If you could go back in time and change on critical moment in DT's career

[Skeever]

What would you do? Convince Kevin Moore to stay? Convince MP not to leave?

[SuperTaco]

The very first thing that came to mind was the food poisoning incident with JLB. I would prevent that for sure.

[Zook]

The very first thing that came to mind was the food poisoning incident with JLB. I would prevent that for sure.

This.

[rumborak]

For the most part it's all good. If a band member is done with their band, it's best to not prolong the inevitable.

I would have liked to have seen another album with DS. I think that could have been good.

[Zook]

For the most part it's all good. If a band member is done with their band, it's best to not prolong the inevitable.

I would have liked to have seen another album with DS. I think that could have been good.

So what would you do, kidnap JR?

[rumborak]

I have no idea It's not that I had a specific plan of attack in mind when I wrote my post. I just think the configuration with DS would have been nice to be explored more.

[Zantera]

I don't know about "change", but I would probably travel back to after the release of 6DOIT and try to encourage the band to take more risks and experiment more with their music. I think quality aside (some people on the forum loves the more latter releases, others feel the opposite way), I still think it's safe to say that DT used to be more adventurous back in the day. I&W was the big classic, Awake did not try to replicate the same formula, and for good or bad it came out different. FII was bothered by studio interferences and it also has a unique charm of its own. Scenes From a Memory was just epic, being a concept album and all. 6DOIT had the very ambitious themes and pulling off a 42 minute song was quite epic.

I feel like they have played it very safe since then. It's not like they need to change, and I would imagine at the age they're at, it's comfortable playing to your sure bets, because you know many of the fans are along for the ride. (no pun intended) Still, there's so much talent in these guys that I would have loved seeing them do more experimental things, or at least take bigger risks. Maybe encourage them to make a Metropolis Part 3 album.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

The very first thing that came to mind was the food poisoning incident with JLB. I would prevent that for sure.

This.

[425]

The very first thing that came to mind was the food poisoning incident with JLB. I would prevent that for sure.

Yeah, probably this. I would also like to convince MP that he would regret leaving the band, but I doubt he would have taken anyone's advice not to leave at that time.

[Rodni Demental]

Probably wouldn't change anything. But so far people have mentioned 2 things that spark my interest:
- I would be dead curious what DT would've sounded like if the retained the pre-food poisoned Labrie.
- And I would also have been super curious what another album with DS would have been like.

But those changes would probably still have too significant of an an effect on the way the band is now; so mere curiosities really, not exactly a wishlist.

[TheGreatPretender]

Absolutely the food poisoning incident. Regardless of how JLB bounced back from it, no singer should ever have to go through something like that.

Another thing would be stopping them from going with that original crappy record deal. I've always been curious what their career would've been like if they'd been given the right amount of label attention, right from the get-go, and managed to release a hit album while still in the 80s.

[BlobVanDam]

I would have liked to have seen another album with DS. I think that could have been good.

The chances of it touching SFAM/SDOIT are zero imo, so I don't see the point.


I'd probably convince MP not to leave DT.
Avoiding the food poisoning incident would also be a great one, however in the long run, I've been happy with the vocals on all of their studio albums, the 3 albums directly after the incident are all in my top 4, and JLB has recovered so well to the point I'd say he's at as good as he would have been had nothing happened.
So completely selfishly speaking, that one wouldn't be as high priority for me.

[rumborak]

I would have liked to have seen another album with DS. I think that could have been good.

The chances of it touching SFAM/SDOIT are zero imo, so I don't see the point.

In my time-travel scenario the creation of SFAM is only delayed. All we get is one more DS album.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I would have convinced MP to keep his "vocals" out of A Nightmare to Remember.

[BlobVanDam]

I would have liked to have seen another album with DS. I think that could have been good.

The chances of it touching SFAM/SDOIT are zero imo, so I don't see the point.

In my time-travel scenario the creation of SFAM is only delayed. All we get is one more DS album.

Not a very realistic time travel scenario, but if hypothetically we were just getting another DT album somewhat between FII and SFAM musically speaking, I guess I'd be down with that. I'd actually love to hear DT write a more FII style album now.

I would have convinced MP to keep his "vocals" out of A Nightmare to Remember.

Fuck that, I'd convince him to have gone the whole way instead of half assing it because of the inevitable bunch of bitching prog fans.

[Zyzzyva17]

This thread made me think of a sadistic hypothetical:

If you could prevent Portnoy's mom from dying in that plane crash, but as a result remove A Change of Seasons from existence, would you?

[BlobVanDam]

This thread made me think of a sadistic hypothetical:

If you could prevent Portnoy's mom from dying in that plane crash, but as a result remove A Change of Seasons from existence, would you?

I'd do it to save Portnoy's mother. Removing ACOS from existence would just be a bonus.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I think things mostly worked out the way they should. I'm fairly satisfied with their body of work.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

I would cut the Misunderstood solos and Losing Time synth fadeout and make SDOIT one disk. 

I don't know that I would change much, as I wouldn't want it to alter the course they're on now, because I'm very happy with their catalog. It's still a cool idea though.
I might convince the band to hire James before WDADU, or like a lot of people have said, stop the food poisoning incident. Some other ideas are interesting to, but like Rodni said, it's more of a curiosity.

I think things mostly worked out the way they should. I'm fairly satisfied with their body of work.

Absolutely.

[JiM-Xtreme]

Rather than convince MP not to leave DT, I'd rather attempt to convince the guys to actually take the hiatus when he proposed it.

Not a 5 year hiatus, but I actually think a year or two of doing nothing whatsoever related to DT would have done wonders for the band, their creativity and their personal relationships. If they had, they would probably be back in business by now anyway and we'd have a shiny new album to talk about from the line-up that brought us SFAM, SDOIT, 8V etc

[hefdaddy42]

Not a very realistic time travel scenario

So who's the king geek around here?

You, for typing such a sentence in a thread like this.



Love you, BVD

[TheAtliator]

Of course the food poisoning (oh God how I wish that never happened), definitely not convince Mike to stay- I like both drummers a LOT so it's right the way it worked out.

But one thing I would also do is convince them to rerecord WDADU with James in 92-93. Not only is that album one of my favorite albums that is unfairly deprived of a really good recording, but the way James sang those songs back then are some of the best vocal performances EVER, which all would have fit the album amazingly. His enhanced vocal melodies are something to behold.

When I'm rich beyond my wildest dreams I think I'm gonna get a group of my band guys to record that album note for note with perfect production and with the inclusion of all the best good additions that have been made to the songs in live DT performances. And I'll be the singer and use all the things that James added to the songs (oh yea and I'm a world-class phenomenal singer too).

[a51502112]

Convince MP not to leave?

Oh no, not this again. Waaaaaaaa... Boo hoo.

[snapple]

Food poisoning for sure.

[hefdaddy42]

I would try to talk them out of Raw Dog.

[MoraWintersoul]

I'm glad we collectively got over Kevin Moore in Dream Theater Maybe that means we'll get over MP in about fifteen years

[BlobVanDam]

I'm glad we collectively got over Kevin Moore in Dream Theater

I've yet to see the evidence for that!

[MoraWintersoul]

I'm glad we collectively got over Kevin Moore in Dream Theater

I've yet to see the evidence for that!

In 25 replies, no "BRING BACK KEVIN MOORE", I'd say that's good enough

[Danger Zone]

I would make James LaBrie re-record "Solitary Shell" so he sounded less like Green Day. Seriously, listen to it again: "As a boy he was considered somewhat odd / Kept to himself most of the time." All I hear is freakin' Green Day, and it's really distracting. Because I hate Green Day. Ick.

[Ħ]

It's impossible to change the past through time-travel, otherwise the past would have been different. But maybe it's the case that a member of DTF has already influenced the band in some way and has yet to discover that fact in the present. In that case, whoever it turns out to be should go back and pitch them SFAM. 

[GasparXR]

I would make James LaBrie re-record "Solitary Shell" so he sounded less like Green Day. Seriously, listen to it again: "As a boy he was considered somewhat odd / Kept to himself most of the time." All I hear is freakin' Green Day, and it's really distracting. Because I hate Green Day. Ick.

Oh, wow, I actually hear it now. I don't mind though. If it was a little more uptempo and upbeat, that part, it would be even more Green Day-ish.

[lionfury]

I would have convinced MP to keep his "vocals" out of A Nightmare to Remember.

Fuck that, I'd convince him to have gone the whole way instead of half assing it because of the inevitable bunch of bitching prog fans.

THIS. The live versions with actual growls sound significantly better.

[?]

Absolutely the food poisoning incident. Regardless of how JLB bounced back from it, no singer should ever have to go through something like that.

I would have convinced MP to keep his "vocals" out of A Nightmare to Remember.

These.

[425]

Fuck that, I'd convince him to have gone the whole way instead of half assing it because of the inevitable bunch of bitching prog fans.

Actually, yeah. Imagine telling him that people would bitch anyway so he should just go for it.

[AngelBack]

Make them stick with David Prater.