Which side of Awake do you like more?

[Dave_Manchester]

This was a weird album for me in that for many years I found it to be nothing special in comparison with Scenes From A Memory and Six Degrees, whereas more recently it's become my favourite DT album.

On their last two tours the band have emphasised both sides of this record. Interested to know which of the two sides you like more.

Side One has the brilliant Mind Beside Itself suite. But it also has a couple of songs which don't quote hold up to the standard of the rest of the album for me. Whereas Side Two is nothing but inspired greatness from beginning to end. Seeing the whole of it played live was the highlight of the last tour. 

[zecawolf]

neither...my always cpontroversial opinion is that awake is the second worst DT album, behind FII.

[JayOctavarium]

As much as I love the first half, the second half wins.


The Mirror > Lie >Scarred>Space Dye are all win.


(I usually skip Lifting Shadows)

[425]

Hmm. Both of them have songs that I like and some that I don't like so much as others do. All things considered, I have to go with the second half of the album. It has lower lows (Lie), but higher highs as well (Scarred and Space Dye Vest are my favorites on the album).

[Nearmyth]

Ohhh this is difficult. I'm going to have to go with the second side though.

[jammindude]

Even though Lie is the weakest song on the entire album, the other songs make up for it.   Side 2 wins. 

[jjrock88]

close, but I'll go with the side 1

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Side 2.

And yes, cause of Scarred.

[Sycsa]

Before last year's tour, it was an easy vote for side 1, now it was a hard one, but I still went with it (because of Innocence Faded, 6:00 and Voices). Side 2 kicked so much ass live though, and was such an intimate concert experience, I halfway want to change my vote already.

[BlobVanDam]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides", but easily side A.
Aside from The Mirror, the second half of Awake is the worst stretch of music in DT's entire discography, so it's not a hard choice at all.

[Zydar]

Definitely the first.

[?]

The last two songs on the album are my favorites, so Side 2 it is.

[wolfking]

Side two, quite easily.

[Bolsters]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides", but easily side A.

My favourite side is the one that has the music on it.

[krands85]

I guess side 2 shades it for me. The brilliance of Voices isn't enough to vote for side 1!

[TheCountOfNYC]

I voted side one. Even though Scarred is my favorite from the album and I love The Mirror, the rest of side two is just ok. Meanwhile, side one has the entire A Mind Beside Itself suite and Caught in a Web. While 6:00 and Innocence Faded are my two least favorite from the album, the other four songs are enough to give it the edge.

[Cable]

I like more of the songs on side 1, but side 2 has the Mirror, SDV and Scarred. SDV and Scarred may be in my top ten. I could leave Lie and LSOAD.

[rumborak]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides", but easily side A.

I particularly like the side of the CD that has the music on it.

[Dublagent66]

Yeah, the whole side.

[hefdaddy42]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides"

This

[Crow]

Side Two has two top-5 DT songs in it, so I'm kinda biased.
Voices is fantastic, and 6:00 is great, but the rest of side one is not even top-30 material (though all still good)

Lie is my least favorite track on the album (still good) but Space-Dye Vest is another top-20 song for me

so yeah side two for sure

Also, I always listen to the album front-to-back so it doesn't matter.

[TAC]

Side Two has two top-5 DT songs in it, so I'm kinda biased.

Yup.

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides"

This

C'mon guys!

I particularly like the side of the CD that has the music on it.

[wolfking]

So, does that mean Six Degrees would have 4 sides?

[bl5150]

In the days of cassettes etc.. where most were around 25-30 mins per side SDOIT would likely have had six degrees of sides.        I have no issues with the topic - Awake was the last DT album of that era to get a (limited) genuine vinyl release .....just a bit after 1979.  Technically though it would be LP 1 and LP 2 I suppose

[erwinrafael]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides"

This

I have collected Dream Theater albums on cassette until Train of Thought. 

[Cable]

I'll take the backside. It has the nuts and bolts of the album.

[Grizz]

So, does that mean Six Degrees would have 4 sides?

In terms of album structure, DT has traditionally gone with two sides or acts, even though these usually ran longer than an LP would allow. So each disc would be a "side."
Funny enough, an LP of Awake actually does have 4 sides, which divides quite well too. The first three tracks comprise 1, A Mind Beside Itself is 2, The Mirror/Lie/Lifting Shadows is 3, and Scarred/Space Dye Vest is 4 (the best side, as Blob knows).

To answer the OP: Side 2.

[BlobVanDam]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides", but easily side A.

I particularly like the side of the CD that has the music on it.

But I like the side with the pretty label and tracklist on it!

[wolfking]

So, does that mean Six Degrees would have 4 sides?

In terms of album structure, DT has traditionally gone with two sides or acts, even though these usually ran longer than an LP would allow. So each disc would be a "side."
Funny enough, an LP of Awake actually does have 4 sides, which divides quite well too. The first three tracks comprise 1, A Mind Beside Itself is 2, The Mirror/Lie/Lifting Shadows is 3, and Scarred/Space Dye Vest is 4 (the best side, as Blob knows).

To answer the OP: Side 2.

[hefdaddy42]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides"

This

I have collected Dream Theater albums on cassette until Train of Thought. 

I still have the Awake cassette.

Scarred isn't on it.

[erwinrafael]

Yep. That was the drawback of the Awake cassette.  To leave such a good song out of tbe album.

[BlobVanDam]

It's not 1979 any more, so I don't see albums as having "sides"

This

I have collected Dream Theater albums on cassette until Train of Thought. 

I still have the Awake cassette.

Scarred isn't on it.

Ah, it was a better time.....

[Dublagent66]

Thankfully, I bought the CD upon it's release.  Can't imagine what the cassette was like without Scarred.  Can't imagine why they would release the album on a form of media that had been obsolete for 12 years.

[KevShmev]

Thankfully, I bought the CD upon it's release.  Can't imagine what the cassette was like without Scarred.  Can't imagine why they would release the album on a form of media that had been obsolete for 12 years.

 

That is not true.  Nearly every major release was still getting released on cassette in the mid 90s.  And CDs didn't really start getting popular till, what, the late 80s?

[comment]

DT Civil War:  Whose side are you on?   Wow thank God CDs ushered in an era of peace!  😀. ...  It's close, but side 2 of Awake for me.