Official DT Top 50 Thread Mark II (bss4life15 up now - starting page 79)

[jsem]

Metropolis at 34?... wow.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I hope ACOS and LTL are nowhere near the top 20. That would be amazing.

Why would I put Porcupine Tree songs in my Top 50? 


Next bundle of goodies:


32. The Mirror/Lie

Two songs that I always listen to together. Though I prefer the Mirror by far, the second half of Lie is fantastic, and I love the Mirror Reprise solo. The Mirror is one of the heaviest DT songs yet. JP plays a constant riff throughout the song, as the drum patterns change, which make it very awesome. Probably one of my favorite songs with James because his vocals are so dark and rough here. The end of the Mirror is amazing, and it leads into Lie, which is a pretty good song for the first few minutes, then it takes it up a notch. JP's solo melts my hands as I'm listneing whi tpyng,


see?


31. Bridges in the Sky

When I first heard the snippet, I thought, "Systematic Chaos". I still don't know why I did. One of the best intros in any DT song, and the Shaman just makes it better. One of the highlights of the song is the "Carnival sounding riff?" at 2:14. When I first heard it, I was all Holy shit. Many here may say it has one of their best choruses and years, and I'll mostly agree. My favorite favorite favorite part is "and at last the time has come..." blah blah. You know, cause you heard it.




30. Outcry

You can ask TheGreatPretender..for a long ass time, this was ranked dead last on ADTOE for me. It didn't click at all, and I was pissed it didn't, because I wanted to like it. My favorite part is the intro, because it's all Holy and Epic and shit. I like the lyrics as well, and they are very hopeful, because the relate to me. Blob has caused me great pain over the years, and I won't let him rule me now. But dude, stand upon my grave whenever  That's bout it.


29. Scarred

Unexpected transitions in this song is what makes the song. I love it. I love the soft, jazzy feel intro. Also, one of the best songs with unheard lyrics. It's not often I let people feel me with elastic rubber bands, after listening to this song. Once again, the outro is fucking sick. Blob, go suck a cob.

28. Take the Time

I was kind of disappointed this didn't make my Top 25, being Jaffa's favorite and all. It truly is an amazing tune, and it's one of their most positive songs I've ever heard. It includes some of the best vocal melodies and soloing I've heard in any DT song. Who knows, one day this may move up, I wouldn't be surprised! I THINK IT'S TIME FOR A

..break from this. Enjoy.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I'll go ahead and post my next 2 so I can be ready for the Top 25:


27. Regression/Overture 1928/Strange Deja Vu

Yeah, I like to combine all 3, because it just works. All parts are great, but especially Strange Deja Vu. The chorus is brilliant. As soon as JP kicks in with that riff, the song is just amazing. James becomes more of a badass. Portnoy becomes more of a badass. So does Myung. And Rudess. So yeah. I really don't have a whole lot to say about this, except that it is a great trio.


26. Surrounded

3. Surrounded
Yay, another controversial pick! Isn't that nice? Yeah, it is, for Surrounded is about the most underrated song in Dream Theater's whole discography. Let me just say that based purely on marvelous song-writing, there's not a lot that can top this one (though there obviously is according to me, or this could have been on the #1 spot). Surrounded is a beautiful example of a good hard-rocking song interlocked between a musically brilliant intro and outro. Now that I've actually typed that, it kind of looks stupid, as I can't think of any other example of that, let alone a 'brilliant' one. Anyway, we start with a chord progression that must have been thought of by Kevin Moore, with a short piano riff first and then the piano with strings in the background. 'Morning comes too early, night time falls too late', the first words are sung beautifully by James, a voice he never repeated after his glory on Images & Words. We head into a short guitar lead or an interlude for what's to come, as the song slowly transforms slowly into a hard rocking song, but not without touching a riff in an odd meter first. We have a short taste of some sort of chorus and the song returns to a previous. Another verse that slowly gets heavier or more intense, with James's voice rising and the song moves into an utterly brilliant guitar solo, based mostly on the repeating pattern of a delay pedal. The next part is probably my favourite part of the song, the last lines of lyrics to wrap it all up, underscored by some of Petrucci's best rhythmic/melodic guitar lines. The song stops and goes back to the feeling of the intro, repeating the most important line of lyrics 'I know it's easier to walk away than look it in the eye', a line that can mean that much more to you if it's been of an influence for something in your life. It has been for me, and it's only one of the reasons I love this song so much. It's a funny thing. This is the shortest song in my top 10, in fact the first song that's shorter than this one, going back through my top 50 would be Hell's Kitchen at #14 and after that Wait for Sleep at #29, but that doesn't detract from it's awesomeness. In this particular case, Dream Theater really hit the nail on the head, creating a relatively simple, concise song without much difficulty that still remains very listenable. I feel like I haven't commented on the lyrics enough, so I'll just do that now as well. I don't get them to be honest. Aside from the aforementioned obvious ones, most of the lyrics in this song describe weird stuff that supposedly should mean something, but I don't know what. I don't really care either, I can sing them all and that's enough. A wonderful song and unjustfully underappreciated.

This, just not as with much love.

[Elite]

I hope ACOS and LTL are nowhere near the top 20. That would be amazing.

Why would I put Porcupine Tree songs in my Top 50? 

Dafuq.

Nice bunch of songs, though the I&W songs are too low. Also, great write-up for Surrounded 

[Jaffa]

I was kind of disappointed this didn't make my Top 25, being Jaffa's favorite and all.

  I wouldn't worry about it too much.  My feelings are not hurt. 

Seven great songs.  Well, technically ten great songs.  Or I guess eight great songs, from my perspective, since I counted Scene Two and The Mirror/Lie as individual songs so all you've added is Regression.  Whatever.  You get the idea. 

In fact, all but one of those are on my top 50 (not that big a fan of Outcry, myself), and four of them are in my top 15.   

[BlobVanDam]

I hope ACOS and LTL are nowhere near the top 20. That would be amazing.

Why would I put Porcupine Tree songs in my Top 50? 

Dafuq.

Yeah, I'm confused about that one. Especially as I don't know any PT songs.

Decent choices, although TTT is at least 25 places too low, and Scarred is at least 100 places too high.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

But Blob, there are only like 6 DT songs.

[Jaffa]

Decent choices, although TTT is at least 25 places too low, and Scarred is at least 100 places too high.

Out of curiosity, is there any number at which Scarred could be ranked without being '100 places too high'?

[FlyingBIZKIT]

He doesn't like Scarred because he relates to it. That's all.

[Elite]

Decent choices, although TTT is at least 25 places too low, and Scarred is at least 100 places too high.

Out of curiosity, is there any number at which Scarred could be ranked without being '100 places too high'?

Yes, at #15

[BlobVanDam]

Decent choices, although TTT is at least 25 places too low, and Scarred is at least 100 places too high.

Out of curiosity, is there any number at which Scarred could be ranked without being '100 places too high'?

You raise a valid point. I like you.

[Jaffa]

I'm so very tempted to sig that.  =D

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Do it.


I personally like my new sig.

[Elite]

I don't.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

 

[Scorpion]

I will abandon my usual style, and not say something about each and every song, but it's a great list as a whole.

Scarred rocks. Blob can fuck off. 

[XJDenton]

Blob can fuck off. 

You can cut that out right now.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I don't think he meant it in a mean, offensive way. 



Or maybe I can just fuck off. 

[TheGreatPretender]

Grrrr... All good choices... But considering they're this low, and higher than Metropolis, I truly fear for the top 10.

[Scorpion]

Blob can fuck off. 

You can cut that out right now.

Alright, sorry. Didn't mean it that way.

[Nekov]

This list so far is.....interesting. Half of the songs in there wouldn't make mine and the other half would be higher. And I love your writeups, short, concise and effective.

[KevShmev]

Interesting choices thus far.  Many of my favorites have already been listed (Scarred, Erotomania, Home, Take the Time, Metropolis, etc.), so it should be an interesting top 20.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Thanks guys!


25. Beyond This Life

They jam like crazy in this song, and it's actually really awesome. *Cough* BCSL *Cough*. The song starts out crazy, and GETS REALLY CRAZY. Then it calms back down. Myung kills the bass in the verses, and it involves some of my favorite drumming. This song goes through many changes, being crazy one minute, to being very soft and sweet the next. The true highlight of this song though is the long ass instrumental section. It's even better on Budokan, because they take it to a different level. Masterpiece.


24. Wait for Sleep/Learning to Live

The highest ranked songs on Images and Words for me. Gasp! Songs like these, I don't have much to say about because they are already ranked so high, and they say everything there is needed to say. I feel the same, but I just think there are a good bit of songs better than this. No, the F# is not the highlight either. It's the outro.


23. Voices

Ladies and Gentlemen, this song holds the title for "King of Misheard Lyrics". All of you know what I'm talking about, and unfortunately, I can not get them out of my head when listening to this. Awake's best songs are better than Images' best songs. It's true. The atmosphere in this song is brilliant, and I always feel like I'm walking around in Awake's cover art when hearing it. JP comes up with some killer riffs in this song  ala 3:18. James isn't afraid to get loud on this track, and I wish he would do this alot more. My favorite part is MP's vocal section.

[TheGreatPretender]

Awake's best songs are better than Images' best songs. It's true.

No! Bad Bizkit!

[KevShmev]

And two more of my top 5! (Voices and Learning to Live)

INB4 Burning My Soul ends up at number 1.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Yeah right 

[Elite]

INB4 Burning My Soul ends up at number 1.

It did with mine. Oh, wait.

Anyway, Luke, you have gone to the dark side. Bad biscuit, this list makes me sad.

[KevShmev]

Or Constant Motion.  That would be way, way worse.

[Scorpion]

Dammit, what are you going to put in your Top 10? Great choices, though!

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Don't worry. Constant Motion IS the worst DT song 

[Scorpion]

... Naw. That title goes to TDEN. Or JLMB.

[KevShmev]

Don't worry. Constant Motion IS the worst DT song 

Whew! Now we can all relax and not worry about having to heckle you for having a laughable number 1.  

[Elite]

Just in case no-one has noticed, SDOIT is his favourite DT album and we haven't seen a single song from that album as of yet.

Also, worst DT song definitely is Burning My Soul.

[BlobVanDam]

... Naw. That title goes to TDEN. Or JLMB.

CM, TDEN and JLMB are all great songs. Haters gonna hate.

Even the worst DT has written recently doesn't come close to the embarrassing awfulness of some of the nasty stuff on WDADU.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

The worst DT songs (I still like them, just not a whole lot)

Almost everything on Systematic Chaos
A Rite of Passage
Status Seeker
Panic Attack
Never Enough
Burning My Soul
You Not Me