Your top ten Dream Theater songs.

[Dave_Manchester]

So I asked in another thread if a thread like this already existed and apparently it doesn't; or at least, not recently.

The Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence thread got me thinking about my favourite DT songs, and this is what I have for my top 10:

1. Octavarium
2. Misunderstood
3. Disappear
4. A Change of Seasons.
5. Trial of Tears
6. Stream of Consciousness
7. In The Name of God
8. The Count of Tuscany
9. Home
10. Breaking All Illusions

Yours?

[Ninjabait]

01. Octavarium
02. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
03. The Bigger Picture
04. Sacrificed Sons
05. Endless Sacrifice
06. On the Backs of Angels
07. Fatal Tragedy
08. Blind Faith
09. Three Days
10. Hell's Kitchen

At the moment, anyways. The bottom four can be switched out at a moment's notice

[Dave_Manchester]

03. The Bigger Picture

Nice to see love for this song. I'm a massive fan of DT12, I think it's one of their masterpieces.

[CharlesPL]

1. Learning to Live
2. A Change of Seasons
3. Trial of Tears
4. Metropolis pt. 1
5. Six Degrees
6. Surrounded
7. Octavarium
8. Another Day
9. Don't Look Past Me
10. Scarred

[NoFred]

Hard not to just tracklist I&W for my top 8...

1. Learning to Live
2. The Glass Prison
3. A Change of Seasons
4. About to Crash
5. Under A Glass Moon
6. Breaking All Illusions
7. Metropolis Pt 1
8. Strange Deja Vu
9.  The Root of All Evil
10. Voices
10. In the Presence of Enemies Pt 1 (edit I had 11 somehow, consider these tied)

ETA: this really made me consider where AWE fits in since it’s tier 1 IMO but not enough to break top 10... and flip side some reflection on what a great song BAI is.

[Volante99]

Bottom 5 are pretty interchangeable to me

1. Learning to Live
2. Metropolis Part 1
2. Scarred
3. Breaking All Illusions
4. Octavarium
5. A Change of Seasons
6. Lie
7. The Glass Prison
8. Fatal Tragedy
9. Pull Me Under
10. Wait for Sleep

[TAC]

1. Learning To Live
2. Octavarium
3. Scarred
4. The Killing Hand
5. Space Dye Vest
6. Breaking All Illusions
7. Take The Time
8. Lines In The Sand
9. The Count Of Tuscany
10. A Change Of Seasons

[DTA]

Not really in any order:

1. A Change Of Seasons
2. Scarred
3. Trial of Tears
4. Breaking All Illusions
5. Disappear
6. Speak To Me
7. Lines In The Sand
8. Octavarium
9. Learning To Live
10. Finally Free

[Zydar]

In chronological order:

Another Day
Surrounded
Learning To Live
The Spirit Carries On
Finally Free
Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
In The Name Of God
Breaking All Illusions
Surrender To Reason
Fall Into The Light

[krands85]

1. Learning to Live
2. Metropolis
3. Octavarium
4. In the Name of God
5. Breaking All Illusions
6. Take the Time
7. Illumination Theory
8. In the Presence of Enemies
9. A Change of Seasons
10. The Count of Tuscany

The top 3 are set in stone. The rest all belong in my top 10 as well, though they could move about a little. Sadly, nothing from the last 2 albums gets that close to the list (At Wit's End is probably around 20th). That came after a run of 6 albums in a row from Train of Thought to DT12 of 1 song from each album getting in there.

[MirrorMask]

Uh, hard to say. For sure the top 4 is consisted of:

Metropolis
A Change of Seasons
Voices
Octavarium

Then I'd love to cheat and mention "Metropolis part 2", otherwise I'd go with something like:

The Mirror
Home
Finally Free
Scarred
Take the Time
Learning to Live

But with so much quality it's even hard to pick the standouts among the countless songs I love so much.

[Freeze]

Only A Matter Of Time
The Killing Hand
Metropolis pt.1
Learning To Live
Under A Glass Moon
Space Dye-Vest
A Change of Seasons
Strange Deja-Vu
Finally Free
Octavarium

[Lonk]

Is awesome to see so much love for Learning To Live, it's such an amazing song (and such a beautifully arranged ending).

My top ten (not in any particular order)

-Learning To Live
-Stream of Consciousness
-At Wits End
-A Change of Seasons
-In The Presence of the Enemies (Pt 1/2)
-Panic Attack
-Lines in the Sand
-Metropolis Pt.1
-The Glass Prison
- Home

[romdrums]

My Top 10:

A Change of Seasons
Metropolis Part I
Scarred
Voices
Under a Glass Moon
In the Name of God
Breaking All Illusions
Learning to Live
The Mirror
Home

[The Walrus]

In no order

A Change of Seasons
Octavarium
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (not choosing parts, fight me)
Beneath the Surface
Surrounded
Take the Time
Vacant
6:00
Space-Dye Vest
Hollow Years

This could change in 5 minutes so

[TheCountOfNYC]

01: Octavarium
02: The Count of Tuscany
03: A Change of Seasons
04: Breaking All Illusions
05: Take the Time
06: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
07: The Dance of Eternity
08: Panic Attack
09: Constant Motion
10: Pale Blue Dot

[WilliamMunny]

Lists like these are so hard.

I'm one of those people that tends to place a heavy emphasis on the band's past - nothing can top Awake, etc.

But if I'm being honest, I find myself digging some of the later albums a whole lot more than I ever thought I would.
For instance, while I'd want to put a song like "Learning To Live" on my list, if I was making a mix to listen to tomorrow morning at the gym, I can't honestly say that it'd make the cut. Not that I don't love LTL, because I do, but after nearly 30 years of jamming that song, I realize that it's gotten edged out.

So, with all of that being said, and using my 'I'm gonna listen to this playlist right now!' criteria, here are my top 10 DT songs:

1: Octavarium
2: ITPOE (pt. 1 & 2 - I do consider them a whole song and always listen back to back)
3: Trial Of Tears
4: 6 Degrees
5: A Life Left Behind (My fav Mangini-era song - if only there were a handful more like this on TA)
6: To Live Forever (the 'OIALT' version from the Rotterdam show is actually my most listened to DT track according to Itunes)
7: Lines In The Sand
8: Home
9: Bridges In The Sky
10: Voices



Blowing my mind, because this list does not really follow my ablum rankings at all, but I suppose that's for another thread!

[Setlist Scotty]

Extremely difficult to do. I've managed to whittle it down, but I can't say whether this is my definite top 10 list or not, because I could easily flip flop on several of them with others that I also really enjoy, including a couple from the MM-era (somebody wake up Bosk - I'm sure he just passed out reading that). 

Anyway, here's what I came up with. All are just in chronological order, aside from LtL, which is my favorite DT track of all time:

Learning to Live
Light Fuse and Get Away
The Mirror (complete with reprise)
Space Dye Vest
A Change of Seasons
Lines in the Sand
Home
The Glass Prison
Disappear
The Count of Tuscany

Blowing my mind, because this list does not really follow my ablum rankings at all, but I suppose that's for another thread!

Agreed - same with me.

[Northern Lion]

I'm not sure if I can really put much of an order on my top 10, so I will just list them without numbers.

In the Presence of Enemies (entire song and this is actually my very favorite DT song and probably always will be)
The Count of Tuscany
Illumination Theory
Trial of Tears
Bridges in the Sky
Sacrificed Sons
Moment of Betrayal
The Great Debate
Beyond this Life
In the Name of God

I didn't include any from D/T because the album is still very new and I don't know how to rank it yet.

[Peter Mc]

Not really in order apart from LTL which remains my number 1 DT song.

1. Learning To Live
2. A Change Of Seasons
3. Metropolis Pt 1
4. Illumination Theory
5. Breaking All Illusions
6. Space Dye Vest
7. The Spirit Carries On
8. Trial of Tears
9. Take The Time
10. A Fortune In Lies

[TAC]

Learning to Live
Light Fuse and Get Away
The Mirror (complete with reprise)
Space Dye Vest
A Change of Seasons
Lines in the Sand
Home
The Glass Prison
Disappear
The Count of Tuscany

[KevShmev]

A Mind Beside Itself
Scarred
Learning to Live
Metropolis
Take the Time
Trial of Tears
In the Name of God
A Change of Seasons
Fatal Tragedy
Misunderstood

[Nekov]

I'll take the chronological order approach. I know which song is number 1, but the rest I'm not so sure

Surrounded
Learning to Live
Lifting Shadows off a Dream
Hell's Kitchen
Strange Deja Vu
Home
Blind Faith
Solitary Shell
Bridges in the Sky
Breaking all Illusions

[Super Dude]

You're all going to think I'm weird.

1. Lines in the Sand
2. 6:00
3. Caught in a Web
4. The Count of Tuscany (filed under "funny as hell")
5. Pull Me Under
6. Scarred
7. Anna Lee
8. New Millennium
9. Home
10. Don't Look Past Me

[jingle.boy]

A Mind Beside Itself

That's cheating   

1. Octavarium - also being my favorite song of all-time by any act.
2. A Change of Seasons
3. Metropolis Pt. 1
4. Learning to Live
5. Surrounded
6. In The Name of God
7. Scarred
8. Endless Sacrifice
9. Breaking All Illusions
10. Take the Time

[bosk1]

Extremely difficult to do. I've managed to whittle it down, but I can't say whether this is my definite top 10 list or not, because I could easily flip flop on several of them with others that I also really enjoy, including a couple from the MM-era (somebody wake up Bosk - I'm sure he just passed out reading that). 

All that.  And I also have to * my list and say that, while it is possible that a song or maybe two from d/t might make the cut, I don't typically include songs from whatever the latest album is whenever doing such a ranking.  The songs are still too fresh and new.  So here's my list, with a bit of explanation:

1.  Six Degrees:  I am conflicted about this.  It does have a few parts that I'm not in love with, whereas my #2 and #3 choices are solid from start to finish.  So I kind of feel like #2 and #3 are more solid.  But I just boil it down to this:  Sometimes, more is just more.
2.  A Change of Seasons:  If we are limited to studio versions, this song might actually slip down a couple of spots.  But the live performance on LSFNY is perfection.  The passion of that performance was and is a defining moment in my DT fandom and holds a VERY special place in my heart.
3.  Octavarium:  Perfection from start to finish.  And I love how the song explores its theme in so many different ways and gets so "meta" in different levels.
4.  Metropolis:  Pull Me Under was the first song I heard and the first song that hooked me.  Metropolis was the first song from them that really bent my mind and got me to think about music in a different way.  In many ways, it was and is the "definitive" DT song.  It really captures everything the band is about.
5.  Lines in the Sand:  This song really brought out a different side of DT.  And I realize that a lot of that was Derek's influence and a perfect storm of events.  But sometimes, that's how great songs are written.
6.  Scarred:  The herky-jerky transitions really put me off this song for the longest time.  But once I got over it, the raw power and many layers of this song really floored me.
7.  Bridges in the Sky:  Such atmosphere, and so many emotions captured musically.  I just love it.
8.  The Mirror:  Simple song, by DT standards.  But it is powerful and effective.  I love the version on LSFNY with the bits that became Lie re-introduced back into this song.  That really took it to another level for me.
9.  Trial of Tears:  So many moods in this song, and all of them cool.  This is one of those songs that simply paints a lot of different pictures in your mind and is more about moods than particular subjects, and it works.
10.  Home:  That whole intro leading up to the first vocal passage is one of my favorite DT moments of all time.  The verses and chorus are fantastic.  The instrumental break really takes you on a journey, and I love how, by the end of it, you are about a million miles away from the main musical themes of the song, and them it seamlessly brings you right back.  If not for the porn samples, this might be top 5. 

Some honorable mentions:  Take Away My Pain, The Glass Prison, In the Name of God, Panic Attack, Forsaken, Constant Motion, A Nightmare To Remember, Outcry, Beneath the Surface, The Bigger Picture, Behind the Veil, Along for the Ride, S2N, At Wit's End

[KevShmev]

A Mind Beside Itself

That's cheating   

Haha, maybe, but if some can count the two In the Presence of Enemies tracks as one song, or The Mirror with the reprise at the end of another as one song, or Six Degrees as one song, then I can count A Mind Beside Itself as one song.

[MirrorMask]

8.  The Mirror:  Simple song, by DT standards.  But it is powerful and effective.  I love the version on LSFNY with the bits that became Lie re-introduced back into this song.  That really took it to another level for me.

That version is also cool because of very effective background vocals by Mike. He can sometimes be over the top with his contributions (see Razor's Edge on Chaos in Motion), but the aggressive way he spits out "Hypocrite" and the rising "RrreeeeSISTANCE" are totally on point and badass.

[bosk1]

A Mind Beside Itself

That's cheating   

Haha, maybe, but if some can count the two In the Presence of Enemies tracks as one song, or The Mirror with the reprise at the end of another as one song, or Six Degrees as one song, then I can count A Mind Beside Itself as one song.

No

[jingle.boy]

I agree... Six Degrees is ONE SONG, with 8 tracks.  Same with ITPOE... one song, 2 parts/tracks (just because they are non-sequential doesn't make it a different song).

[bosk1]

I'm not even sure how The Mirror factors in.  That one utterly confuses me.

[Setlist Scotty]

I'm not even sure how The Mirror factors in.  That one utterly confuses me.

Exactly, being that it is a continuation of the Mirror. I think Shmev must have forgotten that DT decided to insert a song (Lie) within another song (The Mirror). Really, the single edit of Lie is the whole song - the last 1.5 minutes of track 8 on Awake is actually The Mirror, not Lie.

[MirrorMask]

I'm not even sure how The Mirror factors in.  That one utterly confuses me.

Exactly, being that it is a continuation of the Mirror. I think Shmev must have forgotten that DT decided to insert a song (Lie) within another song (The Mirror). Really, the single edit of Lie is the whole song - the last 1.5 minutes of track 8 on Awake is actually The Mirror, not Lie.

Mh, I've never looked at it this way.

[pg1067]

Didn't think I was going to be able to do this.

In no particular order:

Metropolis
Learning to Live
Scarred
A Change of Seasons
Home
Blind Faith
SDOIT
Octavarium
Breaking All Illusions
Illumination Theory

Honorable mention:  Stream of Consciousness

I'm not even sure how The Mirror factors into a top 10 list.  That one utterly confuses me.

Ditto.

The Mirror would probably be in (or very close to) my bottom 10 list.

[bosk1]

The Mirror would probably be in (or very close to) my bottom 10 list.

Well, that's the good thing about you having been here awhile.  You have enough of a posting history for me to know for certain that you have been wrong about a good many things.