How Popular Was Dream Theater in 1989?

[Herrick]

I was reading about Geddy Lee and came across this article from Guitar For The Practicing Musician July 1989. When Day And Dream Unite came out a few months before and I thought it strange that Dream Theater was mentioned along with Queensryche who had been around since the early 80s.

I do not know how popular that magazine was but they were able to get an interview with Geddy Lee. So how well-known was Dream Theater in the Prog Land in 1989?

Edit: Crap sorry about the link: http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19890700guitarpracticingmusician.htm

[hefdaddy42]

There were certainly people who liked that album, but they weren't really what I would call "popular."  The only live performances they could get together were local club shows - no real "touring".

[Setlist Scotty]

I was reading about Geddy Lee and came across this article from Guitar For The Practicing Musician July 1989. When Day And Dream Unite came out a few months before and I thought it strange that Dream Theater was mentioned along with Queensryche who had been around since the early 80s.

I do not know how popular that magazine was but they were able to get an interview with Geddy Lee. So how well-known was Dream Theater in the Prog Land in 1989?

Can you share the article? The URL you have in your post doesn't actually link to anything.

But to answer your question, most of the popularity that they had really was local (primarily in the NYC area). Reviews of WDaDU did appear in magazines such as Kerrang, RIP, Raw and Metal Forces, and there were a handful of articles about the band in some of the same magazines, but because Mechanic never gave them the financial support they needed to make a video or go on tour, they never developed a following of any significance.

[faizoff]

I'm pretty sure Alex Lifeson also mentions Dream Theater around 1989 or 90 in Beyond The LIghted Stage documentary as a band he's excited to hear more about.

[Stadler]

I was reading about Geddy Lee and came across this article from Guitar For The Practicing Musician July 1989. When Day And Dream Unite came out a few months before and I thought it strange that Dream Theater was mentioned along with Queensryche who had been around since the early 80s.

I do not know how popular that magazine was but they were able to get an interview with Geddy Lee. So how well-known was Dream Theater in the Prog Land in 1989?

I can't speak for DT then, but GFTPM was a mainstream magazine. They had top-line interviews and some of their staff was pretty plugged in to the guitar scene, pun intended.

[Setlist Scotty]

Can you share the article? The URL you have in your post doesn't actually link to anything.

Never mind. I think I found the article here:
http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19890700guitarpracticingmusician.htm

[pg1067]

I was reading about Geddy Lee and came across this article from Guitar For The Practicing Musician July 1989. When Day And Dream Unite came out a few months before and I thought it strange that Dream Theater was mentioned along with Queensryche who had been around since the early 80s.

I do not know how popular that magazine was but they were able to get an interview with Geddy Lee. So how well-known was Dream Theater in the Prog Land in 1989?

Interesting.  I have that issue of GFTPM (I think I still had a subscription at that point), and I assume I read it at the time.  Calling Rush "the premiere progressive metal band" is curious given that they hadn't released anything that could remotely be called "metal" in well over a decade.  I don't think I'd even heard that term at that time.  Probably in 1990, my band used the term "progressive metal" on some promotional material, and I thought it was something we had come up with.  Anyway...

I've told this story before, but it's apt here.  At some point in 1989 (would have had to have been after March but probably before August), I was watching MTV.  Queensryche was still riding high on the wave generated by Operation: Mindcrime, and MTV had a little snippet about "other bands you might like if you mentioned Queensryche."  The three that they mentioned were DT, Fates Warning and Crimson Glory.  I immediately set about looking for albums by these bands.  I eventually ended up at a store in Cypress, CA called Bionic Records that had a lot of imports and more obscure stuff.  I found Fates Warning's 1988 release No Exit.  I bought it and immediately fell in love.  I also found Crimson Glory (either the eponymous debut album or the 1988 follow up, Transcendence, or both).  I didn't buy it because I was turned off by the silly masks they wore and the mononymous singer "Midnight."  Sounded way too cheesy.  But I couldn't find anything by DT.  I even asked the guy to check his catalog to see if it was something that could be special-ordered, but he couldn't find anything.

Fast forward to August 1989, and Fates Warning released Perfect Symmetry.  I bought it and noticed that one of the songs (At Fates Hands) featured a guest musician, Kevin Moore of Dream Theater.  That prompted me to renew my quest for this band, but I still came up empty.

Over the next couple years, I forgot about Dream Theater.  But then, in October 1991, you guessed it, Fates Warning released its next album Parallels.  Again, one song featured a guest - this time, it was James Labrie of "Dream Theatre" (which makes for a curious footnote that JLB's first public performance as a member of DT was not on a DT release or at a show that DT performed).  At this point, it felt like I was being taunted.  Who the fuck was this band?!  I looked again, but still...nothing.  Then, finally, in the summer of 1992, I&W and PMU were released on a wide scale.

So...the moral of the story is that DT got a few isolated mentions in 1989, but they were virtual unknowns.  I assume any notoriety they had in the tri-state area did not extend beyond that area, and they were all but unheard of on the west coast (where glam was still king).  Also, I don't believe WDADU got any sort of wide/national release, but that's just based on my own unsuccessful efforts to find it, and DT never toured in support of the album.

[Setlist Scotty]

Also, I don't believe WDADU got any sort of wide/national release, but that's just based on my own unsuccessful efforts to find it, and DT never toured in support of the album.

It did get a wide/national release, although I don't think that many copies were distributed to any one store. IIRC, I was able to pick up a copy (in a longbox - how I wish I still had it!) at I believe a Musicland in the local mall in Milwaukee. However, I think it took at least a few months before it appeared - I want to say June or July.

[HOF]

I'm pretty sure Alex Lifeson also mentions Dream Theater around 1989 or 90 in Beyond The LIghted Stage documentary as a band he's excited to hear more about.

Yes, though where I remember seeing it was in the bonus content for R30. I believe it was during the 1990 Juno Awards "artist of the decade" interview.

I remember seeing that and thinking "Alex had heard about Dream Theater just on the strength of WDADU?" And then he named them kind of like they were a household name.

Found it on YouTube (linked directly to the comment):

https://youtu.be/qXYjTVIr7Vc?t=690

[TAC]

I've told my college radio story a number of times, but suffice to say that I actually had WDADU in my hands, and it really slipped through my fingers which is really frustrating because Providence was one of the handful of shows in support of WDADU.


I didn't read GFTPM, but it was a magazine that was everywhere. I'll take Scotty's word that it was reviewed in Kerrang! Even if I saw the review (I got my hands on as many Kerrangs as I could in those days), I'm not sure if it would've meant anything. I was into metal, and while I loved O:M, I was turned off at the Grimson Glory image and skipped right over them.

I was more into metal at that time, and was not really following everything Rush did at the time. Any band compared to Rush in 1989 likely would not of piqued my interest.

That said, other than actually seeing the album, I never heard of Dream Theater anywhere.

Dr. Metal (DJ at WHJY in Providence/also sadly killed in The Station nightclub fire) must've played them, but I don't remember. I mention him because he got a shout out in the I&W liner notes.

[faizoff]

Yes, though where I remember seeing it was in the bonus content for R30. I believe it was during the 1990 Juno Awards "artist of the decade" interview.

I remember seeing that and thinking "Alex had heard about Dream Theater just on the strength of WDADU?" And then he named them kind of like they were a household name.

Found it on YouTube (linked directly to the comment):

https://youtu.be/qXYjTVIr7Vc?t=690

Ah yes that's right, I remember Alex's hair and misremembered it being from the documentary movie. Thanks for the link.

[Setlist Scotty]

I'll take Scotty's word that it was reviewed in Kerrang! Even if I saw the review (I got my hands on as many Kerrangs as I could in those days), I'm not sure if it would've meant anything. I was into metal, and while I loved O:M, I was turned off at the Grimson Glory image and skipped right over them.

Kerrang 229 – March 11, 1989 (later photocopied in an issue of Spirit of Rush fanzine)

Dream Theater
When Dream And Day Unite (MCA MCF 3445)
Rating: 5 out of 5 – Kataklysmik
This morning I place a tape in my hi-fi system. It is by a new American rock group called Dream Theater. We press the play button and I am immediately phased. There are sounds coming out of my speakers that I have not experienced for 16 years or more.
I hope you are beginning to cotton on to what is going on here. This is a new record by a new band who appear to be anxious to re-experience the years 1972 to 1978, the golden age of progressive rock music. Surprisingly they do it very well and for that we shall deliver them a more than positive appraisal of their work – that's eight tracks or, if you like, all 51 minutes 17 seconds' worth.
'When Dream And Day Unite' is a preposterous title. It suggests that the contents are in some way selective, a poignant cut above the rest and in that respect our assumption is absolutely correct. Here is musical dexterity I have not heard in hard rock circles since the glory jazz rock days of Dixie Dregs or, as a more accurate description, early Kansas.
Keyboards run wild in all directions conjuring up sounds from the common or garden Hammond organ to the more select poly-Moog. Meanwhile, the guitar playing is of such an awesome technical standard that I was immediately reminded of a sensational hybrid of Jeff Beck ('Blow By Blow' vintage) and Phil Manzanera (Brand X).
Then there is the drumming to consider. We must now all sit down and breathe deeply because in Mike Portnoy I see someone who is clearly better than Neil Peart or Billy Cobham. Yes, this record is a wonderful bundle of fun and even the longest track – that's the madcap opus 'The Killing Hand', which weighs in at a cosy nine minutes – is so captivating that it appears to be over before it's even begun.
Dream Theater stick out of the current scene like a sore thumb. Every track tells a story, whether it be about lost love or castles in the sky, and there for all to mock is a real life all instrumental track 'The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun' (what a marvelous title) which twists, weaves and hops on the spot like a Mexican jumping bean.
I return to the tape deck and select the continuous play mode. Dream Theater and myself are now the best of buddies and we will continue to enjoy each other's company for many moons. Tonight, as they say, will last forever.
—Derek Oliver

[TAC]

Thanks Scott. I don't think I've ever read that. Even if I did back then, I wouldn't have remembered it. There's nothing in that review that jumps out at 20 y/o TAC.



Scott Ian on the cover!

[bosk1]

So...the moral of the story is that DT got a few isolated mentions in 1989, but they were virtual unknowns. 

This pretty much sums it up.  Yes, they got a few isolated VERY positive reviews and a few isolated mentions by some respected musicians and others in the industry.  But they were very few and very isolated.  The album was not widely distributed and there was practically no touring, so they did not really have even a cult following outside the NYC area. 

[devieira73]

Oliver's review is incredible in a sense that he already recognized the greatness of the band so early on. It seems that his cassete came with the label of side B placed on side A.
Great archive, Scott, thanks!

[TAC]

Oliver's review is incredible in a sense that he already recognized the greatness of the band so early on. It seems that his cassete came with the label of side B placed on side A.
Great archive, Scott, thanks!

Wasn't Derek Oliver involved with DT in some capacity?

[Setlist Scotty]

Great archive, Scott, thanks!

You're welcome! Here's one more from Kerrang 233 the following month:

Prog Rock Lives... Run To The Hills!
...Cos another frantic flurry of angst-ridden adjectives and superb superlatives are flowing from the cuddly quill of Derek Oliver. This time it's all in the name of Dream Theater, American complex rockers/proggies extraordinaire and creators of the fascinating 'When Dream And Day Unite' LP

By Derek Oliver

They stand alone. Unique in their quest for musical perfection. Dream Theater have no boundaries. Their frontier terminates at the edge of infinity. Not surprisingly, yours truly has taken to this band like a fish to water.

They remind me of wonderfully complex '70s acts such as King Crimson, Emerson Lake And Palmer, Pavlov's Dog and Badger.

They have also drawn inspiration from such complex Metal acts as Rush, Kansas, Dixie Dregs and, unbelievably, Queensrÿche.

'When Dream And Day Unite', the Dream Theater debut, is a fascinating record. That there has been nothing similar to it released in the last 10 years makes it even more spectacular.

Their music ability is faultless, they attempt rhythms that I previously thought never existed – drummer Mike Portnoy is seriously shaping up to snatch the crown of Neil Peart.

That they are as heavy as hell goes without saying. With Portnoy's fierce drumming and bassist John Myung laying down a concrete hard foundation, the guitar and keyboard interplay of John Petrucci and Kevin Moore take matters into a Techno Metal paradise.

Best of all however, are the intense vocal gymnastics of singer Charlie Dominici, who can easily be compared to a spectacular combination of Steve Walsh (Kansas), Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche) and Geddy Lee (Rush).

In 1985, whilst studying at the world famous Berkeley college of music in Boston, three students – that's John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy – formed an embryonic rock 'n' roll trio called Majesty.

Convinced that a career in rock 'n' roll was the thing for them, they returned, in December of that year, to their homes in Long Island and commenced a long and arduous quest to find a competent keyboard player.

They eventually commissioned Kevin Moore, an old friend of the band, who fitted their unique style like a dream come true.

The search was now on, of course, for a suitable vocalist.

After initially securing the services of a chap called Chris Collins, in the Autumn of 1987 he was replaced by current singer Charlie Dominici.

Thus Majesty locked themselves away and rehearsed religiously, undertaking the odd gig but concentrating in the main on making their music the best that it could be.

They even recorded what they now view as a rather primitive sounding four-track demo which garnered them solid fan interest in Germany. The first run of 1000 cassettes sold out within a few weeks!

As the band increased their fan following they suddenly became aware of several other groups scattered over America who were using the name of Majesty.

"It was really odd," drummer Mike Portnoy told me recently.

"There was this one group in Las Vegas that held the trademark to the name. They hadn't been gigging very much, nor had they any product out, but they just wouldn't give up the name. We tried to buy it off them, but they still wouldn't let it go."

The name Dream Theater came from the lips of Mike's father, who lives in Monterey, California. He told the lads about a peculiar movie theatre he used to visit called, of all things, the Dream Theater. The name stuck.

So, with a new set of demos in their pockets, in early 1988 they eventually came to the attention of the newly-formed Mechanic record label, a subsidiary of MCA. The label visited the band in rehearsal, liked what they saw, and offered Dream Theater a deal.

Immediately after the ink had dried, the band were packed off to Pennsylvania where they commenced recording with producer Terry Date (a fella who's worked in the past with Metal Church, Fifth Angel and Sanctuary).

Says Mike Portnoy: "It felt great, after spending years cutting demos on a four-track machine, to suddenly walk into a 48-track studio. The only real problem was that we had just three-and-a-half weeks in which to record the album, and I wish that we could have had just a few more days."

Frankly, to have recorded such a fine opus as 'When Dream And Day Unite' in such a short space of time is absolutely incredible. Rush, who have been known to spend six months or more in the studio would probably collapse in a fit of envy if they ever got to hear the Dream Theater project.

Incidentally, talking of Rush, it was none other than Terry Brown (an old Rush collaborator) who was drafted in to remix two of the album's tracks; that's 'After Life' and 'State Of Confusion'.

"Obviously we have great admiration for his work with Rush so it was particularly exciting for us to have him remix a couple of the songs," says Portnoy.

"Unfortunately we didn't get to meet him, we just spoke to him on the telephone and told him what sort of sound we were looking for, and he went away with the tapes and did it."

Weren't you afraid that using Terry might make the Rush comparisons a little too obvious?

"I see what you mean," Mike replies.

"However, the fact that he's done Rush didn't affect our decision to use him. Obviously we thought carefully about that, but for our kind of music he's probably the best guy to use. Anyway, even though a lot of people have made the Rush comparison, it's really a bit like saying that Anthrax sound like Metallica. We just work in the same area of music, that's all.

"I personally think that comparisons are a kind of compliment. We're very inspired by progressive rock of the early '70s, and when people spot that it makes us feel like we've actually achieved something worthwhile. Having said that, we don't go all out to recreate that sound exactly, we've intentionally recorded it in a very modern way just to be as contemporary as possible within the style.

"We grew up listening to old bands like Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull and ELP, and got completely immersed in their sound. The remarkable thing is that most styles of music tend to go around in cycles, so I think it's just about the right time for a sound like ours to make an impact."

Do you intentionally sit down to write songs in excess of five minutes?

"No, there's no element of 'Hey, let's turn this riff into an eight or nine-minute song'. You see, once we have the concept, we write the music to fit, so that it will last as long as it takes to make that particular statement.

"Actually," he goes on to elaborate, "we've just written a really long song, weighing in right now at just over 20 minutes. The working title is 'A Change Of Seasons' and it might very well end up filling the entire side of an album, who knows?"

Okay, do you go out of your way to write really complex arrangements?

"Again, the answer is no. Nothing is made intentionally complex. We just go with the mood, do what ever feels natural. Nobody goes out of his way to make a big impression, that's not what it's really all about."

And there you have it. Dream Theater: one of the most innovative bands in town.

[Setlist Scotty]

Wasn't Derek Oliver involved with DT in some capacity?

Yes. He helped arrange their deal with Atco and became their A&R guy.

[devieira73]

"Incidentally, talking of Rush, it was none other than Terry Brown (an old Rush collaborator) who was drafted in to remix two of the album's tracks; that's 'After Life' and 'State Of Confusion'."
State of Confusion is Status Seeker, right? Terry really remixed Afterlife?
Terry should had been IaW producer, really.

[devieira73]

Here:
https://youtu.be/UeRxnOZsW6w?si=z8fCjRKRt-p4sunw
I never knew about it! At least I didn't remember at all.

[TAC]

Yes. He helped arrange their deal with Atco and became their A&R guy.

That's what I thought. So he literally wrote their album review in Kerrang. No wonder it got 5 K's!

[Setlist Scotty]

"Incidentally, talking of Rush, it was none other than Terry Brown (an old Rush collaborator) who was drafted in to remix two of the album's tracks; that's 'After Life' and 'State Of Confusion'."
State of Confusion is Status Seeker, right? Terry really remixed Afterlife?
Terry should had been IaW producer, really.

Correct - dunno where State of Confusion came from, but it's Status Seeker, and yes, both it and Afterlife were remixed by Broon. Not sure if I agree with having him as the producer.
 
 

That's what I thought. So he literally wrote their album review in Kerrang. No wonder it got 5 K's!

Well, writing the review for WDaDU was looooonnnnng before he moved into being an A&R guy, so it wasn't as if he was biased, which I get the impression your kinda implying.

[TAC]

Well, writing the review for WDaDU was looooonnnnng before he moved into being an A&R guy, so it wasn't as if he was biased, which I get the impression your kinda implying.

Ok, gotcha!

And hell yes, that was what I was implying.

[devieira73]

Correct - dunno where State of Confusion came from, but it's Status Seeker, and yes, both it and Afterlife were remixed by Broon. Not sure if I agree with having him as the producer.
 

I mean, not because of the WDADU remixes that honestly I like better the originals (BTW the snare on Afterlife remix sounds terrible), but because Terry already did something with them at the time and, with a budget, I could imagine IaW with the sound quality of FW's Parallels (especially in the drums).

[HOF]

Here:
https://youtu.be/UeRxnOZsW6w?si=z8fCjRKRt-p4sunw
I never knew about it! At least I didn't remember at all.

Woah, I've never heard about this before. This sounds way different (and way better) than the album version. Some different drum fills even maybe? Some of it sounds a bit weird, but it sounds more professional I think than the original.

And here's Status Seeker, which sounds amazing.

https://youtu.be/OLhmR66sQxY

[Herrick]

I still think it's weird that an unknown band (even largely unknown in the Metal scene) was mentioned alongside Queensryche. I guess there wasn't much Progressive Metal at the time so there weren't any other big bands to mention. Pickings were so slim that the article writer even called Rush the "premier Progressive Metal band" and as pg1067 said, Rush hadn't done anything like that in a very long time.

Edit: It would've made more sense to me if they mentioned Fates Warning. Anyway, I'm not complaining or anything like that. I just found it curious. Also, that Rush clip was cool. I had no idea Lifeson knew about Dream Theater way back then.

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah, prog metal wasn't really a thing yet at the time. 

[Trav]

They were selling out the basement of the Chinese food restaurant they were rehearsing in!

[Orbert]

I've heard Dream Theater mentioned as the band that "invented Prog Metal" but I suppose it's more accurate to say that they're the ones who brought it out into the... well, not mainstream, but at least something like the popular consciousness.  When I first heard them in the early 90's, they were like nothing else I'd ever heard.

I remember reading the name Fates Warning tossed around on the early DT boards way back, but never checked them out.  Then one of the guys from Fates Warning was in one of the Bill and Ted movies.  Okay, that sounds weird, but it was what it took for me to finally check them out.  Pretty good band.  But I like Dream Theater better.

[HOF]

I've heard Dream Theater mentioned as the band that "invented Prog Metal" but I suppose it's more accurate to say that they're the ones who brought it out into the... well, not mainstream, but at least something like the popular consciousness.  When I first heard them in the early 90's, they were like nothing else I'd ever heard.

I remember reading the name Fates Warning tossed around on the early DT boards way back, but never checked them out.  Then one of the guys from Fates Warning was in one of the Bill and Ted movies.  Okay, that sounds weird, but it was what it took for me to finally check them out.  Pretty good band.  But I like Dream Theater better.

I did not know this. Which member and which movie?

[HOF]

I'm not sure when I first heard the term progressive metal. I remember knowing about progressive rock growing up hearing stuff like Kansas and Rush on the radio, but not knowing a lot else about it. I also vaguely remember thinking Queensryche were a progressive band, even though they were also metal, but I don't know if I heard that term before I heard about Dream Theater, who I kind of instantly associated with Queensryche. This would have all been in the early-mid 90s. I wouldn't really start getting into DT until late '97, but I feel like I knew they were progressive metal at that point.

[Orbert]

There's a scene in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey where Rufus (in a scene from the future, where he's a music professor) has used his phone booth time machine to "borrow" some famous people from history.  On the musical side, there's Johann Sebastian Bach, Sir James Martin from Faith No More (founder of the Faith No More Spiritual and Theological Center), and Ria Paschelle, a famous figure from the 23rd century, inventor of a musical device with a ridiculous name.

[SoundscapeMN]

Terry Brown mixing those tunes from WDADU is interesting, although I wonder if he had been the producer for IandW, it may not have helped them have the massive exposure they got with Prater. I guess we'll never know, but you look at how well Fates Warning did around the same time with Terry Brown, etc. Maybe the record label has more to do with it (Atco vs Metal Blade), but it makes me wonder if DT would have found the same success with Terry. Although sonically and even maybe arrangement wise i would have been awfully curious to hear IandW produced by Terry Brown. Who knows, songs like Don't Look Past Me and even A Change of Seasons might have found their way onto IandW with Terry.

all hypothetical, but kind of fun to think about.

it almost makes me wonder if AI could do music based on a producer's work, lol.

I did not know this. Which member and which movie?

I don't believe any member of Fates Warning was in any of the Bill & Ted's movies.

Jim Martin of Faith No More was in Bogus Journey..as was Les Claypool of Primus was as well.

Fates Warning did have their tune "Kyrie Eleison" used on the River's Edge soundtrack, which Keanu Reeves was in, 1986.

edit: I just looked, and "Nothing Left to Say" was actually used in
"Nightmare on Elm Street 6 Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare." Fun fact I guess. the 6th Nightmare on Elm Street movie, I had jumped ship on the series at that point, but would go for at least seeing the scene the song was used (if it wasn't just in the credits)

[TAC]

Derek Sherinian was in Wayne's World.

I guess we'll never know, but you look at how well Fates Warning did around the same time with Terry Brown, etc.

How well did Fates Warning really do?

[Orbert]

Yeah, I effed up.  Faith No More, not Fates Warning.