DT: The past five albums

[darkshade]

i have a question. i remember seeing an interview with Portnoy and he mentioned that 4 out of the last 5 albums were written in the studio and then recorded immediately. i was wondering which album that "other" album was. since he said 4 out of 5, this obviously cant be SDoIT, since there'd be no reason to say 4 out of 5. i thought it was ToT, but then i thought maybe Octavarium, because of the concept. anyone know?

part of the reason i ask is because JP recently said on his forum, that there would be writing for the next album before they enter the studio (which im excited about  ). That will let the music grow and mature.

[tri.ad]

As far as I know, it's Train Of Thought.

[darkshade]

yea i figured it was either ToT or 8V. it couldnt be SDoIT, as mentioned before, and i didnt know they did that until the Systematic Chaos interviews when Portnoy described how they record (and then obviously doing that for Black Clouds as well.

so it must be down to Train of Thought, or Octavarium

[MajorMatt]

As far as I know, it's Train Of Thought.

Yep, they hired a rehearsal room (iirc) and wrote most of it in there before going into the studio. This is mentioned in the 'Making of ToT' video that you had access to when you bought ToT and is now floating around on YouTube.

Matt

[Zydar]

And they also released the Train Of Thought Instrumental Demos through YtseJam Records.

https://www.ytsejamrecords.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=34

[MykeHavoc]

Yeah, all the music was written in a week...and sadly it shows

[tri.ad]

Yeah, all the music was written in a week...and sadly it shows

It was three weeks, and that is also the same time Awake was written in.

[The Letter M]

Yeah, all the music was written in a week...and sadly it shows

It was three weeks, and that is also the same time Awake was written in.

This. There's two videos on the Making Of TOT floating around the internet - one about the writing, and another about the recording. I made a sweet little DVD with Windows Movie Maker using those two videos as a homemade "The Making Of Train Of Thought" video. I wish the video quality was a bit better, though. Now I just need to track down the making of SDOIT videos!

-Marc.

[MykeHavoc]

My mistake, although I was taking a fun poke at it, not being serious. There are some weak bits though, and the record as a whole doesn't rank very high or me.

Awake on the other hand...

[Global Laziness]

Yeah, all the music was written in a week...and sadly it shows

It was three weeks, and that is also the same time Awake was written in.

Really? Wow. I hadn't heard that before.

[Mebert78]

Yeah, all the music was written in a week...and sadly it shows

It was three weeks, and that is also the same time Awake was written in.

Really? Wow. I hadn't heard that before.

Is that entirely true?  I don't recall hearing that before.  I mean, they do perform the beginning of "The Mirror" on Live in Tokyo, so that song was already written.  And "Space-Dye Vest" is so intricately layered with samples, that I'm sure that song was a lengthy work in progress that KM had been tinkering away at for sometime.  Maybe a chunk of the songs were written in a three-week period, but I feel like at least a portion of the material had already been in the works.

[hefdaddy42]

That opening part of The Mirror played in Tokyo was known as Puppies On Acid, and that's all there was of it.  It wasn't turned into a full song until the writing sessions for Awake.  I can't say for sure about SDV, since that's a total KevMo thing.  But other than those two caveats, yes, Awake was written in about 3 weeks, and then they went into the studio to record.

[Zydar]

According to Lifting Shadows, Awake took two months to write.

"The writing sessions for what would eventually become the Awake album commenced in earnest in February after the band had taken a warranted, month-long break. Setting themselves up at Prince Studios in New York City and working solidly on ideas for two months, they swiftly created numerous songs with such temporary and bizarre working titles as 'Kittens on Crack', 'Blowfish', 'Beach House Reality' and 'Squid'." (Lifting Shadows, page 140).

[hefdaddy42]

Well, that's wrong.  I was there.


















Or something.

[tri.ad]

Well, what's in the book is in the book. Two months it is, then.

[The Letter M]

From The Train Of Thought Instrumental Demos CD:

Over the course of a month or so, the music came together real smoothly and I think we achieved our goal with the overall style of the album.

The only other DT album that was written this way was Awake...

When Dream And Day Unite and Images And Words developed over years because of singer changes and internal problems, Falling Into Infinity was developed over years because of label delays and problems, and Scenes From A Memory, Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, Octavarium, Systematic Chaos, and Black Clouds & Silver Linings were all written and recorded simultaneously in the recording studio.

So it wasn't so much the amount of time but just the fact that it was done over years nor done right in the studio, but rather in a time period of a month or two.

And regarding Awake, from the Awake Demos CD:

In February 1994, we moved into Prince Studios in New York City to begin the writing process... The only existing ideas upon starting were "Puppies On Acid" (the intro to The Mirror - which we were playing live on the I&W tour as an intro to Take The Time), a few bits and pieces of what would become Erotomania (they were originally part of Pull Me Under - see the Images And Words Demos) and The Silent Man (which JP had written at the end of 1993 and he, James and Kev even performed it on Korean TV while we were there for a promotional tour in Jan 1994). The writing process soon began and were [sic] were underway. Never at a loss for ideas, the wheels were spinning quickly and the dealing hanging over our head only seemed to motivate us even more.

And regarding the end-time of the sessions, it was April of 1994, which included demoing "Lifting Shadows Off A Dream", "Innocence Faded" and "Space-Dye Vest", which MP had to say:

Space-Dye Vest was a peice that was 100% Kevin's. He had begun writing songs and demoing ideas on his own while on tour in 1993. Most of these demos were songs that were obviously not suitable for Dream Theater and were just for his own experimentation. But Space-Dye Vest was something that struck us as something that perhaps DT could record and try to use to take us in some new directions.

-Marc.

[orcus116]

Well I guess Myke's point stands then.

[Quadrochosis]

I like how MP seemed to be the deciding factor on which of KM's input was "suitable for DT" and what wasn't.

[orcus116]

Haha even back then.

[MykeHavoc]

Well I guess Myke's point stands then.

Yeah...so F all of you

[bosk1]

I like how MP seemed to be the deciding factor on which of KM's input was "suitable for DT" and what wasn't.

And yet, even with that filter, Space Dye Vest still somehow managed to sneak its way onto the CD to assault our ears until the end of time. 

[Plasmastrike]

I like how MP seemed to be the deciding factor on which of KM's input was "suitable for DT" and what wasn't.

And yet, even with that filter, Space Dye Vest still somehow managed to sneak its way onto the CD to assault our ears until the end of time. 

Oh no you diiint

[orcus116]

It's just an act. We all know bosk has Kevin Moore bedsheets.

[Metropolis Pt. II]

It's just an act. We all know bosk has Kevin Moore bedsheets.

And the pool in his backyard is in the shape of a heart.

[KevShmev]

"Not suitable for DT."  That always kills me, kind of like how LTE's "Liquid Dream" was something DT couldn't do either.  Heaven forbid a band that considers itself "progressive" actually does something outside the box.  Hopefully, that kind of thinking left the band with Portnoy.  We fans could get some new and exciting stuff from the band, stuff we know they are more than capable of doing.

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

"Not suitable for DT."  That always kills me, kind of like how LTE's "Liquid Dream" was something DT couldn't do either.  Heaven forbid a band that considers itself "progressive" actually does something outside the box.  Hopefully, that kind of thinking left the band with Portnoy.  We fans could get some new and exciting stuff from the band, stuff we know they are more than capable of doing.

This excited me.

[TL]

It's like any time it was said that the fans would never allow a certain piece because it's not typical Dream Theater, even though something non-typical is exactly what many fans want. For the first few albums, even though they had a sound, there wasn't really such a thing as 'typical Dream Theater'.

[j]

"Not suitable for DT."  That always kills me, kind of like how LTE's "Liquid Dream" was something DT couldn't do either.  Heaven forbid a band that considers itself "progressive" actually does something outside the box.  Hopefully, that kind of thinking left the band with Portnoy.  We fans could get some new and exciting stuff from the band, stuff we know they are more than capable of doing.

It's like any time it was said that the fans would never allow a certain piece because it's not typical Dream Theater, even though something non-typical is exactly what many fans want. For the first few albums, even though they had a sound, there wasn't really such a thing as 'typical Dream Theater'.

Both of these.  Although I do recall Petrucci being the one who said something to that effect (i.e. the fans wouldn't accept it) on multiple occasions.

-J

[Orbert]

Scenes From A Memory, Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, Octavarium, Systematic Chaos, and Black Clouds & Silver Linings were all written and recorded simultaneously in the recording studio.

But that can't be right.  I'm pretty sure I read that they were working on "Metropolis, Pt II" before Falling Into Infinity. Or maybe not.  It was a while ago.

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

Scenes From A Memory, Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, Octavarium, Systematic Chaos, and Black Clouds & Silver Linings were all written and recorded simultaneously in the recording studio.

But that can't be right.  I'm pretty sure I read that they were working on "Metropolis, Pt II" before Falling Into Infinity. Or maybe not.  It was a while ago.

Metropolis Pt. II was originally going to be another epic (20+ minutes) on FII. They wanted to bring out a double album, but the record company wouldn't allow it. So after FII came and went, and they transfered to EastWest Records, they decided to make it an entire album. It's kind of a good result from a bad situation.

Also: If anywhere in here I am incorrect, feel free to FTFM.

[Seventh Son]

I like how MP seemed to be the deciding factor on which of KM's input was "suitable for DT" and what wasn't.

And yet, even with that filter, Space Dye Vest still somehow managed to sneak its way onto the CD to assault our ears until the end of time. 

You say that as if its a bad thing.

[PixelDream]

This is awesome. Love the guitars in the chorus, massive sound and brutally played by JP. That's how you rock it out with power chords.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bS1OcbrUKM&p=5929E0E0CC518948&playnext=1&index=2

[Orbert]

Metropolis Pt. II was originally going to be another epic (20+ minutes) on FII. They wanted to bring out a double album, but the record company wouldn't allow it. So after FII came and went, and they transfered to EastWest Records, they decided to make it an entire album. It's kind of a good result from a bad situation.

That's what I thought I remembered.  So either way, parts of SFAM were written before they went into the studio.

[The Letter M]

Metropolis Pt. II was originally going to be another epic (20+ minutes) on FII. They wanted to bring out a double album, but the record company wouldn't allow it. So after FII came and went, and they transfered to EastWest Records, they decided to make it an entire album. It's kind of a good result from a bad situation.

That's what I thought I remembered.  So either way, parts of SFAM were written before they went into the studio.

True, but it was such a small part of the 20-minute demo that was used on the final album. A lot of that jamming was later transformed in the studio into something new, or dropped entirely. It's not much different from when the guys just jam something out on stage during the tour, get it on tape, and use it for the next studio album which, IIRC, they have done in the past (although I cannot recall specific examples - bonus points to whoever can cite any, though!).

-Marc.

[rumborak]

True, but it was such a small part of the 20-minute demo that was used on the final album. A lot of that jamming was later transformed in the studio into something new, or dropped entirely.

The demo had Overture and Strange Deja Vu in it, and parts of TDOE I think. Sure, it's not the whole album, but claiming that the whole album was written in the studio just isn't true really. And who knows where other parts of SFAM came from, i.e. of which we don't have a recorded record of.

rumborak