Official DT Top 50 Thread (Riceball Up Now - starting Page 66)

[hefdaddy42]

I wouldn't have SDV that high, but otherwise, this is all killer, no filler. 

[theseoafs]

Can someone add me to the very long list? I'd love to get in on this.

I understand that I probably won't get PM'ed until I'm on my deathbed. Still.

[hefdaddy42]

Can someone add me to the very long list? I'd love to get in on this.

I understand that I probably won't get PM'ed until I'm on my deathbed. Still.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

10. Hell's Kitchen - I don't put this hand-in-hand with "Lines in the Sand" because I listen to it by itself more than "Lines in the Sand". It's amazing. It would have been a tragedy if it was inside "Burning My Soul". One of the most melodic Dream Theater songs for sure.

11. Through My Words / Fatal Tragedy - One of the last outro solos Dream Theater have done that I can think of. The reason the outro solo is great is because it's very catchy on top of being insane.

12. Octavarium - Would have ranked higher a few years back. Not sure why it fell on this list. It's an amazing track with a gradual build that destroys me everytime. If the song has a weakness, then it's probably the fact I like the last two sections the least. Don't get me wrong - "Razor's Edge" is incredible - but it needs the rest of the song.

13. Lines in the Sand - Groovy. Beautiful. Sad. Uplifting. There are parts of this song that could be described using any of these adjectives, which is a really remarkable accomplishment. My favorite Mike Portnoy drumming parts here.

14. Overture / About to Crash (Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence) - The former track is good, the latter track is spectacular. Debated whether to even include the former for a while, but after listening to it the other day, realized it definitely deserves a place. Jordan Rudess is at his peak here.

15. Lifting Shadows off a Dream (Awake) - I swear I didn't plan this. Every song on this set so far has been a subtle, understated number, and this one is no different. I actually give Awake and edge over Images and Words in my album rankings because of songs like this... Because of quiet moments like this.

16. The Silent Man (Awake) - Enter rant: Whenever you see a Dream Theater survivor, the short songs always go first. I have no idea why. This is one of the best songs on Awake to me because it takes you to another world the same way a 20-minute epic does, but in a quarter of the time.

17. Eve (Cleaning Out the Closet) - Another quiet song. One of their most, if not THE most atmospheric thing Dream Theater ever did.

18. Hollow Years (Falling into Infinity) - The Budokan version is amazing, no doubt, but I think I give the studio version a slight edge because, again, I like the quiet of it.

19. Speak to Me (Cleaning Out the Closet) - A criticism I have of Dream Theater - or, maybe, not a criticism of them but something that makes me like other bands more - is that their music is usually in 3rd, 4th or 5th gear and is rarely quiet. This is a rare example of them going down to that 1st or 2nd gear, and it's absolutely spectacular. A song for all occasions.

[hefdaddy42]

[BlackInk]

Hell's Kitchen is an amazing instrumental, cool to see it so high!

[bss4life15]

I'm loving your list so far.   

Also I would like to be added to that list.

[Gysten]

Glad to see About To Chrash so high on the list, i would put it right around 15 too.

[Ben_Jamin]

16. The Silent Man (Awake) - Enter rant: Whenever you see a Dream Theater survivor, the short songs always go first. I have no idea why. This is one of the best songs on Awake to me because it takes you to another world the same way a 20-minute epic does.

Which is the main reason I don't like survivors.

Great to see one of their calmest songs on your list. and for this I give you 5x and

[TheOutlawXanadu]

1. Wait for Sleep / Learning to Live - When I'm having a bad day, I go to this song. When I'm having a good day, I go to this song. I almost didn't join it with "Wait for Sleep" because I love that one on it's own, but it just didn't feel right. Apologies again for this survivor taking so long.

2. Misunderstood - It doesn't sound like Dream Theater. At all. I don't know why but... It just doesn't seem like them at all. It's so cool and weird.

3. Voices - The best lyrics of any Dream Theater song and perhaps the best atmosphere as well. Overlooked is the heavy "sex is death" part, which is one of their most earth-shattering.

4. Metropolis - The quintessential Dream Theater song. What more to say?

5. Blind Faith - Again: Melody, melody, melody.

6. Trial of Tears - The beginning and the end are incredible beyond words and perhaps by favorite stretches of Dream Theater. The middle is cool too, but I need to be in the mood for it.

7. A Change of Seasons - I used to complain the song sounds like a bunch of separate songs pasted together, then I realized that even though that might be true... Who gives a shit? They're all incredible, especially "The Crimson Sunset".

8. Vacant / Stream of Consciousness - Parts of the latter drag, I think. But besides those parts, everything else is flawless. Looking back on their discography, Dream Theater are not - compared to a band like Amorphis, for example - that melodic, but these are are just melody melody melody. Spine-chilling stuff, folks.

9. Another Won (Score) - I have never heard the demo version of the song, but on Score, it's simply magical. Like most of their early material, it's so optimistic. It puts a smile on my face.

[Ħ]

THat's...a pretty interesting top 10, not gonna lie.

[Riceball]

Very interesting list! I don't think people have given it enough attention...sad really, these lists seem to have died a little since I signed up.

Ofcourse, its my turn now, and considering I haven't posted in the DT side very much, hopefully I've got a little mystery about myself

I'll start tomorrow.

[theseoafs]

Misunderstood and Blind Faith over A Change of Seasons? That takes balls.

[hefdaddy42]

Good stuff!  Great and interesting list, TOX!

[Jamesman42]

Wow, Misunderstood is really up there. #2? Damn. I love it though.

[Jirpo]

Nice top 10! Hate seeing LTL at #1 though

[hefdaddy42]

Nice top 10! Hate seeing LTL at #1 though

Why?  It's an amazing song.

[Tomislav95]

Voices

[Jirpo]

I think Learning to Live is a great song, but a tad overrated. Its my least favourite from Images (although Images is my favourite album of all time ). It would be around the 20 mark for me.

[Silver Tears]

Great choice for #1 

[Riceball]

Before I start, I should probably let you know how I've tried to assess DT's outstandingly awesome discography.

For my own piece of mind, I've stuck to the 85 tracks over 10 albums that have been released as studio albums; no boots, no b-sides, no live shows - its all about the stuff I know very well.

I've tried to put the tracks on a simple bell curve, rating them A through E, with all of A (8) and B (19) and most of C (23) making it into the top 50. I've gotta say, too, that there are only three DT tracks that went straight to E grading - but we'll worry about that later. From there, I tried to rank songs within each grading category, and it still took me far too long...

To those who've posted with or against me in P/R, this approach will come as no suprise

So, with speed in mind (considering the new album is dropping in about a week), I've decided to rattle of the first 20 (or last 20, depending on your interpretation – no actually, its first 20, and if you say last 20 you are stupid) in a single post with no write-ups. In addition, I think the marginal benefit of writing up songs that don't even make it into the top half of my 85 song list outweighs the cost, and means I can have a bit more fun with 30 through 1. Without any further ado (because we focking hate ado, don't we), here is the fresh, steaming dump that is 31 to 50.

Numbers 31 through 50:

31. Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
32. New Millennium
33. Another Day
34. Strange déjà vu
35. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
36. Lie
37. Stream of Consciousness
38. The Great Debate
39. Vacant
40. Afterlife
41. One Last Time
42. Panic Attack
43. Through Her Eyes
44. Pull Me Under
45. As I Am
46. Finally Free
47. Hell's Kitchen
48. The Root of All Evil
49. Take Away My Pain
50. Ytse Jam

Now, seeing as I work full-time, and I've probably used up more than enough of my employers time today on this, I'll respond to conjecture in my reply post tomorrow. Have at it!

[Jarlaxle]

35. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
38. The Great Debate
39. Vacant
47. Hell's Kitchen

*walks away*

[Riceball]

Well, that fizzled.

Anyway, here is 26 to 30 with write-ups. Hopefully a bit more for people to digest and argue with me about this time around:

30. The Ministry of Lost Souls
I'll kick off the full-er write-ups with a bit of a controversial pick for my number 30, The Ministry of Lost Souls. Honestly, I don't get the hate for the track; its brimming with emotion, has one of JPs greatest solos and manages to convey a pretty interesting story. I guess people don't like the length, which to be honest is one of the reasons its not higher for me; the other being lyrically its so basic and direct that it detracts from the mystique of the song.

29. Blind Faith
This track is killer! Really rocking and deals with some heavy subject matter in the typically DT way; serious but cheesy. JRs keys do a lot of the lifting in the song, but everyone in the band pulls their weight and makes this a really great listen. The layering of the instruments just works, and JLBs vox top the track off superbly. Perhaps one element holding the tune back is the somewhat arbitrary instrumental section. Yeah, it's good, but it's a bit choppy and changey in the context of the song.

28. Misunderstood
Somewhat fittingly, Misunderstood comes in at number 28 on the 'balls list (there's an apostrophe there – don't be so childish). Right from the start, this track has great melodies and another sweet performance from JLB. Its got some of the most memorable DT lyrics too, particularly the chorus. Holding it back from being a top 10 track, which it was for me at one stage, is the completely random and non-sensical ending. I mean I'm all for wackiness, but the rest of the song is so tight, well composed and flowing – with this random bit just bolted on the end. The Greatest Hit version is superior.

27. The Spirit Carries On
Where do we go when we die? As long as I can hear this sublime ballad I don't really care. Ok, shitty, horrible, disgusting jokes aside, TSCO, as it is ubiquitously known, is an example of what a band like DT can do when it pulls in the reigns and lets the melodies speak for themselves. I'm certain the opening lines of the song send chills down every hardcore DT fans' spine at concerts, and the sing-a-long chorus is great. It loses marks because I'm jealous, essentially. I've never seen it live, the DT show that I've been to was cut short because they blew the venue's sound system up...and it was on the list 

26. This Dying Soul
Another controversial pick (I hate using that word – from here on they'll be called left-field until I get sick of that), because I know from what I've read in a number of threads that many people don't rate this song – indeed, the Official DTF Ratings for 2011 put it at 61 (Ariich et al, 2011). Well, I say to you, snobby TDS hater, I agree with you. However, this was my first DT song, and as such it holds a special place in my cold, calculating heart. I think in 2006 I spammed it over 100 times on my Creative Jukebox Zen Extra on a trip to my nations capital (which, for those who don't know, is like, I don't know, Wyoming but filled with politicians and public servants...yup, stimulating), which was also my first mp3 player. Haters definitely gonna hate on this choice, and probably my choice of listening device, so I won't offer any defence until I'm drawn.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

following 

[senecadawg2]

Can you add me on the end of the list?

[BlackInk]

No hatin' TDS here, it's even higher for me!

And so is both TMOLS and BF, great choices.

[hefdaddy42]

Can you add me on the end of the list?

[duncan3dc]

29. Blind Faith
This track is killer! Really rocking and deals with some heavy subject matter in the typically DT way; serious but cheesy. JRs keys do a lot of the lifting in the song, but everyone in the band pulls their weight and makes this a really great listen. The layering of the instruments just works, and JLBs vox top the track off superbly. Perhaps one element holding the tune back is the somewhat arbitrary instrumental section. Yeah, it's good, but it's a bit choppy and changey in the context of the song.

For me the middle section of Blind Faith carries it, I could live without everything else around it.

[Mladen]

The Ministry of lost souls 

[Jirpo]

TMOLS and Blind Faith are well into my top 5, if not top 5

[Elite]

Very interesting list so far, considering almost half my top 10 is already out 
Will be following.

[aXygnus]

8. Vacant / Stream of Consciousness - Parts of the latter drag, I think. But besides those parts, everything else is flawless. Looking back on their discography, Dream Theater are not - compared to a band like Amorphis, for example - that melodic, but these are are just melody melody melody. Spine-chilling stuff, folks.

I love to see Stream so high, it's on my top 10 as well. I think the breakdown is a bit out of place, though, not a big fan of it. Although the last keyboard and guitar solo are just beautiful.

[Riceball]

BAM!

25. Wait for Sleep
Such a beautiful piece of music. I'm a total sucker for piano-driven tracks and this one is killer; not literally ofcourse. Lyrically its one of the only appropriate applications of the term 'hauntingly beautiful' I've come across – my musical journey is in its relative infancy though. The use of the Learning to Live hook is great too. Unfortunately for me when listening to Images and Words the first time I was still in the stereotypical "pssh-not-rockin'-what-is-this-crap" phase and I skipped the track on the way to LtL. I can imagine the chills that would arise from hearing them in succession for the first time.

24. Under a Glass Moon
Another track from Images and Words; if I'm not mistaken its number three of eight (where are the other five, you ask? Be patient, geeze, you impatient person). Under a Glass Moon is such a rocking track from start to finish: great riffs, great vocals, truly epic. And who can forget dat solo...one of JPs best for sure – the instrumental build up to it is a treat too. To be 110% honest, I can't give a reason why I don't like this track, I just think I like the other 23 songs on my list better than this one. A pure, memorable progressive metal song.

23. The Mirror
Dah-dah-dun. Dah-dah-dun. Duh-dun-dun. Crushing, brutal riffage marks The Mirror's arrival at number 23 on the list. This song manages to do something I think is quite difficult; match lyrical theme and subject matter with instrumentation almost perfectly. The two words that come to mind for this track are controlled aggression, which is a good way to classify the self-loathing that is explored throughout the entirety of the piece. The Mirror not only manages to remain ballsy throughout, even in its instrumental breaks, its also guaranteed to punch you in the face every time.

22. Lines in the Sand
Fantastic track, really not much else that you can add here. I'm not a fan of overtly religious lyrics, and that's what drags this track down somewhat for me. Musically, the whole thing is brilliant, a real treat to listen to. I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, but the first time I heard the track was live, and it captured my attention immediately. Its also unique in that it manages to be groovy, rocky and poppy all at the same time; and has another one of those brilliant, emotional solos JP seemed to be slamming out consistently during this era. Its also not the highest Falling into Infinity track on the list, so stay tuned!

21. The Dance of Eternity
Another one of those left-field picks I imagine (I seem to have a few...). Somewhat out of place in the Scenes album – which upon writing this is the reason I'll give for people not rating it highly – the organised chaos Dance of Eternity manages to boggle the mind while simultaneously have me air-drumming, air-guitaring, shit even air-keying at some points. I think this is one of the very few tracks that I'll listen to every time it shuffles on my now-non-Creative mp3 player. Fantastic track, if a little wanky, but hey, we're all here because we love wankery...of the musical kind...














or the other kind...

[BlackInk]

Lines In the Sand would have been that high for me if it wasn't for that chorus. The rest are great.

[Jirpo]

UAGM should be higher! Otherwise nice choices.