Dream Theater the new yes...

[johncal]

Hi all. New to the forum  but wanted to ask this........

When I was (much) younger, I grew up a huge YES fan. When they started winding down, I got a bit depressed wondering who could carry the torch with this kind of super progressive intelligent music full of almost every type of influence you could imagine..... AND with Rick Wakeman!

Well, one day when reading a home improvement magazine of all things (I guess the fanboys are everywhere), I heard of this band called Dream Theater. The reviewer said they were kind of like a cross of Yes and Heavy Metal. So I said I'd give it a try. Went and picked up a copy of SDOIT. All I could say was holy Crap. I had never heard anything like that in my life and was instantly hooked. Now only were they as good as YES, but WAAAAY better.

So anyways, how many of you were huge YES fans and did you see Dream Theater as the logical "progression" so to speak?

[hefdaddy42]

I actually got into Yes through DT.  But Yes was one of their big influences.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

What Hef said. Although I'll admit I've never seen the Yes element in their music.

[KevShmev]

I was a big Yes fan before I was a DT fan (got into classic Yes I think right before I got into DT back in '93), but despite the frequent Yes comparisons by many, including the band members themselves, I have never thought they sounded that much like Yes, but I can definitely see how they are perceived as a metal version of Yes by some.

And I know this will be blasphemy to a lot of old proggers, but I think DT has definitely eclipsed Yes.  Their best albums are as good as Yes' best (if not better), and while I may not be overly fond of albums like Octavarium and Systematic Chaos, they are still miles ahead of Yes stinkers like Tormato and Union.

[johncal]

I was a big Yes fan before I was a DT fan (got into classic Yes I think right before I got into DT back in '93), but despite the frequent Yes comparisons by many, including the band members themselves, I have never thought they sounded that much like Yes, but I can definitely see how they are perceived as a metal version of Yes by some.

And I know this will be blasphemy to a lot of old proggers, but I think DT has definitely eclipsed Yes.  Their best albums are as good as Yes' best (if not better), and while I may not be overly fond of albums like Octavarium and Systematic Chaos, they are still miles ahead of Yes stinkers like Tormato and Union.

Union sucks, no argument there.

Octovarium has so much Yes in it, it's not funny. I found it interesting that Octovarium was written right after touring with Yes. Almost like a subconsious tribute.

[ElliottTamer]

My dad is a huge Yes fan and he was the one who got me hooked to music with his classic rock albums. Eventually I was introduced to the Brazilian metal band Angra, and from there to Symphony X, Sonata Arctica and DREAM THEATER! Nowadays DT is my favourite band and though I would not call it the natural progression of bands like Yes, that's how it worked for me.

[reo73]

Union sucks, no argument there.

   I really like Union

[darkshade]

Octavarium, particularly the title track, has a lot of Yes influence. Scenes and SDoIT has a lot of Yes influence too.

[MasterShakezula]

I enjoy prog Yes, dislike pop Yes, and really haven't heard any post 87 Yes.

I mean, they're a great band at their best, but I dunno if they're as consistent as DT.  Plus, I don't think they have that much in common with DT; I'd say DT's more Rush/Queensryche/Fatez Warning/Metallica/Pantera/Pink Floyd than anything else.  Yes sounds mainly to me like spacey folk rock with kickass instrumentation.  

[Nekov]

Yes sounds mainly to me like spacey folk rock with kickass instrumentation.  

Spacey folk rock. I lol'd

[ElliottTamer]

I enjoy prog Yes, dislike pop Yes, and really haven't heard any post 87 Yes.

I mean, they're a great band at their best, but I dunno if they're as consistent as DT.  Plus, I don't think they have that much in common with DT; I'd say DT's more Rush/Queensryche/Fatez Warning/Metallica/Pantera/Pink Floyd than anything else.  Yes sounds mainly to me like spacey folk rock with kickass instrumentation.  

Interesting... I actually dislike Queensryche, Pantera and Metallica (and love DT, so I don't see any similarities...), find Rush overrated (though I can already see some influences there) and love Pink Floyd, but also fail to see similarities between them and DT, excepting a few select songs. (Not sure I've ever heard Fates Warning)

[splent]

I was a big Yes fan before I was a DT fan (got into classic Yes I think right before I got into DT back in '93), but despite the frequent Yes comparisons by many, including the band members themselves, I have never thought they sounded that much like Yes, but I can definitely see how they are perceived as a metal version of Yes by some.

And I know this will be blasphemy to a lot of old proggers, but I think DT has definitely eclipsed Yes.  Their best albums are as good as Yes' best (if not better), and while I may not be overly fond of albums like Octavarium and Systematic Chaos, they are still miles ahead of Yes stinkers like Tormato and Union.

Union sucks, no argument there.

Octovarium has so much Yes in it, it's not funny. I found it interesting that Octovarium was written right after touring with Yes. Almost like a subconsious tribute.

STuff loike octavarium reminds me of stuff like Relayer and Close to the Edge more than Fragile and The Yes Album. 

[Pols Voice]

Now only were they as good as YES, but WAAAAY better.

Now wait a minute, man.

[weezul]

What Hef said. Although I'll admit I've never seen the Yes element in their music.

listen to Solitary Shell and then listen to "And You And I" by Yes, 1 min 25
I also got into Dream Theater first, can't remember what got me onto Yes. I think it was probably from Rush somehow...

[King Postwhore]

What Hef said. Although I'll admit I've never seen the Yes element in their music.

listen to Solitary Shell and then listen to "And You And I" by Yes, 1 min 25
I also got into Dream Theater first, can't remember what got me onto Yes. I think it was probably from Rush somehow...

I always thought that part was a little ELP...ish.  I was a Yes fan since I was 12 (1980) and liked metal like Iron Maiden and DT came along and blended the old style prog with metal nicely.

[johncal]

Now only were they as good as YES, but WAAAAY better.

Now wait a minute, man.

Look, I'm a HUGE Yes fan, but let's face it, technically Dream Theater is way better. Even Wakeman is not technically as good (speed, dexterity, etc) as Rudess, but Wakeman has some mad writing skills and huge emotion in his playing. About the only arguement you could make is about who the better vocalist was/is, but that would probalby need it's own thread.

Like I said, I'm just really, really glad we have Dream Theater or at least for me there would have been a huge hole where YES left off.

[johncal]

If you want a real "Dream Theater" song from Yes, try Sound Chaser on the Relayer album. I'd love to see what the DT guy could do with an update on that tune, but I'll tell you for something that's over 35 years old, it's pretty wild.

[Pols Voice]

Now only were they as good as YES, but WAAAAY better.

Now wait a minute, man.

Look, I'm a HUGE Yes fan, but let's face it, technically Dream Theater is way better. Even Wakeman is not technically as good (speed, dexterity, etc) as Rudess, but Wakeman has some mad writing skills and huge emotion in his playing. About the only arguement you could make is about who the better vocalist was/is, but that would probalby need it's own thread.

Like I said, I'm just really, really glad we have Dream Theater or at least for me there would have been a huge hole where YES left off.

Well, Steve Howe and Chris Squire are my favorite guitarist and bassist of all time, and it doesn't really matter if Petrucci and Myung are technically more proficient. The members of the classic Yes lineups are all VERY unique at what they do. A very hard band to emulate...a lot of their work still sounds unique and unusual 30-40 years later.

I'm not trying to put down DT on their own forum, but Yes is my favorite band. In some ways I can see DT as being a "new Yes". I don't post on the Yes forum because it's just weird.

[lonestar]

Yes is my favorite band, has been since the seventies, but DT is a close second.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

What Hef said. Although I'll admit I've never seen the Yes element in their music.

listen to Solitary Shell and then listen to "And You And I" by Yes, 1 min 25

Yeah, I've always realized that. But other than that I don't see much, except perhaps Medicate.

[CrimsonSunrise]

Welcome to the Party...

I appreciate Yes... but I'm not a huge fan.  I remember when they toured with Yes a few years back.  I ventured to the Yes website during the tour and was amazed at how many Yes fans were just amazed after seeing DT   

[DreamTension]

This is a quote from the 5 Years in a Livetime DVD Commentary where JP jams with Steve Howe:

 "John Petrucci: Yes is one of our all-time biggest influences as a band and as writers. We've always considered ourselves like a 'heavy metal Yes' basically. We have the same instrumentation (singer, drummer, keys, guitar, bass). I think one of the big differences, we don't have as much of the vocal interaction as they had. What a gracious guy, he was very nice."

Credit link:  https://www.yesfans.com/archive/index.php/t-29582.html

[jeebustrain]

If you want a real "Dream Theater" song from Yes, try Sound Chaser on the Relayer album. I'd love to see what the DT guy could do with an update on that tune, but I'll tell you for something that's over 35 years old, it's pretty wild.

Jordan covered that song on one of his solo albums - and did a kickass job with it, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEGCH5sK2io
(with none other than Kip Winger on vox)

[Orbert]

I've always seen DT's approach to songwriting and album structuring as being similar to Yes.  I saw it right away when I first heard Images and Words, and when JP pointed it out on Five Years, it made perfect sense.  While I don't think they sound anything alike (except for a few passages here and there), they have the same proclivity towards longer songs.  They like the idea of indulging the instrumental side of things, making epics and mini-epics out of relatively simple songs.

Unfortunately, it has lately seemed to me that DT's longer songs are often "artificially" long.  It's not really a ten-minute song; it's a five minute song with five minutes of instrumental literally stuck into it.  Yes instrumentals seem to flow more naturally from the songs themselves.  True, sometimes the sudden change is the whole point, but when they (DT) do that the majority of the time, I begin to wonder if they can really write an organic, longer-form song.

They've gotten better at it.  "Octavarium" is amazing, and has great flow IMO.  Some of the other later epics have pretty good flow.  But overall, while I think it's great that DT is influenced by Yes and aspires to be like them, I don't think they've reached it yet.  Yes instrumentals sound to me like musical adventures, and they usually represent a part of the story not told in the lyrics.  DT instrumentals generally sound to me like four guys showing off their chops.

[Ytsejammin]

I totally get DT as the carrying on of what Yes was known for. Especially when you consider that the catalog number for Awake is 90126. 

[coffees for closers]

Huge Yes fan, have seen them almost as many times as DT. Although none lately. The last time was when they played with DT. Great show although even back then Steve Howe looked like a cast member for the Walking Dead.
Yes Fagile, and the Yes Album, Yes Songs those albums are sick.

[johncal]

Huge Yes fan, have seen them almost as many times as DT. Although none lately. The last time was when they played with DT. Great show although even back then Steve Howe looked like a cast member for the Walking Dead.
Yes Fagile, and the Yes Album, Yes Songs those albums are sick.

Yeah, they just physically can't do it anymore. But those guys were some hardcore partiers. Howe has looked like the walking dead for the last 15 years though. Anderson had to hang it up due to health reasons. Wakeman's always been afraid of flying, so he said F it. All good things eventually end. I mean the group still "officially" exists, but............ We have our Dream Theater YAY!

Yes top 3, Fragile, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Close to the edge.  DT top 3, SFAM, SDOIT and another nameless one........(for now)

[The Dark Master]

I definitely feel that Dream Theater could be considered a metal version of prog Yes (so up to and including Going for the One).  Their influences go far beyond Yes, however, as Rush, Queensryche, Metallica, Fates Warning and Pink Floyd were all just as big of an influence on DT as Yes was.  So I suppose calling them a "Metal Yes" isn't really giving DT the full credit they deserve, but especially for people familiar with Yes 1959-1977, I could see how that comparison has some validity.

And yeah, I think Dream Theater has surpassed Yes in quality at this point.  As of the 10th album mark (BC&SL vs Drama), I feel Dream Theater has overall maintained a much more consistent quality.

[Hanz Gruber]

My dad made me a Yes fan.  In turn I made him a Dream Theater fan.

My first concert was a Yes concert actually.  My dad is a huge Yes fan and took me to see them.

A few years later my dad heard me playing Scarred on the stereo and he thought it sounded really neat. 

The rest is history.

[lonestar]

I always tell people when describing DT,"just imagine Metallica and Yes having a baby"

[jmbeat]

There was a ten year period where I ate, drank, breathed YES and it was one of the things I was drawn to with DT. I totally thought they were "the heavy metal Yes", and still do.

[Metrovarium]

Honestly, I don't hear the comparison at all. I love both bands, though.

[johncal]

Wierd how some of us (including DT) see the comparison yet others don't.