Rate My Order of Albums!

[Tick]

I know this is self indulgent, but I am curious how close I am to other fans here when ranking the DT catalog in order. With much thought I rank them as follows...

1. Scenes From a Memory
2. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
3. I&W's
4. Dream Theater 12
5. A Dramatic Turn of Events
6. Awake
7. Octavarium
8. Systematic Chaos
9. Falling Into Infinity
10. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
11. Train of Thought
12. WDADU

Now, just because some fall to the bottom doesn't mean I don't like them but some have to be top while others have to be the bottom.

[Dublagent66]

Well, those are your personal rankings so who am I to judge?  Didn't vote.  However, I would put ToT & FII higher and DT12 & ADTOE lower.  Last 2 albums don't rank in the top 5 IMO.

[Tom Bombadil]

Swap 1 with 6, 2 with 3, and 4 with 11 and it would be pretty similar to mine.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Not bad. I think Dt12 is ranked too high as FII and TOT are too low.

[425]

You're fairly out of order for what I would do. I would put Images at #1, Scenes lower and Six Degrees a lot lower, DT12 lower, ToT and BCSL a lot higher and FII and 8VM higher. However, I think you're a lot closer to the general consensus of this forum than I am, so...

[bosk1]

Pretty close to how I would rank.  I would move quite a few of them around, but all my moves are only one or two positions off.  Here is how mine compares to yours:

1.  Six Degrees (2)
2.  Scenes (1)
3.  ADTOE  (5)
4.  I&W (3)
5.  DT12 (4)
6.  Awake (6)
7.  Octavarium (7)
8.  FII (9)
9.  Systematic Chaos (8)
10.  TOT (11)
11.  BCSL (10)
12.  WDADU (12)

[Skeever]

Top top 5 is almost right, but somewhat out of order. Kick self title out and replace it with Awake and then we'll talk.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Train of Thought should be much higher, but the top 3 is pretty much the same as mine, swapping SDOIT for I&W. I'm also probably one of the few who doesn't mind your placement for DT12 as well. Everything else is pretty close to mine.

[Outcrier]

Train of Thought too low.
Awake a bit low.
DT12 too high.
-
Honestly, i don't get how anyone can enjoy SC or BCSL more than ToT.

[npiazza91]

Awake , TOT, and BC&SL are way too low.  I put "Poor" as my choice because those 3 are among my top 5.  Everything else is pretty good minus a few small changes.  Eh, I put Images and Words much lower because it sounds a bit dated to me and I feel like it's overrated.  But hey, different strokes for different folks.

[bosk1]

Honestly, i don't get how anyone can enjoy SC or BCSL more than ToT.

It probably has something to do with the fact that SC and BCSL have really good songs on them.  But I could be mistaken.

[MoraWintersoul]

some have to be top while others have to be the bottom.

anyone wanna siggy this prudent piece of sex advice?

[Rodni Demental]

Pretty cliché list really.. What with FII/BL&SL/ToT/WDADU at the bottom and Scenes/SDOIT/I&W at the top. There might be some mix ups in the middle but I'd say they're very average rankings. Not a bad thing by any means but nothing too against the grain. 

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

On my ranking of rankings, I would rank this ranking pretty low.

[Jaffa]

Well, only one or two albums are in the exact position where I would put them, so I guess I rate this ranking pretty low. 

[BlobVanDam]

I love your top 3, but the next 3 are at the complete wrong end of the rankings for me.
And I can't disagree with last place either.

I'd rank FII way higher, but the rest I find harder to separate and rank.

[Nefarius]

However much I like this forum the obsessive compulsive need of ranking and ordering the shit out of everything will always elude me. What is to be gained by having songs and albums compete? Of course there will always be preferences and dislikes but I really don't see the appeal of painstakingly listing them. Especially because stuff you rank lower will always feel inferior even if it's great by any other standard and in every other context.

And the need to have others judge such a list based on your own personal tastes and moods just to check how well some other kid likes your subjective ranking somehow feels like a pathetically insecure school popularity contest which inevitably leads to increased awkwardness for everyone. In contrast to the ranking thing this doesn't simply elude me, it's at least several galaxies beyond me why someone would feel the need to do that.

Greetings...
Nef

[Rodni Demental]

Now THAT'S a thread killing post right there. 

[wolfking]

I voted average.  Only based on ADTOE being so high and TOT being so low.  Everything else was pretty right for me.  But those two made it enough to drop my vote to average.

[wolfking]

However much I like this forum the obsessive compulsive need of ranking and ordering the shit out of everything will always elude me. What is to be gained by having songs and albums compete? Of course there will always be preferences and dislikes but I really don't see the appeal of painstakingly listing them. Especially because stuff you rank lower will always feel inferior even if it's great by any other standard and in every other context.

And the need to have others judge such a list based on your own personal tastes and moods just to check how well some other kid likes your subjective ranking somehow feels like a pathetically insecure school popularity contest which inevitably leads to increased awkwardness for everyone. In contrast to the ranking thing this doesn't simply elude me, it's at least several galaxies beyond me why someone would feel the need to do that.

Greetings...
Nef

So.............did you vote bro?

[senecadawg2]

I voted average, but I kind of wish there was another option below average and above the next one. The top 3 is close enough to my own, but after that I would do a lot of shuffling. DT12, Octavarium, and SC in particular would be lower on my own list.

However much I like this forum the obsessive compulsive need of ranking and ordering the shit out of everything will always elude me. What is to be gained by having songs and albums compete? Of course there will always be preferences and dislikes but I really don't see the appeal of painstakingly listing them. Especially because stuff you rank lower will always feel inferior even if it's great by any other standard and in every other context.

And the need to have others judge such a list based on your own personal tastes and moods just to check how well some other kid likes your subjective ranking somehow feels like a pathetically insecure school popularity contest which inevitably leads to increased awkwardness for everyone. In contrast to the ranking thing this doesn't simply elude me, it's at least several galaxies beyond me why someone would feel the need to do that.

Greetings...
Nef

Simple solution- don't participate. But you already knew that, didn't you?

[Tick]

some have to be top while others have to be the bottom.

anyone wanna siggy this prudent piece of sex advice?

I like being on the bottom, it gives me more entertainment value.

Train of Thought too low.
Awake a bit low.
DT12 too high.
-
Honestly, i don't get how anyone can enjoy SC or BCSL more than ToT.

Well, in my opinion Train of Thought sounds like it tries a bit too hard to be something DT is not. It does have some gems, but its lower list for me.

[Tick]

Pretty cliché list really.. What with FII/BL&SL/ToT/WDADU at the bottom and Scenes/SDOIT/I&W at the top. There might be some mix ups in the middle but I'd say they're very average rankings. Not a bad thing by any means but nothing too against the grain. 

It may be a bit "cliche" but I wasn't going for edgy, just honest. I guess having the latest album at 4 probably raises a few eye brows, but I find the latest album rich with well crated songs. DT12 is an album that has stayed in heavy rotation for me since it was released.

Pretty close to how I would rank.  I would move quite a few of them around, but all my moves are only one or two positions off.  Here is how mine compares to yours:

1.  Six Degrees (2)
2.  Scenes (1)
3.  ADTOE  (5)
4.  I&W (3)
5.  DT12 (4)
6.  Awake (6)
7.  Octavarium (7)
8.  FII (9)
9.  Systematic Chaos (8)
10.  TOT (11)
11.  BCSL (10)
12.  WDADU (12)

Great list!

[Octavarious]

Well, I'll have a try.
Your top 3 is 100% spot on.
For the rest, not quite...

1. Scenes From a Memory
2. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
3. I&W's
4. Octavarium
5. Awake
6. Train of Thought
7. Dream Theater 12
8. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
9. A Dramatic Turn of Events
10. Falling Into Infinity 
11. Systematic Chaos
12. WDADU

But - I mean - it's only me, and some are very close, could even slightly change in the future.

[Outcrier]

Well, in my opinion Train of Thought sounds like it tries a bit too hard to be something DT is not. It does have some gems, but its lower list for me.

I could say the same for SC...
I just think ToT it's better than SC or BCLS due to the songwriting only (mainly This Dying Soul, Endless Sacrifice and In The Name of God).

I would divide the albums like this (not in order of most-least favorite):

TOP TIER: Awake, Images, Scenes and Six Degrees.

HIGH TIER: Octavarium and Train of Thought.

MID TIER: Dramatic Turn, DT12 and Falling Into Infinity.

LOW TIER: Black Clouds, Systematic Chaos and WDADU.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

I'm not going to vote on your opinion of albums, but it is fairly similar to mine, at least the top half. I'd put SFAM below SDOIT and IAW, but DT12, and Awake are right where I'd put them.

It'd look about like this:
SDOIT
IAW
SFAM
DT12
ADTOE
Awake
TOT
FII
8VM
SC
BCASL
WDADU

I need to find an actual ranking system though. I just kind of threw it together, and it changes.

[425]

You're fairly out of order for what I would do. I would put Images at #1, Scenes lower and Six Degrees a lot lower, DT12 lower, ToT and BCSL a lot higher and FII and 8VM higher. However, I think you're a lot closer to the general consensus of this forum than I am, so...

To elaborate on this, since other people have also been posting their own lists (and, yes, because I do want to have an opportunity to consider and publish what my ranking looks like currently), my list at the moment would look something like this.

1. Images and Words
2. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
3. A Dramatic Turn of Events
4. Falling Into Infinity
5. Train of Thought
6. Awake
7. Octavarium
8. Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory
9. Dream Theater
10. When Dream and Day Unite
11. Systematic Chaos
12. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Which is actually radically different from what I posted a few months ago when I did my top 50. I think only 1, 10 and 12 stayed in the same place. Basically what I found was that Awake, 8VM, SFAM and SC have dropped in my esteem while ADTOE and FII dramatically rose. I think there's a shift underway in the way I view Dream Theater's music entirely, so I don't think these rankings will stay the same long term. Most notably, I think BCSL is #2 right now only by default, and it's likely to be overtaken before long by ADTOE or FII (or a resurgence of Awake or something, who knows).

Now that I look at this side-by-side with yours, ours are radically different, aren't they? Images, ADTOE, Awake, SC and WDADU are the only ones we'd even put in the same half of the discography! But I think that's just a testament to the strength of the Dream Theater discography as a whole and the fact that they have a lot of different facets that appeal to different people in a whole myriad of ways.

[Mastervai]

What about ACOS 

[Zyzzyva17]

1. Images and Words (3)
2. Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2)
3. A Dramatic Turn of Events (1)
4. Falling Into Infinity (5)
5. Train of Thought (4)
6. Awake (12)
7. Octavarium (7)
8. Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory (8)
9. Dream Theater (6)
10. When Dream and Day Unite (10)
11. Systematic Chaos (9)
12. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (11)

Your rankings are quite similar to mine, other than Awake being higher. (My rankings are the ones in parentheses)

[Grizz]

Your opinion sucks. you suck

Music done right
.5 A Change of Seasons
1. Scenes From a Memory (1)
2. Awake (6)
3. Images & Wots (3)

Pretty sweet
4. Train of Thought (11)
5. Black Clouds & Silver Linings (10)
6. Octavarium (7)
7. A Dramatic Turn of Events (5)
8. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2)

Eh.
9. Dream Theater (4)
10. Falling Into Infinity (9)

Eh???
11. When Dream & Day Unite (12)
12. Systematic Chaos (8)

No.
12.5 Raw Dog

[Tick]

Your opinion sucks. you suck

Music done right
.5 A Change of Seasons
1. Scenes From a Memory (1)
2. Awake (6)
3. Images & Wots (3)

Pretty sweet
4. Train of Thought (11)
5. Black Clouds & Silver Linings (10)
6. Octavarium (7)
7. A Dramatic Turn of Events (5)
8. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2)

Eh.
9. Dream Theater (4)
10. Falling Into Infinity (9)

Eh???
11. When Dream & Day Unite (12)
12. Systematic Chaos (8)

No.
12.5 Raw Dog

I suck, Grizz?

[Grizz]

Naw, it's just your opinion that sux

[Tick]

Naw, it's just your opinion that sux

Most of them do. Is that your music I found a link to after that Labrie clip? If so, its very good!

[Grizz]

Unless it's some sort of 8-bit remake of Zelda or Rainbow Road or a cover of Dave Matthews Band's Crush, I don't think so. Never was good at songwriting.
Thanks anyway 

[Sourcegamer101]

You're almost spot on. The first 5 albums are in the exact the order I would rate them. Scenes From a Memory is the first album I listened to that got me into DT, and it damn well deserves a number 1 spot in my opinion.

I don't quite agree with the placement of Train of Thought, however. I love Dream Theater's heavy side.