Who is MVP of Image and Words?

[LKap13]

There was a thread about MVP of each album a while back but I'm curious to see some poll results.

I voted Potrnoy

[TAC]

Tough call between MP and James, but ultimately I went with James. That said, MP is amazing.

[bosk1]

Tough call between MP and James, but ultimately I went with James. That said, MP is amazing.

Yeah, I agree on James.  His voice is what got a lot of people into this band back then.  All the players are amazing as well, but James is really upfront and brings it home.

[The Walrus]

Yup, chalk up another vote for James here. His voice turns that record from just 'great' to 'amazing.'

[pg1067]

I&W is a serious all-band effort, so picking just one player is tough.  I went with KM because he exemplified how keyboards could work as a featured instrument in a metal band.  JLB and JM would be close behind.

[bosk1]

I went with KM because he exemplified how keyboards could work as a featured instrument in a metal band. 

That's a really good point and something I gave them huge points for back then.  In the '80s, I was really craving bands using keyboards in a big way that didn't just sound cheesy.  And nobody was doing it back then.  All the hard rock/metal bands that were using keys basically did so to make the music sound more poppy and radio-friendly rather than truly elevating the music by having some complex keyboard parts that complimented the guitars.  When DT came along, they brought that perfect balance of heavy guitars with complex keys that I had been craving, and that was a HUGE draw for me.

[KevShmev]

JLB, for sure.  An all-time great vocal performance (from a total album standpoint).

[kaos2900]

JLB easy.

[Northern Lion]

I chose JLB as well.  I think he had a lot to prove on this album because it was his first with the band and the band I'm sure was really hoping to finally break through.  And often times the lead singer can make or break a band and JLB delivered big time.

[Cool Chris]

Hearing James on PMU made me think "dang I gotta listen to more of this band!" so based on that I'll go with him. But it is a slim margin over the rest.

[Volante99]

Hearing James on PMU made me think "dang I gotta listen to more of this band!" so based on that I'll go with him. But it is a slim margin over the rest.

Ditto. Tough call, part of me wants to pick Kevin Moore because I think he's the ace in the whole here, BUT LaBrie belting out "WATCH THE SPARROW FALLING..." really grabbed my attention annnnd the rest is history and I've been a fan ever since.

[MarkFitDT]

Great performances from all but MVP is definitely James.

[CharlesPL]

JP

[mikeyd23]

James

[Ninjabait]

LaBrie, followed by JP. Hard not to be the MVP of an album when you hit a freaking F#5 on it.

[LKap13]

This is an interesting video of Metropolis with just drums, bass and keys. To me it shows that petrucci was no the MVP of I&W (not that he's getting that many votes anyway)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YjgFvAofw

[Infinite Cactus]

James. He's untouchable on this and Awake.

[pg1067]

This is an interesting video of Metropolis with just drums, bass and keys. To me it shows that petrucci was no the MVP of I&W (not that he's getting that many votes anyway)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YjgFvAofw

Huh?  Not arguing, but how exactly does this "show[] that [P]etrucci was no[t] the MVP of I&W"?

[LKap13]

The track sounds pretty damn good with just keys, drums and bass. Thst what I meant.

[pg1067]

The track sounds pretty damn good with just keys, drums and bass. Thst what I meant.

Ok, but I don't agree at all.  I found myself filling in the missing guitar and vocals.  It was cool to hear some of the subtle bass stuff that isn't audible with the guitar and vocals, but that's about all.

[Loggins]

Portnoy, but if WDADU is taken into consideration James is what takes it home. DT would not be what they are without Labrie.

[Max Kuehnau]

James to me. Imagine this album without him. No dice there at all.