Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Flying Colors
Label: Provogue Records
Release: 2013
Running time: 93:10
Rating: 5/5
Flying Colors are Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Dave LaRue (bass guitar), Neal Morse (keyboards, vocals), Casey McPherson (vocals, guitar) and guitarist Steve Morse. These are names that need no lengthy introduction, names fatefully tied to the careers of some of the most prominent bands on the planet, the ones that bank on their own sonic greatness as songwriters. From Dixie Dregs, Kansas and Deep Purple to Dream Theater, Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic and Endochine. A progressive rock »super-quintet« that dropped its studio debut, »Flying Colors«, last year.
Flying Colors are also part of the modern progressive rock current, which had its lush heyday especially in the second half of the nineties, peaking at the start of the new millennium. We’re talking about the American school of approaching prog rock. The kind where, alongside all the dizzyingly fun trickery, there’s also a nicely packaged dose of the allure of jazz, blues, even swing, dixieland and, of course, funk.
In terms of musical expression, Flying Colors are an eclectic, authentic blend of the rich musical backgrounds of the members who make up the band. The building blocks of the team are perfectly arranged in how they express their musical character. They create a first-rate platform of pragmatic creativity and mutual dialogue, where everyone is given equal exposure. Nobody is veiled or covered up at the expense of somebody else’s bigger outpost.
The live recording comes from the band’s show last year in Tilburg in the Netherlands, where Flying Colors played on 20.09.2012! The tour was short but sweet. Everything worked out great for the guys. The studio debut was well received, and the support from the crowds on the tour was excellent. Thanks to the high reputation of the musicians in the lineup. Transatlantic, for example, can afford something like that too (or rather, they could right after the release of their studio debut in 2000).
Flying Colors are flawless on stage. Why wouldn’t they be, since these artists of exceptional musical gift and talent live from day to day for just one thing. The stage! If we quickly run through the main differences from the originals, the opening Blue Ocean is stretched out a touch at the intro and the outro (an extended outro jam), the performance of The Storm is likewise tailored in the middle section to fit a longer improvisational passage, and the extended instrumental middle of Forever in A Daze is similarly given over to a bass guitar improv. Special attention goes to the chosen performances of songs belonging to the home bands the Flying Colors members come from. Above all, there’s the excellent adaptation of the Dream Theater song Repentance (the fourth part of the famous Twelve-Step Suite, which we’ll surely never get to hear live now that Portnoy has left Dream Thater). The re-interpretation of Cohen’s classic Hallellujah is another special moment of this release, where any remaining doubters can once again be convinced of the exceptional charisma and vocal chameleonism of singer Casey McPherson. McPhearson, Neal Morse and Portnoy handle the lead vocals. While the first two tackle things with total confidence, Portnoy knows he’s limited as a vocalist. So before Fool In My Heart he even begs the audience for some diplomatic help. Yes. This album is a joy to listen to if only for the witty, mischievous remarks, loaded with a proper dose of black humor, that the band members trade in the breaks between songs.
After a mellower adaptation of the Spock’s Beard song June, Flying Colors jump onto a proper progressive metal merry-go-round (All Falls Down), loaded with cues that flirt with symphonic power metal, and they save the sweetest candy for the finale, when they dive into the fantastic progressive epic suite Infinite Fire, where they can hardly hide their huge inspiration from the character and work of the prog titans Yes. Flying Colors are also extremely strong at harmonizing the lead vocals with the backing ones. That’s how the chorus melodies of Kayla, Love Is What I’m Looking For, Better Than Walking Away and/or Everything Changes develop in particular, and as such they hold a special place when it comes to “relieving” the more complex parts of the songs.
So what we’ve got here is roughly ninety minutes of fantastic execution of the entire “Flying Colors” album, plus renditions of the favorite cuts the band members picked from their rich discography of releases from their past work in their home bands. Flying Colors are a live band, and in the artistic sense, too, they shine at full strength when they’re on stage. If you get this album, you won’t even need to think about buying the studio debut. The camaraderie on stage is rock-solid, incredibly tight, and works superbly. From the chemistry between them, to the brilliant solo escapades, to hitting that rare middle ground between humor and the technical polish of the individuals who build the body called Flying Colors. Only one thing left. Give yourself over to the magic. In full. Switch off your mind and let the music seduce you.
Besides the double live CD edition, this live album is also available digitally, as a triple vinyl edition, and even on DVD and Blu-ray. The concert film for the DVD and Blu-ray was directed by Bernhard Baran (Guns n’ Roses, The Cure, Porcupine Tree), and the executive producer was Bill Evans. The DVD and Blu-ray edition also includes a 45-minute documentary called »First Flight«. For true fans of Flying Colors, and more broadly – for all fans of progressive rock, which takes in the range of bands from the members’ musical backgrounds – everything’s covered in full measure. In the audio-visual sense, too. Those who know how to treat their ears to only the best don’t think for a second about whether to add this live album to their collection of favorite albums. They’ve had it for ages.
Lineup
Casey McPherson – vocals, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar
Steve Morse – guitar
Neal Morse – keyboards, backing vocals, vocal duets, vocals
Dave LaRue – bass guitar
Mike Portnoy – drums, percussion, backing vocals, vocals
Tracklist
CD1.:
1. Blue Ocean
2. Shoulda Coulda Woulda
3. Love Is What I’m Waiting For
4. Can’t Find a Way
5. The Storm
6. Odyssey
7. Forever in a Daze
8. Hallelujah
9. Better Than Walking Away
CD2.:
1. Kayla
2. Fool In My Heart
3. The Spur Of The Moment
4. Repentance
5. June
6. All Falls Down
7. Everything Changes
8. Infinite Fire
