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Offline nick_z

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Gateway album/Favorite album
« on: June 13, 2021, 01:51:26 PM »
I imagine this is a topic that has been discussed before (in some shape or form), but hopefully not too recently...

As I was thinking about my Dream Theater albums' rankings, and looking at others', one natural question is how the favorite(s) relate to when/how one has first discovered the band (arguably, that's a discussion that pops up for any band with a longer discography).

Generally speaking, I'd expect some degree of correlation between first album heard (or, perhaps better, heard as a fan) and favorite - if not album, then maybe "period". It certainly was true for me: my first DT album was I&W - I bought it kind of randomly, in the summer of 1992, because I had read some reviews in magazines raving about it. It completely blew me away. I was relatively "green" to metal in general, so the sound on that record was new to me on many different levels. I&W is, to this day, my favorite DT album. Awake was my first DT album bought as a fan - and it's my second favorite  ;D More generally, if I look at my ranking of DT's discography, it's pretty obvious that I have a strong preference for their "beginnings". And this is true despite the fact that I have been eagerly awaiting any new release (still do!), to this day, and greatly enjoy most of the DT's output.

I'm sure part of it was the "novelty" - the early to mid 90s was such an exciting period for me in terms of discovering music, and sharing the discoveries with friends and buddies at school. So it's not just DT - a lot of the stuff from that period still stands pretty strong among my all-time favorites. But, for DT, I like to think that if I&W came out today, it would probably still blow me away. Thing is, even after I subsequently discovered all the prog “precursors”, i.e. Rush, Marillion, Yes, Kansas etc., that clearly were important influences to this album’s sound (together with the metal component I was already more familiar with), well, I&W still remained one of my favorite albums of all time.

I'm curious to see what the experience was for people here on DTF, as there seem to be significant counterexamples to the first album as fan/favorite album association - both with more "veteran" fans better enjoying the latter part of DT's discography and "greener" fans that prefer the earlier records. 

To wit, it'd be interesting to see what the "average distance" is between gateway album and favorite album...

Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2021, 02:27:24 PM »
My first Dream Theater song I heard was of course Pull Me Under, when I was around 14-15. I was at my cousin's, when that song came on, he turned it up and said "I think you'll like these guys". I thought it was a neat song and was intrigued by the bass, vocals, and keys.

One day, I went over to his house, and my uncle was watching Live at Budakon. My cousin was in his room, I think, or in the bathroom, but I sat down in the living room and was watching it. I think This Dying Soul was playing, and he was telling me about them. I loved what I was hearing, and asked if I could borrow the dvd.

This is where my love for Dream Theater began. Live at Budakon introduced me to great songs such as, Trial of Tears and Stream of Consciousness.

I then went to see them at Gigantour, but I went because my cousin went to the show and asked if I wanted to go. This is where I really became a big fan. Endless Sacrifice I remembered from Budakon and was happy they played it as I quite enjoyed that the most from Budakon. I barely remember much about that set, and when looking back, it was an amazing set.

My first studio album was Octavarium, I bought it after seeing Gigantour. Later on, my friends were discussing SFAM and I bought that album as I hadn't heard it yet. I was in love with Home and instantly got into Finally Free.

It wasn't until my friend was in my Art class Junior year when my friend, whom had almost all the DT albums, let me borrow 6DOIT. The way it has a certain atmosphere to it, the human qualities it has in the lyrics, and the vibe it has all play into why i consider this to be my all time favorite Dream Theater album.


I also, don't listen to music because of the musical quality of the song. I tend to analyze how the music and the lyrics work together. How they portray a certain mood, tone, and atmosphere and how they work within the song. It's how I can appreciate a lot of different songs and even some songs that are most people's worst songs from certain albums, like Prophets of War.

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Offline DT1138

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2021, 05:49:41 PM »
My gateway was actually the G3 DVD of the show in Japan with JP, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai.

Then I bought the Live in Budokan DVD and was hooked immediately.

Followed by the Train of thought CD and then eventually the rest of them.

Totally unpopular opinion here, but Systematic Chaos is my fav album, probably because the DVD doc that came with it was interesting and so funny!

Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2021, 06:04:43 PM »
Totally unpopular opinion here, but Systematic Chaos is my fav album, probably because the DVD doc that came with it was interesting and so funny!

I liked the way they did the making of documentary by going from song to song as it was developed. MP captured some great moments on video.
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Offline TAC

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2021, 06:51:20 PM »
I LOVE Systematic Chaos. Is it my favorite? No, but that doesn't mean that I can't love it!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline krands85

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2021, 06:59:44 PM »
The first album I heard was Octavarium in 2005/2006, so the first new album that came out after I became aware of the band was Systematic Chaos. I don't think I had explored the band thoroughly by that point though, I wasn't a real mega-fan until some point between SC and Black Clouds, so BC&SL was the first album I was really anticipating.

Train of Thought was an early favourite, the one that I gravitated to the most when I was first checking out the band, probably because I was coming in from more of a metal background, rather than prog. Although I guess the seeds were almost there as Origin of Symmetry by Muse was my favourite album at the time and it maybe has some aspects in common with the genre.

ToT has remained one of my favourites, but it eventually got overtaken by Images and Words. My third favourite is A Dramatic Turn of Events and I quite like the fact that my three faves are in 3 different eras of the band.

As for the three I mentioned at the start of the post - Octavarium is probably my 5th favourite, it isn't on the same level as my 'big 4' of I&W, ToT, ADToE and Scenes. SC is probably just in the bottom half of my rankings, but I still quite like it, more than most other people I'd say. BC&SL is one of my least favourite, probably bottom 2, but I don't hate it.
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Offline nick_z

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2021, 07:08:05 PM »
Totally unpopular opinion here, but Systematic Chaos is my fav album, probably because the DVD doc that came with it was interesting and so funny!

I liked the way they did the making of documentary by going from song to song as it was developed. MP captured some great moments on video.

Agreed! Plenty of funny moments, and overall a very cool "Life in the studio" type of doc...I watched it multiple times back then  :D

Offline Stadler

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2021, 07:01:46 AM »
I'm a big fan of that theory. It's not an absolute rule, but by and large, I like most the album or era I first got into a band most.  There are some I've grown with - The Dead, for one, Yes for another, Maiden for a third - but most I like that period where I first fell in love.

For DT, I got in on the (relative) ground floor, hearing "Pull Me Under" on the radio then getting into I&W.   I listened to that record non-stop for about six months (I could do that then) and even though I got more into them as they got older - the SFAM - 8V is probably the sweet spot - I&W still holds a sort of charm for me, and when I had the choice of one record for Mike to sign, that was it.

Online MirrorMask

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2021, 07:11:37 AM »
My exposure with DT was a bit of a mess - my cousin was a bit into them, a classmate as well, so I happened to hear Falling Into Infinity just because, also my cousin was making cassette tapes for me (whatever CD I wanted ripped on cassette) and filled out the remaining space with random songs, he used Hollow Years and Anna Lee I remember, and in another one he put The Mirror.

After 4 months of being "meh" about it, FINALLY I clicked with The Mirror, and that song started the avalanche effect that made me a fan, and sent me back to explore the back catalogue.

This was early 1999, so my first new album as a fan was SFAM.... take a wild guess how much I liked it  ;D
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Offline Peter Mc

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2021, 07:13:03 AM »
I&W was my first introduction to DT, bought it without ever having heard a single song by them.  It remains my favourite DT album and probably my favourite album by any band ever.

Offline lucasembarbosa

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2021, 07:20:17 AM »
I'm not sure exactly but probably the first song I listened to either was the Led Zeppelin medley or the Big Medley from ACOS in a suggested playlist in a Brazilian streaming service, after that I listened to the title track and some songs from SFAM (probably TSCO and Overture 1928). It was around the release of SC, so that one I played through a lot! The rest is history... I'd probably pick I&W as my favorite, mostly because of the way I was blown with Learning to Live and Take The Time when I gave the first listen.

Offline Lonk

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2021, 07:33:03 AM »
First song I heard from them was Under a Glass Moon. Did not necessarily care for it, so did not bother looking up the band. Then about a year later I heard Panic Attack, and the song blew my mind. Then I look up some other songs, which by chance happened to be most of the songs in Train of thoughts (Not the full album, but listened to AIA, TDS, ITNOG and SOC). This was around the time SC was released so listened to that as well, and I was hooked.

I listened to all their albums prior to  SC by the time BC&SL came out, except SFAM. SFAM turned out to be my favorite album. TOT and SC are in the middle of the pack (7-10)
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #12 on: June 14, 2021, 08:52:48 AM »
My "gateway" album was Images and Words back in 1992 when I heard Pull Me Under on the radio.  I liked that album a lot, but my "fandom" didn't really take off until SFAM.

My "favorite albums" in order are:
1.  Six Degrees
2.  SFAM
3.  ADTOE
4.  DT12
5.  Images and Words

I definitely get that there is often a correlation between the first album that made one a fan and "favorite" album.  Whatever album hooked you tends to be the one you hold in your mind as the gold standard for what you think the band "should sound like."  For me, I often find that to be the case, but not always.  With DT, it's only somewhat true.  I like Images and Words a lot.  But since day 1, there were always songs I liked but didn't love.  Some later albums gave me more consistency in terms of the things I liked about them, and so I rank those albums higher on the "favorites" list.
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Offline TheCountOfNYC

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #13 on: June 14, 2021, 09:55:22 AM »
My gateway album was Octavarium. I’ve told this story many times over, but I first heard Dream Theater when Panic Attack was in Rock Band 2. The song and album cover immediately grabbed my attention, and I bought Octavarium at the first opportunity I could. I immediately fell in love with the record, and the title track quickly climbed my all time favorite song ranking. Today, the album still holds strong as my number two Dream Theater album, but the first album I heard as a fan is my number one, and that album is of course Scenes From a Memory. Nothing could have prepared me for that first listening experience. It was everything that I didn’t know I was looking for in an album, and I went from being a fan to a fanatic. Only Master of Puppets ranks ahead of Scenes From a Memory for me, and with Images and Words, no band has a stronger top three for me than Dream Theater.
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Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #14 on: June 14, 2021, 10:11:50 AM »
My gateway album was definitely Images & Words back in 1992, and it remains my co-no. 1 (with Awake).
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Offline Dream Team

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #15 on: June 14, 2021, 10:16:45 AM »
Images was my gateway and still fave, but I did a lot of research before buying it.

Offline geeeemo

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #16 on: June 14, 2021, 10:33:38 AM »
I am 5.5 years in now.  I came to DT right after TA was released.  I didn't know about TA, I was just looking for new music and remembered from all those years ago PMU. I bounced around the discography, and quickly realized the band still made music, had a new release and was touring! I bought TA (didn't care for it that much at first) and tickets to TA. After the show I was hooked and played TA often. I then found out they had another album that was a concept album. I bought Scenes. I literally listened to only that for many months.

Scenes is still my No.1.  The first 4 albums (except maybe FII) are not in my top 5. I&W, while very enjoyable doesn't get nearly the same listens as most of their other music.

Offline Wim Kruithof

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #17 on: June 14, 2021, 02:20:09 PM »
My gateway song is Hollow Years in Budokan, on Youtube. It blew me away a couple of years ago and since than my music is all 'bout Dream Theater. The first vinyl I bought was the luxury edition of The Astonishing, together with the book as well. Now I am collecting all there vinyls (not much left thought) and the got they light-on spot in my living room.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings would be my favorite album I would say, along with Train of Thought and a Dramatic Turn of Events. Count of Tuscany I've been listening to one hundred times I think and still I think its one of their masterpieces.
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Offline darkshade

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #18 on: June 14, 2021, 02:41:07 PM »
First song I heard by the band was The Glass Prison, in 2003,
then Scenes From A Memory was the first DT album I listened to shortly after.

Offline WilliamMunny

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2021, 03:57:51 PM »
Oooh, good thread idea.

My 'gateway' into DT wasn't actually a song, it was the album cover for Awake.

I'm sure I'd heard 'Pull Me Under' on the radio, but if I had, it never really registered.

It wasn't until I was a buddy's house, scoping out his cd collection in October of 97. He was playing video games and I was thumbing through his cd's and bam, there was 'Awake.'

Now, there was something about that album cover that had me hooked. I didn't even need to hear a note and my 16 year old self already knew that the band that made that record was amazing (funny how our mind works at that age).

Without ever hearing a sound, I promptly went to the record store, purchased 'Awake' and their newest album, 'Falling Into Infinity.'

I remember listening to FII first, on account of it being the most recent thing, and sadly, while I enjoyed it, the music did not, in any way, measure up to my pre-conceived notions.

With ten minutes to go before I pulled into my driveway, I pulled out FII (halfway through 'Hollow Years' if I recall) and popped in 'Awake,' and boy oh boy was there a mile-wide smile on my face for the next, well, for months and months.

I love both albums, especially because of the yin-yang aspect of the sonic direction, but had I not seen the 'Awake' album cover sitting on my buddy's shelf, who knows how long it would've taken for me to check out what is probably my all-time favorite band.


Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #20 on: June 14, 2021, 08:21:12 PM »
Cool story WilliamMunny about the artwork. At some point in high school I was at the record store about was looking at Pink Floyd albums. I was getting in to classic rock at the time, knew a couple of their songs and their status as legends, so thought I should get something of theirs. Not knowing where to start and seeing lots of options, the Delicate Sound of Thunder artwork caught me eye. I saw it was a double-live album, and had all the songs I knew, so thought it would be a good purchase. Would I have got it if it had the Ummagumma artwork? Doubtful. Changed my life.

For me and DT, Images and Words was the gateway. Awake proved to me I&W wasn't a fluke debut (I didn't know about WDaDU yet). Those two became my favorites and never left that pedestal. Scenes was what brought back DT from the precipice that FII almost pushed it over, and Scenes-Six Degrees-ToT became the peak era of my fandom, even if I&W and Awake remained my favorites.
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Offline Stadler

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #21 on: June 15, 2021, 07:08:36 AM »
Oooh, good thread idea.

My 'gateway' into DT wasn't actually a song, it was the album cover for Awake.

I'm sure I'd heard 'Pull Me Under' on the radio, but if I had, it never really registered.

It wasn't until I was a buddy's house, scoping out his cd collection in October of 97. He was playing video games and I was thumbing through his cd's and bam, there was 'Awake.'

Now, there was something about that album cover that had me hooked. I didn't even need to hear a note and my 16 year old self already knew that the band that made that record was amazing (funny how our mind works at that age).

Without ever hearing a sound, I promptly went to the record store, purchased 'Awake' and their newest album, 'Falling Into Infinity.'

I remember listening to FII first, on account of it being the most recent thing, and sadly, while I enjoyed it, the music did not, in any way, measure up to my pre-conceived notions.

With ten minutes to go before I pulled into my driveway, I pulled out FII (halfway through 'Hollow Years' if I recall) and popped in 'Awake,' and boy oh boy was there a mile-wide smile on my face for the next, well, for months and months.

I love both albums, especially because of the yin-yang aspect of the sonic direction, but had I not seen the 'Awake' album cover sitting on my buddy's shelf, who knows how long it would've taken for me to check out what is probably my all-time favorite band.

I'va had that happen, too, though not in a long, long time.   Dio's Holy Diver was sort of like that. Kiss Alive II as well.

Offline Samsara

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #22 on: June 15, 2021, 08:06:29 AM »
My gateway release was the A Change of Seasons EP, specifically the song itself. I was blown away. Summer 1996. My friend Larry and I were huge Queensryche fans, and he played this for me. I went out and bought that, Awake and Images and Words. First day buyer of Falling into Infinity.

My favorite record from DT, top-to-bottom, is probably Awake, followed closely by I&W. Those two flip-flop based on mood. Then SFAM, Distance Over Time and then Falling Into Infinity.
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Offline nick_z

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #23 on: June 15, 2021, 09:38:09 AM »
Love reading all the DT-discovery stories...really brings me back. Like I said, it was such a fun time of musical discovery. And DT played a big, big part in that.

I should have specified that Awake was my first new album bought as a fan - after the I&W epiphany, and before Awake came out, I did go and get WDADU (which I also loved)...

First-day buyer - I remember almost being afraid to push play. I had very little clue what to expect, as I hadn't heard a single note (yes, those were the days. You didn't even have a way to be tempted into listening to songs pre-release, unless it was a video on TV or something!). I had just read some studio report/interview in a magazine. Then, of all things, the record starts with a drum fill  ;) The sound was so different from I&W and I remember there was so much to take in on that first listen. Also, it was so cool to hear what, up to that point, was known as "Puppies on Acid" as The Mirror's intro...I had watched the Live in Tokyo VHS so many times, and it was weird to have an actual new song start after that riff, instead of Take the Time  :D

I remember not being 100% in love with Lie, although I thought (and still think) it works well as a combo with The Mirror. But everything else - quite a journey. And that conclusion with Space Dye Vest gives me goosebumps to this day.

Offline WilliamMunny

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #24 on: June 15, 2021, 10:10:57 AM »
Oooh, good thread idea.

My 'gateway' into DT wasn't actually a song, it was the album cover for Awake.

I'm sure I'd heard 'Pull Me Under' on the radio, but if I had, it never really registered.

It wasn't until I was a buddy's house, scoping out his cd collection in October of 97. He was playing video games and I was thumbing through his cd's and bam, there was 'Awake.'

Now, there was something about that album cover that had me hooked. I didn't even need to hear a note and my 16 year old self already knew that the band that made that record was amazing (funny how our mind works at that age).

Without ever hearing a sound, I promptly went to the record store, purchased 'Awake' and their newest album, 'Falling Into Infinity.'

I remember listening to FII first, on account of it being the most recent thing, and sadly, while I enjoyed it, the music did not, in any way, measure up to my pre-conceived notions.

With ten minutes to go before I pulled into my driveway, I pulled out FII (halfway through 'Hollow Years' if I recall) and popped in 'Awake,' and boy oh boy was there a mile-wide smile on my face for the next, well, for months and months.

I love both albums, especially because of the yin-yang aspect of the sonic direction, but had I not seen the 'Awake' album cover sitting on my buddy's shelf, who knows how long it would've taken for me to check out what is probably my all-time favorite band.

I'va had that happen, too, though not in a long, long time.   Dio's Holy Diver was sort of like that. Kiss Alive II as well.

It works in reverse as well. It took months for me want to 'dive' into 'Empire' on account of the constant airplay of 'Silent Lucidity' and what I considered to be a 'cheesy' album cover.

Now, once I borrowed the cassette from my older sister, I was hooked, and now I view the cover as perfect, but the hesitation was real.

Offline frogprog

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #25 on: June 15, 2021, 10:41:26 AM »
I first became aware when I saw an episode of Headbangers Ball. The VJ said something like " if you like Rush(which of course I did) you re gonna love these guys". They played the PMU video and then had a short interview with DT. I was kind of intrigued by MP. Here were guys that played Rush type music, but they weren't geeks like a lot of Rush fans, myself included. They certainly werent hair metal (well maybe JLB )despite the long hair and tattoos. And they werent another grunge band, thank god!
On a lark, i went to see them a month or two later at a club in Allentown PA. When I saw MP cover Neil's drum solo i was hooked.
I kind of missed out on Awake, COS and FII and caught back up to then at SFAM and have bought everything on release day since and have seen them live on every tour multiple times since. They introduced me to the fact that metal could be done in a prog way.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #26 on: June 19, 2021, 04:03:35 PM »
The Spirit Of Rush's reprint of the Kerrang! review of When Dream And Day Unite. The rest is history.

Offline DanLore

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #27 on: June 23, 2021, 02:49:42 PM »
For me, it was Scenes From A Memory.  I've told this story before, but I went to see Spock's Beard in Philly in August of 2000, who were opening for DT.  My brother and I had planned to leave after Spock's Beard, but we ran into a friend of his at the show, who convinced us to stay for DT.  Needless to say, the band blew us away!  Unfortunately, we left just before the encore, A Change of Seasons (sacrilege, I know) but our ears were bleeding by the end of the night, as they were f-ing loud!

I went out the next day and bought their latest recording, which I mistakenly took as Falling Into Infinity.  After a few spins of that, I went out and bought the 'right' disc.  It didn't leave my CD player for 8 weeks, nor did the copy I had ripped for the car.  Six Degrees is a close second for me, but SFAM is my favorite DT recording, and in my personal top 10.

I had the same gateway experience with Genesis, as I found them through A Trick Of The Tail when I was 14.  (And their subsequent record, Wind & Wuthering, is a close #2, probably because that was my first tour seeing them live, but that's another story.)

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Offline pg1067

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #28 on: June 23, 2021, 03:51:03 PM »
As I was thinking about my Dream Theater albums' rankings, and looking at others', one natural question is how the favorite(s) relate to when/how one has first discovered the band (arguably, that's a discussion that pops up for any band with a longer discography).

. . . .

To wit, it'd be interesting to see what the "average distance" is between gateway album and favorite album...

I've told most of this story before, but the early '90s were kind of depressing for me musically.  By the summer of 1992, a lot of my favorite bands were letting me down.  Empire was so-so follow up to Operation:Mindcrime.  The Black Album seemed like Metallica for Dummies.  After emerging from the doldrums of "they synth era" with a promising Presto, Rush then followed it up with the massive disappointment that was Roll the Bones.  Maiden had released Fear of the Dark, which was a slight improvement on the disappointing No Prayer for the Dying.  Rob Halford had just left Judas Priest.  Fates Warning was pretty much the only one of my favorite bands that I was still feeling positive about.

The local metal radio station, which had become a bastion of glam metal in the late '80s, was now playing a lot of grunge and stuff like it, which I mostly didn't like.  But then, one day, I heard Pull Me Under, and I was absolutely blown away.  This was what my own band had been working toward (although I don't think we'd ever have gotten there) before breaking up.  I went out and bought I&W and played it constantly.  I saw DT live four times between November 1992 and June 1993.  I finally found and bought WDADU.  I liked it, but the lack of JLB made it a bit disappointing.  I got a tape of the March 1993 show at the Limelight with the original version of ACOS.  It took me a while to warm up to Awake, I loved ACOS when it was released.  FII was a big disappointment, but SFAM was a game changer.

A couple months ago, I started a thread asking which four-album run by DT is your favorite.  The two responses with the most votes are obviously, I&W through SFAM and SFAM through 8VM.  I voted for the latter, but it was tough not voting for the former because I&W is my #2 DT album.  If FII had been a little better, I'd have gone with I&W through SFAM.

So...for me, my "gateway" album was I&W, but SFAM is my #1 album, followed closely by I&W (and then SDOIT and Awake)/
"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung

Offline Anguyen92

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #29 on: June 23, 2021, 04:43:18 PM »
Well, as a relatively newer fan, my gateway album would be ADTOE and I heard that going into the release of DT12, but in terms of favorite albums where if I were to introduce to anyone that wants to listen to DT the first time, it would be Awake, no questions.  I think top to bottom, that album has a lot of variety that people can be excited about when listening to DT.

Offline Volante99

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #30 on: June 23, 2021, 04:50:41 PM »
Took me a little while to warm up to DT.

I had heard what might have been ACoS playing at a local guitar shop and I remember asking the clerk, “wow, that’s different, what is THAT??”

Then I started listening to little snippets of I&W and Awake and felt it all seemed a bit…boring? They also seemed to kind of have that reputation at the time with the heavy metal community for whatever reason so maybe that was coloring my perception.

Flash forward a couple years later and I actually sit down and listen to I&W with my headphones and give it my full attention. Right when JLB belted out “WATCH THE SPARROW FALLING” - something clicked, I felt the power, I was onboard. I listened to the entire I&W that day, completely mesmerized by the musicianship. I’ve been a fan ever since!

I will say Live at Budokan, which came out around the time I gave them another chance, also cemented my love for them. I remember watching Hollow Years and Instrumedley over and over- even bringing the DVD over to my friends house and (probably to their annoyance) begging them to “check out this KILLER band dude”!!

At the end of the day Pull Me Under is a great song. If you want to introduce someone to the band I recommend that tune. Probably 90% of the people that I’ve had listen to that song had a positive response (including women lol). Something about it has mass appeal, and there’s a reason why it was a hit for them.

Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #31 on: June 23, 2021, 09:09:58 PM »
Right when JLB belted out “WATCH THE SPARROW FALLING” - something clicked, I felt the power, I was onboard.

My reaction as well. I had never heard vocals like that (I probably had actually, but James on that song sealed the deal for me).
"Nostalgia is just the ability to forget the things that sucked" - Nelson DeMille, 'Up Country'

Offline pg1067

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #32 on: June 24, 2021, 09:56:57 AM »
Right when JLB belted out “WATCH THE SPARROW FALLING” - something clicked, I felt the power, I was onboard.

Good point.  That's the spot where PMU kicks it up from "good song" to something really special.  That particular vocal, along with the instrumentation under the second verse, was like NOTHING I'd heard up to that point (with the possible exception of a couple songs on Fates Warning's Perfect Symmetry).
"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung

Offline nick_z

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #33 on: June 24, 2021, 10:27:53 AM »
Right when JLB belted out “WATCH THE SPARROW FALLING” - something clicked, I felt the power, I was onboard.

Good point.  That's the spot where PMU kicks it up from "good song" to something really special.  That particular vocal, along with the instrumentation under the second verse, was like NOTHING I'd heard up to that point (with the possible exception of a couple songs on Fates Warning's Perfect Symmetry).

Same here - I&W came pretty early in my "metal & related" musical journey, so it was definitely not like anything I'd heard up to that point. I had no clue what progressive metal/rock was. PMU was such an impactful way to start the album...yes, it had the Metallica crunch in the main riff, but then those keyboards everywhere and that pre-chorus section... Pretty awesome. Granted, I might have been more impressionable back then, but then Take the Time and Metropolis rolled in, and I just couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. I also remember going nuts for that UAGM intro...and then Wait for Sleep/Learning To Live...with THAT ending...

I said it before - of course when you go back and discover all sorts of music, you realize that DT certainly were not alone in incorporating high-level musicianship in their songwriting. So what was new and awe-inspiring for my 1992-self wouldn't necessarily be that way for the years to come. BUT I still (strongly) maintain I&W's enduring appeal goes way beyond the chops. It's the strong melodies within songs that were incredibly well put together, and had the chance to evolve and mature - with even the more complex instrumental sections feeling "composed" and yet exciting at the same time.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Gateway album/Favorite album
« Reply #34 on: June 26, 2021, 07:31:45 PM »
For me, it was Scenes From A Memory.  I've told this story before, but I went to see Spock's Beard in Philly in August of 2000, who were opening for DT.  My brother and I had planned to leave after Spock's Beard, but we ran into a friend of his at the show, who convinced us to stay for DT.  Needless to say, the band blew us away!  Unfortunately, we left just before the encore, A Change of Seasons (sacrilege, I know) but our ears were bleeding by the end of the night, as they were f-ing loud!

I went out the next day and bought their latest recording, which I mistakenly took as Falling Into Infinity.  After a few spins of that, I went out and bought the 'right' disc.  It didn't leave my CD player for 8 weeks, nor did the copy I had ripped for the car.  Six Degrees is a close second for me, but SFAM is my favorite DT recording, and in my personal top 10.

I had the same gateway experience with Genesis, as I found them through A Trick Of The Tail when I was 14.  (And their subsequent record, Wind & Wuthering, is a close #2, probably because that was my first tour seeing them live, but that's another story.)

DanLore

That was a great show. What did you think of The Star People? Never heard of them before or since, but I liked them.