Official DT Top 50 Thread Mark II (bss4life15 up now - starting page 79)

[Elite]

Surrounded

I would rank it in my Top 5

I love you.

And all the other tracks are too low too, with the exception of SDOIT. 

[Mind Trail]

"It's time for your reckoning":  One of the highlights in ITPOE for me!

[BlackInk]

That is one epic bunch of your list. Every song is awesome except for Surrounded that unfortunately is just good.

[Mladen]

All nice songs, especially ITPOE and Trial of tears.

[hefdaddy42]

I would definitely have Trial of Tears higher.

[Ħ]

All 5 of those are awesome songs.

[Jaffa]

Thanks again for all the feedback.  Moving on to the next batch...


20. Lines in the Sand
Just to get it out of the way early, holy shit that guitar solo is awesome.  Often cited as Petrucci's greatest solo (or at least a contender for that title), this solo deserves every ounce of praise it deserves, because it's awesome.  In fact, this is one of the few songs where the guitar solo was a determining factor for me, because they usually don't matter as much to me as they do to some people – but this song would be a good ten places lower on the list without that solo.  To address another common point, I know a lot of people have a lot of issues with some of the vocals, especially in the chorus, especially with the guest vocalist.  I'll admit, I don't think I'd be too happy if they went back to this style and that guest frequently, but for this one song, I think it worked perfectly.  I actually really like the chorus of this one, and the vocals overall.  And the lyrics are pretty great.  And there's some awesome keyboard work to be found.

Come to think of it, I like just about everything about this song.  It's one of those cases where it should be ranked higher, except I happen to love 19 other songs even more. 

19. The Glass Prison
This is arguably Dream Theater's best and purest metal song.  I don't personally agree with that title for it, actually, but it's definitely a damn good metal song, and a great song overall to boot.  It says a lot about it that half of my favorite parts of the AA Suite are either in this song, or bits of this song reprised in other songs.  They introduced some awesome riffs and melodies here.  It's basically packed with awesome riffs and solos, providing Petrucci with a great stage to showcase his god-tier guitar skills.  Vocals are also a really cool element of this song; I love the call-and-response style exchanges with Portnoy on backing vocals.  And I also have to mention to keyboard work here, which I think is often overlooked, because it's kind of subtle at times.  This song doesn't have the most flamboyant keyboard parts by any means, but they still add a ton to the atmosphere and power of the song.  And I would have to suggest that this song contains some of the best examples of Portnoy's drumming.

In a nutshell, the song is a beast.  As a metalhead, I think the most accurate and eloquent way of putting it is, .

18. Octavarium
Before I go into hiding and/or get maimed, allow me to explain.

To put it plainly, the second half of the song is too awesome for the first half. 

This song basically goes crazy at 12:15.  That is the timestamp where this song becomes truly awesome for me.  That keyboard work is incredible (by the way, do we count that keyboard section as part of Medicate or Full Circle?  I've never been sure), and from there on in just gets better.  Those instrumentals are awesome.  I love the entirety of Full Circle to pieces, both musically and lyrically – I know some people think the lyrics are a bit too blatantly derivative, but I think it's a really cool section with some fun and clever wordplay and a uniquely catchy chorus.  After that, the following instrumental section is amazing, and it leads to Intervals, which contains what I consider to be one of the greatest climaxes in the history of music.  And then we march forward into Razor's Edge, which is the perfect ending to the song, with a great epic-yet-winding-down feel and a marvelous guitar solo. 

Truly, if I could rank 12:15 – 24:00 as a song, it would be in my top five, and a contender for first place even without a proper intro.

On the other hand, Someone Like Him and Medicate are cool.  Just, cool.  There's nothing wrong with them – in fact, if they were separate songs, they might still make this list at a lower number.  I'd say it's a bit like Wait For Sleep and Learning to Live: sure, WFS is a cool song all on its own, and sure, it sets up for LTL well, but there's little doubt that LTL is much better, and sometimes you just want to listen to LTL.  That's how I feel about parts I and II of Octavarium: something I sit through in order to get to the good stuff.  And sometimes I don't even bother sitting through them, but just fast-forward to 12:00ish. 

Anyway, sorry I'm rambling. 

TL;DR version: Second half phenomenal, first half good, overall places at 18 for me, please don't maim me. 

17. Breaking All Illusions
I've been listening to each song as I type about it, and when I turned this one on, a smile spread across my face and I sighed contentedly.  This song almost always has that initial effect on me.  What an incredible intro melody!  I love it.  I'm not going to waste your time listing everything I like about this one, because I like everything about it.  It would actually be higher on my list, except I don't feel like it's the most cohesive song in the world.  Each individual part is amazing in its own right, but I don't think it has a very smooth progression.  Some of the transitions between segments are still pretty jarring for me, having listened to it a hundred times by now.  I don't know if it's just me (it probably is; I'm weird), but BAI feels less like one complete song than several really cool musical ideas stitched together somewhat haphazardly.  That being said, don't get me wrong: it is a GREAT song, and I do love every part of it.  I just think it could be a lot better if they'd added just a minute or two of extra transitional passages to smooth things over a bit.  Still an incredible listen, though. 

16. The Count of Tuscany
Not going to linger here very long, partly because I've been rambling too much and partly because I have nothing new to say.  The only difference between me and the average DT fan on this song is that I actually like the vocal melodies – the lyrics are irksome, but the melodies themselves range from 'cool' to downright lovely.  And everything else is great.  So, yeah.  Short write-up.  Sue/thank me. 

[SomeoneLikeHim]

First six degrees and now octavarium? No, but i guess i'm just one of the guys who really love the first half as well. 

[Zydar]

I would put Octavarium around that place too - it's not bad, not Godlike either.

Breaking All Illusions would crack my Top 10 though.

[BlobVanDam]

Jaffa, I think you accidentally forgot to do the top 10, because these are all top 10 worthy songs, easily.

TGP is either 1 or 2 for me, and is definitely DT's defining metal song. Love all of the rest of the songs too (although BAI is kinda average for me), so I'm interested to see your top 10.

[BlackInk]

TL;DR version: Second half phenomenal, first half good, overall places at 18 for me, please don't maim me.

You sir, are officially maimed.

Underwhelming placement for Breaking All Illusions too.

But it is as worth it since this means your top 10 will be very interesting.

[theseoafs]

So TCOT is above Breaking All Illusions and Octavarium?

All aboard the failboat.

Also, exactly which songs are you going to put in your top ten now? This whole thing supports my You Not Me is no. 1 theory.

[hefdaddy42]

Those are all fantastic songs, no doubt.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

If anyone needs me, I'll be hiding from BlobVanDam and FlyingBIZKIT.

Found you

[Jaffa]

Yeah, I figured Octavarium at 18 would catch some flak.     I'm actually surprised anyone at all agrees with me - thanks, Zydar.  Also suprised Blob's the only one who's mentioned TGP at 19; I'd expected that one to annoy a few people, too. 

I guess now would be a decent time to mention that I am definitely one of those guys who pretty much loves every DT song.  This ranking list was most certainly not easy for me, because I wanted to include, like, 30 songs in my top ten.  Pretty much any DT song has the potential to be my 'favorite', if I listen to it in the right mood.  Just the other day I was craving Burning My Soul, and rocked out to it like there was no tomorrow.  And I'm not going to do an honorable mentions list because I'm afraid I'd end up listing the rest of the discography.  Anyway, the point is, even when a song is ranked low, I assure you, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it thoroughly. 

Also, a quick note/warning, the write-ups are going to get longer as I approach my top ten.  And once I hit my top ten, I'll only be posting two songs a day rather than five, to flesh it out a little longer, and also because some of my top ten write-ups are quite long. 

Thanks for following me so far, everybody! 

[iamtheeviltwin]

Good list of songs.  Octavrarium is ranked too low, but I am one of the people who loves the long Floyd-ian intro to the song.

[RuRoRul]

All amazing songs - are you sure you didn't post them 10 spots too low?  All of those would make my top 10. Good/mandatory picks for your top 50 though.

[Ħ]

All great songs. Except maybe TCOT - I'm starting to think it's not so great.

[Mladen]

Lines in the sand isn't in my top 50, the others deserve to be so high. 

[Mind Trail]

Only ACoS left of the 18 minutes + songs

Controversial is nice I guess.

[Jaffa]

Only ACoS left of the 18 minutes + songs

Controversial is nice I guess.

You're resisting the urge to boo me off stage, aren't you?   

[Elite]

I would like to see I&W and Awake in full now. And ACOS.

Octavarium outside the top 10 is bad, the rest I can definitely live with.

[Pols Voice]

IMO, Octavarium is way too high.

[Mind Trail]

IMO, Octavarium is way too high.

@Jaffa: Not at all, you're a good read! 

[BlackInk]

Not at all, you're a good read! 

Indeed.

[alirocker08]

DUDE! Stop moving so fast, I need to keep ahead of my list! Looking great by the way!

[FlyingBIZKIT]

After finally getting my rankings done...man it feels weird having to keep songs out of my top 50 

[alirocker08]

After finally getting my rankings done...man it feels weird having to keep songs out of my top 50 

That's because there's only 50 of them

[FlyingBIZKIT]

After finally getting my rankings done...man it feels weird having to keep songs out of my top 50 

That's because there's only 50 of them

I know that 

I mean, not including certain songs in this list feel strange, because I still love them.

[Jaffa]

Not at all, you're a good read! 

Indeed.

Well, thank you both. 

DUDE! Stop moving so fast, I need to keep ahead of my list! Looking great by the way!

Thank you, too.  If it helps at all, after tomorrow I'll only be posting two per day.  And then I might wait a couple days after my #2 before posting my #1, just to build suspense/be obnoxious.  So you've still got some time. 

After finally getting my rankings done...man it feels weird having to keep songs out of my top 50 

Doesn't it, though?

[alirocker08]

You, Jaffa, are a life saver, thankyouthankyouthankyou, gives me some time to revise and improve my write ups as well as...You know, finish them.

[Jaffa]

 

[Jaffa]

I apologize for the double-post.  It's time for an update, so it was either this or look around for someone I could ask to bump it for me. 


15. Home
Here we have one of the songs responsible for transforming me from a casual listener to a diehard Dream Theater fan, also one of the only songs on SFAM that is as strong by itself as it is in context with its album (in my opinion, of course).  Love the Egyptian build-up of the intro.  Love the moment when the music really kicks in.  Love the vocals ('SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE.... LAKE OF FIRE!' and the chorus spring to mind).  Love the instrumental section.  Love the stylistic nods to, and musical reprises of, Metropolis part 1.  Love, love, love, love, love.  The only thing keeping this from being a top ten song for me is that it is a bit too long for its own good, in my opinion. 

Oh, and I'm not a big fan of 'that section'.  Sorry, I refuse to refer to it by its usual title.  You know which section I mean, though.

14. Beneath the Surface
As far as I know, the main reason for anyone to not like this song is the autotuning, which doesn't bother me in the least, so there's really nothing stopping me from loving this.  I think it is a really, really well-crafted song with strong relatable lyrics and a lot of emotion.  It accomplishes something that many pop ballads struggle to achieve but rarely actually succeed in doing: the lyrics are vague enough that many people can relate to them and apply the words to their own unique situations, but still powerful enough for the lyrics to feel personal to each listener.  Or, at least, that's my take on it, because the lyrics feel very personal to me.  Definitely a 'damn, they took the words right out of my mind...' song for me, with a lot of meaning in my life that helps me feel connected with the song.  And even discounting the lyrics, I still think there's quite a lot to love about this song, simple as it may be.  I love the water droplets sound effect at the beginning.  The 'I would scream just to be heard' section is vocally lovely, and the moog solo before it is simply gorgeous to me.  And while some people (understandably) complain about Labrie's vocal jump for the last chorus, I actually really like it; it just feels to me like his voice is straining with emotion, and feels really passionate.  All in all, a wonderful ballad.

13. Voices
You may remember that earlier, discussing Space-Dye Vest, I said I thought Awake was too heavy on the samples overall.  Well, Voices is the biggest exception to that rule.  Not only do I not mind the samples in this song, but I actually think they add a lot to the atmosphere of it.  Probably the band's best use of samples to date, in my opinion.

Anyway, this is a song that has it all: interesting subject matter, lyrics that are well-written and well-executed, great vocal melodies (the first 'Like a scream but sort of silent...' is one of my favorite vocal moments of all time, both for its own merit and for the way the music explodes with it), a great atmosphere, an engaging mood, and a good stage for everyone in the band to showcase their skills.  Everyone gets their chance to shine in this one, and they all do a damn good job of it.  In the end, this is another one of those songs where I don't really feel the need to dwell on it for very long, because you've heard it all before – we all (or most of us; haters gonna hate) love this song.  I would suggest that it is probably one of the quintessential Dream Theater songs, showcasing a lot of their greatest traits, both in terms of songwriting and musicianship. 

12. To Live Forever
I think I'm actually a bit unique on this one, because from what I've seen, a lot of people who like it seem to prefer a live version of this song, and I prefer the studio/demo versions with Labrie by a pretty wide margin.  But that's really neither here nor there; bottom line is, this is a gorgeous song.  I think if I was going to pick a single song to demonstrate the meaning of the word 'uplifting,' this might very well be my choice.  It has a vibe where emotions start off high and then just keep soaring, higher and higher, soaring with Moore's really tasteful textures and the graceful vocals of Labrie (or Dominici, if you prefer his version).  The whole thing conjures mental images of floating in a sunny blue sky, sitting on clouds, and... similarly uplifting peaceful images.  You get the idea.  Despite the claims of Red Bull energy drinks, this song gives me wings. 

The point, which I've beaten to death, is that it's uplifting.  It's also catchy, beautiful, and a very, very good song. 

11. Scarred
Sorry, Blob.

One of my favorite things about Awake as an album is the contrast in styles in Labrie's vocals.  In songs like The Mirror and Lie, his voice takes on an aggressive edge that I find really cool.  Yet in songs like Lifting Shadows Off a Dream and Space-Dye Vest, he has a much cleaner voice with darker and moodier tones.  This contrast is really beautiful to me.  There are two songs in particular where it is most prominent, those being Voices (the 'thought disorder, dream control' section being more edgy, with a lot of cleaner parts) and Scarred.  'Won't let them fill me with fatalistic remedies' is belted out with a pretty powerful edge, and is then immediately followed by 'What if the rest of the world was hopelessly blinded by fear,' which is sung with a much cleaner, more brooding tone.  And yet the transition is seamlessly smooth.  That never ceases to amaze me. 

And really, the same thing goes for the musicality of the song, too.  It has a unique quality where it kinda jumps back and forth between the aggressive and the moody, yet in my opinion the flow is never disrupted by these shifts.  It's flawless. 

It's also yet another DT song with a great intro, interesting (if cryptic) subject matter, and well-written lyrics, not to mention great technical musicianship throughout.  It was truly hard to leave this out of my top ten, but it'll have to settle for eleven.  I'm hoping the diehard Scarred fans will forgive me for that – consider it an homage to the fact that the song is eleven minutes long.

[Tomislav95]

T Live Forever is not even in my TOP50 but I would put Voices in TOP5

[BlobVanDam]

Even Scarred aside, that's a crummy bunch, Jaffa. TLF, BTS, Home, Scarred are all pretty overrated (although Home is still cool, and BTS and TLF are solid songs). Voices deserves its spot, although it's not one of my personal favourites.

And you were doing so well, pal.