So wait, Jamsman and RobWebster hijacked my thread? This has turned from a great idea to a testament to how much I suck to high comedy, which... actually makes a lot of sense. Anyway, since I have to live up to what I said, and I make way better lists than James and Rob, it's finally time to fulfill that which was originally ordained and make this happen.
To everyone that posted an idea that I didn't do: I didn't necessarily hate the idea, but some of them looked like they would be too time consuming to do any justice.
Definitely looking forward to Reap's ginormous quote-filled reply.
You said it sir.
Top 5 of the Top 5 choices posted here...
Tin
Since you're the first one to suggest it, your post is the one I'm quoting. The first five lists in this thread are the ones I found most interesting/fun to do from 5th to 1st. Any other lists I did will come afterwards.
Top 5 overlooked songs,
The Way It Used to Be - It's one of DT's few melancholy pieces. The fun/happiness of the music contrasts with the wistfulness of the lyrics. Lots of great individual sections that add up into a nice piece of music.
Don't Look Past Me - Just listen to the song. If the bridge section doesn't get you, I'm not sure you have a soul. Has one of JP's best solos (I even forgot it when I was making my last best JP solo list), and some of KM's best work both lyrically and on keyboard.
These Walls - A lot of songs seemed discussed on this board purely because they're controversial. This is understandable, but still a bit of a shame. For example, These Walls isn't the best song, but it's solidly done and has a few good moments. For example - the bridge after the solo. Rudess's string section is so emotionally compelling. Also, this has some of the best atmospheric work of any DT song during the verses. So why is this song seemingly never talked about?
New Millennium - This song is so industrial and metallic and cool. And the instrumental section is one of DT's best.
Light Fuse and Get Away - This song is so badass and cool. CD's vocals just don't work. Fortunately, JLB's performance of this on WDADRU does it some justice, and I actually - I swear I'm going to say this - think most of JR's keyboards are an improvement over KM's and improve the tone of the song.
Top five uses of samples
Top five songs to kill a romantic mood
Top five moments in backing vocals
Samples:
Don't Look Past Me: I wanna feel bad about this
Take the Time: Hold on now, wait a minute, come on / the Cinema paradiso sample during the soft part of the bridge
Space Dye Vest: Everything
Honor Thy Father bridge section: Not necessarily the samples themselves, but the way they're woven into the music
6:00 intro: Such an iconic moment
Top five songs to kill romance:
Burning My Soul - Just no
The Dark Eternal Night - Same thing
In the Presence of Enemies - Fantasy usually has nothing to do with romance, unless you meet a girl in sexy cosplay at comicon
Wither (Think about it for a second. "I Wither, and render myself helpless." That's the last thing a guy wants before things get heavy)
The Best of Times - Terrible subject matter
Backing vocal moments (This is another list of just the first few I could think of. I'm sure I forgot tons of great and maybe better moments):
"We can hope, for the future, but there may not be one" (Not sure if this counts, but I loved when MP did it on LSFNY)
"In Peaceful Sedation I lay half awake..." The whole chorus
The AROP chorus. Such a great harmony and use of vocal texture
The Forsaken chorus
Strange Deja Vu last chorus "I just can't help myself, I'm feeling like I'm going out of my head..." (the acapella snippet of this on the making of Scenes is well worth hearing)
(Three lists for the price of one here. This was the best of the multi-request posts)
top 5 exemples of JLB's cheesiness,
How can I not do this? Note that cheesiness doesn't mean not good and/or inappropriate to the song.
TKH Marquee - This is one of my favorite vocal performances by any singer ever, but it's so over the top. It's impossible to take seriously in any deeper emotional context than "YES, THIS IS SO HEAVY, MUST ROCK OUT AND BE METAL AND BE A SLAVE TO IT!!!!"
LTL F# - Dude, I mean come on. Somehow, it actually works in the context of the song's legitimate message about trying to move on after an AIDs diagnosis. But it's still cheesy. I'd argue that a lot of things that are legitimately impactful are acually cheesy though, so I guess it makes sense. This is too deep for this thread.
Another Day - Also a weird one to have on here. If I showed someone this song and then told them "JP wrote the lyrics about his dad dying of cancer," the dissonance between that and the 80's balladiness of the song would be unprocessable.
Through Her Eyes - Yep, you should have expected this to be on here. No further explanation needed. Honestly, almost any track from SFaM could have been on here in some capacity. JLB takes the lyrics so seriously. Except for Home (which is really about infidelity, not the story) and One Last Time (somehow works), I find it impossible to take the lyrics as seriously as they're portrayed.
Top five Dream Theater beards, by member and era.
This is a titanic challenge which I must tackle with the utmost time and seriousness. With great apprehension, I put my hands to the keyboard and hope my picks are sufficiently justified:
MP's blue metal beard - Look, I thought it was cool. I wish I could find MP's explanation for why it was blue, but I thought it was legitimately funny. Even if this is only number five, it has to be on the list.
JLB's facial hair - I think it's helped him age very well. While I'd definitely rather he grow his hair long again, he could only do the 80's glam metal/fabio look for so long. And while I'm not sure DT's trying so hard to be "tough" now, JLB's goatee actually did help maintain a greater aura of aggresiveness with the music.
MP's pre-metal facial hair - For whatever reason, I think that MP's facial hair before it went crazy was a great look for him. Had some personality to it while still being something that doesn't look oddly youthful.
JR's Wizard beard - More for what it symbolizes than how aesthetically pleasing I find it. The building of JR's wizard mythology has been an evolving collaboration between Rudess and his fans. I don't know where it started, but over time it grew and grew. JR's site had wizard branding, he was shown as a Wizard in the Octavarium cartoon, and the myth has reached its apotheosis with JR actually wearing a wizard beard. Even though I think the beard itself only looks okay (my favorite JR look is actually the LSFNY style), the meaning within the grey furs is too much not to put on this list. I wonder what his wife thinks though?
JP's Fully Grown in Bear Hair - While I enjoy JP's I&W and ToT looks, their time has passed. As JP moves into an older phase of his days of rockitude, the one look that's sufficiently age appropriate while still being metal is the bear look. Long hair, with full facial hair.
Rank John Petrucci's looks throughout the eras. (I&W/Awake Petrucci, 6DOIT Petrucci, TOT Petrucci, Super Saiyan Petrucci, Beartrucci)
- 6DOIT Petrucci - Very short lived, and thank god. He looks old, but not in a dignified way. No pizzazz. No fun. Just awful.
- Super Sayin Petrucci - I enjoy this look a lot because it's so out there and kinda works. Points have to be deducted though for the weird goth pants he sometimes wore on Gigantour. They're amusing, but eeehhhh. Maybe Petrucci feels the same way about them I do. Amusing to do once, not a permanent look.
- ToT Petrucci - This look thankfully has a healthy following. It had a sense of "hipness" to it while still being age-appropriate. Maybe the best DT style in terms of how well it was pulled off relative to the difficulty of doing so.
- I&W/Awake Petrucci - This is in many ways my favorite Petrucci. He looks like he's always having so much fun and is on top of the world. It's silly, but that's part of the fun. And Petrucci totally rocked on stage during this period, at least during the I&W tour.
- Beartrucci - This is at the top, but it's not quite right to call Beartrucci a single look. Pre-8vm Beartrucci was interesting but not great. He looked like a young guy with too much facial hair. And the FII version with the shorter hair was painful. But once he made the decision to grow his hair back in during the 8vm tour, everything was different. With the switch to short hair and the Road King Amp, Petrucci was becoming something that wasn't John Petrucci anymore. More shredding, less melody, less colorful and more dirty riffs. Not that Petrucci didn't make some good/great stuff during this time, but the magic was going away. Then Petrucci grew his hair back, started using the Mark IV again, and turned out two very good guitar albums. (SC has three of his best solos, and his performances on BCSL are more dominant than on any other DT album). While I do legitimately like Petrucci with shorter hair, the truth for me is undeniable - the length of Petrucci's hair is directly correlated with how well he plays guitar. So I hope it stays long, and at this point he'd look goofy without the beard.
Poor ReaP 
I knew this thread was a good idea, but the level of responds is overwhelming. Here's all the other lists I did. Hope you enjoy the answers.
Top five DT album sound quality
Okay, the first four are all easy. I consider them all good sounding albums.
Awake - My personal favorite DT album in terms of production. In addition to the high quality of the sound, I think more than any other the production on this album enhances the mood/feeling of the album.
Images and Words - As much as this album is flawed in terms of production, I can't imagine it sounding any other way
FII - For some reason though I have it at number three. Maybe it's a personal backlash against the people who say it's the best produced DT album, which I don't find true. While it's really great (I do have it at number three), I find a lot of little things that bother me. The guitars can be weak at times, sometimes certain things are too loud or soft, and for some reason the vocal mix rubs me the wrong way.
Train of Thought - Okay, the mastering on this album makes it sound small and too present to the point where it's impossible to turn up. But the mix is incredilble. The balance between the sounds is great, Myung's bass is devastating, and I love the overall vibe.
Eh, what to put at number five? BCSL is too compressed. Six Degrees has no dynamic rang. SC is too drye. WDADU has nice balance but is very lo-fi. Both the Botrill and Shirley mixes of Scenes have issues. Let's cheat a little and go here:
BCSL covers disc: Dynamic range, but not so much it stops being tight. It's present, but not so much that you can't turn it up. It feels a little too much like a band playing in a studio with super optimized sound quality, but that's okay with me. It's a very satisfying experience. One of the best produced CD's I've heard by any band.
Top 5 'Coulda Been' Songs. The top 5 DT songs that could have been among the best and most popular in their discography, but for one detrimental aspect (or multiple), are not.
- Raw Dog with ending samples. The ending is still really cool, but I wonder what could have been.
- Lines in the Sand with the last section before the final chorus reinserted (10:31 on CiM). I really miss this when listening to the album version. Makes the end so much more satisfying.
- In the Presence of Enemies without The Reckoning. If the cool floor tom beat + electronicy synths had turned into a big guitar solo or something other than circus music it could have elevated ITPOE into a top 5 DT song. The ending could have been improved too.
- Prophets of War with different lyrics. I really like the dance section and the ending riff. I feel like this could have been at least a solid song with much better lyrics. They weren't even discussed on the CiM documentary, which I think should say something.
- A Nightmare to Remember with something different after the eight minute mark. The first half of the song is killer, but then degrades horribly in quality.
Top 5 kick drum patterns
Kick drums (the top three I'm very sure of. The other two are a little more iffy):
Scarred 4:03 - 4:16
Glass Prison 6:44 - 6:58
Strange Deja Vu 0:31 (awesome fill. All the random fills in the first verse are great. One of my first "this is an amazing band" moments)
Under a Glass Moon (the intro)
The Glass Prison Main Riff (1:42 - 2:11)
On a serious note, top 5 instrumental sections (defining "instrumental section" as more than just a guitar and key solo).
Caught in a Web (I admit this is probably a nostalgia pick. The atmosphere in this is very unique though)
Metropolis (Very entertaining)
Blind Faith (Just one great moment after another)
New Millennium Jam (So underrated. Very spacey and groovy)
Octavarium Full Circle (Pure brilliance from start to finish. Unquestionably the best DT instrumental)
Top 5 DT songs that don't contain a B flat.
Cool idea, but I don't have a remotely good enough ear to even know which songs fall into this category.
this sounds like it could be an interesting thread.
how does top 5 Bass lines sound?
I'm going to just do the first five good ones I think of. There's no way I can listen to every DT song.
ITPOE Pt. 2 FX Intro - So intersting and sets the tone so well. The simplicity is a huge feature in this case.
ITPOE 1st Verse - So creepy and contributing to the atmosphere.
Anything in Trial of Tears - A bit of a cop out, but it's true.
Medicate Bassline - Obvious, but needs to be there. All the bass on Octavarium is actually written extremely extremely well.
The melodic harmonic at the start of Another World - Starts at 13:50 and keeps going until the percussion enters. Beautiful work. It's a little more audible on the LSFNY version.
Top 5 Dream Theater songs that are under 4 minutes in length.
Wait, that's all them isn't it?
Hahaha.
Top 5 turns of phrase in JM-penned lyrics
This is basically a "my favorite parts of Learning to Live and Trial of Tears" list, sorry about that:
There was no time for pain
No energy for anger
I may have wasted all those years
They're not worth their time in tears
I may have spent too long in darkness
In the warmth of my fears
Listening to the city
Whispering its violence
Still awake
Bringing change, bringing movement,
Bringing life
Spread before you is your soul
So forever hold the dreams
within our hearts
Through nature's inflexible
grace
I'm learning to live
Honestly, while I think all those moments are great because of how they sound or because they're interesting, I'm not sure JM's really a "turns of phrase" guy. For instance, I can't think of any moment in his lyrics like "So you tell me 'trust me' I can trust you as far as I can throw you" in Lie. I think KM was more the turns of phrase guy personally. JM lyrics are about the whole of them.
Top 5 JP lyrics
1. Scarred
2. Voices
3. Lines in the Sand
4. The Ministry of Lost Souls
5. Forsaken
Top 5 DT moments to be listening to/playing on the loudspeaker as the celtics win the 2011-12 NBA championship (as in when the final buzzer goes off in game seven) 
A Change of Seasons from 20:10 on. I feel like this is a little more poignant than is appropriate for the moment, but it's all I have.
Top 5 DT songs you can fap to.
No.
Top 5 Aniland's threads.
Oh no you didn't.
Top five song intros?
Top five choruses?
Both basic, I know, but I'd still be interested.
I can't think of a top five for either of these. But I would say:
The Peaceful Sedation Chorus is definitely one of their best. Pull Me Under is super catchy, and I really love the one for Forsaken.
The intro for TCOT is my favorite, I had a huge smile on my face the first time I heard it. And I think the intro of TOWHTSTS is extremely underrated. Lots of bass harmonics, a cool guitar solo, and unique space pads.
And I'm done. I created a monster, but finally I confronted it. If I see another idea that I think is super interesting I'll do it. But otherwise I think I've had enough of these.
Topic: [UPDATED!!!] I - ReaPsTA - Will Make a Top Five of Anything DT Related (Read 15926 times)