Dream Theater entered the studio in February v. No News is Good News

[BlackInk]

Whereas Six Degrees has like 13 songs on it.

No it doesn't. It has 6 songs. 13 tracks.

Oh god not here too..

[Kotowboy]

It has 13 BITS which you can SELECT. I call those SONGS because they ALL start and end individually...

[wasteland]

It has 13 BITS which you can SELECT. I call those SONGS because they ALL start and end individually...

What a repetitive album.

[BlobVanDam]

Terrible.

It has 13 BITS which you can SELECT. I call those SONGS because they ALL start and end individually...

Not really. I have never listened to a section of SDOIT outside of the context of the song, because it would feel incomplete, and they DON'T all end individually, so that would be weird to try to listen to that way.
Parts of Octavarium start/end just as neatly (same goes for many of their other epics, including IT), the difference being that they didn't stick track markers in there for convenience. I actually wish they didn't put track markers in SDOIT at all.

[wasteland]

The SDOIT song-status conundrum is the greatest debate (nuggetz?!) in our fandom, probably even surpassing the one concerning our shady first keyboardist.

[Zydar]

Blob speaks the truth.

[BlobVanDam]

The SDOIT song-status conundrum is the greatest debate (nuggetz?!) in our fandom, probably even surpassing the one concerning our shady first keyboardist.

We move in circles...

I guess it will be a little while until we get some real news on the new album to discuss given that they're on tour for a bit.

[BlackInk]

In my opinion, dividing SDoIT into tracks was a good decision. Listening to a 42 minute track would be rather tiresome after only a few spins.

[DP_Gumby]

In my defense, I'm not hoping for a four track album, I just had a "what-if" thought.

I don't really care how many, or how few, tracks the new album has. So long as each song has an excellent production. 

[Train of Naught]

I hope we can minimize the neverending "1 song or divided into more songs" discussion to solely my Systematic Chaos thread.. 

[BlobVanDam]

In my opinion, dividing SDoIT into tracks was a good decision. Listening to a 42 minute track would be rather tiresome after only a few spins.

After 12 years of only ever listening to SDOIT as a whole, and it still being my #1/#2 DT song, I very strongly disagree!

[Lucien]

DT calls it a single song, the end

[Plasmastrike]

Blob doing the work of God. Thanks.

[JediKnight1969]

DT calls it a single song, the end

Proof:



Only 6 (six) f...ing songs. PERIOD.

[Kotowboy]

Terrible.

It has 13 BITS which you can SELECT. I call those SONGS because they ALL start and end individually...

Not really. I have never listened to a section of SDOIT outside of the context of the song, because it would feel incomplete, and they DON'T all end individually, so that would be weird to try to listen to that way.
Parts of Octavarium start/end just as neatly (same goes for many of their other epics, including IT), the difference being that they didn't stick track markers in there for convenience. I actually wish they didn't put track markers in SDOIT at all.

I like listening to Solitary Shell on it's own. As well as About To Crash ( sometimes )

[Setlist Scotty]

Only 6 (six) f...ing songs. PERIOD.

And let's not forget that on the CD version of Score, all of SDoIT is one track - it's not subdivided, which is further evidence that it is one song.

[KevShmev]

A Mind Beside Itself is presented as one song on the LSFNY DVD.

[Mosh]

Yes but it is divided on the CD. It makes sense to keep it together on the DVD since it was that bonus feature thing and you could watch it altogether instead of having to select the next song in the extra features menu.

[BlobVanDam]

Yes but it is divided on the CD. It makes sense to keep it together on the DVD since it was that bonus feature thing and you could watch it altogether instead of having to select the next song in the extra features menu.

And nowhere is it labeled a song anyway. It's presented as a unit because it is a unit; a suite.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I think the band made the right call splitting SDOIT into separate tracks as opposed to making a single 42 minute track. It's always nice to have the option of skipping around, and I don't think there's a real downside to it, outside of the debate it causes in fan circles (is it a song or a suite?).

To me, if the band says it's a song, then it's a song, but I don't really care either way.

[DP_Gumby]

There's things happening, look!
Richard Chicky is apparently working on the new album. 

https://instagram.com/p/4g7yT8i9ql/


Yes, I admit.. It's not the most exciting image ever, but it's something nonetheless.

[BlobVanDam]

I spotted Chycki in the video JR posted a while back that we used to figure out parts of their current setlist.

[zecawolf]

Yes but it is divided on the CD. It makes sense to keep it together on the DVD since it was that bonus feature thing and you could watch it altogether instead of having to select the next song in the extra features menu.

And nowhere is it labeled a song anyway. It's presented as a unit because it is a unit; a suite.

GREATEST HIT - AND 21 OTHER PRETTY COOL SONGS.

Solitary Shell is in it.

[BlobVanDam]

Yes but it is divided on the CD. It makes sense to keep it together on the DVD since it was that bonus feature thing and you could watch it altogether instead of having to select the next song in the extra features menu.

And nowhere is it labeled a song anyway. It's presented as a unit because it is a unit; a suite.

GREATEST HIT - AND 21 OTHER PREETY COOLS SONGS.

Solitary Shell is in it.

Because it would have really rolled off the tongue to name it "GREATEST HIT AND 21 OTHER PRETTY COOL SONGS PLUS A SECTION OF A SONG AND SOME HACKED RADIO EDITS AND REMIXES ETC". You're in trouble if you're relying on a joking tongue in cheek compilation name as evidence of anything.

[SuperTaco]

It's not hugely surprising or anything, but at least we know there will be some piano on the new album. It never goes out of style IMO.

[hefdaddy42]

Yes but it is divided on the CD. It makes sense to keep it together on the DVD since it was that bonus feature thing and you could watch it altogether instead of having to select the next song in the extra features menu.

And nowhere is it labeled a song anyway. It's presented as a unit because it is a unit; a suite.

GREATEST HIT - AND 21 OTHER PRETTY COOL SONGS.

Solitary Shell is in it.

A radio edit of Solitary Shell is in it.  Meaning, a version of the song that was altered from its original presentation.  And kind of a worthless one, at that, since I doubt it ever got very much airplay.

[BlobVanDam]

It's not hugely surprising or anything, but at least we know there will be some piano on the new album. It never goes out of style IMO.

Not too surprising at all given that every DT album has piano on it (except maybe WDADU, which I can't recall any on). But it's hard to go wrong with piano, so it's always good.

[zecawolf]

Yes but it is divided on the CD. It makes sense to keep it together on the DVD since it was that bonus feature thing and you could watch it altogether instead of having to select the next song in the extra features menu.

And nowhere is it labeled a song anyway. It's presented as a unit because it is a unit; a suite.

GREATEST HIT - AND 21 OTHER PREETY COOLS SONGS.

Solitary Shell is in it.

Because it would have really rolled off the tongue to name it "GREATEST HIT AND 21 OTHER PRETTY COOL SONGS PLUS A SECTION OF A SONG AND SOME HACKED RADIO EDITS AND REMIXES ETC". You're in trouble if you're relying on a joking tongue in cheek compilation name as evidence of anything.

That's evidence that it can pass for a song on its own. They could never do that with "heretic" or "crimson sunset"

[BlobVanDam]

That's evidence that it can pass for a song on its own. They could never do that with "heretic" or "crimson sunset"

It's evidence that the heavily edited radio single of Solitary Shell can stand alone, just as sections of ACOS have stood alone when played live. I've also heard the middle section of A Nightmare To Remember edited to stand alone as a "song", but that doesn't make it so.
I don't know why these things are even debated when the evidence from the band is actually very clear.

[zecawolf]

That's evidence that it can pass for a song on its own. They could never do that with "heretic" or "crimson sunset"

It's evidence that the heavily edited radio single of Solitary Shell can stand alone, just as sections of ACOS have stood alone when played live. I've also heard the middle section of A Nightmare To Remember edited to stand alone as a "song", but that doesn't make it so.
I don't know why these things are even debated when the evidence from the band is actually very clear.

Well, I can give you MY reason to debate it. I ranked solitary shell as one of my favorite songs and Bosk argued that it was NOT a song. As I saw some people arguing otherwise too, and given that I can listen to it separately AS IT IS originally on  SDoIT, I think it's fine to state my reasons for thinking what I am saying. 

[Thoughtspart3]

I guess hopes for a dynamically mixed album are nill since Richard Chicky is mixing and mastering it.  That is, unless he has recently changed his mastering philosophy or DT requests a dynamic mix which is unlikely.

[Dream Team]

That's evidence that it can pass for a song on its own. They could never do that with "heretic" or "crimson sunset"

It's evidence that the heavily edited radio single of Solitary Shell can stand alone, just as sections of ACOS have stood alone when played live. I've also heard the middle section of A Nightmare To Remember edited to stand alone as a "song", but that doesn't make it so.
I don't know why these things are even debated when the evidence from the band is actually very clear.

Well, I can give you MY reason to debate it. I ranked solitary shell as one of my favorite songs and Bosk argued that it was NOT a song. As I saw some people arguing otherwise too, and given that I can listen to it separately AS IT IS originally on  SDoIT, I think it's fine to state my reasons for thinking what I am saying.

I'm with you. Each of the 7 "movements" not counting the instrumental has its own verses, chorus, instrumental part, etc. I think of them as 8 songs glued together, even though I realize the band wants it received as a single song.

[Flacracker]

DT needs to get Steven Wilson to produce their stuff.

[Scorpion]

I think it's likelier that MP would rejoin than SW being involved in any way with DT.

[ResultsMayVary]

And JP has said on multiple occasions that he and his beard will continue to produce the upcoming DT albums.