Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The more I listen to TSO, the more I LOVE this stuff. In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to pop in a few of these albums (as recommended a few years ago to me by NazPastor)... GREAT STUFF. A mixture of your mom's Christmas records and metal... very clean and fun to listen to.

Here's a little Wiki:

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8 million concert tickets and 8.5 million albums. The band's musical style incorporates classical, orchestral, symphonic, and progressive elements into hard rock and heavy metal. The band is most famous for their series of rock operas: Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, Beethoven's Last Night, The Lost Christmas Eve (the final installment of their Christmas trilogy), and their two-disc magnum opus Night Castle. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also known for their extensive charity work and elaborate concerts, which are complete with a full orchestra, a massive light show, lasers, dozens of pyrotechnics, moving trusses, video screens, and other effects that are synchronized to the music.

Both Billboard Magazine and Pollstar have ranked them as one of the top ten ticket-selling bands in the first decade of the new millennium.

I had one of their albums for a while and it just didn't stick with me. Being a combination of instrumental and vocal (with instruments) tracks is part of what kept me from wanting to listen to it repeatedly. I'm just not a fan of instrumental music.

I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who "didn't get it". I like some of their tunes, but not enough to go buy them. I am, however, sick of their version of "Carol Of The Bells" as our local WAY-FM plays it like every 20 minutes or so. Don't they have any other songs?

TSO haters....

For the music to really stick, you have to read the story that goes with the album from the liner notes. Musically, they are top-notch, and the story that is woven into each album is done so in a very good manner. The creator of the stories (whose name escapes me right now), from what I have read, is a devote Catholic, and so the stories have a great deal of spirituality to them. It has been a while since I read the stories, but essentially they revolve around God sending an angel into the world to find something. As the stories unfold, they have a wonderful ability to share a story of hope and restoration in them.

These projects are very concept album oriented, and if you don't like concept albums, it is not surprising they wouldn't appeal to you. However, I recommend you going to see a live show if possible. The stories are woven together, and there is a narrator who tells ties the songs together. The show is incredible with pyrotechnics and laser lights. I won two front-row tickets to see them a few years ago and I was blown away (it was actually my second time seeing them live, but first time up close). I think anyone who loves a good concert would be hard-pressed to have a bad time at a TSO concert.

Love TSO, though I also admit that it's sometime hit and miss. I don't love every song on every album. But when they're "on", they are seriously good!

And don't be knockin' "Carol of the Bells"!

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I won two front-row tickets to see them a few years ago and I was blown
away (it was actually my second time seeing them live, but first time up
close). I think anyone who loves a good concert would be hard-pressed
to have a bad time at a TSO concert.

If I ever win tickets, I'll go!

Quote :

And don't be knockin' "Carol of the Bells"!

If you turn on one of Nashville's two CCM stations or even the jazz station that goes all Christmas this time of year, you will literally hear this song at least twice and hour. It gets old. Really old. I am putting this song right up there with "Little Drummer Boy" with Christmas songs I don't really care if I ever hear again.

Wow, I never knew that about their concerts. Sounds like it would be a cool thing to see around Christmas... unfortunately (like most bands these days) their winter tour evades California.

LOVE TSO! I've seen them three times, last year was the long promised tour for Beethoven's Last Night, and it more than delivered. Jeff Scott Soto did an excellent job with Jon Oliva's interpretation of Mephistopheles.

I agree that they can be hit of miss. The long-delayed Night Castle was pretty disappointing. I'd recommend Beethoven's Last Night or The Lost Christmas Eve as their strongest albums.

I'm actually surprised that Carol of the Bells would be over played. I thought it was Sarajevo 12/24 that they played all the time (it was actually an old Savatage song from Dead Winter Dead). In fact, they regularly raid the Sava-vaults for songs and ideas. Back To A Reason is another old Savatage tune that they redid on Lost Christmas Eve.

If you guys like TSO you should check out Neil Zaza's One Silent Night.
This is the 10th anniversary so maybe Neil will finely give us a new version on CD or maybe do a real Live Video. I have Volume 1 and it flat ROCKS!!
I would post a Youtube link but since I an new it won't let me so---.
Neil is a believer and a super cool guy.

Ascension wrote:

If you guys like TSO you should check out Neil Zaza's One Silent Night.
This is the 10th anniversary so maybe Neil will finely give us a new version on CD or maybe do a real Live Video. I have Volume 1 and it flat ROCKS!!
I would post a Youtube link but since I an new it won't let me so---.
Neil is a believer and a super cool guy.

Wow! That's some cool stuff Ascension!!

Ascension wrote:

If you guys like TSO you should check out Neil Zaza's One Silent Night.
This is the 10th anniversary so maybe Neil will finely give us a new version on CD or maybe do a real Live Video. I have Volume 1 and it flat ROCKS!!
I would post a Youtube link but since I an new it won't let me so---.
Neil is a believer and a super cool guy.

According to Amazon there is Volume 1, but there is also a Volume 2 out since 2007.

Sounds really good, but I am not that interested in strickly instrumental albums. Are there any lyrics in these, or are they strickly instrumental?

nazpastor wrote:

Ascension wrote:

If you guys like TSO you should check out Neil Zaza's One Silent Night.
This is the 10th anniversary so maybe Neil will finely give us a new version on CD or maybe do a real Live Video. I have Volume 1 and it flat ROCKS!!
I would post a Youtube link but since I an new it won't let me so---.
Neil is a believer and a super cool guy.

According to Amazon there is Volume 1, but there is also a Volume 2 out since 2007.

Sounds really good, but I am not that interested in strickly instrumental albums. Are there any lyrics in these, or are they strickly instrumental?

This set is instrumental the live shows are not. Neil has an incredible sense of melody and sticks to the original lines a good bit so this one as far as instrumental CD go is as good as it gets. Hopefully with this being the 10 year he will do a new live DVD this year but--.

nazpastor wrote:

Ascension wrote:

If you guys like TSO you should check out Neil Zaza's One Silent Night.
This is the 10th anniversary so maybe Neil will finely give us a new version on CD or maybe do a real Live Video. I have Volume 1 and it flat ROCKS!!
I would post a Youtube link but since I an new it won't let me so---.
Neil is a believer and a super cool guy.

According to Amazon there is Volume 1, but there is also a Volume 2 out since 2007.

Sounds really good, but I am not that interested in strickly instrumental albums. Are there any lyrics in these, or are they strickly instrumental?

Both TSO albums I own have both vocals and instrumental.....

Would love to see 'em live as they put on a fabulous show....

Sorry Guilty/Forgiven I'm not a TSO fan.

I seen these guys in St. Louis a few years ago. After they did the whole TSO show they took a 5 minute break and then the band came back and played another whole hour playing some savatage , Rainbow, MSG, and malmsteen songs. It was awesome.

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then the band came back and played another whole hour playing some savatage , Rainbow, MSG, and malmsteen songs. It was awesome.

Wow, that would have been amazing !

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Sorry Guilty/Forgiven I'm not a TSO fan.

That's ok, can't win 'em all

The first time I noticed TSO, was a vid on youtube with a christmas light show. See the link.

I enjoy em even though I have no music of them in my collection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szLmAPW39uE

Can you image being the neighbour?