Dream Theater Top 100 countdown - 2024 Version! (#01 Up!)

[jingle.boy]

You know what I mean jingle.man.   

Yeah, I was mostly responding to MirrorMask's post, I just forgot to quote him.

[Jamesman42]

You know what I mean jingle.man.   

Yeah, I was mostly responding to MirrorMask's post, I just forgot to quote him.

Mostly, so some of that was at me?

[jingle.boy]

[Jamesman42]

[axeman90210]

A weird update for me today, a couple songs from my all-time favorite album that I ranked much lower than the consensus.

Finally Free- Back at #52. A great way to end the album, with the One Last Time reprise and drum outro being highlights. Nothing wrong with it, other songs are just better.

Strange Deja Vu- I had it at #64. Definitely part of a pair with Overture 1928, and overshadowed a bit by it for me.

Take the Time- I put this up at #11, a great song from I&W. Some fun work from JM on this one and James sounds great.

[ReaperKK]

I stared at jingle's profile pic and name for far too long before realizing he changed the pic, I don't like change

[NoFred]

I can see myself however being the top ranker for several songs that didn't make the list. It would be fun to have quick statistics for the songs that didn't make the top 100 at the end of this....

This top rangers for the bottom >100 songs would be cool to see. I might have a chance at one of those

[Dittomist]

Lots of catching up to do.

6:00- 24
Such a cool and quirky opener that always sounds fresh even though I've heard it hundreds of times

The Dance of Eternity- NR
The album is a masterpiece but for whatever reason I've never warmed up to this one song.

Overture 1928- 80

Space Dye Vest- 5
I thought there was a chance I'd have the highest ranking, and so I'm happy to know it has deeply resonated with others as well. It's a huge reason why Awake is my favorite DT album. It's also the one DT song that my dad really likes. I'm embarrassed that it took me so many years to learn that the first sample was spoken by Julian Sands considering how I was a huge fan of his.

Endless Sacrifice- 19
I keep forgetting this song is over 11 minutes long because it flies by every time, and I love every second.

Lines in the Sand- 35
Half of the song is tons of fun and the other half is very mellow and pretty. This countdown is making me realize how much I fucking love Falling Into Infinity!

The Mirror- 15
Love that eerie organ and dark atmosphere.  And out of all the songs with cinematic samples, I think this one used them the most effectively.

The Spirit Carries On- 12
The "Safe in the light that surrounds me..." section gives me chills every time. A perfect song!

Illumination Theory- 32
This was originally in my Top 15 but for some reason I kept moving it back. Has one of their best intros. The 8:30-11:00 section is pure magic! And James sounds so awesome at the "rebels for their freedom, a tyrant for the praise...." part

Beyond This Life- 40
The last two minutes of Fatal Tragedy might be their heaviest section ever, and so you'd think that a calm breather might be in order after the words "death is not the end but only a transition" but instead we immediately get this badass, menacing monster of a song for over 11 minutes. Great stuff.

Bridges in the Sky- 47

In the Presence of Enemies- 70
I probably should have given this one a better ranking, as Part 2 has really grown on me lately. I can imagine a day where I'd place it in the Top 40. Maybe next time.

Blind Faith- 52
Yeah, that slow buildup and jubilant chorus makes this such a powerful live song! Really enjoy Jordan's work on this one.

Surrounded- 10
A strong contender for "last song I'd want to hear before exiting this earth"

Finally Free- 8
A poignant and breathtaking conclusion to one of the best concept albums ever.

Strange Deja Vu- 69

Take the Time- 93

[Animal]

Finally Free (33) I think of it as a great ending to one of the best album experiences to be had on this side of the universe. but I never listen to it on its own (unlike a lot of other SFAM songs).

Strange Deja Vu (18) This one, for example.
 
Take the Time (21) After Wait for Sleep, my second highest ranked IaW song. Feels extremely poppy and proggy at the same time. The vocal melodies here are the best example why I'll always feel a bit conflicted about vocals on IaW. On the one hand, they have James sing too high and squeezed to show the best his voice can sound (and to be normally singable for pretty much any human being). On the other, this disregard for considerations normally taken when composing a vocal melody makes them unique and exciting.

[ReaperKK]

Friday Update!

16. Under A Glass Moon
Highest Finish: 3 (Dream Team, Fonzie)
Number of Lists appeared on: 63 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

Dat solo doe.... Seriously I love this song start to finish. This is some of DT at their finest, great song writing and no distracting wankery sections

15. The Glass Prison
Highest Finish: 2 (jeff_kinsley)
Number of Lists appeared on: 63 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

My first true introduction of DT. After downloading the Ytse Jam drum solo from kazaa I decided to check out the newest release which was Six Degrees at the time. I put this on and I couldn't believe what I hearing. It was incredible. I can remember that moment exactly and listening to this song always takes me back to that moment. Out of the 12SS this is the song I return the most.

14. Pull Me Under
Highest Finish: 1 (WardySI)
Number of Lists appeared on: 64 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

No surprise this was their hit at the time. Similar to UAGM this song rocks from start to finish, in fact some might say it ends too soon...

[Awaken]

Rank - Song - My Rank
16 - Under a glass moon - 6 - Yes, that solo.  That everything about this one clicked w me from listen one and hasn't let up.  Absolutely love this one
15 - the glass prison - 7 - The intro, riffs, vinny paul section - metal DT at it's best!  Still waiting to see this one live . . . .
14 - pull me under - 12 - Yes, the most overplayed (other than maybe TSCO), but unquestionably the most important song in DT history from a commercial impact, and it was one of the only times CT shows seemed to have a pulse on recent tours, the crowd reaction to this one is always so powah

[Evermind]

Catching up!

Finally Free - #10 - an incredible, very satisfying closer to one of the greatest concept albums of all time indeed.

Strange Deja Vu - #39 - solid song to kick off SFAM proper, but I don't love it.

Take the Time - #53 - again, I like this, just not as much as most of Images. Sad that it's lower than UAGM.

Today's update:

Under a Glass Moon - #81 - the only dud for me on the otherwise good/awesome album.

The Glass Prison - #86 - I'm very ambivalent towards this one. The whole song doesn't do much for me[, but several parts, especially the final section, are pretty good.

Pull Me Under - #23 - great song. A well-deserved hit.

[jingle.boy]

Under a Glass Moon ... 16 - so I'm right there with the masses.  Kay's comment nails it.  The opening chord is just bliss.

The Glass Prison ... 19.  I missed the album release cycles of SFAM-ToT in real time.  I'd just starting dating mrs.jingle in '98, married in '99, and jingle.kids in '00.  So around 2005 in the 8vm cycle, I got caught up.  Hearing this album took a bit of adjustment, because other than Beyond This Life, I'd never heard DT so heavy as this song.  It was a quick adjustment, and I learned to love this track, and this album.  I'm shocked it's not the #1 ranked song from 6DOIT, tbh

Pull Me Under ... 50.  My least enjoyed tune from I&W.  L@B version absolutely cratered my enjoyment of it.  This is the Here I Go Again; the Pour Some Sugar on Me; the Don't Stop Believin'; the You Shook Me All Night Long of DT's catalog.  Sure, it's their breakthru commercial hit and their flagship song (which is why it rates @50 for me) ... but if I never hear it again, I'll be able to live just fine.

[Lonk]

16. Under a Glass Moon: # 51 This was the very first song I heard from DT, at some point in 2005/2006, I think, and I absolutely hated it. Then after SC came out and I listened to more of their stuff, I went back to this song and it was an instant favorite at the time.

15. The Glass Prison: #37. Great track. Love every second of this song minus the linkin park-DJ sounding part that transitions into the 2nd step, beyond that, just a banger of a song.

14. Pull Me Under: #42 Yeah, undeniable why this track is their most popular. It's a great song, there are many that are better (for me).

[MirrorMask]

16. Under A Glass Moon

Fantastic song of course, even though I just "like it quite a lot" rather than "fully utterly loving it". We're talking about Ferrari vs Mercedes anyway here. Great song. It was my 31, 15 positions lower.

15. The Glass Prison

Another fantastic song, one of their heaviest and most iconic by now. Not completely sold on the hip-hop noises and how "exagerated" it is at times but it's heavy DT at their best and I ranked it 15th, just 4 positions lower.

Fun fact: the end of the songs feels conclusive enough. I was really surprised to see that the saga was going on with This Dying Soul and the next installments....

14. Pull Me Under

I'm running out of adjectives here, their greatest hit is an awesome song and congrats to them for never turning it into a live staple to the point that one would get sick and tired of it. Yeah, I'm gonna go with "fantastic" again here, one of their trademark and most iconic songs.

And for the first time ever, my ranking matches!!! 14th place for me.

[Zydar]

Under A Glass Moon - 9

Pure melodic bliss - once again an Images And Words song is in my Top 10. That solo is one of JPs most classic ones. Lovely lyrics as well ("taste the memories running from my eyes", "bathing your soul in silver tears").

The Glass Prison - 55

"Full on metal" DT is not really my favourite side of the band, but this one is quite good I guess. I bet it was a great concert opener on the following tour. Impressive arpeggio work from JP.

Pull Me Under - 27

My lowest ranked song from Images And Words. But that doesn't make it a bad one at all, I just love the other songs even more. I can see why this became the big hit at the time.

[HOF]

Under a Glass Moon The Glass Prison Pull Me Under

UAGM - awesome largely on account of the solo and the “beneath the summer sky” section.

The Glass Prison was DT’s turn into metal first and while there are parts of it I like I find the metal-ness of it tedious. And it opened a similarly tedious suite of songs taking up space on multiple albums.

Pull Me Under doesn’t do so much for me these days, but I did love it back in the day. The intro remains iconic, and a great introduction to the album.

[Jamesman42]

25. Illumination Theory (91st) DREAM THEATER, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, DO MORE STUFF IN THE VEIN OF THE LAST FEW MINUTES OF THIS SONG. SO GOOD.
24. Beyond This Life (88th) I'm a SFAM hater, what can I say? It's an okay song though.
23. Bridges In The Sky (8th) This song could be top 5 but the intro is too long, it's otherwise a stellar song. When JLB sings "crossing bridges in the sky", it's so good.
22. In The Presence Of Enemies (28th) Cool epic on a weird album. I don't like the Dark Master part. Everything else is good. Odd song for DT, though.
21. Blind Faith (42nd) Easily the worst track of SDOIT but still just fine.
20. Surrounded (25th) What a lovely song. Just, so bouncy but then a bit serious. DT does this style of song nicely.
19. Finally Free (76th) SFAM, yeah....
18. Strange Deja Vu (89th) Lol. The "uncanny strange deja vu" does pop into my mind at times.
17. Take The Time (19th) The energy in this song is really vibrant. JLB is having fun and the music is good.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Under A Glass Moon (67th) It's a fine song, with a cool intro. It's always been the weakest or second weakest track on IaW to me, though.
15. The Glass Prison (3rd) This is 15th and I am shocked. I know some of the songs remaining, but I thought this was one of the most favored songs. Interesting. Anyway, this song is just pure gas for a long time.
14. Pull Me Under (77th) This and UAGM are fine songs, but they can swap being the worst or 2nd worst on the album, but they have stiff competition. Also surprised this is so high, is it because it's their most famous song?

[DragonAttack]

16.   Under A Glass Moon (NR) not a fan of the chorus.

15.   The Glass Prison (NR) my intro to them on stage, and the first studio track I heard after.  Reactions to various parts of it still range from ‘this is absolutely fabulous’ to ‘oh, dear….’  That said, if they do somewhat alternating sets on the upcoming tour, I think it would be fantastic if this would be the opener one night, then have it as the first song after the intermission the next, and so on.

14.   Pull Me Under (#20) I enjoy this as much as I do the ones I ranked above it, and the twenty or so that follow it.

62/87 ****

[SwedishGoose]

Under a Glass Moon ended up at 46. It's a very good song that has tough comprtition.... lowest rated of I&W for me.
The Glass Prison ranked 90. It's good son but Dream Theater has so many I like better.
Pull Me Under ranked at 16th place. First I heard / saw of the guys was this gem played on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. Glued to the screen I was hooked immeiately and forever..... still rocks as hard



My ranking so far

5 Take the Time (17)
6 Another Day (38)
7 Space-Dye Vest (30)
8 One Last Time (46)
11 The Dance of Eternity (33)
12 The Spirit Carries On (26)
13 Surrounded (20)
16 Pull Me Under (14)
17 The Mirror (27)
18 Finally Free (19)
19 The Silent Man (66)
20 Illumination Theory (25)
22 6:00 (34)
21 Caught In a Web (51
27 Wait For Sleep (44t)
28 Through Her Eyes  (74)
32 Awaken the Master (81)
33 Sleeping Giant (85)
35 Beyond This Life (24)
36 Strange Deja Vu (18)
37 Our New World (93)
38 Innocence Faded (42)
40 Lifting Shadows Off a Dream (35)
41 A View from the Top of the World (49t)
44 The Great Debate (53)
45 To Live Forever (76)
46 Under a Glass Moon (16)
47 Lie (47t)
48 Erotomania (40)
50 Answering the Call (75)
54 Beneath the Surface (64)
57 Pale Blue Dot (62)
59 Transcending Time (90)
63 Bridges In the Sky (23)
64 Sacrificed Sons (63)
65 The Looking Glass (92)
66 Hollow Years (59)
61 At Wit's End ( 37)
62 Stream of Consciousness  (39)
73 As I Am (43)
74 The Root of All Evil(36)
75 The Alien (69)
77 A Nightmare To Remember (49t)
78 Misunderstood (31)
81 Behind the Veil (89)
86 Peruvian Skies (44t)
87 Surrender To Reason (83)
88 Ytse Jam (67)
89 Forsaken (95)
90 The Glass Prison (15)
91. The Gift of Music (98)
94. Never Enough (100)
96 Endless Sacrifice (29)
99 These Walls (54)
100 Honor Thy Father (71)


Highest ranker of
8 One Last Time (46)

Not rated
Wither (99), Vacant (97), Afterlife (96), S2N (94), A New Beginning (91), This is the Life (88), New Millennium (87), Constant Motion (86), The Enemy Inside (84), Only a Matter of Time (82), I Walk Beside You (80), The Shattered Fortress (79), A Fortune In Lies (78), The Best Of Times (78), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Fall Into the Light (72), The Dark Eternal Night (70), The Killing Hand (68), Raise The Knife (65), The Ministry of Lost Souls (61), The Bigger Picture (60), Outcry (58),  Hell's Kitchen (57), On The Backs Of Angels (56), Panic Attack (55), Barstool Warrior (52), This Dying Soul (47t), Disappear (41), Overture 1928 (32), Lines In The Sand (28), In the Presence of Enemies (22),  Blind Faith (21)

Rated: 52
Not rated: 32

[Stadler]

87.  Finally Free Slight chance of making the list at this point

Slight chance of making the list? Sorry Stadler, I can't believe this song only ranked 19! Should have been top 10 for sure.

Nah, I may well have underestimated the importance/affection of that track.  I thought the same thing when I updated my list. 

[Stadler]

157. The Dark Eternal Night
155. Hell's Kitchen
154. S2N
150. The Killing Hand
146. Disappear
145. Vacant
143. Honor Thy Father
142. Ytsejam
139. Panic Attack
138. Wither
135. Only A Matter Of Time
132. Barstool Warrior
127. Lines In The Sand
125. Stream Of Consciousness
124. Through Her Eyes
123. Never Enough
122. The Alien
121. Afterlife
120. A Fortune In Lies
118. In The Presence Of Enemies
109. Outcry
105. Sleeping Giant
104. Surrender To Reason
----
100.Slight chance of making the list at this point
99.  No chance of making the list at this point
98.  Another Day
97.  Awaken The Master
96.  Behind The Veil
95.  The Great Debate
94.  No chance of making the list at this point
93.  No chance of making the list at this point
92.  No chance of making the list at this point
91.  The Glass Prison Slight chance of making the list at this point
90.  On The Backs Of Angels
89.  No chance of making the list at this point
88.  No chance of making the list at this point
87.  Finally Free
86.  No chance of making the list at this point
85.  Constant Motion
84.  Beneath The Surface
83.  At Wit's End
82.  Peruvian Skies
81.  Space Dye Vest
80.  The Enemy Inside
79.  Strong chance of making the list at this point
78.  Hollow Years
77.  Slight chance of making the list at this point
76.  The Shattered Fortress
75.  No chance of making the list at this point
74.  No chance of making the list at this point
73.  Lie
72.  No chance of making the list at this point
71.  No chance of making the list at this point
70.  No chance of making the list at this point
69.  The Mirror
68.  A Nightmare To Remember
67.  The Silent Man
66.  The Root Of All Evil
65.  The Spirit Carries On
64.  No chance of making the list at this point
63.  No chance of making the list at this point
62.  As I Am
61.  These Walls
60.  No chance of making the list at this point
59.  The Gift of Music
58.  Illumination Theory
57.  The Bigger Picture
56.  One Last Time
55.  Pale Blue Dot
54.  Answering The Call
53.  Strong chance of making the list
52.  Lost Not Forgotten
51.  Fall Into The Light
50.  Slight chance of making the list at this point
49.  No chance of making the list at this point
48.  Endless Sacrifice
47.  No chance of making the list at this point
46.  A New Beginning
45.  No chance of making the list at this point
44.  Forsaken
43.  A View From The Top Of The World
42.  Slight chance of making the list at this point
41.  The Looking Glass
40.  The Ministry Of Lost Souls
39.  No chance of making the list at this point
38.  The Dance Of Eternity
37.  Beyond This Life
36.  New Millenium
35.  Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
34.  Wait For Sleep
33.  Transcending Time
32.  Blind Faith
31.  The Best Of Times
30.  Erotomania
29.  Strong chance of making the list
28.  Our New World
27.  Strong chance of making the list
26.  Bridges In The Sky
25.  Raise The Knife
24.  6:00
23.  I Walk Beside You
22.  No chance of making the list at this point
21.  Sacrificed Sons
20.  Take The Time
19.  Caught In A Web
18.  No chance of making the list at this point
17.  Lock to make the list
16.  Lock to make the list
15.  Under A Glass Moon Lock to make the list
14.  To Live Forever
13.  Lock to make the list
12.  Strong chance of making the list
11.  Surrounded
10.  Lock to make the list
9.    Innocence Faded
8.    Pull Me Under Lock to make the list
7.    This Dying Soul
6.    Misunderstood
5.    This Is The Life
4.    Overture 1928
3.    Strange Deja Vu
2.    Strong chance of making the list
1.    No chance of making the list at this point

So I conceded I blew my guess on Finally Free, but not for The Glass Prison; I am really surprised it's this high, given some of the comments about the 12SS over the years.  Great tune, but among a number of great and even greater tunes.

Under A Glass Moon is one of those songs that has just endured over the years.  This is one of those songs that is why I love I&W so much.

Like Swedish Goose, Pull Me Under is why I'm here and why I've been on the DT train for the better part of 30 years.  I'm of the opinion that these songs that have transcended - even if overplayed - transcend for a reason.   I LOVE this song to this day, and it's kind of a gateway drug for me these days.  Like all bands, I sometimes ebb and flow as far as being in the mood to listen, but this song has a way of "kindling" the DT fire for me, and when I hear it, I invariably at LEAST listen to the rest of the album, if not other parts of the catalogue.  A truly great song.

[porcacultor]

19. Finally Free (NR) Wow, something brought this song down to me. Dunno what it is.

18. Strange Deja Vu (29th) Same album, more of my jam!

17. Take The Time (39th) Great fun, very "dated" but in a fantastic way.

16. Under A Glass Moon (37th) It would be DT's signature song in I&W if there weren't some other tracks that were very signature-y of them in that album.

15. The Glass Prison (11th) No words for this banger, other than because I got ToT before SDOIT I was a lot more used to This Dying Soul than with TGP, so the reprise "order" got flipped for a bit. Gotta say part 1 beats part 2 by a wide margin, even though I love TDS.

14. Pull Me Under (13th) I thought this would rank higher! What a banger.

[Fonzie]

UAGM My third highest-ranker   

The solo, and the bit leading up to it are sensational. The instrumental section sounds properly composed and rehearsed, but still loose enough to be enjoyable.
I bet a lot of the folks who ranked this highly will be guitar players who at least tried to follow JP’s lessons… and failed (like I did!)

TGP. Ok. The 12SS is a little bit of a slog

PMU. Yeah, there’s a reason this popular!

[pg1067]

16. Under A Glass Moon

15. The Glass Prison

14. Pull Me Under

I have never been a big fan of UAGM.  I have no idea why.  Maybe it's just that it pales in comparison to what comes before and after it on the album.  For a while, it was my least favorite song on I&W.  I've warmed to it a bit over the years, but it's still song #7 on that album.  Of course, song #7 on an album like I&W is still really good.  I had it in the #89 spot (actually behind Another Day, but I'm going to say that was a result of the hasty manner in which I made my list - it should be 10 or so spots higher).

The Glass Prison is another song that really didn't register with me initially, but I eventually came around.  That opening bass riff is so cool, and the song kicks all sorts of ass.  It's a bit bloated, though.  I had it at #45.

Pull Me Under is, of course, the song that started it all.  By the summer of 1992, I had mostly given up on music radio.  The mighty KNAC was playing a LOT of grunge and leftover glam, and most of my favorite bands were putting out disappointing material (and no one was playing Fates Warning, who was releasing amazing material).  I got a heads up about PMU from a friend, so I made a point of listening for it, and I was simply blown away.  I'd never heard anything like this, and one of the things that really appealed to me was how they incorporated keyboards as a lead instrument, and it seemed like all four instrumentalists were top notch (the one knock against Fates was that Joe Dibiase seemed to be a bit of an Ian Hill).  Anyway, I bought the album, and the rest was history.  The song hasn't aged as well as some of the other material on the album.  I had it at #51 on my list.

Today's songs' rankings compared to the prior countdown:

16. Under a Glass Moon - 29 (+13)
15. The Glass Prison - 13 (-2)
14. Pull Me Under - 27 (+13)



List                                                    Not Ranked         
100  This Dying Soul (47T)                  Never Enough (100), The Gift of Music (98), Our New World (93), A New Beginning (91), New Millennium (87), Sleeping Giant (85), Awaken the Master (81), The Best of Times (77), To Live Forever (75T)
99  I Walk Beside You (80)                  Answering the Call (75T), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Fall into the Light (72), Honor Thy Father (71), Raise the Knife (65), The Great Debate (53), Peruvian Skies (44T), Disappear (41), The Mirror (27)
98
97  This Is the Life (88)
96
95
94
93  Lines in the Sand (28)
92  The Ministry of Lost Souls (61)
91
90
89  Under a Glass Moon (16)
88  Another Day (38)
87  Innocence Faded (42)
86  Lie (47T)
85  In the Presence of Enemies (22)
84  Forsaken (95)
83
82  Erotomania (40)
81  The Spirit Carries On (26)
80
79  Vacant (97)
78  Wait for Sleep (44T)
77  The Silent Man (66)
76
75  A Fortune in Lies (78)
74
73  A Nightmare to Remember (50)
72
71  These Walls (54)
70
69  At Wit's End (37)
68  The Shattered Fortress (79)
67  The Dark Eternal Night (70)
66  Pale Blue Dot (62)
65  Transcending Time (90)
64
63  Space-Dye Vest (30)
62
61  Beneath the Surface (64)
60  Hell's Kitchen (57)
59  Afterlife (96)
58
57  Surrender to Reason (83T)
56
55  The Alien (69)
54  The Root of All Evil (36)
53  The Bigger Picture (60)
52
51  Pull Me Under (14)
50
49  As I Am (43)
48  A View from the Top of the World (49)
47  Lifting Shadows off a Dream (35)
46  Behind the Veil (89)
45  The Glass Prison (15)
44  On the Backs of Angels (56)
43  Ytse Jam (67)
42  One Last Time (46)
41  Through Her Eyes (74)
40  The Dance of Eternity (33)
39  The Enemy Inside (83T)
38  Hollow Years (59)
37
36  Caught in a Web (51)
35  Barstool Warrior (52)
34  Endless Sacrifice (29)
33  Outcry (58)
32  6:00 (34)
31  The Looking Glass (92)
30  Bridges in the Sky (23)
29  Misunderstood (31)
28  S2N (94)
27  Wither (99)
26  Finally Free (19)
25  Overture 1928 (32)
24  Beyond This Life (24)
23  Take the Time (17)
22  Surrounded (20)
21  Strange Deja Vu (18)
20
19  Sacrificed Sons (63)
18  Constant Motion (86) (high ranker)
17  Only a Matter of Time (82)
16
15  The Killing Hand (68)
14  Panic Attack (55)
13  Illumination Theory (25)
12
11  Stream of Consciousness (39)
10
9  Blind Faith (21)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[pg1067]

THE SCORE SO FAR
(Getting Ready for the Final Stretch Edition, Pt. 2: Scenes from Everyone's Memories)

1. Awake (9 songs, 537 points):  The Silent Man (66), Caught in a Web (51), Lie (47T), Innocence Faded (42), Erotomania (40), Lifting Shadows off a Dream (35), 6:00 (34), Space-Dye Vest (30), The Mirror (27)

2. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (8 songs, 536 points):  Through Her Eyes (74), One Last Time (46), The Spirit Carries On (26), Beyond This Life (24), Finally Free (19), Strange Deja Vu (18)

3. Images and Words (6 songs, 457 points):  Wait for Sleep (44), Another Day (38), Surrounded (20), Take the Time (17), Under a Glass Moon (16), Pull Me Under (14)

4. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (5 songs, 344 points):  The Great Debate (53), Disappear (41), Misunderstood (31), Blind Faith (21), The Glass Prison (15)

5. Train of Thought (6 songs, 280 points):  Vacant (97), Honor Thy Father (71), This Dying Soul (47T), As I Am (43), Stream of Consciousness (39), Endless Sacrifice (29)

6. A Dramatic Turn of Events (6 songs, 244 points):  This Is the Life (88), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Beneath the Surface (64), Outcry (58), On the Backs of Angels (56), Bridges in the Sky (23)

7. Falling into Infinity (5 songs, 230 points):  New Millennium (87), Hollow Years (59), Hell’s Kitchen (57), Peruvian Skies (44T), Lines in the Sand 28

8. Octavarium (6 songs, 218 points):  Never Enough (100), I Walk Beside You (80), Sacrificed Sons (63), Panic Attack (55), These Walls (54), The Root of All Evil (36)

9. Distance over Time (5 songs, 188 points):  S2N (94), Fall into the Light (72), Pale Blue Dot (62), Barstool Warrior (52), At Wit’s End (37)

10. Dream Theater (6 songs, 174 points):  The Looking Glass (92), Behind the Veil (89), The Enemy Inside (83T), Surrender to Reason (83T), The Bigger Picture (60), Illumination Theory (25)

11. Systematic Chaos (5 songs, 171 points):  Forsaken (95), Constant Motion (86), The Dark Eternal Night (70), The Ministry of Lost Souls (61), In the Presence of Enemies (22)

12. A View from the Top of the World (6 songs, 157 points):  Transcending Time (90), Sleeping Giant (85), Awaken the Master (81), Answering the Call (75), The Alien (69), A View from the Top of the World (49)

13. When Dream and Day Unite (5 songs, 114 points):  Afterlife (96), Only a Matter of Time (82), A Fortune in Lies (78), The Killing Hand (68), Ytse Jam (67)

14. Black Clouds & Silver Linings (4 songs, 99 points):  Wither (99), The Shattered Fortress (79), The Best of Times (77), A Nightmare to Remember (50)

15. Other (2 songs, 61 points):  To Live Forever (76), Raise the Knife (65)

16. The Astonishing (3 songs, 21 points):  The Gift of Music (98), Our New World (93), A New Beginning (91)


Depending on how soon its remaining song is revealed, BC&SL will pull into the #8 or #9 spot.  With 2 songs each remaining, it will be interesting to see how the top three albums shake out.

[pg1067]

Updates to each song's ranking compared to the prior countdown.  The biggest jump is (and will end up being) As I Am, which jumped 28 spots from #71 last time to #43 this time.  Only two other songs jumped at least 20 places:  Through Her Eyes (from 94 to 74) and 6:00 (from 54 to 34).

The biggest drop was Fall into the Light, which basically switched with AIA, dropping from #43 to #72.  Other songs with 20+ point drops:  S2N (from 70 to 94), Behind the Veil (from 64 to 89), The Enemy Inside (from 56 to 83T), Surrender to Reason (from 58 to 83T), The Killing Hand (from 48 to 68), The Bigger Picture (from 35T to 60), and Outcry (from 37 to 58).

As mentioned previously, other than the songs from View, Wither is the only song to rank this time that didn't make the countdown last time

100. Never Enough – 99 (-1)
99. Wither – NR
98. The Gift of Music – 83 (-15)
97. Vacant – 89 (-8)
96. Afterlife – 96 (+0)
95. Forsaken – 95 (+0)
94. S2N – 70 (-24)
93. Our New World – 97 (+4)
92. The Looking Glass – 92 (+0)
91. A New Beginning – 68 (23)
90. Transcending Time
89. Behind the Veil – 64 (-25)
88. This Is the Life – 74 (-14)
87. New Millennium – 90 (+3)
86. Constant Motion – 82 (-4)
85. Sleeping Giant
83T. The Enemy Inside – 56 (-27)
83T. Surrender to Reason – 58 (-25)
82. Only a Matter of Time – 75 (-7)
81. Awaken the Master
80. I Walk Beside You – 93 (+13)
79. The Shattered Fortress – 62 (-17)
78. A Fortune in Lies – 76 (-2)
77. The Best of Times – 77 (+0)
76. To Live Forever – 91 (+15)
75. Answering the Call
74. Through Her Eyes – 94 (+20)
73. Lost Not Forgotten – 59T (-14)
72. Fall into the Light – 43 (-29)
71. Honor Thy Father – 81 (+10)
70. The Dark Eternal Night – 78 (+8)
69. The Alien
68. The Killing Hand – 48 (-20)
67. Ytse Jam – 79 (+12)
66. The Silent Man – 80 (+14)
65. Raise the Knife – 72 (+7)
64. Beneath the Surface – 67 (+3)
63. Sacrificed Sons – 53 (-10)
62. Pale Blue Dot – 49 (-13)
61. The Ministry of Lost Souls – 66 (+5)
60. The Bigger Picture – 35T (-25)
59. Hollow Years – 69 (+10)
58. Outcry – 37 (-21)
57. Hell’s Kitchen – 42 (-15)
56. On the Backs of Angels – 73 (+17)
55. Panic Attack - 45 (-10)
54. These Walls - 41 (-13)
53. The Great Debate - 46 (-7)
52. Barstool Warrior - 39 (-13)
51. Caught in a Web - 63 (+12)
50. A Nightmare to Remember - 55 (+5)
49. A View from the Top of the World
47T. Lie – 59T (+12)
47T. This Dying Soul - 51 (+4)
46. One Last Time - 65 (+19)
44T. Peruvian Skies - 61 (+17)
44T. Wait for Sleep - 32 (-12)
43. As I Am - 71 (+28)
42. Innocence Faded - 57 (+15)
41. Disappear - 31 (-10)
40. Erotomania - 52 (+12)
39. Stream of Consciousness - 50 (+11)
38. Another Day - 44 (+6)
37. At Wit’s End - 20 (-17)
36. The Root of All Evil - 34 (-2)
35. Lifting Shadows off a Dream – 35T (+0)
34. 6:00 – 54 (+20)
33. The Dance of Eternity – 47 (+14)
32. Overture 1928 – 38 (+6)
31. Misunderstood – 33 (+2)
30. Space-Dye Vest – 21 (+9)
29. Endless Sacrifice – 40 (+11)
28. Lines in the Sand – 17 (+11)
27. The Mirror – 19 (-8)
26. The Spirit Carries On – 28 (+2)
25. Illumination Theory – 23 (-2)
24. Beyond This Life – 30 (+6)
23. Bridges in the Sky – 16 (-7)
22. In the Presence of Enemies – 25 (+3)
21. Blind Faith – 22 (+1)
20. Surrounded – 15 (-5)
19. Finally Free – 10 (-9)
18. Strange Deja Vu – 24 (+6)
17. Take the Time – 26 (+9)
16. Under a Glass Moon – 29 (+13)
15. The Glass Prison – 13 (-2)
14. Pull Me Under – 27 (+13)

[Dream Team]

Yay Under a Glass Moon! Yay Fonzie! Man this song . . . imo one of James' greatest vocal performances. Love that beautiful melodic 2nd verse. Of course the guitar solo is otherworldly but that entire instrumental section, what MP and JM are doing, so fantastic. I never need to hear PMU again but perfect songwriting. I'm with TAC on TGP, has aged very badly for me. MP inserting more rap baloney. Instrumental section goes on too long. James vocals in the first half are meh. But I'll still rock out to it if it comes on.

  3 Under a Glass Moon
  5 Only a Matter of Time
  6 The Killing Hand
  9 The Great Debate
11 Outcry
12 Overture 1928
14 Blind Faith
16 One Last Time
18 Illumination Theory
19 Beyond This Life
20 Lost Not Forgotten
21 Surrounded
22 A View From the Top of the World
24 This is the Life
25 Beneath the Surface
26 A New Beginning
27 Take the Time
28 Fall Into the Light
29 Bridges in the Sky
30 The Best of Times
31 Afterlife
33 Disappear
35 S2N
38 Constant Motion
39 Behind the Veil
40 The Enemy Inside
41 Pale Blue Dot
42 The Root of All Evil
46 Misunderstood
48 A Fortune in Lies
52 Barstool Warrior
51 Our New World
53 At Wit's End
54 Wither
55 The Alien
56 Lifting Shadows off a Dream
57 Surrender to Reason
58 Raise the Knife
59 Innocence Faded
61 I Walk Beside You
62 Endless Sacrifice
63 Awaken the Master
64 The Looking Glass
65 Wait for Sleep
66 The Bigger Picture
67 A Nightmare to Remember
68 Sleeping Giant
70 The Ministry of Lost Souls
71 Pull Me Under
72 The Dance of Eternity
75 Panic Attack
76 Transcending Time
78 Ytse Jam
79 Sacrificed Sons
80 Strange Deja-Vu
81 The Gift of Music
84 Answering the Call
88 The Mirror
93 Another Day
95 On the Backs of Angels
97 The Shattered Fortress

Missed the top 100: Never Enough, Vacant, Forsaken, New Millennium, Through Her Eyes, To Live Forever, Honor thy Father, The Dark Eternal Night, The Silent Man, Hollow Years, Hell's Kitchen, These Walls, Caught in a Web, Lie, This Dying Soul, Peruvian Skies, As I Am, Erotomania, Stream of Consciousness, 6:00, Space-Dye Vest, The Spirit Carries On, Lines in the Sand, ITPoE, Finally Free, The Glass Prison

Highest Ranker Of: Only a Matter of Time, Outcry, Under a Glass Moon

[CharlesPL]

Moon - 10
Prison - 88
Pull - 24

[Mladen]

I had Under a glass moon at #15, The Glass prison at #21 and Pull me under at #12. Obviously, these are all top tier Dream Theater songs, absolutely representative of why we love this band. We're into the top fifteen! 

[axeman90210]

Great batch of songs in today's update (I guess not a surprise given how high we are in the list).

Under a Glass Moon- I was right in the neighborhood, #13 on my list. Dat solo indeed, it's wild that JP managed to throw in pretty much every kind of technical flourish (sweeping, tapping, legato, harmonics, whammy bar, etc...) while making it sound incredibly musical and not at all like an exercise. The rest of the song is no slouch either.

The Glass Prison- The first entry from my top 5, this was my #4 song. While it's not my #1, this song will always have a *very* special place in my heart. It's not an exaggeration to say that The Glass Prison changed my life in meaningful ways. Flash back to the summer of 2003. I'm just finished with my sophomore year of high school, and after not getting into music until I was 13-14, I am now big into music and hard rock/heavy metal in particular. Metallica is my favorite band and I spend time on the forums that are part of Metallica's official website. I'm browsing a thread about "recommend other bands that Metallica fans should check out". Plenty of posts about plenty of bands in there, but a post someone made about how if you love Metallica and heavy metal you need to hear this song The Glass Prison by a band called Dream Theater piqued my interest in particular. So one Saturday morning I take a trip to my local Sam Goody (RIP) and buy Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. I take it with me to work and pop it into my CD player on my lunch break and hit play. I can still remember exactly where I was sitting and the feeling of musical epiphany that kicked in along with the double bass drums and carried me through those brain-melting arpeggios. This was the apex of heavy metal to my ears. Now, it wasn't an immediate love affair with DT from that moment on. I did not love or even like prog at that time, I wanted everything to be as as The Glass Prison and I was initially disappointed by everything that wasn't. I stuck with them though, chasing that high from hearing TGP, and a little bit later Scenes From a Memory absolutely highjacked my brain for about three months straight and the rest was history. I moved over from the Metallica forums to these forums, hosted at the time on DT's official site, and over 20 years later I'm still here and I've forged so many important friendships and relationships out of this community that transcend "music friend" or "forum buddy". Not to mention, so much of what I listen to even now is either music directly connected in one way or another to DT or music that I got turned on to by spending time in this place. It's wild to think how different my life would've been if some rando on the Metallica forums hadn't plugged The Glass Prison back in 2003.

Pull Me Under- My #30. It gets the label of overplayed, and I understand why, but it's still a great song.Little things like the riff in the "Watch the sparrows fall" section transitioning from palm muted to not still jump out at me every time I listen to it.

[devieira73]

Cool, Under a Glass Prision day!

The Glass Prision (my #29) is great, super heavy and intense. I think it could benefit of a bit of edition in its first half. Still amazing!

Under a Glass Moon (my #58) is very interesting, still reminiscent of Majesty days, with a lot of ideas cramed in one song, but it works perfectly. That JP solo is still very remarkable.

Pull Me Under (my #63) was my first exposure to DT. That intro, almost like Jean-Michel Jarre meets Metallica, was something that immediately blew my mind. I had never heard prog and heavy metal been mixed like that before... it was EXACTLY the kind of band I was looking for to be my favorite!

[jammindude]

Under a Glass Moon - 16

My second song to nail the aggregate!  Still the greatest JP solo of all time to my ears!


The Glass Prison - 10

Absolutely KILLER track (I’m going to try and bring the term “killer” back). I used to have the “RUN!” section as my ringtone back in the day. I even like the scratching bit.  Every second of this song is just…KILLER! 

Pull Me Under - 20

Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself how amazing I thought this was when I first heard it. It doesn’t quite have the same impact as it used to, but I still love it!

[Fonzie]

Yay Under a Glass Moon! Yay Fonzie! Man this song . . . imo one of James' greatest vocal performances. Love that beautiful melodic 2nd verse. Of course the guitar solo is otherworldly but that entire instrumental section, what MP and JM are doing, so fantastic. I never need to hear PMU again but perfect songwriting. I'm with TAC on TGP, has aged very badly for me. MP inserting more rap baloney. Instrumental section goes on too long. James vocals in the first half are meh. But I'll still rock out to it if it comes on.

  3 Under a Glass Moon
  5 Only a Matter of Time
  6 The Killing Hand
  9 The Great Debate
11 Outcry
12 Overture 1928
14 Blind Faith
16 One Last Time
18 Illumination Theory
19 Beyond This Life
20 Lost Not Forgotten
21 Surrounded
22 A View From the Top of the World
24 This is the Life
25 Beneath the Surface
26 A New Beginning
27 Take the Time
28 Fall Into the Light
29 Bridges in the Sky
30 The Best of Times
31 Afterlife
33 Disappear
35 S2N
38 Constant Motion
39 Behind the Veil
40 The Enemy Inside
41 Pale Blue Dot
42 The Root of All Evil
46 Misunderstood
48 A Fortune in Lies
52 Barstool Warrior
51 Our New World
53 At Wit's End
54 Wither
55 The Alien
56 Lifting Shadows off a Dream
57 Surrender to Reason
58 Raise the Knife
59 Innocence Faded
61 I Walk Beside You
62 Endless Sacrifice
63 Awaken the Master
64 The Looking Glass
65 Wait for Sleep
66 The Bigger Picture
67 A Nightmare to Remember
68 Sleeping Giant
70 The Ministry of Lost Souls
71 Pull Me Under
72 The Dance of Eternity
75 Panic Attack
76 Transcending Time
78 Ytse Jam
79 Sacrificed Sons
80 Strange Deja-Vu
81 The Gift of Music
84 Answering the Call
88 The Mirror
93 Another Day
95 On the Backs of Angels
97 The Shattered Fortress

Missed the top 100: Never Enough, Vacant, Forsaken, New Millennium, Through Her Eyes, To Live Forever, Honor thy Father, The Dark Eternal Night, The Silent Man, Hollow Years, Hell's Kitchen, These Walls, Caught in a Web, Lie, This Dying Soul, Peruvian Skies, As I Am, Erotomania, Stream of Consciousness, 6:00, Space-Dye Vest, The Spirit Carries On, Lines in the Sand, ITPoE, Finally Free, The Glass Prison

Highest Ranker Of: Only a Matter of Time, Outcry, Under a Glass Moon

Hi 5 dude!

[Wim Kruithof]

096: Beyond This Life    72
095: I Walk Beside You     15
094: S2n     spot on
093: Never Enough     7
091: Caught In a Web     40
090: The Alien     21
089: Only a Matter of Time     7
088: Surrender to Reason     5
087: Forsaken     8
086: Through Her Eyes     12
085: The Silent Man     19
084: Constant Motion     2
083: Fall Into the Light     11
082: The Best of Times     5
080: Wait for Sleep     36
079: On the Backs of Angels     23
078: Behind the Veil     11
077: Afterlife     19
076: Hollow Years     17
074: Sacrified Sons     9
073: 6:00     39
072: Erotomania     32
069: Innocence Faded     27
068: The Enemy Inside     15
067: Pale Blue Dot     3
065: Another Day     27
064: Pull Me Under     50
063: Disappear     22
062: Peruvian Skies     18
061: Misunderstood     30
060: A Fortune in Lies     18
059: Hell's Kitchen     2
056: A Nightmare to Remember     6
055: Blind Faith     34
054: The Looking Glass     38
053: Raise the Knife     12
052: Under a Glass Moon     36
050: Wither     49
049: Lifting Shadows Off a Dream     14
048: Transcending Time     42
046: Barstool Warrior     6
045: The Root of All Evil     9
044: Ytse Jam     23
043: The Spirit Carries On     17
042: The Killing Hand     26
041: Sleeping Giant     44
040: Answering the Call     45
038: The Dance of Eternity     5
037: The Bigger Picture     23
036: Lines In the Sand     8
034: As I Am     9
033: At Wit's End   4
031: Endless Sacrifice     2
030: Space-Dye Vest     spot on
029: Awaken the Master     52
028: Stream of Conciousness     11
027: Honor Thy Father     44
025: Lie     22
024: One Last Time     22
022: Finally Free     3
018: Outcry     47
017: Beneath the Surface     49
016: The Shattered Fortress     63
015: The Mirror     12
014: This Dying Soul     33
013: The Glass Prison     2
012: Bridges In the Sky     11
010: The Ministry of Lost Souls     51
008: Surrounded     12
007: A View From the Top of the World     42
006: In the Presence of Enemies     16
004: Illumination Theory     21 highest

not ranked: 12 The Gift of Music / Vacant / Our New World / A New Beginning / This Is the Life / New Millennium / To Live Forever / Lost Not Forgotten / The Dark Eternal Night / Overture 1928 / Strange Deja Vu / Take the Time