Perfect the Albums

[link2tau]

While some might argue that DT has some flawless albums, I think all of them are flawed in some way. Thus this thread. How would you take each album and make it absolutely perfect? Either by cutting songs entirely or rearranging the tracklist.

As an example, my favorite album is ADTOE. However, it would be perfect if they dropped Build Me Up, Break Me Down, and put Beneath the Surface between This is the Life and Bridges. That way the album would close with BAL, which I really would have liked to have.

An extreme example would be perfecting SC. I'd cut Repentance, Prophets, and Ministry entirely, then make ITPOE one song for the album closer. I'd open with Constant Motion followed by Forsaken and TDEN. It might not be perfect, but for what the album provides, that's as close as I could make it.

All of this is just opinion of course 

Have fun!

[RoeDent]

Every album is done the way the band wanted it at the time, so every album is perfect.

/thread

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Every album is done the way the band wanted it at the time, so every album is perfect.

/thread

I don't think the OP is condemning the band for making the albums the way they were, and I think it's a given that any reasonable person is to know that the band ultimately sets out to make the music they wanted to make.

But come on, comments like these only impede on having interesting discussion. Obviously any changes made are all opinion-based, but that's the whole point isn't it? The thread could certainly use a better title, but I'll give the OP the benefit of the doubt on this one.

While I would agree that the albums should be listened to in the way they were intended, that doesn't mean one can't wonder what could have been done differently to make the album better overall. For example, I always felt that Scarred would have made for a stronger closing track to Awake than Space-Dye Vest. And I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that Repentance could have had a few minutes shaved off of it.

[pantsofeternity]

As an example, my favorite album is ADTOE. However, it would be perfect if they dropped Build Me Up, Break Me Down, and put Beneath the Surface between This is the Life and Bridges. That way the album would close with BAL, which I really would have liked to have.

BTS ending that album is the one truly flawless thing about it!  What an ending!  AND BEGAAAAAAN TO FORGET...

To fix ADTOE, I'd change the album title back to Bridges in the Sky and the corresponding song back to The Shaman's Trance.  Then I'd cut the first two tracks, move Outcry up to open the album, and make them rewrite the ending of that song because it feels tacked-on to me.  I might consider swapping Lost Not Forgotten and This Is the Life in that case, as LNF and Outcry have similarly flavored instrumental breaks.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

As an example, my favorite album is ADTOE. However, it would be perfect if they dropped Build Me Up, Break Me Down, and put Beneath the Surface between This is the Life and Bridges. That way the album would close with BAL, which I really would have liked to have.

BTS ending that album is the one truly flawless thing about it!  What an ending!  AND BEGAAAAAAN TO FORGET...

To fix ADTOE, I'd change the album title back to Bridges in the Sky and the corresponding song back to The Shaman's Trance.  Then I'd cut the first two tracks, move Outcry up to open the album, and make them rewrite the ending of that song because it feels tacked-on to me.  I might consider swapping Lost Not Forgotten and This Is the Life in that case, as LNF and Outcry have similarly flavored instrumental breaks.

BAI is an album ender imo. I would prefer BTS be somewhere else on the tracklist, or not on at all.

[Kotowboy]

I'd give Black Clouds & Silver Linings more tracks. I find 6 tracks - 2 of which I never listen to makes for a very small choice when picking a song from that album.

[Prog Snob]

Images and Words
 -needs cowbell, otherwise it's perfect.

[MirrorMask]

I think that every album is actually well balanced and the tracklist is well thought out. Sure, we're used to that tracklist and there's no counter-proof it could have worked better, but I think they always managed to sequence the albums in the most reasonable way.

Only Falling Into Infinity could be reworked given the premise "Make a single album but use any song you want from all the sessions", I would bring in Raise the Knife and Speak to Me and sack Take Away My Pain and Just Let me Breathe, also You Not Me if needed.

[Scar]

The only problem I have with Images and Words is the snare sound. It simply drives me crazy sometimes.
For my recent listen to their self titled, The Surrender to Reason guitar solo should be gone because the lyrics itself are really powerful, as is the chorus.

[Kotowboy]

Yes. A real snare sound on Images & Words.

[Outcrier]

Train of Thought with St. Anger production. Raw and gritty 

[Kotowboy]

Still - Ah ! Swimming up Hill - Ah !

Swimming against the current - I wish I weren't so fuck yeah bay bay.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Systematic Chaos. Make ItPoE one track, get rid of the wind sound, and make it the album closer. Make CM the opener followed by TDEN and Repentance. Put TMoLS and Forsaken next and have the wind sound flow between them. Have PoW before ItPoE.

[Kotowboy]

Systematic Chaos. Make ItPoE one track, get rid of the wind sound, and make it the album closer. Make CM the opener followed by TDEN and Repentance. Put TMoLS and Forsaken next and have the wind sound flow between them. Have PoW before ItPoE.

If you had audacity or something you could do that yourself.

I'll do it for you if you want

[TheCountOfNYC]

Systematic Chaos. Make ItPoE one track, get rid of the wind sound, and make it the album closer. Make CM the opener followed by TDEN and Repentance. Put TMoLS and Forsaken next and have the wind sound flow between them. Have PoW before ItPoE.

If you had audacity or something you could do that yourself.

I'll do it for you if you want

I've put the album in that order but I never adjusted the wind sounds.

[JMSE]

DT12 - Make that nugget at the end of the album its own song and a bit longer.

BC&SL end ARoP with the instrumental section instead of redoing the chorus.

[Crow]

here's my take on DT12:

[425]

I think IAW is perfect, but my copy doesn't have the end of Pull Me Under?? It just cuts off?? Can somebody help me fix this??

[DragonAttack]

Some day, I am going to discuss {bore?) people on the album sticky threads.

For starters, for I&W, 'Under A Glass Moon' is deleted on my cdr.  Great intro, but am not a fan of the Iron Maiden-ish chorus.  Just my personal preferences and likes interfering, and will dodge the thrown stones as needed.

[jakepriest]

This is the way I actually listen to the albums:

I&W: cut Another Day and Under A Glass Moon
Awake: cut Erotomania - Silent Man
Systematic Chaos: merge ITPOE Pt. 1 & 2, cut TMOLS, open with Constant Motion
BC&SL: more keyboards, less guitar in the mix
Dream Theater: listen to TEI and skip to IT which has the orchestral part cut out
WDADU:

I think IAW is perfect, but my copy doesn't have the end of Pull Me Under?? It just cuts off?? Can somebody help me fix this??

 

[seasonsinthesky]

This is the way I actually listen to the albums:

I&W: cut Another Day and Under A Glass Moon
Awake: cut Erotomania - Silent Man
Systematic Chaos: merge ITPOE Pt. 1 & 2, cut TMOLS, open with Constant Motion
BC&SL: more keyboards, less guitar in the mix
Dream Theater: listen to TEI and skip to IT which has the orchestral part cut out
WDADU:

Totally agreed on SC but I'm flabberghasted on I&W and Awake. Why you'd drop A Mind Beside Itself on an album that has such an abysmal opening three song run, I can't understand at all – same with how any song could be dropped from I&W.

(I realize, though, that the opening 3 songs of Awake get a lot of praise, so I'm sure you're not alone.)

[Dave_Manchester]

Taking this thread in the light-hearted spirit it's presumably meant, without worrying too much about sacred 'artist intentions' and all that (to me) nonsense...

The main one would be to lose the live songs from A Change of Seasons and instead have a 3-song EP of A Change of Seasons, Eve, and To Live Forever. If fact I say 'EP' but that would actually be the same length as Yes' Close To The Edge and Relayer albums.

Most of the other albums I can't significantly improve upon. To nit-pick - I'd find a better home for the brilliant chorus of A Rite of Passage. I'd delete Lost Not Forgotten from ADTOE and transplant its solo to some other part of the album (thus making a perfect album), I'd send Prophets of War packing and have it take at least half of Repentance with it. Portnoy's growls in Nightmare to Remember can go, and I'd chop off that awful keyboard 'solo' in The Shattered Fortress. Finally I'd find a way to include Petrucci's live guitar solo played at the end of Through Her Eyes (on Live Scenes From New York) on the studio album, thereby making a very dull song into something much better. Likewise they should have used that amazing guitar solo that appears at the end of Finally Free on the 'Making Of' CD (before it goes silly I mean).   

[Crow]

Why you'd drop A Mind Beside Itself on an album that has such an abysmal opening three song run, I can't understand at all

if i were to cut anything from Awake, it'd be Lie, and really, not all of it either. probably not at all tho, it's still pretty solid even if it's a bit weaker than the rest

[jakepriest]

Totally agreed on SC but I'm flabberghasted on I&W and Awake. Why you'd drop A Mind Beside Itself on an album that has such an abysmal opening three song run, I can't understand at all – same with how any song could be dropped from I&W.

(I realize, though, that the opening 3 songs of Awake get a lot of praise, so I'm sure you're not alone.)

I love Caught in a Web and Innocence Faded. I just do not get the love for A Mind Beside Itself. To me it's full of either unmemorable moments of outright annoying melodies (yes, I'm looking at you Erotomania)

[pantsofeternity]

I've always thought the Awake track list wasn't quite right.  Hmm, what is my ideal track order?  Maybe:

• Caught in a Web
• Innocence Faded
• Scarred
• 6:00
• LSOAD
• Mirror
• Lie
• Space Dye Vest
• Erotomania
• Voices
• The Silent Man

[Dublagent66]

Perfect the Albums?  Is that something like, yeah the hell?   

BTW, nothing is perfect.  However, if anything DT related comes closest to it, that would SDOIT.

[energythief]

I'd hire an outside author for The Astonishing (and The Count of Tuscany).

[home]

Train of Thought with St. Anger production. Raw and gritty 

Oh yeah, St. Angers amazing snare is just what ToT needs!

[BlobVanDam]

St Anger production all around! Just imagine IaW with that distinctive sound?

[Dream Team]

Some day, I am going to discuss {bore?) people on the album sticky threads.

For starters, for I&W, 'Under A Glass Moon' is deleted on my cdr.  Great intro, but am not a fan of the Iron Maiden-ish chorus.  Just my personal preferences and likes interfering, and will dodge the thrown stones as needed.

What about that awesome instrumental section in UAGM? Not to mention the verses?

[Kotowboy]

The Awake EP :

1. 6:00
2. Caught In A Web
3. Innocence Faded

[DragonAttack]

Some day, I am going to discuss {bore?) people on the album sticky threads.

For starters, for I&W, 'Under A Glass Moon' is deleted on my cdr.  Great intro, but am not a fan of the Iron Maiden-ish chorus.  Just my personal preferences and likes interfering, and will dodge the thrown stones as needed.

What about that awesome instrumental section in UAGM? Not to mention the verses?

Gave it a listen last night, and had to skip through some segments.  Just the way it is for me.  I wouldn't change a thing about the other 50 minutes of I&W, so I'm not going to complain too much.

[Prog Snob]

The Awake EP :

1. 6:00
2. Caught In A Web
3. Innocence Faded

You're leaving out the best songs, dinkleberry.

[MirrorMask]

The Awake EP :

1. 6:00
2. Caught In A Web
3. Innocence Faded

I'm fine with this, as long as you add Erotomania, Voices, The Silent Man, The Mirror, Lie, Lifting Shadows, Scarred and Space Dye Vest.