Author Topic: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.  (Read 36594 times)

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Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #245 on: May 07, 2012, 04:21:34 PM »
Thank you Nick for that post, for that gave me just enough posts in this thread so this one could be at the top of a new page! :)
Behold the #1:

-----

1. Dream Theater – Images & Words (1992)


People that know me and who have been following this list probably saw this one coming. I know for sure that a couple did and I knew the moment I started selecting the albums for my top 50 that this album would top it. One of the main reasons this album is at the top is because this thing jumpstarted me into liking all the music that I like now. Making this list was a very hard thing to do and although I always knew Images & Words should sit at the top, it’s not really an original pick for a Dream Theater forum. I really couldn’t care less though, because this is the only album in the world I can imagine sitting at the top of my own top 50 albums list.

When I was young I used to sit in my mother’s car and one of two artists would be playing. Either Shadow Gallery (Carved in Stone or Legacy mostly) or Dream Theater (Scenes and this album). I liked it, I guess, but never really knew what it was. I can remember being young and always guessing which CD was on. I would guess either Dream Theater or Shadow Gallery and somehow more often get them wrong than right. At that time I wasn’t interested in music at all yet, so I didn’t discover them any further, but that did happen later, obviously.

Years later, when I was discovering new music I found Under a Glass Moon and recognised it. It prompted me to buy the album and re-listening to it at that time blew my mind. This was the album that led me into progressive metal and everything that followed afterwards. At the time I was really just discovering metal and listened to the ‘usual’ stuff like Metallica and Iron Maiden. This album opened a complete new world to me, a world that took the best things out of metal and made it in into something larger, something more complete.

Images & Words opened up the world of progressive (metal) to me, soon to be followed by Awake and then by other bands, like Shadow Gallery, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Symphony X and most, if not all the stuff I’ve shown on this list of my favourite albums. It was a no-brainer for me really and not just because of the influence it had on my whole life of listening to music, but because of the music itself as well.

Images & Words is awesome, it is amazing and it is without question my favourite album ever created and basically the single reason why I have kept Dream Theater so close to me at all times. They are one of my favourite bands and deservedly so. Just every single song on this disc does a lot to me and I always genuinely love listening to this disc of amazing music. To be honest, the album closer Learning to Live took me by far the longest to get in to. The first couple of years of me listening to this album I would even skip it, because I didn’t like it. When it clicked though, it turned out to be an amazing song and it currently is one of my all-time favourites by Dream Theater. Well, really, all of the songs are amazing, but to specifically mention a particular song it would have to be the phenomenal Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper, one of the best songs ever written in my opinion. Simply amazing. This is progressive metal at its finest and this is music at the top of its own game. Oh, yes. How can I write something for this album and not mentioned the horrible triggered snare drum sound? Tell you what; I don’t give a shit about what it sounds like. I’ve never found it annoying and it doesn’t bring down the music at all to me. It has always been on this record without me particularly noticing it and today I still think the sound is phenomenal.

You can just hear the hours of songwriting that went into this record. Every single song is constructed so well and I think any band can learn from the orchestrations, the instrumentation, the partwriting and the overall songwriting on this album. From Pull Me Under, the band’s only hit single to the wonderful ballad Another Day to crazy progressive madness in Metropolis Pt. 1, every song has been put together fantastically. While I like some stuff better than Images & Words on most days, this is always the album I refer to as the music ‘I’ listen to. It is where I started out truly and I hope the beautiful fadeout of Learning to Live will be the last sound I hear before I die. This, to me, is the pinnacle of music. The absolute best of the best and I’m not sure whether anything will ever top this for me.

Favourite song: Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper
Other songs worth checking out: The rest

P.S.: To the unfortunate few who are a member of this forum and reading this and haven't heard the album, I implore you to either get off or listen to it now ;)

----------------------

Thanks everybody for reading this and for commenting. It was an awesome journey for me to post my favourite albums and I genuinely hope it was fun to read and keep track of. In a way this thread has taken hold of me for the past month in a good way. Trying to keep up with posting a new update every day and actually listen to the records of that day. If I would make this list now or in a couple of months, it would probably be slightly different, but ah well. Some things are meant to change. What doesn't change though, it what has been put on a record and I hope I could introduce some people here to some new stuff. Here's to you for following this thread and to the music, I thank you!
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Nick

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #246 on: May 07, 2012, 04:25:11 PM »
For those stuck in a 35 posts per page world, perhaps. ;)

Nice choice, never going to complain about DT. My 3rd favorite, and a fantastic classic for sure.
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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #247 on: May 07, 2012, 04:33:26 PM »
This album was, and still is, my number 1 album of all time as well.
     

Offline Nekov

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #248 on: May 07, 2012, 04:50:53 PM »
For those stuck in a 35 posts per page world, perhaps. ;)


My first pick and yours share a common story. But I must say that Nick's suggestion would have been a great N°1 pick as well  :P
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Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #249 on: May 07, 2012, 05:04:52 PM »
My #1 too. About as close to a perfect album as you can get.

Nice top 50. It was fin to follow.
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Offline FlyingBIZKIT

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #250 on: May 07, 2012, 05:29:45 PM »
Glad that's over...












...so we can discuss how awesome his Top 50 was  :biggrin:

Offline WebRaider

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #251 on: May 07, 2012, 05:42:35 PM »
Stellar #1 choice and nice list overall!  :tup

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #252 on: May 07, 2012, 06:27:22 PM »
Can you post the final list as a summary?
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
Quote from: Puppies_On_Acid
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Offline crazyaga

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #253 on: May 07, 2012, 07:20:35 PM »
hmm... i bought images and words. and i was sooo not blown away by it.
its a good album,  but nothing really amazing imo.

BUT
this list introduced me to Maudlin Of The Well.
god, bath is goddamn amazing.
I love beautiful things.

Offline Ravenheart

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #254 on: May 07, 2012, 07:21:08 PM »
 :tup

Offline Heretic

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #255 on: May 07, 2012, 07:21:52 PM »
Great choice! Fantastic list; so many of these make my top list as well. Also some new bands to check out, as well! Awesome stuff bro.

Offline Jirpo

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #256 on: May 07, 2012, 07:26:00 PM »
This album was, and still is, my number 1 album of all time as well.

Offline FlyingBIZKIT

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #257 on: May 07, 2012, 07:30:17 PM »
hmm... i bought images and words. and i was sooo not blown away by it.
its a good album,  but nothing really amazing imo.

BUT
this list introduced me to Maudlin Of The Well.
god, bath is goddamn amazing.

You listen until it blows you away.

Offline crazyaga

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #258 on: May 07, 2012, 07:33:28 PM »
hmm... i bought images and words. and i was sooo not blown away by it.
its a good album,  but nothing really amazing imo.

BUT
this list introduced me to Maudlin Of The Well.
god, bath is goddamn amazing.

You listen until it blows you away.
i listened to it enough times, really.
im not saying its bad... its definately a good album. just not THAT amazing...
I love beautiful things.

Offline FlyingBIZKIT

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #259 on: May 07, 2012, 07:34:32 PM »
Yeah, I love it, but it's still like my 5th or 6th favorite DT album.

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #260 on: May 08, 2012, 12:12:11 AM »
For those stuck in a 35 posts per page world, perhaps. ;)

I guess I never changed it :P

Nick's suggestion would have been a great N°1 pick as well  :P

Holy shit, I only just realised what that is  :lol

Can you post the final list as a summary?

Absolutely!

Honourable mentions:
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
- Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes form a Memory
- Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
- maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map
- Mastodon – Blood Mountain
- Nevermore – Dead Heart in a Dead World
- Pink Floyd – Meddle
- Porcupine Tree – The Sky Moves Sideways
- Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
- Symphony X – Paradise Lost

Awesome honourable mentions:
- Neal Morse - ?
- Royal Hunt - Paradox
- Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls

The actual top 50:
50. Opeth – Still Life
49. Toxik – Think This
48. Myrath – Desert Call
47. Firewind – The Premonition
46. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
45. Leprous – Tall Poppy Syndrome
44. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King
43. Sublime – Sublime
42. Pain of Salvation – “BE”
41. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
40. David Bowie – Hunky Dory
39. Avantasia – The Scarecrow
38. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
37. The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction
36. Pink Floyd – Animals
35. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
34. The Beatles – Abbey Road
33. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
32. Karnivool – Sound Awake
31. Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone
30. dredg – Catch Without Arms
29. Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element Pt. 1
28. Circus Maximus - Isolate
27. Wishbone Ash - Argus
26. Yes – Close to the Edge
25. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place
24. Porcupine Tree – Signify
23. Jeff Buckley – So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley
22. King Crimson – Red
21. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki
20. Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse
19. dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
18. maudlin of the Well – Bath
17. Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here
16. Between the Buried and Me – Colors
15. Haken – Aquarius
14. The Dear Hunter – Act Two: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading
13. Ayreon – The Human Equation
12. Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle
11. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
10. Pain of Salvation – One Hour By The Concrete Lake
9. Dream Theater – Awake
8. Haken – Visions
7. Thrice – The Alchemy Index
6. Devin Townsend – Terria
5. Porcupine Tree – In Absentia
4. Opeth – Blackwater Park
3. dredg – El Cielo
2. Shadow Gallery – Legacy
1. Dream Theater – Images & Words

And to all the rest, thanks for your reactions once again :)
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Silver Tears

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #261 on: May 08, 2012, 04:41:38 AM »
What a great number one  :laugh:

Offline Mladen

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #262 on: May 08, 2012, 07:02:11 AM »
Very nice number one.  :tup

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #263 on: May 08, 2012, 05:56:35 PM »
Thanks! :tup
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Onno

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #264 on: May 09, 2012, 12:40:13 AM »
Images & Words would probably me my #1 as well, nice one :metal

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #265 on: May 09, 2012, 05:25:01 AM »
Elite, great job on the list. You lost me there for a while  :D, but even though I didn't like the albums, I still enjoyed your write ups.

And I'm with you on the #1, too!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
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Offline Zantera

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #266 on: May 09, 2012, 05:28:33 AM »
Some cool picks on here.  :tup

Offline Zydar

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #267 on: May 09, 2012, 05:46:33 AM »
My #1 DT album, and a Top 5 album overall for me. Amazing album.
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Offline pain of occupation

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #268 on: May 13, 2012, 12:47:48 PM »
#'s 1 & 2 = countless spins. Great picks.

Not sure I can choose a favorite DT album, but I always viewed Legacy as my go-to SG album (narrowly edging Tyranny). Though if I reach for a SG album these days, it's almost always Digital Ghosts (also brilliantly crafted).

Great top two, and stellar top 50; enjoyed the list.  :tup

edit: you have, like, the coolest mom ever, don't you?!
« Last Edit: May 13, 2012, 01:00:48 PM by pain of occupation »

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.
« Reply #269 on: May 13, 2012, 03:09:49 PM »
:lol, I guess I do, yes :)

Digital Ghosts is awesome as well, as is Tyranny. the only reason the latter wasn't pn my list is because I prefer the songs on carved in Stone and Legacy. But great to have another Shadow gallery appreciator :)
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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