Alright, I left off at The Silent Man, so I have 13 more to go to catch up. Getting the majority of the way there in this post, and then I'll try to finish tonight or tomorrow.
One thing I noticed with the bottom 20 is that many of those were not on my list, which means a lot of songs that were on my list didn't make it. I'll try to go back at the end and recap all the ones I had that did not make the overall list. It looks like we're moving into a phase now where pretty much everything is going to have at least made my list, even if it's in a different place.
79. Ytse JamMy ranking: #85
It seems to me this is a song that gets a lot of love and attention from longtime fans, and less so from newer fans. I'm in the newer camp chronologically, and I tend toward it in my evaluation of this song. It's a really good piece of music, and I put it around this part of the list, but it's less special for me because I prefer many of their later instrumentals. It deserves credit for being the most mature piece on WDADU, although that's probably due to it being an instrumental, since their biggest issue at that time was integrating vocals.
78. The Dark Eternal NightMy ranking: #71
Another song that's not far off from my placement. I know this one is reviled by people who dislike the late Portnoy era, but I think this is a really fun song. A lot of really unusual rhythms that feel like they're staying under control only owing to the skill and attention of the band, a surprisingly melodic chorus, and one of the heaviest riffs in their discography.
On the opposite side, I may be in a minority, and I wouldn't have held this opinion a few years ago, but I think MP should have just done growls instead of these distorted vocals on the lines like "Amidst fallen ruins, grotesque creatures battle." I guess it was still a bit unusual for a "regular" prog metal band to do that at the time, but I think it would have fit better.
77. The Best of TimesMy ranking: #94
This is a good song with a lot of excellent musical passages, particularly the acoustic guitar in the first section and, of course, the massive closing solo. The reason it's not higher for me is that don't think it coheres as well as it could, particularly compared to most of the band's other songs in the 10-15 minute range. The divisions between the three sections (quiet intro, Spirit of Radio part, dramatic final section) are just so apparent and make it feel a little more like a suite than a single song.
I also kind of agree with Kev about James's performance being a bit lackluster. Part of that, I imagine, is that MP wrote vocal melodies that he would be able to sing himself, for understandable reasons. I have no problem with the lyrics, though.
76. A Fortune in LiesMy ranking: #53
I think this is a really cool song. It has a little bit of the disjointedness and overly obvious Rush/Metallica influence of the WDADU era, but the whole package is a catchy and progressive 5-minute piece. Great instrumental section.
This is the first song where I feel it's worth mentioning my preference for a version other than the studio one. I don't mind CD on this one, but I prefer JLB's performance, and off the top of my head, the
Live at the Marquee version is my go-to. He absolutely nails the second verse in that way that only pre-'94 JLB could: "HERE is a poor man, the heart of this monster creation..." But the Luna Park version is also very good.
75. Only a Matter of TimeMy ranking: #12
Here's the second song for which I thought I might have the highest placement. Turns out, Dream Team beat me by putting it at #4. Cool to see some more appreciation for this song, and because Dream Team and I don't always see eye-to-eye, but we do here.
I think this is just a near-perfect song. You can argue that the vocal melodies are practically unsingable, and I won't disagree, but to the extent that they're pulled off, they're lovely. The lyrics are amazing, some of my favorite DT lyrics. And the outro is beautiful. I like songs that go from the beginning to end without much repetition, while still feeling cohesive and telling a sort of story—a disproportionate number of my favorite DT songs have this feature.
I like both CD and JLB on this. If I had to pick a definitive version, I'd pick the studio version, but the Budokan performance is a near-equally good interpretation of the song. I think if JLB had gotten into the studio and done this in the early 90s or mid 00s—and maybe even if he did it today—that would be the definitive version. Oh well.
Disappointed but not surprised to see it this low. This just seems to be a very hit-or-miss song, where some people love it, and others just don't get it. There are other songs where I'm on the miss side, so I get it.
74. This is the LifeMy ranking: #83
I have a similar sense about this one as Kev. It was on my top 50 that I did about 9 years ago, and I still do like the song. But I feel like there's a little something missing. I'm not sure if it's the mix for me, or something else, but it's not one I feel I can put much higher than this. Maybe a little higher, if I was refining the list, though—I'm listening to it for this post, and quite enjoying it.
Still, a lot of really good little parts here. The instrumental break between the first chorus and second verse is a highlight. Overall this is a good example of Petrucci's subtler side.
73. On the Backs of AngelsMy ranking: #45
This song might be the most center-of-the-page Dream Theater song, but it's a really good one. Great buildup in the intro, really good vocal melodies, nice keyboard touches throughout the song. There aren't a lot of specific parts to point to, this is just an all-around excellent song from start to finish.
72. Raise the KnifeMy ranking: #60
This is a really good song that I feel like I just don't listen to enough because it's not on a studio album. Maybe if I listened to it more, I'd have it even higher. It just doesn't have that "back of my hand" familiarity that everything on the first 12 albums plus ACOS has for me. I don't know whether it's possible for them to ever release the cleaned-up versions of the remaining five FII tracks given the promised exclusivity of
Cleaning Out the Closet, but it would really be nice to get those one day without paying an arm and a leg.
I think the best part of this song is the Kevin Moore diss section ("Tortured artist bares his soul" through "I won't walk away"), not because I don't like Kevin Moore (I do, a lot), but because it's just a really great part musically.
71. As I AmMy ranking: #78
This is a clear instance of a good song that definitely belongs in the top 100 and definitely does not belong in the top 50, IMO. It's a good opener for the album and for the Budokan concert, and it has some great riffs, but it feels just a little too stretched-out to go higher than this.
It is funny to hear JLB drop in that little Hetfieldism at the end of the first chorus.