Prog Snob's Compulsory Indelible Pragmatic DT Top 50 v. Top 10

[Sacul]

ItPoE:
SoC:   
ToT: 

basically all there is to say.

FTFM

[425]

Three very solid choices, particularly for this area of the list!

[ReaperKK]

Just catching up on the updates. So far great picks but as I was reading the Home and Finally Free update and I realized how much I've grown away from Met Pt. 2. It used to be my favorite album now I'm wondering if any of the songs would make Top 50.

[Prog Snob]

Go back, relisten, indulge in the beauty that is Victoria's sluttiness.

[Laughingplace56]

ItPoE:
SoC:   
ToT: 

basically all there is to say.

FTFM

I approve of this change 

[Ruba]

ITPOE:
SOC:
Trial of Tears: 

[jakepriest]

ITPOE:
SOC:
Trial of Tears: 

This.

[hefdaddy42]

 

[Prog Snob]

17. Disappear

The sad sullen introduction enters us into a dream of illusion and empty promise. The sadness emanated throughout the song attempts to pull at our hearts strings. I feel so sad for the people in this song. True love knows no bounds and sometimes not even death can break that bond.  Physical love dies but abstract devotion will die when the world is no more. Imagine a perfect life being tattered and ripped to shreds by the inevitable knocking of death at the door of your once beautiful kingdom. Heartless and cruel are the ways our mortality taunts us at every turn, constantly pulling from our clenching grasp the loved ones over which we now weep.


16. Beneath The Surface

The song tells of a doomed relationship where the lack of communication proves disastrous.  To me the expression Beneath the Surface represents all that was left hidden inside.  It is obvious one side of this relationship was stricken by unfortunate introversion. I can relate to that in many ways, where I feel as if I said something it would go unnoticed, unheard, and uncared for as if I were some random passerby.  My introverted behavior is my Achilles Heel at times and it's obviously the case in this relationship.

The music is so beautiful and Jordan's solo complements it perfectly. I think this was a perfect way to end a CD which, in my opinion, marked a big return to some of the sounds for which I & W has been praised.

15. Lines in the Sand

One of the few shining stars on FII, Lines in the Sand starts off with an excellent Derek solo. He joined in the band in 1994 but this was his first time in the studio recording new material (not including the remake of ACOS).  I was extremely impressed with a lot of the flair he gave to some of the songs. This song is no exception.   A killer guitar riff early on from JP sets the stage for some of his best guitar work in Dream Theater's entire catalog.  Doug Pinnick's guest vocal spot was a pleasant surprise and fit perfectly with James' voice.

Then we get to that solo, that brilliantly and perfectly orchestrated JP solo. This is one of his Top 5 solo moments, easily.  He flows through it perfectly, carefully crafting each note to fit with the mood. He really brings out his melodic side here and proves that he doesn't always need to play at  unhuman-like speeds.  Well done, master.

14. Bridges in the Sky

Shamans and magic and Tibetan throat singing, these are a few of JP's favorite things.  I wasn't thrilled about this song opening the live shows originally.  My hindsight bias now says otherwise. Easily the best heavy track on the CD, the guitar comes chugging in like a train of thought (no pun intended...no really). The monster riffs throughout the song blow me away.  The chorus in the song is my second favorite on ADTOE.

Shaman, take my haaaaaaand...

I love the instrumental part that follows the above lyrics. The solos aren't over the top and everyone gets a chance to shine in the spotlight, even if for only a moment.   

[jakepriest]

Don't care for Disappear one bit.
Beneath The Surface, LITS, BITS are all fantastic. Great picks!

[hefdaddy42]

Great songs!

[Sacul]

Great choices, but I can't understand all the love for LITS. It wouldn't make my top 90.

[425]

Great choices, but I can't understand all the love for LITS. It wouldn't make my top 90.

Sacul clearly dislikes songs that involve in any way the phrase "stream of consciousness."

These are good choices. Disappear and Bridges are too high, but I can get behind the others.

[Prog Snob]

So now that the Top 10 is creeping upon us, does anyone care to make some predictions about what it will contain?

[hefdaddy42]

So now that the Top 10 is creeping upon us, does anyone care to make some predictions about what it will contain?

Not sure, you've already ranked some that I would have had in the Top 10.

Looking forward to it!

[Crow]

Disappear yeeees 
BTS is that one song that everyone loves more than me and I don't even know anymore
LITS also yeeeees 
BITS still yeees but less exaggerated

all in all wonderful update

[Prog Snob]

13. Lifting Shadows off a Dream

There are very few songs whose lyrics are this powerful.  John Myung manages, once again, to deliver his poetic genius to us. "He pours his soul into the water, reflecting the mystery."  The song speaks about the relationship between two people and how communication can prove to be a powerful force.  The music is so beautiful, so carefully woven into this magical piece of music. Songs like this make me miss that Dream Theater stamp they put on everything. 

12. Breaking All Illusions

Lost Not Forgotten had it's moments that immediately reminded us of Under A Glass Moon.  Breaking All Illusions has moments that remind me of Learning to Live.  It was obvious the band were attempting to turn back the clock and regain that perfect I & W CD where every note was where it should be and no one questioned the outcome. ADTOE doesn't exactly do that but it did give me hope that they returned to that fresh sound of theirs. 

This is the masterpiece of ADTOE. This is set closer, the missing link that songs like Metropolis and Learning to Live are known for.  The two brightest moments in the song are that regaling chorus and JP's perfectly composed solo.  Each one of DT's CDs seems to have one solo from John Petrucci that stands out above the rest. Here, during BAI, is ADTOE's golden ticket to the beautiful madness that is a John Petrucci solo.

11. Take the Time

"I think it's time for  a chaeeeaaaaaaange."

The lyrics were penned by each band member and the music captures each person's talent. The instrumental section in the middle was actually the first piece of Dream Theater's music that made me stop dead in my tracks. It seemed there was so much going on, taking it all in at once was arduous.  I listened to the song over and over. Each time something new jumped out at me. I had never heard a song like this, so technical, yet fun. Twenty plus years ago this was the first song I heard that made me fall in love with prog. Take the Time is the gunshot that started the race. Why isn't it in my Top 10? The lyrics are rather generic and while they do serve some inspirational purpose, they don't compare to the lyrics on the rest of the CD.

[jakepriest]

Yay, yay, nay.

[Evermind]

I love the latter two, but LSOAD... while being great at some parts, it has another parts I just want to skip. The best example is "and she li-i-i-istens o-o-o-openly".

[Sacul]

Sacul clearly dislikes songs that involve in any way the phrase "stream of consciousness."

I'm fine with LSOAD, but BAI and TTT are too high for me

I love the latter two, but LSOAD... while being great at some parts, it has another parts I just want to skip. The best example is "and she li-i-i-istens o-o-o-openly".

wat, that part is awesome.

[Crow]

LSOAD: 
BAI: 
TTT: 

beautiful update even if I'd put the last two even higher.
lemme go try to top-10 guess I suppose
Can we maybe have a list of 50-11 in the OP or somewhere at all though?

[Prog Snob]

Top 50:
50. Status Seeker
49. The Best of Times
48. The Killing Hand
47. Along For The Ride
46. The Ministry Of Lost Souls
45. Vacant
44. Lost Not Forgotten
43. Afterlife
42. These Walls
41. Far From Heaven
40. In The Name Of God
39. To Live Forever
38. Beyond This Life
37. The Bigger Picture
36. Another Day
35. Wither
34. The Way It Used To Be
33. This is the Life
32. The Mirror/Lie
31. Finally Free
30. Repentance
29. Home
28. Space Dye Vest
27. Under A Glass Moon
26. Innocence Faded
25. Misunderstood
24. Surrounded
23. Blind Faith
22. The Great Debate
21. Eve
20. In The Presence Of Enemies 1 & 2
19. Stream of Consciousness
18. Trial of Tears
17. Disappear
16. Beneath The Surface
15. Lines in the Sand
14. Bridges in the Sky
13. Lifting Shadows off a Dream
12. Breaking All Illusions
11. Take the Time

[ThatOneGuy2112]

LSOAD is too high, but a good song, and great lyrics from JM.

Breaking All Illusions is just definitely the highlight of ADTOE

There's really no complaints regarding anything off of I&W Great update overall.

[hefdaddy42]

My professional medical opinion on the latest update:

[Prog Snob]

My professional medical opinion on the latest update:

[Prog Snob]

We're now entering the Top 10!



10. Octavarium

Dream Theater's final song of their final CD with their record label proved to be monstrous and beautiful.  Starting off with an intro reminiscent of Pink Floyd's Shine On Crazy Diamond, the journey begins.  Soaring through space and time, Jordan's continuum paints a picture of hazy dreams and grand illusions. About four minutes in the band enters and the masterpiece continues on its journey. Throughout the song the moods change, spirits rise and fall. The lyrics are written by JP, JLB, and MP.  The Silent Man didn't contribute here though I would have been curious to hear his input on a song like this.  The second part, Medicate, seems to be commensurate with the movie Awakenings.  One of the coolest parts of the song is Full Circle with Mike Portnoy's tribute to various musicians. The references start and end on a Pink Floyd song – another nugget towards the theme of things ending where they begin. The Full Circle section of the song ends with an awesome instrumental indulgence by JP and JR – plus some Jingle Bells and Spock's Beard odes. Intervals references each degree in a musical scale, being represented by each of the eight songs on the CD.

TRAPPED INSIDE THIS OCTAVARIUMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Razor's Edge sums up the entire piece of music in a few short words. JP's outro solo ranks among his best ending the metasong in perfect fashion like only the master can do.

[hefdaddy42]

Great song.

[Laughingplace56]

Still too low but at least it made your top 10 

[Crow]

^spoilers zomg :V

Can't really complain about seeing 8vm here, it's a fantastic song.

[Tom Bombadil]

Great pick!

[Sacul]

I guess this top 10 will have some epics like ACOS and SDOIT.

[jakepriest]

I guess this top 10 will have some epics like ACOS and SDOIT.

And if it does there's nothing wrong with that.

[Prog Snob]

9. Dance of Eternity

I can already hear the groans from some people.  To me, this is the instrumental of all instrumentals.  If you enjoy Dream Theater when they are showing off just how technically proficient they are, look no further than this song.  While I am not exactly sure how it fits into the story of Metropolis Part 2, other than some musical references to the aforementioned CD and Metropolis Part 1, I am beyond elated that this song exists!  Everyone gets a chance to shine on this song, except for our beloved canuck. It does sound like random riffs just thrown together without any kind of typical composed flow but I don't care.  This is one of those obscure elements that I love about prog.  There doesn't have to be rhyme or reason for it to be considered great.

[The Stray Seed]

Nice pick!!! It's a great song and the piano break always leaves me with a huge smile!!

[hefdaddy42]

I wouldn't have it that high, but I don't understand the hate from some people either.  Great song.