Dream Theater ballads

[Dream Team]

I see both Afterlife and Innocence Faded as attempts at taking quite nice songs, and over-producing them into something resembling 80s style power ballads. Which is why they don't work for me.

I’m not sure you understand what a ballad is. “Fast electric guitar riffs” is usually not part of the description.

[Architeuthis]

Ballads that don't - Afterlife, Innocence Faded

Wat

The Dark Eternal Night and The Glass Prison are my favorite ballads.

   

[The Curious Orange]

Ballad - A slow sentimental or romantic song.

This is DT we're talking about -none of their music fits in to easy categorisations. A slow sentimental song can have a fast aggressive guitar shredding section in it and still be a ballad.

But this is the fantastic thing about DT - we all hear their music differently.

[lovethedrake]

Afterlife and innocence faded are simply not ballads.

[Dave_Manchester]

*consults his DT top 50 list from a while back*

So 'Disappear' is my favourite DT ballad (just a fantastic piece of music, from its spooky opening to its great chord progressions in the verses), followed by Beneath The Surface. Beyond that I love Space Dye Vest, Anna Lee, Vacant, The Answer Lies Within, This Is The Life and Far From Heaven (although cut off from its big brother Breaking All Illusions, I don't like it so much. For me, those songs go together).

There are very few DT songs I can say I "dislike" (probably only about 5) but one of them is a ballad: Through Her Eyes. Not keen on that one at all.

[MirrorMask]

Ballad - A slow sentimental or romantic song.

Well, a "Ballad" has a more ancient and poetry-related definition:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad

Yours is the one that cover a specific section of music, that gets its own article on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentimental_ballad

In the more general and modern term, that evolved through time - take for example "filler", a filler song was a song written for the specific purpouse to stretch the length of an otherwise too short album, such as Paranoid from Black Sabbath, by now people use it as a generic term for songs perceived as of lesser quality - , "ballad" is an umbrella term that covers slow songs.

Disappear is slow. Vacant is slow. Surrounded might not be a ballad, but has a slow intro and slow outro. Afterlife and Innocence Faded are fast. The first verse of Innocence Faded is not slow enough to even describe the song having a slow / ballad-ish section. Afterlife is fast through and through.

[Trav86]

Ballads meaning the lighter or mellower songs, they have many great ones.

All of the lighter ones from I&W, Scenes and Awake are awesome.

I am also really high on Take Away My Pain (FII version), This Is the Life, Chosen, Hollow Years, Far from Heaven and Disappear.

I agree with all of this.  I'll also add Eve, Hollow Years, Beneath the Surface, Begin Again and Losing Faythe.

[geeeemo]

OK.
WDaDU - none

I&W - Wait for Sleep - just so beautiful

Awake - Space Dye Vest - a cool original song

FII - I love this album btw. - on the studio, Anna Lee, but the Budokan Hollow Years is one of my favorites. That guitar makes me melt.

Scenes - The Spirit Carries On.

Six Degrees - Goodnight Kiss. I know it's not about this, but my kids are about to be up and out, and it's a trauma for me - I love being a mom - so it hits me. Yes I vote for songs that make me cry.

ToT - isn't Vacant about it? It's not one I Love, but I like it.

Octavarium - The Answer Lies Within - again relating to my sons getting ready to go. It is a beautiful song.

SC - I really like the album but don't love the ballads. Forsaken is a nice song.

BC&SL - Wither

ADToE - I Love This Album - This is the Life was a Favorite for a long time, then I read when JLB describes what Far From Heaven is about - and it quickly superseded TitL - I could relate and it forced some serious introspection, it makes my heart break. I wonder why that makes it a favorite, but music sometimes is head banging and sometimes it's being emotional.

DT - not my favorite, but Along for the Ride is nice.

TA - I really like this one also. I always listen to the whole thing, because I am listening to a story, as told by DT. I couldn't remember 1 specific ballad as I take it as a whole. So, I had to listen to it today to decide  .  They are all great - my goodness JLB is so wonderful to listen to - anyway I choose Losing Fayth. It it such a poignant moment.

D/T - ?? (but I Love Paralyzed )

[SleeperAwake]

I've been thinking a lot about this. There seems to be a direct correlation between the lyricist and my enjoyment of a DT ballad.

KM wrote lyrics to some of my all time favourite DT songs (Space-Dye Vest, Wait for Sleep, Surrounded)

JLB is also good in the ballad department (Anna Lee, Disappear, Vacant)

JP used to be reliable, occasionally great, throughout the 90s (The Silent Man, Hollow Years, SFAM). There was a decline in his overall lyrics on Systematic Chaos, but when it comes to ballads they've been mostly schlock since "The Answer Lies Within". Cliches and platitudes abound. And The Astonishing was cloying and twee.

On the other hand, "Wither" is quite nice.

[TheCountOfMinnesota]

I agree with Dave_Manchester: Disappear, Beneath the Surface, and Space-Dye Vest are my three favorite ballads, and I consider each to be a masterpiece.

SleeperAwake, check out JP's lyrics on Beneath the Surface.  They may not rely on the poetic, surreal imagery of some of his best early work, but those words cut to the bone in a devastating way (for me, anyway!).

[robbob]

Space Dye Vest has always been one of my favorites.

But, Out of Reach really grabbed me the first time I heard it, my favorite ballad of theirs now, surprised there hasn't been more discussion on it. Love the Piano work by Jordan combined with James vocals, really memorable. Lyrics are great. AND, that JP lead, very tasty, fits the song perfectly.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

Out Of Reach would be higher up on my list if it wasn't for the way James delivers the first line. It just comes across so weird to me. Not sure if it's the melody or the delivery or a mix of both, but it turned me off immediately. The rest of the song is great though.

[brents319]

I have never in my life considered Afterlife a ballad.

I laughed at this one...thanks!

[Loggins]

The Silent Man is one of the very best and one of the songs that caught me when I first heard the band.
This is the life on the self-titled is one of my favorites. Excellent song and message.
Hollow Years, Disappear...