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

[Seventh Son]

34. Surrounded

Would it infuriate you if I told you that it was higher up on my list?

Yes. Yes it would.

Nah but seriously, it's nice to see other's opinions about the songs. That's what the lists are for

It's just that Surrounded is a Top 3 DT song for me. 

My top 10 would definitely have a number of controversial choices.

[Jarlaxle]

Mine does too. 

[Seventh Son]

GUessing by the way your list is going, I'm going to guess yours and mine won't look anything alike.

[Ħ]

Since you're not on the list, Seventh Son, what is your top 10?  You have me curious.

[Zydar]

Regression is his #1

[Seventh Son]

Since you're not on the list, Seventh Son, what is your top 10?  You have me curious.

If I did something like this, I would like to do DT's full discography, with extended writeups to boot. That's a bit more than what this thread calls for so I suppose I just have to sit on the sidelines 

But here is my top ten:

10. Home (Scenes From a Memory)
9. Wait for Sleep (Images and Words) HATERS GONNA HATE WAIT FOR SLEEP IS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL SO FUCK YOU 
8. Scarred (Awake)
7. Trial of Tears (Falling Into Infinity)
6. The Spirit Carries On (Scenes From a Memory)
5. The Killing Hand (When Dream and Day Unite)
4. Octavarium (Octavarium)
3. The Glass Prison (Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence)
2. Space-Dye Vest (Awake)
1. Learning to Live (Images and Words)

#2 and #1 are pretty much the same, but I consider Learning to Live to be the song that best represents Dream Theater as a whole, while Space-Dye Vest is a journey into a realm outside that Dream Theater hasn't really explored before.

[Zydar]

Not a very unconventional Top 10, and I agree on your #1. Although interesting to see TKH so high, and SDV as #2.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Not that bad of a Top 10. All except LtL, WfS, and tKH would be in or very close to my top 10.

[Ħ]

For a Maiden guy, that is NOT what I was expecting.

The Killing Hand is quite surprising.  I don't know anyone else that's put it that high, let alone in the top 10.

[Seventh Son]

Not a very unconventional Top 10, and I agree on your #1. Although interesting to see TKH so high, and SDV as #2.

I think the inclusion of Wait for Sleep and Scarred makes it a bit controversial given I rarely see those songs really really high. They get respect, but I never see them super high.

The Killing Hand is DT's first true epic and what an epic it is. It doesn't get a lot of love but I will defend it to death! Everything about it is incredibly magical and it has Dominci's finest hour in Dream Theater!

Space-Dye Vest is the absolute darkest thing Dream Theater has ever written and will ever write. There is no way they can top the darkness in that song, and that's part of why I love it to death. I like depressing music (Hence my affection for Doom and Black Metal) and it fits the bill entirely. Its a unique song that is unlike anything else by Dream Theater. Sure, its not shreddy but shred isn't why I listen to DT in the first place.

For a Maiden guy, that is NOT what I was expecting.

The Killing Hand is quite surprising.  I don't know anyone else that's put it that high, let alone in the top 10.

The reasons I listen to Dream Theater and the reasons I listen to Iron Maiden are not one in the same.

[Zydar]

I don't know how much DT had in the writing process of SDV, I always thought that it was all KevMo and the band just played on it.

[Seventh Son]

I don't know how much DT had in the writing process of SDV, I always thought that it was all KevMo and the band just played on it.

Well Kev was a member of DT at the time so I just said "they" in a broad sense. Its still the darkest thing ever put on a Dream Theater album, and I don't think they'll ever top that.

[hefdaddy42]

Thanks brutha. And as I was writing up The Answer Lies Within I was imagining Hef raging when he reads it. 

*rages*

[Seventh Son]

For a Maiden guy, that is NOT what I was expecting.

The Killing Hand is quite surprising.  I don't know anyone else that's put it that high, let alone in the top 10.

Also I can guarantee you that I have a lot of controversial opinions regarding Maiden's best songs 

[Jarlaxle]

Your top 10 really looks nothing like mine 

[toro]

Your top 10 really looks nothing like mine 

I'm gonna rage so hard.

[Jarlaxle]

 

[Jarlaxle]

30. Overture 1928
Short, fast paced, incredible and epic are just some words to describe this song. In my opinion, DT needs to do a few more songs along the same vein as this one. Kind of an obscure song, but John Myung's bass work is incredible, and that long run at 0:42 seems to go on forever when you actually play it on bass. In my opinion it is there second best instrumental, behind a song that will be unveiled later. They switch nicely between riffs which give off different vibes but keep the song going in a forward and fast-tempo direction. I love JP's guitar work on here too, just adds so much to the song. And the keyboard part 3:15, which I believe is the same one used in the extended jam of Beyond This Life off of Live at Budokan, is excellent, both in Overture 1928 and that jam.

29. Lines In The Sand
A slow start sets up the mood for this song, drawing you into the ambience, yet Derek's keyboard really commands your attention. I love the riff that finally kicks the song off, Mike's drumming really stands out during this part for me. James' voice is really soft at parts, and almost screechy in others but it sounds amazing throughout this whole song. One drawback of this song to me is the chorus, both the lyrics and instrumental work during it, but I will let that pass for the rest of this song. The riff right after the first chorus is another one of DT's hidden gems that gets blended into the middle of a song but works wonderfully in it's spot. I love the slow-down starting at 5:35, everything about this section is pure brilliance. Derek's keys, and JP's solo is one of his best considering the spot of the song it was in. One of my favorite Dream Theater lyrics is "In the stream of consciousness, there is a river crying. Living comes much easier once we admit we'r dying." Overall this is such a beautiful song, but the chorus lacks.

28. The Dark Eternal Night
One of Dream Theater's heaviest songs. It's got just as much "balls and chunk" as anything off of Train of Thought, and would have fit right in on that disc. Yes, the lyrics are pretty cheesy, but how can you not like everything else about this song? Actually, the lyrics are horrible  . But I enjoy everything else enough to listen to this song fairly often. I love the video of John Myung trying to play the one part on bass on the Systematic Chaos DVD, then falls off the chair after screwing up  , probably about as much emotion we've seen out of him since the Majesty days. The guitar solo in this song is pretty good, but it just comes out of nowhere and doesn't have a proper introduction, which sort of bothers me.

27. Raise The Knife
This is one of those songs that I am judging from the Score DVD as that is the only version I have heard. Unfortunately I am not in a position to watch Score right now so I'm kind of free rolling on this one. When I first watched this one, I thought it absolutely sucked, and wondered why the guys included it on their 20th anniversary show. But now that I have listened to it more I have come to really appreciate the awesomeness that this song holds. If I am remembering correctly, this was part of the Falling Into Infinity sessions? I sure wish it would have made it to the album, it would have fit perfectly on their right before Trial of Tears. Anyways, since I haven't listened to this one in a while this is all I can write, maybe I will update this song sometime soon if I watch Score in the upcoming days.

26. Wither
Quite simply one of Dream Theater's more emotional songs, and over such an un-emotional topic. Like somebody here on DTF pointed out earlier in the thread regarding John's integrity, I believe this song identifies John's struggles to try and write engaging lyrics like he did in the past. These lyrics aren't the best, but they fit the song perfectly, and the word choice is great. I love the section after "Like reflections on a page, the world's what you create," it reminds me a little bit of Losing Time/Grande Finale with the epicness. Just overall another beautiful song, and right now I think DT has the perfect balance of songs like this in their discography.

[toro]

Awesome 5 but LITS is to low and TDEN is IN the list 

[Jarlaxle]

Awesome 5 but LITS is to low and TDEN is IN the list 

When I was writing up The Dark Eternal Night I was wondering why I even included it because I wrote a bunch of things that I don't really like, but there is just something in that song that makes me like it as much as I do.

[Ħ]

Some oddball songs there.  Very controversial.

Overture, TDEN, and Wither wouldn't make it into my top 50.  LITS would be higher, and RTK would be slightly lower.

[Xanthul]

TDEN is probably the only DT song I dislike. I mean, there are a few I don't care about, but TDEN I *actively* dislike. If it were a guy, I'd punch him.

[hefdaddy42]

4 of those 5 are solid choices.

[Silver Tears]

Surprised to see The Dark Eternal Night there 

[Seventh Son]

Surprised to see The Dark Eternal Night there 

It wouldn't escape my bottom ten 

[jsem]

26. Wither
Quite simply one of Dream Theater's more emotional songs, and over such an un-emotional topic. Like somebody here on DTF pointed out earlier in the thread regarding John's integrity, I believe this song identifies John's struggles to try and write engaging lyrics like he did in the past. These lyrics aren't the best, but they fit the song perfectly, and the word choice is great. I love the section after "Like reflections on a page, the world's what you create," it reminds me a little bit of Losing Time/Grande Finale with the epicness. Just overall another beautiful song, and right now I think DT has the perfect balance of songs like this in their discography.

This. I get teary everytime i listen to it, + the epic climaxed solo by JP. Mindblowing. The music video is awesome too, ironically sad how MP leaves in the end of the video.

[orcus116]

Wither would've been better had they not taken such a traditional approach to writing that kind of song.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

It would be better if it weren't boring

[hefdaddy42]

It's not boring.

[Ħ]

It's a nice rock ballad, along the lines of Another Day.  I do like the piano version of it, because that gives it more of a Disappear feel.

[Jarlaxle]

It's an awesome song, everything about it is good.

[Plasmastrike]

Wither would've been better had they not taken such a traditional approach to writing that kind of song.

Absolutely true. Although, I still adore the song and think it's very tasteful.

[Gorille85]

This.

Wither would've been better had they not taken such a traditional approach to writing that kind of song.

And this.

It's not boring.

[guysullavin]

Oi! Get back to work, who do you think you are, Moffat?

[hefdaddy42]

Oi! Get back to work, who do you think you are, Moffat?

No kidding, what