Meta-Album

[Donmac1989]

What is everyones thoughts on the whole Meta Album thing? Where the albums from Scenes to Octavarium pretty much run like one whole album. One album ends with a noise or something that begins the next album.

[Adami]

It was pretty cool, for the most part.

[MirrorMask]

It was pretty cool, for the most part.

Yeah, they ended before it became a parody, also because they mainly used quickly all the possible tricks.

Static noise going on... cool.
Fade out becoming a fade in... cool.
Last note being played louder... already a stretch.
Closing the loop was good with Octavarium, with the song theme presenting the perfect excuse.

I wonder if the initial idea was just "hey since the static is going on, how about we start the album from that?" or they already decided it would be cool to do it for some albums more, and planned the ending of the records in advance, or in a way that could be logically constructed into the beginning of the next song.

[Setlist Scotty]

I wonder if the initial idea was just "hey since the static is going on, how about we start the album from that?" or they already decided it would be cool to do it for some albums more, and planned the ending of the records in advance, or in a way that could be logically constructed into the beginning of the next song.

I can't remember at what point MP came up with the idea - if it was before or after they had done SFaM - but by the time they got to doing SDoIT, I'm pretty sure he already had the idea. He was inspired by a little snippet at the very end of VH's Women and Children First album that is referred to as "Growth" that he thought would start off VH's next album. And then it didn't. So he thought it would be cool to actually link the next album with the previous one. Whether he decided at that moment that they should continue that idea for several albums, I don't recall.

[The Letter M]

When I discovered DT back in 04, before Octavarium came out, the idea was still fresh at the time, having only been used twice between SFAM and SDOIT, and again between SDOIT and TOT (though that was was probably less obvious unless you heard the albums back to back - you'd think it was just some chord fading in for effect). When Octavarium came out, it was REALLY awesome to hear how they used that VERY FAINT final low-F from the end of "In The Name Of God" to open "The Root Of All Evil".

What's the MOST brilliant thing about 8VM looping back in on itself is that "Octavarium" has 5 parts and then it loops back into TROAE, which has the 6th and 7th movements of the Twelve Step Suite, so even the movement numbers loop back in order (5 at the end of the album into 6 at the start).

I am glad they did end it with 8VM, though, and I know MP said he wanted it to be closed so that they wouldn't have any loose ends going into SC, and they could start fresh without having to find some way to connect it to the previous album, and the way it starts off, I can't imagine them having used any bits of the end of 8VM to open SC with without re-treading what they had already done with the other connections.

It was a great way to encapsulate that period of DT, as a way to signal the introduction of Jordan Rudess into the band, and it creates a very unique four-album-run that is very popular with a lot of fans (both SFAM and SDOIT still rank very high last I recall, and TOT and 8VM do pretty well, at least to me).

-Marc.

[noxon]

Well, originally octavarium didn't actually loop back to the beginning of the album - it ended with a flute repeating a theme from the song itself. It was rather late in the production process that they changed it - people had already received promos. Which is why it's possible to find versions pirated with the original ending out there.

[gzarruk]

Well, originally octavarium didn't actually loop back to the beginning of the album - it ended with a flute repeating a theme from the song itself. It was rather late in the production process that they changed it - people had already received promos. Which is why it's possible to find versions pirated with the original ending out there.

Mindblown
I like that they ended it with Octavarium, though, it worked perfectly with "this story ends where it began", and it let them write albums without having to connect everything with the previous and the next one.

Btw, and I know this wasn't necessarily intentional, the intro of OTBOA sounds very similar to the last part of TCOT.

[Lonk]

I honestly would've loved for Octavarium to finish with ticking clocks from SFAM's Regression.

[CodyWanKenobi]

I think the idea was really cool. People have argued with me about this on here, but I'm still convinced that the running water/birds chirping sound at the end of TCOT returns in the beginning of OTBOA, just slowed down a bit which is why it sounds lower.

[AboutToCrash]

I think the idea was really cool. People have argued with me about this on here, but I'm still convinced that the running water/birds chirping sound at the end of TCOT returns in the beginning of OTBOA, just slowed down a bit which is why it sounds lower.

I'm convinced of this too

[SystematicThought]

All I hear is a voice saying Scooby Doo

[YtseJamittaja]

Well, originally octavarium didn't actually loop back to the beginning of the album - it ended with a flute repeating a theme from the song itself. It was rather late in the production process that they changed it - people had already received promos. Which is why it's possible to find versions pirated with the original ending out there.

Wow, never thought/knew about this and just listened that I have a version with flute outro on cd but listened the Spotify version and it was different. Interesting!

[YtseJamittaja]

All I hear is a voice saying Scooby Doo

Actually Scooby dooby doo*

That ruined the whole feeling of the song when somebody mentioned about it!

[gzarruk]

That ruined the whole feeling of the song when somebody mentioned about it!

Same thing happened to me with Wither after I heard the version mixed with the Gangnam Style vocals, now I hear PSY singing every time the song starts

[YtseJamittaja]

That ruined the whole feeling of the song when somebody mentioned about it!

Same thing happened to me with Wither after I heard the version mixed with the Gangnam Style vocals, now I hear PSY singing every time the song starts

Yeah, this too! 

[Herrick]

What is everyones thoughts on the whole Meta Album thing? Where the albums from Scenes to Octavarium pretty much run like one whole album. One album ends with a noise or something that begins the next album.

I never even knew about this. It seems like a cool idea.

[hefdaddy42]

I honestly would've loved for Octavarium to finish with ticking clocks from SFAM's Regression.

That would have been sweet.

[RuRoRul]

Well, originally octavarium didn't actually loop back to the beginning of the album - it ended with a flute repeating a theme from the song itself. It was rather late in the production process that they changed it - people had already received promos. Which is why it's possible to find versions pirated with the original ending out there.

That's also why it's possible to find the rare super secret original idea for the start of Systematic Chaos, where ITPOE Part 1 starts with a blistering flute solo version of the opening riff before the guitar comes in.

This can be found in the same place you can find the full ending to Pull Me Under.

[Mladen]

Well, originally octavarium didn't actually loop back to the beginning of the album - it ended with a flute repeating a theme from the song itself. It was rather late in the production process that they changed it - people had already received promos. Which is why it's possible to find versions pirated with the original ending out there.

What a coincidence that I heard this version for the first time today. I was so freaked out that I actually though that had been there for the whole time and I've noticed it just now. 

[rab7]

Well, originally octavarium didn't actually loop back to the beginning of the album - it ended with a flute repeating a theme from the song itself. It was rather late in the production process that they changed it - people had already received promos. Which is why it's possible to find versions pirated with the original ending out there.

That's also why it's possible to find the rare super secret original idea for the start of Systematic Chaos, where ITPOE Part 1 starts with a blistering flute solo version of the opening riff before the guitar comes in.

This can be found in the same place you can find the full ending to Pull Me Under.

Fun fact: quoting entire comments completely ruins any "fine print" bamboozle attempts.

I was about to argue with you until I saw it