What order did you get the DT albums?

[Zyzzyva17]

Inspired by the recent thread on advice for what albums to buy next, I'm curious to know what order other people got the DT albums, and why. My order was:

1. ACOS (Bought for the covers. Blown away by the title track.)
2. Octavarium (Bought because I knew Panic Attack from Rock Band.)
3. SFAM (Bought because I heard it was their best album.)
4. IAW (Bought for the other part of Metropolis.)
5. BC&SL (Bought after hearing and loving TCOT.)
6. SDOIT (Bought because of the remaining albums, this one looked the best.)
7. Awake
8. TOT (I was afraid these two albums would be too heavy for me. I was wrong.)
9. SC
10. FII
11. WDADU (Bought these three mainly to complete my collection, although I now love FII.)

I got the last 2 albums when they came out. It's funny looking back at my naive impressions of these albums.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

1. Images & Words & Awake (Borrowed them from my step Dad in 1997)
2. Falling Into Infinity
3. A Change of Seasons and When Dream & Day Unite

The rest in order as they were released.

[rumborak]

Except WDADU, in order of appearance.

[RoeDent]

No particular reason they're in this order. None that I can remember anyway. And it's not complete, as you'll see.

Octavarium (Sep 2009)
Scenes from a Memory (Sep 2009)
A Change of Seasons (Dec 2009)
Black Cloud & Silver Linings (Dec 2009)
Once in a LIVEtime (Feb 2010)
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (Feb 2010)
Images and Words (Feb 2011)
Falling Into Infinity (Feb 2011)
Awake (May 2011)
A Dramatic Turn of Events (Sep 2011)
Dream Theater (Sep 2013)

[The Letter M]

I became a fan between TOT and LAB, so since 8VM, I got all of their albums as they came out.

As for WHEN I first became a fan, I've looked back at my Amazon.com order history...

WDADU - Feb 04
Awake, ACOS - Mar 04
IAW, SFAM - Apr 04
SDOIT - May 04
LSFNY - Jun 04
OILAT, LATM, LAB - Dec 04

I recall buying TOT in stores, I think my local FYE, sometime that year as well. Looks like my intention, back then, was to get their first album and their most popular album (at the time, it was SFAM - I had ordered it at the same time as WDADU but the seller never sent it, so I had to re-order a couple months later). After that, I got the rest of their first five albums and the ACOS EP. Then it was SDOIT, then the remaining live albums up to that point in time. I remember being on vacation in California for Christmas that year and getting the LAB DVD and watching it on my brother's portable DVD player. I also got the CDs as well and spun them on the airplane ride back.

After December of 2004, I've gotten EVERY official release at the time of release, studio and live.

-Marc.

[Tom Bombadil]

Hmm. This is pretty tough to remember. It went something like this

BC&SL
FII
I&W, Awake, SDOIT, ACOS(about the same time)
SFAM
WDADU
TOT
8VM
SC
ADTOE
DT12

[Lucien]

Octavarium
Black Clouds and Silver Linings
A Dramatic Turn of Events
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Scenes From a Memory

I have yet to get the rest of them, but I think I'll get I&W first.

[TheGreatPretender]

SFAM
SC
BC&SL
I&W
TOT
SDOIT
8VM
FII
Awake
ACOS
ADTOE
DT12

[senecadawg2]

SFAM
BC&SL
FII
TOT
Awake
SDOIT
8VM
ACOS
I&W
SC
ADTOE
DT12


Thereabouts

[King Postwhore]

Except WDADU, in order of appearance.

Same.  WDADU came after I&W.

[bl5150]

Except WDADU, in order of appearance.

Same.  WDADU came after I&W.

Same.   I&W on release in 1992 , then WDADU and on from there.

[Setlist Scotty]

Got into them exactly as they were released, including WDaDU, which i picked up in the summer of 89. Other than WDaDU and IaW (which I didn't know about when it was first released), every release of their's has been a first day buy.

[Jaq]

Basically release order, except for WDADU and Live At The Marquee. The former I bought about two months after SFAM came out, the latter around the time Systematic Chaos came out. With the exception of I&W, which I discovered a couple of months after release, every other  DT album I own was bought on release day.  Kinda boring really.

[Buddyhunter1]

This is the order I heard them, as I don't actually own all of the albums.

1: Octavarium (only heard it once, didn't really grab me)
2: Black Clouds & Silver Linings (I liked this album, so I checked out 8VM again and I liked it quickly grew on me)
3-5: 6DOIT, Train Of Thought, Systematic Chaos (got them all at the same time, listened to them in that order)
6: Scenes From A Memory
7: Falling Into Infinity
8: Images And Words
9: Awake
10: A Dramatic Turn Of Events (first album I picked up upon release)
11: WDADU (never bothered to check it out until recently)
12: DT12

[Cable]

I&W - hated it at first, if I stopped here would not be fan.
FII
SFAM & Awake
ACOS
WDADU

6DOIT began chrono order on release day.

[425]

I got Train of Thought first because I was mostly a metal guy at the time (now I lean far more in the prog/even pop rock direction) and that was what my friend recommended me to get. When I first got it I was like "wtf who are these guys and how do they play their instruments so well?" After a while I actually was able to understand what was going on in the music and appreciate it, at which time I then got Images and Words because I heard it was their best. Then I mostly went chronologically except skipping WDADU and FII until the end because of their reputation. The full order in which I got the albums follows:

1. Train of Thought
2. Images and Words
3. Awake
4. A Change of Seasons
5. Scenes From a Memory
6. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
7. Octavarium
8. Systematic Chaos
9. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
10. A Dramatic Turn of Events
11/12. When Dream and Day Unite and Falling Into Infinity
13. Dream Theater

[Zook]

I Bought Live at Budokan as an introduction to the band, but soon traded it in.

When I finally got into the band:
Scenes From a Memory
Images and Words (Christmas present)

No clue about the rest besides getting SC, BCSL, ADTOE and DT12 on their release dates.

[GasparXR]

Not counting live albums because I don't remember when I got them:

Greatest Hit (in 2009 before BCSL's release)
Black Clouds & Silver Linings (October after its release)
Octavarium
Systematic Chaos (digital)
Images and Words + Awake (digital)
Scenes from a Memory
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (digital)
A Change of Seasons
Train of Thought + Falling Into Infinity
A Dramatic Turn of Events (on release)
SDOIT (physical copy)
IaW (physical copy)
Dream Theater (on release)

I still need to get physical copy of Awake and Systematic Chaos, and get a copy of WDADU in any format since it's not available on iTunes Store.

[mabowe]

I&W
WDADU
LATM
AWAKE
.....and then everything sequentially

[Sycsa]

1. ACOS (Bought for the covers. Blown away by the title track.)

You mean the badly Photoshopped half-naked boy kneeling in the snow? I usually buy DT albums in spite of their covers, not because of them.

As for the question, Live at Budokan was the first, then I&W, then all the rest in rapid succession.

[The Letter M]

1. ACOS (Bought for the covers. Blown away by the title track.)

You mean the badly Photoshopped half-naked boy kneeling in the snow? I usually buy DT albums in spite of their covers, not because of them.

As for the question, Live at Budokan was the first, then I&W, then all the rest in rapid succession.

I think Zyzzyva17 meant the SONG covers, as in the songs that DT covered by other bands, which explains why he said "for the covers", and not "for the cover", as in the album artwork.

-Marc.

[Sycsa]

1. ACOS (Bought for the covers. Blown away by the title track.)

You mean the badly Photoshopped half-naked boy kneeling in the snow? I usually buy DT albums in spite of their covers, not because of them.

As for the question, Live at Budokan was the first, then I&W, then all the rest in rapid succession.

I think Zyzzyva17 meant the SONG covers, as in the songs that DT covered by other bands, which explains why he said "for the covers", and not "for the cover", as in the album artwork.

-Marc.

Yeah, I figured it out right after, but decided that it's punny enough to leave it like that. Anyway, I don't care for either the covers (front & back) or the covers (Derek's organ sound, while a highlight in DT context, it quickly becomes crap when they attempt Deep Purple. Carry on...is nice and energetic though).

[aprilethereal]

Systematic Chaos (didn't like it at all back then)
Train Of Thought (this one made me a DT fan)
A Dramatic Turn Of Events (shortly after its release)
Images And Words
Scenes From A Memory
Octavarium
Awake / Falling Into Infinity (got them at the same time)
Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
When Dream And Day Unite
Dream Theater

[Lolzeez]

1.Octavarium (At launch)
2.Images And Words
3.Scenes From A Memory
4.Awake
5.Falling Into Infinity
6.A Change Of Seasons
7.Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
8.When Dream And Day Unite
9.Train Of Thought
10.Systematic Chaos (At launch)
11.Black Clouds And Silver Linings (At launch)
12.A Dramatic Turn Of Events (At Launch)
12.Dream Theater (At launch)

[erik16]

I'm also including when I heard for the first time. Most of what I've listened is my dad's collection, I've bought a few myself. Studio and live albums/DVDs mixed together.

Awake (can remember Voices and the awesome guitar solo). Must have been around 1998.
SDOIT (Solitary Shell was extremely catchy). Around 2000, maybe 2001.
LSFNY (Remember watching it occasionally, weird effects, cool opening songs, Overture 1928 and Myung badass riff in SDV. Also the 2nd set, recognised Voices, LTL seemed boring). 2003-2004
I&W (Wait for Sleep kinda cool, LTL not clicking yet, neither Metropolis). Roughly same time period as previous.
Score (most of it, kinda cool. Liked the 2nd set alot). Around the end of 2006/beginning of 2007.
SC (my first really thorough experience. Awesome. ITPOE seemed a masterpiece). Autumn 2007.

Now I started racking up albums on my playlist:

LAB, OIALT, then watching the LIT/5YIALT combo. At this point DT becomes my favourite band. 2008.

Buying BC&SL, what a great album. Checking out FII and TOT, some of it is good, some meh. I&W and SDOIT are becoming my favourite albums, LTL and Metropolis are now masterpieces. All in 2009/2010.

Buying ADTOE, once again I loved it. Checking out ACOS, meh. 2011.

In 2012 ACOS no longer sucks but is kinda awesome. In 2013 autumn I buy DT. Simply beautiful.

[aprilethereal]

SDOIT [...] Around 2000, maybe 2001.

Interesting

[PROGdrummer]

I originally downloaded Images & Words, Awake, and Systematic Chaos from the internet a few years ago and totally loved everything I heard.
Then i went out to the nearest CD shop and looked for Dream Theater. The only album they had at the time was Black Clouds & Silver Linings, which i bought and initially had mixed reactions about, immediately loving half of the songs and the others taking some time to grow on me.
Later on I ordered Scenes From A Memory, Six Degrees and Octavarium, which was probably the best 1-2-3 punch of albums I ever experienced. I bought a physical copy of I&W and SC after my computer crashed and bought A Change of Seasons, Train of Thought and Awake off of iTunes. And then came ADTOE and now DT12. I havent found any physical copies of WDADU anywhere so.... and i havent touched FII at all.

tl;dr

BC&SL, Scenes, 6DOIT, 8V, I&W, SC, ACOS, ToT, Awake, ADTOE, DT12 in basically that order.

[AngelBack]

A musician friend told me about SFAM shortly after release, I bought it, loved it and then bought the LSFNY DVD and began my obsession with the band.  I bought SDOIT on the release date and after one spin logged on to Amazon and bought everything else studio or DVD they had released.  Have been at Best Buy every release day since. 

[Lucien]

SDOIT [...] Around 2000, maybe 2001.

Interesting

[54_diplomats]

I started listening to them around 2007-2008 so my order is kinda wonky and random.

1. Octavarium (listened to this and Train of Thought around the same time, but this was first)
2. Train of Thought
3. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
4. Images and Words
5. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
6. Awake
7. Systematic Chaos
8. Falling Into Infinity (listened to around the same time as ADToE)
9. A Dramatic Turn of Events
10. When Dream and Day Unite
11. Scenes from a Memory
12. Dream Theater

Before DT12 came out I wanted to save SFAM for last since most people revered it as their best (besides I&W which I had already listened to)

[JiM-Xtreme]

Order I heard them in (my brother already owned most of them at the time I started listening)

SFAM
TOT
Awake
I&W
FII
WD&DU
SDOIT

Then in sequence from that point on, as they came out.

[Unlegit]

Octavarium
Train of Thought / Images and Words
Awake / Scenes from a Memory / Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Falling into Infinity
When Dream and Day Unite

Got the rest of the albums when they came out, starting from Systematic Chaos.

[ImNewDontKillMe]

Octavarium
Systematic Chaos
Images and Words
Train of Thought
Falling Into Infinity
Scenes From A Memory
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Awake
ACOS
When Dream and Day Unite
Black Clouds and Silver Linings
A Dramatic Turn of Events
DT12

All the live releases are in there too, Im pretty sure I started bought all of them before Black Clouds was out

[Prog Snob]

I & W
Awake
WDADU
ACOS... and after, everything in order.

[weirdo]

I started listening to DT around the time / before BCSL was released. I first downloaded pretty much the entire discography before BCSL (except WDADU and ACOS) from somewhere (I don't do that anymore  , wasn't so much into music back the anyway, so... meh). Listened to them a year or two and then started buying the albums on cd, starting with Scenes From a Memory, first cd I ever bought. Since then my taste in music along with my cd-collection has broadened exponentially.

After buying everything from FII to SC :
Black Clouds and Silver Linings
A Change Of Seasons
ADTOE
DT12