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

[Prog Snob]

Screw you guys, I'm goin home.   



6. The Spirit Carries On

This is such an emotional song that I wish they would play it at as many shows as possible. It seems like the perfect song to bring everyone down from that rush and give everyone a moment of clarity.  There are so many great parts to this song.  Everything from the main melody to JP's heart-wrenching guitar solo gives this song an almost 10 out of 10 in my book.  The only thing better than the studio version are the live versions.  Out of the three we now have documented on video, they all have their moments.  In LSFNY the choir comes out and sings with James after JP's solo. LALP was especially special for James' great intro to the song.  However, my favorite live version is the one from Score. I think James' voice was at his best for that song and JP's solo topped LALP easily.

I still get chills every time I see the videos of that song. By the way, if you really want to become an emotional train wreck with that song, look up the 9/11 Tribute someone did with that song.  It's not the one on YouTube. It's actually on myspace but you can still watch it even without an account.  I don't want to post the link since it contains the full TSCO song, but just google – dream theater the spirit carries on rick ramos.  It should be the first search result.

[jakepriest]

Meeeeeh. Way too overrated. I find all the melodies incredibly cheesy. The only saving grace is the amazing solo.

[Sycsa]

I found this song to be pretentious and kitschy the first time I heard it, but it grew on me a lot and now I think of it as a guilty pleasure (same with many DT ballads). Still think the choir is a bit too much, but it works immensely well in the context of the album and that guitar solo is godly.

[Crow]

Yeah, I'll never complain about seeing this one so high. Not quite so high myself but basically everything in my top 20 is god-tier anyways so what does it matter 

[Tom Bombadil]

Great song! No problem with it this high.

[Prog Snob]

I found this song to be pretentious and kitschy the first time I heard it, but it grew on me a lot and now I think of it as a guilty pleasure (same with many DT ballads). Still think the choir is a bit too much, but it works immensely well in the context of the album and that guitar solo is godly.

Pretentious? 

[Evermind]

I'm really liking your top10 so far. Another awesome choice.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Wonderful ballad. Bascially:

Yeah, I'll never complain about seeing this one so high. Not quite so high myself but basically everything in my top 20 is god-tier anyways so what does it matter 

This. Though I'd even go as far as to say anything in my top 30 would be god-tier.

[yeah_93]

I'd rather rank only the solo that high. Home is a better song.

[Prog Snob]

5. A Mind Beside Itself:
  I. Erotomania
II. Voices
III. The Silent Man

Yes, I combined the trilogy into one big beautiful piece of awesomeness.  I bet some of you were wondering when Voices would show up on my list.  No?  Well, here it is along with two other amazing songs. Clearly Voices is the highlight of this EPIC. Alone, Voices would have easily made the Top 10. While the music is eerie and hauntingly beautiful, it's the lyrics that rise above here. Don't get me wrong. This is another song with a masterful solo from JP but his lyrics here are one of his Top 5. The religious imagery used for the cryptic message buried within the song are brilliantly executed. 

Let's not forget about the other two pieces in this trilogy.  Erotomania is the instrumental that Engima Machine wishes it could be. The song is laden with riff-tastic moments by JP and I love the dirty organ opening by KM here. The Silent Man is one of my favorite DT ballads and I actually prefer the live version with the heavy change at the end. James' voice lets loose on the live version and shows us the full potential of his voice.

[Bolsters]

Yes, I combined the trilogy into one big beautiful piece of awesomeness.

Cheater.

[jakepriest]

I don't care that much for A Mind Beside Itself. I like it but I feel like every other song on Awake outclasses all of these. I also won't agree on combining them for the sake of a list.

[Shadow2222]

Very interesting list so far. You had me until now. Voices is one of my least favorite DT songs, although Erotomania and TSM are pretty darn good!

[Crow]

I would never combine them because Voices is the only one top-5 worthy though the other two are still great songs.
But they're really all separate songs, anyways...

[Tom Bombadil]

I love all three of the songs, but they are definitely three songs, not one. But hey, this is your list

[Evermind]

I call this cheating. 

[Sacul]

Nice to see love for TSCO. But I can't stand Erotomania Voices and TSM make a great duo.

[hefdaddy42]

It's not cheating, it's his list.

Cheater.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

All three great songs. Voices definitely being the highlight. I still call this the easy way out.

[Prog Snob]

4. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

If people complained about the combination of The Mirror/Lie and A Mind Beside Itself, I'm sure this will get plenty of criticism. 

To me, this song combines every aspect that makes Dream Theater what the are. I'm not going to go song by song and list each part that I think is great because I would be here a while.  I'll keep this simple and say that I was always a fan of this song, even when it first came out.  The more I listen to it, though, the more I find parts about it that appeal to me.  As far as what moments in the song are my favorites, I'd have to say JP's solo in Goodnight Kiss, About to Crash (both parts), and Losing Time/Grand Finale.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Nice. I love every section, and they each have something new to offer.

I myself don't have an issue with combining SDOIT into one song, though I could see why there's criticisms for The Mirror/Lie and A Mind Beside Itself.

[Crow]

No, 6DOIT is one song so I won't complain about it. A disjointed mess of a song that I personally dislike as a whole even if some of the movements are okay, but a single song nonetheless.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Can't argue with this one, my favorite DT song.

[?]

I like most of the individual movements in Six Degrees, but as one continuous piece of music it falls flat IMO.

Also, I listed AMBI as one piece in my top 50 and it happened to be in the top 10 as well

[hefdaddy42]

A little higher than I would have it, but an amazing achievement, very ambitious, and it totally works for me as one piece.

[jakepriest]

A horrible mess of a song. I like listening to some of the movements as standalones but together the song is incredibly boring and tiring.

[Nearmyth]

I don't know what people mean when they say SDOIT is disjointed or messy. The parts flow into each other perfectly, the only section that's really wishy-washy is the Overture... Everything else flows (except I think they rush to the grand finale a bit). It's like a musical journey through the stories and lives of others. It can be edgy, depressing, uplifting, maddening, and awe inspiring.

Oh what am I doing, it's like I'm doing my own write-up for the song  I apologize.
But yeah, can't really disagree with this placement. I'm sure it would be higher on my list, just the overture brings it down for me.

As for the previous picks, I do think TSCO is pretty overrated. The guitar solo is definitely one of JP's best though
And all the songs in the AMBI suite are amazing so I can't disagree with using the whole suite. Good list so far!

[Sacul]

Too low.

[Prog Snob]

A horrible mess of a song. I like listening to some of the movements as standalones but together the song is incredibly boring and tiring.

Tell us how you really feel.   

[jakepriest]

A horrible mess of a song. I like listening to some of the movements as standalones but together the song is incredibly boring and tiring.

Tell us how you really feel.   

What?

[Prog Snob]

A horrible mess of a song. I like listening to some of the movements as standalones but together the song is incredibly boring and tiring.

Tell us how you really feel.   

What?

Just being facetious.

[Prog Snob]

3. Learning To Live

The closing track on Images and Words left me waiting impatiently for the next CD. The words to this song are inspiring and heartbreaking, as is anything else that JM pens.  The music is progressive metal at its best. From the odd rhythms in the second verse to the awesome guitar riff just before the Charlie Brown piano sequence, this song has it all. I would love see them bring it back to the live show again. The last time I saw them play it was at the Roseland in 2000.

This song and the rest of the Top 3 can really be interchanged at any given moment.  It's so hard choosing from the three songs because they each have parts that shine above the other. Even though I have LTL at number 3, this song and the other 2 are all number 1's in my book. So how did I decide what to list as number 3?  There is something the number song has more of that this song doesn't and you'll soon see what. 

[yeah_93]

I'm so happy to see LTL so high, definitely a solid choice.

[Crow]

zzzz overrated boo :V
Nah I understand why people place this one so highly. For all intents and purposes it's a wonderfully written song. I've just never found it to strike a chord with me like it does for so many others.

[?]

Amazing song

I read "JM pens" as "JM's penis"