Awake = #1 album?

[Dream Team]

It ranks 4th for me so I'm no Awake fanboy or fan of the elitism it inspires, but I honestly cannot fathom where H is coming from in some of his arguments.

Musically mature = cohesive, focused song structures, no out-of-place soloing, serious lyrical subjects

I mean, that should be pretty obvious shouldn't it?

This coming from someone who usually LOVES the wild soloing.

[ariich]

Ugh this thread should have ended after the first reply.

[toro]

I hear you.   I guess I just don't get.  Everyone is hearing the same song, and assuming everyone's ears are working properly, I don't see how we come to such different conclusions unless there is some type of phycological trickery involved, such as the mental "I-like-Awake-because-it's-different" thing that has arisen for whatever reason.

THIS POST.
OH GOD THIS POST.

[Ħ]

Ugh this thread should have ended after the first reply.

scratchin your own back i see

[Aramatheis]

[ariich]

[Ravenheart]

Well, I agree with just about everything Orcus has said in this thread.

As for me, I would definitely say it's their best album. It's technical and heavy, but filled with soul. Scarred is still a song that gets at me because I can empathize with it. DT's lyrics today are very bland and uninteresting, but the lyrics on Awake actually sounded like they took thought to craft. Scarred and Space-Dye Vest are still my 2 favorite DT tracks, though I rarely listen to DT anymore.

Sadly, Awake was their last album worth noting. Everything after it, or at least after SFAM, anyway, is just watered-down prog metal that isn't very interesting at all, despite the occasional catchy riff or melody.

[ClairvoyantCat]

I hear you.   I guess I just don't get.  Everyone is hearing the same song, and assuming everyone's ears are working properly, I don't see how we come to such different conclusions unless there is some type of phycological trickery involved, such as the mental "I-like-Awake-because-it's-different" thing that has arisen for whatever reason.

Are you kidding me?

[The Degenerate]

I hear you.   I guess I just don't get.  Everyone is hearing the same song, and assuming everyone's ears are working properly, I don't see how we come to such different conclusions unless there is some type of phycological trickery involved, such as the mental "I-like-Awake-because-it's-different" thing that has arisen for whatever reason.

OH MY GOD

[Ravenheart]

I hear you.   I guess I just don't get.  Everyone is hearing the same song, and assuming everyone's ears are working properly, I don't see how we come to such different conclusions unless there is some type of phycological trickery involved, such as the mental "I-like-Awake-because-it's-different" thing that has arisen for whatever reason.

Ok, wait, I didn't even see this post.


................

[Volk9]

Awake is definitely the Dream Theater fan's Dream Theater record. I can understand it not being some people's number 1 album, or in the top 3, but any fan who doesn't at least have it (and Images and Words) in their top 5 is nuts.

I think a more accurate statement is:  Any fan who thinks their way of viewing a particular song or album is the only correct way and everyone who thinks differently is "nuts" is a presumptuous dick.

Bosk, I dont know if you meant to attack PC or anything, but that was a bit uncalled for.

[Jamesman42]

Anyone who thinks dicks are gay is a sinner.

They're only gay if they're kissing or hanging out with each other.

[contest_sanity]

Anyone who thinks dicks are gay is a sinner.

They're only gay if they're kissing or hanging out with each other.

You're such a presumptuous bigot!

[kiwiclapton]

I will say that I like Awake as a whole and don't skip any songs. It IS a great record.

This.

[lucky7]

I do like it, but I place it in the category that I probably prefer a lot of the stuff that cam after this.

A lot of DT fans I have met in Australia over the years rate this as their number one. 

[tgstk2]

I hear you.   I guess I just don't get.  Everyone is hearing the same song, and assuming everyone's ears are working properly, I don't see how we come to such different conclusions unless there is some type of phycological trickery involved, such as the mental "I-like-Awake-because-it's-different" thing that has arisen for whatever reason.

THIS POST.
OH GOD THIS POST.

your avatar is very restless.....and quite annoying when you pay to much attention to it 

[SDFprowler]

Yes I rank Awake as Dream Theater's best.  In fact, Awake is my favorite piece of music EVER.  SFAM is Dream Theater's second best followed by Images & Words.  All three are perfect but that's how I rank them.

[Tomislav95]

Yes I rank Awake as Dream Theater's best.  In fact, Awake is my favorite piece of music EVER.  SFAM is Dream Theater's second best followed by Images & Words.  All three are perfect but that's how I rank them.

This

[Dellers]

I suppose I'm strange, but while I pretty much rank the other albums like everyone else, I just don't think Awake is among the top. It's a decent album, but IMO it's only better than WDADU and FII. It might be because of the sound though, I strongly dislike it. Being an engineer myself I just don't like how it sounds (still far better than WDADU though, which I just don't listen to because of the way it sounds). Musically it's growing though, so it might jump up a place or two in the near future. The only grower atm.

[snapple]

Time to give me $0.02.


Awake ranks #1 as my favorite album of all time. There are obvious reasons for this:

1.) It's the only album that I have never gotten tired of listening to. At all. I've listened to it more than I&W, SFAM and other non-Dream Theater records. It has yet to lose it's charm to me.
2.) I get chills listening to parts. I still connect with the songs. I still salivate over riffs, drum fills, vocal melodies and bass lines (keys are a "meh" factor to me on any album).

Those are completely personal opinions. While reading this thread, I decided to look into those reasons for loving Awake. But, before I go into that, I need to address a few things with these "haters":

1.) What makes a 5 minute song less bombastic than a 20 minute song?
2.) What makes a 5 minute song less progressive than a 20 minute song?
3.) It's already been addressed. How does failure to look into a song's meaning, beyond surface level, warrant an opinion of "just because it is cryptic doesn't mean it is good"?

My points are NOT aimed at any individual posters.

I have been a Dream Theater fan since 2005. My first song was Panic Attack. The first album I got was SFAM. The next album was I&W. After that, I bought them all (yes, in one shopping trip. Oh to be a teenager with income like that again). One thing became VERY clear to me with Dream Theater after listening to every album up until that point. And now, it is more drastically clear. While I love the newer stuff, it doesn't hold a candle to the old. There is literally a song like "As I Am" on every album from Train of Thought on. The album structures are the same. Again, while I enjoy the music, it feels incredibly formulaic. Black Clouds definitely follows the routine, but not as closely. A Nightmare to Remember was saved by the killer intro and "Beautiful Agony". The music of "The Count of Tuscany" was magnificent.

But what saved Black Clouds was the solo section of The Count of Tuscany. No 1,000,000,000,000 notes per second. Not that I don't mind those solos. But for God's sake, A Rite of Passage was horrendously ruined by the solos. The breakdown section was fine. But the solos were like "well shit, this is typical Dream Theater.". I don't even mean that in a negative way. Just in a "I wish they would break the mould" way. I could go back to every album post-SFAM and point out every flaw with them. I won't. I don't want to give off the impression that I don't enjoy the albums. I do. There are cringe worthy moments on them, however.

So what does this have to do with Awake?

Like the perfect solo section for The Count of Tuscany, Awake carries a feeling of everything fitting in place with the album. All Dream Theater albums sound like one coherent album. To me, however, Awake sounds the most like one work of art. Not several pieces put together, but one piece.

The metal head in me is probably drawn to Awake for its heaviness. But, it also has some of the softest Dream Theater moments, too. It also has most of the sad moments, happy moments and contemplative moments. I get why people have opinions and won't agree with me on this. But, to me, this album has it all. The guitar work on The Silent Man is more memorable than anything JP has done from SDOIT and on (yeah, I'm not a huge fan of SDOIT). JMX actually feels like he is part of the band on this album. His bass is alive and well. James' voice, while when aggressive sounds wonderful, for me, really shines on The Silent Man and Lifting Shadows.

And when I was thinking of all of this, it's when it all hit me. I can relate to everything on the album. When the lyrics point to an aggressive or angry time, the music on ALL levels reflects it. Pick any emotion any song on Awake is trying to convey. Vocally and instrumentally the emotion is conveyed. It isn't one of these "I really like the words and can relate to them!" It is "Everything about this song speaks to me right now".

Then I was thinking; "okay, so people will probably understand my point on this stuff. But, prog heads will be like "blah blah least proggy etc". I have to say, this album is progressive in nature. They were pressured by their label to make another Pull Me Under (which was a last minute song for I&W). So what did they do? They created heavy songs that were infinitely more musical than Pull Me Under.

What about the bombast-"ary" of the album? Voices. Scarred. Lifting Shadows. If you haven't listened to those songs, I get why you would miss it.

In conclusion, I will say this;

Even when Dream Theater absolutely bores me, when music bores me, Awake never does. This post is coming from a COMPLETELY biased poster. I was just trying to say why it is #1 to me. I was taking some of the negative things about it (to other posters) and explaining where I see these things as positives to me. I have no intention of debating.

[orcus116]

Hell to the yeah.

[Riceball]

Need the applause emote.

Outstanding.

[j]

I love you Snapple.  And not just because of your delicious fruity taste.

-J

[KevShmev]

snapple's post was great, but to address was rob said earlier in the thread, how is Awake not playing to their strengths?  Just because they have chosen not to really revisit that style again doesn't mean it wasn't a strength, or even their biggest strength.  And on the flip side, just because they do something on a regular basis, doesn't automatically make it their biggest strength.  It is just the thing they like doing the most or more than anything else. 

Frankly, quite a few bands' best albums are ones that aren't necessarily in the style that said band did the most.  Dream Theater is one of those bands.

[orcus116]

*cue argument where the style has changed on every album*

[i_am_here_]

Kevin Moore.....nuff said

[hefdaddy42]

Another thing in Awake's favor is that it is the one DT album where the quality of the lyrics matches the quality of the musicianship.

[The Degenerate]

Another thing in Awake's favor is that it is the one DT album where the quality of the lyrics matches the quality of the musicianship.

I can get behind this. I mean, they aren't all amazing, but they're definitely DT's most consistent.

[ACID_FOX]

Awake is the best album because it is

Also Kevin Moore

Kevin Moore's conspicuous only by his absence...

Songwritingwise, he essentially just did what he was told. By all reports he'd more or less signed off before they started recording. Space-Dye Vest aside, Moore was almost unquestionably the LVP.

Awake is, at its core, the sum total of three guys writing music.

You shut your mouth about Kevin Moore.

[jonny108]

Voices. 'nuff said.

[Bone_Daddy]

Snapple just won this thread.
This thread can be closed.

[ariich]

Snapple just won this thread.
This thread can be closed.

Not really. It was a well-written post about why he loves the album so much, which is great and all, but that doesn't mean we all have to agree with it. In fact I disagree with a fair bit of it.

[bosk1]

Snapple just won this thread.
This thread can be closed.

Not really. It was a well-written post about why he loves the album so much, which is great and all, but that doesn't mean we all have to agree with it. In fact I disagree with a fair bit of it.

This.

[snapple]

Snapple just won this thread.
This thread can be closed.

Not really. It was a well-written post about why he loves the album so much, which is great and all, but that doesn't mean we all have to agree with it. In fact I disagree with a fair bit of it.

This.

And I totally expect disagreement. The thread asked why Awake was number 1 to the fans it was number 1 too. All I did is say why.

[bosk1]

Oh, I know.  I have no problem with your post.  Ariich and I were just responding to those who seem to think your post makes this an open and shut case.