The Road Home

Jordan Rudess | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Magna Carta
• ASIN: B000TIO4TQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,109 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Players:
"Dance on a Volcano":
Vocals - Neal Morse;
Guitar - Marco Sfogli;
Drums - Rod Morgenstein;

Sound Chaser:
Vocals - Nick D Virgilio, Kip Winger (glorious opening);
Guitar - Ed Wynne (1st solo), Ricky Garcia (2nd solo);
Drums - Rod Morgenstein;

Tarkus:
Vocals on Stones of Years - Steven Wilson;
Vocals on Mass and Battlefield - Kip Winger;
Guitar on Stones of Years and Battlefield-Ricky Garcia;
Guitar on Aquatrakus -Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal;
Drums - Rod Morgenstein;


Just The Same:
Vocals - Kip Winger;
Guitar Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (1st solo), Ed Wynne (2nd solo);
Drums - Rod Morgenstein;

I talk to the wind:
Vocals - Jordan Rudess and Bert Baldwin;


Earmarked for a brilliant career as a classical pianist, Rudess was seduced by prog rock s siren song and found his musical identity. I remember hearing Gentle Giant s Free Hand for the first time, says an über-exuberant Rudess. I totally, absolutely got into the song Just the Same . It is kind of like an anthem for me -- a song of freedom and personal rebellion.
With his new solo record, The Road Home, the synth/piano giant dives headlong into a canon of music that inspired joyous upheaval and unprecedented creative discovery in his life. I felt recording songs that were meaningful to me then and now -- would be fun and challenging at the same time, Rudess says. [Prog] changed my life, for sure, and took me off the purely classical path and firmly committed me to this other road of discovery.
Rudess willingness to stretch the boundaries of technique and explore sonic textures in a variety of expansive compositions has made the former classical pianist the heir apparent to an elite prog-rock keyboard monarchy endowed with such superior stock as Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz, and Tony Banks.
The Road Home is both homage and crowning achievement in prog rock s great exploratory tradition. Just as Emerson rearranged Tchaikovsky, Rodrigo, Janacek, Copland, Mussorgsky and Lux Lewis, Rudess decodes established classics while sculpting his own distinctive style.
With the help of today s leading prog talents (including friend/musical partner, Dixie Dregs drummer Rod Morgenstein), Rudess re-envisions Genesis 1976 jolting, jiggery-pokery gem Dance on a Volcano (with former Spock s Beard frontman Neal Morse on vocals); ELP s apocalyptic epic Tarkus (featuring Kip Winger and Porcupine Tree s Steven Wilson); Yes fusion-esque, Minimoog/electric piano extravaganza Sound Chaser (from the oft-overlooked Relayer record); and the aforementioned Just the Same.
As the kicker, a seamless piano medley fuses bits of the Jon Anderson vocal showpiece Soon , Crimson s gentle, supernatural I Talk to the Wind (with vocals by Rudess), Yes And You And I , and Genesis sprawling Supper s Ready.
Don t be fooled. The Road Home is not a ham-handedly mashed together tribute record: it s a genuine product of personal inspiration. I wanted to play the right pieces and play the parts that I felt were really important to the composition, says Rudess, who penned the original A Piece of the for The Road Home. I also added my own sections that aren t there at all [in the original songs]. So there is a lot of originality even within these new arrangements.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The road to the greats..., September 30, 2007

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Road Home (Audio CD)

It's funny to hear all those negative opinions on Jordan Rudess being a mechanical player. That's the reason most people who don't like post-Moore era give when asked why they don't like Jordan Rudess. Well, those who discredit his playing will have to give The Road Home a close listen, and see how soulful a player Rudess truly is. Maybe then they'll also go back to his other solo albums and discover how unique his compositions are. He is not just a technical musician with no understanding of songwriting. On the contrary, to Rudess composition comes first; technique is just applied to express the necessary feelings.

On this tribute album, Rudess covers songs from some of prog's greatest bands, including Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, and ELP. The CD starts with the Genesis track "Dance on a Volcano", sung by former Spock's Beard vocalist Neal Morse. It's weird cause Morse sounds totally different from what he did in Spock's Beard or Transatlantic. Laden with various sound effects by Rudess, the song is mostly played true to its original form, but you can see how bits and pieces of Rudess' vision have been injected here and there. Guitar virtuoso Marco Sfogli (James Labrie, John Macaluso & Union Radio) plays a smooth, somewhat unexptected solo here while Rudess' long-time friend Rod Morgenstein is on drums through the whole album. His fills on this track are amazing, and Rudess closes the piece in grand fashion.

In the middle part of Yes' "Sound Chaser", the atmosphere becomes so dense and heavy that I can't help but think no one else could have interpreted this piece so well except Jordan Rudess. One can notice how much he's been influenced by greats such as Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz, and Tony Banks, but there is still something in Rudess' playing that gives him his own flair. With Nick D'Virgilio and Kip Winger on vocals, this track lends itself to modern-day soundscapes as well, but there is still plenty of vintage keyboard material present here.

Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson appears on "Tarkus", along with Kip Winger and guitar god Ron Thal, among others. At over 22 minutes, this is the centrepiece of the album, and the track that sees the most variations from Rudess. His synth lines are simply gorgeous here, as is the tenacious drumming. The busy keyboard run in the beginning is my favourite, not only on this song but possibly the whole record. Ricky Garcia's guitar solo laidback and natural; it fits the flow perfectly. I had no idea he was capable of so many diverse styles, and hearing Steven Wilson on a vintage prog tune is great as well.

Over three minutes, "Piece of the Pi" is an original song by Jordan Rudess. It is a perfect amalgamation of the 70's and current prog music scene, as it feels like vintage prog played and recorded on today's equipment. It's a fun, playful tune, slightly similar to the stupifying solo material Rudess does on stage. I always thought it'd be great if he recorded something in this vein, and he's finally done it. On the piano medley, where he touches on songs like "Sons", "Supper's Ready", "I Talk to the Wind", and "And You and I", you'll hear him try some vocals as well. I am somewhat surprised he chose the King Crimson song out of all these pieces, but he pulls it off -- it's good to hear his voice finally.

Of course many will still continue to be displeased just because they think Rudess is an awful musician with just the chops and no heart. If you're not one of those people, and actually like to hear his take on some of prog's greatest tunes, you can't pass this album up.

I wish all tribute albums were this refreshing.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OK, OK, I get it now. Rudess, you may take your seat on the throne., October 19, 2007

By 

John E. Clancy "Merlyn The Musician" (Highland Village, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Road Home (Audio CD)

As a life long fan of Emerson, Wakeman & Minnear (of Gentle Giant), I never gave Rudess his due, mainly because I guess I could not accept the Dream Theatre material as being all that musical. Well, here are many of my absolute favorite themes, done with reverance & renewed energy. Are these as good as the original?

Well, as much as I hate to admit this...I think they might be even better.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthy effort, marred by unnecessary guitar solos, October 20, 2007

By 

progstock "progstock" (U.S.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Road Home (Audio CD)

Jordan Rudess set himself a virtually impossible task by taking on a set of the greatest prog classics ever recorded. There's a lot of fun, frenetic-paced stuff here which brought a smile to my face more than once, but in the end I can't say a single cover is better than the original, though I applaud the effort and appreciate that each song has been given a new interpretation.

a. "Dance on a Volcano" - The CD starts off on a great note. Bank's and Hackett's rapid swings up and down the scale are a perfect choice for Rudess, who plays them even faster. In my opinion the song is just brought to it's knees at about the five minute mark by the insertion of a totally irrelevant guitar solo that has no relation whatever to the rest of the song. I don't have a clue what it's doing in there.

b. "Sound Chaser" - Probably the least successful attempt on the disc, though once again Rudess' frenetic keyboard glissandos suit the original. But there's so much artistry on the original -- it's truly a collaborative effort. Once again, the abrupt guitar solo falls face forward, not to mention the lack of any segue into or out of it. Need proof? Clickwheel your way to track two of "Relayer" and just listen to the incredibly artistic way the band allows Steve Howe to rip into his solo, with Patrick Moraz adding just the necessary background enhancement.

c. "Just the Same" - Rudess' version of the classic opening riff from "Free Hand" is sure to bring a smile to your face. Carbon copy of "Dance on a Volcano" though; it's cooking on all cylinders right up to the pointless guitar solo.

d. "Piano Medley" - Interesting effort, although I have to ask myself, "Why these four songs?" Rudess opens with "Soon" from "Relayer", which is meant to be a slow and contemplative melody. It becomes difficult to pick out that melody between all the frenetic bursts up and down the scale, so I found the opening piece the least successul of the four. "I Talk to the Wind" is the most successful of this odd pairing, and not coincidentally, vocals are added which I believe helps break up the constant trips up and down the keyboard and assists in keeping the melody moving forward without getting lost in too much ornamentation. At least there's not a guitar solo on this one!

e. "Piece of the Pi" - I have no idea what this is doing on this disc, unless the last 30 seconds is some sort of homage to the end of "Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression". Sounds a lot like a typical Rudess solo piece -- which -- don't get me wrong -- is great. I have all his solo CDs and I like them all a ton. It's just that this is really odd man out here, and I'd of rather listened to another tribute piece in its stead. Anyone for "Benny the Bouncer"?

f. "Tarkus" - Lots of great interpretations of the original on this piece, once again not helped a whit by a couple of throwaway guitar solos that have no connection to the original. One niggling criticism I do have is that the original made heavy use of trademark Hammond B3 by Emerson, and I wouldn't have minded hearing a bit more of Rudess' interpretation on organ (or a Kurzweil organ patch!). I do like varying textures of music, but going from e-bells to heavy strings from phrase to phrase just doesn't work here as well as in the original, when Emerson kept pretty much to the Hammond.

Overall, the vocals are good, but then again, how can you compare with Greg Lake, the Shulman brothers or Jon Anderson?

In summation, lots of fun to listen to with trademark Jordan Rudess energy and -- how else can you describe it but "joy of creating music"? The guy is an amazing talent. He picked a great bunch of songs to work with which, I think, tends to make me uber-critical of a very enjoyable CD. Definitely worth four or five stars if he'd left the guitarist home.