Astonishing my first DT album....where next?

[Bill]

I am a complete DT newbie. The Astonishingly is my first DT album and has completely blown me away. Never heard anything like it before, I've taken the time to read the story and follow the lyrics, and wow! The musicianship is amazing and what I really love about it is that despite its length, it is accessible with loads of memorable and catchy stuff throughout. Can't stop playing it.

I come from the melodic side of rock/prog...earlier Genesis, Marrillion, Jethro Tull, Spocks Beard, Pendragon. I get the impression that The Astonishing is a one off, a rock opera/ musical theater thing. I'm a sucker for a good melody/power ballad, but also love raw rock power.

Which album should be my second purchase? Btw, can't believe I have missed this band for so many years, really excited to discover more!

[RoeDent]

First, welcome to the Dream Theater party! 

If you want to hear their other rock opera, it's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999). Images and Words (1992) was their breakthrough (and, as it happens, includes Metropolis Pt. 1, a single song). Lots of music to explore!

(PS. Aside from Jethro Tull, who I haven't heard yet, I love all those bands you listed.)

[bosk1]

Welcome aboard, Bill.  Glad you found the band and the site! 

Recommendations are always difficult.  In many ways, The Astonishing is very different.  But in many ways, it has that "classic" DT sound as well.  Here are my thoughts:

-Scenes From A Memory:  This is their other concept album.  Neat story.  Great musicianship.  It is not done in quite the same style as The Astonishing, but not overly different either.  It is a fan favorite that I think you will enjoy, based on your interests.

-Images and Words:  This album may sound somewhat "dated" given its 1992 release, but it is DT's breakthrough album and is considered a classic.  Many parts in Scenes From A Memory are musical callbacks to the song Metropolis pt. 1, which appears on this album.

-A Dramatic Turn of Events:  This was the first album with Mike Mangini on drums, released just a few years ago.  To me, it is a great blend of Dream Theater's "classic" sound and their more modern sound.

-Dream Theater (self-titled):  Also a good indication of their more modern sound.  Other than the closing epic, the songs are generally short and feature more standard song arrangements, at least by Dream Theater standards.


But you really cannot go wrong with any of their albums.  Enjoy the ride!

[lordnafaryus]

So awesome to hear you love the new album, there's definitely a lot more to get your teeth into!

Metropolis Part II: Scenes From a Memory would be a logical next purchase as it's their only other concept album, so if you enjoyed following the plot and characters in 'The Astonishing' then you'll find this one easy to get into as well, and it's on a smakker scale (only one disc and fewer characters). Images & Words is a staple of the catalogue, and the album that gets a lot of people into the band due to it's borderline 'classic' status. Melodies galore, and might be the best next step if you like Marillion. There's a wonderful track called 'Surrounded' which they sometimes medley with 'Sugar Mice' when played live.

So those are the two I would go for next, but I'm sure you'll get other suggestions. 

[Dream Team]

I envy you Bill, getting to hear these albums for the first time! Bosk's recommendations are spot-on.

[chaossystem]

I'm going to give you some advice that might seem really strange: Go to a used record store. Get whichever of DT'S albums that you can for the lowest price. Listen to the entire thing. Post your review of it on here. Then, based on your impressions of THAT album, we can make some recommendations for you.

[fischermasamune]

If you want to buy the CDs, buy the 1992-2011 studio albums collection, because it's around 5 dollars per cd. You will be missing only When Dream And Day Unite (1989), A Change Of Seasons EP (1995, not included) and Dream Theater (self-titled album, 2013), not counting the live releases.

[wolfking]

Scenes From A Memory
Images and Words
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance

That's the next 3 IMO.

[Disciple_Kickstand]

If you dig this album that is a good chance you will enjoy disc 2 of six degrees of inner turbulence.

[TheGreatPretender]

Nothing makes me happier than knowing that The Astonishing is attracting new fans.

But yeah, the others have already given all the proper recommendations.

[wideworldofmike]

I would highly reccomend Awake. 1st 3 songs are "singles" then next 3 are an amazing trilogy and the rest of the album (which I have listened to a billion times) is what they toured with a few years back, it was a "dream" come  true to see them perform it.

[TheGreatPretender]

Also, how the hell did nobody ever take the username "Bill" before? 

[wolfking]

Also, how the hell did nobody ever take the username "Bill" before? 

I guess not many people opt to just use their first name.

[SebastianPratesi]

(PS. Aside from Jethro Tull, who I haven't heard yet, I love all those bands you listed.)

It's the other way round for me: out of those, I've only heard Jethro Tull (and some mid-late Genesis, but not early). I haven't listened to a lot by Jethro Tull, but what I've heard I mostly like. If you don't mind me recommending a few tunes:
"Acres Wild", "Budapest", "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day", "One Brown Mouse", "Mayhem Maybe".

Nothing makes me happier than knowing that The Astonishing is attracting new fans.

Me too. On release date, I bought a copy of the album for my best friend. And today, his sister, who mostly listens to indie-pop (and who never in her life has listened to Dream Theater) told me she is interested in giving it a chance. So cool!

[BlobVanDam]

I suggest go and listen to them all before DTF influences you.

[SebastianPratesi]

Back on topic: hi, Bill. The albums our fellow members recommended I like quite a lot. I also think you would enjoy Metropolis 2000, a live DVD of a show including all of Metropolis part 2 plus other stuff. It probably is too much music at once, but you'd also get to see the band in action (I remember I was amazed the first time I saw live videos of the band playing, because I never thought they would play their songs so wonderfully).

[Disciple_Kickstand]

Funny you suggest that. After my initial exposure to DT in TOT, as a new release, I was really trying to find more of their music.  Being in a small town in Canada, with Walmart being the primary place to buy CD's that was hard. They had no cds of any more DT stuff but they did have a coping the Metropolis DVD.  I was a little taken back by it, with TOT's full metal onslaught being my only exposure to them I wasn't expecting what I heard and saw. But I watched that DVD over and over again and absolutely fell in love with the DT and the full scope of who they are through that medium.

[kaos2900]

Just buy all of their albums and start at the beginning. You'll like most if not all of it. 

[Nekov]

I suggest go and listen to them all before DTF influences you.

This is the best advice so far. Chose a random one and listen to it, if you like it great if no chose another one and go on. If you enjoyed The Astonishing then you surely will find others that you'll like as well. DT has done some very different things over the years so there's a lot for you to discover.

[Dublagent66]

Astonishing my first DT album....where next?

Good place to start.  You have nowhere else to go but up from here.

[Chino]

In this order;

-Images and Words
-Live at Budokan
-Scenes From a Memory
-SCORE
-Awake
-Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

[jakepriest]

Astonishing my first DT album....where next?

Good place to start.  You have nowhere else to go but up from here.

Do you come onto the forum just to hate onto the album in every single post? 

[Chino]

Astonishing my first DT album....where next?

Good place to start.  You have nowhere else to go but up from here.

You think The Astonishing was worse than Systematic Chaos?

[hefdaddy42]

But you really cannot go wrong with any of their albums. 

Let's not be hasty.

[Tony From Long Island]

I am glad to hear that you are on board after only hearing The Astonishing. I say that because, having been a DT fan for 25 years now, I think The Astonishing is by far their worst album. So, hopefully you will truly be blown away by the rest of their catalog. I would recommend:

1. Awake
2. Images and Words - where most of us got started!
3. Live at Budokan - to truly hear how great DT is live.

Welcome to the DT machine!     

[kaos2900]

I am glad to hear that you are on board after only hearing The Astonishing. I say that because, having been a DT fan for 25 years now, I think The Astonishing is by far their worst album. So, hopefully you will truly be blown away by the rest of their catalog. I would recommend:

1. Awake
2. Images and Words - where most of us got started!
3. Live at Budokan - to truly hear how great DT is live.

Welcome to the DT machine!     

Different strokes and all, but I don't see how anyone who has been a fan of DT for 25 year would consider TA their album. Care to expand on you reasoning for that opinion? I'm genuinely interested because to me TA has every piece of DT that makes them great in shorter more concise songs.

[Dream Team]

Bill, if you check out some live stuff, keep in mind that James had a bad vocal cord injury in the 90's that impacted his live performances for a number of years. His pre-injury vocals on Images&Words and Awake will blow your mind.

[SolidSnake]

About Scenes from a Memory being their only other concept album aside from The Astonishing, I would like to make a correction...
There's a third one, it's the second disc of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. It has its own story, its own thematic development. It has a start, middle and end. In short 'concept'.

As for recommending the next album: definitely Scenes from a Memory, which is superior to The Astonishing.

[bosk1]

About Scenes from a Memory being their only other concept album aside from The Astonishing, I would like to make a correction...
There's a third one, it's the second disc of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. It has its own story, its own thematic development. It has a start, middle and end. In short 'concept'.

Your correction is incorrect twice over:
1.  Six Degrees is a song.  A song cannot be a concept album.
2.  One disk of a two disk album cannot be a concept album.

[SolidSnake]

OK, so it's a concept song... It's a 8-song concept song that comes on its own disc, so it can be listened to separately from the other 5 (which I do most of the time).

[ErHaO]

I will recommend seperate tracks that may suit your taste:

-Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (the track, which is disc 2 of the album)
-A Change of Seasons (one of their best prog epics)
-The Count of Tuscany (an epic which has a clear storytelling vibe and very atmospheric parts)
-Octovarium (the title track of the album, same as A Change of Seasons, one of their best prog epics)

And if you want to check out their live performances, try Score (which has two of the above tracks performed in all their glory).

And yes, I agree with the Scenes From a Memory album as a whole.

[SolidSnake]

Octavarium is one of their best, especially because it's very melodic, it starts out slowly and it builds and builds until that glorious finale that blows me away every time. My favorite DT epic.

And if you want to check out their live performances, try Score (which has two of the above tracks performed in all their glory).

You forgot to mention those two tracks are actually more than an hour worth of (brilliant) music.

[Progmetty]

First of all don't expect any other album to be like The Asontishing, it's the only one of that format. Here's my recommendations in order:
1. Scenes From A Memory
2. Images & Words
3. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Then if you still like them I think you'll find your own way

[chaossystem]

Back on topic: hi, Bill. The albums our fellow members recommended I like quite a lot. I also think you would enjoy Metropolis 2000, a live DVD of a show including all of Metropolis part 2 plus other stuff. It probably is too much music at once, but you'd also get to see the band in action (I remember I was amazed the first time I saw live videos of the band playing, because I never thought they would play their songs so wonderfully).

Did you mean Live Scenes From New York? I was going to suggest either Live at Budokan or Score, but LSFNY is good, too. Bill might not know that the DVD version of Live Scenes does NOT have the entire concert, but the CD version does.

The thing that really got me hooked on DT was that right before or right after I bought I&W, I bought the Live in Tokyo (VHS!) video, and watched it I don't know HOW many times.

One thing I would suggest, to get a good "sampler" of DT's music and albums, and if you want to actually see and hear a full-length concert from beginning to end, is to start out with the DVD version of Score, and the CD version of Budokan. Get the rest later, if you can, but I think this way you get a good variety of their music.

On the other hand, if you're more interested in documentaries and videos as WELL as concert footage, you can probably get the Live in Tokyo and Five Years in a LiveTime DVDs, which are sold together as a  set for a really low price. I just checked it on Amazon, and it looks like they have it for less than $7.00.

[SebastianPratesi]

Did you mean Live Scenes From New York? I was going to suggest either Live at Budokan or Score, but LSFNY is good, too. Bill might not know that the DVD version of Live Scenes does NOT have the entire concert, but the CD version does.

I actually meant the DVD, but now that you mention it, I forgot some tracks appear only on the CD.