Beautiful Agony

erik16 · May 19, 2012, 09:33:50 AM

A few years ago some dude made an edited version of ANTR, one which turned the Beautiful Agony part into a separate song. I enjoyed it, however the ending was lacking to my liking. Surfing around the net, I found another try (that to my knowledge went unnoticed, what a slowpoke I am though

) at creating an entirely different song out of the Beautiful Agony section. This one is much better, it has an actual intro and outro, the creator has also played around with the instruments to give the body a different feel. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6E5kDU5cQQ&feature=related

robwebster · May 19, 2012, 09:39:44 AM

I bloody love this version. I keep trying to sneak it into "remix the album" type things and then getting called out for it. Firm believer that A Nightmare to Remember would be much better split into two. The opening's very strong, too - not so much the instrumental section after Beautiful Agony, but there's some neat stuff towards the end. So much cool stuff throughout the song, in fact, that it's a shame it's soured by a teeeeeny bit of bloat.

Still a cracking song either way - but ohh, what could have been!

theseoafs · May 19, 2012, 10:03:39 AM

Great mix.

Honestly, I don't even necessarily think that this song would be better had it been split into two parts, because then we'd just have two awfully un-dynamic songs instead of one messy one. All that was ever really necessary for ANTR was to fix the third act, which suffers from a solo section which is far too long and a really silly-sounding grunted verse.

theGonz · May 19, 2012, 10:06:26 AM

First of all, i didnt realize this section was almost a 1/3 of the song. Second, I like the editing on the song but it doesn't sound quite right by itself. I would much rather have it as part of ANTR.

John94 · May 19, 2012, 10:10:47 AM

I like it.

yeshaberto · May 19, 2012, 10:13:36 AM

yes, very cool idea and well done

robwebster · May 19, 2012, 10:16:37 AM

Quote from: theseoafs on May 19, 2012, 10:03:39 AM
Great mix.

Honestly, I don't even necessarily think that this song would be better had it been split into two parts, because then we'd just have two awfully un-dynamic songs instead of one messy one. All that was ever really necessary for ANTR was to fix the third act, which suffers from a solo section which is far too long and a really silly-sounding grunted verse.

Worked for Burning My Soul!

theseoafs · May 19, 2012, 10:18:41 AM

Got me there.

erik16 · May 19, 2012, 10:20:22 AM

I agree with theseoafs.

Lowdz · May 19, 2012, 11:13:31 AM

I like it. The intro is good. I think it works better as part of ANTR than a standalone song. I don't think it has the same impact like this tbh.
I agree that all that's wrong with the song is act 3. I don't hate the instrumental part but the MP part is just wrong on every level.
I remember he justified his growling by saying it didn't sound right sung by JLB- well maybe you should have written something that did. That song did not need to go in the death metal direction at all. Had everyone died then maybe, but EVERYONE SURVIVED RRRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR- no.

Zook · May 19, 2012, 11:55:03 AM

Quote from: theseoafs on May 19, 2012, 10:03:39 AM
Great mix.

Honestly, I don't even necessarily think that this song would be better had it been split into two parts, because then we'd just have two awfully un-dynamic songs instead of one messy one. All that was ever really necessary for ANTR was to fix the third act, which suffers from a solo section which is far too long and a really silly-sounding grunted verse.

THOSE AREN'T GRUNTS!

theseoafs · May 19, 2012, 12:13:48 PM

k

Jaffa · May 19, 2012, 12:20:46 PM

It sounds alright. To me, though, a lot of the magic of the Beautiful Agony section is the way it is surrounded by all the heavy darkness of A Nightmare to Remember. Without the first part of ANTR leading up to it, the Beautiful Agony section feels... ah. This is one of those times where words are failing to convey exactly what I mean. Bear with me.

As the song is, Beautiful Agony feels like a reprieve of sorts. Not that I have any problem with the rest of the song, because I actually don't; I don't even mind Portnoy's controversial vocals. But there's a certain beauty to Beautiful Agony that is quite separate from the heaviness and power of the rest of the song, an oasis in the desert of all that metal. And this contrast is, to me, very important. It provides balance. The Beautiful Agony section keeps the rest of the song from feeling too heavy, giving it some much-needed tenderness and depth. And likewise, the contrast is important to Beautiful Agony, as well. Because it gives the section that magical little feeling of being an oasis. The surrounding metal of A Nightmare to Remember allows Beautiful Agony to stand out in a powerful way. The profound change from the first part of the song to the BA section gives the BA section impact and intensity.

Whereas with Beautiful Agony alone, as seen in this version, it lacks that impact. Because there's nothing to contrast it with. It feels sort of dull to me. In A Nightmare to Remember, Beautiful Agony is peace among chaos. By itself, it is just peace - still beautiful, yes, but not nearly as powerful a peace.

Maybe if I'd never heard A Nightmare to Remember and was just now hearing Beautiful Agony for the first time, by itself, as a standalone song, I might be able to enjoy it more. But as it is, it feels like it's missing something vital: the energy of the song surrounding it.

Ħ · May 19, 2012, 01:19:27 PM

There used to be a BCSL fan mix part of this website, but it's gone. There were some great ones. Funny ones, too.

But then came the call
Our lives changed forevERMORE, INTO THE NIGHT, BLISTERING

Ben_Jamin · May 19, 2012, 02:46:11 PM

Quote from: Jaffa on May 19, 2012, 12:20:46 PM
It sounds alright. To me, though, a lot of the magic of the Beautiful Agony section is the way it is surrounded by all the heavy darkness of A Nightmare to Remember. Without the first part of ANTR leading up to it, the Beautiful Agony section feels... ah. This is one of those times where words are failing to convey exactly what I mean. Bear with me.

As the song is, Beautiful Agony feels like a reprieve of sorts. Not that I have any problem with the rest of the song, because I actually don't; I don't even mind Portnoy's controversial vocals. But there's a certain beauty to Beautiful Agony that is quite separate from the heaviness and power of the rest of the song, an oasis in the desert of all that metal. And this contrast is, to me, very important. It provides balance. The Beautiful Agony section keeps the rest of the song from feeling too heavy, giving it some much-needed tenderness and depth. And likewise, the contrast is important to Beautiful Agony, as well. Because it gives the section that magical little feeling of being an oasis. The surrounding metal of A Nightmare to Remember allows Beautiful Agony to stand out in a powerful way. The profound change from the first part of the song to the BA section gives the BA section impact and intensity.

Whereas with Beautiful Agony alone, as seen in this version, it lacks that impact. Because there's nothing to contrast it with. It feels sort of dull to me. In A Nightmare to Remember, Beautiful Agony is peace among chaos. By itself, it is just peace - still beautiful, yes, but not nearly as powerful a peace.

Maybe if I'd never heard A Nightmare to Remember and was just now hearing Beautiful Agony for the first time, by itself, as a standalone song, I might be able to enjoy it more. But as it is, it feels like it's missing something vital: the energy of the song surrounding it.

I agree. Plus, it's essential to the story JP is conveying. You got the wack wedding with a drunk nobody knows, which then the person decided to leave when wham. Then we're in the hospital. The music during this part makes me feel as if i'm walking through the hospital halls.

The last part is where it falls downhill. The only reason I see the day after day part as essential is because it was traumatic, but the silver lining...everyone survived.

SeRoX · May 19, 2012, 05:21:32 PM

Sometimes I wish they cut out the first section and did some jamming for the second part and made it only one song. I didn't even listen "day after day" section ever.

senecadawg2 · May 19, 2012, 06:02:46 PM

I do enjoy this version quite a bit. It feels so... grand.

Jarlaxle · May 19, 2012, 07:25:03 PM

I hate this version so much. It totally ruins the flow that this section has in the original song.

chrisgazpacho · May 23, 2012, 05:10:46 PM

Quote from: erik16 on May 19, 2012, 09:33:50 AM
A few years ago some dude made an edited version of ANTR, one which turned the Beautiful Agony part into a separate song. I enjoyed it, however the ending was lacking to my liking. Surfing around the net, I found another try (that to my knowledge went unnoticed, what a slowpoke I am though ) at creating an entirely different song out of the Beautiful Agony section. This one is much better, it has an actual intro and outro, the creator has also played around with the instruments to give the body a different feel. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6E5kDU5cQQ&feature=related

Wow, I did this ages ago. Glad you liked it, it was fun to do. I just felt like that was the best part of the song and wanted to hear it on it's own. As I mentioned on YouTube, I wanted to try and give it a Marillion-esque arrangement and mix.

Chris

Nekov · May 23, 2012, 07:02:14 PM

How did I miss this? This version is great

News:

Beautiful Agony