Despite not being an official member and not appearing on the studio albums, Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation) has often joined the band during live shows. However, due to illness, Ted Leonard (Spock's Beard, Enchant, Thought Chamber) stood in for him during the 2014 tour. Leonard also joined the band during the 2022 tour.
Formation
Originally intending to include Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos, Morse and Portnoy tapped Flower Kings guitarist/vocalist Roine Stolt when Matheos was unable to participate. The band completed their lineup by adding bassist and progressive rock veteran Pete Trewavas from the group Marillion and Edison's Children. Before Transatlantic, the first moniker the band came up with was "Second Nature".
SMPTe and Bridge Across Forever (2000–2002)
Their first album, 2000's SMPTe (a play on words, as both a combination of the members' last initials, as well as a common machine time protocol used in high end recording studios) received strong critical reviews, including "some of the best progressive rock music ever written" (Robert Taylor in AllMusic).
A subsequent tour of the United States led to a double live CD, Live in America, and a video of the same name. The band showed their musical heritage on the live CD, presenting covers of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever", as well as a medley of Genesis' epic "Watcher of the Skies" and "Firth of Fifth". The band also released another double live CD/DVD called Live in Europe in 2003; one standout is the version of "Suite Charlotte Pike" that includes covers of tracks from The Beatles' Abbey Road album.
Though SMPTe contained the 31-minute opus "All of the Above", the band's second studio album, 2001's Bridge Across Forever, found the band flexing their muscles further in the long form for which progressive rock is known. The CD contained just four tracks, the 26-minute "Duel With the Devil", the 14-minute "Suite Charlotte Pike", and the 26-minute "Stranger in Your Soul" making up the bulk of the disc, with the title track coming in at a relatively scant five minutes. The limited edition also contains a cover of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". In November 2001, the band toured Europe. As an added bonus for progressive metal fans, Daniel Gildenlöw of the band Pain of Salvation sat in throughout the tour, playing keyboards, guitars, percussion, and vocals.
Years of hiatus (2002–2009)
Morse left his regular band Spock's Beard in October 2002, stating "God wants me to do something else," which meant leaving the mainstream prog scene to launch a new career as a Christian musician. This move also included ending his activities for Transatlantic. Portnoy reacted: "This spells the end of Transatlantic as I wouldn't possibly consider continuing it without him." A live DVD of the tour was released in late 2003.
In the years to follow Morse continued to collaborate with Portnoy both in the studio and on stage. Morse' concerts frequently included one or more Transatlantic songs. A three-quarter reunion took place on 23 August 2008, when Stolt and Portnoy joined Morse at the Three Rivers Prog Fest in Pittsburgh for "We All Need Some Light" and "Stranger in Your Soul".
Reunion and The Whirlwind (2009–2013)
On 16 April 2009, it was officially announced that the band had reunited and begun work on a third studio album. The album was released in October 2009 and consisted of a single 77-minute title-track The Whirlwind. A special edition of the album was also released, including a second disc with four additional original tracks and four cover tracks. Additionally, a deluxe edition was released, which included a DVD documenting the making of the album. The album reached No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard Heatseekers chart.
The band toured North America and Europe in April–May 2010 in support of The Whirlwind. Dubbed the Whirld Tour, the band was again joined by Daniel Gildenlöw on stage.
In February 2013, the new Neal Morse band (with Mike Portnoy) and the Flower Kings started a European tour together which was followed by a gig in Los Angeles in May. Each band performed a set with their own songs and the encore set featured Transatlantic songs performed by Morse, Portnoy and Stolt supported by members of the two bands with special guests Jonas Reingold and Randy George alternating on bass. The encore ends with eleven musicians on the stage.
On 10 March 2013, Pete Trewavas announced at the Marillion Weekend Convention in Port Zélande, the Netherlands, that he would be going to Nashville in the Summer to record new material with Transatlantic. Neal Morse confirmed this to DPRP.
Kaleidoscope (2014)
On 30 May 2013, Mike Portnoy announced that they had finished writing a new Transatlantic album. It featured five songs (two epics and three 'normal length' ones) plus eight covers for the bonus disc. The album was released in January 2014. A world tour of the United States and Europe followed, including a performance on the "Progressive Nation at Sea" cruise created by Mike Portnoy. The band played two shows, with the first featuring the entire Kaleidoscope album and the second including guest performances by famous progressive rock artists such as Jon Anderson of Yes. On 11 September 2014, Kaleidoscope won Album of the Year at the third annual Progressive Music Awards.
The Absolute Universe (2019–2022)
Transatlantic recorded its fifth album, The Absolute Universe, and released it on 5 February 2021.
On 5 June 2021, Mike Portnoy announced on his Twitter feed that Transatlantic would be playing at Morsefest 2022 outside of Nashville, TN on 29–30 April 2022 as a warmup gig for Cruise To The Edge. It was subsequently announced that both The Absolute Universe and The Whirlwind would be played in their entirety at these shows.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_(band)
Studio albums
SMPTe (2000)
Bridge Across Forever (2001)
The Whirlwind (2009)
Kaleidoscope (2014)
The Absolute Universe (2021)
Shine
Transatlantic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But can't you feel there's something there
Waiting like a silent prayer
'Cause this is our fading away
And there's nothing we can do
Little we can hold on to
But to let our lonely light come through
While this moment slips away from us
Shine while the skies are turning gray
And so we Shine
Like there's nothing they can take from us
We want no one left behind
While we Shine, Shine, Shine
The spotlight's on you
But can't you feel there's something more
Breaking just beyond the door
If the light of the world lives in you
Then no matter where you go
You can let the darkness know
There's a little light left in your soul
And so we Shine
While this moment slips away from us
Shine while the skies are turning gray
And so we Shine
Like there's nothing they can take from us
The love leaves none behind
While we Shine, Shine, Shine
Shine, Shine, Shine (repeat x3)
2 words away
None safe to say
Souls fly away somehow
Day after day
So many fall away
So let's shine the way now
And so we Shine
While this moment slips away from us
Shine while the skies are turning gray
And so we Shine
'Cause there's nothing they can take from us
This love leaves none behind
When we Shine, Shine, Shine
Shine, Shine, Shine (repeat x2)
Watch 'em shine
Watch 'em shine for you
(The dreamer and the healer
They wait for you
The dreamer and the healer
They wait for you)
The lyrics of Transatlantic's song "Shine" are a call to shine our inner light while we still can, even in the face of hardships and darkness. The first verse mentions a feeling that something is coming, a fading away that will leave us with little to hold on to, except for our own light, our own soul. The chorus talks about shining, urging us to do it while we still can, before the moment slips away and the skies turn grey. The second verse talks about the potential for something greater, beyond the spotlight and the door, reminding us that if we tap into the light inside, we can let it shine for the world to see. The bridge is a somber reminder that time is fleeting, that words left unsaid and souls lost can haunt us, but that shining a light can lead the way for others.
Overall, the song is a message of hope and encouragement, urging us to not let ourselves be swallowed by darkness or despair, but to shine our inner light and let it guide us and others through tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
Tuesday you're OK
We're doing alright for now
But can't you feel there's something there
Can't you sense that something is about to change?
Waiting like a silent prayer
This feeling lingers like a quiet hope
'Cause this is our fading away
We're in the process of slipping away from each other
And there's nothing we can do
There's nothing that can be done to stop it
Little we can hold on to
We're grasping at straws to hold onto anything that remains
But to let our lonely light come through
All we can do is shine our light, even if it's just a lonely flicker
And so we Shine
We need to shine through the darkness of the situation
While this moment slips away from us
As time passes and we grow apart
Shine while the skies are turning gray
Shine even when things are gloomy and uncertain
Like there's nothing they can take from us
We won't let anyone take away what little light we have left
We want no one left behind
We don't want anyone to be left in the dark
While we Shine, Shine, Shine
We need to keep shining our light constantly
The spotlight's on you
Your moment to shine has come
But can't you feel there's something more
There's something bigger and better beyond this moment
Breaking just beyond the door
Something great is about to happen, just a step away
If the light of the world lives in you
If you have goodness within you
Then no matter where you go
It doesn't matter where you are
You can let the darkness know
You can shine your light and illuminate the dark
There's a little light left in your soul
You still have hope and goodness within you
2 words away
We're so close to each other
None safe to say
But we're unable to express ourselves
Souls fly away somehow
Our souls are drifting apart, and we don't know how
Day after day
Each day that passes by
So many fall away
So many people are lost and left in the darkness
So let's shine the way now
We need to shine our light to guide them to safety
'Cause there's nothing they can take from us
No one can take away our light and our love
This love leaves none behind
We'll make sure no one is left behind or forgotten
When we Shine, Shine, Shine
When we keep on shining our light
Watch 'em shine
We can watch others as they shine their light, and be inspired by them
Watch 'em shine for you
Their light can be a guide and a beacon for you
(The dreamer and the healer
The ones who dream and heal
They wait for you
Are waiting for you and your light
Contributed by Liliana N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Arzooman
I love Roine's solos. Incredibly melodic and emotional.
drumdtheredrumdthat
Something these guys do right before Roine dives into his solo in this and other songs is a key change which makes it even more impactful. Keep rocking us Neal and company!
Metalion Music
Agreed, he has such a distinctive and emotionally powerful style/vibe when he solos (and in general)!
doni donovan malik
Yes !!!!
Eagle Eye Productions
Roine Stolt is one of the most under-rated guitar players out there. His solos are so soulful an beautiful. Amazing band. Everyone is equally awesome!
Dudy Dude
I'm amazed and just shocked that this band is done playing together.
Amazing group of guys. So much talent in this band!!!
Metalion Music
If more people listened to and were emotionally uplifted by this song (and songs like it), our world would be a better place. I guess we just need to... shine 😉... and keep making music to "shine the way."
Matheus Manzano
This guitar solo is perfection. It has a feeling that few guitarrists have, as it reminded me a lot of Steve Rothery's type of solos.
Eduardo Carvalho
One of my favorite bands of all time! Went to their concert in San Francisco last year, small venue, few people, just special!
SDMF20
Love Roine's voice and solo on this track. Can't wait for the full album!