I'll take up the task of defending Nightmare, then. The midsection needs to be in the middle of that song because it's part of the story arc. It needs to be there just as much as Another World needs to be in A Change of Seasons, which isn't nearly as cohesive (or as good) a song as Nightmare (I realize that that statement is not at all relevant, I just like to anger people). Without each other, the midsection is a moderately strong ballad (only moderately because it's not really close to being a complete song on its own, at least by DT standards), and the rest of the song is a moderately strong prog metal song. Together, A Nightmare to Remember is a genius epic that boasts an incredible dramatic arc and is simply one of the very best songs in the band's entire discography.
This is not at all comparable to Hell's Kitchen/Burning My Soul, where those two were kind of duct taped together. Hell's Kitchen served no purpose to the dramatic arc of Burning My Soul and was just sort of a random and unnecessary four minute buildup into the final verse and chorus. The midsection is completely necessary to A Nightmare to Remember's dramatic arc. For one thing, without it, Nightmare is a 13-minute, straight-ahead metal song. Can anyone name a single instance of that working well? The only quiet moments, in that instance, would be like a 20 second piano intro and another 20 second keyboard bit later. It also irreparably damages the song vocally and lyrically, because you lose out on the contrast between the "weird trippy hospital scene" and the big, emotional "dealing with the psychological impacts of the accident" scene. This is true just in terms of vocal style as well as in the lyrics. Without the midsection, you're going from a very heavy operatic/gruff vocal section into a very very heavy, very gruff vocal section. That's not much of a contrast compared to going from heavy operatic/gruff into soft, somewhat trippy into very very heavy, very gruff. Taking out the midsection just kills "Day after day," and, though I know that so many people dislike it, that section does not deserve to be killed.
First off -
::: For one thing, without it, Nightmare is a 13-minute, straight-ahead metal song. Can anyone name a single instance of that working well?The Glass Prison.
Moving on! I'm not pitching a song that just blanks straight across, I'm pitching a rather more heavy-duty arrangement. I think a lot of the second half is a little flabby. I agree that the "night after night" bit is a lot better than it's given credit for, and that impact would be lessened without the soft section... but the lyrics don't quite match the music, and I think it's a victim of its own ambition. I think, in paring A Nightmare to Remember down to its core elements, you can create two songs that stand strong alone rather than two that sound a little funky together. I get what you're saying about the story, but the way they sit at the moment is a little bit oil and water.
I think, if the song's two identities had a little more in the way of common ground, I'd go easier. It's definitely possible to switch from hard to soft to hard again.
Just ask my first wife! You mention the lyrics, but I think the lyrics are the
only thing that bring the Jekyll and the Hyde together, and they were the last thing to fit in - and, hence, eminently changeable. A few moments of unity would have made a world of difference. That piano motif could've been a good place to start - the one the song begins with. Work that into Beautiful Agony and you're starting to build a bit of cohesion, but I think it would've taken another week or so in the studio. I adore Beautiful Agony as a stand-alone song, whereas I think A Nightmare to Remember is good in parts - a bit of a curate's egg. I also firmly believe brevity is wit, (not that you'd tell from my posts!) and everything can always be tighter, so I think evicting Beautiful Agony would be more of an opportunity than a sacrifice.
Actually, I can do that, can't I? I might play about with the stems. This will be messy!
All my stuff about working with the dramatic arc actually apply moderately well to ITPOE, which I think works better as one song, but I would not go so far as to say that it is "perfect" (I wouldn't even say that about ANTR), and it's certainly not nearly as good in my estimation as Nightmare at providing a dramatic arc.
I think you can still have ItPoE's arc spread out throughout the album. The second half of Awake forms an arc, musically, and it's got Lifting Shadows off a Dream wedged into the middle of it. Heck, they had an arc split across an entire decade. There's no reason you can't maintain the story and the flow of ItPoE while standing each movement alone as its own episode. I think an episodic feel would've actually been spot on within the context of Systematic Chaos. The whole disc's got that comic book feel, and I think you could tidy it up without sacrificing any of that great music.
More controversial opinions, as I trudge through the discography in no real order.
Honor thy Father might be the most underappreciated song in the band's history. Brutally heavy, but gorgeously melodic, full of progressive witchcraft, it strikes a stellar balance. The "Expecting everyone to bow and kiss your feet" verse might be the highlight of the album, for me. I think the uncharacteristically angry lyrics might be a bit too bitter for some people, but it's not even like Never Enough where the lyrics are a source of constant grumbling. (Those lyrics are properly hilarious nowadays. "What would you say if I walked away," indeed! Fucking hell.) But HTF is a song I never really hear anything about, positive or negative. It's one of the last ones I'd remember, but I always have a great time.
(Also, WRT Never Enough, that song is bloody brilliant, too. Not a top drawer song, but one of Mike Portnoy's best performances - his drumming is so musical, start to finish. The Muse thing gets it a lot of flack, but... hey, I like Muse!)