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| SPOCK'S BEARD |
| Inside Out Music |
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Neal Morse - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Alan Morse - guitars, vocals, cello, mellotron
Dave Meros - bass, vocals, french horn
Ryo Okumoto - organ, mellotron
Nick D'Virgilo - drums, vocals
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Formed in Los Angeles in the Spring of 1992, Spock's Beard were brought together by their common live of progressive rock. All consummate and seasoned professionals, the band members have spent their careers playing as session men to some of the biggest names in rock from Aretha Franklin to Phil Collins and Genesis to Tears For Fears. The band was formed by Neal Morse, who writes all the band's material and contributes lead vocals, piano, synth and guitars. Drummer Nick D'Virgilio is one of more high profile members of the band. He is featured on the latest Genesis album, Calling All Stations and has recently recorded with Peter Gabriel. Ryo Okumoto brings Hammond Organ and Mellotron to the band and has previously had stints with the like of Phil Collins and Eric Clapton. Bassist Dave Meros joined the band after having worked with Eric Burdon of The Animals and Bobby Kimball of Toto. Rounding out the band is Neal's brother Alan Morse on guitar, cello and mellotron. |
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Having had offers from several independent labels, the chose to release their debut album The Light, themselves as none of the other labels shared the same musical vision. 1994 saw the release of The Light which received rave reviews across the globe. Many critics felt it was by far the best progressive rock album of the decade. A high accolade indeed but well deserved nonetheless. The album successfully blended all the quirkiness and complexities normally associated with this genre along with quality high class song writing that appealed to more mainstream audiences. |
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The band immediately worked on a follow up to The Light and by March 1997, Beware Of Darkness was issued to insatiable fans world wide. Once again the band had pulled out all the stops and released an amazing album which included a superb cover of George Harrisons's Beware Of Darkness. The album was also mixed in part by the band's dear friend Kevin Gilbert shortly before his untimely death. Spock's Beard could do no wring, they were named by the European Classic Rock Society best new band in 1996 and had just been won best international band 1997. Keyboard magazine nominated Beware Of Darkness as one of their top five albums of the year calling it "A successful, well executed crossover between heavy metal, progressive and stadium rock". |
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Without wasting any time, the band went of to write and record their new album. Kindness Of Strangers saw the light of day in February 1998 and was once again extremely well received. The band achieved album of the month this time in the prestigious German Rock Hard magazine. Upon the release of the album, the band undertook their first ever European tour to sell out crowds. Spock's Beard had put themselves in the premier league of progressive rock. Towards the end of 1998, the band were back in Europe promoting the European release of their live album, The Beard Is Out There on Inside Out Music. Not content to sit around basking in their glories, the band returned to the States with a fresh batch of songs and went of to record their fourth studio album Day For Night. The album features 13 new compositions plus 1 bonus track all dine in that inimitable Spock's Beard style and will no doubt be a hit once again with critics and fans alike. There aren't too many things that sill need to be said about Spock's Beard. One thing's for sure, the Beard is out there and you WILL believe! Day For Night was released on Inside Out Music in March 1999. |
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