Author Topic: Such differing opinions on Awake....  (Read 22599 times)

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Offline Mebert78

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #105 on: February 25, 2010, 09:34:54 AM »
I disagree about the keyboards on Awake.  I love the sound tones, the tenderness of the playing, everything.  That album is what made me a KM fan.  The sounds used are much warmer than I&W.  No, they're not in the forefront, but that's what I like.  They are atmospheric.  For me, that's how I like keyboards to be.  It adds that additional element to songs and really fills out the sound.  I seem to recall KM saying he didn't care for the Awake mix.  Not sure why or when he said that.  I can probably find it.

My fav keyboard moment on Awake is early on in "Voices" when it gets quiet and you just hear JLB and the piano.  mmm mmm mmm, that's good stuff.   
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Online hefdaddy42

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #106 on: February 25, 2010, 09:37:48 AM »
I agree, I've never found the keyboards off-putting in any way on Awake (and I am most certainly not a KM fanboi).
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #107 on: February 25, 2010, 09:43:48 AM »
I disagree about the keyboards on Awake.  I love the sound tones, the tenderness of the playing, everything.  That album is what made me a KM fan.  The sounds used are much warmer than I&W.  No, they're not in the forefront, but that's what I like.  They are atmospheric.  For me, that's how I like keyboards to be.  It adds that additional element to songs and really fills out the sound.  I seem to recall KM saying he didn't care for the Awake mix.  Not sure why or when he said that.  I can probably find it.

My fav keyboard moment on Awake is early on in "Voices" when it gets quiet and you just hear JLB and the piano.  mmm mmm mmm, that's good stuff.   

I like a lot of it.  But there are spots here and there, like the keyboard lead patch in CIAW that I mentioned above, that are like nails on a chalkboard.
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Offline tri.ad

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #108 on: February 25, 2010, 10:10:19 AM »
I agree, I've never found the keyboards off-putting in any way on Awake (and I am most certainly not a KM fanboi).

I agree with this.
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Offline EVILPROGBOY

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #109 on: November 27, 2017, 07:55:02 AM »
I agree, I've never found the keyboards off-putting in any way on Awake (and I am most certainly not a KM fanboi).

I agree with this.
Yes, the Keyboards on Awake are my favorite actually.

Offline Tony From Long Island

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #110 on: November 27, 2017, 11:27:58 AM »
Awake is my favorite DT album and by a wide margin.

I remember receiving an advance cassette copy of it from Atco when I was doing music reviews in my college newspaper.    My few DT fan friends gathered around a stereo and listened.  If I remember, the songs were not in the correct running order and "Scarred"  was omitted (just like the official cassette release).

I found it to be almost perfection.

If I have to find one song I am not 100% pleased with, it's "Innocence Faded."    I always joked that the intro to that song sounded like the theme song to a TV show like 90210    :-)


6:00 is the perfect opening.  Those toms just get to you.

I remember being on a bus with other music majors going to an opera in Manhattan . . . . One of our professors was a very very old Harpsichord player, relatively famous back in his day - at least for harpsichord players (R.I.P Dr. Cross).     I played him "Space Dye Vest"  and he was very impressed.
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Offline noxon

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #111 on: November 27, 2017, 12:02:50 PM »
Holy thread resurrection, batman!

Offline npiazza91

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #112 on: December 30, 2017, 09:43:33 PM »
Awake is #4 for me, behind Six Degrees, Train of Thought and Scenes From a Memory.  It's a great album, much better than the overrated Images and Words, in my opinion.  Awake is a dark album, and that's what I love about it.  It has a couple of "meh" songs, but stuff like Voices, Scarred and The Mirror are top tier Dream Theater.  The guitar tone and Labrie's voice are on point in this album.  Even the slowersongs are pretty good here.  Other than 6:00, there is not one song I don't like on this album.

Offline Drinktheater

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #113 on: December 31, 2017, 08:32:47 AM »
One of their darker albums I like what the other poster have said about two characters writing the lyrics.

It seems Awake ended in despair "Space Dye Vest" and it is really a dark album.

And because of that I love how they included that in breaking the 4th wall, the hopelessness and darkness of Space Dye Vest was resolved by the "Illumination Theory" suite.

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Offline Anguyen92

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #114 on: December 31, 2017, 10:01:55 AM »
Based on the songs they've played from the Awake album on their last two DVDs, I should like this album.  From what I heard in the proshots, I liked 6:00, The Silent Man, The Mirror/Lie, Lifting Shadows off a Dream, and Space-Dye Vest.  Never gave the studio album a full listen.  I'll probably do that today.

Offline ChuckSteak

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #115 on: December 31, 2017, 10:12:08 AM »
Awake is my favorite DT album and by a wide margin.

I remember receiving an advance cassette copy of it from Atco when I was doing music reviews in my college newspaper.    My few DT fan friends gathered around a stereo and listened.  If I remember, the songs were not in the correct running order and "Scarred"  was omitted (just like the official cassette release).

I found it to be almost perfection.

If I have to find one song I am not 100% pleased with, it's "Innocence Faded."    I always joked that the intro to that song sounded like the theme song to a TV show like 90210    :-)


6:00 is the perfect opening.  Those toms just get to you.

I remember being on a bus with other music majors going to an opera in Manhattan . . . . One of our professors was a very very old Harpsichord player, relatively famous back in his day - at least for harpsichord players (R.I.P Dr. Cross).     I played him "Space Dye Vest"  and he was very impressed.

Offline erwinrafael

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #116 on: January 03, 2018, 03:35:18 AM »
Have they ever given an explanation why Scarred was left off the casette? Casette tapes can carry 90 minutes of music.

Offline Evai

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #117 on: January 03, 2018, 05:14:31 AM »
They were 'scared' to put it on  :hat
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Offline Drinktheater

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #118 on: January 03, 2018, 05:59:46 AM »
They were 'scared' to put it on  :hat

Don't be scared homie!! >:( :censored >:(
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Offline RJ86

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #119 on: January 03, 2018, 06:15:52 PM »
Old thread, but I will throw in my two cents..

I was in my late teens when WDADU came out. Stumbled on it with the help of a guy at a Sam Goody. Loved it! A fresh new band to compete with FW Awaken The Guardian.
Then came images and words... It took time to grow on me. DT with a hair band singer, ugh. It almost seemed as if James' voice was strained and not up to the songs. Then came Awake.... This was a 10+ to me. The band was hitting on all cylinders and the songs were written for James. Perfection! It was/is their best. It was the Kiss Destroyer of Dream Theater, to me (My opinion, of course).

Of course, then came FII.. For another day  ;D

Offline Madman Shepherd

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #120 on: January 03, 2018, 07:00:23 PM »
Awake is my favorite DT album and by a wide margin.

I remember receiving an advance cassette copy of it from Atco when I was doing music reviews in my college newspaper.    My few DT fan friends gathered around a stereo and listened.  If I remember, the songs were not in the correct running order and "Scarred"  was omitted (just like the official cassette release).

I found it to be almost perfection.

If I have to find one song I am not 100% pleased with, it's "Innocence Faded."    I always joked that the intro to that song sounded like the theme song to a TV show like 90210    :-)


6:00 is the perfect opening.  Those toms just get to you.

I remember being on a bus with other music majors going to an opera in Manhattan . . . . One of our professors was a very very old Harpsichord player, relatively famous back in his day - at least for harpsichord players (R.I.P Dr. Cross).     I played him "Space Dye Vest"  and he was very impressed.

Definitely agree about Innocence Faded although I never noticed the 90210 connection. Man, you're right.

Also not a fan of Lifting Shadows and am lukewarm about Scarred. Otherwise the album is flawless.

Offline PixelDream

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #121 on: January 04, 2018, 02:56:15 AM »
It's heavy, the sound is great and it's JLB's best studio performance IMO and it has my favorite DT song Scarred. Flawless album except for the intro to Innocence Faded indeed.
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Offline a51502112

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #122 on: January 05, 2018, 06:49:42 AM »
6:00 is the perfect opening.  Those toms just get to you.

6:00 Is always my go-to song when I try out a new sound system.

Offline Pragmaticcircus

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #123 on: January 10, 2018, 10:16:22 PM »
It's definitely my favorite DT album.  :tup

Hearing it instrumentally recently confirms this for me too, it's got such a gritty 90s sound. Mix and everything is perfect too  :angel:
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Offline Scottjf8

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #124 on: January 11, 2018, 02:25:37 PM »
Holy thread resurrection, batman!

See, it's awesome for "new fans" like me who missed a lot of these threads before.

I love Awake.  Innocent Faded and Lifting Shadows are my own 2 meh moments of the whole album. 

I also LOL'd in this thread how someone said SDV "won't ever be played live" and then they did a few years ago :)

Offline AngelBack

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Re: Such differing opinions on Awake....
« Reply #125 on: January 11, 2018, 02:49:06 PM »
Warm summer evening, cruising around with the windows down, Innocence Faded blasting.......not perfect?
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