DT album ranking

[bosk1]

Wow, some surprising choices there.  I would not have expected Another Day to be your favorite song from Images & Words, for example.  And based on your posts regarding The Astonishing, I would have thought it would be last instead of #9.

[red barchetta]

There are about 7 songs I like for good in TA. Awake, ToT and SC maybe just a couple of songs each album and parts of songs here and there. It's the whole complete album and the fact that this album was the whole show that really turned me off.

Maybe one day I will even like more TA. I don't know. For now I have not listened to it for a month.

I listened to each songs of each albums, giving them a note out of 10 and dividing the total by the number of songs. For TA, I did not include the Nomacs parts and one or two other transition songs or then it would have finished 12th I guess but no, it was not my desire.

[Serah Farron]

Hi

[gzarruk]

This is my, probably, very controversial list with favorite songs as well:

1. SFAM - Fatal Tragedy
2. SDOIT - The Great Debate
3. TA - A New Beginning
4. IAW - Learning to Live
5. Awake - Voices
6. ADTOE - Breaking all Illutions
7. DT12 - Illumination Theory
8. SC - In the Presence of Enemies
9. TOT - Stream of Conciousness
10. FII - Trial of Tears
11. Octavarium - Octavarium
12. BC&SL - The Count of Tuscany
13. WDADU - Only a Matter of Time

PS: Keep in mind I'm always moving albums up or down. This is the current version of my ranking.

[jakepriest]

I haven't done this in a very long time.

1. Octavarium - Octavarium
2. Train of Thought - In The Name Of God
3. The Astonishing - Ravenskill
4. A Dramatic Turn of Events - Bridges In The Sky
5. Black Clouds & Silver Linings - The Count of Tuscany
6. Systematic Chaos - In The Presence of Enemies
7. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - The Great Debate
8. SFAM - Home
9. Images and Words - Learning To Live
10. Awake - The Mirror
11. DT12 - Surrender To Reason
12. FII - Peruvian Skies













13. 

[Samsara]

Lemme see:

Awake
Images & Words
Falling into Infinity
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Scenes from a memory
Train of Thought

>>>Then the rest, in no particular order.

[Tony From Long Island]

Here's what I'm going to do.  I will rank my DT albums in order with my favorite and LEAST favorite song from each.    The favorite probably changes constantly, but the least favorite generally stays the same

1) Awake  -----    Scarred           ----------------   Innocence Faded
2) I & w  ---- Under a Glass Moon     ------------   Surrounded  (tough to choose)
3) Scenes From    ----- Home      --------------      Finally Free
4) Train of Thought    ----- As I Am    -----------    Vacant
5) Octavarium    ----- I Walk Beside You   ------    Octavarium
6) WDADU  ----- A Fortune in Rice  --------------- Ones Who Help to Set The Sun
7) Falling Into  ----- Burning My Soul  ------------ Anna Lee
8) Systematic   -----  Forsaken    ---------------     Repentance
9)DT 12  ------ Along For The Ride   ------------    The Looking Glass
10) Dramatic ----- Build Me Up  -------------------  Far From Heaven
11) 6 Degrees ---  Misunderstood   ---------------  The Great Debate
12) Black Clouds  ----- Rite of Passage  ----------  The Count of Tuscany
13) The Astonishing  --- Dystopian Overture -----  Brother Can You Hear Me

I have resolved, though, to give The Astonishing a fair re-visit.    I have decided to do this by having my iPod play the album on Shuffle because I so strongly dislike the story.    In general, words are the least important part of a song for me.  DT is one of only a few bands where I really enjoy the lyrics.  Since I dislike the story, I haven't been able to enjoy TA.  So I will try to listen to the songs as separate entities.  Maybe that will help

[jakepriest]

Please tell me the second column are the favourites. Please do.

[Funkafonik]

Been a LONG time since I did this so let's see....

1. SFAM
2. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
3. Falling Into Infinity
4. Images and Words
5. Awake
----------
6. A Dramatic Turn of Events
7. Octavarium
8. Train of Thought
9. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
10. Systematic Chaos
----------
11. DT12
12. The Astonishing
13. WDADU

[Tony From Long Island]

Please tell me the second column are the favourites. Please do.

My post seemed pretty self-explanatory    :-)       sorry to disappoint you.      I am not a typical DT fan.     I really don't listen to ANY other prog   except Rush.       The only thing I know about Spock's Beard is that he had it in the alternate universe!

[Tony From Long Island]

Jake:     Also, most of the the songs I listed as "least favorite"  on each album are ones I do like.   It was harder to pick a least favorite than it was to pick a favorite.  Of those listed, there are only a few I genuinely do not care for.       I like everything on Scenes From a  Memory, so picking a LEAST fav was pretty hard!

[gzarruk]

Jake:     Also, most of the the songs I listed as "least favorite"  on each album are ones I do like.   It was harder to pick a least favorite than it was to pick a favorite.  Of those listed, there are only a few I genuinely do not care for.       I like everything on Scenes From a  Memory, so picking a LEAST fav was pretty hard!

I find the same problem with the album ranking. I actually like the whole DT catalog and don't consider them to have a bad album, but, if we have to make a list, we have to put last not the albums we don't like, but the albums we like the less  that's always hard

[mikeyd23]

5) Octavarium    ----- I Walk Beside You   ------    Octavarium

Whoa, interesting pick man. I don't think I've ever seen someone on these boards say IWBY was their favorite from the record, let alone say the title track is their least favorite.

[bosk1]

Lemme see:

Awake
Images & Words
Falling into Infinity
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Scenes from a memory
Train of Thought

>>>Then the rest, in no particular order.

I never really realized it before, but I guess that shows that the time you became a Dream Theater Hater was right about the time we met.  That explains a lot. 

[Lethean]

I'm going to give this a try, minus The Astonishing for now.  I love that album so much, but need more time to pass to decide where to put it in the list.  Otherwise it would be #1.

This isn't a really accurate list because I just can't rank them so specifically.  I'd say #1 and 2 are interchangeable, but set in their positions.  Same with #3 and 4.  7-10 can change at any time; I love Falling Into Infinity and didn't like ranking it so low.

1.  Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - 6 Degrees
2.  Scenes from a Memory - Finally Free
3.  DT12 - Illumination Theory
4.  Awake - Scarred
5.  Images and Words - Learning to Live
6.  A Dramatic Turn of Events - Breaking All Illusions
7. Black Clouds and Silver Linings - The Count of Tuscany
8. Train of Thought - In the Name of God
9. Octavarium - Octavarium
10. Falling into Infinity - Trial of Tears
11.Systematic Chaos - Ministry of Lost Souls
12. When Dream and Day Unite - Killing Hand

[Tony From Long Island]

5) Octavarium    ----- I Walk Beside You   ------    Octavarium

Whoa, interesting pick man. I don't think I've ever seen someone on these boards say IWBY was their favorite from the record, let alone say the title track is their least favorite.

I Walk Beside You    might just be my fav DT song altogether.       As I said recently, I'm not really a prog guy. DT is the only prog I love except Rush.     So, since IWBY is one of their more "poppish" songs, it's not surprising I love it.

As for Oct, I love MP, but I didn't care for the lyrics that he tied together in that song.   But that's not the only reason It's lower on my list.  I like the whole album except for bits and pieces  :-)

[jakepriest]

Octavarium is widely regarded as one of the top 3 DT songs, so that's probably the most controversial pick on your list. 
I can definitely understand a lot of your choices if you're not much of a prog guy, A Rite of Passage / BMU,BMD are definitely some of the more straightforward metal songs DT has put out.

[ReaperKK]

Alright so I haven't done this in a very long time but I'll take a shot:

1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
2. Systematic Choas
3. Train of Thought
4. Octavarium
5. Falling Into Infinity
6. SFAM
7. DT12
8. Images and Words
9. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
10. A Dramatic Turn Of Events
11. Awake
12. The Astonishing
13. WDADU

Wow, looking at it my opinions of the albums have changed a lot. There was a time where I though SFAM was the best thing ever but it just hasn't aged well. I'm sure my opinions will changed when I eventually re-listen to the discography.

[IDontNotDoThings]

New list:
#1. Images & Words
#2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
#3. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
#4. Scenes From A Memory (#6)
#5. Systematic Chaos
#6. Octavarium (#8)
#7. Awake
#8. The Astonishing (new)
#9. Train Of Thought (#4) (overplay  )
10. A Dramatic Turn Of Events
11. When Dream & Day Unite (#9)
12. Falling Into Infinity (#11)
13. Self-Titled (#12)

Brackets are rankings on my previous list

[IDontNotDoThings]

Slight update:

S:
#1. Images & Words
#2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

A+:
#3. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
#4. Scenes From A Memory

A:
#5. Systematic Chaos
#6. Octavarium

A-:
#7. Train Of Thought

B+:
#8. A Dramatic Turn Of Events

B:
#9. Awake
10. The Astonishing

B-:
11. When Dream & Day Unite

C:
12. Falling Into Infinity
13. Dream Theater

[Tony From Long Island]

What does  the "S"  mean?     Stellar?

[Samsara]

Lemme see:

Awake
Images & Words
Falling into Infinity
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Scenes from a memory
Train of Thought

>>>Then the rest, in no particular order.

I never really realized it before, but I guess that shows that the time you became a Dream Theater Hater was right about the time we met.  That explains a lot. 

Damn. You're right!

[thosava]

This was my ranking almost a year ago:

1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
2. Scenes From a Memory
3. The Astonishing
4. Images and Words

5. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
6. Train of Thought
7. Awake
8. Dream Theater

9. Systematic Chaos
10. A Dramatic Turn of Events
11. Octavarium
12. Falling Into Infinity

13. When Dream and Day Unite

And this is what i'd rank now (and my favourite song on each album):

1. Scenes From a Memory                 - Finally Free
2. Images and Words                        - Surrounded
3. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence   - Blind Faith
4. A Dramatic Turn of Events             - Breaking All Illusions
5. The Astonishing                             - A New Beginning
6. Black Clouds and Silver Linings      - The Count of Tuscany
7. Systematic Chaos                           - In the Presence og Enemies pt. 1
8. Train of Thought                             - Stream of Consciousness
9. Awake                                            - Voices
10. Dream Theater                             - Illumination Theory
11. Octavarium                                   - Octavarium
12. Falling Into Infinity                       - Hollow Years
13. When Dream and Day Unite         - Ytse Jam

The most dramatic turn of events was A Dramatic Turn of Events 

[Siddhartha]

Scenes from a Memory
-------------------------------------
Images and Words
Score
------------------------------------
Live from New York
Six Degrees
Octavarium
Black Clouds
Systematic Chaos
A Dramatic turn of Events
Train of Thought
Falling Into Infinity
-----------------------------------
Awake
The Astonishing
---------------------------------
When Dream and Day
------------------------------
DT12


I have placed my two favorite live releases, and I like equally all the albums within the same section

[Estiui]

1. IAW - Learning to Live
2. SFAM - Finally Free
_________________________________
3. SDOIT - SDOIT
4. A - Voices
5. ADTOE - Breaking All Illusions
6. TOT - In the name of God
_________________________________
7. The Astonishing - Three Days
8. 8M - Octavarium
9. SC - ITPOE pt. 1
10. BCASL - The Count of Tuscany
11. DT12 - Illumination Theory
12. FII - Trial of Tears
_________________________________
13. WDADU - The Killing Hand

[Stewie]

I've only ever seen people rank them from best to worst, choosing one over the other, but I've never been able to do that. They've just got so many albums that I consider to be equally awesome. Instead of the conventional ranking, I've always used a "star rating" system.

5=flawless victory...not a damn thing I'd change
4=near perfect, love it overall, just a few minor nitpicks
3=average, a few brilliant moments here and there, but inconsistent as a whole
2=unsatisfactory, nothing really remarkable or memorable
1=poor (this has yet to happen)

My "ratings" are as follows:

When Dream and Day Unite - 4
Images and Words - 5
Awake - 5
Falling Into Infinity - 5
Scene From a Memory - 5
Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - 5
Train of Thought - 4
Octavarium - 4
Systematic Chaos - 3
Black Clouds & Silver Linings - 3
A Dramatic Turn of Events - 4
Dream Theater - 2
The Astonishing - 4

[KevShmev]

The middle albums are ever-changing, but I'll go with this:

1. Awake
2. I&W
3. Scenes
4. 6DOIT
5. TA
6. FII
7. DT12
8. ADTOE
9. ToT
10. 8V
11. WDADU
12. BC&SL
13. SC

[Mladen]

1. Scenes
2. Images
3. Awake
4. Dramatic
5. Astonishing
6. Degrees
7. Chaos
8. Clouds
9. Train
10. Octavarium
11. Dream theater
12. Dream and day
13. Falling

[TodJam]

At current state of mind...

1. A Dramatic Turn of Events
2. Awake
3. Dream Theater
4. Train of Thought
5. The Astonishing
6. Falling into Infinity
7. Octavalium
8. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
9. Scenes from a Memory
10. Images & Words
11. When Dream and Day Unite
12. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
13. Systematic Caos

[fadetoblackdude7]

1. Scenes From A Memory
2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
3. Octavarium
4. Images And Words
5. The Astonishing
6. Awake
7. A Dramatic Turn Of Events
8. Falling Into Infinity
9. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
10. Dream Theater
11. Train Of Thought
12. Systematic Chaos
13. When Dream And Day Unite

[Dave_Manchester]

I've only ever seen people rank them from best to worst, choosing one over the other, but I've never been able to do that. They've just got so many albums that I consider to be equally awesome. Instead of the conventional ranking, I've always used a "star rating" system.

5=flawless victory...not a damn thing I'd change
4=near perfect, love it overall, just a few minor nitpicks
3=average, a few brilliant moments here and there, but inconsistent as a whole
2=unsatisfactory, nothing really remarkable or memorable
1=poor (this has yet to happen)

Using your system, I'd go with:

Awake (their masterpiece in my opinion) - 5
Train of Thought - 5
The Astonishing - 5
Scenes From A Memory - 5
Octavarium - 5
Systematic Chaos - 5

Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - 4
Images and Words - 4
A Dramatic Turn of Events - 4
Dream Theater - 4

Black Clouds and Silver Linings - 3
Falling Into Infinity - 3

When Dream and Day Unite - 2

[mikemangioy]

Today I updated my old ranking from 3 years ago:

Conventional ranking:
1. Scenes From A Memory - Beyond This Life
2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - The Great Debate
3. Images And Words - Under A Glass Moon
4. Dream Theater - Illumination Theory
5. Train Of Thought - In The Name Of God
6. Awake - Scarred
7. Octavarium - Octavarium
8. Systematic Chaos - The Dark Eternal Night
9. A Dramatic Turn Of Events - Breaking All Illusions
10.Black Clouds & Silver Linings - A Nightmare To Remember
11.When Dream And Day Unite - not so sure about this one, could be Ytsejam, Light Fuse, The Killing Hand
12.The Astonishing - The Path That Divides
13.Falling Into Infinity - Trial Of Tears (Lines in the sand is very close, tho)

5:
SFAM
SDOIT
I&W

4:
DT12
TOT
Awake
8VM

3:
the rest.

[gzarruk]

1. SFAM - Fatal Tragedy
2. SDOIT - The Great Debate
3. TA - A New Beginning
4. IAW - Learning to Live
5. Awake - Voices
6. ADTOE - Breaking all Illutions
7. DT12 - Illumination Theory
8. SC - In the Presence of Enemies
9. TOT - Stream of Conciousness
10. FII - Trial of Tears
11. Octavarium - Octavarium
12. BC&SL - The Count of Tuscany
13. WDADU - Only a Matter of Time

I've been listening to most of their discography lately and made a few tweaks to my ranking. I'm quoting my original post so you can see how things changed during this month. I also changed my favorite songs from a couple albums. Here's my new list:

1. SFAM - Fatal Tragedy
2. SDOIT - The Great Debate
3. TA - A New Beginning
4. IAW - Learning to Live
5. Awake - Scarred
6. ADTOE - Outcry
7. DT - Illumination Theory
8. SC - In the Presence of Enemies
9. Octavarium - Octavarium
10. TOT - In The Name of God
11. FII - Trial of Tears
12. BC&SL - The Count of Tuscany
13. WDADU - Only a Matter of Time

[Grappler]

1.  Images & Words
2.  Awake
3.  Scenes From a Memory
4.  Train of Thought
5.  Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (Disc 1 Only.  Disc 2 sucks)
6.  Black Clouds & Silver Linings 
7.  Falling Into Infinity (don't even own, though I should rectify that)
8.  Systematic Chaos
9.  Dream Theater
10. A Dramatic Turn of Events
11. When Dream & Day Unite (never cared to own)
12. Octavarium (zzzzz.  Band cared more about including "nuggets" than writing good songs)
13. The Astonishing (awful)

[CharlesPL]

1. IaW - LtL
2. SFAM - The Spirit Carries On
3. Awake - Scarred
4. SDoIT - SDoIT
5. WDADU - LFAGA
6. Octavarium - Octavarium
7. DT12 - Illumination Theory
8. TA - The Path That Divides
9. FII - Trial of Tears
10. ADTOE - Lost Not Forgotten
11. TOT - ItNoG
12. BC&SL - The Count of Tuscany
13. SC - In the Presence of Enemies pt.1