Let's catch up, shall we?
I won't write about all of them in detail, but:
I really like not love the D/T and Dream Theater records; they are where they are. There are some great parts on those records, and while they don't reach the heights of the top five on my list, they don't suck. I have my issues, and they are well-documented, but that doesn't mean I can't find things I enjoy on there.
The Astonishing just doesn't work for me. It just doesn't. Doesn't mean the band should ignore it, or disavow it, but I have plenty of things in the DT catalogue that I'd rather listen to, and I do.
Black Clouds... I dig it. I think it gets short shrift, like FII, because of all the things that go around it, but it's got some good songs on it, and those songs really translate live. I saw the original BC&SL tour, which was great (though it was the Prog Nation thing, and I wish the set was longer) and I've heard a couple songs on later tours, and it's easy to hate, but I don't personally get it.
It should be noted: 1-5 are sacred; but the pocket between 6 and 10 - really, 12 - is a mishmash; there's not a huge gap between each of them and you could probably throw them in a hat and jumble them and still be good.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Dream Theater
7. Systematic Chaos
8. Distance Over Time
9.
10. Falling Into Infinity
11.
12. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
13.
14. The Astonishing
15. When Dream And Day Unite