The current Yes thread prompted me to post this.
I always wanted to get some Spocks Beard but never got around to it.
What would be a few good titles to sink my teeth into and get a taste for them?
If I recall right they had a lineup change at some point - so maybe recommendations
from both era's.

You really can't go wrong with any of the Neal Morse-fronted albums. However, some people are put off by his religious themes (which he explored in much more detail on most of his solo albums), so you may want to save the 2-CD concept album "Snow" for last. I would say the best places to start, for a combination of great songs AND production, would be "The Kindness Of Strangers" or "Day For Night," followed by "V".

Their drummer, Nick D'Virgilio, took over lead vocals after "Snow." As a backing vocalist he was their secret weapon on the Neal Morse-fronted albums (and he's one of my favorite modern drummers), but it took him a while to find his voice as a leader. It wasn't until 2006's "Spock's Beard" that they forged their own identity and wrote some killer songs. The follow-up, last year's "X" is just as good.

Somewhere down the road if you find yourself loving Neal Morse's voice & songwriting, I'll be happy to give some input on his solo albums, many of which are as good as his Spock's Beard albums. Plus, most of them feature Mike Portnoy on drums. And then there's the supergroup Transatlantic, which features the two of them plus Marillion's Pete Trewavas and Flower Kings' Roine Stolt. If you like mega prog epics, all three of their albums will be right up your alley.

Hope this was helpful.

Rich K

FYI

d'virgilio was kevin gilbert's drummer for most of his work.

Yep. Also a huge fan of Kevin Gilbert. I thought NIck only played in concert with Kevin, since KG seemed to play every instrument himself in the studio. Not counting the amazing Toy Matinee album, which was my introduction to KG, and had some top notch musicians.

thanks rich. i really liked your blog on the band. one of my faves as well. subscribed to your blog too.

Let me know what you think of Spock's Beard whenever you have a chance to listen to them. I'm curious, since prog fans seem to be split on them. Thanks for subscribing to the blog. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I appreciate your support.

how does spock's beard style compare to kevin gilbert's style?

Spock's Beard is melodic prog (with emphasis on Prog), where KG might've been described as prog-influenced melodic rock (with the exception of "The Shaming Of The True," where he went full-on prog). Actually, I hate coming up with these tags, since it's all just great music, but that's the best way to describe the difference. If I remember correctly, KG either produced or mixed Spock's Beard's second album, "Beware Of Darkness," so the two artists were connected.

I'm glad to see Kevin Gilbert's name being mentioned here. In a perfect world he would be a legend, and his death would've affected millions of people.

Here are a couple of YouTube clips of Spock's Beard. The first one is the studio version of the song "June" from the album "The Kindness Of Strangers." It's a mostly acoustic song with great harmonies. I imagine Supertramp fans would enjoy it. The second one is a live version of "Gibberish" (originally on the "Day For Night" album). The Gentle Giant influence is obvious, but they bring their own vibe to it. There's a lot more to this band than these two songs, but they're good starting points. Enjoy.

kevin gilbert was a genius.

should have been a huge star.

everyone who hears him, loves him, problem is, no one has heard him.

the whole "popplusone" as the only outlet for his stuff is just plain stupid, it should at least be on amazon, where he might get a little exposure.

Nick D'Virgilio has a solo album out, 'NDV', actually a couple years ago now. Some really cool stuff on there. I saw him touring with Mike Keneally in 2001, and he was awesome. I've fallen out of touch with Spock's Beard a bit, but I should check out the last couple.

Alan

I got NDV when it came out, expecting something great, but I was disappointed. I've gone back to it a few times and there's some good stuff on the album, but I don't think he was ready to be a lead vocalist yet. There was nothing distinctive about his voice, which is surprising since his backing vocals with Spock's Beard were a key component of their sound. With the last two Spock's Beard albums I think he's finally found his voice, and those albums can stand proudly next to any of the Neal Morse-era albums.

I've never seen Mike Keneally but have most of his albums and love his stuff. He always has some amazing players in his band.