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

[bosk1]

That's a great Top 10, boss.

Pretty diverse, too, I notice.  Good mix of old and new, and spread out over 7 different albums. 

Funny of you to post so quickly after my last post about Six Degrees at Radio City.  I remember you and I and a couple of others talking about that.  In fact, I think you were the one I PM'd right after they rolled out those other two movements, and said something like, "THEY'RE PLAYING THE ENTIRE SDOIT AT RCMH!!!"

[The Presence of Frenemies]

SC's the album with 3 on bosk's bottom 10. TMOLS, PoW, and Repentance, I'd think. Then You Not Me, TOWHTSTS, The Best of Times, SDV, Wait For Sleep, and...oh my brain hurts from trying to figure it out.

[Another_Won]

That's a great Top 10, boss.

Agreed.  You've got like 3 hours of music just in your top 4, can't really go wrong with that.

[hefdaddy42]

That's a great Top 10, boss.

Pretty diverse, too, I notice.  Good mix of old and new, and spread out over 7 different albums. 

Funny of you to post so quickly after my last post about Six Degrees at Radio City.  I remember you and I and a couple of others talking about that.  In fact, I think you were the one I PM'd right after they rolled out those other two movements, and said something like, "THEY'RE PLAYING THE ENTIRE SDOIT AT RCMH!!!"

Yep.  I remember that.  I also remember talking to you just before the show, at intermission, and after the show.  You were also getting texts about the setlist in realtime from someone else at the show.

What an awesome night that was.  The meetup, the concert, the hat...

[Onno]

Well, here's my top 10 for people to chew on over the weekend before I return to the countdown with my bottom 10:

1.  Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
2.  A Change of Seasons
3.  Octavarium
4.  Metropolis - Part I "The Miracle And The Sleeper"
5.  The Glass Prison
6.  Bridges In The Sky
7.  The Mirror
8.  Learning To Live
9.  Scarred
10.  Trial Of Tears


So that definitely rules out Scarred.  And I will tell you that both Lie and Constant Motion aren't far behind and are somewhere between my top 10 and my bottom 50, so you can rule both of those out as well.  As for the others...we'll have to see. 

That's one of the best Top 10s ever.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

1.  Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
2.  A Change of Seasons
3.  Octavarium
4.  Metropolis - Part I "The Miracle And The Sleeper"
5.  The Glass Prison
6.  Bridges In The Sky
7.  The Mirror
8.  Learning To Live
9.  Scarred
10.  Trial Of Tears

Bridges in the Sky, eh? I really love it too. If I made another top 10, it definitely has a chance.

Also, CM is a track I love, so nice to see it get appreciation.

[Ħ]

Great top 10. Well...except for:

6.  Bridges In The Sky
7.  The Mirror
9.  Scarred

[DebraKadabra]

In fact, I think you were the one I PM'd right after they rolled out those other two movements, and said something like, "THEY'RE PLAYING THE ENTIRE SDOIT AT RCMH!!!"

That's about like the text I got from Wey during the show about "OMG INNOCENCE FADED!!111!!"

[bosk1]

Alrighty then.  10 to go.  On with the show...

41.  Repentance - It's not that this song is "bad"--it isn't.  Not by any stretch.  But it just SO overstays its welcome.  There are a lot of truly great moments in the song.  And the spoken word part by the guests at the end is just a genius way of doing that part of the suite.  But after enough listens that the novelty wears off, it just doesn't work as a song.  I am perhaps more torn on this song than any in the entire DT catalog simply because there is so much greatness, and yet, so little replay value.  It's just too repetitive and too long.  It really needed to be shorter and needed something else in it to break up the monotony.

42.  Another Day - Back in 1992 when I first played this album and Another Day came on, my first thought was, "hey, did my GF (who would later become my wife) switch disks and slip in Kenny G when I wasn't looking?"  My next thought was, "Hmm...wow, well these guys certainly are diverse."  But it didn't take me long to realize that diversity and good can easily be mutually exclusive.  Just because you can do something, even if you can do it well, doesn't mean you should.  This song is a prime example of why.  I can dig DT doing happy.  I can dig DT doing mellow.  I can dig DT doing something that sounds like smooth jazz, but still with a bit of rock to it.  But this song just does not work for me.  That being said, it does have some nice moments.  For example, James' impossible vocal lines right before the solo are simply incredible.  However, that same vocal passage is ample reason why the band should never attempt this song in a live setting.  Even before James' accident, I never heard a live rendition of the song where that passage sounded good.  It is just impossible to replicate in a live setting.  It's too high for too long, and there is no breathing space to set up the singer to sing it well.  Even if I liked the song more, I wouldn't want them to play it live because, to me, the song really hinges on that passage being sung clean and powerfully, and I just don't think it can be done.  I don't hate this song by any stretch, but it is definitely my least favorite from Images, and represents a big drop off from my next least favorite song.

[BlobVanDam]

I like Repentance, but I never listen to it for the reasons you've stated, which I completely agree with.

And I'm not even touching Another Day. Oh bosky.

[Zydar]

Another Day

[bosk1]

Get used to the emoticon.  The rest of my bottom 10 is actually just going to be listing Another Day over and over again for the next 8 slots.

[Unlegit]

Another Day

[Zydar]

But... but...

[Another_Won]

You're right on with these two, especially Repentance. 

[hefdaddy42]

I certainly agree with you about Repentance.

[?]

Agreed on Repentance. I like Another Day a lot, but I can see why some wouldn't enjoy it too much. But bottom 10

[Scorpion]

Repentance is fucking amazing, possibly my favourite of the 12SS, though TROAE has been giving it a run for its money during the last month or so. Still, that solo is a thing of beauty.

Another Day is fine where it is. My least favourite off of I&W as well.

[IdoSC]

I think it's safe for me to state that Repentance is among my 5 least favorite DT songs ever, I nearly hate that song. On the other hand I disagree with you on Another Day, but your reasoning is perfectly legit. While I like that song, I don't want them to play it that much either (even though James has found a proper way to sing it live which at least makes it enjoyable, obviously not studio-version perfect, but when he actually attempts to sings the studio version way his voice cracks make it painful to listen to).

By these better than average versions I'm talking about Metropolis 2000, or Images and Words 2007. In IAW07 he still tries a few over the top notes, though, but at least he handles them well at that point. The optimal high notes orientation for James (and most sane singers) is probably things like Learning to Live's F#5, Octavarium's climactic note, or the high note in the end of BMUBMD's live versions.

[Ruba]

Repentance is fucking amazing, possibly my favourite of the 12SS, though TROAE has been giving it a run for its money during the last month or so. Still, that solo is a thing of beauty.

Those are mine two favourites from 12SS in order too.

And Another Day... a song with a sax cannot be in bottom 50!

[bosk1]

And Another Day... a song with a sax cannot be in bottom 50!

There are definitely some song choices where comments from you guys have made me at least want to think about it further and reconsider whether the song really should be ranked where I rank it.  Another Day is not one of them.  It is and will likely always be in my bottom 10.

[Ruba]

Well, if you say so, I'm ready to respect your opinion.

At least you don't dislike Scarred     .

[KevShmev]

I've also never heard a live version of Another Day that did it justice, but I say, who cares? The studio version is phenomenal, and JP's solo is one of his best ever, and certainly one of his best that doesn't get talked about enough.  Great song.

I like Repentance a lot, and while I get the "it overstays its welcome" criticism, I don't agree with it.  I just think it leading up to such a oft-panned song like Prophets of War hurts it cause (kind of like, you are listening to the CD and you have that "all of the build-up to the end and that is what comes next?").  Put Repentance on another CD, and in between two songs that most fans love, and I'll bet more many would like it a lot more.  Just my theory.

[bosk1]

I get that theory, but it doesn't work for me with this song.  SC is the only DT CD where I made an alternate track listing by rearranging the songs and deleting a couple, and it still doesn't really help me with Repentence.  I still usually listen to it as part of that playlist, but I don't think any more highly of it even without Prophets.

[King Postwhore]

I get that theory, but it doesn't work for me with this song.  SC is the only DT CD where I made an alternate track listing by rearranging the songs and deleting a couple, and it still doesn't really help me with Repentence.  I still usually listen to it as part of that playlist, but I don't think any more highly of it even without Prophets.

I am 100% with you on Repentence and SC.

[Nekov]

I agree with Repentance but Another Day? It made my top 50 (and was specially dedicated to you) 

[The Presence of Frenemies]

I love Another Day. And I actually find it a lot of fun to sing.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Yeah, I dislike Another Day. Just not my thing I guess.

[wasteland]

It's my least favourite song if IAW, and very likely the only one to be out of my top 20 (not positive about this, though). Still, it's a very cool song that I wouldn't ever rank in the lower half of the DT songs. 

By the way, bosk, did you ever try to pull Another Day live? 

[MoraWintersoul]

I love Another Day. And I actually find it a lot of fun to sing.

Yup.

Also, I did find one '92 or '93 version that is pretty much nailed down to a T.

[bosk1]

By the way, bosk, did you ever try to pull Another Day live? 

What do you mean?

[wasteland]

I love Another Day. And I actually find it a lot of fun to sing.

Yup.

Also, I did find one '92 or '93 version that is pretty much nailed down to a T.

Long Island 92?

By the way, bosk, did you ever try to pull Another Day live? 

What do you mean?

Sing it. Maybe I used the wrong verb. 

[MoraWintersoul]

Long Island 92?

I think my memory is far from good.

By the way, bosk, did you ever try to pull Another Day live? 

What do you mean?

Sing it. Maybe I used the wrong verb. 
[/quote]
The phrasal verb you were looking for is pulled off

[wasteland]

I was torn between off and out, and I simply chose to leave both out and let bosk do the dirty job

LI92 is the clean F# and the Best TKH show!

[GasparXR]

I will have to disagree with both. I find there's enough subtle variation to keep me very interested in both while listening. They both definitely spark an emotional reaction, and the melodies are well-thought out and memorable. Those guitar solos Not to mention, they are both my favourite songs from their respective albums.

This is here just so I can say 'both' five times in one post instead of four.