limited Edition of this album contains a third disc, made of acoustic tracks, work-in-progress and a cover ("South Side of the Sky", originally on the Yes album Fragile) Template:Tracklist
Personnel
- Neal Morse – lead vocals, piano, synths, acoustic guitar
- Alan Morse – electric guitars, vocals, cello
- Ryo Okumoto – hammond organ, mellotron, jupiter 8, minimoog, vocoder
- Dave Meros – bass, vocals, French horn
- Nick D'Virgilio – drums, percussion, vocals, lead vocals on "Carie" and "Looking for Answers"
Production
- Chris Carmichael – violin, viola, cello
- Jim Hoke – saxophone, clarinet, autoharp
- Neil Rosengarden – flugelhorn, trumpet
- Molly Pasutti – backing vocals on "Open the Gates Part 2"
- Rich Mouser – mixing
See also
Snow was unofficially adapted into a live musical, Snow: the Modern Opera, and performed in 2012 by a small theater group in New Hampshire.