The first few songs that got you into DT

[Vajra]

Home -
Heard the intro on a DBZ movie, and was blown away. Then a friend introduced me to DT by showing me "Home" and I was amazed to find it was the same song. I was astonished by how equally awesome the rest of the song was. I thought it was one of the best songs I had ever heard, and I still do till this day.

The Mirror -
When I was first getting into DT, Metallica was my favorite band (they got me into music) so this song naturally pleased me big time. But it wasn't just the palm-muting riff that got me, it was that keyboard section towards the end of the intro that really got me hooked. The rest of the song followed.

A Change of Seasons -
This song was unlike anything I had ever heard. Listening to it was literally like embarking on a musical, dream-like, journey. I would play this song a lot before I went to bed, and just listen to it as I would lay there. It took me many listens to actually get past the fist 10 minutes though  I always got put off by the instrumental section after the first two verse sections. I wasn't used to 20 minute songs at this point.

The Glass Prison -
I was on blabbermouth one day and I stumbled upon the "RUN!" section of The Glass Prison as played by DT during Gigantour. I thought it was some of the heaviest  and most powerful music I had ever heard. Up until this point, I only listened to the above songs by DT and a few off Elements of Persuasion, as I wasn't really interested with the rest of their catalog. TGP inspired me to give the band another chance, and after getting their entire discography... well, the rest is history.

[Jarlaxle]

These Walls and Sacrificed Sons. My buddy showed me these two songs cause I'm really into symphony type sounds. I loved these two songs immediately, both are still in my top 10. Instantly I went out and bought Octavarium and Train of Thought and loved them to bits. Then I bought Images and Words and Awake; it took me forever to get into Dream Theater's older stuff (I still don't like Awake, worst DT album IMO). From there I worked my way up and love almost every song of theirs!

[ResultsMayVary]

Octavarium
As I Am
The Glass Prison

I was sold after just three songs.

[IJewBear]

My dad's friend gave him SFAM as a gift back in 2004. We were in the car and he plays Dance of Eternity for me. I was just getting into guitar at that point and the song amazed me. After that, I couldn't stop listening to the album. It was all up hill from there.

[wammabe]

The Dance of Eternity
Panic Attack
The Root Of All Evil
Octavarium

I bought TDOE live some time ago when my brother showed it to me. When I found out in rock-band that Panic Attack was also made by Dream Theater, I started to get into DT.

[scoutmasterdave]

First thing I heard was Pull Me Under (I bought I&W and ACOS used at a record store around '95 because I dug the cover art).  Listened to the whole album, and have been a huge fan ever since.  

[Elite]

At one point, in my mother's car (in which I sat a lot as a child) there were 4 CD's;
- Images & Words
- Metropolis Pt. 2
- Carved in Stone (by Shadow Gallery, awesome band id you don't know them)
- Legacy (idem dito)

Hence my affiliation with prog (metal).

[Vajra]

At one point, in my mother's car (in which I sat a lot as a child) there were 4 CD's;
- Images & Words
- Metropolis Pt. 2
- Carved in Stone (by Shadow Gallery, awesome band id you don't know them)
- Legacy (idem dito)

Hence my affiliation with prog (metal).

Dude... your mom seems cool as hell. I wish my parents listened to that type of music.

[krands85]

Can't really remember the specific songs, but a friend introduced me to Octavarium and that was where I started with the band. It was probably TROAE and Panic Attack maybe that I thought were cool.

After that I kind of forgot about them for a while until Systematic Chaos came out. I remember loving Forsaken for quite a while (even though that's never really been the style of song I enjoyed that much) but ITPOE was a big influence - its still one of my favourite tracks.

After investigating what their heaviest album was, I then checked out TOT and that was me hooked completely. As I Am and In the Name of God (which was my favourite DT track for a long time) 

Since then I've never looked back  It was mainly the metal side of things that attracted me at first, but now I appreciate their other elements more with Metropolis, LTL and Octavarium being my favourite tracks.

[Jinova]

I was discussing music with a co-worker and he wanted me to listen to this cd he had just bought. It was DT- Images and Words.  We left work and went out to his car and he played Pull Me Under. I was blown away. The drum fills in the begining and the guitar riff had me. Then I heard JLB and it was on!

We had worked all night and it was 7am.  He skipped around to bits of each track on the cd and I had to have it. I loved it.  I went home and showered, got dressed and headed to Peaches. It was the only music store I knew at the time. I had only moved there a few months prior to that and wasnt familiar with the area. It was about a 30 minute drive.

I got the cd, took it home and listened to the entire thing.  Then I made a cassette copy, (thats all I had in my truck way back then lol). Then I FINALLY went to sleep!  I kept that tape in my player for almost 2 years. 
Been a fan ever since.

[CrimsonSunrise]

First album was Awake, off that album It was Voices, Lie, the Mirror, and Scarred that really piqued my interest.

[BlobVanDam]

The Glass Prison

Anyone who was not instantly converted by that song has no soul. NONE. (I'm sure there's a joke about This Dying Soul in there somewhere).

And also SDOIT. That was my first album, so between TGP and the title track, I was hooked.

[wolven74]

Octavarium
As I Am
The Glass Prison

I was sold after just three songs.

As was I. However, my 3 are:
Pull Me Under
Surrounded
Learning to Live

[PuffyPat]

I heard This Dying Soul, and I never looked back.

[Ħ]

It's been a long time, but probably TGP, Misunderstood, and SDOIT.

[Adami]

Metropolis Pt. 1.

I remember not liking the voice.

[Metropolis pt.-1]

My brother showed me the Glass Prison. It's still one of my all time favourites today.

[Frosthawk]

It was one sole song that did it for me, and it was Hell's Kitchen of all songs. I don't even remember how I heard it, but it's still one of my favorites to this day.

This also provided me the delightful pleasure of Falling Into Infinity being my first Dream Theater album. Well, hey, it got me interest! vOv

[edu]

The first thing i heard/saw from DT was the SFM DVD, and probably Strange DejaVu was the first song that  impressed me. But when I heard Take the Time I decided DT was going to be my favourite band for the rest of my life!

[Jirpo]

Metropolis, Pull Me Under, Hollow Years, Forsaken

[Psy]

I found The Glass Prison by accident and never looked back. My mind was blown.

[Lowdz]

A Fortune In Lies- The riff had me thinking "good start", the bass reminded me of Rush, I liked the keyboards before the lyrics started. The solo was over the top, topped off with the arpeggios (mandatory in the 80s). I liked that you didn't know what was coming next. Most of the stuff I listened to was verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo- chorus stuff, even the instrumental stuff followed this pattern. on this album it was all over the place- a new riff or verse, a solo poping up in a strange place- a total change of tack at the drop of a hat.

The Killing Hand- just awesome. Epic. Didn't have a clue what it was about but it didn't matter. it was like early Rush crossed with Satriani, Yngwie,, and other bands I listened tyo, but totally unlike any of them.
By the time I got to Afterlife and THAT unison I was hooked and amazed.

Fast forward a few years and I was in a pub and the DJ played this song which sounded a bit like Enter Sandman but with a fantastic singer and the band could really play. He followed it up with a ballad, again a great vocal. In my half-inebbriated state I didn't realise it was the same band. I asked the DJ who it was and of course it was DT, PMU and AD. I was amazed and deliriously happy. the next morning I went straight to the local music shop and bought I&W.

The rest is self explanatory.

[nikatapi]

Αs I Am, Overture 1928, Strange Deja Vu. And i was so shocked, i had never heard such complicated but at the same time catchy music.

[kartmaze2]

From Liquid Tension Experiment into Overture 1928, Strange Deja Vu, Fatal Tragedy and The Dance of Eternity, and then I was a fan!

[BlackInk]

In the Presence of Enemies - The first Dream Theater song I ever heard. Still love it.
The Root of All Evil - Still like it.
As I Am - After ItPoE I started to just listen to the first track of the albums, and learning them on drums. Still like this sing.
The Glass Prison - Still love it.
New Millenium - Don't like this very much anymore.
A Change of Seasons - Still love it.

[BRGM]

The root of all evil, That silent intro, I was like   

These walls was neat as well.

And then Octavarium, a 23 minute song, I was like    lolwut?!

[MasterShakezula]

My very first exposure was with I&W.  

The second the chorus of Pull Me under smacked me over the head, DT had a fan in me!

[Liberation]

Regression - my uncle played SFAM once, and while I heard only this, I really liked it (which was a very rare case about music he listened to ). I didn't follow and become a fan immediately after that, but it left a good impression of DT.

The Root of All Evil/Panic Attack/Octavarium - Octavarium was the first album I fully heard, and since I had been mostly a metalhead, the first two were my immediate favourites. However, over time I got into the more prog side, and fell in love with the title track. And after that nothing was ever the same again.

[Zydar]

I first heard Pull Me Under and Caught In A Web back in late 2000, so I bought I&W and Awake. Gave them a few listens but put them on the shelf for a few years. Then in 2007 I heard I Walk Beside You (!) and I remembered this band again, and decided to give the albums a new chance. BAM! A new fan was born.

So to answer the OP question: Pull Me Under, Caught In A Web, Metropolis, I Walk Beside You, Wait For Sleep.

[King Postwhore]

Well, it all started with hearing Pull Me Under on the radio.  I rushed out to buy it and then playing I & W over and over so any song from it for me.

[Gysten]

Pull Me Under, Another Day, As I Am and Panic Attack was the first tracks i listened to.

[Elite]

Octavarium, a 23 minute song

Does not compute.
24! It's 24 minutes, dammit 

[Liberation]

I still remember when I was like "wow... 24 minutes... this is LONG".

And then I saw Six Degrees.

[berrege]

Constant Motion was the first song I heard, on MTV. I was in a metal period that time and I was overwhelmed. I immediately bought the Systematic Chaos album after hearing Constant Motion. It also brought me into prog music.

[John94]

Endless Sacrifice.

I got into DT about 2006. Completely by mistake or accident or fate. I was talking to a friend on a messenger and they send me a random audio clip of a complete rocking song with an emoticon of  . So I heard some lyrics in it (moments wasted, isolated) done a google search and then found the name and listened to the rest of the song which happened to be, Endless Sacrifice.