Author Topic: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?  (Read 3633 times)

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Offline zappafrank2112

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I always feel like this album never gets the attention it deserves. I think part of it is b/c they didn't do a headlining stop near me when the album dropped - they opened for Iron Maiden soon after it came out, which I caught, but then the proper tour never came anywhere near me.  So for the longest time, "A Rite of Passage" was the only song I'd caught from the album in concert.

So I haven't had a lot of exposure to the songs in a live setting (though I have caught enough now to where I feel like the album is finally being represented in my personal live experience), which might be why my own personal feeling is that the album has largely been forgotten.

Does anyone else have the same feeling as I do?  I actually felt the album was extremely reminiscent of their earlier stuff (due in part I'm sure to the cover art as well as The Count of Tuscany), and it's not like they themselves treated it as throwaway - it was the 1st album to get all kinds of truly deluxe treatments, IIRC (3-disc set as well the big ol' box set with vinyl and extra stuff).  But because I didn't get to see them on tour for it, it's like it came and went, and it's taken almost 10 years for me to get a handful of the songs live. So between the lack of live coverage it got (for me), followed by MP's abrupt departure which threw everything into disarray, I feel like this album has unfairly been relegated to the backburner.

Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2019, 08:00:16 PM »
So, checking out setlist.fm, I have my timeline off.  The Iron Maiden tour wasn't until 2010, a year after the album's release, but then it looks like they only did 4 US stops on the official BC&SL tour after that??

It looks like they did Progressive Nation '09 immediately after the album's release, which also didn't come near me.  But they did play a handful of songs there from the album, adding in another one for the non-US stops.  And then for the most part played the same songs on a couple of the US stops and a few of the non-US stops for the headlining tour proper.

Still, considering that neither Progressive Nation nor the few US headlining shows came near me, I still feel like the album came and went!  But as far as people in the US go, I guess anyone who caught the PN '09 tour probably did feel like they toured for the album; it just happened under the PN banner.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2019, 08:06:54 PM by zappafrank2112 »

Online TAC

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2019, 08:05:31 PM »
Right. They did the PN09 tour, and I think originally, they intended to do a DT tour but it never came to fruition.

I think they were not planning on touring anymore, but I thought MP said they simply could not pass up the Maiden tour.


We were lucky here because I saw them in Boston on the PN09 tour, and then again in Worcester for a DT headline show in 2010 on an off night on the Maiden tour.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2019, 08:08:08 PM »
Right. They did the PN09 tour, and I think originally, they intended to do a DT tour but it never came to fruition.

I think they were not planning on touring anymore, but I thought MP said they simply could not pass up the Maiden tour.


We were lucky here because I saw them in Boston on the PN09 tour, and then again in Worcester for a DT headline show in 2010 on an off night on the Maiden tour.

I want The Count of Tuscanyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, lol.

Offline Lonk

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2019, 08:27:33 PM »
I caught PN09 which they played a few songs off of the album.

I also saw Portnoy’s The Shattered Fortress show.

Wither and The Best of Times are the only songs I haven’t seen and I don’t care if I do honestly.
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2019, 08:35:44 PM »
Right. They did the PN09 tour, and I think originally, they intended to do a DT tour but it never came to fruition.
The bold part is true. I recently came across an old e-mail (June 2009) from MP where he explicitly stated that they'd be doing a headlining run thru North America in the spring of 2010. Not sure why it didn't happen, but I know their Prog Nation tour in North America was just breaking even in part due to the economy (attendance at concerts in general was down, IIRC) and the fact that they were carrying ZPZ (who were not cheap) as well as 2 other bands. So that probably played a part in why they ultimately opted not to do another run.

As a side note, it helps me understand why I didn't bother going to see more PN09 dates - if only I had known!


I think they were not planning on touring anymore, but I thought MP said they simply could not pass up the Maiden tour.
Again, correct.
 
 
So, checking out setlist.fm, I have my timeline off.  The Iron Maiden tour wasn't until 2010, a year after the album's release, but then it looks like they only did 4 US stops on the official BC&SL tour after that??
I don't know if I would even say that those 4 dates were the "official" BCaSL tour - they were just nights where they didn't have a gig opening for Maiden and were able to schedule some smaller dates. This was similar to what they did when they opened for Yes in 2004 - there were 3 shows they did in small venues without any real production. I wouldn't call them "Train of Thought Tour" dates any more than I would the shows where they were opening for Yes.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2019, 08:44:19 PM »
I don't think it has been forgotten.

Without giving away spoilers about the current tour, I will just say that it has gotten good representation in the set lists since Mangini joined the band (relative to other albums from 1989-2009).

Offline Madman Shepherd

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2019, 10:16:07 PM »
It was a weird album at a weird time for the band so yeah, I do think it is kind of forgotten.  Petrucci's lyrics were weird, Mike's were very specific, the Shattered Fortress seemed anti-climactic (although it translate much better live than it does on the album), JLB and JM didn't contribute any lyrics, and then there were the growls, which didn't bother me anymore than the songs as a whole, but I think at least half the fans were turned off by the growls.

Until the Astonishing, this was the odd man out and I think rightfully so.

Offline EPIC Outro

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2019, 08:17:56 AM »

I've always loved this album, growls and all. I do hope it gets some representation on future live albums or blurays.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2019, 08:30:33 AM »
I don't think it has been forgotten.

Without giving away spoilers about the current tour, I will just say that it has gotten good representation in the set lists since Mangini joined the band (relative to other albums from 1989-2009).

This.  You have to take into account a few facts:  First off, it only has six songs, so it's not like you should be expecting multiple songs from it per tour.  Second, every song has been played, other than TBOT, which likely will never be played.  Third, they are LONG songs, so it makes it harder for them to be worked into a set.  Fourth, it just isn't a popular album with fans. 

Taking all that into account, I think it has been pretty well represented. 

But I do wish they had done a proper tour back when the album was released.  I couldn't do the Maiden tour, and I skipped PN because I had no interest in the other bands, and I figured they would surely come around again on another tour leg where it was either an "evening with" or a longer headlining set with only one opener.  I was surprised when it didn't happen.
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Offline Samsara

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2019, 09:13:45 AM »
I liked A Rite of Passage a lot, IIRC. I haven't listened to it in years. I saw the opening set for Maiden. Enjoyed it. I remember thinking that an opening slot was better for them (for me) because their songs had gotten so bloated, it forced them to play shorter stuff (again, working from memory from 10 years ago or whatever).

I honestly haven't listened to BC&SL since then. I'll do it today.
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Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2019, 09:15:13 AM »
Fourth, it just isn't a popular album with fans. 

Stoopid fans
/Homer

Offline Samsara

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2019, 11:08:35 AM »
So, I'm almost through The Best of Times. Honestly, at least for me, its a forgotten album because it just doesn't sound very memorable. A Rite of Passage, at least for me, is clearly the best song on the record. Wither seems like a b-side (OK, lets write a ballad that could be a single). The Shattered Fortress and The BEst of Times, while I get what they were doing...were really personal to MP, and I think written in a way, lyrically, that was very selfish. Not meaning that in a negative way. Just saying that MP wrote the lyrics for himself, and they are very specific, as opposed to being something that translates so that everyone can appreciate it.  Don't get me wrong, I "understand" what he is saying, but I don't have an emotional connection to it.

Let's use The Best of Times. I lost my Dad recently. This song was about MP losing his Dad and what MP wanted to say as a tribute to his Dad. I feel absolutely no emotional connection to it. Whereas, a song like A Change of Seasons, I connect massively to that, even though the song is about MP in the wake of losing his mother and how he lost his mother. The song was written so that people could connect to it regardless of their personal circumstance. The Best of Times doesn't achieve that. I am glad MP wrote it for himself. He needed to. But it doesn't have much staying power, at least for me. I don't connect with it.

With two songs like that, smack dab in the middle, along with a ballad that seems forced, an opening song that many people rate much higher than I do, there's not much left. I'm halfway through Count of Tuscany as I type this, and its the first time I've listened to that song in nine years. The same feeling has struck me. The story isn't engaging, and the music just...there are good ideas, but its too mashed up for me to really enjoy it. Again, not every song needs the structure of something like Metropolis.

I think the overall issue, for me, with BC&SL, is that the band had nothing left to say in the way in which they were saying it. They were creatively spent. And quite honestly, I felt that way since I first heard Octavarium, and how they recycled all these modern (and older) influences into a new studio album, instead of looking for inspiration from within. People love that record, I can't stand it. BC&SL is like the last gasp for me. Count of Tuscany has some incredible parts to it, but the song itself...no. And the album, again, just a band really not having much left to say.

MP's leaving was the best thing to happen to them (AT THAT TIME) because it spurred some creativity, and probably some personal motivation to put out some amazing stuff. And while I was not the biggest fan of ADToE, or the DT-self-titled, they were light years better than BC&SL. Then John had his "Disney moment," and then we got the incredible (at least for me) Distance Over Time, which much like Fates Warning's Theories of Flight, captures everything great about the band's past, puts it in a blender, and out came a record of songs that really were inspired by the past, and what they did well, but in a very fresh and vibrant way.

So BC&SL...quite honestly, I think its been forgotten (at least for me) because it simply isn't that good.
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Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2019, 11:10:15 AM »
So BC&SL...quite honestly, I think its been forgotten (at least for me) because it simply isn't that good.

THE COUNT OF TUSCANYYYYYYYY~~~

Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2019, 11:12:40 AM »
And quite honestly, I felt that way since I first heard Octavarium, and how they recycled all these modern (and older) influences into a new studio album, instead of looking for inspiration from within.

So you're saying the answer DIDN'T lie within.

 ;D

Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2019, 11:14:03 AM »
MP's leaving was the best thing to happen to them (AT THAT TIME) because it spurred some creativity, and probably some personal motivation to put out some amazing stuff.

...which led to them taking the basic I&W song structures and putting different notes over them for ADToE

*runs away giggling*

Offline Samsara

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2019, 12:07:41 PM »
MP's leaving was the best thing to happen to them (AT THAT TIME) because it spurred some creativity, and probably some personal motivation to put out some amazing stuff.

...which led to them taking the basic I&W song structures and putting different notes over them for ADToE

*runs away giggling*

 :lol

If you believe that. Trolling my reply is sorta silly though, even if funny.
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Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #17 on: April 22, 2019, 12:32:09 PM »
:lol

If you believe that. Trolling my reply is sorta silly though, even if funny.

Real talk: I actually do believe there's something to it.  The coincidences are too numerous, IMO.

I also know MP thought so, but some might argue that's sour grapes.

Offline cramx3

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #18 on: April 22, 2019, 12:55:20 PM »
TA is or more likely will be the forgotten album.

BC&SL has had half of its songs represented in the live setting since MM joined and they are all quite lengthy.  ( I cant recall if MM played Wither live, but he's got TCOT, TSF, and ANTR)

Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #19 on: April 22, 2019, 01:22:07 PM »
I think the overall issue, for me, with BC&SL, is that the band had nothing left to say in the way in which they were saying it. They were creatively spent. And quite honestly, I felt that way since I first heard Octavarium, and how they recycled all these modern (and older) influences into a new studio album, instead of looking for inspiration from within.
The irony is, that BCaSL is the first album they did without having an inspiration corner.
 
 
I cant recall if MM played Wither live
It was when they did that short run of shows in Europe back in 2015.
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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #20 on: April 22, 2019, 01:22:48 PM »
The Best of Times, while I get what they were doing...were really personal to MP, and I think written in a way, lyrically, that was very selfish. Not meaning that in a negative way. Just saying that MP wrote the lyrics for himself, and they are very specific, as opposed to being something that translates so that everyone can appreciate it.  Don't get me wrong, I "understand" what he is saying, but I don't have an emotional connection to it.

That's an interesting take. I definitely see what you are saying.

I remember the first time I heard it, I was literally balling. To me, the lyrics are very specific and personal, but to me, that's what've always felt made them special. I consider The Best Of Times a Top 15 DT track, and a lot of that has to do with the lyrics.

I also consider The Count Of Tuscany a Top 15 DT track. But after those two songs, BC&SL is pretty forgetable.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #21 on: April 22, 2019, 01:30:42 PM »
Words

I don't alwas agree with Samsara on DT topics but couldn't disagree with much of that. In real time, Octavarium was a bif pot a miss for me, but they rebounded with SC which I seemed to enjoy more than others. So anticipation was pretty high for BC&SL (thanks in part to MP's hype machine). And... it was a bit of a miss. Lots of good ideas in there, that didn't seem to amalgamate to much. Have not listned to in a long, long time. Will give it a spin this week.

Was incredibly hyped when IU saw DT and IM were both going to make a potential tour announcement around the same time. My two favorite bands touring together?!?! I saw one of DT's one-off club shows the night before, which was amazing and maybe my #2 concert of all time (where three of the BC&SL songs played very well live), so seeing them play 6 songs as an opener was quite the dropoff for me, which I expected.
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Offline cramx3

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #22 on: April 22, 2019, 01:52:30 PM »
BC&SL has a special place for me because it always brings me back to that summer of 2009.  I really enjoyed it on release and enjoy it to this day.  I had this one ranked very highly, a top 5 DT album, but it's taken a bit of a hit with TA and D/T coming out later.  I still think it's an awesome album that suffers from having too little tracks.  If you don't like one or two songs, you aren't going to like a lot of the album essentially. 

Offline bosk1

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #23 on: April 22, 2019, 02:12:58 PM »
MP's leaving was the best thing to happen to them (AT THAT TIME) because it spurred some creativity, and probably some personal motivation to put out some amazing stuff.

...which led to them taking the basic I&W song structures and putting different notes over them for ADToE

*runs away giggling*

As I've said in the past, that kind of trolling shows an astounding ignorance of the songwriting/song structures on either album.  Are there structural and various other types of call backs in some of the songs to some I&W songs?  Yeah, there sure seem to be some obvious ones.  And I bet there are a bunch more that most of us haven't figured out.  But that's a far cry from what you posted.
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Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #24 on: April 22, 2019, 02:16:41 PM »
As I've said in the past, that kind of trolling shows an astounding ignorance of the songwriting/song structures on either album.  Are there structural and various other types of call backs in some of the songs to some I&W songs?  Yeah, there sure seem to be some obvious ones.  And I bet there are a bunch more that most of us haven't figured out.  But that's a far cry from what you posted.


I really don't know how to interpret this, so I'm just going to ignore it b/c I was simply poking fun at all the kerfluffle that arose back then.  If you interpreted it as anything more than that, I'm not sure what else to tell you.

Offline Dedalus

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #25 on: April 22, 2019, 03:20:29 PM »
Unfortunately not.

Offline Dublagent66

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #26 on: April 22, 2019, 03:34:29 PM »
Lost Not Forgotten  :lol

Seriously though,  what I mean is, BC&SL may have been on the shelf for a while several times or fell through the cracks (so to speak) but I always eventually go back and listen to it semi regularly.  It's got a lot of good stuff on it.
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Online Phoenix87x

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #27 on: April 22, 2019, 07:28:34 PM »
Boy, where do I even start. Well, its the album where I stopped listening to DT. I just totally lost interest and to my great surprise, the shake up happened and then I was right back on board with ADTOE thankfully, but anyway:

There's parts of A nightmare to remember that I like (such as the bathed in beautiful agony section) but overall its a song I don't care for and absolutely don't care for the Day after day and night after night part and never have. I feel like its a pretty bloated song and not a great way to start off an album. 

A rite of passage and wither are good, but nothing spectacular.

Shattered fortress - The AA suite started out SOOO strong with Glass prison and This dying soul but by the shattered fortress it felt out of steam. It just does not feel like all that an inspired of a song. It re-treads old ground way too much and is just not that good. I don't want to listen to an amalgamation of older songs, I want a unique conclusion to an epic saga. And this saga doesn't end with a bang, but a whimper.

The best of times- Its a good song I guess, but buried on an album that I don't care for. And When held up against A change of seasons though, then its very lackluster and falls very short.

The count of Tuscany- Parts of this song I truly love and other parts I don't like at all. I worship the opening and end part, but have never liked the middle section roughly from 3:30 to 5:52, or at least until when it gets to the slow part. It takes a very beautiful and powerful song, and then makes its cheesy and mundane in parts. Its really a shame.

SC had an interesting direction and I enjoyed it for what it was when it came out, but I didn't want more of it and Black clouds felt like left over SC material in a way. It felt very played out and uninspired as well. And I felt like MP was singing way too much. I love his backing vocals, but keep it subtle man. And despite all the issues I have with it, to date its still their highest charting album  :lol so there's that.

And after being pretty let down by the album, the true icing on the cake was seeing them live for the very first time on prog nation 09. They looked so unhappy and there was no energy, with the exception of MP. But luckily the shake up happened, which I also feel was for the best at the time and I like where DT has gone since.




Offline DT1138

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #28 on: April 22, 2019, 08:47:34 PM »
This was never my fav album of theirs, and the overall darker sound to it does not appeal to me at all.  Even when it came out 10 years ago, it felt like an era (of sorts) was coming to an end, and once MP left the group later I wasn't really that surprised.  Even though I like MP a lot, the MM era was a good reboot for the band in a lot of ways.

That all being said...

Nightmare to Remember - Overall I like it, though it kind of drags in places.  The "Bathing in Beautiful Agony" section is very beautiful.  The solos are awesome;  JP's sections are some of my favs of his.  After seeing JLB perform the "growl" vocal section in his normal voice on this tour, I liked the way he did it far better.

A Rite of Passage - Kind of a mixed bag for me.  I like the words/melody/theme a lot but prefer the shorter version used in the music video.  The JR solo is basically a bunch of noise, but I suppose it works for the song's purposes/theme.    JP's solo is killer, but his guitar tone really sucks here.

Wither - Never liked it and still don't 10 years later. 

Shattered Fortress - As others have said above, not really a dramatic or original enough end to the Suite.  Feels like they wanted to get it done and over with.

The Best of Times -  JP's outro solo is amazing, but otherwise ehh.

Count of Tuscany - Probably the most diverse and evolved track on the album, but not really a favorite for me regardless.

Also...if we're counting the bonus disc version, I totally dig the cover of Queen's Tenement Funster.


The first three MM albums may not be to everyone's taste (even mine, in some cases), but compared to BCSL I'll take any of them, any day.
 
DoT sounds like a complete 180 compared to this album in every way possible.






« Last Edit: April 22, 2019, 09:04:31 PM by DT1138 »

Offline zappafrank2112

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #29 on: April 22, 2019, 09:11:31 PM »
Wow, very surprised by so many of the reasons people have for not really digging the album!

A Nightmare to Remember: I never was thrown off at all by MP's vocals at the end.  They didn't seem out of place, seemed like typical MP vocals (which I know themselves are polarizing), and IMO fit that part of the song perfectly.  What I remember is people having a LOT of issues with the blast beats at the very end of the song, which surprised me at the time, and still surprises me now.  It's interesting that people say the band seemed creatively spent at that point, but I thought the ending was different enough to break new and interesting ground for them.

A Rite of Passage: I've always liked it, and a lot of people do, too.  Not much to say here.

Wither:  I seem to recall feeling it was too plodding, but on recent listen I discovered I think it moves along quite well, and is a fine addition to the album.

The Shattered Fortress: I never felt it was anti-climactic.  I thought it has a very stated emphatic ending with the 12th step of Responsible, and goes out in grand gesture with JLB's soaring voice and coming full circle to the intro riff from The Glass Prison, not to mention the quiet reprised drum beat as everything fades out.  I *love* all the musical ideas from past songs being reprised.  I mean, it's one big story!  People really dig true overtures, so why can't it happening at the end be just as exciting?

The Best of Times
: Indifferent at worst, a nice little MP tune at best.  I have no strong feelings about the song, and don't begrudge MP for writing it.

The Count of Tuscany, wooooooooo!!!  This evokes I&W for me! Lilting, clean, charging forward and not bogged down by being too heavy, and tells a story that IMO keeps you invested till the end.  *Really* surprised so many people are lukewarm on it.  I figured it would be considered an instant classic!

Offline Volante99

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #30 on: April 22, 2019, 10:41:00 PM »
After Octavarium I seemed to just lose interest in DT, and I never really caught this album on its initial release. I didn’t start paying attention to DT again until after Portnoy left, so that’s where I’m coming from. That said...

I LOVE THIS ALBUM and will defend it to the day I die.

Nightmare to Remember, Best of Times, Count of Tuscany, Shattered Fortress, Rite of Passage; all solid DT songs in my book. Hell, even Wither is one of their better attempts at a “ballad” single.

Yes, some songs are overlong, but not any worse than ToT. Yes, there are some really cheesy moments, but that’s part of its charm for me. Despite some heavy lyrical content, I feel like the album is sort of self-aware/tongue in cheek. The whole thing sounds like a love letter to prog-metal.

Is it one of DT’s best? Ehh probably not
Is it an album that’s on heavy rotation for me? Hell YES

Offline H2

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #31 on: April 22, 2019, 11:05:17 PM »
As an album, I think BC&SL is one of DT's better albums.

ANTR is basically a DT classic at this point and is extremely strong save for the terrible MP vocals section (thank God they reworked it in recent tours).
AROP is not bad; though it is the weakest track, I'd say it's better than okay. It's very catchy.
Wither is often overlooked. It really is one of their better ballads.
TSF is not as bad as a lot of people say it is. It's a little heavy on the callbacks almost to the point where it isn't fun anymore, but I still dig it.
TBOT is absolutely fantastic.
TCOT is absolutely fantastic. Nuff said.

There really isn't a bad or forgettable song on there. I'd honestly say that it is significantly better than any of the Mangini era albums (save for TA, which I really like). Creatively, it is off-the-charts better than any of the Mangini era albums (save for TA), which are just so plain and boring in comparison.

I see BC&SL as the sister album to SC and in many ways its perfect compliment. SC is wanky, unapologetically fantastic, wild, and wooly, while BC&SL is inspired, hopeful, and soaring. These albums exist in an odd place between what many see as the Golden Era (SFAM thru Octavarium) and the New Era (ADTOE onward). Maybe this placement in DT history causes SC and BC&SL to be somewhat overlooked by the fanbase, but they are far from "forgotten."
« Last Edit: April 22, 2019, 11:15:42 PM by H2 »

Offline The Curious Orange

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #32 on: April 23, 2019, 03:00:20 AM »
Firstly, I love the album, but I can see it has problems and isn't ever really going to be regarded as one of DT's best.
While I do think the album suffered from lack of a proper tour, I think it has also suffered from lack of proper representation on official live recordings. Only a very small percentage of a band's fanbase will go see them on the tour. I suspect a band like DT probably has a higher percentage of fans who see them live than some other bands, but it's still a minority.
The fact that there wasn't a live album/DVD for the album, plus the fact that only TSF has appeared on a live release since (not counting the Happy Holidays release), does have the potential to make more casual fans think the band themselves don't rate the album. If they'd done a full tour, with live album/DVD, I suspect many fans might now regard this material more highly.

(When TOT came out, the general opinion seemed to be HTF was one of the stronger tracks - after the Budokan album came out, the general opinion seemed to be it was the weakest, as it wasn't played on that show. I'm guilty of this myself, regarding the stronger songs on any album as being the ones the band choose to play live. It's not true, I know, but I suspect we all do it sometimes.)

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Offline nikatapi

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #33 on: April 23, 2019, 06:49:25 AM »
Even though i was excited as hell when it first came out, i still find it one of the worst album in DT's discography. Bloated, with very silly lyrics for the most part, i feel like this album showed that a change was needed in the direction and in the songwriting process.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Black Clouds and Slver Linings: Dream Theater's forgotten album?
« Reply #34 on: April 23, 2019, 07:58:03 AM »
As an album, I think BC&SL is one of DT's better albums.

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