bosk1's BOTTOM 50 DT songs v. well this is different

[?]

BTL would be in my bottom 50, maybe TAMP too, but FFH is really beautiful.

[bosk1]

Well, keep in mind, the top of the "bottom 50" is pretty much the middle of their discography.  So as far as I'm concerned, these are all really good songs.  And as much as I like DT, I really don't even get to songs that I dislike until around the bottom 10 or so.

[MoraWintersoul]

Well, keep in mind, the top of the "bottom 50" is pretty much the middle of their discography.  So as far as I'm concerned, these are all really good songs.  And as much as I like DT, I really don't even get to songs that I dislike until around the bottom 10 or so.

For me it would be about 25-20.

[bosk1]

Didn't get to my second group yesterday, but here you go:

7.  The Dark Eternal Night - The novelty of this track has worn off some over time, but it's still great fun.  The heaviness of the main parts of the song and the randomness of the instrumental section capture the cheesey, schlocky, awesomeness of those old, b-grade monster movies.  Love it.
8.  A Rite Of Passage - This song and the next one fall into being solid songs that I can enjoy when they are playing, but that I will NEVER go out of my way to listen to.  I mean, I've never pulled Black Clouds off the shelf because I wanted to listen to A Right Of Passage.  It's not a bad song by any stretch.  Quite the opposite, actually.  But it doesn't do a whole lot to reach out and grab you either.  Still, the main riff is quite good, and the backing vocals during the verses create a really cool atmosphere. 
9.  As I Am - I feel very similarly about this song as I do about A Right Of Passage, except that A Right Of Passage has a few more interesting things going on in it. 

[The Curious Orange]

My 10 least favourite DT songs:

10. Another day
9. Hollow Years (FII version - the LaB version kicks ass)
8. Constant Motion
7. Light Fuse and Get Away
6. Disappear
5. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
4. This Dying Soul
3. You Not Me
2. Status Seeker

And my all time worst DT song:

1. Prophets of War

[bosk1]

Some of your choices are correct.  Some are not.

[Lolzeez]

BTL is awesome.

[bosk1]

BTL is awesome.

Yes.  And...?  That's pretty much what I said in my description.

[rumborak]

BTW, quick comment regarding 6:00: I loved that song to death, up until we decided to play it in my tribute band. Totally didn't work live, a disaster. Sounds thin, disjunct.

[bosk1]

Interesting.  I wonder if the guys in DT have the same issue with it.  I've been wanting to see it live for the longest time, but maybe it just doesn't work very well.

[Lolzeez]

BTL is awesome.

Yes.  And...?  That's pretty much what I said in my description.

And It at least deserves top 30 BEST.

[rumborak]

You might want to read OP again.

[bosk1]

Anyhow...

10.  Finally Free - A couple of more SFAM songs.  As I pointed out above, it's not that I dislike these songs by any stretch.  But so much of this album is so intertwined that when I rip these songs out of context and view them individually, a lot of them lose something.  For this song, musically and lyrically, it's such a great way to wrap up the story.  Really good finale.
11.  Fatal Tragedy - ...And then this one.  Just a fun rollercoaster ride of a song.  I just love the interplay between the vocal melody and the guitar in this song.  That alone makes it a winner.
12.  Light Fuse And Get Away - One of the better songs from WDADU.  Although Kevin shows his inexperience in writing lyrics and vocal melodies here, and tries to cram in far too much, it actually works here.  In fact, almost everything about this song is an example of trying to cram too much into too little space.  And yet, somehow, it all works.  This is really a lot of fun to listen to.

[Ħ]

8.  A Right Of Passage

Is this a hidden track or something? I've never heard of it!

[bosk1]

Oops.  Thanks.  I typed it wrong into my initial list, and didn't even notice the typo.  Fixed now.

[Ħ]

Good list for far. Nice placement of BAI in particular. But BTL and FT somewhere outside of your top 50? PLEASE.

[Onno]

Finally Free should be in the top 50! And Fatal Tragedy too. LFAGA is probably one of my bottom 20 or 10 DT songs.

[bosk1]

Good list for far. Nice placement of BAI in particular. But BTL and FT somewhere outside of your top 50? PLEASE.

Hey, your thread largely mangling what any sane person would consider a proper top 50 was one of the largest contributors to me getting the idea of doing this, so hush.

[bosk1]

Well, this thread is not getting much action, so not sure if we'll go all the way to the end.  But I'll keep going for a little while more and see how it goes.  Okay, here are some controversial choices:

13.  Only A Matter Of Time - Hard to believe that I have this one actually ranked below Light Fuse and Get Away.  This song has a lot of cool things going for it.  But to me, unlike LFAGA, this is a case where Kevin's inexperience in writing vocal lines and his tendency to try to cram too much in actually hurt the song a little.  It's a good song, but the awkward vocal phrasing drags it down a few spots.

14.  A Fortune In Lies - This song perhaps more than any other typifies a young, hungry band with a lot of really good ideas and some great songwriting chops that still hasn't quite figured it all out yet.  The rawness and complexity combined make for a wonderful, if somewhat disjointed ride. 

15.  Erotomania - In general, I tend to enjoy instrumentals just a bit less than songs with vocals, so I tend to rank them a bit lower.  Back in the early days, it took me quite awhile to learn to appreciate this song.  But this is how an instrumental should be written.  SO glad they took this and made it into a standalone song rather than having part of it be crammed into the middle of Pull Me Under.

[Lolzeez]

You like A Rite Of Passage more than Fatal Tragedy.


https://youtu.be/nph-3nljPJ8?t=1m6s

[Scorpion]

SO glad they took this and made it into a standalone song rather than having part of it be crammed into the middle of Pull Me Under.

Cool tidbit, I never knew that, to be honest. Thanks to bosk1 for the facts! 

Anyway, I'd rate Erotomania considerably higher, but the other two seem about right. Though I'd probably say that AFIL is my least favourite on WDADU. All the other songs have something that that songs lacks, something that I can't put my finger on.

[Rattlehead]

This is a really cool idea actually, it's what I initially thought Seneca was doing with his list because his joke went way over my head at first 

[Podaar]

Well, this thread is not getting much action, so not sure if we'll go all the way to the end.  But I'll keep going for a little while more and see how it goes.

Everyone's probably waiting for the scathing reviews to start before they comment. You know how people just love that sort of thing. Still, I think it's a great idea for a thread.

[Ruba]

I really like OAMOT and Erotomania, not to mention FF. But not bad list yet.

Ass I Am is about 40 places too low.

My 10 least favourite DT songs:

10. Another day
9. Hollow Years (FII version - the LaB version kicks ass)
8. Constant Motion
7. Light Fuse and Get Away
6. Disappear
5. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
4. This Dying Soul
3. You Not Me
2. Status Seeker

And my all time worst DT song:

1. Prophets of War

We're not a match  .

[iamtheeviltwin]

The lack of a vocalist being involved in the lyrics and vocal phrasing is the most glaring problem with all of WDADU.  I think the album would have been much stronger if the songs had been written with a vocalist in mind from the beginning.

[bosk1]

Well, this thread is not getting much action, so not sure if we'll go all the way to the end.  But I'll keep going for a little while more and see how it goes.

Everyone's probably waiting for the scathing reviews to start before they comment. You know how people just love that sort of thing. Still, I think it's a great idea for a thread.

The problem is, I'm such a DT fanboy that we won't get anything resembling a "scathing review" until we get WAY down near the bottom, probably around Hell's Kitchen or so.  Oops--I've said too much!   

[Lolzeez]

The lack of a vocalist being involved in the lyrics and vocal phrasing is the most glaring problem with all of WDADU.  I think the album would have been much stronger if the songs had been written with a vocalist in mind from the beginning.

Agreed.

[?]

10.  Finally Free - A couple of more SFAM songs.  As I pointed out above, it's not that I dislike these songs by any stretch.  But so much of this album is so intertwined that when I rip these songs out of context and view them individually, a lot of them lose something.

Gotta agree - my top 50 did include 5 pieces from SFAM but none of them were higher than #25.

My 10 least favourite DT songs:

10. Another day
9. Hollow Years (FII version - the LaB version kicks ass)
8. Constant Motion
7. Light Fuse and Get Away
6. Disappear
5. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
4. This Dying Soul
3. You Not Me
2. Status Seeker

And my all time worst DT song:

1. Prophets of War

We're not a match  .

POW is terrible (not worse than Where Are You Now?, Raw Dog, Never Enough or New Millennium, but still), and I can't say I like LFAGA and YNM much either, but yeah, all the other songs you bolded are good and would never be in my bottom 10.

[Full Speed]

I actually really like Prophets of War. Seems like it's not very popular on this forum, but I'd go as far to say it's the only song on Systematic Chaos that I actually like anymore.

[Another_Won]

Well, this thread is not getting much action, so not sure if we'll go all the way to the end.  But I'll keep going for a little while more and see how it goes.

Everyone's probably waiting for the scathing reviews to start before they comment. You know how people just love that sort of thing. Still, I think it's a great idea for a thread.

Yup this is exactly what's going on.  Although I have to say every instrumental is easily in my top 25.

Edit:  I just saw your HK reference and that's just wrong.

[Podaar]

The problem is, I'm such a DT fanboy that we won't get anything resembling a "scathing review" until we get WAY down near the bottom, probably around Hell's Kitchen or so.  Oops--I've said too much!   

I'm in the same boat. That's why I would never be able to provide a top 50...I'd never be able to decide what to leave off the list.

[Ħ]

Well, this thread is not getting much action, so not sure if we'll go all the way to the end.  But I'll keep going for a little while more and see how it goes.

Everyone's probably waiting for the scathing reviews to start before they comment. You know how people just love that sort of thing. Still, I think it's a great idea for a thread.

The problem is, I'm such a DT fanboy that we won't get anything resembling a "scathing review" until we get WAY down near the bottom, probably around Hell's Kitchen or so.  Oops--I've said too much!   

[AngelBack]

Bump, cause I gotsta to know....

[bosk1]

   Okay, here we go...

16.  This Dying Soul - The second-lowest ranking song from the 12SS.  This song shows so much promise.  It has perhaps the most memorable, and some might even argue the best, riff from the 12SS.  It brings the heaviness and darkness that not only fit the album, but also perfectly fit this part of the suite.  And as someone who saw the band on the Train Of Thought tour, I can tell you that this song ROCKED in a live setting.  Only a couple of knocks on the song that drag it down a bit:  (1) there is so much going on that it feels a bit too disjointed at times; (2) the instrumental sections feels a bit overly long; and (3) the "Blackened" section hurts the mood of the song, IMO.  I have no problem whatsoever with Dream Theater's nods to other bands or even specific songs.  But this one is so blatant and goes on for so long that I just find it distracting.  To me, this is a good song that feels like a missed opportunity at a great song.
17.  I Walk Beside You - I actively disliked this song when Octavarium came out.  It was a combination of deciding to try playing it live with a band, and then seeing it on Score that really made me appreciate it.  By DT standards, it is a surprisingly simple, straightforward song. And the U2 vibe is unmistakeable.  But there's just something about it that makes it likeable.  It's nothing fancy, but it's got some nice lyrics and upbeat, fun music.
18.  Through My Words - Nothing wrong with this song at all.  But it functions more as a transition piece than its own standalone song.  I love the clean, high vocals.  Although they aren't the types of high, soaring vocals we often hear from James, the range here sits in a space that makes this song very challenging to sing well, given that it needs to be sung softly to capture the mood.  And that's really what this song has best going for it:  mood.  It's not the kind of song that is going to wow anybody.  But it does what it does in terms of setting mood, and it does so reasonably well.

[?]

Agreed on the instrumental stuff (that unison at the end ) and the Blackened section in TDS - they truly bring the song down after the promising first half.