Re: Split Decision, Steve's weakest effort yet.

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: It's weird to me why a 'HUGE fan' of 19-20 years would write such a long review that essentially trashes the album and leads you to believe that Steve is slacking off. : Being 42, I think I know what Zep sounds like and "most of it sounds like re-hashed Zepplin" is not even close. Be for real. Half of the album is mellow, and the other half maybe has a few phrases that if you thought about it, sound like Zep. I saw Dream Theater last night and when they played a tribute to Mettalica, I realized how alot of what they play sounds similar to that style of music. Big deal. Their music is still great stuff. : I have every single Dregs/SMB/DP/Kansas album that Steve plays on, and most of his guest appearances, and I tend to agree with him when he says Clear Memories "has a feeling that I've never recorded before". You appear to appreciate High Tension Wires, but when a tune on his new CD sounds like it belongs on HTW, you complain. : How could a HUGE fan say... : "Apparently Steve has entirely forgotten what it's like to have written cool music" : I think a lot of his fans disagree. : "makes an attempt to write something interesting" : I think Steve is one of the hardest working guitarists out there, and I believe that down to his core, he is always trying to write something different and interesting. If anything, I think people probably are spoiled by the constant variety of music he puts out, and how unique each and every album he produces is. : I don't drool over every solo and song, but I see no reason to focus on picking apart the weaker parts or the things I don't like. Why not talk about the good things instead? If there is anything I've learned reading articles about Steve is that he rarely, if ever, has bad things to say about other performers. Don't you think you could afford him the same courtesy? : And this is not meant to be a flame. After all, it's only my review of your review. : John : : : : Please let me preface this by saying this IS NOT A FLAME meant to start a war up here. These are my honest feelings as a HUGE Steve Morse fan for the last 19 or 20 years. : : It brings me no satisfaction to have to say this, but this is the worst offering from Steve yet. I've been a fan of Steve's since 1983, and have been one to this day, and was deeply saddened to hear the stuff on this CD. : : : : To me most of it sounds like re-hashed Zepplin. The complexity of Steve's compositions on his solos albums has continued to spiral downward since after he released High Tension Wires. At the time I wasn't absolutely thrilled with Coast To Coast or Southern Steel, but this album make those two seem like Bach. : : : : I know a lot of Steve's fans want him to "rock it out," but this is getting absurd. What happened to the complex, layered composition that he used to employ? : : After reading the liner notes, I'm convinced that Steve Morse must be suffering from some sort of memory loss. In the liner notes he says, "'Clear Memories' (track 9) has a feeling that I've never recorded before, but am very glad to have done it." : : Weird, because to me that tracks sounds like something he would have put on High Tension Wires. Apparently Steve has entirely forgotten what it's like to have written cool music like that before. : : : : The other track that to me sounds like it's from that era, is track number 12, "Natural Flow." : : A shame. : : : : This is not unlike the recent disappointments that I've been witness to when I've seen the SMB perform at a club in VA called "The Birchmere." : : : : I haven't gone in 2 or 3 years (don't even know if he's played there). But I did go for four years in a row, and the show was basically the same show every year, with one or two songs changed. THAT was a disappointment. The added shock of having to see Michael Fath (I think that was his name) as the opening act every time was enough to make me want to scream. : : : : I know this is going to upset a lot of Steve Fans who like to hear him ROCK OUT, but I'm one of the people (and so are my friends) who like to hear his more complex, layered side. I hope Steve reads this, takes it as the constructive criticism it is, and makes an attempt to write something interesting next time. : : : : This is the FIRST time in my life that I actually wish I had pirated the music from online, than actually having paid for it. : : : : Rich...

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