What is your three favorite Dream Theater albums?

[KevShmev]

Awake
I&W

I don't know why, but I love that you love Awake as much as I do.

 

Awake is in my all-time top 5.  It is that great.  I&W is easily top 20 as well.  If there was some internal clock that could tell you what albums you have listened to the most in your lifetime, I guarantee both of those would be way up there. 

[MetalJens]

It seems I am a typical DT fan...

I&W, Scenes and ADTOE! At least for the moment..

[Art]

For me, it´s:

FII
SDOIT
AWAKE

[MK_Ultra]

I&W, Scenes and SDOIT.

[GunsOfThePatriots]

SDOIT
TOT
SC

awake and SFAM comes 4th and 5th respectively .

[black_biff_stadler]

1) WDADU
2) I&W
3) Awake

Honorable mention: ADToE

SDoIT barely missed the cut because of the title track and Disappear. I like the title track but to me it's always been a bunch of short DT songs rather than one whole song since the transitions (smooth or not) bring in such drastically different moods/motifs at times that it really never sounded like one song to me so I tend to judge it as its own album which aside from Solitary Shell, TTTSTA, and the instrumental section of ATC Reprise, doesn't quite floor me although I generally like all the other parts.

[CrimsonSunrise]

For me, it´s:

FII
SDOIT
AWAKE

Now that list has a nice twist.....   I love FII also, but don't think I've seen many call it their #1.

[Art]

For me, it´s:

FII
SDOIT
AWAKE

Now that list has a nice twist.....   I love FII also, but don't think I've seen many call it their #1.

Yeah, it´s not everyones cup of tea, but i really love FII. I remember when it came out, and months later i saw them in the ´98 Monsters of Rock here in Brazil...great show, it made me fall in love with the band.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't think A Dramatic Turn of Events is THAT good. Don't get me wrong - it's good - but one of the three best Dream Theater albums? You people are nuts!

[Metal]

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't think A Dramatic Turn of Events is THAT good. Don't get me wrong - it's good - but one of the three best Dream Theater albums? You people are nuts!

Completely agree.

[snapple]

1) WDADU
2) I&W
3) Awake

Honorable mention: ADToE

SDoIT barely missed the cut because of the title track and Disappear. I like the title track but to me it's always been a bunch of short DT songs rather than one whole song since the transitions (smooth or not) bring in such drastically different moods/motifs at times that it really never sounded like one song to me so I tend to judge it as its own album which aside from Solitary Shell, TTTSTA, and the instrumental section of ATC Reprise, doesn't quite floor me although I generally like all the other parts.

In reverse of the top 3. But you nailed it.

[BlobVanDam]

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't think A Dramatic Turn of Events is THAT good. Don't get me wrong - it's good - but one of the three best Dream Theater albums? You people are nuts!

I agree. I don't like to keep repeating it, because I don't want to seem down on the album at all, because it is a great album, and they deserve recognition for that, but it does not even come close to "the holy trinity" to me.

[King Postwhore]

I & W
SDOIT
SFAM

[progrockman]

Images & words - a flawless masterpiece in their discography and in the progressive metal genre. With this I don't usually just listen to one or two songs it is almost always the entire album.
Awake - the successor to images & words. Retains very strong song writing gains new ground in accessibility and takes a more metallic approach
Train of thought - post awake you get a mixed bag of albums with hit or miss tracks.Then we get a return to form where every song holds its own and represents strong songwriting. Their hardest sound at this point with a very straightforward prog metal approach.

The thing with DT is no two albums sound truly the same. Pretty cool how the favourites vary per ear.

[Sacul]

You know, a year ago it'd have been hard for me to choose just 3. Now, I struggled to think of 2 others besides Six Degrees. Went with Awake and Octavarium, but could easily replace the former with FII or I&W. Weird how tastes evolve.

[Outcrier]

SDOIT
SFAM
Images

After that, Awake completes my top 4 but since you only asked for my three favorites, here you go.

(Hey, this is a pretty old thread  )

[erwinrafael]

SDOIT
SFAM
Images

After that, Awake completes my top 4 but since you only asked for my three favorites, here you go.

(Hey, this is a pretty old thread  )

I was taken aback that there is no Dream Theater option, then realized it is an old thread. 

But just in case, here is my answer:

Awake
Dream Theater
Six Degrees

[pcs90]

I was taken aback that there is no Dream Theater option, then realized it is an old thread. 

Good to know I wasn't the only one...

[Train of Naught]

#1 and #2 are very easy for me, ADTOE and IAW, but #3 is not as solid, toss up between a lot of albums, but I went for SDOIT.

[Stadler]

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't think A Dramatic Turn of Events is THAT good. Don't get me wrong - it's good - but one of the three best Dream Theater albums? You people are nuts!

I agree. I don't like to keep repeating it, because I don't want to seem down on the album at all, because it is a great album, and they deserve recognition for that, but it does not even come close to "the holy trinity" to me.

I'm in that group too.  It's not even above the median for me.  If it wasn't for "This Is The Life", I don't know if I would ever listen to it.

For me:

Images and Words (by a LOT)
Octavarium

Then, on any given Sunday, SDOIT, SFAM or Awake.   Right this very moment it is SFAM

[Kotowboy]

My Top 3 will not change until they bring out an album that is as good as - or better than Scenes, Six Degrees & Octavarium.

[JediKnight1969]

8V is overrated just because of the title track. Take that song out of the record and it will become totally forgettable, like BC&SL. IMHO.

[BlobVanDam]

8V is overrated just because of the title track. Take that song out of the record and it will become totally forgettable, like BC&SL. IMHO.

I rank These Walls, Panic Attack, TROAE, and perhaps SS as highly as Octavarium (which I rank very highly). The album does have a few badly placed duds, but even without the title track, the album has plenty of excellent material, far from forgettable. I would however argue that DT12 would be nothing without its epic.

[JediKnight1969]

I don't like DT12. Huge disappointment for me.

Bottom to top:

10- BC & SL
11- DT12
12- WDADU

[Stadler]

8V is overrated just because of the title track. Take that song out of the record and it will become totally forgettable, like BC&SL. IMHO.

Actually, no.   "I Walk Beside You" is in my top ten DT songs of all time.  The only song that doesn't slay me is, ironically enough if you saw my post in the "Was Portnoy right?" thread, "Never Enough". 

[TheCountOfNYC]

1: SFaM
2: IaW
3: 8VM

These three albums alone take up 22 spots in my top 50 list with all of IaW, all of SFaM except for Regression, TmW, THE, and OLT, and all of 8VM except for TALW and IWBY included.

[hefdaddy42]

Images & Words and Awake are 1 and 1A

Scenes From A Memory gets a slight nod over Six Degrees for third.

Still this, for me.

[jammindude]

1. Octavarium
2. Scenes From a Memory
3. Images and Words

[CharlesPL]

IaW
Awake
SFAM

[Sacul]

8V is overrated just because of the title track. Take that song out of the record and it will become totally forgettable, like BC&SL. IMHO.

The only song that doesn't slay me is, ironically enough if you saw my post in the "Was Portnoy right?" thread, "Never Enough".

lol that's my second fav song on the album, behind the title track.

[IDontNotDoThings]

I&W (obvs)
ToT
6DOIT

[jammindude]

8V is overrated just because of the title track. Take that song out of the record and it will become totally forgettable, like BC&SL. IMHO.

I've been a non-stop fanboy since IAW was first released in 1992, and Octavarium is the single greatest front to back album the band has ever released.   A *perfect* album.   

If I had to pick one thing that was just a mild issue, it would be the lyrics of The Answer Lies Within...but even those lyrics are better than anything on SC.

[TAC]

8V is overrated just because of the title track. Take that song out of the record and it will become totally forgettable, like BC&SL. IMHO.

I agree completely.

[Nearmyth]

1. Awake

2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
 
3. Scenes From A Memory

Those are the magical 3 in my eyes

[bl5150]

1 Images and Words




2. DT 12
3. ADTOE/Awake depending on the day.