Feeding the Wheel

Jordan Rudess | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Magna Carta
• ASIN: B00005QTD1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,869 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Short Of Stunning!, October 31, 2001

By 

TOL (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feeding the Wheel (Audio CD)

Being a follower of Dream Theater from their Majesty days, I was extremely dissapointed when Kevin Moore left the band. Although Derek Sherinian was, and is, a very talented musician, his style just didn't seem to compliment the band. And then, in walked Jordan Rudess. With the release of "Scenes From A Memory", Jordan displayed technical mastery along with a unique sense of orchestral timing that truly brought out the best in the band. Once again, the keyboards added more than just fast licks, they added true melodic content. "Feeding The Wheel" takes that overall theme and multiplies it by 100. This album is absolutely fantastic! If you have any of Jordan's previous solo works, remove all comparisons. This album is unlike any other. The closest comparison that I can come up with is Rick Wakeman's "Six Wives of Henry the VIII", set in the year 2001. The songs are fresh, modern, melodic, emotion-driven, and interesting. Every passage has you in awe of Jordan's technical expertise, and in anticipation of the next theme. In short, if you like the truly stand-out keyboard interludes on "Scenes From A Memory", and also enjoyed the more melodic passages from Liquid Tension Experiment, then you will undoubtedly LOVE this album. If you are a rock keyboard player, this album is definitely a pre-requisite for your collection. But, the true beauty of this album is that, unlike so many prog rock works, it transcends musical mastery. Said another way, you don't have to appreciate the technical musicianship in order to enjoy this album. That, in and of itself, speaks volumes. So, for anyone who just loves great music, buy this album NOW!

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling virtuosity _and_ good songs., December 8, 2001

By 

Lord Chimp (Monkey World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feeding the Wheel (Audio CD)

This album is crazy! And it's official: Jordan Rudess is the most original keyboard player out there. Bold statement? Yep, but he's doing fun, inventive things with his instrument that I've never heard from anyone else. Most keyboardists out there play some strings, pianos, organs, and leads. That's about it. Rudess, on the other hand, uses so many different keyboard patches it makes my head spin! Compare Rudess to any keyboard player out there and he'll probably blow them out of the water. This man is _good_.

If you buy this album, what should you be expecting? That's a difficult question to answer...Feeding the Wheel is so musically diverse it can't be easily described. I'd say you can expect a bit of everything: prog, jazz, funk, techno, space rock, world music, classical, and probably more other styles than I even know exist. Guest musicians include the mighty John Petrucci (of course you know who he is, neuhrg), the excellent drummer Terry Bozzio, Steve Morse (awesome guitarist of the Dixie Dregs; plays some great solos on a few songs), and master bassist Billy Sheehan stops by to play some funk bass on "Crack the Meter."

After a voice-only intro, the albums moves into "Quantum Soup," one of the most exciting instruments I've ever heard. The myriad influences come together very nicely, and the great jazz section in the middle is worth the price of the entire CD. The ending is purely majestic. On "Shifting Sands," Rudess' conquering leads, supported by beautiful string synths, carry the song in beautiful directions. "Dreaming in Titanium" (cool name for a song!) is full of quirky percussion, a classical piano solo, and funky riffs. "Ucan Icon" is nuts! Weird industrial techno sounds and bizarre prancing synth patches drives the song towards it's exciting finale, which is a frenzy of leads and others crazy sounds. The funk-driven "Crack the Meter" is pure ear-candy. The keyboard/guitar duels of Rudess and Morse are a delight to listen to. "Headspace" is the "ballad" of the album, with gentle, icy layers of synths and pretty piano lines with quiet percussion. A guy named Eugene Friesen plays cello on this song. "Revolving Door" is one of the album's most insanely eclectic pieces, featuring some beautiful pianos, sinister orchestral movements, crazy solos, and a brief rap interlude! The amazing thing is that it all comes together very well, and though the song is close to 9-minutes long, it goes by fast! "Interstices" four minutes of piano, with a number of different styles all mixed together without a visible seam.

I think the review that said Feeding the Wheel felt like "one long keyboard solo" calls for a rebuttal. Everyone's entitled to either like or dislike the album, but I don't think that statement was accurate in any way. Jordan Rudess is a phenomenal player, and he doesn't hold back. But most importantly, he has written good songs on this album. The melodies are catchy, the songs are entertaining and quirky. Songs often contain a solo or two, and some might say that's "indulgent"...but don't most songs feature solos at their peak of intensity? Yes, of course. The soaring keyboard solos at the finale of "Quantum Soup" are very triumphant in tone and also melodic, so it's not just pointless "wanking." Does the album feel random and weird? No...I think it's just the CD moving to the next track. The individual tunes are each pretty unique, and songs flow logically and are very cohesive.

Any progressive rocker keyboardist that buys this album will be blown away, I'm certain. Fans of Rudess and Liquid Tension Experiment should also be delighted.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feeding the Mind, November 14, 2001

By 

Doug Taepe (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feeding the Wheel (Audio CD)

Jordan Rudess lets loose with an album of spacey progressive rock, mixing in some jazz fusion and classical along the way. Jordan has surrounded himself with an impressive line-up of friends as usual. Because of the involvement of Terry Bozzio, this album sounds like a cross between the Bozzio Levin Stevens albums and the Liquid Tension Experiment albums. Mixing in Steve Morse (Dregs, Deep Purple), Mark Wood (violin)and Eugene Friesen (Cello - Paul Winter Consort) brings an organic element into the cosmic mix. There are mellow tunes, as well as all-out jams where everyone let's loose.

If you like Bozzio Levin Stevens and Liquid Tension Experiment you'll really enjoy this album.