Testimony: The Inspirational and Spiritual Journey of a Prog Rock Musician

by Neal Morse

From the obscurity of dozens of California bar bands and nightclubs to the heights of some of the most prestigious concert venues worldwide, Neal Morse recounts the events that led him though the maze of musical, personal and spiritual experiences that shaped his life. Starting from his first musical endeavors as a child, Neal bears his soul as he recalls the pitfalls, heartaches and temptations along his journey.

This hard-hitting, inspirational expose' takes the reader from Neal's club days to the formation of Spock's Beard and from the rigors of musical and personal burnout to the wondrous joy of spiritual fulfillment and purpose. The book spans approximately 230 pages in paperback form, and includes photos from all stages of Neal's life.

Genres: Music, Biography, Christian

231 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jeff McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really blessed by this book. Neal Morse is the vocalist/songwriter/musician behind such great prog bands as Spock's Beard, Transatlantic and his own solo work, and I have been a huge fan of his music for more than ten years now. After his first solo album, I even tracked him down via email and offered my services to be his drummer on the road (since the album was mainly studio musicians). It did not come to anything, but the desire was there...and still is. So maybe that helped me to devour this book in just three days, but even if you are not a fan of his music, this book still has a lot to offer.

You see a man, growing from a boy with a desire for music, struggling through his teen years in the California music scene, getting involved in all the typical raunchy lifestyle you can imagine, just running his life into the ground more and more; then he shows how in hindsight God was prodding him little by little in areas, until his final conversion in his late 30s. The journey is rough, the sin is bad, the road is very rocky, but the end is a blessing.

Just prior to reading this, I had finished reading the biography on Dream Theater and Sammy Hagar, but of course this music related biography had a different journey and ending, and reveals so many amazing little workings of God in this man's life that brought him to the amazing music journey he now gives us.

[Florin Constantinescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little on the short side, and some chronology was confusing in the beginning as the time frame kept switching between the 80's and the 90's, but otherwise this is as much from the heart as anything Neal does.
How did I miss this when it was released back in 2011 and only got to read it now I'll never know...

[Hippychick2112 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting testimony

Riveting testimony of how much God loves us and pursues us, if we only accept Him. I was amazed how the Lord kept Neal through all his exploits and delivered him from his sins. I am not a musician but I am a lover of music and enjoy progressive rock, especially Spock's Beard. It has been a real blessing to me to hear my favorite kind of music with Christian undertones. And now, with the Neal Morse Band, I can really appreciate it because it's all about our loving Savior! Thank you Neal for enriching my life with awesome music and the best message of all, Jesus Saves!!!

[David Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read.

Well written story of Progessive Rock musician Neal Morse. His story of how God pursued him and how Neal finally realized it was God.
Neal's music is great and so is his story.

[Joe Faust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morse courageously gives a warts-and-all account of his conversion to Christianity, with guest appearances by members of Spock's Beard, Mike Portnoy, and a mention of Kevin Gilbert(!). A lot of references to the albums of the same name - keep 'em handy if you've got them.

[Jaime Martínez de Velasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to have (almost) full context on why one of the most talented musicians on prog rock history left such a promising band and career. Also a great spiritual reading on a soul's troubled path on Earth and how God interviened here and there to make Neal come to righteousness.

[Raleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

What a great Testimony of what the Lord can do if we just follow him! I can't recommend this book enough.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, interesting read. I found it interesting to read the path he took to the Lord and how the Lord was working in his entire life.

[Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jornada de conversão do Neal Morse (Transatlantic/Spock's Beard/Neal Morse Band). Livro inspirador e de fácil leitura. Morse é uma benção na vida de muitas pessoas.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Neal Morse last year, starting with Transatlantic, which lead me to Spock's Bead, and then very recently his solo work. I'm in awe of his playing prowess and his songwriting genius. His songs in all three bands have a strong spiritual element which appeals to me, and his output shows he's an endless source of creativity. Where does he get it all from?
Seeing him live last week, I bought his book after the gig. As a big fan of his music, I wanted to find out what it was like being in his bands, and as a sometime church goer who wishes he had stronger belief, how he found his faith.
I devoured this book in about three days. I was enthralled reading about his days of drink, drugs, DUI's, women, and spiritual bankruptcy, and then how he turned his life around by finding God.
I would have loved to have read a bit more about what it was like being in Spock's Bead and Transatlantic, personality dynamics, and the writing process in those bands. I still don't know how Neal got that good at playing all his instruments! He mentions starting at age 9 and practicing a lot, but I'd have been interested to read in a bit more detail about how his playing and composition skills evolved.
Overall though this was a great read though. Neal has an interesting roller coaster of a life story to tell and, regardless of your religious beliefs, you can't help but be inspired by this book.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this on a number of levels. It was interesting to hear Morse's story, especially since I was a fan before he was born again and remember when he left Spock's Beard feeling like it came out of nowhere. I appreciated hearing about his personal journey in parallel to the personal journey I was familiar with. Morse doing the reading made the story that much more personal and powerful and I really liked when he sang or played clips from his music. While Morse describes his actions these days as directed by God, regardless of who is in control, I really appreciate his ability to speak to me, a non-Christian, through his music while simultaneously being able to reach Christians in a very deep way. This appreciation I have was only compounded by learning the story behind the man.

[Marilou Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an amazing book. The story behind Neal Morse's climb from the depths of despair, to following in the path of The Lord. He believed in what God told him what he needed to do and was rewarded with a happy life. Neal is very honest about his early life and the poor choices that he made. But he was drawn to The Lord and, even though he resisted it at first, he was ultimately rewarded by his faith. He has created great, positive, thought provoking songs ever since. He is happy and doing something he loves to do. I loved this book! Highly recommended!

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice and inspirational read, straight from Neal himself. As I said previously, it was eye-opening to read firsthand the details from Neal's earlier life prior to his success at age 35 with Spock's Beard...I had no idea. It makes his ultimate rebirth and current life that much more inspiring and joyous. My one complaint of the book, and it's minor, is that there's not a lot of insight into his music...as a huge fan of his music, his writing, his lyrics, etc, this would have put the book even more over the top, but that's just the fanboy in me...in any event, this is definitely worth the read!

[Janne Paananen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vallan erinomainen elämänkerta Neal Morsesta, yhdestä viimeisen parinkymmenen vuoden mielenkiintoisimmista progemuusikoista. Kirjassa on hyvin keskeisessä osassa Nealin uskoon tuleminen ja sitä edeltäneet kristilliset ja maalliset pohdinnat. Nämä asiat kulkevat kirjassa käsi kädessä muusikon epävarman uran kanssa sivuten esimerkiksi Spock's Beardia ja Transatlanticia. Kirja on rehellinen kuva miehestä, joka on kulkenut kivisen tien ja tehnyt kovan työn tullakseen menestyksen kynnyksellä tilanteeseen, jossa joutui valitsemaan maallisen tai hengellisen tien välillä. Ja kuinkas sitten kävikään :-D

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provided an interesting glimpse into the life and conversion to Christianity of Neal Morse. Neal is one of the modern musicians that I admire most. His writing is creative and dynamic. This book documents his struggles and eventual surrender to God. I really admire Neal's sense of integrity and his willingness to jump in with both feet. He shows that God has a plan for each of us, and that God can use even rock music (and progressive rock, at that) to touch people and change their lives!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a long time Neal Morse and Spock's Beard have been one of my all time favorite bands, sitting just under the "top five" spot of #6, as Spock's released album after album I'd noticed the lyrical direction take a turn that felt spiritual, yet remained somewhat ambiguous as to its intended meaning.

Testimony serves to set the record straight on all the ambiguity as you follow the inner struggles and journey of one of the most prolific, and epic song writers of the 20th century.

[Erick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was everything Michael Sweet's "Honestly" was not. Neal is humble, engaging, and real - not a bit of pretense and pride in his "testimony." As much as he could make it about him, he doesn't - pointing only to God and the journey that he has been led on thus far. A powerful and inspirational book - a must for fans of Neal as well as those looking for some spiritual encouragement.

[Guillermo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about the life changing experience of one of the most talented songwriters and music artists from our times. Good book, but it really goes to fast and focuses more on his religious upcoming rather than on his music journey.

[David Stimpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really dont know what to think ..god has answered Neals prayers ...