Your Controversial Opinions on DT

[ToT-147]

(and none of the following is directed at any of you in particular)

..... Because we're really seeing the band after all.. I mean, and I've been wanted to say this for a very long time, I think criticism against James, besides being very excessive and unfair, is directly fallacious.. I think that if we like a certain band, therefore we should go to the shows to see the entire band, right?... not just the singer.. And if we're in the mood to criticize a band as if we were a jury of music specialists rather than fans, then we should criticize the whole band and not just focus on destroying one of the members.. Much less when it comes to the hardest instrument to execute correctly (the voice) and when it comes to one of the most demanding bands in terms of that same instrument... and when we're not talking about any young singer precisely, ETC...

I don't understand your position on this. Why is it fallacious to criticize one member in a band? If that band member is always fucking up (and I'm not saying LaBrie is guilty of this) then that band member can bring the whole performance down. Let's say the guitar player is terrible but the rest of the band is amazing. Why should the talents of the rest of the band shield the guitarist from criticism?

I added many layers in that comment, maybe that's what's a bit confusing.. But I partially agree with your comment..

It doesn't seem so bad to me that someone criticizes a single faulty member, if that someone is dedicated to criticize bands instead of listening and enjoying the show.. But if, like many of us, you only go there to enjoy the show, as many of us in fact do then I don't understand why that same person would criticize any member after having seen a couple of youtube videos that he didn't like of the very same show (and I know some cases first hand).. Get the difference?..

Anyways, I'm not saying that people can't do that.. They do it all the time.. I just found it to be contradictory and mean, especially to the singer, which is undeservedly the most judged everytime..

[deggs37]

I'm not really sure what's controversial anymore as an opinion, but lets see if I can try. Sorry if I am repeating some, I haven't gone through the entire thread.

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.

With all that said, I'm still a huge DT fan and cannot wait for Distance Over Time

[IDontNotDoThings]

...we can't really tell how well he still "gels" with the other members creatively.

We can't really know how any band member gels with other members, just like you can't really know about couples. Ever known a couple who told you they were getting divorced, and couldn't believe it because you never would have thought anything was wrong?

That's exactly my point. Who are we to say he should be fired if all we know about him is what we see of him.

[Bertielee]

I'm not really sure what's controversial anymore as an opinion, but lets see if I can try. Sorry if I am repeating some, I haven't gone through the entire thread.

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.

With all that said, I'm still a huge DT fan and cannot wait for Distance Over Time

Well, all you've said proves the contrary...

[Evai]

Being a fan doesn't mean thinking the band is flawless. DT is my favourite band to ever exist, yet I have no desire to see them live in concert.

[Bertie_Wooster]

This probably isn’t controversial. DT did those excellent unplugged shows in paris
And have never released them . The unplugged “speak to me” was awesome
The only version I have is on the videotape they released. I really wish DT
Would release an unplugged album of their songs

[MirrorMask]

It could have been a bonus album for the new record.

I've done myself a thread about what people would want from a bonus disc, the majority wanted a DVD of the recording, I'm in in the minority in wishing for additional studio stuff, such as new songs or rearrangements of older songs, including acoustic versions as you suggested.

It could be a minor, additional EP - One or two new songs written in an acoustic settings, ore or two older songs rearranged, and one or two covers. I'd dig that.

[pg1067]

I'm not really sure what's controversial anymore as an opinion, but lets see if I can try. Sorry if I am repeating some, I haven't gone through the entire thread.

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.

With all that said, I'm still a huge DT fan and cannot wait for Distance Over Time

Well...some of these are certainly controversial.

1. I would say the band was it its height from 92-05, with the only hiccup being FII.  They experienced a resurgence with ADTOE and DT 12, and I'm hoping they get back on track with the new album.
2. Completely disagree.  Ballads are not really what I want from DT, but Along for the Ride, Beneath the Surface, Wither and many others are well above average songs.
3. Disagree, and I've never really understood the "cult" that seems to worships KM's lyrics.
4. I agree that Portnoy brought an element of personality that the band now lacks.  Not saying that's good or bad.  Sherinian wasn't in the band long enough to make any lasting impact (esp. since the only album he played on is one of the band's bottom 3 IMO).
5. Not really sure what this even means.
6. Not at all unique to DT, and I agree that albums in general in the last 15-20 years have gotten cumbersomely long.  Bands write to the limits of the primary medium (the CD) and, as a result, include songs that shouldn't have made the cut.  That said, suggesting that bands conform to the temporal limitations of a vinyl LP is a bit absurd.
7. Disagree.

[ToT-147]

Being a fan doesn't mean thinking the band is flawless. DT is my favourite band to ever exist, yet I have no desire to see them live in concert.

Except he's not saying the band isn't flawless, but complaining about things that are important to the current DT sound (lyrics, ballads, album's length, production).. Plus, one thing is having no desire to see them live, and another is to say "Todays DT feels like a band of dorks"..

Once again, I have to agree with Bertielee.. The most controversial part of that comment is that last thing he said..

[bosk1]

I'm not really sure what's controversial anymore as an opinion, but lets see if I can try. Sorry if I am repeating some, I haven't gone through the entire thread.

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.

Sure, I'll play too.

1.  Eh.  Subjective.  I think you would find yourself in a small minority in terms of the era you picked.  But that said, the band's entire career has been pretty great, so I'm not sure "greatest" really matters.
2.  Not at all.  And as far as quantity, other than ADTOE, which had three, most albums only have one or two.  That is hardly "too many." 
3.  I would consider KM to be the worst lyricist the band has had, with a few exceptions.  I'm with pg1067.  I've never really understood the "cult" that seems to worships KM's lyrics.
4.  I'm not sure why this is somehow a thing.
5.  I'm not sure what this means.
6.  I'm not sure why anyone would want less.  A band that can only come up with 30 - 45 minutes of acceptable material per album just isn't trying hard enough.
7.  I'm not sure what you are specifically referring to.  But I don't hear any decline in production, so I don't agree.

Total score:
1 - Maybe, but so what?
1 - So what?
5 - No.

[cramx3]

6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.

Please no.  Haken's biggest problem with Vector is that it was too short ~ 40 minutes.  If they only have the juice to spit out a 40 minute album, so be it, but I don't want them to purposely write shorter albums or hold themselves back from creating more music.

[dream75]

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07

The greatest era was from 92-99 
The worst was 2002-2010 

[Indiscipline]

I'm not really sure what's controversial anymore as an opinion, but lets see if I can try. Sorry if I am repeating some, I haven't gone through the entire thread.

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.

With all that said, I'm still a huge DT fan and cannot wait for Distance Over Time

My 2 cents, if you will.

1. 92 - 02 for me. Depending on the next couple of albums, 2011 - ? could put up a good fight.
2. This Is the Life says no.
3. Myung is the best lyricist for me, and for a strange unexplicable phenomenon his lyrics produce some of DT's best vocal lines.
4. My first DT live experience featured both Derek and Mike. They were still a band of adorable dorks, infectious in their appreciation of the music they were playing.
5. They became famous due to the best album of the nineties and a very successful song on MTV heavy rotation.
6. Never got tired of a DT album, even BC&SL
7. It really depends on what you mean by production.

[Setlist Scotty]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't most band members fired for personality reasons rather than their strength as a performer? I mean, whether you love or hate LaBrie, we can't really tell how well he still "gels" with the other members creatively.

While their personalities may have played a role in being fired, I think the primary reasons for why both Chris Collins and Charlie Dominici were let go were due to their performances - Chris for being too one dimensional (could hit the Geoff Tate high notes, but not much else) and Charlie for his limited range and subdued stage presence.
 
 

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.

Don't feel the need to respond to all of your points since others have already addressed them in ways that I agree with but I do want to comment on some of them:
2. Disagree. Don't forget that DT basically has 3 sides to their musical personality: progressive, metal and pop, and those ballads are one of the expressions of the pop side of the band.
3. While I do like KevMo's lyrics, how many did he write? Very few in comparison to the other guys in the band. I'm sure that you could find an equal number of great lyrics by any of the other guys. Had KevMo remained in the band, I'm sure he would've contributed his fair share of clunkers just like everyone else.
6. If you don't like the length of their albums, cut them down to the length that you do like. Don't forget that there are plenty of people who love the very songs that you hate, and vice versa as is evident from the threads and polls about ranking songs and albums. Having more music per album creates a greater opportunity for the band to create something everyone will like.
 
 

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07

The greatest era was from 92-99 
The worst was 2002-2010 

Dream on, Dream75.       
(this whole arguing over the best era is ridiculous)

[Adami]

Hmmm, after reading some stuff.........am I the only person who really really doesn't like This is The Life?

Like....at all?

I love some of their other songs that people don't, but I just do not get that song at all.

[Architeuthis]

6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.

Please no.  Haken's biggest problem with Vector is that it was too short ~ 40 minutes.  If they only have the juice to spit out a 40 minute album, so be it, but I don't want them to purposely write shorter albums or hold themselves back from creating more music.

This!

[MirrorMask]

Hmmm, after reading some stuff.........am I the only person who really really doesn't like This is The Life?

Like....at all?

I love some of their other songs that people don't, but I just do not get that song at all.

No, you're not. It's not that I find it ugly or anything, I can live with it just fine, but I never clicked with it and it was fine to never hear it live.

[Setlist Scotty]

Hmmm, after reading some stuff.........am I the only person who really really doesn't like This is The Life?

Well, if you don't like it and you LOVE Rush's Grace Under Pressure album, you definitely are Stadler's arch enemy!   

Personally, the song doesn't do much for me, but I don't mind it either. I wouldn't skip it when listening to the album.

[Adami]

Hmmm, after reading some stuff.........am I the only person who really really doesn't like This is The Life?

Well, if you don't like it and you LOVE Rush's Grace Under Pressure album, you definitely are Stadler's arch enemy!   

Personally, the song doesn't do much for me, but I don't mind it either. I wouldn't skip it when listening to the album.

I was born Stadler's arch enemy, and I will die Stadler's arch enemy.

[Lethean]

Hmmm, after reading some stuff.........am I the only person who really really doesn't like This is The Life?

Like....at all?

I love some of their other songs that people don't, but I just do not get that song at all.

This for me plays into Setlist Scotty's point about the album lengths:
"Don't forget that there are plenty of people who love the very songs that you hate, and vice versa as is evident from the threads and polls about ranking songs and albums. "

No one agrees on which are the best, or which are the worst songs.  With some bands or albums there might be more of a consensus among the listeners - songs A, B, and C are filler.  Not so with DT.

To respond to your post - I like This is the Life.  It's not my favorite, but I really enjoy it.

[Samsara]

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.

1. The greatest era of the band was 1992-1995. I&W and Awake. That's unpopular. But hey, that's how I see it.
2. I disagree, although I haven't liked a lot of the ballad songs post-Six Degrees
3. Don't agree, but Kev Mo was certainly a key element of what made Dream Theater as good as it was on I&W and Awake (I think JP and MP get a bit TOO much credit, when Kev Mo was vital to the music and lyrical popularity of those records).
4. I don't think DT now are just dorky, but I do think MP and DS kept things a lot looser. I mean, MP is a huge geek/dork himself. But they did have a looser vibe that I preferred.
5. I agree with this, although I think they have tried to make strides focusing on their songwriting from DT 12 and onward. Still technical, but a little more streamlined and writing for the song.
6. AMEN on the FIRST two sentences. Disagree on the third. I think a happy medium (which is what a REAL OUTSIDE PRODUCER WOULD HELP WITH) should be to look around that 50-minute mark, give or take a few minutes. But that "issue" gets solved if the aforementioned filler is omitted.
7. Agree on the first part of that sentence. Not sure on the second. I still maintain that Dream Theater needs an outside influence in the producer's chair, to help hone in. THey obviously are successful without that, but I think a lot of the pointless bloat could have been avoided (such as ruining "Endless Sacrifice" with a five-minute solo that has nothing to do with the song itself, and trimming it to a trade off that last two minutes and sounds connected to melody and mood of the song itself). Those are the sorts of thing I think a producer could really help them with. But again, they are the ones successful, not us. So they obviously know what works for them. I just happen not to dig it as much.

[dream75]

 
 

1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07

The greatest era was from 92-99 
The worst was 2002-2010 

Dream on, Dream75.       
(this whole arguing over the best era is ridiculous)
[/quote]

Why? For me all the best albums were made at that time!
I&W
AWAKE
ACOS
SFAM
The worst between 2003-2009
TOT
SC
BCSL

[Bertielee]

Being a fan doesn't mean thinking the band is flawless. DT is my favourite band to ever exist, yet I have no desire to see them live in concert.

That's not what I said, but read his post again and tell me It's from someone who still loves the band.

[pg1067]

3. While I do like KevMo's lyrics, how many did he write? Very few in comparison to the other guys in the band. I'm sure that you could find an equal number of great lyrics by any of the other guys. Had KevMo remained in the band, I'm sure he would've contributed his fair share of clunkers just like everyone else.

Just for shits and giggles, the lyric credits for the songs on WDADU through DT12 (including ACOS, excluding "Take the Time," counting each of the seven parts of 6DOIT with lyrics and the five parts of 8VA as separate songs, counting ITPOE as a single song, and obviously not including instrumentals) are as follows (where multiple lyricists are credited, I gave each co-writer equal fractional credit):

JP:  57.5 (I gave JP full writing credit for "You Not Me" since the co-lyricist was not a band member) (including TA would bump the number up to 84.5)
MP:  22
JL:  9.5
KM:  8
JM:  5.5
CD:  1.5

So, KM wrote lyrics for nearly as many DT songs as JL and still more than the other "sacred cow" of DT lyric writing, JM.

Speaking of which, I don't understand the "cult" of JM lyric writing any better than I do for KM.

Hmmm, after reading some stuff.........am I the only person who really really doesn't like This is The Life?

Like....at all?

It's fine.  Nothing special.

[cramx3]

I also think Kevin Moore wrote the best lyrics, but who's to say his lyrics would have been consistent for the next 25 years.  If we are comparing from the same albums he wrote songs for, I think he wins, but it's hard to compare KM lyrics in the early 90s to JP in the late 2010s.  KM may have continued to prove he was a good writer or maybe he would have gone off the deep end.

[Indiscipline]

Hmmm, after reading some stuff.........am I the only person who really really doesn't like This is The Life?

Like....at all?

I love some of their other songs that people don't, but I just do not get that song at all.

Personally, it's a combination of lyrics and pace that strongly resonates with me. I can really understand finding it pretty uneventful without that kind of connection  though.

So, KM wrote lyrics for nearly as many DT songs as JL and still more than the other "sacred cow" of DT lyric writing, JM.

Speaking of which, I don't understand the "cult" of JM lyric writing any better than I do for KM.

(I snipped the stats, but they're very interesting)

Not speaking for any "cult", but strictly personally, I find Johnny M's abstract and borderline campy lyrics a perfect match for progressive music. But, really, nothing is sacred 

[bosk1]

Even without justifiably subtracting points for the abomination of Space Dye Vest, I would put KM behind John Myung and John Petrucci for their lyrical contributions from WDADU through Awake.

[deggs37]

Being a fan doesn't mean thinking the band is flawless. DT is my favourite band to ever exist, yet I have no desire to see them live in concert.

That's not what I said, but read his post again and tell me It's from someone who still loves the band.

You're both correct in a way. I LOVED the band from when I discovered them in 2002 until around 2011 or 2012. I'm talking fanatic levels. In addition to all their albums (CD and Vinyl) and DVD's in my collection, I bought JP's signature guitars (Mystic Dream ftw) and played them exclusively, had his entire amp setup with the Mark IV head and Mesa cabs. His tone and playing was my holy grail that I worked towards everyday studying his Wild Stringdom book and Rock Discipline video. I attended and graduated Berklee because of DT. My friends even started calling me Petrucci.

But even when I was in the honeymoon period with the band, I still had those issues.

• I never liked their ballads much, and that's not to say I don't like ballads, since I grew up loving 80's music and everyone had a ballad. I just don't think it's ever been DT's strong point. Initially I wasn't listening to music for lyrics so it never really bothered me, MAH BROTHER!
• Regarding the production, DT has nearly always had issues with production, which I've always been forgiving of (It's not their fault they had a poor budget for WDADU, and I understand why they had the sampled snare on I&W and Awake) But what really bothers me lately is them following the loudness wars trend of the late 00's. Listening to more recent albums is fatiguing - which is terrible for a band that releases LONG albums. The drums sounded really fantastic, albeit a little loud, during the later Portnoy years. Since Mangini, they have really sounded poor and do Mangini a huge disservice to his playing

Agree to disagree, those are my opinions - subjective as they are.

I guess eventually those burning passions fade as you get older and gain more perspective. I would no longer refer to myself as a fanatic, just a fan. But my nostalgia for those great years I enjoyed with Dream Theater still makes me love them for what they used to be for me - similar with how I feel about Metallica. I'll still continue to check out their albums and blu-rays on release, and go to their shows.

[Cool Chris]

I also think Kevin Moore wrote the best lyrics, but who's to say his lyrics would have been consistent for the next 25 years.  If we are comparing from the same albums he wrote songs for, I think he wins, but it's hard to compare KM lyrics in the early 90s to JP in the late 2010s.  KM may have continued to prove he was a good writer or maybe he would have gone off the deep end.

I think of Kevin's lyrics along the same lines as James Dean's acting career. He is seemingly generally considered to have a stellar, albeit brief, film career. Ok, so he knocked it out of the park on the three films he was in, but I don't think it reasonable to elevate him to legendary status based on only three performances. No one endures a full acting career without churning out some duds.

As far as the quality of Kevin's lyrics, I am not a lyrical guy, so won't comment on the words themselves. But the construction of the vocal lines and melodies is horrible, as if it never occurred to him a vocalist might need to take a breath or two during a verse.

[Samsara]

Even without justifiably subtracting points for the abomination of Space Dye Vest,

WRONG. That is an incredible song, and as always, your bad taste in songs shines through, Mr. All I Want. 

[Bertie_Wooster]

They need to record “eve” with  vocals

[pg1067]

I also think Kevin Moore wrote the best lyrics, but who's to say his lyrics would have been consistent for the next 25 years.  If we are comparing from the same albums he wrote songs for, I think he wins, but it's hard to compare KM lyrics in the early 90s to JP in the late 2010s.  KM may have continued to prove he was a good writer or maybe he would have gone off the deep end.

Hmmm...

KM
Light Fuse and Get Away - Not lyrically memorable for me (and don't really care for the song).
Only a Matter of Time - Probably my second favorite song on WDADU, but that's mostly for the music.  There are a couple cool lyrical moments.
Pull Me Under - Nothing original, but a reasonable effort at condensing Hamlet into a song format.
Surrounded - I enjoy the imagery.  Probably my favorite KM lyric.
Wait for Sleep - It's fine but very short.
6:00 - Meh, but I like the song a lot.
Lie - A bottom 10 DT song and not lyrically memorable for me.
Space-Dye Vest - Kinda cool, but really just weird, although the lyrics work with the music in the same way that some of John Anderson's nonsense lyrics worked with Yes's music.

JP
A Fortune in Lies - To the extent the lyrics are memorable, I have no real idea what the song is about.
Status Seeker - A so-so effort at a hit single in all respects.
The Killing Hand - Best song on WDADU, and I really like the story (although it's rather abstract).
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun - Probably my least favorite song on WDADU and not memorable lyrically.
Another Day - A poignant song and fairly uplifting.
Metropolis - The song is better than the lyrics, but the lyrics are cool and have several memorable moments.
Under a Glass Moon - I'm in the minority in that I don't care for this song, and I have no idea what it's about.
Caught in a Web (with JL) - Really like the song.  The lyrics are not terribly memorable other than the chorus.
Innocence Faded - A bottom 5 DT song and not lyrically memorable.
Voices - The start of JP's "obsession" with songs about mental health.  Some cool parts, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that some lines are lifted verbatim from an outside source.
The Silent Man - Good but short.
Scarred - One of my favorite DT songs.  Not sure what it's about, but it's cool.

JM
Learning to Live - Very good.  I remember being proud of myself when I figured out what it was about.
Lifting Shadows Off a Dream - Love the song.  Not sure what it's about.

CD
Status Seeker - See above.
Afterlife - Meh.

MP
The Mirror - Another bottom 5-10 DT song for me.  I assume it's a dime-a-dozen song about cocaine, which by 1994 was a tired subject.

I'd have to give JP the edge over KM.  Everyone else's body of work was too small to compare fairly, but I'd rank JM third and MP/CD 4th or 5th in whatever order.

[Adami]

I like KM's lyrics. They were different for DT, which was good.

That said, in the time frame of WDADU - FII, I'm giving the edge WIDELY to JP.

After that though? Ehhhhhh. Hit or miss for everyone. No one's had a great record since SFAM.

[pg1067]

They need to record “eve” with  vocals

Be sure to let us know when you're finished with the lyrics.

[TAC]

Regarding This Is The Life...


There are certainly songs I like more, but I must say that TITL is a perfectly written song. One of their finest moments.