An Evening With John Petrucci & Jordan Rudess

[mrrct]

Thanks to KevShmev, Hefdaddy42 and the others who brought this great album to my attention.  I went to Youtube and saw that somebody uploaded the whole album and listened to it last night.  It was a very enjoyable listen, and I agree that it is a shame some of the parts weren't used as building blocks for DT songs.

[DragonAttack]

^
I'll second that.  Thanks.

[Prog Snob]

I would love another album like this one. Absolutely stellar.

It's basically LTE without Mike and Tony. The improv is brilliant. You should check out Liquid Trio Experiment.

[mrrct]

I would love another album like this one. Absolutely stellar.

It's basically LTE without Mike and Tony. The improv is brilliant. You should check out Liquid Trio Experiment.

How much of it is improv, and how much of it was previously written?  Has it ever even been discussed by Rudess and/or Petrucci?

Obviously, I've heard of LTE, Platypus, OSI, etc., but the only non-DT projects from the guys I ever purchased are the first two Mulmuzzler albums and a couple of LaBrie's solo efforts, since I'm not that big into instrumental music.  Are there more things out there that are must-listens for any DT fan, or are they too obscure or different from DT to appeal to most people?

[425]

I'm not a big instrumental fan. I own this and both LTE discs, but I rarely listen to them. They're still very good, though. I would say that LTE 1 at least is worth it for State of Grace alone. That isn't to say that there aren't plenty of songs on both that I would consider good—I just don't often get inspired to listen to all-instrumental stuff. I really should give all three of these another spin soon, though.

[Scorpion]

Yeah, this is fantastic. I can take or leave Bite of the Mosquito, but the rest is fantastic.

[OpenYourEyes311]

Obviously, I've heard of LTE, Platypus, OSI, etc., but the only non-DT projects from the guys I ever purchased are the first two Mulmuzzler albums and a couple of LaBrie's solo efforts, since I'm not that big into instrumental music.  Are there more things out there that are must-listens for any DT fan, or are they too obscure or different from DT to appeal to most people?

I would at least give LTE1 a try. Any DT fan should like that album if you like songs like Ytsejam, Stream of Consciousness, Hell's Kitchen, etc. If you like it, then pick up 2; both are great albums. Other related projects/albums I think all people (read: DT fans) should check out:

Frameshift: Unweaving the Rainbow (LaBrie)
Transatlantic: Bridge Across Forever (Portnoy)
Jordan Rudess: The Road Home
John Petrucci: Suspended Animation
Tim Donahue: Madmen & Sinners (LaBrie, Mangini)

I would pick those up before the JP&JR album. I liked it, but never really go back it ever.

[pcs90]

I would at least give LTE1 a try. Any DT fan should like that album if you like songs like Ytsejam, Stream of Consciousness, Hell's Kitchen, etc. If you like it, then pick up 2; both are great albums.

I'd switch that and get LTE 2 first. The mix is better, the songs are better IMO, there's more diversity and When the Water Breaks is amazing.

[RaiseTheKnife]

I  put on Rena Song when I put up the Christmas tree.  It always felt like a peaceful holiday tune to me.

[Hourglass Prison]

I remember that was one of the first things I bought when I was getting into DT. Love that album. It's great on a rainy day.

I agree about the rainy day comment. I have a playlist with this album, both LTEs, and two of Jordan's solo albums (Feeding the Wheel, Rhythm of Time) on it. It gets played regularly when I'm at work, but I do find myself gravitating toward it on rainy/cloudy spring days for some reason.
Anyway, great album. I'd love for them to do another concert/album like this. I met JP after a show a few years ago and told him I loved it, to which he replied, "Yeah, that was a fun night!" So maybe one day they'll do it again.   

[Enigmachine]

Am I the only one here who doesn't really like (well, at least what I've heard of) the album?

[hefdaddy42]

Am I the only one here who doesn't really like (well, at least what I've heard of) the album?

Probably.

[Enigmachine]

Probably.

I probably didn't give it a fair enough shot given that I only listened to about half of the first track, so I may give it another try one day but I remember feeling that it was a bit directionless and boring.

[Prog Snob]

Am I the only one here who doesn't really like (well, at least what I've heard of) the album?

Probably.

Give it another go Enigma...I mean it's not as good as LTE to me, but there are some real shining moments on it.

[KevShmev]

Probably.

I probably didn't give it a fair enough shot given that I only listened to about half of the first track, so I may give it another try one day but I remember feeling that it was a bit directionless and boring.

Listen to Truth and Hang 11.  If the main piano theme in Truth and/or that hypnotic guitar lead at the beginning of Hang 11 doesn't grab you, first smack yourself for the epic fail , and then move on. 

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Am I the only one here who doesn't really like (well, at least what I've heard of) the album?

[Prog Snob]

Am I the only one here who doesn't really like (well, at least what I've heard of) the album?

Maybe you're just being an elitist.

[Enigmachine]

How does Furia Taurina (only track I've listened to, I know I haven't given it a fair try lol) compare to the rest of the album?

Am I the only one here who doesn't really like (well, at least what I've heard of) the album?

I've seen this thing where people just post a profile picture, but I don't think I get what it means. Does it just basically mean "that's so typical of you"?

[goo-goo]

It's a shame that a video of the performance wasn't released/recorded. Love the playing on this one.

[hefdaddy42]

FWIW, my favorite track on the album is Black Ice.

[Woodworker1]

The chemistry between Rudess and Petrucci always amazes me when I listen to this album.

[mikeyd23]

It's a shame that a video of the performance wasn't released/recorded. Love the playing on this one.

Yeah, I really like this album, but it would be really cool to have this on DVD. The performance would be awesome to watch.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

How does Furia Taurina (only track I've listened to, I know I haven't given it a fair try lol) compare to the rest of the album?

Am I the only one here who doesn't really like (well, at least what I've heard of) the album?

I've seen this thing where people just post a profile picture, but I don't think I get what it means. Does it just basically mean "that's so typical of you"?

Avatar quoting. Just means that I found it peculiar that you don't like something that's almost universally praised while sporting an avatar of something that's not that praised  Just some good ole' fashioned internet fun.

[Enigmachine]

Avatar quoting. Just means that I found it peculiar that you don't like something that's almost universally praised while sporting an avatar of something that's not that praised  Just some good ole' fashioned internet fun.

Ah that makes sense lol. I guess I have occasionally shown myself to be a bit of a contrarian.

[pcs90]

How does Furia Taurina (only track I've listened to, I know I haven't given it a fair try lol) compare to the rest of the album?

Well, FT is all acoustic whereas JP uses both acoustic and electric guitar tones on most of the other tracks. I would say FT is the least like any DT song, as it has (to me at least) a very strong Latin vibe to it. Actually, the second half of FT is much better than the first half as it really builds up. I suggest listening to Truth and Black Ice if nothing else...but keep in mind that there are going to be long solos and improvisations throughout the album, so if you don't like that then you may not enjoy it anyway.

[nobloodyname]

Good official release, even better bootleg.

[KevShmev]

It's a shame that a video of the performance wasn't released/recorded. Love the playing on this one.

Yeah, I really like this album, but it would be really cool to have this on DVD. The performance would be awesome to watch.

This might sound odd, but given the tendency of both to overplay live, I am glad it wasn't video recorded, otherwise one or both might have felt the need to show off their chops a little more for the cameras.  Sure, there is a bit of wankery in there already, but the overall amount might have increased a lot.

[ytserush]

It's a shame that a video of the performance wasn't released/recorded. Love the playing on this one.

Yeah, I really like this album, but it would be really cool to have this on DVD. The performance would be awesome to watch.

This might sound odd, but given the tendency of both to overplay live, I am glad it wasn't video recorded, otherwise one or both might have felt the need to show off their chops a little more for the cameras.  Sure, there is a bit of wankery in there already, but the overall amount might have increased a lot.

Seriously?

I doubt a video of it would have much of an effect at all.

[Prog Snob]

I don't see that either, Kev. You could probably compare shows that they've released live and the numerous other bootlegs that are available to any one with an Internet connection. If anything, I would think they'd be less likely to explore and chance messing up on an official release.

[pcs90]

The released recordings of LTE are just as good as the audience ones as far as playing goes. I don't think this would be any different.

[KevShmev]

It is possible that my theory there was a little far-fetched.

Hang 11 and Truth are still two of the greatest songs JP/JR have ever created together.

[DragonGuitar]

Black Ice is the only one off this album that I have heard yet, and it's amazing.

[Prog Snob]

It is possible that my theory there was a little far-fetched.

Hang 11 and Truth are still two of the greatest songs JP/JR have ever created together.

I agree. It has been so long since I checked them out.

[pcs90]

I was just listening to Truth yesterday...still so beautiful.