Customer Reviews

Sola Scriptura & Beyond

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

.... If Neal Morse were any more inspired on this tremendous concert DVD, his heart would burst through his chest.

AMAZING concert film! I was so blown away by watching it last night. Incredible DVD to own. I was a bit skeptical when I popped the first disc out of the case, thinking there was little chance that this new DVD could match the magical heights of Neal Morse's previous concert DVDs, "Testimony Live" and Transatlantic's "Live in Europe." I am sorry Neal, for having any doubt. Yes, Neal's compatriots from Transatlantic aren't on this disc, but man, can this young five-piece band behind Morse play. Wow. Neal does the bulk of "Sola Scriptura" and parts of the "?" and "Testimony" albums, as well as a couple Spock's Beard tracks and other numbers. Phenomenal concert film. It's well-filmed and good sound. Morse is in fine voice but be warned, there are a couple vocal flaws where his voice wavers or gives out, but give the guy a break for 1.) Not overdubbing his vocals on live DVD releases - horrayy!!! and 2.) for singing a ton of words over the course of three hours, not to mention he's playing tag with acoustic guitar, electrict guitar and keyboards, sometimes in the matter of seconds. Neal truly is a gifted performer and thank goodness his music is postive. Some people are turned off by Neal's Christian lifestyle and comments now, but I love this artist all the more for it. He's brave about his faith but he never wags his finger at the audience (or DVD viewer). It's odd that in a time when people can bash world leaders and make fun of everyone under the sun, that there are still those who shame Neal for talking about God. Don't worry Neal, I got your back. This DVD is jaw-dropping, and eveyrone should see it - believer and non-believer alike. The musicianship (Morse is so underrated as a singer, writer, keyboardist and guitarist, it's a crime) is top-shelf throughout the concert film. The music on here is better than anything on any radio station over the last few years. This music will take you back to when music was great, daring and inspired. Morse could have been, if old enough, a member of The Beatles, The Who or Pink Floyd. Thank goodness Morse still is making new records each year.

Okay, religiously, I'm not sure what to call myself. I believe in God, but I don't really believe in any one religion. I guess agnostic would be the best way to classify myself.

My Uncle had a Dream Theater CD that changed my life forever, and to this day, they are still my favorite band of all time. Dream Theater are friends with, and have toured, with many other bands, Spock's Beard being one of them. When I listened to them enough, I got to a point where I loved their music so much, I just had to buy all of it. I was distraught to find that Neal left the Beard, and it's quite clear to me that with the music that the Beard is making today, although still good, they are missing a very prominent piece of their music and that piece is a person named Neal Morse.
I have many people scattered about within my family who are hardcore fanatical Christians, so when I found out that Neal was a born again, I was very iffy about even giving him a chance. I decided to put my biased views aside, and I am SOOOO EFFING HAPPY that I did because I would've missed out on all of the great music that this man has made if I decided to be ignorant, biased, and hard headed like I almost was. Aside from the fantastic musicianship and powerful heartfelt message, he is also insanely diverse, going from metal to epic to soulful to bluegrass to hard rock to jazz all in one man's mind.
If there is anyone in this world that would make a Christian out of me, it would be Neal Morse. His studio albums are extremely fantastic, the question mark album is probably the one that resonates best with me. So much incredible music, not to mention the lyrics and vocals are incredible as well. But, what Neal has accomplished on this DVD is beyond words. He is one of the very few people who can record a live concert and make you feel like you're there. All of the heart, soul, and passion he puts into his music is completely unleashed when he plays. The band he plays with are also all very good musicians and I feel like I would get a good vibe from all of them if I met them.
What I'm trying to say overall, is that it's not only about his music, it's about his attitude toward the music. There are so many points within this live show that I feel as though I'm on the verge of tears because I feel the message he's trying to get across. Whether I fully agree with him or not is irrelevant, because his message is a positive one, and that's all that matters. I am not going to be able to put this away and not watch it for at least a couple months. I know I'm gonna be popping this baby in at least 2-3 days a week for a couple months to come. Utterly fantastic DVD and it definitely gives DT's live DVD's (Score, Live at Budokan) a run for their money. I hope he keeps making music for a long time, because he has ever so easily and suddenly become one of my favorite composers of all time.

I got this concert for Christmas. I did not know most of the material except for the songs from Solo Scriptura.Well after three hours of jaw dropping enjoyment and getting emotional and down right joyous, I found this concert one of the best concert dvds available.... Ever!!!
I have watched numerous concerts from other progressive rock bands, But Neal is one of the most energetic and emotional artists in rock today. During the Testimoney medly, he does breakdown with emotion in the song I am willing and you can tell he is very genuine; in other words he is not going through the motions. His music touches you mentally and spiritually. I am a doveted Catholic.But you can be any religion and be touched by his music. He is a very busy man going from acoustic to electric guitar and then ripping it up on the keyboards.
The musicians are superior also. They played everything to a t and more! If you are a musician you can definitly appriciate the talent these young musicians have.A stand out is the guitar player Paul Bielatowicz. He had some big shoes to fill, learning every guitar part; and playing flawlessly and the drummerCollin Leijenaar had even bigger shoes to fill (Mike portney). The big man is awesome.
There is a bonus concert that comes with it. also, behind the scenes and the song Bridge Across Forever; which is fantastic. The bonus concert has the same intensity as the first concert. King Jesus, the song from the bonus disc from ? is a footstomping rocker, a definite personal favorite.
The sound and quality is exceptional. Better than most concert dvds. I watched both shows with headphones on, and volume up; it felt and sounded like I was there live.
So, even if you are not religious, religious, not sure, or a prog rock fan you should not miss this one, the one and only Neal Morse!!

Realmente no hay palabras que logren definir lo impresionante de este concierto, es lo mas espectacular que he visto en mi vida. Le doy gracias a Dios por haber creado la musica y haber dotado a Neal Morse de un talento tan enorme para componer e interpretar estos temas llenos de pasion y de un mensaje positivo, lleno del amor de Dios por la humanidad y que nos transporta con la mejor musica hacia un mensaje claro: Dios nos ama y quiere redimirnos de nuestros propios errores... es lo mejor que he escuchado y es una compra obligatoria tanto para creyentes como no creyentes, para fans de neal como seguidores del rock y especialmente del prog rock, aunque en lineas generales es un disco que debe estar en el repertorio de todo aquel que se precie de escuchar buena musica.. entre las cuales esta es sin duda LA MEJOR.

This is an amazing DVD! There are great live selections from all of Neal's solo albums as well as a few Spock's Beard cuts. The band is incredibly talented. There's also a bonus DVD with the full concert from the Question Mark Live tour as well, although the quality of it is not as high as the concert from the Sola Scriptura tour. Still, for a bonus disc, it's great! There's also a cool documentary included, too, with a few bonus songs thrown into it.

If you like Neal Morse, get this DVD! If you've never heard of Neal Morse, get this DVD, and you'll love him afterwards! A must-have for any fan of great progressive rock music.

Sola Scriptura & Beyond (2pc)

Great concert DVD! Terrific sound and video that puts the viewer in the front row. Even though the band had never played with Morse before, the energy and musicianship is first-rate.

Who could even imagine a European band to learn three hours of complex prog music, all without the leader, who then arrives in Europe and they play the whole three hours with such spectacular results, after only or two rehearsals??!! Colin plays MP's drum parts and throws in new stuff. Everyone in the band brings their "A" game. Amazing musicianship.
Great video and sound quality. The camera guys are mostly transparent, not obviously in the way, and very good directing.
You can say what you want about the Christian content, but hey, who can write a prog album about the Jewish tabernacle in the OT and pull it off without being syrupy? The lame CCM market out there could learn much from this.

When I heard Neal had left Spock's Beard after "Snow", I was saddened. When I learned he left to pursue a more religious path in his music, I was devastated. Just what the world needs, more lame "Christian" music. I had seen reviews for his solo C. Rock records (not good) and listened to a few snippets, which were less than thrilling, so I decided to continue to follow Spock's and say goodbye to my soul-brother, Neal. My dream of seeing "Snow" fully realized live was now gone.

After a long hiatus, I began a gradual return to Neal thru my love of Transatlantic. Whirlwind is one of the best albums of the past decade as is the live dvd. I decided to go back in time (figuratively) and pick-up with Neal and his solo career. I was apprehensive at what I might find, but decided to dive into "Testimony". I was glad I did! It is a phenomenal concept album, with the first disc being a masterpiece. I then skipped ahead to "Sola Scriptura" which is just incredible and heavy. I then picked-up "One" which is not quite as solid, and a bit more preachy, but has many good prog songs on it. "Lifeline" was a failure in my book, but I wanted to get a live DVD to see Sola performed and Testimony. This seemed like a good mix of old and new, including some Transatlantic and Spock's thrown in for good measure. After reading many reviews on DPR and Prog. Arch., I decided to get this one.

So, after much build-up, here is my review of the DVD: Awesome! The cinematography, picture, and sound are great(esp. for stereo: LPCM 48/16 on both discs!). Disc 1 is the main concert and,if you have the most recent Spock's Beard DVD, was filmed at the same place (by the same crew?) the following night. Neal is excellent, playing guitar and keys, and belting out the vocals. There are a few flubs here and there by Neal when singing, but they are minor and forgivable from a guy putting on a nearly 3 hour show and playing 2 instruments. The show covers all the pre-Lifeline solo material plus some Spock's stuff. Two long medleys encompass Testimony and "?" albums, which the band executes perfectly. Sola is pretty much in total represented and One gets represented with the excellent Creation. The show is executed so well the time just flies by! A minor gripe would be: no 5.1 surround mix. Another would be the exclusion of some of the great tracks from Testimony and One-Author of Confusion would have been spectaular! Disc 2 is another treat and includes more songs from "?" and One, as well as Transatlantic and Spock's. The bonus video of the hour and 20 mins. concert is not of the highest quality visually, but musically it is fantastic. There is also an acoustic on the fly version of Bridge across Forever included on this disc, as well as an hour and 40 min documentary on the Sola tour (which I have yet to dive into). Needless to say, the addition of this material makes this set an excellent value, with the second disc clocking in at 3+ hours! If you are worried about Neal sermonizing, it is pretty minimal, with most of it coming during the Testimedly and the bonus "?" performance on disc 2 (as are more of the religious songs).

If you like Prog-rock, Transatlantic, Spock's Beard, and Neal Morse, I don't think you can go wrong with this DVD set. It is a spectacular presentation of what prog can be and, if you are not religious (I'm not-at all!), there is nothing over the top/in you face in that dept. Pick this up, and grab a copy of Testimony 2 while your at it: Truly great stuff from a musical genius!

This is essential for any Neal Morse, Spock's Beard fan. The production quality is excellent. The content is very inclusive.
I will have to admit.....It was hard to watch this in one sitting though.
This is because it is so long. There is plenty of music on this disc.
But if you are a prog fan; longer is better...right?

I am not disappointed with this purchase at all.

I have never seen someone put so much heart into their performance.
This DVD is pretty much perfect. Almost 3 hours of music from Neal that is played nearly flawless with a band of great musicians will not dissapoint. Even though I'm a non-believer, listening to Neal sing these songs gave me chills and made me really feel the music. His love for his music is truly shown here.
The second disc is loaded with a lot of great extras. The ? tour songs are also of great quality, and the acoustic version of Bridge Across Forever is awesome.

You will not be dissapointed with the purchase of this DVD!