Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Spock's Beard
Label: Giant Electric Pea
Release: 1996
Running time: 58:12
Rating: 4.5/5
Spock’s Beard, the cult prog-rock revivalists from Los Angeles, played one of the key roles in reviving interest in progressive rock in the mid-nineties, and they pulled it off already with their excellent debut »The Light« (1995). What began as a modest project of the two Morse brothers, helmed by the fascinating singer and multi-instrumentalist Neal and the guitar virtuoso Alan, grew in less than three years into a band with soul and outstanding songwriting and arranging chops, rounded out by the superb bassist Dave Meros and drumming wizard and excellent backing vocalist Nick D’Virgilio.
Neal, who was Spock’s Beard’s main songwriter, lyricist and the author of most of the arrangements, realized soon after the release of »The Light« that his keyboard skills, which were focused mainly on modern synthesizers, were no longer enough if the band wanted to broaden its sound and bring in even more of the sonic elements of seventies symphonic prog. So for the follow-up studio album, »Beware of Darkness«, he invited the Japanese keyboard veteran Ryo Okumoto, a guy who’s been around the block and knows every trick in the book. With him, Spock’s Beard gained a master of all sorts of ‘traditional’ keyboards, above all Hammond organ and Mellotron, so it’s no wonder many people today call him the Japanese Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer).
Ryo, who became a full member of the Spock’s Beard lineup during the recording of »Beware of Darkness«, was not only a top-notch improviser but also a unique entertainer in the studio and on stage, which, to be fair, held true for most members of this fine band. Humor was a rare thing for the Beard, both in the music and in the middle of individual lyrics, but it always lightened up the serious face of most of their work. Alan Morse, a jazzer at heart, was always a fan of all kinds of guitar effects, so there’s never a shortage of interesting sounds on the individual compositions. The influence of prog giants led by Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, ELP and Kansas is evident on most of the »Beware of Darkness« compositions, while in places you can hear that the Beard guys were big listeners of Deep Purple and the Beatles back in the day, too.
Unlike »The Light«, which featured four longer compositions, »Beware Of Darkness« mostly consists of shorter pieces. The exceptions are three epics, led by the 16-minute-plus closer, »Time Has Come«. The album opens with the title track, a completely rearranged cover of a song by the ‘quiet’ Beatle George Harrison (originally from his third solo album, »All Things Must Pass«, 1970). Spock’s Beard took their cue for their interpretation of »Beware of Darkness from the version covered by the American musician Leon Russell. Out of Harrison’s evergreen, Spock’s Beard managed to craft a superb cover with a thoroughly distinctive atmospheric and arrangement stamp. Even in the original, the lyrics were a spiritual warning that an individual shouldn’t trust or follow assorted ‘peddlers’ of rotten goods, such as hypocritical religious gurus, greedy politicians and instant pop stars. Neal was already drawn to lyrics with spiritual content back then, which would play a key role in his later musical and personal path.
In the opening section of »Beware of Darkness«, the Beard guys build a pompous motif that, thanks to Meros’s bass lines and the organ passages, is slightly reminiscent of the Yes classic »Siberian Khatru«, but the composition soon takes on a completely distinctive sonic and atmospheric stamp. Morse’s melodic, versatile vocal, riding on a solemn melody, shapes a mighty chorus. The harmonic interplay between Hammond organ and electric guitar keeps the intense atmosphere going, while fiery drum fills provide enviable rhythmic dynamics. The triumphant, majestic mood is further spiced up by the female vocal harmonies that accompany Neal in the chorus.
On the far more experimentally seasoned »Thoughts«, which soon became one of their most recognizable creations, the Beard guys slyly and wittily deploy scattered multi-part harmonies along with diligent use of counterpoint, and it’s impossible to overlook the striking kinship with certain creations of the legendary Gentle Giant (say, their classic »Knots« from the album »Octopus«, 1972). Dissonant opening improvisations over a guitar effect and turbulent variations on keyboards and guitar are followed by a switch into a wild section with the aforementioned crazy vocal harmonies in the Gentle Giant style. Here Neal’s chameleon-like vocal approach complements the backing vocal crew of D’Virgilio and his brother Alan really well. Despite the distinctly experimental nature of the individual vocal lines and instrumental sections, they leave enough room for melodic, symphonic arrangements, while Neal, who occasionally uses a vocoder too, delivers one of the better John Lennon impressions out there.
»The Doorway« is the first epic on the album and is rightfully considered a Spock’s Beard classic among the fans. It opens with one of the most recognizable piano arrangements of their entire career, which later helps build a triumphant motif. The latter has a few parallels with the famous theme by the renowned composer John Williams for the blockbuster Jurassic Park. In time the Beard guys move into an energetic section with colorful guitar passages, followed by the obligatory switch into a lovely chorus with exceptionally pleasant vocal lines. Despite often building complex instrumental sections and unpredictable time changes, the Beard guys always had an exceptional ear for crafting melodic arrangements, which in turn won them quite a few fans outside the world of progressive rock, too. Numerous acoustic sections further liven up the dynamic atmosphere, which keeps shifting between serene, almost pastoral motifs and dramatic moments where they ‘go all out’, while the Mellotron provides an ethereal balance.
»Chatauqua« is a short instrumental, under three minutes long, carried by subtle acoustic guitar chords in Neal’s solo performance, and you can also listen to it as a very pleasant overture to the epic »Walking On The Wind«, where the Beard guys once again show themselves in the best possible light and stage an unforgettable sonic adventure with numerous improvisational meanders and pompous arrangements, drawing inspiration from the golden years of progressive rock. The extremely intense opening instrumental section, in the middle of which Mr. Okumoto shines above all with brilliant organ improvisations, makes room for a highly emotional vocal melody, soon joined by hypnotic backing harmonies. Special attention should also go to Meros’s melodic bass lines, which thoroughly liven up this rhythmically very turbulent composition. The peak of the piece is a solemn section with Mellotron waves and Neal’s vocal in the middle of an emotional triumph, while the closing, melancholic guitar variations set up an epic finale.
On the compact, acoustic-leaning standout »Waste Away«, Neal is once again in the lead role on main vocals and acoustic guitar, superbly shaping a very pleasant melody while mighty keyboard passages accompany him in the background. In time the fiery rhythm section crashes in dramatically, tipping this thoroughly upbeat song into far more energetic waters, after which a triumphant arrangement rules all the way to the end.
The album closes with its most ambitious composition, »Time Has Come«; a 16-minute epic and still one of the best achievements of Spock’s Beard’s whole career, where the band once again outdoes itself in successfully fusing unbridled, improv-spiced experimenting with sophisticated, melodic arrangements. The opening instrumental section contains a real epic duel between keyboards and electric guitar. This is followed by a switch into a somewhat bizarre vocal section in which the vocal chameleon Neal successfully slips into the role of a homeless addict, accompanied by grotesque sound effects reminiscent of the calls of various animals. Neal reportedly drew inspiration here from the literary character ‘Trashcan Man’ from Stephen King’s novel ‘The Stand’. The Beard guys always loved this kind of eccentric and bizarre instrumental moment, and did it right when the listener least expected it. None of this stops them from gradually shaping a very pleasant, ethereal arrangement that all lovers of the golden era of symphonic progressive rock will still be licking their lips over today.
With »Beware of Darkness«, Spock’s Beard cemented their status as the leading revivalists of the so-called third wave of progressive rock and proved that they would keep growing as songwriters and arrangers from one album to the next. »The Light« was already an outstanding debut, while on »Beware of Darkness« they managed to reach the next level of maturity as songwriters and arrangers. Down-to-earth charm, approachability and the specific humor of individual members during live shows were, alongside top-tier technical, vocal, songwriting and arranging skills, the key qualities that soon made them the audience’s darlings among the third-wave prog revivalists, within which Americans and Swedes played a key role in the early years.
Lineup
Neal Morse – vocals, piano, synthesizer
Alan Morse – guitar, cello, backing vocals
Dave Meros – bass guitar
Nick D’Virgilio – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Ryo Okumoto – Hammond organ, Mellotron
GUEST SINGERS:
Wanda Houston and Molly Pasutti – backing vocals on “Beware of Darkness”
Production
Neal Morse and Spock’s Beard
Track list
1. Beware of Darkness (5:41)
2. Thoughts (7:10)
3. The Doorway (11:27)
4. Chatauqua (2:49)
5. Walking on the Wind (9:06)
6. Waste Away (5:26)
7. Time Has Come (16:33)
