Re: DT16 Timeline Thread - John finished recording guitar parts

[nikatapi]

Maybe they're also working to get a single out before the summer, since i guess they would like to not miss the chance to tour during the festival season.

In any case, i'm eager to hear whatever comes out from the band.

[MirrorMask]

They've been in the studio for a month and to me this sounds like they're still not done writing. A good sign in my book.

Yeah, the way I understood MP's post is that they're not done yet, that while he and Jordan are gone the band has something to do anyway (JP tracks guitars) and then they'll continue when they'll be back.

Who knows, maybe without a drummer and keyboard player JP will kill time fiddling around the guitar and we'll have the next Beneath the Surface 

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

So... do you think they are already recording the album or just demoing the songs?

Mike indicates that JP is already beginning to track his guitars. I'd assume that JM will do his bass once the drums are finalized as well so they mesh together. Keys will probably come later, with the vocals last, but it looks like they're slowly beginning the recording process and I'd assume most of, if not the entire album is already written, though changes can still be made in the tracking and over-dubbing process.

-Marc.

This. It sounds like the album is essentially written at this point especially if JP has begun tracking and MP and JR are out for a week.

Someone can correct me on how long it has been but from what I am seeing, on Feb 9th he posted that the album was underway. If they just recently finished, that is about 3.5 weeks of studio writing, which is on the shorter end of things based on what others have said regarding time to write ToT and other albums.

I'll reserve my judgement on what the timeline could mean about song quality since if D/T and Awake were written in 3.5 weeks then it is clearly possible to put out, well, one of the greatest albums ever (D/T) in a short period of time. What I think a shorter timeline probably means is that the approach this time around wasn't all that different from what they've done in the past.

[crystalstars17]

a working title

Pardon my ignorance, but do all bands do this?

It's reminding me of the SC documentary and I hope this doesn't mean we're getting more like that album.

[Awaken]

a working title

Pardon my ignorance, but do all bands do this?

It's reminding me of the SC documentary and I hope this doesn't mean we're getting more like that album.

I'm pretty sure DT has always done this.  I remember them sharing a few working titles for ADTOE and I'm pretty sure I remember hearing them mention a couple in the D/T documentary

[ReaperKK]

As for CDs they've become a bit obsolete in my world. With streaming services everywhere, CDs feel like a blast from the past. I mean, who needs a whole stack of discs when you can have your entire music library at your fingertips?

Well, that's the problem for me.  Streaming services are NOT, in fact, "everywhere."  I am regularly in places where there is no Internet service, and thus no ability to stream, and I'm not the only one.  So I've never understood the position that streaming is all you need.

IDK about Spotify, but with Apple Music you can download everything to your phone just as easily as you can stream and play it back without an internet connection.

Exactly, I use offline playlists a lot. Especially when I'm out walking.

That would be great...if Android had a similar analog to Apple Music.

Spotify will allow you to download playlists like others have said. If you have music on your PC that isn't on spotify, say an album or that one bootleg you can't live without you can also play it offline in Spotify. On your desktop point Spotify to where your local music folder is, your songs will then appear under the "Local File" tab. You can then drag those files into other playlists, say When Dream And Day Unite into a Prog Rock playlist, when you download that playlist on your phone not only will it download the streamed music you have, but it'll also download WDADU to your phone under the same playlist. All you have to do is make sure your PC is on and Spotify is running when you download that playlist to your phone, Spotify will pull a copy of the song from your pc and store it on your phone.

[nikatapi]

That would be great...if Android had a similar analog to Apple Music.

There is an Apple Music app for android.
Also, you can download music from Spotify (Premium), as well as Tidal (which has great audio quality)

[hefdaddy42]

a working title

Pardon my ignorance, but do all bands do this?

It's reminding me of the SC documentary and I hope this doesn't mean we're getting more like that album.

I have no idea if all bands do this, but I would imagine that many, if not most, bands/artists do some version of it. 

You have to have some way to refer to the piece you're working on before you finish it.  Some bands/artists may just use things like "Untitled # 1" etc.  DT has ALWAYS used funny (to them) stand-ins.

[MirrorMask]

And then there were guys like Jim Steinman who would think first of the title, and then would try to write a song that justified the greatness of the title 

But yeah, having working titles I guess is the norm for most bands.

[Zydar]

Creep With Tonality was the working title for my #1 DT song Learning To Live. I have that on my forum profile as a nice tribute.

[Dream Team]

Metallica for one always has working titles.

I don’t think the writing is necessarily finished yet. MP said it’s going great, nothing about nearing a finish line or anything. I hope they spend another month writing.

[crystalstars17]

But yeah, having working titles I guess is the norm for most bands.

Thanks to all who answered about this! 😁

[bosk1]

a working title

Pardon my ignorance, but do all bands do this?

It's reminding me of the SC documentary and I hope this doesn't mean we're getting more like that album.

I have no idea if all bands do this, but I would imagine that many, if not most, bands/artists do some version of it. 

You have to have some way to refer to the piece you're working on before you finish it.  Some bands/artists may just use things like "Untitled # 1" etc.  DT has ALWAYS used funny (to them) stand-ins.

Yeah, exactly that.  Which is also why when bands give fans access to unpublished demos of songs, it's common to hear a demo of a song with a title (and possibly lyrics) that you don't recognize, that is clearly an early version of a song with a completely different title (and possibly lyrics) that made an album.  For example, Def Leppard demoed a song called Medicine Man from their EP sessions before their first album, and even played it live at a few shows in 1979 and 1980, only to rework the title and lyrics and eventually release it as Rock! Rock Til You Drop on Pyromania.  LOTS of bands do this.  I'm not sure how else you would refer to something that doesn't yet have a title or lyrics than to give it a temporary title until you figure out what it ultimately will be once it is done.

[Wim Kruithof]

Dream Theater isn't usually very lyric-orientated... which means the riffs, time signatures, themes and all are often build up and expanded on, before the empty lyric sheets are filled. That's another logical reason for working titles... it fills the void with no lyrical phrase being written.

[cramx3]

I don’t think the writing is necessarily finished yet. MP said it’s going great, nothing about nearing a finish line or anything. I hope they spend another month writing.

Yeah, just from what MP shared.  It's entirely possible the tracking is just for the songs they have written and using that time since JP and MP wont be there.  It's possible they finished the whole thing too, but it almost reads, to me, like they aren't complete.  The music "IS" flowing, so it's still coming out of them is the way I read it.

[Setlist Scotty]

Dream Theater isn't usually very lyric-orientated... which means the riffs, time signatures, themes and all are often build up and expanded on, before the empty lyric sheets are filled. That's another logical reason for working titles... it fills the void with no lyrical phrase being written.

Exactly. And just for fun, here's a list of the working song titles:
Death of Spock
Forever (original title)
The Battle of Jimmy Cocoa and Fishface
Creep with Tonality
Grab That Feel
Crumbling Metropolis
Oliver's Twist
The Keymaster
Beachhouse Reality
Squid
Puppies on Acid
Kittens on Crack
Blowfish
Fresca
Showdown
Carnival of Clams
Cat's Tail
Conflict at Ground Zero (actually a real title, changed after 9/11 before the album was released)
Move On (original title, changed for unknown reasons)
Jet Lag
Korma Chameleon
N.A.D.S.
Fisheye
Carpet Babies
Schindler's Lisp
The Pumpkin King
The Shaman's Trance (original song title, changed for unknown reasons)
Reap the Harvest
Bad Larry
Dolphin Safe
The Clover
Epic
Vinegar Seed
Smoothen
YARGGG
Easter Egg
(besides the creatively named songs 1-10 from the d/t album)

[bosk1]

The Shaman's Trance (original song title, changed for unknown reasons)

I think it was JP who said something along the lines of:  They really liked the line "Bridges in the Sky," so when they decided to change the album name from that to ADTOE, they decided to use Bridges for the song title.

[Metro]

Bridges in the Sky is the better song title, and honestly would have been a better album title.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

The album artwork also references the Bridges In The Sky phrase, so it makes sense to name the song that if they ultimately decided against it as the album title.

[MirrorMask]

Bridges in the Sky is the better song title, and honestly would have been a better album title.

Nah, I still think that having the song called The Shaman's Trance and the album Bridges in the Sky was the best option.

Hearing in that majestic chorus the title of the album would have made it even more memorable.

Since this is the topic about the new album anyway, I hope they will go back to this tradition of naming the album after a line in the lyrics.

[Rho d Berth]

Queen used to do it. That's why the song One Vision ends with 'Fried Chicken' instead of  'One Vision'. (eventhough the official lyrics say 'one vision' there as well).

"Just gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme.... friend chicken"
I love it, that after all the heroic, idealistic, one world peace lyrics, they just end with 'gimme friend chicken'.

[Max Kuehnau]

updated to include most recent information

[The Letter M]

updated to include most recent information

I mean, only paused for now in that two members of the band will be away from the studio, but JP is continuing to work in the studio, and for all we know, he could write a new song while Mike and Jordan are away. I'd actually love if John wrote a guitar and vocal piece for him and James. Give us another ballad, John!

-Marc.

[Max Kuehnau]

We'll see what happens.

[gzarruk]

updated to include most recent information

I mean, only paused for now in that two members of the band will be away from the studio, but JP is continuing to work in the studio, and for all we know, he could write a new song while Mike and Jordan are away. I'd actually love if John wrote a guitar and vocal piece for him and James. Give us another ballad, John!

-Marc.

James was spotted with Chance (he uploaded a story yesterday) arriving at the theater to watch Dune so I guess it's just JP and Jimmy T at the studio for now, but work is still active.

[Max Kuehnau]

thanks for correcting me here, since I don't follow either of their socials (nor DT's official ones) anymore

[BlackInk]

Like the idea of a heavy Meshuggah-section, if that reading is accurate. And I personally wouldn't worry about it being too "djent", I don't think DT are going to just start doing that sort of stuff at this point. It's probably just some fun polyrhythmic pattern with an 8-string or something. Could be cool.

Spotify will allow you to ... pull a copy of the song from your pc and store it on your phone. .

Yeah, use this all the time to listen to otherwise unavailable songs or my own demos I'm working on through spotify. Works great.

[Glasser]

It's kind of funny that those skips and pops actually became deeply ingrained, almost to the point that they became part of the song. I don't miss that. I also don't miss having an 8-track or cassette gobbled up by my player(s) and then having to replace them...or in some cases, the player itself, whether it be in my car or home system. CD's are just vastly superior in my opinion. What I DO miss from vinyl is the larger artwork and lyrics.

There are still a couple songs where my vinyl had a skip, and I still expect it when I hear it.  The one I can vividly remember was on my copy of Queensryche's The Warning - here was a skip in Roads to Madness:  "Black, the door was...was locked..."  The "was...was locked" would repeated over and over.

I agree with the highlighted, though.

Funny you say that. My Diary Of A Madman album skipped on Randy's solo in Over The Mountain and I got used to it. When I got the CD my air guitar to the solo was all fucked up. 

[dparrott]

Imperial Drag t-shirt!     My man!  Great album.

A lot of less popular bands release the digital album first and the physical formats a month or two later. 

DT is one of the few bands I still buy on CD. 

[The Letter M]

Mike shared a video on his FB stories from a private deck on CTTE where he was sunbathing and listening to the guitar tracks John has been recording and sent over to him.

-Marc.

[Stadler]

Mike shared a video on his FB stories from a private deck on CTTE where he was sunbathing and listening to the guitar tracks John has been recording and sent over to him.

-Marc.

I feel like this is a part of the reunion that we'll never see, and really never get to appreciate.  I think there's the possibility that a lot of this is the intangible.  I was listening to Keith Richards on Howard Stern over the weekend, and one of the things he said was "my job is to come up with stuff that impresses Mick".  Even Paul McCartney has spoken about that phenomena (for him, "impressing John") years after the Beatles imploded. 

I think it's also important, and healthy, to have a little challenge now and again. 

[The Letter M]

Mike shared a video on his FB stories from a private deck on CTTE where he was sunbathing and listening to the guitar tracks John has been recording and sent over to him.

-Marc.

I feel like this is a part of the reunion that we'll never see, and really never get to appreciate.  I think there's the possibility that a lot of this is the intangible.  I was listening to Keith Richards on Howard Stern over the weekend, and one of the things he said was "my job is to come up with stuff that impresses Mick".  Even Paul McCartney has spoken about that phenomena (for him, "impressing John") years after the Beatles imploded. 

I think it's also important, and healthy, to have a little challenge now and again.

Given that this will be the third album that John and Mike have worked on together in recent years, you'd think Mike might not be impressed (in a shocking way) by John's playing, but I'd love to be wrong and hear some wildly outlandish yet appropriate guitar parts from John on the next DT album. I'm sure they're all ready to impress each other, let alone us the fans.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Mike commenting on the future of Flying Colors here, suggests DT will be touring in 2024 and 2025.

https://www.facebook.com/100044540401846/posts/pfbid0TAU7EutzqQYpKmWGybqyY188pXUSrYh9rEu9KqS9zYR3C6DNG8iUyT93H13gH1hMl/

Some photos of Flying Colors’ Q&A Session on Cruise to the Edge. I may as well address the Elephant in the room with the most burning question asked: What will happen to FC now that I am back in DT…? 🤔

My answer was/is this:
This is really nothing new for Flying Colors as we’ve ALWAYS had to be very strategic with our scheduling as all 5 of us have always functioned in FC while in multiple other bands…

It was always especially difficult navigating while Steve was in Deep Purple as we always had to work around his availability from Purple. And I assume it will be similarly challenging now with me back in DT…especially as I plan on spending these first several years back focused primarily on DT’s schedule which will surely be very busy touring throughout 2024 & 2025…

But once the smoke clears from all the upcoming planned DT activity in the coming year(s), inevitably there will be some downtime and I know all 5 of us in FC would love to continue making music together as we all really love this band and the magical chemistry we have together…

So we just need to be strategic and we ALL just need to be patient! 🙏😉

In the meantime, I can’t wait to play again tomorrow night and soak in every moment while we’re together!

📸 : @joeschaefferphotography

Key word there I guess is “surely” which sounds like he is anticipating it more than it for sure will happen.

[RaiseTheKnife]

Impressive list of working titles, Scotty.  Thanks for posting, in order, no less!

[HOF]

Mike commenting on the future of Flying Colors here, suggests DT will be touring in 2024 and 2025.

https://www.facebook.com/100044540401846/posts/pfbid0TAU7EutzqQYpKmWGybqyY188pXUSrYh9rEu9KqS9zYR3C6DNG8iUyT93H13gH1hMl/

Some photos of Flying Colors’ Q&A Session on Cruise to the Edge. I may as well address the Elephant in the room with the most burning question asked: What will happen to FC now that I am back in DT…? 🤔

My answer was/is this:
This is really nothing new for Flying Colors as we’ve ALWAYS had to be very strategic with our scheduling as all 5 of us have always functioned in FC while in multiple other bands…

It was always especially difficult navigating while Steve was in Deep Purple as we always had to work around his availability from Purple. And I assume it will be similarly challenging now with me back in DT…especially as I plan on spending these first several years back focused primarily on DT’s schedule which will surely be very busy touring throughout 2024 & 2025…

But once the smoke clears from all the upcoming planned DT activity in the coming year(s), inevitably there will be some downtime and I know all 5 of us in FC would love to continue making music together as we all really love this band and the magical chemistry we have together…

So we just need to be strategic and we ALL just need to be patient! 🙏😉

In the meantime, I can’t wait to play again tomorrow night and soak in every moment while we’re together!

📸 : @joeschaefferphotography

Key word there I guess is “surely” which sounds like he is anticipating it more than it for sure will happen.

Funny how talk by MP of DT touring this year generated no discussion, when we've been going back and forth for months now about whether the band should have toured first v. going into the studio, etc.

Just doing my part to get the discussion back onto DT!