Nuggets Corner

[The Hairy Man]

Never paid it that much attention really, it was other night lifting weights with 2001 playing and I recognised it immediately.

Now I will need to go hunting for it elsewhere like the Wilhelm scream.

[BlobVanDam]

Never paid it that much attention really, it was other night lifting weights with 2001 playing and I recognised it immediately.

Now I will need to go hunting for it elsewhere like the Wilhelm scream.

Don't forget castle thunder while you're at it! I laugh every time I heard that one in movies, because it's such an awful and distinctive sound effect.

[The Hairy Man]

Good call 

I love to have meaning in my life

[Fritzinger]

Some stuff I realized:

I think Petrucci once said that the similarity between Trial Of Tears and In The Dead Of Night was on purpose and that the solo was supposed to be a Alan Holdsworth homage.

I find these two parts have similar harmonic progressions:
The Shaman's Trance (Bridges In The Sky) - 2:55
Fatal Tragedy - 2:24

Also, the main theme from SDOIT reminds me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBMsulQMqm8 - 3:34

The beginning of The Root Of All Evil ist very similar to Pink Floyd's Welcome To The Machine, ESPECIALLY the Score version.

This is not really a nugget, but since it's been talked about already: Cutting off Pull Me Under and the reverse sounding solo in Misunderstood are two techniques The Beatles used in I Want You (She's So Heavy) and I'm Only Sleeping.

Solitary Shell reminds me a lot of Solsbury Hill, because of the similar names and the 7/4.

Anyone noticed the last, VERY quiet piano note at the end of In The Name Of God? (this one is kinda obvious, ik)

And of course, Octavarium:
The intro is clearly a homage to Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
6:35 sounds a lot like Bohemian Rhapsody to me.
9:05 has a similar harmonic progression like Anna Lee.
11:40 is referring to Echoes by Pink Floyd (like already Phantom Of The Opera did)

[Estiui]

The band did not tell anyone that a hidden "nugget" (as it became known amongst Dream Theater fans) was present in the song, and only when Mike Portnoy mentioned it in his Mike Portnoy: Live at Budokan Drum-Cam DVD over a year later did someone find it.

To be fair, I doubt very seriously that JM or JLB even knew about it.  JP may have, since he was one of the producers, but IIRC, this was very much a last-minute thing by MP and JR.

My recollection backs up your recollection, that it was last minute thing that only JR and MP knew of.
I'm sure it would take all of a minute to find MP's post on his forum with this information, but meh.

Oh I love them. I'd love to see MP's post explaining that 

[noxon]

I think Petrucci once said that the similarity between Trial Of Tears and In The Dead Of Night was on purpose and that the solo was supposed to be a Alan Holdsworth homage.

I'm sure it was intentional - it was just done before the common complaint from the fans was "you've stolen this from x band".

I mean, DT had even covered In The Dead of Night at the uncovered show at ronnie scotts.

[DragonAttack]

Ultimate nugget:  In "In The Name Of God" from 5:51-5:59 (and repeating again from 5:59-6:07) in the right channel, you can hear a faint clicking sample being played. This is "EATMYASSANDBALLS" in Morse code.

Oh man that is classic!!!

Leave it to the always clever Dream Theater . . .

I wonder who was the first one to figure that out?

I was, with a tip of the hat to DarrylRevok who thought it sounded like Morse code. I received Portnoy's boxers from Breakdown In Berlin as a congratulatory gift. 

You've been credited on the wiki entry for years.  Well done, sir.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_of_Thought_(Dream_Theater_album)

[Paintbox]

The beginning of The Root Of All Evil ist very similar to Pink Floyd's Welcome To The Machine, ESPECIALLY the Score version.

And of course, Octavarium:
The intro is clearly a homage to Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
6:35 sounds a lot like Bohemian Rhapsody to me.
9:05 has a similar harmonic progression like Anna Lee.
11:40 is referring to Echoes by Pink Floyd (like already Phantom Of The Opera did)

I think WTTM intro is totally intentional, was it confirmed as the Octavarium intro? Also, the reversed guitar can be heard even on SOYCD.
They listened a lot to Pink Floyd for that album, as well as SFAM, hope they did it again for TA...

Solitary Shell reminds me a lot of Solsbury Hill, because of the similar names and the 7/4.

Always thought about it.

I would add that Hollow years kinda sounds like Fragile by Sting

Edit: I just found this interview https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qe-0ngV25Fg at 3.08 seems like I'm right

[Fritzinger]

I also think those things are intentional!
But I can't see any similarities between Hollow Years an Fragile..

[Donmac1989]

Totally not Dream Theater related but felt like pointing out the clean parts of This Love from Pantera sounds like the clean part of Phantom Lord by Metallica.

[DreamTension]

I always thought Stream of Conciouseness was an homage to Orion by Metallica. 

[Kotowboy]

I always thought Stream of Conciouseness was an homage to Orion by Metallica. 

I always thought of Train of Thought as being an overall Metallica tribute.

As I Am is kinda like Enter Sandman in it's structure. But nowhere near as blatant as Avenged Sevenfold's Shepherd Of Fire

Check it out if you haven't heard it. it *even* does the spoken word bit in the middle and then goes up a tone when it comes back in So Bad.

[DreamTension]

Wow, never heard that song.  Pretty blatant!

[BlobVanDam]

I always thought Stream of Conciouseness was an homage to Orion by Metallica. 

I always thought of Train of Thought as being an overall Metallica tribute.

I seem to recall that ToT was inspired by their performance of Master of Puppets, and they wanted to record an album full of similarly high energy metal songs?

[Donmac1989]

Lol I just love how it's almost all Metallica nuggets we're posting here :-) But to be fair can anyone name a more inspirational band other than Metallica?

[IDontNotDoThings]

I always thought Stream of Conciouseness was an homage to Orion by Metallica. 

I always thought of Train of Thought as being an overall Metallica tribute.

As I Am is kinda like Enter Sandman in it's structure. But nowhere near as blatant as Avenged Sevenfold's Shepherd Of Fire

Plus the TDS Blackened melody.

[Kotowboy]

Lol I just love how it's almost all Metallica nuggets we're posting here :-) But to be fair can anyone name a more inspirational band other than Metallica?

The Beatles ?

[Kotowboy]

Wow, never heard that song.  Pretty blatant!

If you haven't heard " This Means War " either - check it out. So funny.

[Kotowboy]

I always thought Stream of Conciouseness was an homage to Orion by Metallica. 

I always thought of Train of Thought as being an overall Metallica tribute.

I seem to recall that ToT was inspired by their performance of Master of Puppets, and they wanted to record an album full of similarly high energy metal songs?

Yes - they noticed the crowd reacted positively to their heavier songs and wanted to do a whole album like that.

[Train of Naught]

Hey I like Shepherd of Fire but This Means War is pretty shite.

[Stadler]

Lol I just love how it's almost all Metallica nuggets we're posting here :-) But to be fair can anyone name a more inspirational band other than Metallica?

Already mentioned the Beatles, but also Led Zeppelin.  There are far more Page/Plant clones than there are Hetfield/Hammett clones (and no dis; I'm a huge Hetfield fan). 

[Fritzinger]

Lol I just love how it's almost all Metallica nuggets we're posting here :-) But to be fair can anyone name a more inspirational band other than Metallica?

Already mentioned the Beatles, but also Led Zeppelin.  There are far more Page/Plant clones than there are Hetfield/Hammett clones (and no dis; I'm a huge Hetfield fan).

No dis either, I am a huge Zep fan, but Page & co. also stole a lot themselves!
I know lots of people compare ToT to Metallica, but I honestly never saw any similarities there. I also like Metallica, but they could never write a song like Stream Of Consciousness, sorry.

[hefdaddy42]

Lol I just love how it's almost all Metallica nuggets we're posting here :-) But to be fair can anyone name a more inspirational band other than Metallica?

The Beatles ?

I just spit my water on my desk.

[Bogie]

Solitary Shell reminds me a lot of Solsbury Hill, because of the similar names and the 7/4.

I'm sure Setlist Scotty or Wey can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the working title for Solitary Shell was Salisbury Steak, for obvious reasons.

[Pragmaticcircus]

I've been listening to Voivod (who I love dearly), a song called 'mercury' and half way in, I noticed the striking resemblance to the 'secret agent'y' bit from Stream Of Conciousness. Interesting discovery there!

(Phobos by Voivod came out 8? Years before Tot, to note)

[jakepriest]

Hey I like Shepherd of Fire but This Means War is pretty shite.

Miles better than Planets.

Honestly I'm not a big fan of Metallica so if TOT sounded a lot like them, then why is it my favourite DT album? 

[Train of Naught]

Yea I could never compare TOT to Metallica aside from a few similarities. Always thought SoC main riff kinda had the same feeling as Call of Ktulu, and As I Am intro kinda feels like Enter Sandman the way it builds up, but the album sounds nothing like Metallica overall.

[Kotowboy]

I just spit my water on my desk.

You shouldn't.

[Kotowboy]

Also - how are Beatles not more influential than Metallica ?

[JMSE]

Don't know if it's just me but I always thought that for 8v, the guitar melody of "Someone Like Him" was reminiscent of The Godfather theme. Not to mention the lyrics fit perfectly with the Michael Corleone arc of not wanting to be like his father and then it was "suddenly, the only thing he wanted to become. To be someone just like him"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWqKPWO5T4o

Not a nugget, but Misunderstood and A Rite of Passage share a similar melody.

ACOS has a "Erotomania" theme going on at 2:48

[porcacultor]

I've been listening to Voivod (who I love dearly), a song called 'mercury' and half way in, I noticed the striking resemblance to the 'secret agent'y' bit from Stream Of Conciousness. Interesting discovery there!

(Phobos by Voivod came out 8? Years before Tot, to note)

BADASS!!!

Damn, thanks for mentioning that. I really should listen to more mid 90s voivod.

[BlobVanDam]

I've been listening to Voivod (who I love dearly), a song called 'mercury' and half way in, I noticed the striking resemblance to the 'secret agent'y' bit from Stream Of Conciousness. Interesting discovery there!

(Phobos by Voivod came out 8? Years before Tot, to note)

Do you have timestamps for both songs? I checked out the song on Youtube and couldn't hear anything resembling SOC, and I'm not sure which bit of SOC is secret agent-y.

[Donmac1989]

I found another nugget randomly today jamming to Metallica and it sounds like Dream Theater did like a rendition of Dirty Window for the This Dying Soul ending riff.

[shredd]

Found a really awesome nugget today whilst listening through A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Starting at 4:07 in Beneath The Surface, the main theme of The Ministry of Lost Souls can be heard on background strings

[Estiui]

Found a really awesome nugget today whilst listening through A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Starting at 4:07 in Beneath The Surface, the main theme of The Ministry of Lost Souls can be heard on background strings

True, but just a little part. To me, it sounds more like the same pattern/progression used on the background music than an intended nugget.