PwnsomeWin's Top 30 DT Songs (And Bottom 10)

[PwnsomeWin]

It's finally my turn, so here's my top 30 Dream Theater songs!

First off, I'd like to note that I have not listened to WDADU and some of FII. Also, there are songs from 6DOIT, ADTOE, and SFAM that I haven't ranked because I haven't listened to them enough yet. So if a great song you like isn't on this list and you're wondering why, that may be why.

Okay, let's start.

30. Lines In The Sand (Falling Into Infinity)
When my friend told me how bad this song was, I had to take a listen. I was confused at why he thought it was so horrible. It's freaking awesome! Lines In The Sand is a really groovy song. I love the break starting at around five and a half minutes. The only thing I don't care for is in the chorus when JLB goes "LINES IN THE SANNNNNNNNND!!". The note just doesn't seem to go with the song. Other then that, great song.

29. The Silent Man (Awake)
A short Dream Theater song (by their standards), but nevertheless a great acoustic song. The short guitar solo is awesome, and whoever does the backup vocals does a great job. I also love JLB's main vocals. A fabulous ending to A Mind Beside Itself.

28. I Walk Beside You (Octavarium)
I used to love this song a lot more. I still do love it, though. I don't understand why, cause it's a very simple song. I can't really pinpoint what I like about it, but I like it. Uh, yeah...

One more thing. I will assure you that the #1 song will surprise you. ;]

[Tom Bombadil]

Nice start to your list. Lines in the sand is awesome and the silent man is an excellent ballad. I used to love I Walk Beside You but it hasn't aged very well for me. I'll def. be following this one.

[Ruba]

Surprise number one? Cool!

LITS is among my favourites, TSM is good, but I don't care about IWBY.

[Scorpion]

Lines in the Sand is one of my favourite DT songs ever. That guitar solo is a thing of beauty, and that groove...

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I'm not overly familiar with Lines In The Sand, nor am I a big fan of I Walk Beside You, but I do agree with your ranking of The Silent Man.

[mike099]

I'm not overly familiar with Lines In The Sand, nor am I a big fan of I Walk Beside You, but I do agree with your ranking of The Silent Man.

Listen to Lines in the Sand - You will love it.  Also, Trial of Tears is Great. Some great songs off of FII.

[Viking of the Sagas]

Lines in the Sand has a great bass. I Walk Beside You is rather awesome, though one of the cheesier songs DT has yet written. I'm not that familiar with The Silent Man, but from what I remember it's 'a silent genius'.

[Nearmyth]

I love Lines In The Sand, it really is a great song. I feel as if it's a bit overlooked. I personally prefer it to Trial of Tears. What a groovy song.

The Silent Man is great too, and though I wouldn't put I Walk Beside You all that high, it isn't bad. I really like the bridge though, the harmonies and keyboard strings (?) are amazing together.

[AngelBack]

LITS - wah pedal - amazing.

[ebbeberge]

Love LITS, it's a great song. TSM has really aged well for me, and it's fantastic and simplistic. IWBS is a fun song, but somewhat cheesy and a little out of style for DT. Will be following your list to se how it turns out

[PwnsomeWin]

Okay, so I'm on vacation right now, so I will have limited internet access. Here's the next 3.

27. Metropolis Part I (Images And Words)
This was probably expected to be higher. It's an awesome song, and as much as I'd like to raise it, I can't. The instrumental section is cool, especially the bass solo. I can't say anything bad about any part in this song.

26. Hell's Kitchen (Falling Into Infinity)
Another FII song. This song was a lot higher on my list, mainly cause of the first 1-2 minutes. One of the greatest Dream Theater solos. It's just so epic! The rest isn't bad, but it doesn't get as good as the opening guitar solo. A good DT instrumental, but then again, I don't think I've heard a bad one.

25. Fatal Tragedy (Scenes From A Memory)
I'm going to be honest, I don't remember this one. I listened to this and ranked it a while ago, then haven't listened to it again. When I'm back from vacation with good Wi-Fi, I'll listen again and make a description.

[PwnsomeWin]

I updated my last post with descriptions.

[Tom Bombadil]

I'm not a big Metropolis fan (compared to most). I think its a good song but I really don't like the instrumental section. Hell's Kitchen rules. Probably my favorite DT instrumental. Fatal Tragedy starts off really good, but again the instrumental section ruins it for me.

[Ruba]

Fatal Tragedy starts off really good, but again the instrumental section ruins it for me.

Finally someone I can agree with on FT  .

[Tom Bombadil]

Fatal Tragedy starts off really good, but again the instrumental section ruins it for me.

Finally someone I can agree with on FT  .

I do feel like we are the vast minority sometimes.

[BlobVanDam]

Fatal Tragedy starts off really good, but again the instrumental section ruins it for me.

Finally someone I can agree with on FT  .

I do feel like we are the vast minority sometimes.

I would hope so. Fatal Tragedy's instrumental section is one of my favourite parts of the entire album. It's killer!

[Tom Bombadil]

Fatal Tragedy starts off really good, but again the instrumental section ruins it for me.

Finally someone I can agree with on FT  .

I do feel like we are the vast minority sometimes.

I would hope so. Fatal Tragedy's instrumental section is one of my favourite parts of the entire album. It's killer!

We have very different tastes it seems, Blob. 

[PwnsomeWin]

I think it's time for another three songs.

24. Breaking All Illusions (A Dramatic Turn Of Events)
Of the ones I remember, this is my favorite song off ADTOE. I feel like a lot of the songs off ADTOE have a similar sound, especially in the choruses. While this song also has a chorus similar to other ADTOE songs, there is much more to it. There is a really nice guitar solo, that starts out quiet and builds up. Probably my favorite part. The ending is also really good too. IMO, Breaking All Illusions is one of the songs that saves ADTOE from being a mediocre album.

23. In The Name Of God (Train Of Thought)
Now we're starting to get into DT's masterpieces. While not my favorite song on TOT, ITNOG is a great song. This may surprise you, but my favorite part is the fast Flight Of The Bumblebee part. It just sounds really cool, especially with the awesome bass line. The verses are great as well. And of course, the last chorus is cool. A good ending to TOT.

22. Another Day (Images And Words)
Just like Hell's Kitchen, this song was a lot higher on my list. I think I listened to it too much, though. The sax in this song is amazing. I get chills at the first sax solo, because it's so awesome. The rest of the song is beautiful too. Even though I lowered this song, it's still amazing.

[Tom Bombadil]

3 great songs right there. 

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Breaking All Illusions is fantastic, and Another Day is one of my favorite DT tracks. I'm not crazy about In The Name Of God.

[Nearmyth]

Breaking All Illusions! 
ITNOG! 
Another Day!

Nice to see Breaking All Illusions though, it's my favorite from ADTOE.

[Lucien]

Breaking All Illusions should be higher IMO.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

[PwnsomeWin]

Sorry for lack of updates.

21. 6:00 (Awake)
6:00 is a really rockin' song. I really like the chorus and guitar solo of this song, but of course, the whole song is great. James LaBrie's vocal performance on 6:00 is really good as well. Oh, and the drums are great too. IMO, the best first song on a DT album.

20. Stream Of Consciousness (Train Of Thought)
I think this might have been the first DT instrumental I'd ever listened to. When I first heard it, I honestly thought it should've ended TOT. I still think that, even though an instrumental would be a weird ending. But hey, Metallica did it. Anyways, this song is great because it doesn't stay in one place for long. One minute you've got a fast guitar solo, then you get a groovy bass line another minute. Speaking of solos, the guitar solo/keyboard solo around 3:50 is one of my favorite DT moments. It's just so full of energy, if you know what I mean. But yeah, a great instrumental.

19. Overture 1928 (Scenes From A Memory)
Oh look, another instrumental! If it wasn't for Regression, I'd say this is the best first song on a DT album. (Not that Regression sucks...) This song is full of energy. Just like Stream Of Consciousness, it doesn't stay in one place for too long. A great overture for SFAM.

[Tom Bombadil]

Love 6:00 and Overture 1928. Both excellent songs. SoC is pretty good too. 

[PwnsomeWin]

Not much activity in here. =/ Whatever, here's the next 3.

18. The Dance Of Eternity (Scenes From A Memory)
Third instrumental in a row. I assure you, this is the last consecutive one. Anyways, this song doesn't stay in one spot for too long. I know I've said it for the last two songs, but if it applied to just one, it's this one. My favorite part is easily the ragtime section. It's just so different from anything DT's ever done, which makes it special, I guess. My second favorite DT instrumental.

17. Through Her Eyes (Scenes From A Memory)
I promise you, last consecutive song for SFAM. This is a really nice ballad. I really like the bass in this, mainly the sliding notes. It sounds really nice. Also, the intro is beautiful. I can't think of what else to say about this song, so I guess that's all.

16. Erotomania (Awake)
My favorite DT instrumental, which means no more instrumentals on this list! Woohoo! There are just so many awesome moments in this song. 3:03 - 3:42 might be my favorite. The guitar solo is short but it's amazing. 5:07 - 5:28 is also great. Again the guitar shines, but at the end of the section the drums are pretty cool. Well, there you go, my top DT instrumental.

[Onno]

Wow man, you've got some interesting choices. Cool to see both Through Her Eyes and Erotomania so high 

[JoeG]

Erotomania  . Great piece, so many cool moments, a rare song that manages to run in a hundred different directions and still feel cohesive.

TDOE has some great parts, but to me, it starts to fall apart as a cohesive piece of music after the ragtime solo.

[Bolsters]

17. Through Her Eyes (Scenes From A Memory)
I promise you, last consecutive song for SFAM. This is a really nice ballad. I really like the bass in this, mainly the sliding notes. It sounds really nice. Also, the intro is beautiful. I can't think of what else to say about this song, so I guess that's all.

So underrated.

[?]

17. Through Her Eyes (Scenes From A Memory)
I promise you, last consecutive song for SFAM. This is a really nice ballad. I really like the bass in this, mainly the sliding notes. It sounds really nice. Also, the intro is beautiful. I can't think of what else to say about this song, so I guess that's all.

So underrated.

This. And since I missed the last update, I have to say it warms my heart to see 6:00 so high

[krieger]

21. 6:00 (Awake)
6:00 is a really rockin' song. I really like the chorus and guitar solo of this song, but of course, the whole song is great. James LaBrie's vocal performance on 6:00 is really good as well. Oh, and the drums are great too. IMO, the best first song on a DT album.

So true. Awake starts with a bang! Great lyrics, too... 

[PwnsomeWin]

15. Vacant (Train Of Thought)
This might be a surprise to some of you. But this is a really beautiful song. Every instrument in this song sounds amazing. There's not much to say about this song, other then that it's beautiful. So I'll keep it at that.

14. The Spirit Carries On (Scenes From A Memory)
This song is great! I love the chord progression in this that is used throughout SFAM. It just never gets old. But anyways, JLB's vocals really stand out here. Maybe his best vocal performance not from IAW or Awake? I dunno, but it's pretty good. The only thing I don't like is that Portnoy seems to put a million drum fills in this. It'd be fine for a more metal song, but this is a ballad. Luckily that issue doesn't screw up the song. Also, nice guitar in this song!

13. Learning To Live (Images And Words)
Now we're starting to get into Dream Theater's masterpieces. This song is just pure awesome. The outro is probably my favorite part, but I like the whole song of course. A pretty good ending for IAW!

[BlobVanDam]

Great choices (although I'm not so big on LTL, but that's just me).
TSCO and Vacant are both easily among my favourites from each album, and it's great to see some love for the much underrated Vacant. I really can't add anything to your description.

[Ruba]

Three nice picks  .

[Whatsername]

Definitely like seeing TSCO and Vacant so high up!