This was posted by me in the Mike Portnoy Forum. The topic was Has an album cover made you buy an album?

Below was my response.

The cover that I remember the most was Fates Warning's Disconnected. Every time I went to the FYE, I passed by the Fates aisle and stared at the cover for a few minutes...then left the cd at the rack...At this time I had only read about Fates on DT's liner notes. This album cover intrigued me so much and caused me a lot of curiosity but it was so strange for me that it kept me from buying it. For some reason, this is the story about a CD that I remember the most (and also how my dad took me like to 5 stores to try and get SFAM by Dream Theater).

Anyways, one day I said "f... it" and bought it. That CD didn't leave my player for at least 5 months. It's one of my top 5 desert island albums...

Transatlantic - The Whirlwind

Classic Transatlantic with the TA trademark sounds. Pete Trewavas' bass lines shine throughout the record and it's probably THE surprise on this record. Roine Stolt guitar solos are great on this record. I wasn't too keen on his previous solo spots on the previous two Transatlantic albums but these ones are quit soulful. Mike's superb drumming along with Trewavas bass make up a wonderful rhythm section on this album. We all know Neal Morse and he doesn't disappoint either. As I have listened to this record several times know, I have come to the conclusion (my opinion) that 3/4 of the title track sounds very Transatlantic-ish. The final 1/4 of The Whirlwind sound more like a Neal Morse solo album with the grand finale in a typical Morse fashion. Disc 2 on the other hand has a more of a TA feel. Spinning is the highlight for me on Disc 2 as well as the Santana Cover "Soul Sacrifice". Time will tell if this another classic prog gem. This remains so far to me as the 2nd best TA album (being Bridge Across Forever the best). The bonus DVD will give you a great insight on how the recording process was done for this one. Very interesting insight!

RPWL - The Gentle Art of Music

The title of RPWL's 10th Anniversary Album "The Gentle Art of Music", says it all. It's a collection of beautifully arranged gentle songs from RPWL's back catalog. The album is dominated by strings, acoustic guitars, piano, percussions, and exotic instruments. Breathe In, Breathe Out; Cake (new song), Sleep, World Through My Eyes are the main highlights of the album although the rest have great moments as well. This is a great album for newer RPWL since the 1st disc is a collection of songs from their back catalog. The 2nd disc will definitely appeal both old and new fans. Highly recommended!

Top Albums for 2009

1) Redemption - Snowfall on Judgement Day
2) Epica - Design your Universe
3) Subsignal - Beautiful and Monstrous (for fans of the last two Sieges Even albums)
4) Nosound - A Sense of Loss
5) Katatonia - Night is the new day
5) Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings
6) Blind Ego - Numb
7) OSI - Blood
8) Dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
9) Oceansize's Feed to Feed (amazing box set)
10) Devin Townsend - Addicted
11) Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
12) Porcupine Tree's The Incident
13) Vertical Horizon - Burning the Days
14) Creed - Full Circle
15) Derek Sherinian - Molecular Heinosity
15) Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition

Notes:
-DT's Black Clouds was a return to top form. I think the next album will be a monster.
-Subsignal is an amazing band by two former members of Sieges Even....but 10x better. I definitely recommend this one.
-Creed's Full Circle is the return to top form by this band. It is very different from their previous outings.
-Katatonia's Night is the New Day was my discovery of 2009. I had never heard of this band before but now, this album is balls to the walls!
-Nosound was another 2009 discovery. Very atmospheric/post rock kind of vibe.
-Can't say enough about Redemption's album. It's my album of the year full of great lyrics and melodies topping it off with a great production. Nick van Dyk is becoming one of my favorite all-time lyricist (list includes Jim Matheos, Kevin Moore, John Petrucci).
-Devin Townsend's output this year includes Ki and Addicted. We will see a couple of more albums next year. While Ki wasn't my cup of tea, Addicted was played consistently in my Ipod. I personally prefer the 2nd half of the album.
-Vertical Horizon is one of the few rock/pop bands that I listen to. Burning the Days remains my favorite output by VH. Their signature sound never went away and Matt is also becoming one of my favorite lyricists out there.
-Porcupine Tree still remains as my 2nd all time favorite band even with The Incident down in my list. I personally feel that while the direction of the record/band was great (sounds, instrumentation, etc...), the concept of the 55 min song was a bit lacking. If the band would have carried the sound used in The Incident (i.e. Deadwing, FOABP, In Absentia) but with a different concept, the record could have been amazing. I think it The Incident was a bit dragging but still has some of PT's greatest songs: Time Flies and the 1-2 punch with Circle of Manias and I Drive the Hearse. Maybe hearing The Incident live can change my view.
-Epica's Design your Universe is the band's best record to date. It instantly blew me away!

My disappointment of the year was Transatlantic's The Whirlwind. 2nd disc sounds more TA-ish than the 1st one but still has some amazing TA moments. I think the lyrics were part of this disappointment. I think the references to God were way more obvious than TA's previous albums and that was a turn off for me. I think this record stands between Bridge Across Forever and SMPTe (BAF being their best).

Finally, I'm listening to the new 30 Seconds to Mars album...and I'm loving it. Let's see if the list changes on Dec. 31st.

PS - I'm trying to write a piece on King Crimson's 40th Anniversary show that I attended at Chicago in 2007. I think I finally undestand what Robert Fripp's gripe on cameras is...I'll keep you updated...

Winter Classic at Fenway Park - Boston.com

Winter Classic at Fenway Park - Boston.com

Posted using ShareThis

Peyton Manning - The United Way

LOL

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Prog Rock - A better understanding...

http://www.cracked.com/funny-2359-progressive-rock/

Excellent article!

Demians - Building an Empire

So far this is my favorite release of 2008 and one of the most impacting albums I've heard (this group includes Porcupine Tree's In Absentia; Dream Theater's Images and Words; and Frameshift's Unweaving the Rainbow). Think of Demians as a blend of Riverside, Opeth, Oceansize, and Porcupine Tree. The fact that Nicolas Chapel did all of the music (both writing and playing) by himiself makes this album even more outstanding. Definitely Recommended!

OSI - Blood

Excellent album! Gavin Harrison tears the drum department and Jim Matheos came up with some great heavy riffing, along with Moore's ambient keyboards and dark toned voice. The Bonus edition is a must have since it contains an outstanding heavy track featuring Tim Bowness (No-Man) on vocals. A must have and definitely an album of the year contender! OQ