Author Topic: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best  (Read 2043 times)

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Offline npiazza91

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Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« on: March 05, 2019, 09:00:45 PM »
Just listened to it again and I' gonna rank the songs from worst to best.

8. Only a Matter of Time- Ugh...I can't stand this song.  Definitely one of the worst they've ever done.  I can't stand the verses, the melody and rhythm is just...ugh.  Dominici sounds like he's doing magic tricks or something on stage "when DREAM and day u-NITE!".  This song is just...I can't stand it.  I really HATE the vocal melodies.  The ending is cool though, I'll give it that.  Next.

7. The Killing Hand- Sorry guys , I know this is considered by many to be one of the best songs on the album.  I am not one of those people.  This song does nothing for me.  I don't think Dominici is as bad as some people say he is, but his voice annoys me on this song, and the verses and chorus don't do a whole lot to pull me in.  Plus it definitely overstays its welcome.  The soft intro is nice and the middle section has some decent stuff there, but...meh.  This is, in my opinion, one of their weakest songs.

6. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun- This one's ok.  The solo section is nice and I like the chorus (especially when he sings the title of the song).  But to me the riffs and everything else are nothing special.  This one's alright.

5. Status Seeker- This is a fun little song.  It's very Rush-esque.  Yeah it's cheesy, but you can't help but sing along to that chorus.  Other than the chorus, there's not a whole lot here that pulls me in. But then again, there doesn't really need to be, because it's a simple, fun little song.  This song's not bad.

4. Light Fuse and Get Away- I REALLY like the riffing on this one.  That verse riff is something Dave Mustaine would have come up with, and it strangely works with Dominici's voice.  The chorus is its weak point I think, and the song starts to lose me a bit in the bridge and solo because those initial verse riffs never come back.  I like this song a lot, the first couple minutes has me headbanging the most out of the entire album, but I feel like this song is a bit of a missed opportunity in some aspects.

3. Afterlife- Two reasons.  The chorus and the solo.  The chorus in this song is easily the best chorus on the entire album.  The riff, the melody, the way Dominici sings it...perfect.  And that solo...man, what an awesome solo.  The rest is decent, but for those two reasons this song gets the number 3 spot.

2. A Fortune in Lies- This one's just a classic.  Great riffs, great melody, great vocals, great solo section.  Honestly, nothing to really complain about here.  It just has the unfortunate circumstance of being on the first album, therefore having that muddy sounding production.

1. Ytse Jam- Come on guys.  Get the f- outta here with this one.  I LOVE this song.  This song is quite honestly up there with YYZ for me.  Yes, I said that.  From that opening riff through the rest of the song it's just A+.  Nothing else to say here.  Awesome.  And yes, I prefer it to TDOE.

Offline Dedalus

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2019, 01:49:43 AM »
1. YJ
2. TKH
3. AFIL
4. Afterlife
5. SS
6. TOWHTSTS
7. OAMOT
8. LFAGA

Offline MirrorMask

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2019, 02:11:32 AM »
8. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
   Never ever liked it. Sorry. I hope to never hear it live, a waste of 8 minutes.
7. Status Seeker
   Fun but come on... so '80s.
6. Afterlife
   It's ok but it doesn't grab me.
5. The Ytse Jam
   Cool instrumental.
4. Light Fuse and Get Away
   Nice song.
3. A Fortune in Lies
   Kickass song.
2. Only a Matter of Time
   Wonderful song, with many twists and turns and a clever celebration of their early years. Would have been a hit sang by James.
1. The Killing Hand
  Epic and brooding piece immortalized by the insane Live at the Marquee version. The high water mark of the album and the indication of what DT was able to do.
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Offline Dedalus

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2019, 02:13:06 AM »
I only noticed now the "worst to best"  :lol

Offline Mladen

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2019, 03:32:12 AM »
8. The Ones who help to set the sun
7. Status seeker
6. The Killing hand (don't hate me)
5. Ytse jam
4. Light fuse and get away
3. A Fortune in lies
2. Afterlife
1. Only a matter of time

Even though I find the bottom three songs average, none of these are bad overall, and any song would be a welcome addition to the set list. I would like to see one of these being performed on this tour, given that it's the album's 30th anniversary this year. But then again, they're already commemorating an anniversary.

Offline robwebster

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2019, 04:23:27 AM »
Seven great songs and one okay song.

8. Afterlife is... fine. It doesn't stand out too much, to me, and that's a shame because I know a lot of people really rate it.

Everything else, I'm struggling to split. I guess Status Seeker would be next? Then probably The Killing Hand!

I think A Fortune in Lies, Ytse Jam and Only a Matter of Time are stone cold classics, and I'd be happy putting any one of them in first place. Light Fuse and Get Away and TOWHTSTS are proper gems and both truly unique - the contrarian in me would prefer to put them up first. Way too close to call!

I'm going to say Set the Sun is my favourite today, just to cash in on that sweet sweet nerd cred. But man, it's a solid album.

Offline erciccio

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2019, 05:52:32 AM »
1. Only a matter of time
2. The Ytse Jam
3. The Killing Hand
4. A Fortune in Lies
5. Afterlife
6. The Ones who help to set the sun
7. Light fuse and get away
8. Status seeker

All potentially great song, expect the last 2-3
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Offline romdrums

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2019, 07:00:41 AM »
1. Light Fuse and Get Away
2. Only a Matter of Time
3. The Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun
4. Ytse Jam
5. A Fortune in Lies
6. The Killing Hand
7. Status Seeker
8. Afterlife
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2019, 07:18:52 AM »
8. Status Seeker - solid tune, but not essential
7. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun - good song, but not one I revisit a lot
6. The Killing Hand - good song, but I don't quite worship it as much as the average DT fan does
5. Afterlife - love the riffing in this one
4. A Fortune in Lies - really good song, and a heckuva track 1 from album 1
3. Ytse Jam - great job in nailing a definitive instrumental right off the bat
2. Only a Matter of Time - so many great melodies!
1. Light Fuse and Get Away - great song, and one of their most underrated

Offline bosk1

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2019, 08:24:11 AM »
EDIT:  Sorry, I did mine backward from what the thread title asked.  Still should be clear though.

1.  The Killing Hand:  Long and epic, but well structured.  Hard to believe such a good song came on their debut.

2.  Only a Matter of Time:  Like the song that follows it in my ranking, this is a great song despite KM's lyrics--not because of them.  There are definitely some cool lines of lyrics and some great imagery.  If this was free-form poetry, I would rank the lyrics pretty high.  But KM obviously had no idea how to write for a singer to actually sing something coherent.  Still, the music is great, and the vocal melody works well.  If they lyrics weren't so overly dense, this could be a REALLY good song.

3.  Light Fuse and Get Away:  Similar comment on the lyrics.  But for most of the song, the lyrical issues are mostly better than OAMOT...up until the "betrayal/I can see where this is going" part, where they are markedly worse.  Still, some cool things going on, and great chorus.

4.  A Fortune in Lies:  I have always felt like this song was the band trying to basically be "prog-Metallica," with mixed success.  It's not a bad song at all.  But they hadn't quite arrived yet in terms of songwriting chops. 

5.  Status Seeker:  Fun, concise song.

6.  Ytsejam:  Shows off the band's instrumental chops nicely.  But not that exciting a listen.  The #6 ranking is helped considerably by how weak the last two tracks are.

7.  Afterlife:  Never really cared for it. 

8.  The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun:  same.  #7 and #8 are almost interchangeable.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2019, 10:40:17 AM by bosk1 »
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Offline Freeze

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2019, 08:34:39 AM »
From best to Worst:

1.Only A Matter Of Time
2.The Killing Hand
3.The Ytse Jam
4.Afterlife
5.A Fortune In Lies
6.Light Fuse And Get Away
7.Status Seeker
8.The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun

Offline pg1067

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2019, 10:32:20 AM »
1. "The Killing Hand" - It's got a little bit of everything and is really well done (despite some subpar vocal parts).  The Live at the Marquee version is the definitive version IMO.

2. "Only a Matter of Time" - This song was on the set list the first two times I saw DT in November 1992.  I've always loved the intro (particularly the keyboards) and the verses.  For whatever reason, it has always had a "pirate" feel to it.

3. "The Ytse Jam" - A nearly "YYZ" quality instrumental.  The main riff is one of the best in DT's catalog.

4-7. "Afterlife"
"A Fortune in Lies"
"Light Fuse and Get Away"
"Status Seeker"

These could probably go in any order, and I can't think of a lot of reason to distinguish them.

8. "The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun" - A very disjointed song that doesn't really go anywhere.
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Offline Dream Team

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2019, 11:05:22 AM »
8. SS - nothing that great, something has to be last
7. LFaGA - come cool riffs, but not a fan of the lyrics and vocals
6. TWWHTSTS - biggest issue is probably the verses, love the solo
5. AFIL - everything from here up is really strong, what a way to introduce a band
4. YJ - great instrumental, inspired by YYZ
3. AL - very well structured, love James’ version of this on Score but it’s also CD’s best song
2. TKH - The WDaDRU version is amazing - that added middle section! Killer tune
1. OAMOT - gorgeous melodies in this one, one of my fave Moore performances. Lyrical genius.

Offline TheCountOfNYC

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #13 on: March 06, 2019, 11:08:45 AM »
1: Afterlife
2: Only a Matter of Time
3: Ytse Jam
4: The Killing HAnd
5: The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
6: A Fortune in Lies
7: Status Seeker
8: Light Fuse and Get Away
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #14 on: March 06, 2019, 02:39:58 PM »
From worst to best, my ranking is:

8. Afterlife
7. Status Seeker
6. A Fortune in Lies
5. Ytsejam
4. Only a Matter of Time
3. The Killing Hand
2. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
1. Light Fuse and Get Away

No need to post my thoughts on each song - you can listen to Rob Webster's podcast to see what I think of each track.   :biggrin:
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Offline EPIC Outro

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #15 on: March 06, 2019, 08:24:03 PM »
I don't want to say "worst," because I enjoy all of these songs. But as far as ranking the songs in regards to which I enjoy least to most...

Status Seaker - Good song, but I'm not a fan of the intro.

Ytsejam - A real DT classic, but I find it kind of grating.

Light Fuse and Get Away - I dig it, but what's it about?

Afterlife - Nice song, nice chorus. Heard it live at Score :)

The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun - Haunting opening, great chorus. I'm pretty sure the mix on the WDADR DVD is different than the WDADR CD - More Petrucci backing vocals. The way I like it!

Only a Matter of Time - Proggy and awesome. I had never heard WDADU when I first saw this song live and assumed it was from an upcoming album.

The Killing Hand - I always loved Charlie's take on this song. Then last year I heard Jame's Live at the Marquee version for the first time and my jaw is still lying on the floor somewhere.

A Fortune in Lies - What an awesome introduction to this great band. Those three drum beats, then a fast, proggy onslaught of awesomeness. I would love to hear a more aggressive take on the vocals to this song one day.

Offline jammindude

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #16 on: March 06, 2019, 09:14:18 PM »
8. Status Seeker  - fun, but obviously trying to get something to radio
7. Only a Matter of Time - the ending is really cool, but it feels very disjointed.  Can't figure out why some like it so much.
6. Fortune in Lies - great tune, but overshadowed by the rest.
5. Afterlife - great rocker
4. Light Fuse and Get Away - the entire opening section is just  :hefdaddy
3. Ytse Jam - the live version from the Tokyo video with the drum solo is better
2. The Killing Hand - stellar mini-epic
1. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun - easily my favorite.  The intro is  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy and the rest just blows my doors off.
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Offline LCArenas

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #17 on: March 06, 2019, 10:42:54 PM »
8. Status Seeker
7. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
6. Light Fuse and Get Away
5. A Fortune in Lies
4. The Ytse Jam
3. Only a Matter of Time
2. The Killing Hand
1. Afterlife

Online SeRoX

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #18 on: March 07, 2019, 01:59:34 AM »
From Worst To Best

8- The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun
7- The Ytse Jam
6- Light Fuse and Get Away
5- Afterlife
4- Status Seeker
3- A Fortune In Lies
2- Only a Matter of Time
1- The Killing Hand

I feel I'm in the minority about this but this is a big mistake that DT hasn't re-produced  WDADU with James and better production. I don't think that would be disrespectful to Charlie Dominici.
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2019, 05:39:32 AM »
I feel I'm in the minority about this but this is a big mistake that DT hasn't re-produced  WDADU with James and better production. I don't think that would be disrespectful to Charlie Dominici.
If anything, you are not in the minority - since the mid-90s, many fans have been clamoring for DT to re-do the album with JL, which is why they ultimately came up with this:
As a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.

Offline pg1067

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #20 on: March 07, 2019, 10:45:07 AM »
I feel I'm in the minority about this but this is a big mistake that DT hasn't re-produced  WDADU with James and better production. I don't think that would be disrespectful to Charlie Dominici.

How is it "a big mistake"?

Allowing for the fact that "re-produced" might mean a couple different things, I've never understood this sentiment.  Issuing remastered versions of older options is fairly common.  Remixing older albums is less common but not unheard of.  Re-recording an older album?  Maybe it's happened, but I've never heard of it.  In the case of WDADU, the band has never had the ability to remaster or remix because they don't have rights to the original recordings.  In fact, it's not completely clear to me whether the original recordings still exist or whether their whereabouts are known.

As far as re-recording, why would DT want to take the time and money that would be necessary to do it?  I'd be shocked if any of JLB, JR or MM would have any interest, and neither JP nor JM seem to have any interest in this sort of thing.  The only band member who ever showed any interest in this sort of thing was MP, but even he said he wouldn't have any interest in a new recording of the WDADU material.  As Scotty noted, the WDADRu show and subsequent "official bootleg" album and DVD was a response to the vocal minority who, in the 1990s, called for a re-recording and are all we're going to get (and significantly more than pretty much any other band would have done).
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Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #21 on: March 07, 2019, 10:48:12 AM »
I love the album from beginning to end, so I don't think I could rank the songs.

The only thing that I know for sure is that Only a matter of time is my favorite song on the album (and one of my favorite DT songs period)

Offline EPIC Outro

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #22 on: March 07, 2019, 11:59:37 AM »
I feel I'm in the minority about this but this is a big mistake that DT hasn't re-produced  WDADU with James and better production. I don't think that would be disrespectful to Charlie Dominici.

How is it "a big mistake"?

Allowing for the fact that "re-produced" might mean a couple different things, I've never understood this sentiment.  Issuing remastered versions of older options is fairly common.  Remixing older albums is less common but not unheard of.  Re-recording an older album?  Maybe it's happened, but I've never heard of it.  In the case of WDADU, the band has never had the ability to remaster or remix because they don't have rights to the original recordings.  In fact, it's not completely clear to me whether the original recordings still exist or whether their whereabouts are known.

As far as re-recording, why would DT want to take the time and money that would be necessary to do it?  I'd be shocked if any of JLB, JR or MM would have any interest, and neither JP nor JM seem to have any interest in this sort of thing.  The only band member who ever showed any interest in this sort of thing was MP, but even he said he wouldn't have any interest in a new recording of the WDADU material.  As Scotty noted, the WDADRu show and subsequent "official bootleg" album and DVD was a response to the vocal minority who, in the 1990s, called for a re-recording and are all we're going to get (and significantly more than pretty much any other band would have done).

Sonata Arctica re-recorded their debute album Ecliptica 15 years later and released it as Ecliptica Revisited.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #23 on: March 10, 2019, 04:26:50 PM »
MAYBE  Afterlife is my least favorite, but I really don't have a problem with that one either.

Offline Volante99

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #24 on: March 10, 2019, 04:38:25 PM »
I feel I'm in the minority about this but this is a big mistake that DT hasn't re-produced  WDADU with James and better production. I don't think that would be disrespectful to Charlie Dominici.

How is it "a big mistake"?

Allowing for the fact that "re-produced" might mean a couple different things, I've never understood this sentiment.  Issuing remastered versions of older options is fairly common.  Remixing older albums is less common but not unheard of.  Re-recording an older album?  Maybe it's happened, but I've never heard of it.  In the case of WDADU, the band has never had the ability to remaster or remix because they don't have rights to the original recordings.  In fact, it's not completely clear to me whether the original recordings still exist or whether their whereabouts are known.

As far as re-recording, why would DT want to take the time and money that would be necessary to do it?  I'd be shocked if any of JLB, JR or MM would have any interest, and neither JP nor JM seem to have any interest in this sort of thing.  The only band member who ever showed any interest in this sort of thing was MP, but even he said he wouldn't have any interest in a new recording of the WDADU material.  As Scotty noted, the WDADRu show and subsequent "official bootleg" album and DVD was a response to the vocal minority who, in the 1990s, called for a re-recording and are all we're going to get (and significantly more than pretty much any other band would have done).

This. There is zero reason for DT to do this. The band’s schedule is already insane, and they only have a finite amount of time, money and resources. As musicians there are probably about 100 other projects they would rather do then re record an album with limited fan appeal and songs they wrote when they were practically children haha.

Offline SleeperAwake

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #25 on: March 10, 2019, 06:36:58 PM »
8. The Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun
7. Light Fuse and Get Away
6. Ytse Jam
5. Status Seeker
4. Afterlife
3. A Fortune in Lies
2. Only a Matter of Time
1. The Killing Hand


Sonata Arctica re-recorded their debute album Ecliptica 15 years later and released it as Ecliptica Revisited.
Camel re-recorded The Snow Goose. Iced Earth, Manowar...

Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #26 on: March 10, 2019, 06:54:46 PM »
There is zero reason for DT to do this. The band’s schedule is already insane, and they only have a finite amount of time, money and resources. As musicians there are probably about 100 other projects they would rather do then re record an album with limited fan appeal and songs they wrote when they were practically children haha.
While it wouldn't make any sense to do this as a standalone release, I could imagine it being a remote possibility for a box set or even as a bonus disc for a new album. If they're already in the studio recording a new album, it wouldn't take much effort, time or money for them to bang out those 8 tracks in addition to whatever album they may be working on. But while it is a remote possibility, it's one I doubt will ever happen, even if MP was to return to the band at some point.
As a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.

Offline TheGreatPretender

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #27 on: March 10, 2019, 07:01:11 PM »
There is zero reason for DT to do this. The band’s schedule is already insane, and they only have a finite amount of time, money and resources. As musicians there are probably about 100 other projects they would rather do then re record an album with limited fan appeal and songs they wrote when they were practically children haha.
While it wouldn't make any sense to do this as a standalone release, I could imagine it being a remote possibility for a box set or even as a bonus disc for a new album. If they're already in the studio recording a new album, it wouldn't take much effort, time or money for them to bang out those 8 tracks in addition to whatever album they may be working on. But while it is a remote possibility, it's one I doubt will ever happen, even if MP was to return to the band at some point.

What's the situation in terms of the rights holders with that album? Because don't I recall Mike Portnoy saying something about the reason why they just decided to "re-record" the album in a live setting with Reuinte, because it would have cost them too much money to purchase the rights for the album from the original label? Or something to that effect?
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #28 on: March 10, 2019, 11:50:16 PM »
What's the situation in terms of the rights holders with that album? Because don't I recall Mike Portnoy saying something about the reason why they just decided to "re-record" the album in a live setting with Reuinte, because it would have cost them too much money to purchase the rights for the album from the original label? Or something to that effect?
I believe you're getting things mixed up a bit. The band has no rights to the original recordings - they gave them up completely as part of the agreement to get out of their contract with Mechanic/MCA. So there was zero financial benefit for them to go back and record JL's vocals to fit with the original recordings, or even just to remix and remaster the album to give it better sound. OTOH, by recording the full album live, they would reap all the benefits of the recording and (I imagine) do so much cheaper than going into the studio to re-record the whole thing.

The interesting thing is (and this is something I just learned about a couple weeks ago), is that there is a copyright law that allows bands to regain control of their recordings after 35 years:
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/arts/music/springsteen-and-others-soon-eligible-to-recover-song-rights.html

So in 3 year's time, the guys could start the legal process of regaining their full rights to WDaDU. If they were to do so, it could finally allow for them to go back and remix the original recordings and give WDaDU the proper production that it deserves. Not sure if it will ever happen, but hopefully it will.
As a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.

Offline The Curious Orange

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #29 on: March 11, 2019, 06:01:16 AM »
8 - Status Seeker. Easily DTs worst song.
7 - The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun.
6- Only A Matter Of Time.
5- Light Fuse And Get Away.
4 - Afterlife.
3 - The Killing Hand.
2 - A Fortune In Lies.
1 - Ytse Jam.
"And if love remains, though everything is lost,
We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost..."

Offline pg1067

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #30 on: March 11, 2019, 12:09:10 PM »
There is zero reason for DT to do this. The band’s schedule is already insane, and they only have a finite amount of time, money and resources. As musicians there are probably about 100 other projects they would rather do then re record an album with limited fan appeal and songs they wrote when they were practically children haha.
While it wouldn't make any sense to do this as a standalone release, I could imagine it being a remote possibility for a box set or even as a bonus disc for a new album. If they're already in the studio recording a new album, it wouldn't take much effort, time or money for them to bang out those 8 tracks in addition to whatever album they may be working on. But while it is a remote possibility, it's one I doubt will ever happen, even if MP was to return to the band at some point.

What's the situation in terms of the rights holders with that album? Because don't I recall Mike Portnoy saying something about the reason why they just decided to "re-record" the album in a live setting with Reuinte, because it would have cost them too much money to purchase the rights for the album from the original label? Or something to that effect?

"Rights" covers at least three different issues.  The sound recording copyright (under 17 U.S.C. section 102(a)(7), if you're interested) in the album was originally owned by Mechanic Records, which was a subsidiary of MCA Records, which is now Universal Music Group.  Assuming the original masters still exist, they're presumably in a UMG vault somewhere.  In order to remix or remaster WDADU, the band would need to gain possession of the original masters and a license from the sound recording copyright owner.  However, neither of those things would be needed to re-record the album.  I don't have my copy of WDADU handy, but re-recording the album would require permission from the owner(s) of the musical composition copyrights (under 17 U.S.C. section 102(a)(2)).  For most, if not all, DT songs, the musical composition copyrights were assigned by the individual songwriters to a DT-owned and controlled publishing company called Ytse Jams, Inc.  In other words, in order to re-record the album, the band only need give itself permission.**

** - This assumes (probably safely so) that the current members of DT have a controlling interest in Ytse James, Inc. such that it would not be necessary to obtain consent from MP, KM and/or CD.

At this point, I imagine that the cost of purchasing the master tapes and the rights thereto would not be much of an issue, but I suspect that the interest simply isn't there.


The interesting thing is (and this is something I just learned about a couple weeks ago), is that there is a copyright law that allows bands to regain control of their recordings after 35 years:
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/arts/music/springsteen-and-others-soon-eligible-to-recover-song-rights.html

So in 3 year's time, the guys could start the legal process of regaining their full rights to WDaDU. If they were to do so, it could finally allow for them to go back and remix the original recordings and give WDaDU the proper production that it deserves. Not sure if it will ever happen, but hopefully it will.

I think it's amusing how the article refers to the termination right as "a little-noted provision in United States copyright law."  Among folks in the music industry and lawyers who practice copyright law, it's quite well known.  However, I'm not sure it's going to benefit DT too much as it concerns WDADU.  For starters, I'm not sure your statement that the band gave up rights to the original recordings as part of the agreement to get out of the contract with Mechanic/MCA is correct.  I suspect they never had those rights to begin with.

As a general rule -- although less so now than in the 1980s and 1990s -- the recording artist doesn't own rights in the master recordings or the sound recording copyrights.  Except for a few high profile artists, the recording company owned the sound recording copyrights and the master recordings as works for hire, and the termination right under 17 U.S.C. section 203 expressly does not apply to works for hire.  I'd have to do some research to see whether and to what extent the work for hire status of sound recording copyrights has been challenged in the courts (the article you linked is from 2011, and works first became eligible for termination in 2013, so I have to assume there's been some litigation about this).

Additionally, section 203 of the Copyright Act provides that, in the case of a joint work, the termination right has to be exercised by a majority of the joint authors.  That means a majority of:  JP, JM, MP, CD, KM and Terry Date and possibly also Joe Alexander (the producer and sometimes also the engineer are typically regarded as joint authors of a sound recording copyright).  Maybe it wouldn't be difficult to get a majority on board with something like this; I don't know; but they still might get a fight over the work for hire issue.

Finally, terminating the copyright would not have any impact on ownership of the physical tapes on which WDADU was recorded.  Terminating the copyright would have the effect of terminating the record company's ability to exploit the album, but I believe (and certainly could be wrong) that WDADU has been out of print for a long time.  So, even if DT could acquire rights by terminating the copyright transfer, a remastering or remixing would still require that the band buy the original masters (if they still exist).
« Last Edit: March 11, 2019, 12:15:15 PM by pg1067 »
"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung

Offline Trav86

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #31 on: March 11, 2019, 03:43:14 PM »
1. The Killing Hand
2. Status Seeker
3. Ytse Jam
4. Light Fuse And Get Away
5. A Fortune In Lies
6. Only A Matter Of Time
7. The One Who help To Set The Sun
8. Afterlife
Can't we find the minds
to lead us closer to the heart?

Offline ytserush

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Re: Rank the songs on WDADU from worst to best
« Reply #32 on: March 19, 2019, 06:45:37 PM »
What masters were used for the reissue on One Way Records about 15 years ago and what masters were used on the recent vinyl reissue? 

Or were any masters used at all?