To someone who has never listened to DT before, what would you suggest?

[Apricot]

No, not me. I mean a friend or someone who has never listened or heard of the band before. Myself, I've never been in this situation because the friends I have are very musically stubborn and refuse to listen to them based on the fact they have long songs, a keyboardist, and a woman-like singer who looks like a jew (Their words, not mine. It's ridiculous and I have idiotic friends).

But, I was thinking the other day, if someone wanted to give them a listen, I would have no idea what to suggest to them, as their catalog is so diverse and their isn't really an 'average' Dream Theater sound.

What would you suggest to someone to give them a taste of what Dream Theater are like?

[Zydar]

Depends on what they usually listens to. If he/she is a metalhead then I would try Train Of Thought for instance.

[chrisbDTM]

ive brought this up before but no one noticed, shouldnt we have a recomendation sticky thread?

like:

if your new prospective DT listener is a
a) metalhead - go to list 1 below
b) is into old school prog - go to list 2 below

etc...



these threads pop up all the time and i would be nice to steer them to a thread.

[Zydar]

Sounds like a good idea.

[Apricot]

Oh, I didn't mean based on their musical tastes, but more on what Dream Theater are about, which as stated is quite difficult. I should have included that, my bad.

By difficult I mean...I couldn't hand them an album as a sample of DT, as their albums in sound are quite diverse. I'd probably have to give them a number of songs throughout their catalog to feel I've shown them the range of stuff they make.

[Sketchy]

Well, I got a friend into DT (and as a result, metal in general) by getting them to listen to ACOS.

Granted, he is a total proghead, like myself.

Then, he followed it up by listening to Trial Of Tears, Peruvian Skies, A Rite Of Passage, Hollow Years and (I think) Home... Before starting to rival me in how quickly he collected their albums.

[ghostnotes]

Isn't this why "Greatest Hit..." was created?  Based on that collection's track list, no need to reinvent the wheel IMO.

[bosk1]

Just speaking in the abstract, if you just want to give someone a broad cross-section of what DT are like, picking some of their most representative songs and avoiding songs that are too extreme in one sense or another, I would probably go with something like this:

Pull Me Under
Metropolis, pt. 1
Lie
Trial of Tears
The Spirit Carries On
Solitary Shell
Panic Attack
A Nightmare To Remember

I realize that, with a few exceptions, this almost reads like a "hits" list.  But I think it really is a good representation of what DT do and how their sound has evolved from Images & Words up to the present.  So if we're talking about 1 CD worth of material, I would go with something along those lines (that list is about 75 minutes).

[deadtotheworld]

I would show them a DVD first, some people dont get technical music or strange time changes etc - but to see them play it, see how fast JM moves his fingers over the bass and see the techniques used by all members of the band is how I converted my wife into a DT fan... cant go wrong with the 'Score' DVD.

[Architeuthis]

There was a time when I had two of my friends over that were into metal, especially Metallica. I wanted to get them into Dream Theater but I made the mistake of showing them Train of Thought first. After listening to the first track As I Am, they instantly labeled them as Metallica Rip-offs.
  I have brought several people into Dream Theater with Octavarium though. That one seems to work pretty well, as it has pretty diverse tracks.  It is kind of a tough one, as to know where to start with people with DT albums.

[Millais]

Octavarium. that's how i got into DT anyway, from there i've been able to appreciate their music and music of other prog rock/metal artists SO much more!
so yeah, if it were me i'd start with Octavarium.

However, if they're more dominantly into metal the Train of Thought is the album to go with.

[chrisbDTM]

i would just show them Metropolis Pt. 1

then see what they say about it, and suggest a different DT song based on their opinion

[wammabe]

I'd show them Scenes From a Memory. Showing Dream Theater's most metal album to people that love metal has never resulted very well for me. Besides, Scenes From a Memory has many metal sections already.

[Dublagent66]

I would tend to say Images & Words because PMU is always good to start off.  Also, if your friends let the sound of James voice and his looks bother them, then they are probably too shallow to appreciate anything DT does and that is just a downright shame.

[Mosh]

Well I saw DT with Iron Maiden. And that's how I became a fan. Maiden is my favorite band so I guess I'm a bit of a metal head. I also like prog though. I really liked As I Am, Rite of Passage was pretty good too but I don't like it much now. I bough Awake after that and 6:00 was and still is my favorite song on that record.

[Orion1967]

I would show them a DVD first, some people dont get technical music or strange time changes etc - but to see them play it, see how fast JM moves his fingers over the bass and see the techniques used by all members of the band is how I converted my wife into a DT fan... cant go wrong with the 'Score' DVD.

This.  Far and large. This.

EXACT same situation with me.  My wife is more of a music listener since she has no real training or ability to play any type of instrument.  Before she saw the Score DVD, she would listen to some of I&W and Awake and just go...  "Meh, that sounds good but I don't really get the fanatacism....".  Then I made her sit down and watch the SCore DVD with me when I first got it.  She was like "Oh! I get it now!". 

She was glued to the RR youtube channel for the whole drummer selection process and was commenting and giving opinions like a seasoned fan.

If you really wnat someone to like the band, having the benefit of the visual stimulii with the audio is paramount.  Especially if they are more of a 4/4 time signature kind of listener.

[edu]

i would choose Learning to Live. I know it´s not an "easy" song, but there´s a lot of different parts, tunes, sounds and melodies which represent some of the DT different faces. A kind of DT "all-in-one".

[Jarlaxle]

I really like to show people These Walls. I have had quite a bit of success with people loving that song then going on to find out more of Dream Theater's material.

[MetropolisxPt1]

i would choose Learning to Live. I know it´s not an "easy" song, but there´s a lot of different parts, tunes, sounds and melodies which represent some of the DT different faces. A kind of DT "all-in-one".

This song scares more people away from dt then any the first minute ruins it for people that aren't into technicality.

[JayOctavarium]

i would choose Learning to Live. I know it´s not an "easy" song, but there´s a lot of different parts, tunes, sounds and melodies which represent some of the DT different faces. A kind of DT "all-in-one".

LtL was one of the first couple Dream Theater songs I had heard and had on my mp3 player in the very beginning... so i agree with this

[Phoenix87x]

Usually when I feel like playing the role of Dream Theater missionary, I typically go with either Take the Time or Only a Matter of time. Right out of the gate they come at you fast, and with a passionate intensity. They are instantly gratifying and I have had the most success with those two songs, but typically the people I know that like Dream Theater, already liked them long before I did.

[KevShmev]

Sadly, if your friends are saying things like...

the friends I have are very musically stubborn and refuse to listen to them based on the fact they have long songs, a keyboardist, and a woman-like singer who looks like a jew (Their words, not mine. It's ridiculous and I have idiotic friends).

..then the odds of them actually liking the band are slim to none, since they won't go in with an open mind, and even if they did like it at all, they aren't likely to admit it after saying such stupid and harsh things (which are probably just said to irritate you), so you are probably fighting a losing battle. 

[Guitalguy]

I agree with bosk1's list. I instantly thought of Panic Attack, because it's very metal, but groovy and melodic as well. If you were to introduce someone to a band, I wouldn't go with something epic that takes much time to get into.

Pull Me Under is the first DT-track I heard, and obviously, it got me hungry for more. Also I'd suggest Octavarium, because the songs are easier to get, and even if it's not their most representative album, it gives you a good clue, and that instantly. You don't have to put a lot of effort into listening to it, and sadly, that seems to be the most important part of listening to new music. There are a lot of bands I want to listen to, but since I don't know what are their most representative and best songs, I often go back to what I'm familiar with. I put some effort into listen closely to every DT album, (and that's a lot to digest for me since I didn't become a fan until at least 2010) but it paid off, to say at least 

[orcus116]

Six Degrees is probably the best primer for the band.

[Apricot]

Thank you all for the replies.

As I said in the original post though, this is hypothetical, I have nobody I know who is interested in listening to them really. But I definitely agree on my friends being shallow-minded. In fact, I find it sickening that music is divided so socially like that. I mean...it's an art. You don't see painters and their fans cursing each other as is seen in most music cultures, which is another reason why I love prog so much, as the culture is typically (as a whole) respectful and treat music as more of an art.

A little side-tracked there, apologies. But I will keep all your recommendations in mind if the time comes (:

[Jirpo]

I would give them SFAM, it has a balanced sound and is one of their best albums. The best to get into DT with IMO.

[YtseJam]

I&W and SFAM from there let them figure it out.

[Mosh]

I would give them SFAM, it has a balanced sound and is one of their best albums. The best to get into DT with IMO.

I'd better get my hands on that one then. 

[m0hawk]

I wouldn't show off their ultra proggy songs just yet. Go with some of the more accessible ones first:

Under a Glass Moon
The Root of All Evil
Misunderstood
Peruvian Skies
Metropolis
Overture 1928
Space Dye Vest
The Spirit Carries On

And then sit them through Octavarium.

[Dekost]

Scenes From A Memory.

[Hayden]

I've introduced quite a few people to Dream Theater, and I've done so with different material for almost all of them.

One of my friends, who's musically open-minded, I showed 'Scenes from a Memory' and she loved it instantly (and has now gone on to listening to the rest of their catalogue). Another of my female friends, who's a big Metallica fan, I showed "Constant Motion" and lent 'Train of Thought' to. She now appreciates them a whole lot more. One of my male friends, I showed 'Scenes from a Memory' to, but just warned him that it was a little weird; he's now a big fan, but just can't tolerate LaBrie's vocals. One of my younger friends, who's a big fan of straight-forward hard rock, I showed "Panic Attack" (he's now gone on to really like the song, and is also checking out some of their other stuff now). One of my closest friends, but whose musical taste I wasn't all that sure of, I told to listen to "Fatal Tragedy" and "Wither". She responded saying that she was amazed (at "FT", mostly), and asked me to burn her some copies of the albums they were from. Some of my other straight-forward metalhead friends, I've played "As I Am" to, of which they were quite impressed.

(Cool story bro, I know.)

So, it does depend on the person in question; what their tastes and preferences are. If they're a metalhead, I'd say show them "Constant Motion", "As I Am", "This Dying Soul", or perhaps the whole 'Train of Thought' album if they're patient. If they're somewhat adventurous, then show them the 'Scenes from a Memory' album. If they're more of a fan of mainstream rock, show them some of 'Octavarium's tracks. And if you don't really know what they're into, then tell them to listen to "Fatal Tragedy" through to the end.

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Unless you know that the person you're introducing DT to is already familiar with very complex music, it's best to start with the basic popular stuff, particularly the hookier tunes. Constant Motion, Pull Me Under, Take The Time, TSCO, Forsaken, even Wither. You have to let them digest the DT formula at its most basic and accessible before throwing LtL or something like that at them.

Of course, if you know the person IS into complex stuff, then it depends more on the light/heavy preferences. ITPOE/ANTR/ITNOG/Home are great starting points for heavy-oriented listeners, while lighter ones may like LtL, 8V, SDOIT, or even TMOLS more.