How many listens does it take to fully appreciate a DT album

[MetropolisxPt1]

I just gave a friend of mine my copy of 8vm and i told him to give it few listens through to fully appreciate it, just curious on how long it takes you to fully embrace a DT album.

I will say BC&SL had me from right from the beginning.

[snapple]

Depends how many session musicians are on the album.

[Bombardana]

I voted 5+. When enough thought and care is given to the making of an album, it will still reap rewards to listen to it many, many times. So I think in general it is true of all good albums that it takes several listens to fully appreciate it.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Usually 1 or 2. Their music is pretty easy to digest.

[Gysten]

I started with Images And Words and Octavarium. Took me 10+ listens to appreciate the albums. At that moment i diden't even like songs like Metropolis, Learning To Live and Octavarium, such a noob. :/

I loved Scenes From A Memory on the first listen thought.

[MetropolisxPt1]

Depends how many session musicians are on the album.

arrogance at its finest besides as long as mangini doesnt contribute he is a session member.

[gmillerdrake]

I voted 5+. I usually spin a new DT CD repeatedly once I get it just to soak it all up and try to digest it. But I'd have to say it's a good few weeks of multiple daily listens before I feel comfortable knowing I've 'got it all' out of a DT CD.

[MetropolisxPt1]

I started with Images And Words and Octavarium. Took me 10+ listens to appreciate the albums. At that moment i diden't even like songs like Metropolis, Learning To Live and Octavarium, such a noob. :/

I&W is imo the hardest to get into first. I remember the intro to LTL scared me off so i never listened to it but then the bass groove in the verse made me a permanent DT fan

[tri.ad]

Depends how many session musicians are on the album.

 

[Ultimetalhead]

It depends on the album. Scenes hooked me right away, and so did BC&SL. Others like 8VM, I&W, and Awake took many listens. I voted 3 as a median average.

[Blackfield]

What do you mean digest, forcing yourself to like it? I'll listen to the album (no matter what kind of style of music it is) one time and I'll hear if it's good or not. I've heard BC&SL as a whole album once. I did not need time to digest it because I heard that it was not made for my ears. I did listen to TCOT twice though, it deserved that!

With Dream Theaters latest releases, there's no need to listen to the entire thing because there is no theme or thought behind them.

[TheSilentHam]

You can enjoy parts of the album within the first few listens, appreciate a good chunk of the album within 10 or so more listens...but after that it's really an unintended trick question.  How could you possibly know whether or not you are fully appreciating it?  

[MetropolisxPt1]

You can enjoy parts of the album within the first few listens, appreciate a good chunk of the album within 10 or so more listens...but after that it's really an unintended trick question.  How could you possibly know whether or not you are fully appreciating it?  

If you do you have reached another level of consciousness and will attain nirvana.

[ZirconBlue]

You can enjoy parts of the album within the first few listens, appreciate a good chunk of the album within 10 or so more listens...but after that it's really an unintended trick question.  How could you possibly know whether or not you are fully appreciating it?  

This.

With Dream Theaters latest releases, there's no need to listen to the entire thing because there is no theme or thought behind them.

Not this.

[Ultimetalhead]

What do you mean digest, forcing yourself to like it? I'll listen to the album (no matter what kind of style of music it is) one time and I'll hear if it's good or not. I've heard BC&SL as a whole album once. I did not need time to digest it because I heard that it was not made for my ears. I did listen to TCOT twice though, it deserved that!

With Dream Theaters latest releases, there's no need to listen to the entire thing because there is no theme or thought behind them.

This is the most ridiculous statement I've read in a long time. Congratulations.

[Heretic]

It depends on how much depth the music has, at least for me. It takes a while to digest everything in some songs, yet others click immediately, so I went with 5+. Normally, even if something does click on a first or second listen, I'll still continue listening to it to hear new things, or things I've missed previously.

With Dream Theaters latest releases, there's no need to listen to the entire thing because there is no theme or thought behind them.

Uh, yeah, I don't normally like to tell people they're wrong, but...

[In The Name Of Rudess]

What do you mean digest, forcing yourself to like it? I'll listen to the album (no matter what kind of style of music it is) one time and I'll hear if it's good or not. I've heard BC&SL as a whole album once. I did not need time to digest it because I heard that it was not made for my ears. I did listen to TCOT twice though, it deserved that!

With Dream Theaters latest releases, there's no need to listen to the entire thing because there is no theme or thought behind them.

This is the most ridiculous statement I've read in a long time. Congratulations.

[chrisbDTM]

Depends how many session musicians are on the album.

 
hey now

[TheSilentHam]

You can enjoy parts of the album within the first few listens, appreciate a good chunk of the album within 10 or so more listens...but after that it's really an unintended trick question.  How could you possibly know whether or not you are fully appreciating it?  

If you do you have reached another level of consciousness and will attain nirvana.

You mean like a Shaman's Trance?

[Elaitch]

With Dream Theaters latest releases, there's no need to listen to the entire thing because there is no theme or thought behind them.

  what is this I don't even

Concerning the question at hand: It differs... I've had different experiences. Some of you guys ask such odd questions xD

[Mosh]

A lot.

[yorost]

How many times you need to listen to an album to digest or appreciate it is a function of each album, not what band it is created by.

[WildeSilas]

Just yesterday I focused for the first time on the utter fucking brilliance of JP's guitar work on the 1st verse of ToT, and I've been listening to that album for 20 some odd years. I'd heard it, digested it, but I don't think I really began to appreciate his tone and all the negative space until yesterday. IMO the most completely mind-blowing, bend-me-over, tasteful, unique and provocative guitar work JP has ever done. This was YESTERDAY.

[KevShmev]

Depends how many session musicians are on the album.

 

And I hope your friend has heard some DT before, otherwise starting him off with Octavarium was a huge mistake.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

What do you mean digest, forcing yourself to like it? I'll listen to the album (no matter what kind of style of music it is) one time and I'll hear if it's good or not. I've heard BC&SL as a whole album once. I did not need time to digest it because I heard that it was not made for my ears. I did listen to TCOT twice though, it deserved that!

With Dream Theaters latest releases, there's no need to listen to the entire thing because there is no theme or thought behind them.

This is the most ridiculous statement I've read in a long time. Congratulations.

[Bertielee]

I don't know exactly, but quite a few times for sure. I guess it will be the same for DT 11 and I hope I'll go beyond 4 or 5 listens, becaus I  stopped at that number for both SC and BC&SL.

B.Lee

[Mladen]

A lot.

So, obviously, more than five.

[Dublagent66]

I voted 5+.  When listening to DT, one must do his or her homework.  You're not gonna catch everything in just a couple spins and there are no cliff notes either. 

[wammabe]

Depends on the album. I found 8vm extremely easy to appreciate in the first/second listen, although it was my first DT album, I already felt familiar with the song styles and structures. On the other hand, the first disk of SDOIT was extremely hard for me to digest, I refused to fully listen to songs like "The Great Debate" for months! ToT was also very hard for me to appreciate since I was always told it was a bunch of mindless metal, I only got to appreciate it after reading a review and going through all the songs separately 1 by 1.
However, I was a n00b at music back then, I think I'm fully prepared to take on ADTOE in a more mature way.

[JayOctavarium]

it takes me a dozen forceful listens to get into an album

[MetropolisxPt1]

You can enjoy parts of the album within the first few listens, appreciate a good chunk of the album within 10 or so more listens...but after that it's really an unintended trick question.  How could you possibly know whether or not you are fully appreciating it?  

If you do you have reached another level of consciousness and will attain nirvana.

You mean like a Shaman's Trance?

I was thinking Breaking All Illusions and far from heaven  as  metaphors for existentialism in religion.

[wolfking]

Depends on the album.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

To fully appreciate any album, it's going to take four or five listens. Before that, one must first feel out an album, which only takes a couple of listens with DT.

[King Postwhore]

Three licks to get to the center.



I'd say between 5 and ten plays to soak it all in.

[Vajra]

Aside from "The Mirror" and "A Change of Seasons" pretty much all of Pre-Scenes DT took awhile for me to appreciate. I remember that once I did learn to like them, I really fell in love and was blown away. I&W is one of my all time favorite albums now. As for Post-FII DT, everything was very easy for me to appreciate, only took 1 listen to know whether or not I liked a song.

This thread reminds me how I thought "Requiem For a Dream" and "The Fountain" were simply decent films when I first saw them, and now they're two of my top 5 favorite films.