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

[Ħ]

Perfect choices.

[inoku]

interesting choices so far 
although i definitely place ITNOG higher.

i'll try to make my list, i would like to share it when in finish.

[hefdaddy42]

Sorry guys just got back from Vacation, i didn't think i was gonna be up for awhile, drop me down a few people and ill wait again. Sorry

OK.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Blind Faith better be in the top 5. (though I would be ok with top 10 probably...)

This. I actually like it even more now than when I made my list.

[orcus116]

[20] The Way It Used To Be

Back when I first started getting into Dream Theater I used to browse Limewire for odd tracks I couldn't find on CD. I dug up a couple one off live clips and a handful of Falling Into Infinity B-sides. I know there aren't a huge amount of fans of this song but it was clearly the best of the bunch. A very different straight forward rock style than I had seen from the band at the time which captured my interest despite the overall tone sounding a bit like a U2 clone. I also like the song because it's somewhat representative of Derek's time with the band. It's not overly flashy but it's fun and gets right to it. Would've been interesting to see it a part of Falling Into Infinity but I understand why it was left off.


[19] Blind Faith

I'll admit it it took me awhile to get into this song seeing as Six Degrees was my first Dream Theater album and I got hooked with "The Glass Prison". What I really love about this song is how subdued the whole thing is, something I've rarely seen the band do since. In fact the whole atmosphere from the piano lines to the pads to purposeful playing is incredibly fascinating when compared to other songs this iteration of the band have done. Nothing needs to be said about Rudess' fantastic playing as it speaks for itself, especially with the grand piano solo. My only gripe about the whole song would be the jarring transition from the verse to the chorus. The song seems to take a complete turn that's not quite a key change but has the same effect as one. Took me forever to get into but definitely worth it since it's arguably this iteration's "Lines In The Sand".

[Ħ]

never been a huge fan of TWIUTB but I can respect why you like it

And  for Blind Faith!

[inoku]

i like JP solo in TWIUTB 
and blind faith 

[hefdaddy42]

I would put Blind Faith a little higher, but massive props for The Way It Used To Be.  Excellent song, and one I wish they would play live again (but I'm not counting on it).

[j]

Gonna start following, I think orcus and I have a lot of the same DT opinions.

-J

[jsem]

The Way It Used To Be huh... strange to see it that high.

[Gorille85]

Cool list so far!

[orcus116]

[18] To Live Forever

I'm going to be honest, I don't think Dream Theater has ever done ballads well. That said if there was any iteration of the band that could get close to making a good ballad it'd be the Kevin Moore era band. Along with "Surrounded", "To Live Forever" showcases the lighter side of the band and is one of those songs that could sound just as pleasant with an acoustic guitar. Moore's textures soar over top of Petrucci's interesting rhythm patterns and while the song exudes the 80s like production and sound from Images And Words it still has the markings of a Dream Theater song.  Yes it is a timepiece but it's a damn good one.


[17] Raise The Knife

It took me awhile to get into this song, which I found out about a year or so into my foray in Dream Theater. I had digested Falling Into Infinity by that point so hearing another piece of that puzzle, alongside "The Way It Used To Be", "Cover My Eyes", and "Speak To Me", was something else. There's something grandiose about the entire song that I absolutely love and maybe it's because it sounds like the band trying to write in their older style with Derek at the keys. It can tend to drag a bit because there isn't a whole lot going on in parts but the song makes itself worth it by changing bits up and even having a groovy solo section at the end. I kind of wish the band had taken some songs off Falling Into Infinity to include this song but maybe the mystique adds something special to the song.

[Ħ]

both would make my top 50...but I think this is a wee bit too high for both of em.  good unique picks, though!

[robwebster]

Finding it hard to find anything to fault, so far... Metropolis is a good song but overrated and doesn't belong in the top twenty, Octavarium is probably my favourite overall but I burned it out a couple of years ago to tell the truth, so I can totally find something to agree with on the more controversial choices so far.

Got a feeling it'll be the top 5 that I'll disagree with more than this section, but it's a cool list. I think everything listed so far is absolutely top 25 material - except, actually, Metropolis, which I might put even lower, and To Live Forever which is a cool song marred by the fact that much of the rest of their catalogue is significantly cooler.

I think of yourself as a fairly different breed of DT fan to me, so it feels a bit odd to be nodding sagely at every turn. Good, though. Ace list. Lots of very cool songs.

[toro]

I love TLF 

[zxlkho]

I love TLF 

[hefdaddy42]

Great picks there, orcus.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

I love TLF 

[Mladen]

Raise the knife. 

[orcus116]

[16] Peruvian Skies

I'm amazed at how many people cast this song aside whenever Falling Into Infinity is mentioned considering how many things it has going for it. If it's because of the "Have A Cigar" thing, which I hadn't heard until much later I'll admit, then I guess you're set in your ways. I like it because it's not quite a ballad but not quite a rocker. The instrumentation is subdued but interesting. Petrucci also lands one of the first solos I really fell in love with. It's not overly flashy but he hits all the right notes. I can forgive the "Enter Sandman" aspect of the ending as well despite seeming a bit out of place due to the subject matter of the song. It's still one of the few songs I've yet to see live I believe.


[15] A Fortune In Lies

I'm on record with saying that I think this song is the perfect concert opener and I still do. It's bombastic, it has energy, and it's just a great song. I wasn't sure what to expect with When Dream And Day Unite when I first listened to it due to a lot of the stigma around the production, Charlie and what some refer to as immature songwriting (which I highly disagree with), so when this came on I was blown away. Everyone seems to be firing on all cylinders on this song and aside from one or two goofy lines it turned out great. I definitely prefer the Live At The Marquee version myself but the album version is still great.

[Ħ]

Really interesting choices...I like both those songs but neither is particularly striking for me.

[Mladen]

Nice to see there are people who rank Peruvian skies almost as high as me. 

[Kosmo]

I would propably rank Peruvian Skies somewhere at 20. 

[jsem]

Good choices 

[hefdaddy42]

More solid choices, although I probably wouldn't have either one quite that high.

[Perpetual Change]

So far the list has been pretty good, but I can't stand Peruvian Skies. That song is, to me, the early forerunner for long boring ballads like The Ministry of Lost Souls.

[orcus116]

Care to explain why? Those songs are nothing alike.

[Perpetual Change]

They both start with long, drawn out ballad-y guitar playing, with just James singing over John slowly arpeggiating some chords for the first 2/3rds of the song. Eventually both reach to choruses I find somewhat underwhelming. Then both, near the end, go into heavy 'jams' which I really don't think very highly of. As an isolated section the jam is TMOLS is great but in this case is just seems pasted on. The jam in Peruvian Skies does nothing for me, and is just tribute paying to Metallica and (I guess) Pink Floyd.

The only difference is length. Honestly, I can't believe that Peruvian Skies is only 6:43 because it feels to me like it's every bit as long as Ministry. But anyway, I'll stop now because this is your list, not  mine 

[hefdaddy42]

What you described doesn't really fit either one of those songs.

[Perpetual Change]

How? That's the impression that both songs have left me with. Maybe it's not 100 percent accurate, but I skip both songs almost as quickly as I hear John's arpeggios begin.

[orcus116]

There's no arpeggios in "Peruvian Skies" though. It's 100% riffing and rhythm playing.

[Perpetual Change]

Well that clean/slow riff that he plays over and over again. I don't know if it's an arpeggiated chord or not, but it does nothing for me.

[hefdaddy42]

How? That's the impression that both songs have left me with. Maybe it's not 100 percent accurate, but I skip both songs almost as quickly as I hear John's arpeggios begin.

Oh, I see.  That explains it.

[Perpetual Change]

::sigh::

It's not like I haven't listened 'em before I decided I never wanted to again, hef.

[hefdaddy42]

I'm not judging you, PC.  I don't listen to songs I don't like, either.