Images and Words

[Ħ]

Surrounded
Take The Time
Learning To Live
---
Metropolis
Wait For Sleep
Pull Me Under
Another Day
Under a Glass Moon

[Elite]

Ok;

1. Metropolis
2. Surrounded
3. Learning to Live
4. Take the Time
5. Under a Glass Moon
6. Another Day
7. Wait for Sleep
8. Pull Me Under

[Zydar]

1. Learning To Live
2. Surrounded
3. Another Day
4. Under A Glass Moon
5. Wait For Sleep
6. Metropolis
7. Take The Time
8. Pull Me Under

[Ruba]

Indeed.

Favourite album of all time, containing 3 of my top 5 Dream Theater songs (Learning to Live (#5), Surrounded (#3) and Metropolis Pt. 1 (#1)).
Take the Time and Under a Glass Moon are in the top 15. This album is unbeatable by anything, ever.

So 5 songs out of 8 are in your top 15? 

My favourite song on IAW and a top 5 song overall. Incredibly beautiful.

Damn... Can you list your rankings for I&W? Interested as fuck.

Wasn't going to, but if you want so, here it is:

1.Wait for Sleep
2.Metropolis pt.1: The Miracle and the Sleeper
3.Learning to Live
4.Take the Time
5.Pull Me Under
6.Under a Glass Moon
7.Surrounded
8.Another Day

[Elite]

Indeed.

Favourite album of all time, containing 3 of my top 5 Dream Theater songs (Learning to Live (#5), Surrounded (#3) and Metropolis Pt. 1 (#1)).
Take the Time and Under a Glass Moon are in the top 15. This album is unbeatable by anything, ever.

So 5 songs out of 8 are in your top 15? 

Yes, that's what I said

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Gun to my head, it's my favorite DT album. Love the '80s production--lends a very ethereal feel to it that DT has only sparingly recaptured since.

--------------------

Learning To Live


Another Day
Pull Me Under
Under A Glass Moon
Take The Time
Metropolis

Surrounded



Wait For Sleep

[wasteland]

Alright, let's do this!

1. Learning To Live
2. Metropolis
3. Take The Time
4. Surrounded
5. Under A Glass Moon
6. Pull Me Under
7. Another Day
8. Wait For Sleep

More than half of these songs are in my top 20.

[krands85]

1. Metropolis
2. Learning to Live
3. Take the Time
4. Under a Glass Moon
5. Pull Me Under
6. Another Day
7. Surrounded
8. Wait for Sleep

Metropolis, Learning to Live and Take the Time were in my top 5 DT tracks until Breaking All Illusions came along and pushed TtT down to 6

[elefantStone]

There's no question about it, Images and Words really is one of the greatest albums of all time. The songwriting, the musicianship and the production all add up to create nothing but a true masterpiece. Whenever I listen to it, the music transfers me to another, dreamlike, world.

1. Take The Time
2. Metropolis
3. Surrounded
4. Learning To Live
5. Another Day
6. Under a Glass Moon
7. Pull Me Under
8. Wait For Sleep

[MetropolisWatches]

Apart from the top 2, this is a tough one:

Metropolis
Learning to Live
Surrounded
Under a Glass Moon
Take the Time
Wait for Sleep
Another Day
Pull Me Under

[jhonvictor]

1 - Metropolis Pt1
2 - Learning to Live
3 - Pull Me Under
4 - Take the Time
5 - Under a Glass Moon
6 - Wait for Sleep
7 - Surrounded
8 - Another Day

[Lowdz]

I can't describe what this album did to me at the time it came out- in fact it's release was a surprise to me. I'd lost track of the band in the years following WDADU and then I heard two tracks in a pub without knowing who they were, but I had to ask the dj and I was floored when he said DT.

Few albums made me feel like this when I heard them- it was a spiritual moment. The first was Rush's AFTK, the next Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, then Mindcrime. I was a huge fan of WDADU, and that had been one of those albums when I heard it, but this was something else.
Saying all that I'm not a huge fan of UAGM- I mean it's ok, just not in the same league as every other note on this masterpiece. The rest is jaw droppingly good. Metropolis is godlike.

[Unlegit]

1. Metropolis Pt. 1
2. Learning to Live
3. Take the Time
4. Under a Glass Moon
5. Wait for Sleep
6. Surrounded
7. Another Day
8. Pull Me Under

[Implode]

1. Metropolis Pt. 1
2. Learning to Live
3. Take the Time
4. Surrounded
5. Under a Glass Moon
6. Pull Me Under
7. Another Day
8. Wait for Sleep

But I love every song.

[MirzekDT]

Learning To Live
Under A Glass Moon
Wait For Sleep
Take The Time
Surrounded
Metropolis pt.1
Pull Me Under
Another Day

But whole album is awesome.

[The Letter M]

Well I might as well throw my $0.02 into this...

Wait For Sleep/Learning To Live (I really cannot listen to them separately anymore, nor consider them as such)
Metropolis
Under A Glass Moon
Take The Time
Surrounded
Pull Me Under
Another Day

IAW was one of the first DT albums I had ever heard, and it blew me away. The odd mixture of Rush-like Prog with heavier metal sounds really threw me for a loop at first, but then I began to listen to it more and heard more each time, understanding all the intricacies of the music, especially the longer instrumental breaks and solos, which to this day, still amaze me. "Metropolis" and "Learning To Live" still wow me and I doubt I could ever get tired of those songs. I think it says something to the power of those two songs (and the rest of the songs on the album, really) that the band still plays them today. I mean, how often does a band play music from their 2nd release/an album over 20 years old? When Rush reached their mid-20s, they barely played anything before their 4th album! Not that Fly By Night was their Images And Words, but it really shows how strong their material was on their 2nd album that they can regularly play "Metropolis" and "Learning To Live", as well as "Under A Glass Moon" and "Pull Me Under".

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

All killer, no filler.

This album changed my life.

[goo-goo]

All killer, no filler.

This album changed my life.

It changed my life as well. Discovered and opened a whole new world of music that I was craving for at that time. IW and SFAM were on my cd player for almost a year. Non-stop playing. Thanks to IW I found other bands like Shadow Gallery, Porcupine Tree, Fates Warning, Queensryche, Maiden, the list goes on. Back then, I was listening to rap (think Hammer and Vanilla Ice) and pop like New Kids on the Block (yes, shoot me!!!  ) among others...But I wasn't satisfied...They never fulfilled that musical side I have...Until a friend of mine gave me the IW cassette and that changed it all. This was about 15 yrs ago.

[Syzzle]

Metropolis Pt. 1:The Miracle And The Sleeper
Learning To Live
Surrounded
Pull Me Under
Wait For Sleep
Another Day
Take The Time
Under A Glass Moon

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

What can i say that haven't been said? It's jolly good! 

My number one DT album, simple as that and a defining moment for metal prog in general!

#1 - Learning To Live
#2 - Under A Glass Moon
#2 - Wait For Sleep
#2 - Take The Time
#2 - Surrounded
#2 - Metropolis pt.1
#2 - Pull Me Under
#2 - Another Day

[Cedar redaC]

All killer, no filler.

This album changed my life.

Agreed. A Dramatic Turn of Events was my first Dream Theater album and I got Images and Words a month or so later. Both are still switching position as my favorite album every few weeks or so.

[Cedar redaC]

So has anyone ordered the vinyl version of the album? Do you have any expectations for it compared to the original version?

[Mebert78]

Can anyone tell me what kind of flowers are in the vase on the album cover of Images and Words?

[Luigi]

The first DT album that I listened (Take the Time as a first song), and a magic world from cover to last note. All time best progressive metal album, and obviously DT best.

And, to me, SFAM is simply a derivation from I&W (from Metropolis Pt.1). I don`t see them as a different albums.

[Scorpion]

What? But they ARE different albums. I mean, yeah, they are connected, but that's only through Metropolis Pt. 1, which is only ONE song on I&W, and even if I&W were ONLY Metropolis P. 1, that would make SFAM more of a sequel to that, but still a different album.

[wasteland]

I have an update!

1. Learning To Live
2. Metropolis
3. Take The Time
4. Surrounded
5. Under A Glass Mooooon
6. Wait For Sleep  - 2UP
7. Pull Me Under - 1DOWN
8. Another Day - 1DOWN

[MoraWintersoul]

Can anyone tell me what kind of flowers are in the vase on the album cover of Images and Words?

They look a bit like sunflowers.

[The Stray Seed]

A shining milestone. Best DT album and my favourite album of all time.

Pretty much this, I never grow tired of it. More than about music itself, I think it's something about art, this is why I feel the title perfectly fits the album.

Metropolis part I is the song that got me into DT, well... actually it got me into a whole new world of rock, prog and metal. The heaviest thing I had ever heard before that at the time was like... Beatles.

[Luigi]

What? But they ARE different albums. I mean, yeah, they are connected, but that's only through Metropolis Pt. 1, which is only ONE song on I&W, and even if I&W were ONLY Metropolis P. 1, that would make SFAM more of a sequel to that, but still a different album.

Of course they`re different albums, but I always seen SFAM like an I&W estension (basically as his son).

[Sycsa]

What? But they ARE different albums. I mean, yeah, they are connected, but that's only through Metropolis Pt. 1, which is only ONE song on I&W, and even if I&W were ONLY Metropolis P. 1, that would make SFAM more of a sequel to that, but still a different album.

Of course they`re different albums, but I always seen SFAM like an I&W estension (basically as his son).

Yeah, the Metropolis connection is nice and can be heard throughout SFAM, but I couldn't feel the same way as you about the two albums, because they're just so different, feature different keyboard players and the production sets them worlds apart. Because of the triggered drums, some of the keyboard sounds, vocals and arrangements, I&W sounds somewhat outdated (that's not necessarily a problem though, I love every single minute of it) while SFAM still is a modern progressive metal masterpiece, maintaining its fresh sound (arguably, none of DT's subsequent studio albums sounded that good).

[KevShmev]

Because of the triggered drums, some of the keyboard sounds, vocals and arrangements, I&W sounds somewhat outdated (that's not necessarily a problem though, I love every single minute of it) while SFAM still is a modern progressive metal masterpiece, maintaining its fresh sound (arguably, none of DT's subsequent studio albums sounded that good).

I think it's the opposite.  I love Scenes, despite the production/mix not being that great.  Meanwhile, I&W's original mix still sounds awesome.

[Eldomm]

Dream Theater totally pioneered a new sound and style with this album and it will forever live in progressive metal history as a landmark moment for the genre. 

My favorite DT album by far.

[?]

I never posted my ranking because I was waiting for my turn to do the top 50, so here it is:

1. Learning to Live
2. Wait for Sleep
3. Take the Time
4. Surrounded (moved above Metropolis since I finished my top 50)
5. Metropolis
6. Pull Me Under
7. Under a Glass Moon
8. Another Day

[hefdaddy42]

And, to me, SFAM is simply a derivation from I&W (from Metropolis Pt.1). I don`t see them as a different albums.

That's the weirdest thing I've heard today.

[Sycsa]

Because of the triggered drums, some of the keyboard sounds, vocals and arrangements, I&W sounds somewhat outdated (that's not necessarily a problem though, I love every single minute of it) while SFAM still is a modern progressive metal masterpiece, maintaining its fresh sound (arguably, none of DT's subsequent studio albums sounded that good).

I think it's the opposite.  I love Scenes, despite the production/mix not being that great.  Meanwhile, I&W's original mix still sounds awesome.

It's not about the greatness of the mix, rather about one sounding outdated and the other not. I think they mixed the bass miles better on I&W for instance.