Falling Into Infinity (Ultimate Edition)

[tjanuranus]

Ok So I put together a 2 Disc set of FII. If the album had been released like this... I think it might be my third favorite DT album or at least 4th. What do you guys think, how would this rank for you??

Disc 1:
New Millenium
You OR Me (The Demo Version.)
Raise The Knife
Peruvian Skies
Hollow Years
Buring my Soul
Hells Kitchen
Lines In The Sand

Disc 2:
The Way it Used To Be
Just let me breathe
Cover my eyes
Speak to me
Where are you now
Take away my pain (the demo version)
Anna Lee
Trial of Tears

[The Letter M]

Looks a  LOT like the 2CD version I've posted here a few times, and I like that you've used the demo versions of TAMP and YOM, although for me, I use the demo version of "Hollow Years" as well. The extra pre-chorus has grown on me, especially since the band have been playing it that way lately (well, a few years ago they had been).

I say  for your rendition of FII, if only because it's very similar to mine!

Disc 1 -
Raise The Knife
Where Are You Now?
Take Away My Pain (Demo)
You Or Me
Hollow Years (Demo)
Burning My Soul
Hell's Kitchen
Lines In The Sand

Disc 2 -
New Millennium
Cover My Eyes
Peruvian Skies
Speak To Me
Just Let Me Breathe
The Way It Used To Be
Anna Lee
Trial Of Tears

-Marc.

[wasteland]

I have a proposal for you listers:

Put Lines In The Sand as the opener of the first CD with the original piano intro from the demo, and close the disc with Hell's Kitchen, holding the last note somewhat like in SDOIT's Gran Finale.

What do you think?

[The Letter M]

I have a proposal for you listers:

Put Lines In The Sand as the opener of the first CD with the original piano intro from the demo, and close the disc with Hell's Kitchen, holding the last note somewhat like in SDOIT's Gran Finale.

What do you think?

Trapped inside this Sandium?!

-Marc.

[Lucien]

Raise the Knife
Lines in the Sand
Hollow Years
Trial of Tears
Anna Lee
A Change of Seasons
Hell's Kitchen

Yeah, I know, ACOS shouldn't be there. But, if it wasn't an EP, where would it be? Hell's Kitchen makes for a great closer, right after the epic. Anna Lee and Hollow Years are the great ballads. Raise the Knife, Lines in the Sand, and Trial of Tears are awesome.

If the album was this, where would it rank for you? For me, probably about 3rd or 4th.

[tjanuranus]

Looks a  LOT like the 2CD version I've posted here a few times, and I like that you've used the demo versions of TAMP and YOM, although for me, I use the demo version of "Hollow Years" as well. The extra pre-chorus has grown on me, especially since the band have been playing it that way lately (well, a few years ago they had been).

I say  for your rendition of FII, if only because it's very similar to mine!

Disc 1 -
Raise The Knife
Where Are You Now?
Take Away My Pain (Demo)
You Or Me
Hollow Years (Demo)
Burning My Soul
Hell's Kitchen
Lines In The Sand

Disc 2 -
New Millennium
Cover My Eyes
Peruvian Skies
Speak To Me
Just Let Me Breathe
The Way It Used To Be
Anna Lee
Trial Of Tears

-Marc.

Didn't know you did the same haha. Dig your double cd too!

[The Letter M]

Looks a  LOT like the 2CD version I've posted here a few times, and I like that you've used the demo versions of TAMP and YOM, although for me, I use the demo version of "Hollow Years" as well. The extra pre-chorus has grown on me, especially since the band have been playing it that way lately (well, a few years ago they had been).

I say  for your rendition of FII, if only because it's very similar to mine!

Disc 1 -
Raise The Knife
Where Are You Now?
Take Away My Pain (Demo)
You Or Me
Hollow Years (Demo)
Burning My Soul
Hell's Kitchen
Lines In The Sand

Disc 2 -
New Millennium
Cover My Eyes
Peruvian Skies
Speak To Me
Just Let Me Breathe
The Way It Used To Be
Anna Lee
Trial Of Tears

-Marc.

Didn't know you did the same haha. Dig your double cd too!

Yep! I'm sure I've posted about it a few times here. I like having NM as the opener for disc 2 since it works so well AS an opener, I wanted to open the second half of the album with it. I also knew that RTF would open the album and that LITS and TOT were to close both discs. With that in mind, the pieces for the opening songs and the closing songs fell in to place, and with that, the rest worked in easily. Both discs run for nearly an hour, but if you divide it up, it could even be a 3LP vinyl, with each disc covering 3 sides of vinyl each.

-Marc.

[GasparXR]

I just realized this, but if they released a version of FII with the original tracklisting as it appears on the demo, it would be the way it used to be.

[JayOctavarium]

I just realized this, but if they released a version of FII with the original tracklisting as it appears on the demo, it would be the way it used to be.

[The Letter M]

I just realized this, but if they released a version of FII with the original tracklisting as it appears on the demo, it would be the way it used to be.

Where are you now, Anna Lee?
Cover my eyes, speak to me,
Just let me breathe, it's you or me.
Take away my pain, this trial of tears,
The way it used to be...

-Marc.

[ZKX-2099]

I just realized this, but if they released a version of FII with the original tracklisting as it appears on the demo, it would be the way it used to be.

Where are you now, Anna Lee?
Cover my eyes, speak to me,
Just let me breathe, it's you or me.
Take away my pain, this trial of tears,
The way it used to be...

-Marc.

That post was so corny it's burning my soul as if I was in hell's kitchen...



Peruvian Skies.

[fllnsprrw]

Ok So I put together a 2 Disc set of FII. If the album had been released like this... I think it might be my third favorite DT album or at least 4th. What do you guys think, how would this rank for you??

Disc 1:
New Millenium
You OR Me (The Demo Version.)
Raise The Knife
Peruvian Skies
Hollow Years
Buring my Soul
Hells Kitchen
Lines In The Sand

Disc 2:
The Way it Used To Be
Just let me breathe
Cover my eyes
Speak to me
Where are you now
Take away my pain (the demo version)
Anna Lee
Trial of Tears

For me it probably will rank even lower than it already is. I like the album just fine as it is now. don't care for those other songs and demo versions. blech

[Cable]

I like your version TJ.

on a tangent, I know the verses of TAMP studio are loathed, but the chorus and solo are vastly superior I feel to the demo. The demos chorus is too harsh in comparison to the verses. Am I alone in this view?

[JediKnight1969]

For me it probably will rank even lower than it already is. I like the album just fine as it is now. don't care for those other songs and demo versions. blech

Agree.

And "You or me" is as overrated as "You not me", underrated.

[tjanuranus]

For me it probably will rank even lower than it already is. I like the album just fine as it is now. don't care for those other songs and demo versions. blech

Agree.

And "You or me" is as overrated as "You not me", underrated.

I love you or me!

[tjanuranus]

I like your version TJ.

on a tangent, I know the verses of TAMP studio are loathed, but the chorus and solo are vastly superior I feel to the demo. The demos chorus is too harsh in comparison to the verses. Am I alone in this view?

Love the guitar solo in the demo!

[BlobVanDam]

My ultimate FII would be identical to the studio version, sans YNM and TAMP. I don't think any of the offcuts are worth including.

[Prog Snob]

Get rid of Hell's Kitchen and put the demo version of BMS. That version was much better. 

[Scorpion]

My ultimate FII would be identical to the studio version, sans YNM and TAMP. I don't think any of the offcuts are worth including.

I generally agree. I'd drop New Millenium and You Not Me, and add Speak to Me, though, as that is the only one of the demos that I feel was really amazing. But in general, I agree that most of the offcuts are worth to be on the album, and I really like the album - I think it's my #3 Dream Theater album.

[BlobVanDam]

My ultimate FII would be identical to the studio version, sans YNM and TAMP. I don't think any of the offcuts are worth including.

I generally agree. I'd drop New Millenium and You Not Me, and add Speak to Me, though, as that is the only one of the demos that I feel was really amazing. But in general, I agree that most of the offcuts are worth to be on the album, and I really like the album - I think it's my #3 Dream Theater album.

It's my #4 DT album, and if it weren't for YNM and TAMP, it would be a possible contender for #3 (IaW).
But I love NM though. I never got into it until I heard it on Budokan, but now I love the studio version just as much.

Get rid of Hell's Kitchen and put the demo version of BMS. That version was much better. 

I am one of the few people who likes BMS, but I much prefer it split. Even though they share some musical themes, it felt out of place to me in tone, and HK works amazingly as a stand-alone instrumental that leads into LITS, and BMS works well as a shorter structure heavier track. I enjoy them both more separately than I do together.

[jayvee3]

I love FII, one of my genuinely favourite albums. And, I enjoy the demos. But the only additional song I would add, is 'Speak To Me', which I think is brilliant. I would probably put it in there and cull 'Burning My Soul'.. HOWEVER, I do think 'You or Me', and 'Take Away my Pain' Demo versions are superior, so I would put in studio versions of those. And if Hollow Years had that AMAZING live solo in the middle of it in the studio version, it would possibly be my number 1 album by a good stretch..

[hefdaddy42]

\Yeah, I know, ACOS shouldn't be there. But, if it wasn't an EP, where would it be?

But it WAS an EP.  And it was never going to be put on the next album, that wasn't an option.

[ZKX-2099]

My ultimate FII would be identical to the studio version, sans YNM and TAMP. I don't think any of the offcuts are worth including.

Not even The Way It Used To Be?

[?]

There's no way a tracklist with Where Are You Now can be the ultimate edition of FII

[BlobVanDam]

My ultimate FII would be identical to the studio version, sans YNM and TAMP. I don't think any of the offcuts are worth including.

Not even The Way It Used To Be?

Nope. Most of the non album tracks for me are average at best, and even though a lot of them aren't bad, they would "dilute" the album for me. I'd put them all about level with YNM (which I don't hate, but don't want to listen to), so the album would be stronger without them imo. I just don't feel they'd add anything.

[KevShmev]

Even though FII has a few bum tracks, I think it is fine as is.  Raise the Knife is really good, so if you include that and remove the three least best songs (You Not Me, Burning My Soul and Just Let Me Breathe), I guess that would work, but then you'd have three songs out of nine being over 11 minutes and no regular-length rockers, so the balance would be completely thrown off. 

As for the others that didn't make it, as much as I love the live versions of Speak to Me and Cover My Eyes on 5TIAL, the demo versions are both rather ordinary - Cover My Eyes sounds too generic as not an acoustic song, and Speak to Me sounds limp - so both are better being live-only official releases.  The Way It Used to Be is quite good, but not essential. Where Are You Now? has a certain charm about it, but seems to lack that little something that would have made it great.

Also, every demo version of the songs that made the album is inferior to the one that made the album, especially Take Away My Pain. The album version is by far the best version of it.

[Prog Snob]

My ultimate FII would be identical to the studio version, sans YNM and TAMP. I don't think any of the offcuts are worth including.

Not even The Way It Used To Be?

I would definitely include that.  To me, it's better than most of the tracks on the release.

[Ben_Jamin]

Where Are You Now? Would've been excellent on the album had it been worked on more like the rest that ended up on FII. TAMP I use the Live version that has the nice somber intro with the powerful studio chorus.  Hollow Years with the extended solo and demo prechorus is what I prefer.