Another top 50 thread v. son_ov_hades

[jakepriest]

I only like TDOE because it's fun to drum.

The only part I find fun to drum is the snare/hi-hat cross-over part at about 3:50. The rest is kinda standard Mike Portnoy stuff.

[erwinrafael]

I only like TDOE because it's fun to drum. As an actual song it just sounds like "how many time signature changes can we put in one song?".

I wonder though, do you like the instrumental of Metropolis Part 1? Because TDOE is really just a souped up version of that instrumental so they are structurally similar.

[Tom Bombadil]

I only like TDOE because it's fun to drum. As an actual song it just sounds like "how many time signature changes can we put in one song?".

I wonder though, do you like the instrumental of Metropolis Part 1? Because TDOE is really just a souped up version of that instrumental so they are structurally similar.

Ah, I was thinking someone might ask this, and the answer is no. In fact, I think metropolis is my least favorite song on I&W just because of its instrumental section.

[erwinrafael]

OK, that makes sense. 

[Tom Bombadil]

OK, that makes sense. 

My opinions may be wild and ridiculous, but at least they're consistent.   

[Invisible]

Well well well, it's interesting how you manage to pick a song I completely agree on(Lines in the Sand, Six Degrees) and pair it with songs I wouldn't put anywhere that high(TDEN, The Silent Man) .

Both Lines in the Sand and 6DOIT are still low for me, but great to see them making a top 10, the former I feel it's underrated, though I'm convinced no one here loves it as much as I do.

On Six Degrees, Goodnight Kiss solo is one of my favourite moments of the piece and it actually one of the part whose inclusion brings the whole piece together as it reprises the main theme from the Overture and then transition smoothly into Solitary Shell(gotta give credit for Mike's drumming as it set the tempo for the next part).

And the best instrumental is When The Water Breaks by LTE, it's a shame it isn't a DT piece, although it's 3/4 .

Oh, and the Lines in the Sand Live at Bucharest with Rudess is great, don't insult the man! It's funny how he has that reputation of overplaying when he has showed very tasteful and restrained playing over the years , Vacant, Dissapear, The Answer Lies Within, Far From Heaven... not to mention everything he did on SFAM and 6DOIT was perfect. Aside from his wacky solos, he always picked the right notes and sounds for the sections. More respect to the wizard!!

[son_ov_hades]

Well well well, it's interesting how you manage to pick a song I completely agree on(Lines in the Sand, Six Degrees) and pair it with songs I wouldn't put anywhere that high(TDEN, The Silent Man) .

Both Lines in the Sand and 6DOIT are still low for me, but great to see them making a top 10, the former I feel it's underrated, though I'm convinced no one here loves it as much as I do.

On Six Degrees, Goodnight Kiss solo is one of my favourite moments of the piece and it actually one of the part whose inclusion brings the whole piece together as it reprises the main theme from the Overture and then transition smoothly into Solitary Shell(gotta give credit for Mike's drumming as it set the tempo for the next part).

And the best instrumental is When The Water Breaks by LTE, it's a shame it isn't a DT piece, although it's 3/4 .

Oh, and the Lines in the Sand Live at Bucharest with Rudess is great, don't insult the man! It's funny how he has that reputation of overplaying when he has showed very tasteful and restrained playing over the years , Vacant, Dissapear, The Answer Lies Within, Far From Heaven... not to mention everything he did on SFAM and 6DOIT was perfect. Aside from his wacky solos, he always picked the right notes and sounds for the sections. More respect to the wizard!!

The Dark Eternal Night is my most hated Dream Theater song, I'm not sure what you mean.  I think Rudess overplays Moore and Sherinian's parts, not his own. What does with Pull Me Under and Hollow Years particularly bother me. I mean its not enough to ruin the song, but I wish he'd just play them as written.

[jakepriest]

There is not a single case of JR overplaying anything in my eyes. If anything he makes the songs way more interesting. KM is incredibly overrated imo. 

[Invisible]

Well well well, it's interesting how you manage to pick a song I completely agree on(Lines in the Sand, Six Degrees) and pair it with songs I wouldn't put anywhere that high(TDEN, The Silent Man) .

Both Lines in the Sand and 6DOIT are still low for me, but great to see them making a top 10, the former I feel it's underrated, though I'm convinced no one here loves it as much as I do.

On Six Degrees, Goodnight Kiss solo is one of my favourite moments of the piece and it actually one of the part whose inclusion brings the whole piece together as it reprises the main theme from the Overture and then transition smoothly into Solitary Shell(gotta give credit for Mike's drumming as it set the tempo for the next part).

And the best instrumental is When The Water Breaks by LTE, it's a shame it isn't a DT piece, although it's 3/4 .

Oh, and the Lines in the Sand Live at Bucharest with Rudess is great, don't insult the man! It's funny how he has that reputation of overplaying when he has showed very tasteful and restrained playing over the years , Vacant, Dissapear, The Answer Lies Within, Far From Heaven... not to mention everything he did on SFAM and 6DOIT was perfect. Aside from his wacky solos, he always picked the right notes and sounds for the sections. More respect to the wizard!!

The Dark Eternal Night is my most hated Dream Theater song, I'm not sure what you mean.  I think Rudess overplays Moore and Sherinian's parts, not his own. What does with Pull Me Under and Hollow Years particularly bother me. I mean its not enough to ruin the song, but I wish he'd just play them as written.

Wrong abreviation, I meant TDOE

[son_ov_hades]

Sorry again for not keeping a schedule at all with these updates. But I'm ready to run through the rest of the list in the next few days. Anyone think they can guess my number one? I seriously doubt anyone would have guessed number 5  Anyway here we go:

#6  The Spirit Carries On





Scenes From A Memory is a perfect album in every way, my favorite by Dream Theater and probably any band. The album was the band's peak, the absolute pinnacle of a truly great career. The Spirit Carries On is the centerpiece of the album, the best song and the best part of the story. In some respects its just a piano ballad, and the band has done far more complex and ambitious songs. Quality songwriting is not contingent upon complexity and ambition though, and The Spirit Carries On proves
that brilliantly.

While the album version is incredible, the definitive performance is from Live Scenes From New York.
The song starts off with Jordan and James working together and feeding off each other to create strikingly beautiful melodies. After the first verse Petrucci enters and adds to the beauty with some nice clean chords, and soon Portnoy plays a tasteful back beat. At this point the bands sounds flawless live, better than the album. The emotion of the song builds up the hugely powerful bridge, and where the live version really outshines that of the studio. Theresa Thomason takes over from James and sings the amazingly powerful lines; what a voice! Her flubbing of the lyrics doesn't bother me at all, she could have sung any words and it would still be amazing. Petrucci's solo afterwards is probably the best he's ever played and he nails it with such precise feeling here. A combination of LaBrie, Thomason, and a whole damn gospel choir lead the huge final chorus. That moment on the line "The spirit carries onnnnnnnnnnn" is just fucking tear inducing. I can't really articulate how much I love this song, not being at this show is one of the biggest regrets of my life.      




#5  The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun





Let's get this out of the way; When Dream And Day Unite is brilliant from start to finish. If you disagree you have bad taste. Now we can move on to this masterpiece. As great as the album is, with such classics as A Fortune In Lies, The Killing Hand, and Ytse Jam, the undeniable triumph of 80s Dream Theater is The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun. The song is dark brooding and downright terrifying at times. It has complexity and maybe even a bit of wankery, but it remains concise and coherent. First of all that beautifully haunting keyboard intro coupled with the ambient sounds is equally creepy and gorgeous. Kevin Moore was a genius even back then. The big crash of lightning that leads into Portnoy's insane heavy double bass that in turn brings in Petrucci's heavy rhythm riff makes me go crazy. Oh and Charlie Dominici is fantastic on this song, his best performance with the band. He really kills it in the chorus, "In higher lives we seem to be always a moment too late". Petrucci goes into wank mode for awhile with the solo, but what the hell its great and doesn't detract from the song at all. I love everything about this song.

[Tom Bombadil]

TSCO is great although I wouldn't have it so high. Can't say the same about TWWHTSTH

[GentlemanofDread]

AW YEAH THE ONES THAT HELP TO SET THE SUN!

[son_ov_hades]

TSCO is great although I wouldn't have it so high. Can't say the same about TWWHTSTH

I can never get over how ridiculous that acronym is.  But yeah I don't expect many to agree with The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun

AW YEAH THE ONES THAT HELP TO SET THE SUN!

[Invisible]

I wouldn't have The Spirit Carries On that high but it's a fantastic song. The other one was surprising, from my point of view it has the same problem as the whole WDADU, some stellar moments paired with a lot of flaws, but that's just my impression. Original pick at least .

[jakepriest]

 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

You had me at TSCO, and then lost me right after.

[son_ov_hades]

Getting close to the end now, nothing but perfect songs left.

#4  A Change Of Seasons






The classic first big epic that Dream Theater ever wrote. When did they actually write this song 89, 90? Either way A Change Of Seasons is the band's earliest attempt at writing a side long(still a tragedy that it isn't on vinyl) epic song. Composed of six different movements, each with its own sound and feel but flowing seamlessly into one another. This song is just about perfect. Now for the controversy, the version that is my number three Dream Theater song is not from the 1995 studio EP, not the split up live version from Once In A LIVEtime, and not the complete live version from Live Scenes From New York. The definitive version of A Change Of Seasons is undoubtedly from the New York City 3/4/93 official bootleg. This is for two reasons; the structural and melodic changes they made were not for the better, and Kevin Moore runs circles around what Derek Sherinian did on the studio version. The changes made to the song take it squarely into the 90s, and I can understand why they would want that. The original version, as played here has a very late 80s Fates Warning sound. In fact it reminds me a lot of The Ivory Gate Of Dreams from No Exit. There isn't much to say about this song that hasn't been said, it seems to be a universal favorite. A few truly spectacular moment stick out in this version. First, LaBrie is out of control the whole song which is a stark contrast to his much more subdued performance in the studio. Second, that damn unison! Why the fuck would they get rid of it?! It is my second favorite unison of their whole catalog. And last, Kevin Moore's best solo can be heard at the end.


 

#3  Beyond This Life





Have I mentioned how much I love Scenes From A Memory? Yes, well it can't be said enough. The guitar riff that kicks the song off and just explodes when the whole band jams on it is perhaps Petrucci's best riff. Petrucci and Rudess play off each other so well, weaving in and out trading melodies and rhythms. Myung and Portnoy's monster groove allows LaBrie to take center stage and deliver a news report. Who thought this would work? However it was is a genius! The lyrics are so direct and non poetic, but they work so well delivered in this way. The chorus is beautiful, and one of the only times I think vocal effects add something to a Dream Theater song. The guitar break where Petrucci plays a few lone clean notes that bring the band right back in on a huge crash is executed flawlessly, one of my favorite moments. The part at "She wanted love forever" is so heavy and forceful, both vocally and musically. The song breaks the mood a bit and goes into the extended chorus, which is awesome. I love the backing vocals, "What we have been is what we are". It gets heavy again and trips me out with the guitar channel switching part, listen to this on headphones if you haven't. The last third or so of Beyond This Life is just straight up jamming, solos galore with a perfect foundation laid by the rhythm section.  I fucking love this song so much and seeing it live on the Systematic Chaos tour was a dream come true.

[GentlemanofDread]

Both are too high for me, but each to their own!

[jakepriest]

A Change of Seasons is a very overrated song imho. Doesn't get better than top 40.

Beyond This Life is great and I am happy about seeing it in your list 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

These two are fantastic.

[theseoafs]

Nah, the old demo-y version of ACOS was a mess.  A lot of really confused vocal lines and repetitive, messy, dissonant instrumental passages.  The band was right to make the changes they did make.

[son_ov_hades]

The 90 or 91 demo version is a mess, but the 93 live version is not at all. Far better then the studio EP imo.

[theseoafs]

I'm talking about the 93 live version.  Listening to it now.  I stand by all my comments about it, and would add that JLB's performance is really pretty awful.  Not his fault, of course, but it doesn't bode well for the performance.  There's really no reason to prefer that version.

[son_ov_hades]

Dat unison dat keyboard solo dat James LaBrie It is the best version.

[jakepriest]

The Scenes from New York version is the best. Simpsons theme > all.

[son_ov_hades]

We're finally getting down to it. I hope you've all enjoyed my list so far. Number two in this post, and the top spot will be posted tomorrow.

#2  Wait For Sleep/Learning To Live






I guess you can't call this choice an epic, though I've never seen a single coherent definition of what and epic truly is. That said, it certainly feels epic as fuck. These two songs that function as one piece are the perfect closer to a perfect album. Images And Words is such an achievement, it becomes difficult for me to articulate just how great it is and how much I love it.  Wait For Sleep is just beautiful. Kevin Moore and James LaBrie form the perfect pair melodically. Moore was the best keyboardist Dream Theater had, there I said it. His playing here is superb as he not only accompanies LaBrie, he takes lead as well. Wait For Sleep is the introduction to Learning To Live, I can't separate them.

That keyboard intro is amazing. When the whole band comes in it gets so heavy, a marked transition from Wait For Sleep. Moore's lead at the end of the intro is mind blowing, fairly unassuming at first listen but there is so much going on. The bass/drum groove that forms the backbone of the verse plays so well underneath LaBrie's emotional vocals. "The way you heart sounds makes all the difference its what decides if you'll endure the pain that we all feel", I usually don't care about lyrics but wow. John Myung is quite the poet, these words are wonderful.

The heavy part next is spectacular. LaBrie is so raw on lines like "Listening to the city whispering its violence", his voice was incredible back then. I know we're all well aware of that, but it bears repeating. The guitar and keyboard work after those lines is out of this world, when I first heard this song I thought each guy mush have four arms! Kevin Moore's solo and John Petrucci's acoustic are particularly awesome, so melodic. The famous F# is chill inducing; I don't care what anyone says LaBrie is in the Halford realm, fuck off Bruce Dickinson. The unison after the guitar solo just slays me every time, and then leads into the phenomenal piano break. Sorry Rudess, Moore did first and better. The end is great too, I love how it fades out never letting up. This is a total masterpiece! 

Anyone think they know what number one will be? Here's a recap of the list up to this point:
#50 Lost Not Forgotten
#49 Take Away My Pain
#48 One Last Time
#47 Vacant/Stream Of Consciousness
#46 Lie
#45 To Live Forever
#44 Another Won
#43 Bombay Vindaloo
#42 The Glass Prison
#41 Through Her Eyes
#40 Raise The Knife
#39 Strange Deja Vu
#38 Hollow Years
#37 Voices
#36 Under A Glass Moon
#35 Peruvian Skies
#34 Along For The Ride
#33 False Awakening Suite/The Enemy Inside
#32 Afterlife
#31 In The Presence Of The Enemy
#30 Fatal Tragedy
#29 The Looking Glass
#28 Finally Free
#27 Overture 1928
#26 Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
#25 Take The Time
#24 Blind Faith
#23 Another Day
#22 Illumination Theory
#21 Octavarium
#20 Home
#19 Another Hand/The Killing Hand
#18 Space Dye Vest
#17 6:00
#16 Breaking All Illusions
#15 Trial Of Tears
#14 Pull Me Under
#13 Surrounded
#12 A Fortune In Lies
#11 Ytse Jam
#10 The Silent Man
#09 Lines In The Sand
#08 The Dance Of Eternity
#07 Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
#06 The Spirit Carries On
#05 The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun
#04 A Change Of Seasons
#03 Beyond This Life
#02 Wait For Sleep/Learning To Live

[jakepriest]

Moore was the most overrated keyboardist Dream Theater had

FTFM

Can't go wrong with seeing Learning to Live this high though. 

As for number one, I am really hoping for In The Name of God but knowing that you hate ToT it probably isn't happening. I'm gonna go with Scarred.

[son_ov_hades]

I'd say good guess except there's this:

the worst Awake song is Scarred, which I still like a lot and just missed this list.

[Outcrier]

I agree with you that Moore was their best keyboardist (in the "writing songs rather than the playing" sense) 

[Crow]

Metropolis obv since it hasn't been on your list yet 

[jakepriest]

Well, placing Metropolis first would automatically make us not-friends. 
I also find it really weird that you like TSM the most out of Awake, while for me it's easily the worst track on the album. We are pretty much polar opposites. 

[yeah_93]

Good choice in pairing Wait for Sleep and Learning to Live, then placing them at number 2.

[Invisible]

Metropolis obv since it hasn't been on your list yet 

Yep. As soon as I saw that list I hit Ctrl+F to find Metropolis and only found this post, so that would be my guess. Oh, and by the way, if Scarred if the worst song on Awake and barely missed the list, where are Caught In A Web, Innocence Faded, The Mirror and Erotomania?

And Moore was the best songwriter of the band but not the best keyboardist, other than that, can't complain of your number 2.

Your list don't match my hypothetical one, but it's good and consistent at least. you clearly have a very defined taste.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

The lack of Metropolis in your list tells me that your #1 is definitely Metropolis. As it should be.

[Sacul]

Misunderstood.