Major Impacts

Major Impacts

ASIN: B00004U05A

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
With Major Impacts, Dixie Dregs/Kansas/Deep Purple vet Steve Morse attempts to give fans an aural portrait of the origins of his wide-ranging style. Rather than merely perform tunes associated with this guitar hero's guitar heroes, he has composed 11 tunes that reflect the styles of his influences. "Derailleur Gears" sets the tone, managing the tricky feat of evoking Cream-era Clapton without sounding like a slavish imitation. Stylists from Jimi Hendrix to Roger McGuinn to John McLaughlin are represented here, and all are readily recognizable. "TruthOla," a tribute to Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, and Alex Lifeson, falters only in its homage to the original Beck, offering the legato leads of Johnson and the suspended chords of Lifeson, but none of the riding-the-ragged-edge surprise of the Great One. Morse's greatest success, though, is creating a collection of instrumentals that will please even nonguitarists. --Michael Ross

Tracks:

Derailleur Gears
Well, I Have
TruthOla
Migration
Led On
The White Light
How Does It Feel?
Bring It To Me
Something Gently Weeps
Free In The Park
Prognosis

Amazon.com

With Major Impacts, Dixie Dregs/Kansas/Deep Purple vet Steve Morse attempts to give fans an aural portrait of the origins of his wide-ranging style. Rather than merely perform tunes associated with this guitar hero's guitar heroes, he has composed 11 tunes that reflect the styles of his influences. "Derailleur Gears" sets the tone, managing the tricky feat of evoking Cream-era Clapton without sounding like a slavish imitation. Stylists from Jimi Hendrix to Roger McGuinn to John McLaughlin are represented here, and all are readily recognizable. "TruthOla," a tribute to Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, and Alex Lifeson, falters only in its homage to the original Beck, offering the legato leads of Johnson and the suspended chords of Lifeson, but none of the riding-the-ragged-edge surprise of the Great One. Morse's greatest success, though, is creating a collection of instrumentals that will please even nonguitarists. --Michael Ross

Customer Reviews:

Another Great Album by Steve Morse.......2006-08-14

I don't think Steve Morse gets anywhere near the praise his talent entitles him to. But...Don't take my word for it. Buy it and decide for yourself.

Inspired musical gems.......2005-05-18

I'm not sure if I'm qualified to review such an epic guitar work as this due to my lack of technical skills in the area of string wizardry. But I will say that these original pieces nail down perfectly the feel and sound of the artists that inspired them. "Well, I Have" is a classic sounding Hendrix tune with all the trademark suspended scalar runs and wah-wah touches you know and love about the man. "Bring It To Me" has a thick and raunchy sound that would make Leslie West of Mountain proud. Prognosis features an incredible overlay of picking and strumming melodies in irregular time signatures that are reminisent of Kansas and Yes. But these tracks are just extremely well-written tunes that stand alone regardless of whether or not you are familiar with the artists that inspired them. I prefer Major Impacts I to Major Impacts II simply because it is a heavier sounding rock n' roll album. But Major Impacts II features great Aerosmith and Ted Nugent tributes as well.

More Than a Tribute Album.......2004-02-07

The thing I like most about "Major Impacts" is that the songs stand up even if you don't know Morse is aping the sytles of other guitarists. Everyone knows Morse is a great technician when it comes to playing, but his compositional skill on these tracks is impressive, even when--as in the case of "Derailleur" and "Truth Ola"--I have trouble connecting the sound to Creem and Jeff Beck, respectively. It doesn't matter.

My favorite cuts are probably the last two on the CD, "Free in the Park" and "Prognosis". The first lays down a nice bluesy Allman Brothers groove, and the second is an intricate Prog Rock sendup of (mostly) Yes and (a little) Kansas. Listen carefully, BeBop Deluxe fans, and you might hear one or two Bill Nelsonesque glissandos. Great stuff.

In fact, I wish Morse would have been a little more progressive on this album, he has progressive roots, and Magna Carta is a progressive label. For example, I'd like to see him play in the vein of Steve Hackett when he was with Genesis and wouldn't mind hearing him try something even less commerical, like Alan Holdsworth.

However, the biggest disappointment for me, and to keep it in perspective, it's only one out of eleven tracks, is the Byrds' influenced cut, "Migration". Morse has the jingle jangle rhythmic sound down, but I would have liked it more if he would have played lead in the style of Roger McGuinn when McGuinn was at his peak as a player. The lead in "Eight Miles High" is a good example, but there are plenty of others spread out all over the "Fifth Dimension" and "Younger than Yesterday" albums.

Oh, well, you can't have everything. Fans of good guitar playing and solid instrumental composition will like this one.

morse fest.......2003-12-28

Great,great album. For those who likes guitar, there is the funny game of trying to discover which guitar hero style is Steve Morse playing on each song, but also as always these are great original compositions from one of the best composers which casually plays guitar.
For those who just simply likes good music, this is probably the most easyly accesible album from Steve, but as I said, great guitars and compositions as always.
Great job also from Dave Larue, one bassist which should be more recognised.

Variety Deluxe.......2003-07-02

I have been aware of Steve Morse's guitar ability since the 70s, and I have had the pleasure of seeing him back in the 80s. This CD is great for those who, like me, like variety. To me this is how radio ought to be. It is a cool idea very well done. If you like instrumental rock with taste, this is for you.

Average customer rating:

You can't hate this album.
Fairly decent but.......
When will Amazon let us choose 6 stars ?
How does this guy keep doing it?
Happy to hear this stuff!

Major Impacts, Vol. 2
Steve Morse
Manufacturer: Magna Carta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001BUBZW
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Tracks:

Wooden Music
Where are you?
Errol Smith
Cool Wind, Green Hills
Organically Grown
12 strings on Carnaby St
Zig Zags
Abracadab
Tri County Barn Dance
Air on a 6 String
Motor City Spirit
Ghost of the Bayou
Leonard's Best

Album Description

This year has been a busy one for rock guitar virtuoso Steve Morse. In addition to his heavy touring schedule with Deep Purple and his own Steve Morse Band, he found time to record "Major Impacts 2", a successor to his stellar Magna Carta debut, 2000's "Major Impacts".

Widely hailed as an innovative alternative to the more standard tribute album, Morse's "Major Impacts 2" concept sees him paying tribute to his influences -- not with direct covers but with original tracks that recall the style of his heroes, filtered through his own interpretive sheen. Not only does it showcase his incredible versatility and inventiveness as a guitar player, composer and interpreter, it also provides a window into how he became the guitar player he is today.

"When Magna Carta came to me with the idea, I liked it immediately because it was such a challenge," Morse recalls. So many people do tribute albums where they simply cover the songs, but this was so totally different: I didn't want to fall into the trap of being derivative, so I tried to come up with a few things that would identify a style and what that artist or composer has meant to me."

In deciding whom to pay homage to on the record he deliberately avoided targeted research, choosing instead to rely purely on his long-term musical memory. As such, we hear flavors of bluegrass and Cajun music Morse heard as a teenager in Georgia (he even plays his grandfather's fiddle on one track, "Ghost of the Bayou"); the swinging '60s sound of The Yardbirds and The Hollies ("12 Strings on Carnaby St."); Bach counterpoint ("Air on a 6 String"); guitar interpretations of Keith Emerson's organ playing ("Organically Grown") and Steven Tyler's distinctive vocal style ("Errol Smith").

Like its predecessor, "Major Impacts 2" features the guitarist's regular collaborators and Steve Morse Band members: bassist Dave LaRue and drummer/percussionist Van Romaine. Morse, who also played all keyboard parts and violin, produced the album, his third on Magna Carta.

Founding member of the fusion rock band, Dixie Dregs, and a member of Deep Purple since 1996, Morse adheres to the notion that his approach to playing and writing hasn't changed over the years, despite the many hats he wears and style bases he covers. Indeed, it's his chameleon-like musicianship that is captured so perfectly on the multi-faceted "Major Impacts 2".

Customer Reviews:

You can't hate this album........2005-09-06

Even if you're not a rock fan, this album is a really good asset to almost any collection. I think this is especially enjoyable for guitar players who can appreciate the brilliant playing involved.

I can't pick favorites but I really love Air on a 6 String. It's a guitar solo in the style of Bach and you can tell. I printed out a tab to this and it's a lot of fun to play and a lot of fun to hear. You can even play it for your grandma.

I even really like the Tri County Barn Dance, and I hate country and I'm not a fan of blue grass.

The track called "Where Are You" is one that really sticks out to me as being one that he really hit the nail on the head as far as trying to sound like a band. That sounds like the lost Who song to me.

I'm going by memory here because I don't have the cd with me but another I remember thinking was great was "Motor City Spirit," impacted by Nugent, Deep Purple, and Spirit. Even before I read the sleeve on the inside, I recognized that lead as a tribute to Ritchie Blackmore playing Highway Star. The guitar solo on Highway star wasn't that impressive to me but I don't think Blackmore is that good. But Steve made the style awesome.

Just an over all great album. I can really relax to the slow songs and drum my desk to the hard rock ones. Just buy this album and listen to it any time you want.

Fairly decent but..............2004-07-12

As a guitarist/teacher, I've been a Steve Morse fan for a long time, mostly from the Dreggs. He is still quite the musician, but this cd lacks backup players, lacks material, and mostly lacks ENGINEERING!! It is poorly recorded for the most part, no sizzle, no punch, and drums that sound like they were recorded in a garage....certainly no challenge for any stereo system. I thought Magna Carta was a much better company that this production proves. The cd is borderline listenable....with a few decent tracks mixed in. C'mon Steve...you can do MUCH better than this!! You are still THE MAN....even though this cd doesn't prove it.

When will Amazon let us choose 6 stars ?.......2004-06-18

One of the really fun things about Major impacts 1& 2 is seeing your guitar hero as a 'fan' .. seeing him as a guy who is humble enough to look at someone else's innovation and talent, and recognise it as such; to be able to picture him at the front of a gig doing all the stupid things we all do when the mood takes us.

Steve Morse is humble enough to make more than a passing nod to his influences. Major Impacts is not "Oh, I listened to a great deal of 'Howling Racket' when I was younger" and the implication being, "and of course I have left them far behind in the phosphorescent wake of my own talent". With Steve, we have someone who pays true homage to his heroes and influences, and not just lip service in order to win 'brownie points'.

The style of this album, as is noted elsewhere, is very much unresearched ... it seems to come over without a plan .. a bit like our own record collections and memories, and is all the better and fresher for it.

As for the music, from the first bars of Wooden Music, it was clear that Steve has put more energy and an even higher level of compositional skill into this second batch of influences. There are only a few moments of "typical Morse", and that, to me, is a REAL bonus ... let me explain.

The problem with instrumentalists and instrumentals is that over the course of 15 or so albums, the repeating of any phrases, tones and chords sequences is going to be noticable .. much more so than in a song, where words and lyrics take the place of the solo instrument. Whilst Steve has created more diversity and innovation in his music than most other players out there today, over 15 or so albums, there is always a tendancy to say "oh, that is the same phrase as "Marco Polo" or " thats the same riff from "Battle Lines"

Not so with this record, and HUGE credit to Steve for that ...

If anyone has a rack full of Steve Morse records ( going back to the brilliance of "What If" ) and has any sort of sympathy with the feeling, "Well, I have 15 Dregs/Morse records, perhaps I can give this one a miss" ... DON'T.

From Bach ( sheer brilliance ) to the Bayou, this record is fresh, energetic, exciting and represents just about the pinnacle of Steve's innovation and writing skills.

I would love to meet this guy .. my true 'hero' and an inspiration. Thanks for putting the effort into becoming this brilliant at what you do.

How does this guy keep doing it?.......2004-05-15

I've been a fan of Steve Morse since 1978, when I first hear the Dixie Dregs' "What If" on a 8-track my cousin had. This guy is absolulely amazing. "Major Impacts 2" is no exception to his tradition of musical excellence. The Hammond B3 patches on "Organically Grown", the CSN vibe on "Wooden Music", I could go on and on but he captures everything he attempts perfectly. Yeah, he's a monster guitarist, one of the best electric guitarists ever, but he also is an excellent composer. Listen to the interplay of instruments on his records versus some of the other "shred" guys. Oh, they can play fast, but few, if any, musicians who just happen to play guitar can touch Steve Morse.

Do yourself a favor. Buy this CD, turn your stereo to "11" and prepared to be amazed!!!

Happy to hear this stuff!.......2004-04-17

I've been a SM fan since 1980. I've got everything he's done including (what I consider to be)the ill-fated Kansas stuff. So, like any fanatic, I've got to get the latest. And this is the GREATEST! The subtlety and strength is amazing. I'm a keyboard guy green with envy. Not to mention that Steve covers most of my main influences. Steve, artistry in the age of Britney is not rewarded other that by my abject praise. Keep it up. History, if not the market, will reward you.

Average customer rating:

Major Impacts, Vol. 2
Steve Morse
Manufacturer: Avalon Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock Guitarists | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

British Invasion | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000BHL6R
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Tracks:

Wooden Music
Where Are You?
Errol Smith
Cool Wind, Green Hills
Organically Grown
12 Strings on Carnaby St.
Zig Zags
Abracadab
Tri County Barn Dance
Air on a 6 String
Motor City Spirit
Ghost of the Bayou
Leonard's Best

Album Description

Japanese edition of 2004 album features 13 tracks. Avalon.

Average customer rating:

Major Impacts
Morse , and Steve
Manufacturer: Magna Carta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000LWIWZM

Average customer rating:

Major Impacts 2
Morse , and Steve
Manufacturer: Magna Carta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000LWIBZ8

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