JoeG's Ramblings About Zero Hits and 50 Other Pretty Cool Songs - Five left!

[JoeG]

Stop making such great write-ups! You're making me feel inferior.

Thanks! Glad someone likes my far too wordy writing style. I hate to think how long my last couple of write-ups are going to end up being.

[JoeG]

Onto the top ten! Three songs for today, each up this high for combining great song writing with elements unique to the Dream Theater discography.

10. Scene 6: Home (Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory)
WOMP WOMP

The mid-album masterpiece of Scenes From a Memory. Home is a fantastic piece, which combines the true unification of all of Dream Theater's major elements that The Great Debate pulled off so well, with some one of a kind sounds and influences. The sitar and other ethnic sounds that Jordan brings to this piece give it real character. The whole into has just such a great sound to it, from the grooving bass, to the sitar (especially the more freeform version on LSFNY), to the drums. and then, the riffing starts. Oh, the riffing. This song has so many iconic and catchy riffs, which make it stick in your head incredibly well for a 12 minute, ridiculously complex song. Every member of the band has great parts on this one. The bass is very visible, and really drives the song, especially in some of the more subdued parts. The vocals are great, especially some of the harmonies, as are the Metropolis Pt. 1 references. They don't feel forced in at all, to the song or the story, when they easily could have been. The drums have many very good parts, like the first verse build up, second verse breakdown, and the letting loose Mike does post instrumental section. Guitars are just incredible, in addition to the aforementioned great riffing, there's a lot of shredding integrated seamlessly into the progression of the song, almost taking the traditional role of drum fills at time.

As mentioned, Jordan is really the star here, as his playing and unique sounds give this song the character that sets it apart. The "Sex scene" was a weird idea to be sure, but it helps that there's some great build-up work done by Jordan and Mike under it to re-establish the egyptian sound from the intro, and transition to a very underrated solo section. The key solo is very well put together, with a good relation to the themes of the song. And the guitar solo which follows just kicks it into the stratosphere. It's one of John's very best shred-oriented solos.

Everything comes together so flawlessly in this song. This is exemplified no better than in the outro. Guitar, keys, bass, and drums combine to create a brilliant bit of proggy goodness to close out a great song. No one taking the lead, no one stealing the spotlight. Just four guys, contributing their part to create something fantastic.



9. Lines In The Sand (Falling Into Infinity)
We fabricate our demons, invite them into our homes
Have supper with the aliens and fight the war alone

When I first heard Lines In The Sand, I didn't think it was Dream Theater. This song has a powerful funky, jazzy influence throughout, which sets it apart, and makes it a downright fun song to listen to. From the moment that huge chord hits a minute in, the song grooves along with an incredible and unique vibe. There are so many memorable and fantastic riffs here that I can't even count them, and they blend perfectly with the brilliant vocal melodies. James does some incredible work here, putting in probably his best vocal performance of Falling Into Infinity. Derek, while never taking center stage on this one, really adds to the song with his ever-present Hammond. Mike has a large part in creating the groovy feel, with some very creative playing that just chugs along. I love the high hat part during the verses, the way the cymbal beat evolves during the double bass intro part, and the chorus beat. And of course, the post-solo proggy bits. All of it really; it's one of my favorite Mike songs, even if he's not the instrument that comes to most people's mind when they think Lines in the Sand. That's largely because he has to contend with John Petrucci, and a simply unbelievable bluesy guitar solo which steals the show in the middle of the song. Very tasty playing, which manages to fit absolutely perfectly with the song. It's truly one of his very best, largely because it is written to the song so well, embellishing pre-established themes rather than going off in its own direction.

If you haven't yet, drop what you're doing now and acquire Live at Bucharest. The version on there is simply unbelievable. Jordan brings the song to a whole new level with great piano parts and Wah-Wahs. James is on fire, as is Mike. The final lines of the demo version are included. Oh, and John plays what is perhaps his greatest live solo of all time. It's just unreal. Everything that made the album version great, extended quite a bit. It's the definitive example of John's ability to combine tasteful, beautiful, jazzy playing with some superhuman shredding. The talkbox is a great addition as well. The degree to which his playing is just perfectly in tune with the song is simply incredible, and I have to pick my jaw up off the floor each time I hear this solo.

God, I wish John and/or Jordan would do a blues/jazz/funk influenced side project, full of stuff like this. For now, I just have to make do with Lines in the Sand and Biaxiden.



8. Lifting Shadows off a Dream (Awake)
Drifting with the current
This stream of life flows on

One word. Atmosphere. Lifting Shadows off a Dream has an incredible atmospheric vibe which sets it apart, and makes it a masterpiece. The string like synth sound that Kevin uses is unbelievably beautiful. Heck, the whole first two minutes is one of the most beautiful things Dream Theater has ever done, as is the extended intro used in some live performances (The Rotterdam performance is unbelievable) Actually, scratch that, the whole song falls under the canopy of "ridiculously beautiful." The subtle background guitar that John has going through the whole first half estableshes an incredible atmosphere, as does the bass. The minimalist instrumentation allows the bass to shine through, and add even more to the incredible feel the whole thing has. Unlike some other slow paced Dream Theater ballads, Lifting Shadows isn't afraid to venture into full band instrumentation, with some great distorted guitars and fairly aggressive drumming which add to some moments. However, it never looses the incredibly deep atmosphere it establishes, and these sections never feel forced into place. To the contrary, the second half of the guitar solo is one of the song's very best parts, and fits perfectly. The moment that its last note hits and the keys/vocals burst out at you is just unreal. The drums are beautiful as well, particularly in the parts where Mike is simply striking cymbals to provide accents, rather than creating a beat of any kind.

The lyrics, like most Myung creations, are fantastic. They have a beautiful poetic quality each time he writes them, and this is no exception. Lifting Shadows may be might be my favorite lyrical work of his, though it has some very stiff competition. And lets not forget James' incredible singing. Save a few moments, its very understated, and like the rest of the song, has a beautiful, delicate quality to it. The end result is fantastic. We also see some moments of power, like the final "openly." And then, just when you think it couldn't get any better, that harmony hits you for the final two lines. Simply magical. If that doesn't make you feel warm inside, I don't know what does.

[?]

Those songs aren't top 10 (or even top 20) material in my eyes, but still damn good

[Tom Bombadil]

Three great picks!

[425]

Home and LSOAD I like but not nearly this much. But LITS is an excellent top 10 pick!

[Nearmyth]

nice picks! LITS is the shiz

[Ruba]

Lines in the Sand  . Love it.

[JoeG]

Two more to bring it down to the final 5 songs remaining!

7. Trial of Tears (Falling Into Infinity)
I may have wasted all those years
They're not worth their time in tears
I may have spent too long in darkness
In the warmth of my fears

If it wouldn't make this writeup redundant and way too long, I would just put all the lyrics above. They're that damn good.

The unbelievable closer of Falling Into Infinity, my second favorite Dream Theater album. It has an incredible sonic quality to it. It gets described as "atmospheric" frequently and while I don't disagree, it covers a wide spectrum of styles, intense parts like most of "Deep in Heaven" wouldn't be caught dead in other "atmospheric" Dream Theater pieces like the first third of Octavarium or Far From Heaven. And yet, there's a certain undescribable feeling that the song never journeys too far from, no matter what it's doing. Largely responsible for this is the incredible background work done by John Myung and Derek. Actually, scratch that, it's hardly fair to call what they're doing here "background," it's so integral to the sound of this song. Also helping is some great and creative drumming from Mike, and John Petrucci stepping back a bit, not overplaying, and stepping back completely when the song calls for it, which is pretty often.

The intro is just gorgeous. John's subtle guitar tone is amazing. After a few minutes we're off, with more gorgeous guitar, now joined by a driving bass groove which comes right to the front of the mix. Mike's hi-hat work in this part is very nice as well. The organ and drums bring the song to an incredible momentary high in the "I may have wasted all those years" chorus. James, and John's lyrics, are downright magical here as well. After another verse/chorus, Derek gives a short solo which is a preview of the further excellence to come. And shortly after, with a great drum solo by Mike, we're into a solo section which somehow rivals the incredible lyrical work of this song.

Derek's main solo gets all the attention, but before I rant and rave about it, Petrucci's deserves some love as well. It's very shreddy in parts, and yet if you aren't focused on the song and just hearing it in the background, it somehow doesn't come off that way at all. It reminds me of the solo spots he did on the ADTOE tour before The Spirit Carries on, incredibly technical, yet somehow...mellow. And the groove that Pornoy and Myung put down during it is killer. The climax of the solo transitions perfectly to another killer drum/bass groove, and into Derek's best solo with the band. The sound used is great, and the playing is unbelievable. Technical, and does a perfect job of slowly building the solo section to climax as the bass and drums build in intensity. The final passage with double bass under it is just unreal. And as suddenly as it came, we're thrust out into the middle of nowhere. Welcome to The Wasteland. The most hauntingly fantastic atmospheric bit Dream Theater has ever done. The lyrics, absolutely brilliant throughout, are even better here, and work perfectly with the music to create some intense imagery. Listening, you can literally hear the wasteland, and see and feel the ashes...nothing but ashes. The song then builds, bringing a change while keeping the same incredible vibe it's established throughout. And everything explodes into the final "Its raining" section. One of the greatest song climaxes of all time, with a gorgeous delivery by James and the whole and. And as things wind down, John Myung has one more bit of excellence for us with a short but sweet outro bass solo. Despite a run time of more than 13 minutes, it's all over far too soon. I want more songs like this.



6. Blind Faith (Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence)
I don't think we let you down
So come Messiah show us how how

I told you SDOIT would be redeemed after putting the title track and The Glass prison in the 40s. 

Blind Faith is a simply unbelievable song. It starts with an unique light and airey vibe. Unlike Trial of Tears though, Blind Faith moves from this mellow feel to all kinds of places. But unlike a lot of songs that do this, where those places aren't always great, the places Blind Faith goes to range from fantastic to HOLY COW AWESOME LIKE THAT SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED. The groove in the first verse is great, especially with those amazing key and piano sounds. Jordan's piano work really makes the song every step of the way; it's his best song with the band in many ways. The lyrics are James' best, and are constructed very well. The pre-chorus build-up is unbelievable, again with downright fantastic background piano work. The chorus itself gives the song a heavy edge, and somehow doesn't feel out of place in the slightest, serving as an incredible section transition from the light intro to the heavy second verse. After some great heavy playing (I love the guitar "wah" after each line), the chorus is back, and again seamlessly brings us to another section, this time with a groovy feel a bit reminiscent of Lines in the Sand. The drumming really picks up here, driving things forward.

And then, with a beautiful jazzy passage by John Petrucci, we're thrown headfirst into the instrumental section. After a great double bass driven guitar solo, the riff that drives the whole section appears. What a riff. It's a joy to listen to by itself, but the things the band builds off of it are even better. First, John plays some sweet variations on it with Mike really starting to let loose on the drums again. Then, we suddenly have a GORGEOUS piano interlude, again inspired by this same riff. More variations by John, leading into Jordan's second great solo, this time on the organ. If you haven't picked it up from my other write ups, I LOVE organ in my Dream Theater, and this is one of the best examples of it. It's noodly, jazzy, and an absolute party. Jordan really pulled out all the stops on this song, and it's incredible as a result. Things get even better as he goes to a more traditional lead tone, for a relatively restrained third and final solo. After the instrumental's over, we get more vocals, with very clever variations on previous lyrics, and a return to the atmospheric intro to close the song perfectly. It's great, yet I feel like I've forgotten something.

Oh wait, I did. That unison. THE unison. The crazy, freaking, beautiful, LOVELY unison. There are a lot that come close, particularly in the five songs yet to be revealed, but if I had to choose, that unison might well be my single favorite Dream Theater moment. It's perfection. Each time you think it's over, it twists off in a new direction. Even though I've heard it hundreds of times, some aspect of it seems to surprise me each and every time, whether it be an unexpected sweeping high passage, sudden change of pace, or brilliant embellishment by Mike. The whole thing has an unbelievably cheerful, playful vibe to it, and you can just tell the guys are having the time of their lives with it. Aside from the incredible playing by John and Jordan, Mike's contributions really kick the unison up a notch, as he uses nearly every trick in his playbook. His playing compliments the unison perfectly, with fills that emphasize all the right parts, and add character to the piece. And the sweeping finale feeds absolutely PERFECTLY into the delivery of the line "I don't think we let you down," and a powerful pre-chorus. Such a great moment.




Songs five and four are coming tomorrow. Both are not normally seen anywhere near this high on lists, or in fact, in many top 50s at all. Any predictions? Recap (with writeup links) is in the first post.

[Ruba]

Very worthy picks! 

[Tom Bombadil]

Lots of similarities in our lists for the most part. Those last two songs are awesome 

some guesses for the top 5: Learning to Live, Take the Times, Voices.

[JoeG]

Lots of similarities in our lists for the most part. Those last two songs are awesome 

some guesses for the top 5: Learning to Live, Take the Times, Voices.

I can confirm that between zero and three of those are correct.

And yeah I've noticed, it seems like you've been regularly posting songs from my list a few days and a few spots before me for a while now. Good for inspiring writeups, but makes it difficult to comment on your thread without spoiling mine!

[aprilethereal]

Trial Of Tears is an amazing song, no doubt. BF on the other hand is possibly my second least favourite by DT.

[?]

Very worthy picks! 

[GentlemanofDread]

Very late to start commenting really, but I love your top ten already.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Huh, not too crazy for either of these, though they are good songs.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Please wrap this up. It's been well over a month. Thank you.