New LTE - LTE 3 2021!!

[Fritzinger]

for me it's 2-1-3

That's my ranking as well.

[TM172003]

Mine is 2-3-1. IMO LTE3 is more focused and interesting than the first album, but LTE2 is a masterpiece.

[kirksnosehair]

I love LTE2 but I'm extremely, extremely worn out on it.  I think it might be the most played album in my entire collection. 


It's definitely a close call between 2 and 3 but for me this new one reminds me of exactly how I felt about 2 when it first came out, but I find the diversity of sounds and a bit more experimental feel gives it the edge, at least for now. 


The first album is good too, but the improv jam "3 minute warning" is something I never listen to.  But the improv jams on this one I find quite a bit more compelling.  It may be that instead of just recording on really long session they recorded multiple sessions and kept only the very best sections of those sessions to make into songs for the second CD.  I think that was the approach they should have used on the first disc, but live and learn, right?


I'm so impressed that after all those years apart they could come back and make a record this good that sounds so much like the first two -in that it sounds like the same band, not the same songs, obviously- that's quite an accomplishment in and of itself.  So it sounds like LTE but like a supercharged version of LTE.  And I think Jordan Rudess chose a few different patches for this record that are very interesting. 

[Stadler]

Anyone order through Amazon?  I just got an "updated delivery notice" that says between May 15 and June 1.  WTF?

For the 2 disc version, yes. Got it on release day.

Did you get that or the art book?

Art book.

[Stadler]

I think the whole point of improvisational jams is to NOT refine them in any way, tho

Well, a lot of bands will start out by jamming and then refine the best bits and turn them into songs. Not saying they should have done that, but it might have been interesting to hear what they would become if they did.

It would be a cool way to develop songs for an entire album.  Record themselves jamming like that for like 3 or 4 all day sessions then go through, lift out the best stuff and turn them into full-fledged songs 

I might be off, but I was under the impression that this was the way DT generally worked, especially during the MP-era. And I believe Rush kinda did the same thing for a at least part of their career, too.

Marillion, too, at least when they worked with Dave Meegan (which was their high-water mark, at least with Hogarth, IMO).

[Architeuthis]

I just received the artbook three disc package.  Wow, I was expecting a standard cd size package but got a large coffee table artbook with the 2cd's and bluray  packaged in it.  This has got to be the coolest packaging I've ever seen!
I watched the bluray on a large 75" screen and the graphics are beautifully done to the music, and very trippy. The music is quite mind blowing and fresh. These guys are playing at insane levels and this might end up being my favorite LTE release. Rhapsody in Blue is a nice addition and very well executed!  Somebody spent a lot of time making the bluray video stuff, and it adds to the whole experience.   Amazing album!  💯👏

[DTA]

Solid Resolution Theory is probably my favorite from the entire album at this point. What a fantastic song. This type of music isn’t really my thing anymore but I can’t deny that LTE3 is a really enjoyable album.

[Peter Mc]

Funny seeing so many ranking LTE 2 over LTE 1.  This definitely not my recollection of the fan reaction when LTE 2 first came out.  There was lots of “it’s not as good as the first one” comments.  Seems like that has changed over time.

I don’t think this is as good as either of the first two albums but maybe that will change over time too!

[KevShmev]

Solid Resolution Theory is probably my favorite from the entire album at this point. What a fantastic song. This type of music isn’t really my thing anymore but I can’t deny that LTE3 is a really enjoyable album.

I don't know if I can go so far as to say that it is not my favorite type of music anymore, but while I think the new one is really, really good, it's not really getting a lot of play with me. I am just not in the mood these for these days for this kind of hyperactive, tons of notes coming at you non-stop music.  Probably just a phase, as I go in spurts with this kind of stuff.

[DTA]

Solid Resolution Theory is probably my favorite from the entire album at this point. What a fantastic song. This type of music isn’t really my thing anymore but I can’t deny that LTE3 is a really enjoyable album.

I don't know if I can go so far as to say that it is not my favorite type of music anymore, but while I think the new one is really, really good, it's not really getting a lot of play with me. I am just not in the mood these for these days for this kind of hyperactive, tons of notes coming at you non-stop music.  Probably just a phase, as I go in spurts with this kind of stuff.

That’s probably why the second disc is so much more appealing to me...it’s less of a shredfest and more textural playing. My lack of interest may be a phase too. I’m more likely to go for old Dave Matthews Band or the newest Cannibal Corpse rather than some kind of prog metal.

[Buddyhunter1]

Is it just me or are Rudess's solos particularly grating on this record? I usually don't mind them in DT but here they just don't fit with the instrumentation for me.

[Architeuthis]

Solid Resolution Theory is probably my favorite from the entire album at this point. What a fantastic song. This type of music isn’t really my thing anymore but I can’t deny that LTE3 is a really enjoyable album.

I don't know if I can go so far as to say that it is not my favorite type of music anymore, but while I think the new one is really, really good, it's not really getting a lot of play with me. I am just not in the mood these for these days for this kind of hyperactive, tons of notes coming at you non-stop music.  Probably just a phase, as I go in spurts with this kind of stuff.

That’s probably why the second disc is so much more appealing to me...it’s less of a shredfest and more textural playing.

I like the second disc and they are very good at improvising, but it's not near as melodic or interesting as the first disc.  The improv jams don't change keys near as much. I can relate to that though, I've been in jam bands before and everybody seems to stick to the E and A comfort zone. It gets monotonous after a while.
At least with composed music, a lot more thought goes into it and the melodies are much stronger.

[HOF]

Solid Resolution Theory is probably my favorite from the entire album at this point. What a fantastic song. This type of music isn’t really my thing anymore but I can’t deny that LTE3 is a really enjoyable album.

I don't know if I can go so far as to say that it is not my favorite type of music anymore, but while I think the new one is really, really good, it's not really getting a lot of play with me. I am just not in the mood these for these days for this kind of hyperactive, tons of notes coming at you non-stop music.  Probably just a phase, as I go in spurts with this kind of stuff.

That’s probably why the second disc is so much more appealing to me...it’s less of a shredfest and more textural playing.

I like the second disc and they are very good at improvising, but it's not near as melodic or interesting as the first disc.  The improv jams don't change keys near as much. I can relate to that though, I've been in jam bands before and everybody seems to stick to the E and A comfort zone. It gets monotonous after a while.
At least with composed music, a lot more thought goes into it and the melodies are much stronger.

I’d definitely say the jams are more melodic than a lot of what’s on the first disc, but I get your point about them staying in one key.

[kirksnosehair]

Is it just me or are Rudess's solos particularly grating on this record? I usually don't mind them in DT but here they just don't fit with the instrumentation for me.

Yes, it's just you 

[Dellers]

I'm really, really enjoying this record. I've never really listened to the old LTE stuff and wasn't thinking much about them coming out with a new record, but decided to listen on Spotify after release anyway. Ended up buying the album. Key To The Imagination is easily my favorite, I probably like it more than any DT song since Bridges In The Sky. The record also sounds great, especially in the bass department. It's what I dislike the most about modern metal especially, the bass is usually buried and never sounds particularly good soundwise anyway. Here the bass is loud and clear just the way I like it. Tony Levin's tone is miles above John Myung. I like John, but his sound hasn't been to my liking in a long time.
Edit: The fact that Tony is 74 and able to perform at this level is incredibly cool. A lot of people don't age these days.

[Podaar]

Is it just me or are Rudess's solos particularly grating on this record? I usually don't mind them in DT but here they just don't fit with the instrumentation for me.

Yes, it's just you 

Grating is an exaggeration, but I did notice that with only one or two exceptions, his lead work seems unrelated to the underlying music. More so than usual... I think what he does is cool, but it sounds like they gave him some BPM, a general key to work in, the length of the solo, and empty headphones.

[KevShmev]

To me, it's all about expectations.  I stopped expecting memorable, melodic solos from Rudess a long time ago, so I am no longer disappointed by his solos, and in fact on the rare occasions where he busts out (what I consider) a really good or great solo, it's a pleasant surprise.  I think he is at his best in songs where a lot of restraint is required, which is probably why I like Liquid Dreams from LTE2 and most of his work on The Astonishing a lot, but when the solo comes in a hyperactive song, I just brace myself for the moments where he sounds hell bent on bending tons of notes into submission.

[El Barto]

So I've listened to this enough to form some opinions on it. Off the bat, I like it a lot. Aside from that:

Tony Levin seems to have gotten over the intimidation. Unlike the first two, where he was pretty much a non-factor, he's my favorite part of this.

The second disk is far better than the first. Disk 1 was clearly an effort to make an LTE album. It honestly seemed formulaic to me. Beginning with Hypersonic, which is the "alright, let's do the really fast, heavy opener now" song.  Some of the songs are very good, and Key to the IMagination is fantastic, but overall it felt inorganic to me. The jams were the exact opposite, though. That's just four super-talented guys having fun together. And doing away with the awkward beginnings and [mostly] endings was great.

It took a while to really sink in that it was JP/MP/JR jamming together again for the first time since the unpleasantness. During the jams on D2 is where it really comes off well. They've still got a rock-solid connection between them, and it's great to hear it again. I see people complaining that there weren't a bunch of key changes. To me that's part of the appeal. It's not monotonous when you get to hear these talented bastards finding new ways to play off of each other. I could listen to that sort of thing for hours.

Rhapsody in Blue? Honestly? We've all heard and/or seen it before, and truth be told, I didn't think it was all that good the first time. And after hearing the ideas they were cranking out on D2, it was definitely a waste of 13 minutes. If they really wanted to revisit the whole "prog band does Gershwin" concept, they should have adapted An American in Paris. That would have been kick ass and an excellent followup on what they'd already done. I don't know if it would have been as good as something developed from the D2 jams, but it would have been far better than just rehashing something they'd already done. 

I didn't have any problem with JR's leads, but from D1 none of them really jumped out at me much, either. There were times during the jams on D2 that did, though. Moreover, I was probably more impressed with some of his tone choices. There were times on both disks that he absolutely nailed it. I'm really more about atmosphere than flash, and I think his contribution here worked for my tastes.

[ytserush]

What a gorgeous artbook. The liner notes are comprehensive and the photos and art are pretty nice! Gonna pop the BD in later tonight!

-Marc.

WOW!!! Waiting for mine 
So, how much you liked the second CD?

"A Night At The Improv" is pretty good, definitely some interesting jams there, but if you're not into improvised jamming, there probably isn't much here for ya. I like it because it shows just how in-tune these four are in playing together live, and they go in some interesting places, but there are some great chops and solos by John and Jordan, as you'd expect. I've only spun it once all the way through, but at first glance, it's pretty good, about as good as any of the other jams they've released, though I still have a fondness for "Three Minute Warning".

-Marc.

At this point, I might enjoy the second disc more overall.

[ytserush]

Just had my first listen and it's my favorite LTE album. I think it loses a little steam around Rhapsody in Blue but overall solid album.

It's an interesting version, but I prefer their live version a lot more.

[ytserush]

My only critique is the bass (chapman stick) is too low in the mix sometimes.

Noticed that too. Tony Levin should never be low in a mix.

[ytserush]

I actually enjoy Acid Rain and Paradigm Shift a lot.  Yes they are kind of show off pieces but they work as face-melting openers and still feel like proper composed tracks.  Hypersonic starts off in that vein but at about the 2:45 mark it just goes totally off the rails and the remaining 6 min or whatever is just pointless wankery imo.

Yeah, I think Hypersonic needed a stronger hook/theme once the introductory wanking stops. I can more or less recall how it starts and ends but the middle is all just a bit mushy without much I can remember.

Only song that didn't quite feel right to me. Love the playing but I'm just not feeling the spark.

[ytserush]

So I've listened to this enough to form some opinions on it. Off the bat, I like it a lot. Aside from that:

Tony Levin seems to have gotten over the intimidation. Unlike the first two, where he was pretty much a non-factor, he's my favorite part of this.

The second disk is far better than the first. Disk 1 was clearly an effort to make an LTE album. It honestly seemed formulaic to me. Beginning with Hypersonic, which is the "alright, let's do the really fast, heavy opener now" song.  Some of the songs are very good, and Key to the IMagination is fantastic, but overall it felt inorganic to me. The jams were the exact opposite, though. That's just four super-talented guys having fun together. And doing away with the awkward beginnings and [mostly] endings was great.

It took a while to really sink in that it was JP/MP/JR jamming together again for the first time since the unpleasantness. During the jams on D2 is where it really comes off well. They've still got a rock-solid connection between them, and it's great to hear it again. I see people complaining that there weren't a bunch of key changes. To me that's part of the appeal. It's not monotonous when you get to hear these talented bastards finding new ways to play off of each other. I could listen to that sort of thing for hours.

Rhapsody in Blue? Honestly? We've all heard and/or seen it before, and truth be told, I didn't think it was all that good the first time. And after hearing the ideas they were cranking out on D2, it was definitely a waste of 13 minutes. If they really wanted to revisit the whole "prog band does Gershwin" concept, they should have adapted An American in Paris. That would have been kick ass and an excellent followup on what they'd already done. I don't know if it would have been as good as something developed from the D2 jams, but it would have been far better than just rehashing something they'd already done. 

I didn't have any problem with JR's leads, but from D1 none of them really jumped out at me much, either. There were times during the jams on D2 that did, though. Moreover, I was probably more impressed with some of his tone choices. There were times on both disks that he absolutely nailed it. I'm really more about atmosphere than flash, and I think his contribution here worked for my tastes.

Mostly agree with this except I prefer the live version of Rhapsody over the studio arrangement although the studio version has some cool bits.

[KevShmev]

So I've listened to this enough to form some opinions on it. Off the bat, I like it a lot. Aside from that:

Tony Levin seems to have gotten over the intimidation. Unlike the first two, where he was pretty much a non-factor, he's my favorite part of this.

The second disk is far better than the first. Disk 1 was clearly an effort to make an LTE album. It honestly seemed formulaic to me. Beginning with Hypersonic, which is the "alright, let's do the really fast, heavy opener now" song.  Some of the songs are very good, and Key to the IMagination is fantastic, but overall it felt inorganic to me. The jams were the exact opposite, though. That's just four super-talented guys having fun together. And doing away with the awkward beginnings and [mostly] endings was great.

It took a while to really sink in that it was JP/MP/JR jamming together again for the first time since the unpleasantness. During the jams on D2 is where it really comes off well. They've still got a rock-solid connection between them, and it's great to hear it again. I see people complaining that there weren't a bunch of key changes. To me that's part of the appeal. It's not monotonous when you get to hear these talented bastards finding new ways to play off of each other. I could listen to that sort of thing for hours.

Rhapsody in Blue? Honestly? We've all heard and/or seen it before, and truth be told, I didn't think it was all that good the first time. And after hearing the ideas they were cranking out on D2, it was definitely a waste of 13 minutes. If they really wanted to revisit the whole "prog band does Gershwin" concept, they should have adapted An American in Paris. That would have been kick ass and an excellent followup on what they'd already done. I don't know if it would have been as good as something developed from the D2 jams, but it would have been far better than just rehashing something they'd already done. 

I didn't have any problem with JR's leads, but from D1 none of them really jumped out at me much, either. There were times during the jams on D2 that did, though. Moreover, I was probably more impressed with some of his tone choices. There were times on both disks that he absolutely nailed it. I'm really more about atmosphere than flash, and I think his contribution here worked for my tastes.

Hmmm, I can't say I agree with this at all.

First off, why would he have been intimidated back in '98 and '99?  If anything, it would have been the other way around since his overall pedigree at the time was far above the level of the other three.  Not that Petrucci, Portnoy and Rudess weren't highly thought-of instrumentalists, but none of them had the resume at the time that Levin possessed.

Secondly, Levin is a big reason why I love the first two albums so much, so saying he was a non-factor on them seems a bit curious to me.

[NoFred]

I actually enjoy Acid Rain and Paradigm Shift a lot.  Yes they are kind of show off pieces but they work as face-melting openers and still feel like proper composed tracks.  Hypersonic starts off in that vein but at about the 2:45 mark it just goes totally off the rails and the remaining 6 min or whatever is just pointless wankery imo.

Yeah, I think Hypersonic needed a stronger hook/theme once the introductory wanking stops. I can more or less recall how it starts and ends but the middle is all just a bit mushy without much I can remember.

Only song that didn't quite feel right to me. Love the playing but I'm just not feeling the spark.

It made for a killer trailer vid

[NoFred]

Just had my first listen and it's my favorite LTE album. I think it loses a little steam around Rhapsody in Blue but overall solid album.

It's an interesting version, but I prefer their live version a lot more.

Agreed but they had to get this down, it’s a statement instrumental really

[El Barto]

So I've listened to this enough to form some opinions on it. Off the bat, I like it a lot. Aside from that:

Tony Levin seems to have gotten over the intimidation. Unlike the first two, where he was pretty much a non-factor, he's my favorite part of this.

The second disk is far better than the first. Disk 1 was clearly an effort to make an LTE album. It honestly seemed formulaic to me. Beginning with Hypersonic, which is the "alright, let's do the really fast, heavy opener now" song.  Some of the songs are very good, and Key to the IMagination is fantastic, but overall it felt inorganic to me. The jams were the exact opposite, though. That's just four super-talented guys having fun together. And doing away with the awkward beginnings and [mostly] endings was great.

It took a while to really sink in that it was JP/MP/JR jamming together again for the first time since the unpleasantness. During the jams on D2 is where it really comes off well. They've still got a rock-solid connection between them, and it's great to hear it again. I see people complaining that there weren't a bunch of key changes. To me that's part of the appeal. It's not monotonous when you get to hear these talented bastards finding new ways to play off of each other. I could listen to that sort of thing for hours.

Rhapsody in Blue? Honestly? We've all heard and/or seen it before, and truth be told, I didn't think it was all that good the first time. And after hearing the ideas they were cranking out on D2, it was definitely a waste of 13 minutes. If they really wanted to revisit the whole "prog band does Gershwin" concept, they should have adapted An American in Paris. That would have been kick ass and an excellent followup on what they'd already done. I don't know if it would have been as good as something developed from the D2 jams, but it would have been far better than just rehashing something they'd already done. 

I didn't have any problem with JR's leads, but from D1 none of them really jumped out at me much, either. There were times during the jams on D2 that did, though. Moreover, I was probably more impressed with some of his tone choices. There were times on both disks that he absolutely nailed it. I'm really more about atmosphere than flash, and I think his contribution here worked for my tastes.

Mostly agree with this except I prefer the live version of Rhapsody over the studio arrangement although the studio version has some cool bits.

I don't think I've actually listened to the new version. I'm not blown away by the original. The live version I saw was a novelty. Don't have much reason to listen to them play it again.

[El Barto]

So I've listened to this enough to form some opinions on it. Off the bat, I like it a lot. Aside from that:

Tony Levin seems to have gotten over the intimidation. Unlike the first two, where he was pretty much a non-factor, he's my favorite part of this.

The second disk is far better than the first. Disk 1 was clearly an effort to make an LTE album. It honestly seemed formulaic to me. Beginning with Hypersonic, which is the "alright, let's do the really fast, heavy opener now" song.  Some of the songs are very good, and Key to the IMagination is fantastic, but overall it felt inorganic to me. The jams were the exact opposite, though. That's just four super-talented guys having fun together. And doing away with the awkward beginnings and [mostly] endings was great.

It took a while to really sink in that it was JP/MP/JR jamming together again for the first time since the unpleasantness. During the jams on D2 is where it really comes off well. They've still got a rock-solid connection between them, and it's great to hear it again. I see people complaining that there weren't a bunch of key changes. To me that's part of the appeal. It's not monotonous when you get to hear these talented bastards finding new ways to play off of each other. I could listen to that sort of thing for hours.

Rhapsody in Blue? Honestly? We've all heard and/or seen it before, and truth be told, I didn't think it was all that good the first time. And after hearing the ideas they were cranking out on D2, it was definitely a waste of 13 minutes. If they really wanted to revisit the whole "prog band does Gershwin" concept, they should have adapted An American in Paris. That would have been kick ass and an excellent followup on what they'd already done. I don't know if it would have been as good as something developed from the D2 jams, but it would have been far better than just rehashing something they'd already done. 

I didn't have any problem with JR's leads, but from D1 none of them really jumped out at me much, either. There were times during the jams on D2 that did, though. Moreover, I was probably more impressed with some of his tone choices. There were times on both disks that he absolutely nailed it. I'm really more about atmosphere than flash, and I think his contribution here worked for my tastes.

Hmmm, I can't say I agree with this at all.

First off, why would he have been intimidated back in '98 and '99?  If anything, it would have been the other way around since his overall pedigree at the time was far above the level of the other three.  Not that Petrucci, Portnoy and Rudess weren't highly thought-of instrumentalists, but none of them had the resume at the time that Levin possessed.

Secondly, Levin is a big reason why I love the first two albums so much, so saying he was a non-factor on them seems a bit curious to me.

Tony Levin came right out and said they intimidated the fuck out of him.    There's an interview somewhere, and he was pretty up front that the connection JP/JR/MP share kind of left him the odd man out.

Interestingly, though, I'm not sure he's entirely over it after all. I was listening to Blink of an Eye last night, and I realized he was kind of hesitant. There were times I thought they were wanting to move along and he was still holding tight with the [wonderful] base line he'd been keeping throughout the middle of the song. Ironically, I think his hesitancy was a plus. They stuck with a very nice bit of music longer than they may otherwise have been inclined. My takeaway was that he's just not as quick as they are in improvisation, understandably, but it's probably for the better when it comes to working out coherent music. He's still my favorite part of this.

[Orbert]

I was introduced to "Rhapsody in Blue" via Eumir Deodato's version which got a lot of airplay back in the 70's.  Deodato is/was a jazz instrumentalist, and his "cover" turned the piece upside down, taking a theme which only appears briefly about 3/4 of the way through and presenting it as the main theme.  As a fledgling pianist and keyboardist myself, I found that very interesting.  The idea of taking music and completely rearranging and reinterpreting it was new to me.  I mean, sure, you can do a slow version of a fast song, or a fast version of a slow song, but crossing genres recasting instrumentation was still years down the road for me.

My interest in LTE's version of "Rhapsody in Blue" is not because it's such an amazing piece of music (although it's pretty cool), but because I'm always interested in how others will interpret and reinterpret it.  In its original form, "Rhapsody in Blue" is a piano concerto, complete with orchestral continuo, in a jazz/blues setting.  Now... what would it sound like adapted and performed by a metal/fusion quartet?  I think the question itself is amazing.  How could I not want to hear the results?

[KevShmev]

Tony Levin came right out and said they intimidated the fuck out of him.    There's an interview somewhere, and he was pretty up front that the connection JP/JR/MP share kind of left him the odd man out.

Interestingly, though, I'm not sure he's entirely over it after all. I was listening to Blink of an Eye last night, and I realized he was kind of hesitant. There were times I thought they were wanting to move along and he was still holding tight with the [wonderful] base line he'd been keeping throughout the middle of the song. Ironically, I think his hesitancy was a plus. They stuck with a very nice bit of music longer than they may otherwise have been inclined. My takeaway was that he's just not as quick as they are in improvisation, understandably, but it's probably for the better when it comes to working out coherent music. He's still my favorite part of this.

Ah, okay, I never saw that interview where Levin said that, but interesting to note! 

[Stadler]

So I've listened to this enough to form some opinions on it. Off the bat, I like it a lot. Aside from that:

Tony Levin seems to have gotten over the intimidation. Unlike the first two, where he was pretty much a non-factor, he's my favorite part of this.

The second disk is far better than the first. Disk 1 was clearly an effort to make an LTE album. It honestly seemed formulaic to me. Beginning with Hypersonic, which is the "alright, let's do the really fast, heavy opener now" song.  Some of the songs are very good, and Key to the IMagination is fantastic, but overall it felt inorganic to me. The jams were the exact opposite, though. That's just four super-talented guys having fun together. And doing away with the awkward beginnings and [mostly] endings was great.

It took a while to really sink in that it was JP/MP/JR jamming together again for the first time since the unpleasantness. During the jams on D2 is where it really comes off well. They've still got a rock-solid connection between them, and it's great to hear it again. I see people complaining that there weren't a bunch of key changes. To me that's part of the appeal. It's not monotonous when you get to hear these talented bastards finding new ways to play off of each other. I could listen to that sort of thing for hours.

Rhapsody in Blue? Honestly? We've all heard and/or seen it before, and truth be told, I didn't think it was all that good the first time. And after hearing the ideas they were cranking out on D2, it was definitely a waste of 13 minutes. If they really wanted to revisit the whole "prog band does Gershwin" concept, they should have adapted An American in Paris. That would have been kick ass and an excellent followup on what they'd already done. I don't know if it would have been as good as something developed from the D2 jams, but it would have been far better than just rehashing something they'd already done. 

I didn't have any problem with JR's leads, but from D1 none of them really jumped out at me much, either. There were times during the jams on D2 that did, though. Moreover, I was probably more impressed with some of his tone choices. There were times on both disks that he absolutely nailed it. I'm really more about atmosphere than flash, and I think his contribution here worked for my tastes.

I'm a little kinder to RiB, but this is generally where I'm parked.   D2>D1 and all of it is worth it to hear those three make music again.   

[hefdaddy42]

Fixed the thread title.

[N4Player]

Is it just me or are Rudess's solos particularly grating on this record? I usually don't mind them in DT but here they just don't fit with the instrumentation for me.

Feel the same. It is always hit and miss with Jordan. His choices at times are puzzling and others amazing. Always divisive opinions when it comes to Dream Theater etc. 

Liquid evolution is really the only piece on this album I enjoy throughly. Not my thing at all. Not a fan of the ever brightening tone of JP either TBH. Was expecting more from this album than it delivers, much more interesting stuff out there in the wake of the pandemic lockdown to enjoy for me personally, when it comes to the instrumental music.

Personally, I'd love to see a Myung, Mangini and Petrucci disc with a different producer at the helm.

[ytserush]

I was introduced to "Rhapsody in Blue" via Eumir Deodato's version which got a lot of airplay back in the 70's.  Deodato is/was a jazz instrumentalist, and his "cover" turned the piece upside down, taking a theme which only appears briefly about 3/4 of the way through and presenting it as the main theme.  As a fledgling pianist and keyboardist myself, I found that very interesting.  The idea of taking music and completely rearranging and reinterpreting it was new to me.  I mean, sure, you can do a slow version of a fast song, or a fast version of a slow song, but crossing genres recasting instrumentation was still years down the road for me.

My interest in LTE's version of "Rhapsody in Blue" is not because it's such an amazing piece of music (although it's pretty cool), but because I'm always interested in how others will interpret and reinterpret it.  In its original form, "Rhapsody in Blue" is a piano concerto, complete with orchestral continuo, in a jazz/blues setting.  Now... what would it sound like adapted and performed by a metal/fusion quartet?  I think the question itself is amazing.  How could I not want to hear the results?

No fan of Disney, but my gateway to Rhapsody was much repeated viewings of Fantasia and Fantasia 2000.

[Orbert]

The Fantasia movies were both great.  I give a slight nod to the original, but Fantasia 2000 isn't bad at all.  Walt's original concept was to do an entire series of them, setting classic pieces of music to animation, and thus introduce classic music to the masses in a somewhat "sneaky" way (my word, not his).  I think that's great.  A lot of us were "sneakily introduced" to classic music via cartoons, though for most of us it was Warner Bros' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

I mean, how many of us cannot hear Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" without singing "♫ Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit!" to ourselves?