I've missed a few days and fallen well behind, I see! Catching most of the way up in this very long post, and I'll try to get the rest tomorrow.
Going all the way back to...
96. AfterlifeMy ranking: Unranked (approximately #111)
I don't have anything against this song, it just doesn't stand out as much to me as most other Dream Theater songs. I think it's a solid track that shows a lot of the promise that can be heard all over the debut, but it's not quite there yet. I do think it's one of Dominici's best performances with DT.
Interesting to learn that this is one of five WDADU songs. Since I also included five WDADU songs, that means one of my choices didn't make the list. I have my suspicions, but we'll see how they pan out.
95. ForsakenMy ranking: Unranked (approximately #107)
Another song that falls into the category of good songs that just don't stand out enough to quite make the top 100. This one has a charismatic performance by JLB and a good chorus, but just not enough to merit inclusion on my list.
94. Through Her EyesMy ranking: #95
Listening back to this one, I feel like I might have underrated it a bit, although I generally found it very difficult to order the list from about #70 to #100. This is the weakest genuine song on SFAM by a pretty significant margin, but that doesn't make it a bad song at all; it's just that the album is superb. This is a pretty simple song, but it's a good one. JLB is really good here, and JP's lyrics are well-suited to this moment in the story. If I was doing this list again, I'd probably push it up into the 80s.
93. I Walk Beside YouMy ranking: Unranked (approximately #105)
Another song that I enjoy, but that doesn't stand out quite enough to make the list. I like the verses better than the chorus. And I do like that there's a positive emotion behind this song. That's something I like about several songs on
Octavarium, actually; I just don't think the songwriting is always at the highest level.
I do agree with this, though:
The ‘ohhhhhh, when everything is wrong, ohhhhhh when helplessness surrounds you, ohhh…..” segment is one of their best LV/BV combined moments.
92. The Looking GlassMy ranking: Unranked (approximately #114)
Yeah, another one for the good-but-doesn't-stand-out camp. I know this is a standout on DT12 for some people, but I never really got that. I do like that it's a pretty straightforward song structurally, but with a DT twist within the particular sections, and I will say that that solo is nice.
91. To Live ForeverMy ranking: #90
Hey, another one where my ranking almost exactly matched the consensus—although I imagine the voting is somewhat shifted due to the fact that some people may not be familiar with it. I definitely haven't listened to it as much as I've listened to most DT songs, since it's not on a studio album, and also isn't on any of the widely-distributed professional live releases.
I love the IAW sound, so it's cool to have a little something else from that era, even if I don't really find it as good as what made the album. That's enough to put it a bit above the good-but-doesn't-stand-out tier. My favorite part is the beginning of the second verse: "The starvation has turned me outside in." I love Charlie coming in on that part on WDADRU, although James probably sings it better on the whole.
90. New MillenniumMy ranking: #48
I know some people can't stand this, so I'm not surprised to see it this low, but I absolutely love it. It's got a different vibe with the Chapman stick and that oddball intro, but it also has that sense of drama that I love about 90s Dream Theater. To me it has everything you could ask for in a Dream Theater song except soaring vocal melodies, but James turns in a pretty good vocal performance, especially considering his limitations at that time. The instrumental section is really fun.
89. VacantMy ranking: #15 (highest placement for this song)
I completely understand ranking some of the longer, more complex songs higher than this one, but this is just a beautiful, emotionally gripping piece. Everything is in just the right place. And what's more, it doesn't feel out of place at all on
Train of Thought, and in fact enhances Stream of Consciousness by preceding it.
I have a little trouble listening to this now for personal reasons (actually a sort of true for New Millennium, too), but it remains among my favorite songs, and it's still a marvel to listen to on the occasions when I do.
This is one of the five I expected I might have the highest ranking on. We'll see how the other four pan out (actually, looks like one recently dropped and someone else put it even higher than me). Sad to see this fall so early; I expected an early exit, but hoped for it to land somewhere in the 70s.
88. A Life Left BehindMy ranking: #42
I think #42 might have been a little overzealous for this one (I did the ranking while I was having a bit of a renaissance with
The Astonishing), but I don't think it's far off. This is the best song on the album. It blends familiar elements of Dream Theater songwriting with the more organic sound and storytelling orientation of
The Astonishing to create the best song on that album.
Faythe is my favorite Astonishing character, so I like the focus on her change of mind in the first part of this song. "Tomorrow a new sun will rise, and somehow I'll find you" is a nice moment. And the sinister turn at the end is well-executed.
87. RavenskillMy ranking: #65
Interesting to see two songs that are back-to-back on
The Astonishing end up back-to-back on the list. I think A Life Left Behind is somewhat better than this one, but they're both good. Listening to them now, I actually think they're even closer than their placement on my list suggests. I like Ravenskill as a piece of storytelling. I do agree that it doesn't feel entirely cohesive as a song, but I don't mind that much. To me, the second half (after the guitar kicks in) is better than the first. Again, it's more Faythe storyline, which is good.
86. The Path That DividesMy ranking: #69
Another one of my favorite songs from
The Astonishing, and again it's because the storytelling is integrated really well with the music. I also like the dash of symphonic metal around 2 minutes in with the choir. Lyrically, I really like the touch of having Arhys say "There will be no betrayal tonight" and then Daryus say "You chose the wrong man to betray." Clever way to show the different mindsets of the two characters.
85. Three DaysMy ranking: #84
I don't think I rate this quite as highly relative to the rest of the album as most others do, but I still find it to be one of the better songs there. I really like the intro and outro, and the verses are pretty cool, but I don't love the "Bow down to Nafaryus" chorus. It's cool to hear one of those quirky 20s-sounding Dream Theater sections turned into a song and tied into the storyline, though!
84. Moment of BetrayalMy ranking: #55
My other contender for best song on
The Astonishing along with A Life Left Behind. This is just good Dream Theater, tied into a dramatic moment in the storyline. Really awesome chorus, riffs, and a fun instrumental section. I'm surprised I came this close to being the highest ranking for this, given the really high scores that other TA songs have received.
83. The Gift of MusicMy ranking: Unranked (approximately #103)
This one was on my initial list as it came off the ranking engine, but I bumped up a few of the songs that I found to be too low, and this one was just ever-so-slightly pushed out. I feel now like I might have underrated it a bit, but I don't know what I'd bump for it.
I like it, though. It doesn't quite have the standout sections and story highlights that the
Astonishing songs above it has, but it's solid all the way through. And I do like "My brother Gabriel is all the hope we need."
82. Constant MotionMy ranking: #93
Haters can hate, this is a fun song. A few years ago I would have had it 20 or 30 places higher, but high 80s/low 90s feels about right for it now. But I'm a longstanding defender of MP's vocals. Count me as a fan of the chorus, count me as a fan of "Insane random thoughts of neat disorder," all of it. I think part of the hate for the lyrics might come from MP's dubious claims around this time about OCD, which I definitely understanding objecting to, but there is a real psychological phenomenon that he's describing here, even if it isn't OCD, and he does at least a decent job of it.
81. Honor Thy FatherMy ranking: Unranked (approximately #113)
This is the only song from
Train of Thought that didn't make it for me, and it's another one in the camp of good-but-doesn't-stand-out-enough. I enjoy this song whenever I do listen to it, but even though I've heard it dozens of times at least, I still have a hard time calling parts of it to my mind. I wouldn't pull it off the album by any means; it really fits in. But it doesn't quite belong on my top 100.
80. The Silent ManMy ranking: #38
Completely with those who love this song. It's not one I would have put this high a few years ago, but it's grown on me a fair amount over the years, while other songs have faded some. Just a really beautiful acoustic song, with great vocals by James, interesting lyrics, and that nice little acoustic solo by JP.
Topic: Top 100 Dream Theater songs countdown (Top 2 revealed!!) (Read 53149 times)
