Imagine this: Dream Theater is going to re-record some old songs with the current line-up, and obviously modifcations will be made, while respecting the original one. As for early material for example, the sound quality will also be much better.
Which songs would you have recorded again? Just for fun.
These are my choices.
1.- Space-Dye Vest
2.- A Change of Seasons
3.- Afterlife
Mostly because the live versions of these songs (Except for the Wacken one of Afterlife, which vocally sucks, although the Score one is perfect) are very very good. The one I think really needs a remake is A Change of Seasons, for me, it never sounded even half as good as I&W, and that was before!
Well, this isn't exactly the same but I'd love to have IW recorded with no triggered drums and updated keyboard sounds for some sections...but I don't see any reason for James to re-record vocals for that.
Not sure what I'd want redone other than WDADU. Maybe the ToT vocals but that's irrelevant to the new lineup. ACOS isn't a bad idea though. Heck, if anything I just want them to remix/master the stuff they've done with the current lineup.
It's really a thing the band wouldn't be interested in doing, but I'm willing to bet the idea would still be quite exciting to some fans.
These songs would benefit from a re-record imo:
Light Fuse and Get Away
Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun
Only a Matter of Time
Where Are You Now
The Way it Used to Be
All of above pretty much to make them more accessible production wise.
Also, a possibly slightly heavier version of Cover My Eyes would be cool, not unlike the extended versions played on the 6DOIT tour with the jamming and solos at the end.
Hollow Years and Take Away my Pain have been some of my least favourite DT songs but I would probably appreciate a different or modern take on them. Songs like Hollow Years and Space Dye Vest would probably sound pretty awesome with the extended solo jams on studio versions but it may be blasphemous to say that about the latter cause it significantly alters the mood. :lol
I wouldn't mind a less bare bones version of The Silent Man as it feels like that song has plenty of room for development and is seemingly underutilised as closer to the Suite. Or maybe the acoustic mood suits it, I dunno. But I think there's plenty of room for improvement in this one.
The first song that comes to my mind is A Vision. It's truly a shame they didn't include that masterpiece into WDADU or I&W or any other of the early albums.
Then, maybe these songs too:
-To Live Forever (I'd like to listen a studio version of the Happy Holidays version, would be interesting)
-Speak To Me (Another great song that shoul've been released on FII)
-Hollow Years (Would be great to hear a proper studio version of the first demo with extended lyrics)
1. The count of tuscany without the harsh "I" in "I don't want to die" Just have James sing it normally
2. the great debate without soundbites.
3. The dark eternal night without distortion on James voice.
4. release instrumental versions of all albums.
None for me. The songs sound how they were intended to sound (except for maybe FII, but that turned out for the best anyway, and they'll never top the production), and the sound quality on most of them is fine and fits with the music.
And the couple of albums with sound quality bad enough to warrant re-recording aren't great albums anyway imo, so it wouldn't make a difference for me.
WDADU with James in vocals
Nothing.
Except maybe To Live Forever. I love that song, and I wish it was included on an album. I prefer the 1991 version actually though, so if it wasn't re-recorded I wouldn't care.
And maybe Oh Holy Night the full band version. The acoustic with John and James is one of my favorites but I'd love them to crank out a few holiday songs.
I would like to hear James take a run at Only a Matter of Time in the studio. It's one of my favorite songs and while I think Charlie does a competent job on the album and James does a competent job on Live at Budokan, I think there's potential to get the best vocal performance of that song yet by having James do a studio version. Those melodies are just so hard to sing. :lol
I'd also like to hear a re-recording of The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun, preferably with a choir on the chorus. I've always thought that chorus would sound really awesome with a choir. Imagine the huge sound that a choir could provide on "In higher lives / We seemed to be" then let James take "always a moment too late" solo, etc.
Other than that, I'm good with the versions of everything that we have. I think the only reason really to re-record something would be to get a JLB vocal performance from the studio on it, because I don't think that MM is sufficiently different from MP to justify a re-recording of drums and I don't think JR would significantly add to KM or DS songs in most cases (the PMU arpeggios are cool, but I'm fine with that being just a live thing; I do like the JR strings in OAMOT but I already suggested re-recording that). And besides TOWHTSTS and OAMOT, all the WDADU songs already either have a version I consider to be definitive or I don't care about them (AFIL—LATM/LALP, SS—album, YJ—any, TKH—LATM, Afterlife—don't care, LFAGA—don't care).
Quote from: BlobVanDam on January 13, 2016, 08:17:53 PM
None for me. The songs sound how they were intended to sound (except for maybe FII, but that turned out for the best anyway, and they'll never top the production), and the sound quality on most of them is fine and fits with the music.
And the couple of albums with sound quality bad enough to warrant re-recording aren't great albums anyway imo, so it wouldn't make a difference for me.
I'm with Blob on this one. The band isn't here to serve my whims and desires. They do what they feel they need to for their creative expression, and I either like it or I don't. The vast majority of things, I like.
I personally do not like growl vocals, but if Mike says that they tried it a couple different ways, and that was the way that sounded best to him, well, that's good enough for me, right there.
Quote from: V_R11 on January 13, 2016, 09:16:42 PM
WDADU with James in vocals
The Live at the Marquee version of The Killing Hand is one of my favorite songs ever, though it'd be silly to think JLB could replicate that :|
I've said it before, but I'd love to hear a re-recorded Majesty EP. Other than that, I'm good with all other studio versions (especially considering WDADRU exists).
I've said this before but some old Majesty demos could work really well totally reworked like Haken's Restoration. That could be great idea but I think nobody is anxious about look back in the career.
I think it would be a lot of fun if they re-recorded a couple of Majesty songs, maybe a couple of WDADU songs, and a few songs from the FII demos that were never officially released. I wouldn't want them to re-do an entire album, but there are certainly a few songs that could benefit from a newer version.
Maybe the B sides from FII which don't have the best quality.
Other than that I don't think they should re-record anything they've done.
Other than WDADU, there's really not much of a point. Especially with songs like Space-Dye Vest, because the band (and we) won't hear the end of it from people who keep fanatically talking about how the band was so much better with Kevin Moore to this day and wish he'd be back. Same applies tenfold for songs that are heavily associated with Mike Portnoy (the saga, the 3 songs about his biological and adopting parents, the songs where he is dominant vocally, etc).
Still, I'd like to see them picking up like 5 random songs they don't play too often and give them a new spin. Anything from WDADU through FII. Scorpions did that for a few classics in a pretty recent album, and other than making a cool new spin instrumentally, it felt like Klaus Meine as saying "This is how I'm gonna sing this song moving forward". It's kinda nice to have a "new" definitive version of what the vocalist can be expected to do live, especially with songs like Another Day, where some people on Youtube and such simply expect the man to do things he physically cannot do (and could barely do live even back in '92, honestly that song is insane).
The Canadian Rap :biggrin:
Quote from: IdoSC on January 22, 2016, 07:13:17 AM
Other than WDADU, there's really not much of a point.
I pretty much agree. And as has been pointed out, we already have WDADRU. But since we are in hypothetical land anyway, maybe what would be cool is if they did a "studio live" version of WDADU, where as some bands have done, they play it "live" in studio. And then maybe do some of the FII Demo/COTC songs the same way as bonus tracks. I would buy that.
With the production quality of the recent albums, i'd say none.
Quote from: pcs90 on January 13, 2016, 06:00:31 PM
Well, this isn't exactly the same but I'd love to have IW recorded with no triggered drums and updated keyboard sounds for some sections...
What, some JR ragtime piano during Metropolis?
Quote from: lonestar on January 22, 2016, 09:06:45 AM
Quote from: pcs90 on January 13, 2016, 06:00:31 PM
Well, this isn't exactly the same but I'd love to have IW recorded with no triggered drums and updated keyboard sounds for some sections...
What, some JR ragtime piano during Metropolis?
Nah, I'm thinking more along the lines of the lead sounds.
Quote from: bosk1 on January 22, 2016, 08:00:38 AM
Quote from: IdoSC on January 22, 2016, 07:13:17 AM
Other than WDADU, there's really not much of a point.
I pretty much agree. And as has been pointed out, we already have WDADRU. But since we are in hypothetical land anyway, maybe what would be cool is if they did a "studio live" version of WDADU, where as some bands have done, they play it "live" in studio. And then maybe do some of the FII Demo/COTC songs the same way as bonus tracks. I would buy that.
However, James's vocal performance on WDADRU is not the best. Completely understandable since it was the last hour of a 3 hour set and some of the vocal melodies on that album, as written, are ridiculous. But it would be nice to have a new version of a song like The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun (as I said before, I think that one would sound really cool with a choir of some kind on the chorus), or Status Seeker, or even Light Fuse and Get Away (even though I don't like that one).
I agree that there isn't REALLY the need for any kind of re-recording, but... studio version of Only a Matter of Time would be my pick as well. A Fortune in Lies and The Killing Hand are obscenely awesome on Live at the Marquee, and I don't love the other songs THAT much to the point that I can't live without a proper re-recording of them.
I'm in favor of Only a Matter of Time just because that's one of my favorite Dream Theater songs and I want as many versions of it as possible. However, I'm fine with the Budokan performance being the definitive version.
Quote from: Darkstarshades on January 13, 2016, 05:51:35 PM
Imagine this: Dream Theater is going to re-record some old songs with the current line-up, and obviously modifcations will be made, while respecting the original one. As for early material for example, the sound quality will also be much better.
Which songs would you have recorded again? Just for fun.
These are my choices.
1.- Space-Dye Vest
2.- A Change of Seasons
3.- Afterlife
Mostly because the live versions of these songs (Except for the Wacken one of Afterlife, which vocally sucks, although the Score one is perfect) are very very good. The one I think really needs a remake is A Change of Seasons, for me, it never sounded even half as good as I&W, and that was before!
The entire WDADU album so that I can have a studio version. I like that they did it live but would still prefer a polished studio version with James singing instead of a weak Steve Perry sounding singer. (No offense to Charlie...just didn't fit)
That part on the Killing Hand win where Charlie says "I am the killing haaaaaand" kills me
Quote from: pcs90 on January 13, 2016, 06:00:31 PM
Well, this isn't exactly the same but I'd love to have IW recorded with no triggered drums and updated keyboard sounds for some sections...but I don't see any reason for James to re-record vocals for that.
I like this idea. Would love to hear that nice fat punchy snare sound that Portnoy used on Falling Into Infinity. That and 6DOIT are my two favorites in terms of how the drums sounded.
As far as re-recording stuff goes my change would be one of subtraction and that is I would remove the orchestra thing from Illumination Theory. The piece itself is very beautiful. I just totally disagree with shoehorning it into the middle of that song the way they did.
Quote from: kirksnosehair on January 22, 2016, 11:44:08 AM
As far as re-recording stuff goes my change would be one of subtraction and that is I would remove the orchestra thing from Illumination Theory. The piece itself is very beautiful. I just totally disagree with shoehorning it into the middle of that song the way they did.
Amen, Brother.
@ the OP: Space Dye Vest is perfect the way it is. Not sure why there'd be a need to do anything to it. It's truly one of their most unique tunes.
Quote from: kirksnosehair on January 22, 2016, 11:44:08 AM
As far as re-recording stuff goes my change would be one of subtraction and that is I would remove the orchestra thing from Illumination Theory. The piece itself is very beautiful. I just totally disagree with shoehorning it into the middle of that song the way they did.
I think just moving that part to the beginning would have done wonders for that song. It would act as a small overture and just start it off so beautifully. It would make IT like a smaller SDoIT. And I would enjoy it a whole lot more without it slowing down to a complete crawl in the middle of the song.
But that theme never surfaces again in the song, so it would be kinda a pointless overture.
Please now don't tell me the orchestra theme is elsewhere in the song and I never noticed in two years
As we're in hypothetical land, the only one that really comes to mind is Hollow Years. Possibly adding the extra verse from the demo version (but thats not a real biggie), but putting that amazing JP solo from LAB (I think it was LAB) in a studio version would truly elevate that song IMO....
I'd only want to hear Learning to Live re-recorded nowadays. The glory of its 1992 version cannot be surpassed, but I'm very curious of how would the song sound with a modern production.
Quote from: MirrorMask on January 22, 2016, 03:24:30 PM
But that theme never surfaces again in the song, so it would be kinda a pointless overture.
Please now don't tell me the orchestra theme is elsewhere in the song and I never noticed in two years
Well, there is the theme that appears both in the orchestra part and at the very beginning of the song, but that's it.
Don´t look past me, although it is fine as it is....
WDADU!!! With James and a better quality!!!
Quote from: |KirK| on January 23, 2016, 05:23:17 AM
WDADU!!! With James and a better quality!!!
THIS.
And I always wanted a better version of Images & Words, because I think the compositions are fantastic, but the drums kill it for me. Also, the drums on the Greatest Hit album don't sound too great. Although I have to say that Manginis drum sound (at least the snare) is not too far from I&W.