What would you consider to be the best album for each member of the band?

[Misirlou]

As in, which album has LaBrie´s best vocals, Petrucci´s best guitar work, etc.

For me:

James LaBrie: Awake

John Petrucci: Train of Thought

Jordan Rudess: Octavarium

John Myung : Images and Words

Mike Portnoy: Scenes from a Memory

Mike Mangini: Distance Over Time

Kevin Moore: Awake

(Not counting Charlie Dominici or Derek Sheridian since they only made 1 full length album each).

[Jamesman42]

JLB = Awake
JM = Awake
JP = IaW
JR = SDOIT
MP = TOT I guess?

KM = IaW
MM = ADTOE

[CraftyCaleb2483]

James LaBrie: Images and Words

John Petrucci: Images and Words

John Myung: Awake

Jordan Rudess: Octavarium

Mike Portnoy: Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

Kevin Moore: Images and Words

Mike Mangini: A View From The Top Of The World

[Kocak]

James LaBrie - The Astonishing
John Petrucci - Images and Words
John Myung - Awake
Jordan Rudess - Octavarium
Mike Portnoy - Train of Thought
Kevin Moore - Awake
Mike Mangini - A View from the Top of the World

[SeRoX]

James LaBrie - Awake
John Petrucci - Awake
John Myung - Awake
Mike Portnoy - Train of Thought
Jordan Rudess - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

Kevin Moore - Awake
Mike Mangini - A View From the Top of the World

[efx]

James LaBrie - Images & Words
John Petrucci - Awake
John Myung - Falling Into Infinity
Mike Portnoy - Awake
Jordan Rudess - Scenes
Kevin Moore - Awake
Mike Mangini - A View From the Top of the World

[Kram]

James LaBrie - Images & Words
John Petrucci - TOT
John Myung - Images & Words
Mike Portnoy - 6DOIT
Jordan Rudess - SFAM

Kevin Moore - Awake
Mike Mangini - A View

[Schurftkut]

James LaBrie: Awake

John Petrucci: 6 degrees of inner turbulence

Jordan Rudess: 6 degrees of inner turbulence

John Myung : awake

Mike Portnoy: images & words

Mike Mangini: Distance Over Time

Kevin Moore: Images & Words

[BeatriceNB]

James LaBrie: Images & Words
John Petrucci: Images & Words
Kevin Moore: Images & Words
Jordan Rudess: Six Degrees
John Myung: Awake
Mike Portnoy: WDADU
Mike Mangini: A View

Funny how for the original members (and LaBrie), it's dominated by the early albums But I think I&W is where everyone shows their skills and range; I could also choose I&W for Portnoy, but I pick WDADU based on preference, and Awake is another valid option. I go for Awake with Myung solely for Lifting Shadows Off A Dream

As for Rudess, he has a very nice diversity of timbres in SDOIT, but SFAM could be a reasonable choice too, as well The Astonishing.
As for Mangini, any of the albums with him is a right answer, but in A View he outdid himself, completely unhinged, as I see it.

[Dream Team]

JP: Scenes
MP: Scenes
JM: WDaDU
JLB: The Astonishing
KM: Images
JR: SDoIT
MM: AVFTTOTW

[MidnightSlice]

LaBrie - Images
Portnoy - Black Clouds
Myung - Train
Petrucci - Awake
Moore - Awake
Rudess - Parasomnia
Mangini - Dramatic

[Volante99]

LaBrie- Images
Petrucci- Awake
Rudess - Dramatic Turn
Myung - Awake
Portnoy - 6DOIT

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

JLB: Images & Words

MP: Train of Thought

KM: Images & Words

JM: I am genuinely unsure. There doesn't appear to be an obvious answer.

JR: Scenes From A Memory

JP: A Dramatic Turn of Events but this could have been any number of albums.

MM: A View From the Top of the World

[CraftyCaleb2483]

Rudess - Parasomnia

Interesting, I've always thought that Rudess was not as present on this album as any of the others. What are your thoughts on this?

[Max Kuehnau]

As in, which album has LaBrie´s best vocals, Petrucci´s best guitar work, etc.

For me:

James LaBrie: Awake

John Petrucci: Train of Thought

Jordan Rudess: Octavarium

John Myung : Images and Words

Mike Portnoy: Scenes from a Memory

Mike Mangini: Distance Over Time

Kevin Moore: Awake

(Not counting Charlie Dominici or Derek Sheridian since they only made 1 full length album each).

James: DT12 and The Astonishing (Awake for MP era DT, not I/W, sadly, thanks to Take The Time)
John: Dramatic Turn and The Astonishing
JM: View
Jordan: View
MM: View, DT12 and Dramatic Turn
MP: none
KM: Awake
(didn't listen to Parasomnia, so that one isn't part of it. I do like Charlie's performance on WDADU (although I much prefer James' entire live version) and I consider FII to be the worst DT album ever in any aspect.)

[MidnightSlice]

Interesting, I've always thought that Rudess was not as present on this album as any of the others. What are your thoughts on this?

I think his restraint and focusing more on sounds supporting the songs as much as I can remember is the most enjoyable he's been for my ears. He still has some ripping solos though and and also some double with the guitar goodness as well. I think his sounds "sound" as good for my tastes.

[TheCountOfNYC]

James Labrie-Images and Words
John Myung-When Dream and Day Unite
John Petrucci-Scenes From a Memory
Mike Portnoy-Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Jordan Rudess-Scenes From a Memory

Mike Mangini-A View From the Top of the World
Kevin Moore-Awake

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Interesting to see Moore being paired with Awake over Images. Aside from SDV he was barely contributing to the sausage making during the Awake sessions, according to Mike.

[Max Kuehnau]

today I found out that the mixing process relates to the making of sausages  (you're right though, he left the band during it)

[WilliamMunny]

Cool thread topic!

I'm, let's see...

James LaBrie – 8VM (I love this era for his voice both live and in studio)

JP — 6 Degrees (by far my favorite tone for him, and a nice middle ground between the tasty early years and the shred-heavy era that follows)

JR — 8VM (he really killed it on this one)

JM — FII (love, love, love his tone and playing on this one. I only like this album more with each passing year and Myung is a big reason why)

MP — 6Degrees (his best drum sound to my ears. The final unison run leading into the 3rd chorus of "Blind Faith" is probably my favorite moment for him in the catalog.

KM – Awake
DS — FII
MM — ADTOE (yes, really. Actually like the drums here.)

[Schurftkut]

today I found out that the mixing process relates to the making of sausages  (you're right though, he left the band during it)

6oClock is 100% Kevin, there's a demo on youtube with the drumcomputer I also believe the linernotes said something about kevin mostly delivering atmosphere to the stuff they wrote, not that he didn't do anything. So 2 whole songs on Awake are by kevin only

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

6oClock is 100% Kevin, there's a demo on youtube with the drumcomputer I also believe the linernotes said something about kevin mostly delivering atmosphere to the stuff they wrote, not that he didn't do anything. So 2 whole songs on Awake are by kevin only

Interesting - I didn't know that about 6:00. I haven't really connected in a super strong way with anything he played on Awake but I mostly had in mind some of the things that were written in Lifting Shadows, since I just got past the part where they hired Derek. Mike basically says KM's contributions on Awake were very diminished and 'didn't exist' at all or not up to the level they had been used to.

[Max Kuehnau]

which is what I remember as well, so this was interesting to me too

[Dream Team]

JLB: Images & Words

MP: Train of Thought

KM: Images & Words

JM: I am genuinely unsure. There doesn't appear to be an obvious answer.

JR: Scenes From A Memory

JP: A Dramatic Turn of Events but this could have been any number of albums.

MM: A View From the Top of the World

Regarding JM, have you not listened to WDaDU? Honest question.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Regarding JM, have you not listened to WDaDU? Honest question.

Not really. I haven't spent much time with it. Gave it a spin recently and I'll definitely be going back to it in the future. Only one person besides you cited that album has his best though.

[dualpalmpilots]

JM: WDaDU

Sad basslines forever, man.

[MidnightSlice]

Interesting to see Moore being paired with Awake over Images. Aside from SDV he was barely contributing to the sausage making during the Awake sessions, according to Mike.

Maybe not as much involved in overall writing etc. Sure looked like he's having fun on the making of vids. SDV alone is almost worthy of any award I'd give him plus every song has memorable keyboard parts and/or sounds for me.

[Ben_Jamin]

Hmm...I actually have to think about this one...

JP: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

JM: Distance Over Time

MP: Systematic Chaos

JLB: The Astonishing

JR: Dream Theater

MM: A View From The Top of The World

KM: Images and Words

[Max Kuehnau]

Not really. I haven't spent much time with it. Gave it a spin recently and I'll definitely be going back to it in the future. Only one person besides you cited that album has his best though.

JM does have really nice bass parts on the album IMHO

[Cavalry of Despair]

JLB - Awake
JP - I&W
JM - Awake
MP - I&W
KM - I&W
JR - SFAM
MM - View

For all of the og guys (and James) it was a toss-up between I&W and Awake. For Jordan, it was between SFAM and SDOIT, but I feel the material of SFAM suits his style more.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Fun question!

James: Images and Words
Petrucci: Scenes from a Memory
Myung: Awake
Portnoy: Scenes from a Memory
Moore: Awake
Rudess: Scenes from a Memory
Mangini: A View from the Top of the World

[pg1067]

JM: WDaDU

Yeah...I don't have much of an opinion about most of these, but JM sounded best on WDADU, and mix absolutely highlighted what he was doing.

MP: none

That's just petty as fuck.

[SuperTaco]

Indeed, the anti MP bias is very clear with that poster.

JLB - I&W
JM - WDADU
JR - SFAM
MP - I&W
JP - SFAM
MM - D/T