Listened to Scenes From a Memory Last Night

[ReaPsTA]

Thoughts:

- Regression is a really good opening track.  It sets the mood and settles you in perfectly.

- Myung is sick in SDV.  The harmonic melody after the first "epic chorus" is amazingly creative.  The back on my feet riff is one of his creations (forget which commentary track this is in), and his basslines under the pre-choruses ("tonight I've been searching for it...") are so ridiculously good.

- You could make a serious argument for Fatal Tragedy being the best song on the album.  It's musically well constructed and creative.  Love the 6/4 piano over the 4/4 guitar riff before the solos.  Love how half of the second chorus is in double time.  Myung lyrics.  Love hearing the bass grind away under the guitar in the second verse.  The shrink and grow section is one of the coolest things DT's ever done.  The creativity of the backing section makes the solos more interesting and creative.  And the final unison section?  Well...



Anyway.

- This is probably the most I've ever liked Beyond This Life.  The whackiness of the solo section makes no sense relative to the drama of the rest of the song, but if the band didn't care then I guess I don't care either.  This song is pretty enjoyable musically if you don't take it too seriously.

- Through Her Eyes is underrated.  It's soppy, but that's totally fine!  The lyrics are really good, and the vocal melodies make me want to feel emotional.

- The sex samples in Home are just so overt and on the nose.  I don't get it.  That said, the reprise of Metropolis in the chorus (Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles...) gives me major, major chills in a good way.

- I wish Myung played more slap bass.  It's such a crazy fun moment in OLT.

- As a concept album, the whole thing hangs together surprisingly well.  You have some Metropolis Pt. I references, which are nice.  And the themes in the album are fairly well developed.  Regression sets up TSCO.  The main melody from Overture 1928 reprises in SDV and OLT.  TMW sets up THE.  OLT sets up FF.  It's good writing.

- I kinda wish TSCO ended the album.  The final Safe in the Light section is so uplifting and conclusive.

- But without Finally Free, you wouldn't really have a story, I guess.  I dunno.  If nothing else, I wish they had played the LSFNY Live extension on the album.  The drum solo fadeout feels very anticlimactic.

SFAM plays surprisingly well for me, but I guess it never totally gets "there," wherever that is.  One big thing I'd say is that somewhere in the middle the momentum trails off for me.

I hate to end on a conflicted note, but ah well.  The album does have a lot of great moments.

[bl5150]

So did I    ...............after a very long break and tbh I think it's slid down another couple of spots on my DT rankings.   I really only have a need to hear 3 songs again -  Overture , Strange Deja Vu and Fatal Tragedy.

The rest I found rather cheesy , over indulgent (in terms of instrumental wankery that was barely necessary for the song) and that the lyrics felt a bit forced on the music. I found it a very trying listen.

There's a TV show out here called Spicks and Specks (music related) where sometimes they get a singer to sing the words from a totally unrelated book or magazine over the top of a classic song and try to hold the tune.  Unlike say Operation Mindcrime where each song stands on its own and the lyrics are often a bit abstract , on this album I feel like that Spicks and Specks thing.................it feels like I'm being sung a story from a book  which just doesn't work for me either.

I think it's DT's most over rated album by far. 

[robwebster]

- The sex samples in Home are just so overt and on the nose.  I don't get it.  That said, the reprise of Metropolis in the chorus (Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles...) gives me major, major chills in a good way.

That whole passage is brilliant. I have mixed feelings about Home on the whole - at its best, it's brilliant, but it's also a bit saggy, bloaty - but I would say that it's a very strong contender for best use of backing vocals in the entire DT catalogue. The backings are wonderful! So rich - and particularly at the moment of that Metropolis section. "Looo-ove! Deeeaa-ath! Deeee-ceit! Aaaaa-aaaaah!" Adds so much texture. Incredible.

I think, over all, I'm in the same place you are. It loses momentum just after Fatal Tragedy, and never quiiiite regains it. I find it very hard to stop any sooner than Fatal Tragedy, and despite how great the Beyond This Life instrumental section can be when I'm in the mood for it, it marks the first point where I'm perfectly happy to stop the album if I need to - and Through Her Eyes, while pleasant enough, compounds it.

Lush album, though. I do like it.

[Perpetual Change]

Pretty spot on, Reap.

[hefdaddy42]

Pretty spot on, Reap.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

The drum solo fadeout feels very anticlimactic.

Astoundingly, I feel the exact opposite.

[Sketchy]

I think on the whole, I follow your views, although I do love the middle bit of Home (and the  crazy rhythm under the solos). I remember hearing it for the first time, and the bit where the solos kicked in on Fatal Tragedy was the moment that Dream Theater clicked for me.

[JiM-Xtreme]

The album is goddamn perfect. Leave it alone!

[Deep Sixx]

Wow I've never noticed that slap bass section until now    I guess I was always too focused on petrucci's solo during that part. Also, the commentary you are referring to for the "back on my feet riff" is from the Live Scenes from New York DVD.

[WildeSilas]

SFAM is such a weird album for me. I was initially turned off to Change of Seasons because I first heard it on Once in a Livetime and is was disjointed and all over the place, not to mention Labrie...well  .When I finally listened to the EP proper, it was a lot to digest, and not being much of a fan of classic rock at the time, the cover tunes were lost on me. Then there was Falling into Infinity which I really didn't like (now my 2nd fav album) for obvious reasons. By the time SFAM came around, between the spoken word intro and the mellow opening song, followed by another somewhat cool but laborious instrumental, I was pretty much done with DT. I didn't come back until Octavarium - then I worked my way back to SFAM. I understand why it's such an important album for them, and it is a great prog-metal concept work, but I just felt at the time like it was the wrong move.  It left me cold and I didn't understand the fanfare. I honestly still think SDOIT is more of a return to the thoughtful, interesting DT that I loved from I&W and Awake. I'm pretty ambivalent about SFAM to this day. When I hear it, I enjoy it, but my ears rarely crave it. The live concert however is always enjoyable to watch because you can really tell the guys are having a blast and have come out of a dark time.

[jammindude]

I'm amazed at how well this album has held up over time.    The that I always had with the album was Home.   From day one, I just couldn't figure out what was so great about it.   I got the pre-release single for the album (I was working in a CD shop and knew someone from the record company) which had just the radio edit of Home, Fatal Tragedy, and Through Her Eyes.     Even at that time, Home was my least favorite of the three, and I thought they were making yet another terrible "first single" decision.   (I felt Lie and You Not Me were *terrible* choices for singles)

I'm glad I was wrong, as Home has turned into something of a fan favorite...but I still don't get it.   Easily the weakest track on the album IMO, and if it weren't for the brilliant second half of the song, I would probably skip the track altogether. 

But when I first heard the album in its entirety, I absolutely LOVED the album.   Home worked better as a center piece, but was still the weakest track on the album.  And Beyond This Life was my absolute favorite from day one.   (and just when I thought it could not be outdone...the live version on LAB did just that)

Fantastic album.   I still enjoy listening to it to this day.

[hefdaddy42]

I understand why it's such an important album for them, and it is a great prog-metal concept work, but I just felt at the time like it was the wrong move.  It left me cold and I didn't understand the fanfare. I honestly still think SDOIT is more of a return to the thoughtful, interesting DT that I loved from I&W and Awake.

Wow, I don't get that at all.

[Perpetual Change]

For me, I think the greatness of Scenes from a Memory is somewhat underscored by how safe the band play it. At that point, they'd had three *very different* albums with their main lineup, and for as ambitious as doing a concept album was, Scenes was really as close as they could get with doing "Images and Words, pt. II". Same goes for A Dramatic Turn of Events. Don't get me wrong - both Scenes and ADTOE are No. 4 and 5 DT albums for me, but the safeness is the main reason I won't put them higher than the Images, Awake and SDOIT.

[GasparXR]

For me, I think the greatness of Scenes from a Memory is somewhat underscored by how safe the band play it. At that point, they'd had three *very different* albums with their main lineup, and for as ambitious as doing a concept album was, Scenes was really as close as they could get with doing "Images and Words, pt. II". Same goes for A Dramatic Turn of Events. Don't get me wrong - both Scenes and ADTOE are No. 4 and 5 DT albums for me, but the safeness is the main reason I won't put them higher than the Images, Awake and SDOIT.

I'm going to slightly agree and say it has a similar, uplifting vibe to Images and Words, but there is definitely a lot that is different about it. It's like a combination between I&W, the kind of rocky feel and the backing vocal style of FII, plus extra-wacky Rudess moments. Honestly, I think it's more like FII and SDOIT (although that was after) than I&W.

[ishak540m]

So did I    ...............after a very long break and tbh I think it's slid down another couple of spots on my DT rankings.   I really only have a need to hear 3 songs again -  Overture , Strange Deja Vu and Fatal Tragedy.

The rest I found rather cheesy , over indulgent (in terms of instrumental wankery that was barely necessary for the song) and that the lyrics felt a bit forced on the music. I found it a very trying listen.

I think it's DT's most over rated album by far.

I disagree with everything here.  Bravo! 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Personally, I feel Scenes has a vibe entirely its own. It borrows elements from previous releases, yes, but then again, what band doesn't do that?

Often, I shuffle through my music library randomly. I felt the urge to listen to Beyond This Life, and what do you know? About an hour later, I find myself having listen to the rest of the album in its entirety. I couldn't bring myself to stop in the middle and put anything else. It's truly impressive that given how many times I've already listened to SFAM, it still has this sort of effect on me.

[bl5150]

So did I    ...............after a very long break and tbh I think it's slid down another couple of spots on my DT rankings.   I really only have a need to hear 3 songs again -  Overture , Strange Deja Vu and Fatal Tragedy.

The rest I found rather cheesy , over indulgent (in terms of instrumental wankery that was barely necessary for the song) and that the lyrics felt a bit forced on the music. I found it a very trying listen.

I think it's DT's most over rated album by far.

I disagree with everything here.  Bravo! 

Make sure you check out my revised DT album rankings in a few days time for more things to disagree with 

Quite seriously though - my relationship with DT music is quite similar to what I have with Queensryche.  They have been responsible for a huge amount of my all time favourite music but also a whole heap of stuff I'm either indifferent about or dislike.........and both have renewed my enthusiam in recent times after a long stretch of disappointment.

2/3rds of SFAM falls into the indifferent to dislike area for me.  I just do not get the love for it but it's pretty clear if you look at the forum album rankings that , although my dislike for SFAM and a couple of others is unusual , that there is huge variance there on most albums.  SFAM just seems to be one of the most universally loved. 

Hopefully I'll post something you agree with at some point 

[hefdaddy42]

For me, I think the greatness of Scenes from a Memory is somewhat underscored by how safe the band play it. At that point, they'd had three *very different* albums with their main lineup, and for as ambitious as doing a concept album was, Scenes was really as close as they could get with doing "Images and Words, pt. II". Same goes for A Dramatic Turn of Events. Don't get me wrong - both Scenes and ADTOE are No. 4 and 5 DT albums for me, but the safeness is the main reason I won't put them higher than the Images, Awake and SDOIT.

I think you are benefiting from seeing it in retrospect.  They were at a real career crossroads, I don't think there was anything "safe" about it.

[King Postwhore]

Again the Hef haveth spoken and he is correct.

The band was fighting for control with he record company at the time which fueled them to make SFAM shackles free from the record executives.

[Nearmyth]

SFAM was a very good comeback album, where "safe" is kind of what they needed but they did a damn fine job doing it. That being said, the album is only safe listening back on it today. Back then, it was the beginning of a new era for DT and was very fresh and new, which is probably why it's held in such high regard (well that, and it's just a good album!) Though, I do think it is ever so slightly overrated. Over time it's gone down a couple spaces on my list, but every time I listen to it again I remember why it was so great.

Anyway, I agree with pretty much everything, except I think Finally Free would be a much better ending than TSCO, and the drums in the outro are 100% perfection!

On the things I agree on:

I get what you mean about the album's momentum though, nowadays by the time Through Her Eyes hits it gets a little draggy.

Fatal Tragedy is not my favorite on the album, but it is definitely one of the best songs on the album. It's extremely well put together, and the melodies and solos are just fantastic.

Beyond this life is

[Perpetual Change]

For me, I think the greatness of Scenes from a Memory is somewhat underscored by how safe the band play it. At that point, they'd had three *very different* albums with their main lineup, and for as ambitious as doing a concept album was, Scenes was really as close as they could get with doing "Images and Words, pt. II". Same goes for A Dramatic Turn of Events. Don't get me wrong - both Scenes and ADTOE are No. 4 and 5 DT albums for me, but the safeness is the main reason I won't put them higher than the Images, Awake and SDOIT.

I think you are benefiting from seeing it in retrospect.  They were at a real career crossroads, I don't think there was anything "safe" about it.

Oh, no doubt. But, in retrospect, I'll always be curious what a non-prog metal DT would have been like had they continued down the path they were going.

They were obviously moving away from prog metal, and had listening to the labels actually worked I imagine things could have been very different for them.

[54_diplomats]

SFAM remains in my top 3 DT albums. Once I start listening there's no stopping until it's done.

[dparrott]

Still #1 for me.  I don't think it drags after FT, BTL kicks it right back up again!    THE is a nice needed break before the next two songs.  I feel a great album is well paced, and this is an example. 

I honestly thought JR's solos were JP's on first few listens.  Has any DT album prior to this had this many keyboard solos?

Home is still my favorite DT song.  Vocals, riffs, ending, love it. 

And I love Finally Free, it's a rollercoaster with kick ass drum fills at the end.

And safe?     No.  Safe would be doing FII part 2.  This album pushes more limits than any of their previous albums. 

[KevShmev]

For me, I think the greatness of Scenes from a Memory is somewhat underscored by how safe the band play it. At that point, they'd had three *very different* albums with their main lineup, and for as ambitious as doing a concept album was, Scenes was really as close as they could get with doing "Images and Words, pt. II". Same goes for A Dramatic Turn of Events. Don't get me wrong - both Scenes and ADTOE are No. 4 and 5 DT albums for me, but the safeness is the main reason I won't put them higher than the Images, Awake and SDOIT.

I think you are benefiting from seeing it in retrospect.  They were at a real career crossroads, I don't think there was anything "safe" about it.

Agreed.  I remember when it came out, I was like, wow, this sounds like classic DT, but has all kinds of new tricks and whatnot (that were bigger than just Rudess playing stuff unheard in previous DT, like the ragtime). 

[robwebster]

I think that's fair. I think it's an album that you could point to, now, and say "That is exactly what Dream Theater sound like," but that's only in the context of the stuff that came before and after. It's the birth of their modern sound, and at its time, I'm sure, both a revelation and a relief.

[Daso]

It's been a while since I don't give SFaM a full listen, and it was my favorite DT album back in 2010-2011, but it really wore out for me. For a rather long period of time I couldn't listen to it without getting tired. It was also the first DT album I bought, and I guess the reason for it wearing out was how much I used to listen to it. I might have played it fully about three times a day sometimes. It's a fantastic album, but it has dropped down on my ranking quite a lot, partly because of ADToE and DT12's releases, which are just as great but their age makes them feel fresher to me.

About it's importance for the band, it was pretty much the album that defined what they would do from that point onwards. Of course, it has elements from the previous albums and those were also pivotal for them, but Scenes From a Memory, for me, defined what Dream Theater sounds like. It has all the elements that can be found in the following albums, particularly some that couldn't be found before like the wacky, ridiculous sounding parts which, mind you, makes the songs they are part of interesting; slower paced ballads, glorious moments like TSCO's ending, heavily-pronounced strings sections, etc. As it has been stated, the albums pace is very well marked and, at least to me, the story was so well developed, both musically and lyrically, that I'm still waiting for another DT concept album.

[ReaPsTA]

My theory on the momentum:

Four of the album's six songs are very heavy and very epic.  Beyond This Life is over 10 minutes long.  On an album like DT12, which never relents, this is okay.  But Scenes starts with Regression, a very soft song.  It sets up an emotional expectation for a lot of modulation.  By the time you get to THE, you think "finally, some relief from all the insanity."  And then it throws Home, the centerpiece of the album, right after it.  And then the insanity of TDOE.  Then the epic OLT.  Then the epic TSCO.  Then the grand finale.

You keep wanting some room to breathe and it never happens.  And then it's over.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

My theory on the momentum:

Four of the album's six songs are very heavy and very epic.  Beyond This Life is over 10 minutes long.  On an album like DT12, which never relents, this is okay.  But Scenes starts with Regression, a very soft song.  It sets up an emotional expectation for a lot of modulation.  By the time you get to THE, you think "finally, some relief from all the insanity."  And then it throws Home, the centerpiece of the album, right after it.  And then the insanity of TDOE.  Then the epic OLT.  Then the epic TSCO.  Then the grand finale.

You keep wanting some room to breathe and it never happens.  And then it's over.

In contrast, I feel the flow through tracks on the album are not only stunning, but perfect. I will say that about very few albums but Scenes is one of them.

I really wouldn't call OLT epic so much as one of those "breathers" you spoke of. In comparison with the utter wackiness and intensity of TDOE, it eases up by a substantial amount and slows the pace, where TSCO picks up just a bit again after that, also serving as some sort of false finale.

And then you have Finally Free, the true finale which not only brings the story to a close, but it happens on such a grand scale and builds up from its mellow beginning, it carries you through into the climactic finish.

[BlobVanDam]

OLT and TSCO are definitely breathing room. Very laid back and ballady, especially TSCO.

[rumborak]

Yeah, I never perceived SFAM as having a problem with too little breathing room. DT12 has, but not SFAM.

[ReaPsTA]

OLT and TSCO are definitely breathing room. Very laid back and ballady, especially TSCO.

Curious.  OLT and TSCO to me are the opposite of laid back.  OLT feels very intense for me, especially when the Overture 1928 theme comes in.  TSCO makes me want to stand up and sing along with my hand raised in the air like I'm in church.

Yeah, I never perceived SFAM as having a problem with too little breathing room. DT12 has, but not SFAM.

It's about expectation.  SFaM opens with Regression.  My brain wants a mixture of hard and soft songs.  DT12 opens with False Awakening Suite.  My brain knows to strap in.

[jakepriest]

It's about expectation.  SFaM opens with Regression.  My brain wants a mixture of hard and soft songs. 

And you get it.
Heavy: Overture 1928, Strange Deja Vu, Fatal Tragedy, Beyond This Life, Home, The Dance of Eternity
Soft: Through My Words, Through Her Eyes, One Last Time, The Spirit Carries On
Both: Finally Free

[ReaPsTA]

Does Through My Words even count?  It's like two minutes.

[jakepriest]

It's one minute long but it can still be considered a soft song that lets you chill.

[Laughingplace56]

It's about expectation.  SFaM opens with Regression.  My brain wants a mixture of hard and soft songs. 

And you get it.
Heavy: Overture 1928, Strange Deja Vu, Fatal Tragedy, Beyond This Life, Home, The Dance of Eternity
Soft: Through My Words, Through Her Eyes, One Last Time, The Spirit Carries On
Both: Finally Free

I wouldn't call Overture SDV or BTL heavy. I think the album is more progressive rock with metal influences than vice versa, honestly. It feels less metal than say every album after SDOIT and Awake. But it has metal songs and metal tendencies obviously because, well, DT is progressive metal.  From the beginning until the instrumental of FT, the album plays out very proggy and very hard rock like, with some metal thrown in SDV. The instrumental in FT us very DT and very metal, but still has the influence of the prog rock feel of the first few songs. The BTL main riff would be more metal than rock without the keyboard playing along with it. That takes away the heaviness completely for me. The instrumental for it is the same way. Home and TDoE are the only fully metal songs on the album IMO. Home has a heavy riff and style, and that vibe plays through Dance. TSCO is DT's Comfortably Numb. Powerful atmospheric solo, most beloved of the album, etc. Very much a prog rock ballad. Finally Free takes inspiration from all three styles on the album: soft, progressive rock elements, and metal elements.