What If?

[OptionalPlayer]

I just sat down and re-watched the Five Years in a LiveTime DVD after many, many years.

What was most shocking about watching is was when I turned it on, I said, "Holy crap, who's the keyboardist?"
Of course, that was only for a second when I realized it was Derek Sherinian. The kicker was that I completely forgot he was in the band for two albums.

Then I started thinking - What if Rudess didn't join the band?

Listening to Derek's music styles - his guitar-mimicking keyboard, his outgoing and playful attitude - I couldn't imagine how DT could have sounded with Derek in the band.

Sure, we can assume that SFaM would be something drastically different from what Rudess did, and SDoIT wouldn't be nearly as cool without Rudess. (Can you imagine Derek's solo on Blind Faith?)

I'm not saying Derek is a poor player at all - 'cause he's not. Listen to his solo stuff and Planet X for proof. But do you think they would have gone a bit softer to adjust for Derek?

Would Derek still be in the band?

Obviously 2004's reunion with him shows there wasn't any bad blood left between them at all.

And yes, I love FII.

So what are your thoughts on Derek? Also, did I ramble on long enough? The whole time I was typing this rant, I assumed someone was going to respond with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0 - So I'll just beat them to it!

[snapple]

Sfam wouldn't be much different. Try to find the Metropolis pt2 demo.

[YtseJamittaja]

Derek and Jordan are really different players. SFAM wouldn't be much different but the sounds and solos could be really different.

If Derek would be still in the band, there was no bebot and morphwiz solos, wizard name and hilarious tour videos. We need a one wizard in the band.

[BlobVanDam]

Sfam wouldn't be much different. Try to find the Metropolis pt2 demo.

It would still have been quite different. Jordan's influence is strong on SFAM despite the demo already being written. There would have been a lot of similar parts, but the majority of the album still would have been different.

I'm really glad they got Jordan when they did, because imo SFAM and SDOIT are DT's two best albums, and JR's influence is largely what I think makes those albums so amazing (especially SDOIT). And Derek's been doing cool stuff since leaving DT too, so I think it worked out well for both guys.

[Cable]

I love Derek's work with DT. And although I would not like the Jordan DT CDs anymore or less, I think with Derek I may have liked the keyboard parts more.

I absolutely love what you mentioned OptionalPlayer, where he doubles guitar. On New Millennium, he adds SO much heaviness to the riff after the instrumental section, before the final chorus. And his patch is not cheesy at all, it similar to distorted guitar, but it stands out enough to tell it is still a keyboard.

[MirzekDT]

Sfam wouldn't be much different. Try to find the Metropolis pt2 demo.

There's only Overture 1928, Strange Deja Vu (not complete), One Last Time and bits of The Dance Of Eternity in Metropolis pt2 demo. It would be much different cause majority of the album was written with JR.

[hefdaddy42]

While I'm glad that JR joined the band, I really liked what DS brought to the table with the band, and I hate that we only got one real album with him.  I would have liked at least one more.

[OptionalPlayer]

I just listen to Sherinian's current other work and hear something a lot more like hard rock and very technical in terms of song-writing. It's not that DT aren't obviously, but I could just see DT really having a different edge on them had Derek stuck around.

Examples: Black Utopia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUbHrZG2hqY

Planet X - Alien Hip Hop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNd1muW3q7Y

I just try to imagine these songs done in a Dream Theater fashion and feel like this is something DT wouldn't do.

Obviously this is all hypothetical, but I still find it interesting nonetheless.

[WDADU]

Well, I've always seen Derek as a very smart and versatile player, so I'm certain that he would have came up with parts that served the music of Scenes From A Memory aptly. I don't think any of the future albums's music would have changed because Portnoy was one gearing the direction of the band, anyway, so Derek would have just adapted to what Mike and John Petrucci would have written and I think that it would have been very complimentary to the music.

[BlobVanDam]

Well, I've always seen Derek as a very smart and versatile player, so I'm certain that he would have came up with parts that served the music of Scenes From A Memory aptly. I don't think any of the future albums's music would have changed because Portnoy was one gearing the direction of the band, anyway, so Derek would have just adapted to what Mike and John Petrucci would have written and I think that it would have been very complimentary to the music.

You're way underselling JR's musical input, and way overestimating MP's control. SDOIT would be nothing of what it is today without Jordan. I could say the same about the musicality based compositions of ToT, or the melodic key based stuff of Octavarium. There is less JR influence on SC and BCASL, but again, JR is still a huge part of the songwriting.
I don't want to insult Derek, because he's developed into a great player, and FII is one of my favourite albums, but SDOIT would not be close to the masterpiece it is if they had still Derek.

[OptionalPlayer]

I try to consider how Derek's style would've shaped albums like 6DoiT or ToT.

I couldn't imagine songs like In the Name of God or Stream of Consciousness sounding anything like they do currently if Derek had been a part of them. And that's not to take away anything from Derek. I just think the songs would have not been as "epic" sounding, but rather would've had more subdued keyboards. We really only have Hell's Kitchen to base my "idea" off of.

It would be neat to see his take on this stuff. Alas!