Likes and Dislikes

[chaossystem]

I have been surprised many times by the opinions that people have posted on here about the band and their music.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as the "average" DT fan.

There have been times when I have thought that I was the only one who hated a certain song, only to be pleasantly surprised that the majority seems to agree with me.

There are albums that most people seem to feel the opposite of what I expected the majority opinion to be.

There are songs that I like that I expected more people to like, only to read what seems to be mostly negative opinions about them, or at least more so than what I was expecting.

There have been recent occasions where I would listen to one song that everybody was at the time expressing their undying love for it, only to come away feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

On the other hand, I recently listened to song that I thought was somewhat overrated, and realized I liked it more than I thought I did.

So the kinds of discussions I would like to have on here would be about all of that, but also:

Which of their live alums do you like best?

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?

Maybe there's something you would AD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?

Those are all of the questions I can think of right now.

I hope I covered everything...

[Madman Shepherd]

Their current lineup is my dream lineup.  It would be kind of cool to have seen them with Kevin Moore or even Derek Sherinian or Charlie Dominici, but I love what they're doing now and I love their energy and companionship they exhibit on stage.  So for a one off, I would love to see  different lineup but if that "dream" meant that the current band would change then I would say it is not worth it.  I like them how they are. 

[jakepriest]

1. Which of their live alums do you like best?

2. Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?

3. Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?

4. Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?

5. Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?

6. Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?

7. Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?

1. Live At Budokan
2. Beyond This Life (live at Budokan) - the instrumental jam is one of DT's best moments
3. The Shattered Fortress / TROAE - I swear to god James ruins the entire song with his "AYYYYYYYYYYY'm ready" delivery of one the best DT choruses. JP's tone sounded really muddy and the riffs in TSF didn't stand out that much as a result
4. They should never ever play TSCO live again and I wish they played In The Name of God or any other songs off ToT more often
5. Don't listen to their covers, can't say.
6. DT12 - toss out Enigma Machine and The Looking Glass and I might actually listen to it as a whole album
7. I'd bring back the guys who made SFAM and SDOIT and replace the current lineup. 

[Voices]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
With the exception of Chaos In Motion, I like every live album. But if I had to point only one, I'd say Score.

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Well, it's hard to name just one song. But The Shattered Fortress is too much powerful live, Breaking All Illusions brought even more tears to my eyes when I saw it live, Metropolis Pt. I, Afterlife and Trial Of Tears. I can think of many others, but I don't want to exaggerate 

Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
No. But I don't like when ANY song is played too much fast compared to the studio version. For example, some "These Walls" and "Blind Faith" performances with MP.

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
Blind Faith, The Glass Prison, Voices and Space Dye Vest (with THAT JP's solo) must be played more often. The Spirit Carries On and On The Backs Of Angels must take a little rest and stay out of the setlists for a couple of years.

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
Well, I like Stargazer, but I cannot comment about other covers they did, because I didn't care enough about'em.

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
No, not really.

Maybe there's something you would ADD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.
It's really hard to say something about this...but I'd say that "Surrender To Reason" should be longer, "Solitary Shell" could have a jam like the one they did in BCSL tour, and....that's all I can think of now.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?
No. DT is how it needs to be IMO. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

[chaossystem]

There are people who don't like Jordan very much and would like to see Kevin back in the band. There are even a few who think that Derek was the best keyboard player they ever had!

Jake:

1. I think Budokan has the best set-list as far as variety is concerned, other than maybe Luna Park, but I think Score is the best-LOOKING of all of their live video/dvds. Although the light show for Live in Tokyo was pretty cool, too.

2. I agree. Also think the Marquee version of A fortune in Lies, the LiveTime version of Trial of Tears, the Live Scenes versions of The Dance of Eternity and of Learning to live and the Chaos in Motion versions of Take the Time, Scarred and Surrounded are all the best versions of those songs.

3. Lie is one of my favorite songs from Awake, but whenever they play it live, James always ruins it with his vocal histrionics. Also, on the LiveTime version it sounded like they were all trying to play different parts of the song, or even different songs period, at the same TIME! There are other songs that got ruined when they were played live, but I'll get more into it later.

4. I think they bring Take the Time back too often. It's a good song, but not one that I need to hear on every other live album. Same goes for Trial of Tears. We didn't need yet ANOTHER version of that song on Breaking the Fourth Wall!
As for TSCO, maybe they could work out a new arrangement for it, and only play it every three years or so.

5. I'll just say that there are some songs that Jame's voice is RIGHT for, and some that he should NEVER even ATTEMPT to sing!

6. I like pretty much everything on "12,"  but The Bigger Picture is kind of weak and drags it down a little, so I might have left that one off. There are plenty of other songs on most of their albums that I could do without, but again, I won't go into it right now.

7. That means you would have to get rid of Mangini and bring back Portnoy! I think there are pros and cons to either one of those scenarios. Portnoy contributed a lot to the band, not just as a drummer, but in several other ways as well. I don't know much about the band's internal strife, but apparently they're getting along a lot better now, and Magini is just as good of a drummer, so who knows which would be better? Still, it would be nice to have more than one guy writing all or most of the lyrics...

Other than that you would have to turn the rest of the band into who they were during that period of time...!...

[KevShmev]

Take the Time often stands out as the song that suffers the most live, relatively speaking when compared to the studio version, and not because of the 2nd verse and JLB's verse, but because the chorus always falls flat since the "Take the time" chorus is basically either not there or weak.  I've always found it disappointing that all live DT crowds didn't sing that.  That had "the crowd sings that live" written all over it, but it has rarely worked out that way.  Factor in the poor versions where Portnoy felt the need to sing the opening section, and the song in the live setting has never touched the original.

[lucasembarbosa]

I have been surprised many times by the opinions that people have posted on here about the band and their music.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as the "average" DT fan.

There have been times when I have thought that I was the only one who hated a certain song, only to be pleasantly surprised that the majority seems to agree with me.

There are albums that most people seem to feel the opposite of what I expected the majority opinion to be.

There are songs that I like that I expected more people to like, only to read what seems to be mostly negative opinions about them, or at least more so than what I was expecting.

There have been recent occasions where I would listen to one song that everybody was at the time expressing their undying love for it, only to come away feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

On the other hand, I recently listened to song that I thought was somewhat overrated, and realized I liked it more than I thought I did.

Well... That happens from person to person, it depends on a lot of variables. I discovered the band shortly after they released SC, but the first songs I listened to were from ACOS and SFAM, while my metalhead friends who were also discovering DT started from TOT, 8V, SC... I can't say that I "hate" some songs or period in the band, but I'm pretty much into the older stuff, up to SDOIT. I feel that the fresh ideas (and the connection between the guys from the band) became scarce and don't have the same brilliance at the studio.

I personally prefer the ACOS/FII era lineup. Despite of the band's situation behind the stage, musically they were stepping on new grounds, doing a softer work but not strictly commercial (as a lot of people say) and still had space for some heavy cuts.

Now answering to your questions:

1:Which of their live alums do you like best?
2:Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
3:Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
4:Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
5:Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
6:Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
7:Maybe there's something you would AD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.
8:Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?

1:Live in Tokyo

2:I think that the new intro they've made to Trial of Tears in the last tour (at least the times they played here in South America) is a piece of art, it adds much more intensity and passion to the song. It's a pity they haven't registered it on BTFW. The live versions of The Silent Men both on 5YALT and LSFNY are great too.

3: Almost any song from I&W or Awake nowadays sounds terribly hard for James to sing. I can't even try to imagine him singing Innocence Faded...

4: They should retire for some time some songs from ADTOE and I&W and bring back more songs from SDOIT and WDADU imho.

5: The Zeppelin Medley, and the covers on BCSL were amazing, I rarely listen to the original ones. NOOOW,  the cover of Heaven and Hell is really, really bad...

6: Cut off The Answer Lies Within and Never Enough from 8V and it would be a much more consistent album.

7: Technically speaking, Derek Sherinian can't do much of what Jordan does live, it's a matter of skills. But I would love to see him creating music again with DT. He adds soul to the music at the same time he has a lot of technique. I compare DS to JR as MP is to MM. They're not the most gifted in their instrument skills compared to the following musicians, but have a lot of creativity and soul in their compositions.

[paulstfu]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
SCORE. Hands down. I like orchestras and that kind of stuff and listening 6DOIT (my fave song ever) with an actual orchestra was beyond glorious. Also, I really like LSFNY.


Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
I think the LSFNY version of Learning to Live is musically powerful, you can hear the guys putting the heart and soul on every note... And I do LOOOOOOOVE the reggae part 
Score: Afterlife, Innocence Faded, TSCO, 6DOIT, Sacrificed Sons and 8V sounded a lot better than the original (Specially 8V)
Budokan: Trial of tears.


Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
Not horrible, but I have 2 songs in mind that have ONE bad, live and official appereance:
1. The Count of Tuscany on the Happy Holidays album. There are some stunning instrumental parts, but it feels weak. And not to mention the chorus. I don't really like it
2. The Ministry of Lost Souls. I was listening to it today for the first time in months. James is amazing, but the tuning thing on JP's guitar and the MP's overplaying and missing some notes make the song a bad live rendition.

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
I don't have any songs to be on hiatus.
I do wish they play Voices, You Not Me, Hells Kitchen, Home, Honor Thy Father, Stream of Consciousness, Sacrificed Sons, and the three songs that James mentioned on the most recent interview: Take The Time, Disappear and THE MINISTRY OF LOST SOULS PLZ PLAY IT AGAIN, YOU CAN DO IT BETTER

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
I don't think their covers are better than the originals, but I love their Mother, Father cover more than the original 

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band?
The I&W Lineup.

[425]

Which of their live alums do you like best?

Live at Budokan. It has a really good setlist and a good sound.

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?

Hollow Years at Budokan! It's the definitive version of the song in my mind.

Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?

There are no songs that I think sound bad live, really, but I would say that Pull Me Under has a bit of studio magic that it never quite captures in the live performances. Particularly on the choruses.

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?

Play more often: Any of the epics. A Change of Seasons is not among my very favorites, but I think it's an absolute crime that it's been so long since it's been played live in full.

Hiatus: Unlike a lot of bands, they don't really have any ridiculously overplayed songs. I suppose it's probably time for On the Backs of Angels to take a break.

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?

I haven't heard all of their covers, but what I've heard of The Dark Side of the Moon sounded pretty cool. I'm a fan of the way The Big Medley is put together. To Tame a Land is solid. Gangland is a nice twist on the original. Unfortunately, I don't think James sounds great on Master of Puppets.

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?

Well, just by the way averages work, WDADU would be probably technically be a better album without Light Fuse and Get Away, but I wouldn't remove it. I'm a big believer in playing full albums without skipping tracks.

Maybe there's something you would AD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.

Raising the knife...

Nah, I'll take FII as it is and enjoy Raise the Knife as a fun non-album bonus. I would like to see them release nice, widely accessible studio versions of the Cleaning Out the Closet tracks, though.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?

Well, the best lineup is the lineup that works well, which the current lineup does. The only former member who could work well with them at this time is probably Derek Sherinian. It would be fun to see what Derek could come up with in working with both John and Jordan, but I'm not sure how two keyboard players would work, and I certainly don't want to lose Jordan.

I'm a Mike Portnoy fan, and I would love to see him back in the band. At this time I don't think it can happen, and I like Mangini. But I suppose my dream lineup would be: Portnoy/Petrucci/Myung/LaBrie/Rudess/Mangini/Sherinian. That would be fun.

[Setlist Scotty]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
I really like all of them, especially since there's a wide variety of songs with few repeats. If pushed to choose one, it would be either LSFNY or L@B

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Honestly, I'm a sucker for those occasions when DT heavily revises one of their songs or adds something that wasn't on the original recording. So my list would include Caught in Alice's Nine Inch Tool Garden, The Killing Hand '96, Metropolis '96, Lie (w/ Tool jam), Learning to Live '05, Surrounded '07 and Hollow Years '09. I'm sure there are others, but those come to mind right away. The only 2 exceptions I can think of would be Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv) and Solitary Shell (w/ extended improv) as I really didn't enjoy either all that much.

Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
Pull Me Under. I don't understand why JP can't more closely replicate the original guitar sound used on the studio version. Whenever they do the intro live, it sounds so weak in comparison. Right now, can't think of any others.

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
Bring back any of the songs that hasn't been played in many years. In particular, a lot of songs from WDaDU, such as Light Fuse, The Killing Hand and The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun. Also Hell's Kitchen, Lines in the Sand, Raise the Knife, The Way It Used to Be, Speak to Me, Don't Look Past Me, Home, The Glass Prison, Blind Faith, Disappear, Honor Thy Father, Never Enough and The Count of Tuscany. Of the songs to stop playing, I'd say Pull Me Under, Metropolis, The Spirit Carries On, Caught in a Web, Peruvian Skies, Fatal Tragedy and As I Am.

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
The one issue I've always had with DT's covers is the fact that most of the time they sound too much like the original - I'd rather they make the song their own, much as Jimi Hendrix did with All Along the Watchtower, VH did with You Really Got Me and Manfred Mann did with Blinded By the Light. Of the covers that they've done, hands down my favorite (and the one I feel that is superior to the original) is Rush's The Necromancer, which is DT-ized just right in my eyes. Can't think of any covers that I thought was terrible.

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
Too hard to say - I'd need more time to think that one out, and even then I don't know if I could come up with an answer.

Maybe there's something you would ADD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.
Lengthen War Inside My Head, fix the ending of The Looking Glass, smooth out the transitions of both SDoIT and IT so that they didn't feel like misc. parts spliced together, rewrite the lyrics to both SC and BCaSL, take more care in the sound and mastering of the last 4 albums, cut JP's sound down a bit on the last 2 albums, bring up JM in the mix on most of the albums and boost JR on DT12.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, whether it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?
Bring back MP for certain, as aside from his pushing for a heavier sound, I miss everything he brought. Hard to say who I'd choose between Rudess and Sherinian - I love JR, but I've really come to appreciate DS and I'd love to see what he'd bring to the band now. I'd like to see how well Tony Harnell would do in replacing JL, and maybe swap someone like Sean Malone for JM, although those are more curiosities than being a "dream" lineup.

[As I Am]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
LIVE AT BUDOKAN

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
HOLLOW YEARS

Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
ANOTHER DAY - James can't sing it!

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
PLAY MORE VARIETY FROM WDADU & FII !!!!!!!!

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
I REALLY LIKED ALL OF THEIR COVERS!

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
NONE......EACH SONG (GREAT, GOOD or BAD) HAD IT'S PURPOSE!

Maybe there's something you would ADD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.
MIKE PORTNOY ON THE LAST TWO AND UPCOMING ALBUM 

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?
PORTNOY, PETRUCCI, MYUNG, SHERINIAN (or MOORE) and A YOUNG JAMES LABRIE

[Darkstarshades]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
Score

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
6DOIT, OCTAVARIUM AND HOLLOW YEARS

Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
Endless Sacrifice, horrific.

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
BC&SL gets little love. I would kiss Petrucci's feet to see ANTR live

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
Cemetery Gates was auesom

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
Someone get rid of Honor Thy Father

Maybe there's something you would ADD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.
One more song to Train of Thought, I mean, it had 9 minutes of space left.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person.
Awesome as it is, I love them and would totally hug them.

[YtseJamittaja]

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Honestly, I'm a sucker for those occasions when DT heavily revises one of their songs or adds something that wasn't on the original recording. So my list would include Caught in Alice's Nine Inch Tool Garden, The Killing Hand '96, Metropolis '96, Lie (w/ Tool jam), Learning to Live '05, Surrounded '07 and Hollow Years '09. I'm sure there are others, but those come to mind right away. The only 2 exceptions I can think of would be Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv) and Solitary Shell (w/ extended improv) as I really didn't enjoy either all that much.


Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
Bring back any of the songs that hasn't been played in many years. In particular, a lot of songs from WDaDU, such as Light Fuse, The Killing Hand and The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun. Also Hell's Kitchen, Lines in the Sand, Raise the Knife, The Way It Used to Be, Speak to Me, Don't Look Past Me, Home, The Glass Prison, Blind Faith, Disappear, Honor Thy Father, Never Enough and The Count of Tuscany. Of the songs to stop playing, I'd say Pull Me Under, Metropolis, The Spirit Carries On, Caught in a Web, Peruvian Skies, Fatal Tragedy and As I Am.

Those two I can agree so much! I love those extended jams or alternative versions and they should do those more often in the future but I'm afraid that was also more MP thing...

[hefdaddy42]

I think DT have done a great job with the majority of their covers.

The only one I've heard that I thought was a clear improvement over the original was their cover of "Tears" by Rush. 

[Train of Naught]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
Either Budokan Score or BTFW.

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Afterlife (Score) is one of the very rare exceptions, I rarely like live versions better.

Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
Mirror/Lie during their BTFW performance, and also BAI, not the whole song, just the guitar solo (I wouldn't say horrible, just less enjoyable.).

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think they played Caught in a Web way more times than any other Awake song, so I guess I would want that one to be played less, and for the opposite, I'd like to see Peruvian Skies more often, easily the most powerful Falling Into Infinity song.
EDIT: After reading jakepriest's comment I realized TSCO is indeed way overplayed, so I'll ad that to Caught in a Web.

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
I'm not really a fan of DT's covers, they're so much better at creating their own gems than covering others, so I'll leave this empty.

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
ADTOE would be by far my favorite album if it wasn't for BTS and FFH, but it's still easily a top 3 album, maybe still #1. I don't like Repentance on Systematic Chaos, but since it's part of the AA suite I understand it.

Maybe there's something you would AD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.
I think BC&SL would benefit from a DT12-ish thing where they have a short prelude to the album like False Awakening Suite.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup? My dream line-up is their current, without a doubt, and I'm still positive that their decision to bring in Mangini was the right one.

[chaossystem]

There was a thread on here, but I've been unable to find it, in which the OP asked if Petrucci should replace the rest of the band, and who he would/could/should replace them  with.
I wanted to post this on there.

I think the band is fine as is, but if, God forbid, something should happen to John Myung and Jordan, I would want Dave Larue and Neal Morse to be the ones to step in and fill their roles.

Larue is pretty much my favorite rock bass player right now. The reason I think he's better than Geddy Lee is because Geddy over-PLAYS, and my OTHER favorite bassist, Chris Squire from Yes,-as I 'm sure most of you know-died a few weeks ago.

And if they brought in Neal Morse, apart from him being as good a keyboard player, if not better than Jordan, it would also give the band some much-needed help in the vocal department. Since Morse and Portnoy seem to be practically joined at the hip, they could bring Portnoy back or keep Mangini.
I'm good with either one.

[hefdaddy42]

Neal Morse is a talented keyboard player, but I don't think he is DT-caliber.

Also, I imagine the connection with MP is too much.

[chaossystem]

I just meant that this would be MY "dream version" of the band, but only IF something happened to Myung and Rudess. I also already mentioned that if they got Neal it would probably be a "package deal" that would include them taking Portnoy back as well, which I said wouldn't bother me.
And yes, I know that all of these things have practically ZERO chance of ever happening, but I can DREAM, can't I?

[JiM-Xtreme]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
It's between LSFNY and LaB for me. Those two pretty well represent the band at their peak.

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
The Killing Hand - LATM and WD&DR
Take Away My Pain - OIALT
Just Let Me Breathe, The Silent Man, Learning to Live - LSFNY
Beyond This Life, Hollow Years - LAB
Surrounded - CiM
War Inside My Head - LALP (love that new intro!!!)

3. Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
Pull Me Under - most versions unfortunately besides the LATM version.

4. Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
Anything from WD&DU (besides maybe AFIL and Afterlife), Learning to Live, ACoS, Hell's Kitchen, The Glass Prison, pretty much anything from Train of Thought.

EDIT: Oh god... please stop playing TSCO so often!! It's an absolutely glorious climactically beautiful piece in the context of the album but it's been played way too often these last few years 

5. Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
I love the Number of the Beast cover album - I really feel they did that one justice.

6. Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
FII - personally I would switch out Peruvian Skies and Anna Lee for Raise the Knife.

7. Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?
The "golden" line up that gave us SFAM, 6D, ToT and 8V - JP, JM, JR, JLB and MP.

[chaossystem]

Been meaning to say this for a while, so before I forget again: I don't understand why there's so much negativity about the live versions of Pull Me Under. I thought-and still think-that the LiveTime and Budokan versions are BOTH very good.

[Darkstarshades]

Pull my Finger owns them all, simply because it's the most original and the band actually changed the lyrics.
Awesome, one of DT's creative peaks.

[425]

Been meaning to say this for a while, so before I forget again: I don't understand why there's so much negativity about the live versions of Pull Me Under. I thought-and still think-that the LiveTime and Budokan versions are BOTH very good.

I wouldn't say that I feel negatively about Pull Me Under live. In my opinion, there's a magical element to the studio version. Particularly the singing on the chorus. I don't know exactly how to say this, but when I first listened to Pull Me Under, I was blown away by how clean and pretty the chorus was. It floats, really. Now, it would be totally unreasonable to expect the band, especially JLB, to pull off this kind of magic live, and I don't expect it. I think most live performances of Pull Me Under sound good. But I chose to mention it because it is a song that, for me, will probably never have a live performance that lives up to the studio recording.

[BlobVanDam]

Which of their live alums do you like best?

Budokan. Such a visual and aural treat, and still their best.

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?

I'll always take studio versions over live, but the live version of Hollow Years from Budokan is noteworthy, as is Trial of Tears from the same show. Live versions of TSCO are also great, because they add something over the studio version, such as Theresa/choir on LSFNY, or JLB's improved vocals and melodies on Score.
The only majorly better live versions are the WDADU songs, which I don't care for to begin with, and that's only because the studio versions sound so incredibly poor.

As for songs that I don't like as much live, Blind Faith, Disappear, and the softer parts of SDOIT. That whole album is so well created in the studio that I think it loses something live. I wouldn't say it sounds horrible by any stretch though!

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?

Anything from SDOIT, but mostly THE GLASS F'ING PRISON DAMMIT. A lot of the album feels majorly neglected live though.
I'll say TSCO should be retired for a little while because it has been played to death. I still love it though. That's the only one that sticks out for me.

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?

I don't think they crapped up any of them, but I don't think any of them exceed the originals or add much. They play all of them serviceably.

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted? Maybe there's something you would ADD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.

Lop off the last half hour of dead weight from Awake (Lie onwards), and the album would easily jump up a few spots. And drop YNM from FII, and that album would nudge out IaW imo.
I wouldn't add anything to any of their albums. All of the tracks that didn't make the album have been better off that way for various reasons.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?

I musically much preferred the lineup with MP, however I wouldn't bring him back or make any changes to the band at this point. I'd just like to hear them unleash the fookin' fury.

[KevShmev]

Which of their live alums do you like best?

It's hard to pick just one. I don't watch live DVDs as much as I used to, so the newer ones will never get played as much as Live in Tokyo, 5 Years... or LSFNY.  I'll go with LSFNY since it has all of Scenes and those beastly bonus tracks.

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?

The Killing Hand sounds far better live, largely because Charlie didn't have the voice to pull off the challenging parts of that song.  The last line of the song sounds limp as hell in the studio, thanks to his limited range, but JLB slays it.  Plus, the Another Hand intro that they often do with it just makes it that much better.

Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?

Horrible is not the right word, but Take the Time never sounds nearly as good live as it did in the studio.  Pull Me Under doesn't come off well live either, largely because the intro never sounds good when played live; it's like they are incapable of nailing that vibe live.

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?

Play more: Light Fuse and Get Away, Erotomania, Voices, Hell's Kitchen, Misunderstood, In the Name of God and The Glass Prison

Play less: Constant Motion (play never), On the Backs of Angels and Pull Me Under

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is probably the only cover I have ever listened to with any regularity, but I can't say it's better than Elton John's original.

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?

Chuck You Not Me and Burning My Soul, and maybe even New Millennium, in favor of several of the songs that didn't make it, with them cleaned up of course, and Falling into Infinity, already really good, would have been great.

Also, get rid of that silly, unnecessarily long fadeout at the end of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.  Completely pointless; it didn't need to be that long.

Maybe there's something you would AD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.

Better mixing would have benefited Scenes from a Memory and A Dramatic Turn of Events. Great CDs already, but I always wish both sounded better.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup? 

LaBrie/Portnoy/Myung/Petrucci/Moore was their best and most definitive lineup, but that ain't happening again.  Really though, every lineup they have had since JLB has joined has been tremendous.

[chaossystem]

These songs aren't awful to the point of being unlistenable, but if they were gone from Awake, I wouldn't miss them: Caught in Web, The Mirror, and Lifting Shadows off a Dream.

[jammindude]

Lifting Shadows is in my top 10 all time DT songs...easily.    Especially the live version from the acoustical show with the extended intro.   

[chaossystem]

Hi jam.
Good to see you're still around.

I don't mean any disrespect to anyone who likes any of those songs.
I just don't care for them.

There also songs that I like that don't seem to be very popular on here. An early example would be Status Seeker (Mostly because I've known the type of people that the song describes.), a more recent example is Build Me Up, Break Me Down (I just like it when they DARE to be DIFFERENT!)

Anyway, I just thought of another question which is sure to stir up a lot of varied responses: Do you like it better when DT varies their set list from show to show, or do you prefer that they keep it the same, like on the Along for the Ride tour, or would something in-between be better?

[KevShmev]

A mostly static set list, with 4-6 spots rotating on a nightly basis, is the way to go.  And do not rotate songs that haven't been played in a while.  Play those every night so fans at each show gets to see them.  I think the ADTOE tour was the perfect example of how to best do set lists where DT is concerned.

[erwinrafael]

I would just answer the question on the Dream lineup. At this point in their career, I really prefer the present lineup. Not just because I am a Mangini fanboy, but doing the Mangini Through The Years thread, I appreciate how his music and playing is still growing. Even the change from ADTOE to DT12 has a noticeable leap, with new techniques being used, new orchestration ideas, etc.  If DT's music is to evolve, their best chance is to have MM who himself is still evolving even at age 50.

MP is amazing, but to my ears, his style stopped evolving at around SDOIT/TOT era. Even his post-DT work does not deviate much from that sound. He plateaud quite early and I wish that in his next records, I would hear new things from him.

[Setlist Scotty]

Do you like it better when DT varies their set list from show to show, or do you prefer that they keep it the same, like on the Along for the Ride tour, or would something in-between be better?

I definitely prefer setlists that vary from show to show. To have a static setlist is quite lame, IMO given the amount of material they have to draw from, and that in the past they didn't do static setlists. It hindered me from seeing them multiple times last year. But since the varying setlists hae gone the way of the dodo, if they could at least switch between an A and B (and maybe C) setlist, it would make it worthwhile to see them more than once, IMO.

[chaossystem]

Here's another one for you: It looks like late this year or early next year (2015/2016) there's going to be a new album, and another major tour.
How would you like them to handle it?

-Would you like it to at least start out as "evening with" shows?

-If not, who would you like them to tour with?

-How many new songs would you like to hear?
I know it's hard to choose from something you haven't heard yet, but not everyone has the same ratio of old-vs-new that they would like to hear in a live setting.

-How many of the rest of their albums would you want to be "represented" on the next tour?

-Which songs would you like to see brought back?
List as many possibilities from as many albums as you can think of

-Which songs do you absolutely NOT want to hear this time out?
Again list as many as you want.
I know the subject addressed in the last two questions is no where NEAR to being new or original, but maybe we can come up with a list of do's and don'ts that we can all at least COMPROMISE on!

[KevShmev]

Do you like it better when DT varies their set list from show to show, or do you prefer that they keep it the same, like on the Along for the Ride tour, or would something in-between be better?

I definitely prefer setlists that vary from show to show. To have a static setlist is quite lame, IMO given the amount of material they have to draw from, and that in the past they didn't do static setlists. It hindered me from seeing them multiple times last year. But since the varying setlists hae gone the way of the dodo, if they could at least switch between an A and B (and maybe C) setlist, it would make it worthwhile to see them more than once, IMO.

Yes they did. Come on, your name is Setlist Scotty! You should know this!

Or did the first leg of the Awake and M:2000 tours never happen?

[Setlist Scotty]

Do you like it better when DT varies their set list from show to show, or do you prefer that they keep it the same, like on the Along for the Ride tour, or would something in-between be better?

I definitely prefer setlists that vary from show to show. To have a static setlist is quite lame, IMO given the amount of material they have to draw from, and that in the past they didn't do static setlists. It hindered me from seeing them multiple times last year. But since the varying setlists hae gone the way of the dodo, if they could at least switch between an A and B (and maybe C) setlist, it would make it worthwhile to see them more than once, IMO.

Yes they did. Come on, your name is Setlist Scotty! You should know this!

Or did the first leg of the Awake and M:2000 tours never happen?

I was making reference to the majority of their tours, not that every single tour had rotating setlists. And for the record, the first leg of the Waking Up the World tour did change over the course of the tour, altho not from night to night like on Touring Into Inifinity, World Tourbulence or later tours. And as for M:2000, that also varied a bit (assuming you're speaking of the first NA leg), but like the Waking Up the World tour, not to the same degree as later tours. 

[Train of Naught]

Play more: Light Fuse and Get Away

YES

-Would you like it to at least start out as "evening with" shows?
Yea I'd prefer evening with shows, definitely after they've released the new album.


-How many new songs would you like to hear?
Really depends on the style they're going with for the album, but if it's anything like ADTOE or DT12 I'd like them to play the album epic, and maybe like three other songs.


-How many of the rest of their albums would you want to be "represented" on the next tour?
I don't really care that much, but I don't like the idea of rushing certain albums because they want to keep the songs played from every album balanced.


-Which songs would you like to see brought back?
Do you mean songs they haven't played for a while? In that case, I've always wanted to hear Light Fuse and Get Away live (like Kev mentioned), Beyond This Life has been a long time ago IIRC, Endless Sacrifice, Blind Faith.

-Which songs do you absolutely NOT want to hear this time out?
Absolutely not is a little bit too rough for me, but songs I'd rather see on a break are TSCO, Caught in a Web, and maybe As I Am.

[OpenYourEyes311]

Which of their live alums do you like best?
I'd pick either Score or Breaking the Fourth Wall. Was at both and both are very fun to listen to. Probably Score, because I think that DVD was done better (still waiting for the Bluray on that).

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?
I love live albums, but nothing particularly stands out as being BETTER live. I love some performances more than others: pretty much the entirety of Live at the Marquee. SO much energy; Pull Me Under from LaB; Another Won/Afterlife from Score. As for the second part, I think Chaos in Motion sounds horrible, but it's the production itself, not the songs.

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?
Play more WDaDU please. One of my favorite albums of theirs and still haven't seen about half of it live. Stop playing The Spirit Carries On please. Home is a much better alternative to overplay.

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?
I love the Number of the Beast album. Love Lies Bleeding is awesome. The Queen and Zebra covers are great, too. The only one I don't really like is the Made In Japan album. I don't think it's necessarily bad, I just think it's boring. Jamming in the style of another band just doesn't appeal to me, at all.

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?
Can't think of any.

Maybe there's something you would ADD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.
Aside from getting actual album versions of the FII demos left off, which would be awesome, I don't think anything needs to be added.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?
I like Mangini, but give me the SFAM-BC&SL lineup any day of the week.

Would you like it to at least start out as "evening with" shows?
Yes, always my first choice.

If not, who would you like them to tour with?
If they were to have an opener... I dunno, I'm not really into the kinds of openers they tend to bring. Maybe Avenged Sevenfold?... If DT were to open for someone, I would hope it would be for a Metallica World Tour.

How many new songs would you like to hear?
Doesn't matter the first time around. They could play the whole album for all I care. I'm here to hear songs I haven't heard before, so I'll take any new ones. The second time on a tour, however, they better be playing songs off the new album they didn't before. They're usually pretty good with that, though, so no complaining.

How many of the rest of their albums would you want to be "represented" on the next tour?
As long as they don't repeat too much from previous tours, they can play what they want. I guess if they played from about 75% or more of their albums, I'd be okay with that.

Which songs would you like to see brought back?
Any I haven't seen: Status Seeker, The Killing Hand, The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun, Only a Matter of Time, You Not/Or Me, Burning My Soul, Hell's Kitchen, Take Away My Pain, Anna Lee, Regression, Through Her Eyes, The Great Debate, Disappear, Repentance, The Best of Times, Far From Heaven, The Bigger Picture, Behind the Veil, Surrender to Reason, To Live Forever, Eve, Where Are You Now, The Way It Used To Be, Cover My Eyes, Raw Dog. Also I'd like to see New Millennium again.

Which songs do you absolutely NOT want to hear this time out?
Beyond This Life gets too much play for an 11-minute song. Play Home instead. Also TSCO. Play Home instead. Don't need to hear anything from Images, Awake, Train of Thought, or Octavarium, but one or two from any of those, I wouldn't get upset about.