Worst Song or Songs from THE ASTONISHING (Not Counting the NoMacs Tracks)

[chaossystem]

I left out the NoMacs tracks because I think they are more like sound effects than music.

Anyway, my NINE are:

A Better Life
Act of Faythe
Brother, Can You Hear Me?
A Life Left Behind
Chosen
The X Aspect
Begin Again
Losing Faythe
Whispers on the Wind

[fischermasamune]

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=45886.0

[ToT-147]

I left out the NoMacs tracks because I think they are more like sound effects than music.

That's precisely the whole point of the NOMACs' existence.. They're machines who make noise, not music..

Anyway, I went with BCYHM? and HoaTV.. Couldn't damage any other song from this beautiful masterpiece..

[energythief]

Whichever one sings about the "music player".

[Sacul]

All of them except Dystopian Overture and Three Days

[chaossystem]

Whichever one sings about the "music player".

Act of Faythe

I agree with you, and I have a similar reaction to "I'm Waking up" in A Life Left Behind...UGH!

[The Astonished]

Whispers on the Wind is the only TA song I dislike. Money's well spent!

[V_R11]

BCYHM? and Begin Again are the only songs on this album I haven't learned to like

[BlackInk]

Whichever one sings about the "music player".

Act of Faythe

I agree with you, and I have a similar reaction to "I'm Wakingking up" in A Life Left Behind...UGH!

I don't mind "I'm waking up", but "my muuuuuusic player" is so silly I just can't help but to laugh every time.

[MustActFastToCoverUp]

So, according to both threads, WOTW is the worst track of the album? That's the one cheesy ballad I happen to like somehow.

[Zook]

None of the songs are bad, but BCYHM? and WOTW are definitely me least favorite.

Out of context, "my music player" sounds ultra silly, but within the album, it works just fine. Not sure how "I'm waking up" is bad in any way unless you just don't like melody.

[chaossystem]

So, according to both threads, WOTW is the worst track of the album? That's the one cheesy ballad I happen to like somehow.

I'm actually surprised that so far it's "the big loser" I thought I remembered reading on some of the other threads that it was kind of popular.

[The Astonished]

None of the songs are bad, but BCYHM? and WOTW are definitely me least favorite.

Out of context, "my music player" sounds ultra silly, but within the album, it works just fine. Not sure how "I'm waking up" is bad in any way unless you just don't like melody.

BCYHM? is one of my most favourited TA songs. What do you like less about it compared to other songs? I personally really like the "march band build up", and the melody lines. Also I think James is astounding here. Top 5 in vocal deliverance of TA for me.

[Zook]

None of the songs are bad, but BCYHM? and WOTW are definitely me least favorite.

Out of context, "my music player" sounds ultra silly, but within the album, it works just fine. Not sure how "I'm waking up" is bad in any way unless you just don't like melody.

BCYHM? is one of my most favourited TA songs. What do you like less about it compared to other songs? I personally really like the "march band build up", and the melody lines. Also I think James is astounding here. Top 5 in vocal deliverance of TA for me.

The song just doesn't engage me like the others. I wont skip it, but it wouldn't be included on my abridged version.

[Kotowboy]

Whichever one sings about the "music player".

Act of Faythe

I agree with you, and I have a similar reaction to "I'm Waking up" in A Life Left Behind...UGH!

fuck melody

[The Hairy Man]

My vote included Three Days, The Path Divides and The Walking Shadow - I know that goes against the grain on here but none of them really do anything for me and in fact have parts that annoy me. Ridiculous laughing, ill fitting dixieland jazz, crap / annoying sound effects, Zelda sound effects etc

[Lalin1974]

Whispers on the Wind is the only TA song I dislike. Money's well spent!

Agreed. I got this one as well as BCYHM

[ToT-147]

"My music player" sounds silly?..

That's one of the best parts of the album.. I don't fucking care about the lyrics.. Everytime I listen to that glorious part I pay attention to the melody.. That's all that matters to me.. Precisely that: the music.. But even if you don't like the vocal melodie (which isn't the best thing in this section), hear the background... hear JP, hear the chorus behind him, what JM does, the strength with which MM sounds.. All is just perfect.. And c'mon, don't be hypocrites.. Those lines don't talk about anything but what we do everytime while listening... wait for it... this very band and this very album.. "My private paradise".. That's exactly what it is.. I can't see how an accurate and pretty nice metaphor about the instrument that allows us to hear music can be "ultra silly"..

[erwinrafael]

Exactly. I loved that line because it described me, the guy who is plugged into his music player almost one third of the day. My music player, my private paradise.

[Mladen]

Interesting to see people picking Brother, can you hear me. Whispers on the wind is a wonderful song in my opinion, but I'm not surprised it's got the most votes.

I went with the only three songs I really don't care about:
The Answer
Losing Faythe
Hymn of a thousand voices

[legenden1]

Love all tracks except New Beginning and Our new world which I usually skip. They aren´t necessarily bad but doesn´t fit in with the rest IMO

[BlackInk]

"My private paradise".. That's exactly what it is.. I can't see how an accurate and pretty nice metaphor about the instrument that allows us to hear music can be "ultra silly"..

"Private paradise" isn't ultra silly, "music player" is. It feels awkward, doesn't fit as lyrics to a song.

I don't fucking care about the lyrics.. Everytime I listen to that glorious part I pay attention to the melody.. That's all that matters to me.. Precisely that: the music

Lyrics are part of the music. And it's pretty damn important to a lot of people, so when it's bad, it makes the whole section bad. The melody is fine I guess.

[Zook]

"My 32 gig iPod, my private paradise"


I think "my music player" sounds just fine. Besides, 200 years into the future, people might not know the term iPod or mp3 player. What else would go there that wouldn't sound cheesy?

[chaossystem]

Whichever one sings about the "music player".

Act of Faythe

I agree with you, and I have a similar reaction to "I'm Waking up" in A Life Left Behind...UGH!

fuck melody

What brought THAT on?

[chaossystem]

Love all tracks except New Beginning and Our new world which I usually skip. They aren´t necessarily bad but doesn´t fit in with the rest IMO

I find the chorus of Our New World to be kind of annoying, but not enough to put it on my "hate list."

I think it would have been better if they had recorded the "jam" at the end of A New Beginning as a separate track.

[MirrorMask]

There's nothing I outright dislike on this album, just stuff I like less. And that would be Begin Again, Whispers in the Wind, The X Aspect and A Life Left Behind, even though it has at least a couple of great passages ("I'll plan to return well disguised..." and the Arabelle speaking to Daryus section).

And yeah, the chorus to Our New World is a bit annoying... the song itself is nice and I like the uplifting vibe, but there's only so many times I can listen to "Our new world" (and small variations of it) over and over and over and over.

[Zook]

There's nothing I outright dislike on this album, just stuff I like less. And that would be Begin Again, Whispers in the Wind, The X Aspect and A Life Left Behind, even though it has at least a couple of great passages ("I'll plan to return well disguised..." and the Arabelle speaking to Daryus section).

And yeah, the chorus to Our New World is a bit annoying... the song itself is nice and I like the uplifting vibe, but there's only so many times I can listen to "Our new world" (and small variations of it) over and over and over and over.

Clearly you aren't an Iron Maiden fan.

[MirrorMask]

Take a wild guess at which actually is my favorite band 

[Zook]

Take a wild guess at which actually is my favorite band 

You're a weird guy, Ace. A weird guy.

[BlackInk]

I think "my music player" sounds just fine. Besides, 200 years into the future, people might not know the term iPod or mp3 player. What else would go there that wouldn't sound cheesy?

Nothing. They shouldn't have put that in at all.

[namgalsipsclar]

I forget what most of disc 2 sounds like so I'm basing this purely on Disc one, for which I'll go When Your Time Has Come. I actually like most of the song, but I hate the verses. Some of the most uninspired and mediocre parts of any Dream Theater stuff 

[Zook]

I think "my music player" sounds just fine. Besides, 200 years into the future, people might not know the term iPod or mp3 player. What else would go there that wouldn't sound cheesy?

Nothing. They shouldn't have put that in at all.

I knew someone would say that, but I just don't see the problem. It sure as hell isn't "day after day" bad. A young girl finds this ancient relic of times gone by. How else is she supposed to react? She isn't Doc Brown referring to a dance as a rhythmic ceremonial ritual. It's a music player. I don't know. Some people are just too worried about being judged by the music they like.

That being said, the crying sound effect is pretty awful, and I wish they would have looked a little harder to find a better one.

Just to clarify, it is the term "music player" that people are up in arms about right? If so, how is that even cheesy in this day and age when everyone doesn't leave the house without their headphones on?

[BlackInk]

Just to clarify, it is the term "music player" that people are up in arms about right? If so, how is that even cheesy in this day and age when everyone doesn't leave the house without their headphones on?

That doesn't make it a good lyric. Lyrics are supposed to be a form of poetry, but DT seems to have forgotten this over that last few years.

[bosk1]

I don't understand what could possibly be a problem with "music player" being a lyric. 

And, no, lyrics are not necessarily supposed to be a form of poetry.  They can be (and often are) prose as well.  But that is beside the point anyway.  Someone's odd subjective problem with a perfectly good lyric does not somehow make it "bad poetry" or something equally absurd.

[Zook]

Just to clarify, it is the term "music player" that people are up in arms about right? If so, how is that even cheesy in this day and age when everyone doesn't leave the house without their headphones on?

That doesn't make it a good lyric. Lyrics are supposed to be a form of poetry, but DT seems to have forgotten this over that last few years.

I wouldn't consider anything on The Astonishing poetry. Not because I think the lyrics are bad, but because the lyrics are conveying a story in the style of a musical. If the lyrics to TA were like Under a Glass Moon, no one would know what the fuck it's about.

I like cheesy music, but there is a line to cross. The Astonishing hasn't crossed that line. The sound effects are pretty bad, but the music and lyrics are just fine to me. At least there isn't any abysmal voice acting like on Seventh Wonder's Mercy Falls.