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Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: zappafrank2112 on April 22, 2019, 05:12:59 PM
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What are some songs that probably don't spring to mind in terms of a "best of" or "this is what the band is all about," but which you nevertheless hold near and dear?
For me, it's Status Seeker, easily. There's something so haunting about it, almost mystical in the aura it conjures. And I *love* MP's playing on it, especially the tom fills at the end of the 2nd verse, and the way he gets more aggressive with each iteration of "at the drop of a dime" in the chorus where by the final time, he's like a Keith Moon spazz out.
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I love Prophets Of War. Always have since first listen.
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Pull Me Under.
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The killing hand
You Or Me
The way it used to be
Speak to Me
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I love Prophets Of War. Always have since first listen.
Same here. Other than the deep voice section I think its a fun song. Not James' best lyrics but they work fine. Better than half the other lyrics on SC.
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Another won
The ones who help to set the sun - Dark, very atmospheric and eerie. A very cool and off beat kind of song
The Dark eternal night - Its infectiously addictive and fun.
Eve- simple and beautiful
I'm sure I have more. Those are first 3 that came to mind
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Speak To Me, Disappear, and You Not Me. I absolutely love these songs and wish they got more attention from the band and the fans. I'm not a huge fan of You Or Me oddly enough...I think shortening it and switching the chorus was a great improvement.
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For me, it's Status Seeker, easily. There's something so haunting about it, almost mystical in the aura it conjures. And I *love* MP's playing on it, especially the tom fills at the end of the 2nd verse, and the way he gets more aggressive with each iteration of "at the drop of a dime" in the chorus where by the final time, he's like a Keith Moon spazz out.
That one was a single, doesn't count as a deep cut. :biggrin:
OK maybe it does. I love it, like all of the WDADU.
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For me, it's Status Seeker, easily. There's something so haunting about it, almost mystical in the aura it conjures. And I *love* MP's playing on it, especially the tom fills at the end of the 2nd verse, and the way he gets more aggressive with each iteration of "at the drop of a dime" in the chorus where by the final time, he's like a Keith Moon spazz out.
That one was a single, doesn't count as a deep cut. :biggrin:
OK maybe it does. I love it, like all of the WDADU.
Really? Never knew that. When I think the main songs from WDADU, I think A Fortune in Lies, The Ytse Jam, and The Killing Hand.
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For me, it's Status Seeker, easily. There's something so haunting about it, almost mystical in the aura it conjures. And I *love* MP's playing on it, especially the tom fills at the end of the 2nd verse, and the way he gets more aggressive with each iteration of "at the drop of a dime" in the chorus where by the final time, he's like a Keith Moon spazz out.
That one was a single, doesn't count as a deep cut. :biggrin:
OK maybe it does. I love it, like all of the WDADU.
Really? Never knew that. When I think the main songs from WDADU, I think A Fortune in Lies, The Ytse Jam, and The Killing Hand.
Oh, it was only a promo single. My bad.
https://www.discogs.com/Dream-Theater-Status-Seeker/release/4828480
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Never Enough. I don’t care that it sounds like Muse’s Stockholm Syndrome. I don’t care that the lyrics are Mike Portnoy trashing his fans. It’s a fun song.
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Pull Me Under.
:rollin
Awesome.
I'll say...
Fatal Tragedy
The Test that Stumped Them All
Take Away My Pain
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Prophets of War
Anna Lee
Take Away My Pain (album version, not the Kenny G version)
You Not Me
Light Fuse and Get Away
Build Me Up, Break Me Down
Beneath the Surface
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Never Enough. I don’t care that it sounds like Muse’s Stockholm Syndrome. I don’t care that the lyrics are Mike Portnoy trashing his fans. It’s a fun song.
Don't forget that instrumental section!
Take Away My Pain (album version, not the Kenny G version)
The Kenny G version being the one on Once in a LIVEtime?
For me, I would say:
Light Fuse and Get Away
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Only a Matter of Time
Bombay Vindaloo
Barfbag
Raise the Knife
Speak to Me
The Great Debate
Disappear
Never Enough
Heaven's Cove
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Damn, didn't think about Disappear because I personally rank it so high.
I likewise like Never Enough reasonably well. It's not a 5* song but still a good album tune.
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I’ll second a couple picks here:
Another Won - Score version - the whole band plays the hell of out of this song live. I distinctly remember them playing this on the tour as well and getting a HUGE audience pop at the end. Not an easy thing to do with a relatively unknown song.
You Or Me - they basically took one of their best/catchiest choruses and turned it into one of their worst (You Not Me). Damn shame. Fits way better as a companion piece to New Millenium as well. Not to mention some really tasty guitar playing from Petrucci.
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Not sure if I understand the question fully. :lol
Does either of "Blind Faith" or "These Walls" fit? I love those.
Also agree with "Another Won" from Score. I played that on repeat for weeks when Score came out. What an awesome tune, and totally unknown for the majority of people.
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What's a deep cut for a nonmainstream band like Dream Theater?
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Speak to me and I Walk Beside You.
Also, You Not Me is not near as bad as everyone and Mike Portnoy make it out to be.
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Never Enough, great riffs and vocals and it rocks! :metal
Honor Thy Father :metal
Behind the Veil :metal
Lost not Forgotten :metal
Viper King = fun. :metal
Raise The Knife. :metal
Scarred. :metal
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Never Enough. I don’t care that it sounds like Muse’s Stockholm Syndrome. I don’t care that the lyrics are Mike Portnoy trashing his fans. It’s a fun song.
Don't forget that instrumental section!
Absolutely!!!
Also...
Only a Matter of Time
Voices
Just Let Me Breathe (Once in a LIVETime version rocks)
Endless Scarifice
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What's a deep cut for a nonmainstream band like Dream Theater?
"Mike Thinks He's Dee Dee Ramone Introducing a Song Song"
:biggrin:
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A Vision ‘89
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The Killing Hand and Anna Lee.
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For me, Eve is a Top 10 DT song. I never see anyone else say that (other than bosk1, of course), so I guess that counts.
Speak to Me and Raise the Knife are both fantastic as well.
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Off the top of my head, Speak to Me and Eve are my favorite "deep cuts" from Dream Theater.
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I'll never get tired of singling out Cover my eyes as one of their best short songs. How this one didn't make it onto Falling into infinity is beyond me, it would have been perfect for that era. Such a fantastic tune.
As far as album songs go, The Ministry of lost souls and Disappear are top 10 songs for me, but I rarely see either making it to anyone else's top 10.
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Not sure if I understand the question fully. :lol
Does either of "Blind Faith" or "These Walls" fit? I love those.
I took the question meaning songs that are not well represented or spoken of that much, so both would count. However, I think Blind Faith gets a ton of love. I can't think of very many people that don't love it.
These Walls on the other hand very few people speak of. I always just thought the song was just kind of...."there." When they pulled it out on the ADTOE tour I was blown away. Translated much better live than on album. Similar to Shattered Fortress in that regard.
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I'll never get tired of singling out Cover my eyes as one of their best short songs. How this one didn't make it onto Falling into infinity is beyond me, it would have been perfect for that era. Such a fantastic tune.
Agreed. That was third on my list, actually.
In addition, I am a huge fan of Anna Lee. It doesn't get much love at all, either by the fans or the band, but I think that is an OUTSTANDING song, and has always been in my top songs from DT.
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If Disappear qualifies as a deep cut, then definitely Disappear. Easily a top 10 song for me!
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Speak To Me
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Agree with all of the above. Same great deep cuts getting highlighted (You Or Me, A Vision '89) - but I'm not seeing any love for Raw Dog, so I'm here representin'!!
Raw Dog.
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Agree with all of the above. Same great deep cuts getting highlighted (You Or Me, A Vision '89) - but I'm not seeing any love for Raw Dog, so I'm here representin'!!
Raw Dog.
I almost posted that, but I didn't think it'd be taken seriously. I think Raw Dog is excellent, and I have NEVER understood the hate it gets.
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Scarred. One of my very favorite DT tracks, when I feel that lineup of the band was at their creative peak.
The Great Debate and Raise the Knife are also very very good.
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Scarred. One of my very favorite DT tracks, when I feel that lineup of the band was at their creative peak.
The Great Debate and Raise the Knife are also very very good.
Oh, Scarred! :heart Just amazing. I rate this so high it didn't even cross my mind for this thread.
Somewhat funny story: way back while in school, the teachers arranged a "music cafe". Idea was that the students would tell something about their favourite band or artist and play a song for the others to listen. I went with Scarred.
The look on their faces when the song hit five minutes... Seven.. Nine... "Oh god make it stop!" :lol
Probably should have gone with Pull Me Under!
A few people thought the song was nice though..
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To Live Forever
Bonus: 2004 To Live Forever jam, released as the Oakdale Odyssey (https://youtu.be/0VddMqW-I44?t=270) on that year's fanclub CD. It's a cool jam and it also reps my home venue
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Well if Scarred gets a mention.. that’s my favorite DT song!
Misunderstood is another one, a top 5 song for me for sure. I feel James’ vocals when they enter are incredibly good.
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Light Fuse and Get Away and The Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun. I got to see The Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun live in Detroit on the ToT tour, and it was one of the highlights of the set for me.
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I think Raw Dog is excellent, and I have NEVER understood the hate it gets.
Oh, I can help you with that.
You see, it is quite awful.
:biggrin:
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Hollow Years: Does this one count? I know it's a single but I don't see much discussion about this track in particular around here. Always loved how catchy yet somber it was with its emotionally resonate lyrics.
Misunderstood: I count this just based off the fact that it seems to be pretty divisive. But it has always been one of my all time favorite DT tracks. Even the guitar solo freak out at the end I love, and really plays into the deranged and demented vibe the song sets in with the sparse instrumentation at the start.
Vacant: One of the few DT ballads that really stands out and scratches a very different itch than most do. Up there with Disappear as one of DT's most despondent and depressing songs. Just so emotionally devastating.
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I think Raw Dog is excellent, and I have NEVER understood the hate it gets.
Oh, I can help you with that.
You see, it is quite awful.
:biggrin:
Listen to Hef in all things (when he isn't slaughtering helpless hats or Mexican food at meet-ups).
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He's more like wiffdaddy when it comes to Raw Dog. ;D
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Lately, it sure seems like someone has hacked Tim's account. :lol :p
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Or he's taken up cocaine. https://youtu.be/oMktzmxGu5Y?t=233
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Or he's taken up cocaine. https://youtu.be/oMktzmxGu5Y?t=233
:lol
Classic routine.
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I need to watch that whole thing again. It's been a LONG time.
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All I know is that when my wife was giving birth to our oldest son, this was all I was thinking about..
https://youtu.be/BYR9xX6DvpM?t=311
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I think Raw Dog is excellent, and I have NEVER understood the hate it gets.
Oh, I can help you with that.
You see, it is quite awful.
:biggrin:
Listen to Hef in all things (when he isn't slaughtering helpless hats or Mexican food at meet-ups).
All I can say is that when I slaughter Mexican food, it stays slaughtered.
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All I know is that when my wife was giving birth to our oldest son, this was all I was thinking about..
https://youtu.be/BYR9xX6DvpM?t=311
:rollin I don't even have to click on the link.
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"The Dark Eternal Night". I once hated it because I thought the concept was ridiculously stupid. Recently I watched the Systematic Chaos documentary and got to the part where JP says, "This song is about...a monster." And I just LOL'd. I think it's an unapologetically silly metal song, and I once I understood that, something just clicked.
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TDEN has such a great instrumental part.
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The killing hand
You Or Me
The way it used to be
Speak to Me
Are you me?
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"The Dark Eternal Night". I once hated it because I thought the concept was ridiculously stupid. Recently I watched the Systematic Chaos documentary and got to the part where JP says, "This song is about...a monster." And I just LOL'd. I think it's an unapologetically silly metal song, and I once I understood that, something just clicked.
I came to appreciate TDEN and Systematic Chaos as a whole after watching that documentary. SC is the band letting loose after completing that span of albums that tied into each other at the start and ends, they just came off the 20th anniversary tour, the Octavarium album which had all the musical and art nuggets, etc.
They just wanted to make an album with no theme tying some songs together or musical themes. They just wanted to make a fun album, and I think that comes through.
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Three Days
The X Aspect
plus some which have already been mentioned
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I guess I can throw in a whole bunch of stuff off The Astonishing here:
Dystopian Overture
Lord Nafaryus
Chosen
The Road to Revolution
Begin Again
Hymn of a Thousand Voices
Astonishing
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As far as the stuff from The Astonishing goes, A Tempting offer is a true winner for me. :metal
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For me I think it's These Walls. They've done quite a few of these type of straightforward songs for a bit but none works as well as this one. There's a restraint to it that I love, from JP's melodically focused solo to one of my favorite piano bits from JR during the bridge (wonderful use of contrary motion in the chords he plays) and the outro really builds up nicely. The era of 6doit through Sc is not one I revisit often nowadays but that song is in my top 10 dt songs of all time.
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Just yesterday I was thinking about this same topic. I was listening to DT during my commute and "Peruvian Skies" came on and boy I forgot how good that song is. So, because of how fresh it is in my mind, I will say
Peruvian Skies.
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I'll never get tired of singling out Cover my eyes as one of their best short songs. How this one didn't make it onto Falling into infinity is beyond me, it would have been perfect for that era. Such a fantastic tune.
As far as album songs go, The Ministry of lost souls and Disappear are top 10 songs for me, but I rarely see either making it to anyone else's top 10.
"Cover My Eyes" is, if not my favorite Dream Theater song, then in the Top Five.
I'd add: Anna Lee and Misunderstood to that list as well.
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The killing hand
You Or Me
The way it used to be
Speak to Me
Are you me?
:omg: :omg:
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Or he's taken up cocaine. https://youtu.be/oMktzmxGu5Y?t=233
Sees video title is "Bill Cosby Drugs"
I DO NOT CONSENT!!!
But on topic - Two Far. A lot of fun Dream Theater tropes are in this song, and I enjoy the aggressive keyboard playing.
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Several people have mentioned Disappear, but I have to mention it as well. That song transfixed me when I first heard it, and I still think it is one of the most beautiful pieces they've ever written. I consider it a deep track. Also:
Innocence Faded
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A Fortune in Lies
Status Seeker
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Innocence Faded
Viper King
The Enemy Inside
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I guess I can throw in a whole bunch of stuff off The Astonishing here:
Dystopian Overture
Lord Nafaryus
Chosen
The Road to Revolution
Begin Again
Hymn of a Thousand Voices
Astonishing
I agree with most of that. I also like "Heaven's Cove" a lot.
As far as older material goes: "Repentance". And "New Millenium".
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I would absolutely love them giving more representation to TA in their setlists.
Ravenskill - Catchy riff and peak JLB!
The Path that Divides/The Walking Shadow/My Last Farewell - Cool heavy song run which is quintessential DT with peak Mangini!
Enigma Machine - Love the guitar work!
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Just Let Me Breathe. So groovy.
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MP era: Another Won and Afterlife (when it's played nicely), MM era: Behind The Veil
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The entire WDADU album
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For me, Eve is a Top 10 DT song. I never see anyone else say that (other than bosk1, of course), so I guess that counts.
I'm not sure it's top 10 for me, but certainly Top 20. We shall never see the likes of that song again, unfortunately.
So,
Eve
The Killing Hand
Cover My Eyes
The Way It Used To Be
To Live Forever
Don't Look Past Me
Disappear