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

[Zydar]

Hrmm I just got another countdown idea, best videos lmao, maybe include official live releases

The best DT video of all time is JP and JLB laugh-off

[Dream Team]

100 Never Enough - didn't make the top 100
  99 Wither - #54 - I think this is a very well-constructed "ballad" and I like JP's lyrical approach
  98 The Gift of Music - #81 - not much to add with this, a pretty standard single from DT these days

[CharlesPL]

100. Never Enough #100, same here
99. Wither #86
98. The Gift of Music #-

[Mladen]

Never enough was my #92. From the moment I heard it, I thought the chorus was really catchy, and the instrumental section works well. I got into Muse about five years after hearing this song, and it actually made me appreciate it more.

Wither was my #61. Initially, I was a bit lukewarm on it, it didn't have much to offer melodically at first, but as years went by, I started just enjoying the vibe of it. I love it now.

The Gift of music was my #54. If such a fun and remarkably well-constructed song barely made the cut, then I do not have high hopes for stuff from The Astonishing. It's a shame.

[Stadler]

138. Wither - I like ballads - just wait! - but this just falls flat with me.
123. Never Enough - One of those songs that I don't DISLIKE, but I don't like it enough to rank it higher; I love Mike's playing but dislike the Muse-like vocals of the verses.  LOVE the "what would you say?" parts.   Second lowest of the O8 tracks.
59.  The Gift of Music - not the highest of my TA songs; but a beautiful melody.  Just a beautiful song.

[bosk1]

100. Never Enough - I had this at 83.  I always liked the song.  I find nothing objectionable about the lyrics, but knowing the context that this was aimed specifically at some fans that clearly crossed the line and went too far, and that it is not about fan complaints in general, helps in that regard.  Good instrumentation.  It's ranked where it is just because I like other songs better, and not because it is a bad song.

99. Wither - Did not make my list.  I liked it when it came out, but quickly bored of it.  Nothing bad about it; just nothing that calls me back anymore and makes me want to listen.

98. The Gift Of Music - 54.  I know I'm not the highest, but I know ranking it that high might might surprise some.  It's just a well-crafted song.  Serves a similar function to Strange Deja Vu, and reminds me of it in a lot of ways.  It does a good job of setting up a lot of things in the story and, IMO, is a great start to the concept album that I wish some other parts had lived up to.  I like the direct Hunger Games reference in the lyrics in the "song bird stops to listen when he sings" part, and love where the instrumentation and solo go in that part of the song as well. 

[axeman90210]

Never Enough- I had this at #99, so pretty on the money. I dislike the lyrics, but Mike also has some killer drum parts. The rest of this song is solid, but nothing special IMO.

Wither- Not rated. It's OK, but there's just nothing exciting or special about it in any way. I don't skip it if I'm listening to all of Black Clouds, but otherwise never go out of my way to listen to it.

The Gift of Music- I put this at #69 (nice) on my list. A well done upbeat little rocker to kick off The Astonishing. The third highest rated song from the album for me.

[weirdo]

Not much to add honestly. All good mid-tier DT songs. Never been bothered about the lyrics or vocals or museness of Never Enough either.
Never enough #72
Wither #79
Gift of Music #77

[Jamesman42]

100. Never Enough (17th) I don't get how this is at 100. This song has many cool parts, especially the instrumental break.
99. Wither (66th) Solid song, when it hits, it's great but it doesn't always warrant a listen.
98. The Gift Of Music (92nd) It's alright. Past entry 82 on my list is stuff that just had to be ranked.

[nobloodyname]

100. Never Enough (17th) I don't get how this is at 100. This song has many cool parts, especially the instrumental break.

Yes! Finally

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Never Enough - I've actually warmed to this song over the last couple years. It used to always be an automatic skip. Having said that it still barely missed my top 100, coming in at 107. The instrumentation is very cool and I have no problems with the lyrics, but there are just that many DT songs I like more.

Wither - Funnily enough this one came in just below Never Enough on my ranking, at 108. It's a fine ballad-like song, but not nearly as good as other DT ballads.

The Gift of Music - My favorite song on The Astonishing, coming in at 58 and if I remember correctly I only have 3 or 4 other TA songs in my top 100. This is a great song though, both musically and vocally. I really like the vocal melodies. The only issue I have with it is the lyrics, which I've talked about over in the TA thread.


108 - Wither
107 - Never Enough
58   - The Gift of Music

[devieira73]

Just a comment, Wither from 2:55 until the end of the solo is pure gold.   

[Lonk]

Just a comment, Wither from 2:55 until the end of the solo is pure gold.   

While the song was just out of the top 100 for me, I agree. The "I drown in hesitation" part is incredible.

[Revenge319]

For my rankings, I will include a number in parentheses showing the difference in placements from the last ranking I did.


Never Enough - My ranking: #89 (-18)
While it's clearly Muse-inspired, I think Never Enough is still pretty unique for a Dream Theater song. I love the electronic sounds, and the guitar blends together well with the keyboards to create a distinct sound. I've never had a problem with the lyrics, though maybe that's because even as a relatively new fan (I started listening to DT in 2016), I've seen a lot of somewhat harsh criticisms of the band and their music over the years that puzzle me. In my eyes, Dream Theater gets so much right and the only "criticism" I usually have is that some songs are a little less interesting than the majority. And even disregarding what the song's meant to be about, I still think the lyrics are well-written.

Wither - My ranking: #90 (-4)
Not much to comment on, but Wither is a great, solid song from start to finish. This used to rank a lot higher for me, but over the years it's gotten outclassed by a lot of others. The highlight of this song, as others have already mentioned, is the bridge and guitar solo. James sounds amazing here.

The Gift of Music - My ranking: #63 (-2)
This song does great at introducing the story, and despite the lyrics being mostly about how people are suffering at the hands of an evil empire, the music is so elegant, and filled with a lively, uplifting energy. I enjoy how the song's mood starts changing once Gabriel is introduced. The tempo picks back up from the quiet piano section, goes into another verse, and then takes off with that powerful chorus. The guitar solo that comes afterwards is also great.

[pg1067]

Alright lets fucking do this, I went through the lists again to see if I messed anything up and I think I'm good now so lets get started:

100. Never Enough
Highest Finish: 6 (DragonAttack)
Number of Lists appeared on: 36 (DragonAttack, Jamesman42, porcacultor, twosuitsluke, jeff_kinsley, nobloodyname, Setlist Scotty, jammindude, wolfking, jingle.boy, energythief, Evermind, Adami, TAC, MustActFastToCoverUp, NoFred, mariner, Cool Chris, Vmadera00, PixelDream, weirdo, Dave_Manchester, CanuckChum, bosk1, Revenge319, lucasembarbosa, Mladen, The Realm, Wim Kruithof, SwedishGoose, Dittomist, hefdaddy42, MirrorMask, Zydar, axeman90210, CharlesPL)

Didn't make my list, I really disliked this song when I first heard it, and my dislike has just grown over the years.

99. Wither
Highest Finish: 13 (twosuitluke)
Number of Lists appeared on: 37 (twosuitsluke, ReaperKK, pg1067, MirrorMask, ReaPsTA, WardySI, Adami, Evermind, Wim Kruithof, Dream Team, devieira73, Trav86, Mladen, Zydar, MoraWintersoul, lightningbolt, Jamesman42, PixelDream, JPZealot, Dittomist, nobloodyname, Metro, wolfking, weirdo, Peter Mc, jeff_kinsley, Podaar, Setlist Scotty, CharlesPL, JiM-Xtreme, Cool Chris, Revenge319, energythief, hefdaddy42, CanuckChum, KevShmev, The Realm)

As an opposite I loved this song when I first heard it. I think it was the first song I fell in love with when hearing Black Clouds.

98. The Gift Of Music
Highest Finish: 35 (TAC)
Number of Lists appeared on: 42 (TAC, devieira73, DragonAttack, Indiscipline, CanuckChum, NoFred, lightningbolt, Mladen, bosk1, mariner. King Puppies and the Acid Guppies. Stadler. Trav86. JPZealot. Zydar, Revenge319, Podaar, lucasembarbosa, axeman90210, MirrorMask, Animal, Peter Mc, nobloodyname, Dittomist, Lethean, MustActFastToCoverUp,weirdo, DTwwbwMP, Mosh, OpenYourEyes311, Ben_Jamin, hefdaddy42, Dream Team, Fonzie, Awaken, porcacultor, jingle.boy, SwedishGoose, Jamesman42, romdrums, Vmadera00, Setlist Scotty)

Barely missed my list, it's not a bad song but I never listen to it on it's own.

I didn't rank Never Enough.  I don't care for the music, and I despise the lyrics.  Nor did I rank TGOM.  It's fine, and it might have snuck in if I had given a bit more consideration to TA songs.

I had Wither at #27.  It's my favorite DT ballad and a close second for favorite song on BC&SL.  I love some of the cymbal work, and JP's solo is awesome.  Lyrically, it's very similar to the one song from my old band that I didn't have a writing credit.  I even kinda like the JP vocal demo.

By the way, my top 10:

I was interested to see my top 10 breakdown by album as well, so:
-WDADU:  0
-I&W:  2
-Awake:  1
-FII:  0
-SFAM:  2
-SDOIT:  2
-TOT:  1
-8VM:  1
-SC:  0
-BCSL:  0
-ADTOE:  0
-DT12:  0
-TA:  0
-DOT:  0
-View:  0
-Other:  1

[jammindude]

I had Never Enough at #32.
Wither and The Gift of Music did not rank.

I love Panic Attack. I don’t understand why Mike caught flak for the lyrics. I understand that the fan base at large probably isn’t deserving, but I’ve never felt like he was addressing the entire fanbase at large, just the very vocal sub-section that acts like bratty Star Wars fans. 

Basically, if you’ve never treated him the way he’s talking about, then he’s not talking about you.  And I can see that it must be extremely frustrating and exhausting to put so much emotion into your art, and get (on some occasions) very hurtful and disrespectful flak in return.  I guess I’m in the minority that applaud the lyrics.

I liked Wither at first, but listening back just felt like a generic ballad.

The Gift of Music might be the worst lead single in the bands history [checks list - oh, I guess I ranked Paralyzed a tad lower…but that might be undeserved]

[Lonk]

I had Panic Attack at 63.
Wither and The Gift of Music did not rank.

I love Panic Attack. I don’t understand why Mike caught flak for the lyrics. I understand that the fan base at large probably isn’t deserving, but I’ve never felt like he was addressing the entire fanbase at large, just the very vocal sub-section that acts like bratty Star Wars fans. 

Basically, if you’ve never treated him the way he’s talking about, then he’s not talking about you.  And I can see that it must be extremely frustrating and exhausting to put so much emotion into your art, and get (on some occasions) very hurtful and disrespectful flak in return.  I guess I’m in the minority that applaud the lyrics.

Wrong song 

[jammindude]

I had Panic Attack at 63.
Wither and The Gift of Music did not rank.

I love Panic Attack. I don’t understand why Mike caught flak for the lyrics. I understand that the fan base at large probably isn’t deserving, but I’ve never felt like he was addressing the entire fanbase at large, just the very vocal sub-section that acts like bratty Star Wars fans. 

Basically, if you’ve never treated him the way he’s talking about, then he’s not talking about you.  And I can see that it must be extremely frustrating and exhausting to put so much emotion into your art, and get (on some occasions) very hurtful and disrespectful flak in return.  I guess I’m in the minority that applaud the lyrics.

Wrong song 

 

You’re right I was thinking of never enough. Sorry

[porcacultor]

Never Enough - My ranking: #19
Yeah, I love this track! The Muse inspiration (I know it's a pretty heavy one at that) doesn't bother me, and live it's so much fun. What other song would get JLB to apply his pelvic thrust against a magazine?

Wither - My ranking: #137
I'm surprised it missed my top 100! I have nothing against the song, it's pretty appreciated.

The Gift of Music - My ranking: #82
Fun stuff! Actually thought it'd rank higher in the collective list, but I guess people just don't have the TIIIIiime for music anymore... (just kidding)

[HOF]

Didn't submit a list, but I'll follow along to the extent I'm able.

I like The Gift of Music a good bit actually. Never Enough might be one of my least favorite DT tunes, and Wither seemed pretty tedious from what I remember of it.

[jammindude]

I had Panic Attack at 63.
Wither and The Gift of Music did not rank.

I love Panic Attack. I don’t understand why Mike caught flak for the lyrics. I understand that the fan base at large probably isn’t deserving, but I’ve never felt like he was addressing the entire fanbase at large, just the very vocal sub-section that acts like bratty Star Wars fans. 

Basically, if you’ve never treated him the way he’s talking about, then he’s not talking about you.  And I can see that it must be extremely frustrating and exhausting to put so much emotion into your art, and get (on some occasions) very hurtful and disrespectful flak in return.  I guess I’m in the minority that applaud the lyrics.

Wrong song 

Edited my original post to reflect the correct title and ranking of Never Enough…which I had at #32.

[jingle.boy]

I had Panic Attack at 63.
Wither and The Gift of Music did not rank.

I love Panic Attack. I don’t understand why Mike caught flak for the lyrics. I understand that the fan base at large probably isn’t deserving, but I’ve never felt like he was addressing the entire fanbase at large, just the very vocal sub-section that acts like bratty Star Wars fans. 

Basically, if you’ve never treated him the way he’s talking about, then he’s not talking about you.  And I can see that it must be extremely frustrating and exhausting to put so much emotion into your art, and get (on some occasions) very hurtful and disrespectful flak in return.  I guess I’m in the minority that applaud the lyrics.

Wrong song 

Edited my original post to reflect the correct title and ranking of Never Enough…which I had at #32.

Yeah, but I think the commentary seems more applicable to Never Enough, not PA??

[nobloodyname]

Well, yeah. Because he was actually talking about Never Enough

[DTwwbwMP]

Gift of Music was #77 for me. Wither & Never Enough came in at 101 & 102.

[Dittomist]

Never Enough- 96
The transition from Panic Attack into this song is so cool!

Wither- 72
Like a few others have said, this isn't a song I get the urge to revisit often, but it's very pleasant and heartfelt.

The Gift of Music- 75
Yeah, I also thought this would be one of the higher-placed Astonishing songs and so hopefully there are surprises much farther down the line. I have 5 TA songs above this one on my list.

[TAC]

100. Never Enough
Highest Finish: 6 (DragonAttack)
Number of Lists appeared on: 36 (DragonAttack, Jamesman42, porcacultor, twosuitsluke, jeff_kinsley, nobloodyname, Setlist Scotty, jammindude, wolfking, jingle.boy, energythief, Evermind, Adami, TAC, MustActFastToCoverUp, NoFred, mariner, Cool Chris, Vmadera00, PixelDream, weirdo, Dave_Manchester, CanuckChum, bosk1, Revenge319, lucasembarbosa, Mladen, The Realm, Wim Kruithof, SwedishGoose, Dittomist, hefdaddy42, MirrorMask, Zydar, axeman90210, CharlesPL)


99. Wither
Highest Finish: 13 (twosuitluke)
Number of Lists appeared on: 37 (twosuitsluke, ReaperKK, pg1067, MirrorMask, ReaPsTA, WardySI, Adami, Evermind, Wim Kruithof, Dream Team, devieira73, Trav86, Mladen, Zydar, MoraWintersoul, lightningbolt, Jamesman42, PixelDream, JPZealot, Dittomist, nobloodyname, Metro, wolfking, weirdo, Peter Mc, jeff_kinsley, Podaar, Setlist Scotty, CharlesPL, JiM-Xtreme, Cool Chris, Revenge319, energythief, hefdaddy42, CanuckChum, KevShmev, The Realm)


98. The Gift Of Music
Highest Finish: 35 (TAC)
Number of Lists appeared on: 42 (TAC, devieira73, DragonAttack, Indiscipline, CanuckChum, NoFred, lightningbolt, Mladen, bosk1, mariner. King Puppies and the Acid Guppies. Stadler. Trav86. JPZealot. Zydar, Revenge319, Podaar, lucasembarbosa, axeman90210, MirrorMask, Animal, Peter Mc, nobloodyname, Dittomist, Lethean, MustActFastToCoverUp,weirdo, DTwwbwMP, Mosh, OpenYourEyes311, Ben_Jamin, hefdaddy42, Dream Team, Fonzie, Awaken, porcacultor, jingle.boy, SwedishGoose, Jamesman42, romdrums, Vmadera00, Setlist Scotty)

I had Never Enough at #60.
It is kind of cringey how close it is to Stockholm Syndrome, which for some reason, I just heard for the first time just a few months ago. I actually really like the song, and it is a sneaky great James performance.

I had Wither as Not Ranked.
I mean, the last 30 and the handful that just missed the cut are all pretty much interchangeable. This time around, it just missed the cut.

I had The Gift Of Music at #35.
I feel like if I only had 4 minutes (and not a 4 minute section of a songlike Metropolis) to show someone what Dream Theater is all about, I'd give them ..um..The Gift Of Music!



List                                                    Not Ranked         
100                                                      Wither
99
98
97
96
95
94
93
92
91
90
89
88
87
86
85
84
83
82
81
80
79
78
77
76
75
74
73
72
71
70
69
68
67
66
65
64
63
62
61
60  Never Enough
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46
45
44
43
42
41
40
39
38
37
36
35  The Gift Of Music
34
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[wolfking]

Stealing your template Tim.

[hefdaddy42]

Hrmm I just got another countdown idea, best videos lmao, maybe include official live releases

The best DT video of all time is JP and JLB laugh-off

Hell yeah motherfucker

[wolfking]

Never Enough I had at #42.  This jumped up quite a lot on my recent listen of 8VM.  Really solid tune.  The Muse rip doesn't worry me, it's a really killer tune with a fantastic chorus.

Wither I had at #78.  Could have been a bit higher I guess, it's a great tune.  Nice solo, nice melodies.

The Gift of Music I didn't rank.  On my listen though, it was enjoyable enough.



List                                                        Not Ranked         
100                                                    The Gift of Music
99
98
97
96
95
94
93
92
91
90
89
88
87
86
85
84
83
82
81
80
79
78 Wither
77
76
75
74
73
72
71
70
69
68
67
66
65
64
63
62
61
60 
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46
45
44
43
42 Never Enough
41
40
39
38
37
36
35 
34
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[devieira73]

Just a comment, Wither from 2:55 until the end of the solo is pure gold.   

While the song was just out of the top 100 for me, I agree. The "I drown in hesitation" part is incredible.

There are some chilling drum fills right there!

[Indiscipline]

Never Enough: didn't make the cut.
I have nothing against the lyrics and I love Muse and Stockholm Syndrome. I just don't appreciate DT mimicing, even when in an extremely competent and classy way like in this case.

Wither: didn't make the cut.
Nice, but not memorable or poignant enough to beat other 100 tunes by the greatest band of my generation.

The Gift of Music: #46
Excellent showcase of the things I love most in DT songwriting and great example of my DT Compass Theory (DT is at its best north of Queen, south of Iron Maiden, west of Yes, east of Journey.) 

[TAC]

The Gift of Music: #46
Excellent showcase of the things I love most in DT songwriting and great example of my DT Compass Theory (DT is at its best north of Queen, south of Iron Maiden, west of Yes, east of Journey.)

I agree!

[jingle.boy]

The Gift of Music: #46
Excellent showcase of the things I love most in DT songwriting and great example of my DT Compass Theory (DT is at its best north of Queen, south of Iron Maiden, west of Yes, east of Journey.)

Which is a problem when the The Gift of Music compass is aligned like this

            Queen

Yes                      Journey

         Iron Maiden

[Mosh]

ReaperKK: Thanks for hosting! I appreciate the insane amount of work that goes into these types of things.

Kev: Thanks for getting us started! Ditto I know you put in a bunch of work early on and I appreciate it. I'm looking forward very much to the countdown.

So I did the preference revealer for my list and only adjusted for formatting/double checking for areas, and I am actually surprised that of these three, only The Gift of Music made the top 100. Honestly all three are in a similar realm for me and there might be days where I prefer Never Enough. I'll speak in defense of one the most polarizing DT songs to say that Never Enough has a killer instrumental section and some cool rhythmic stuff in the verses. Otherwise 100 seems about right.

Big meh on Wither.

Gift of Music is probably the best written song of the three if we're being real. It has a really nice hook, some good riffing, and an insane instrumental section. I think it sets up The Astonishing well and the album suffers by not having more songs that are as well written and structured while also carrying the story along. On the album it often feels like you can have a good song or you can move the plot forward but you can't have both. The Gift Of Music is a big exception.

[The Realm]

Never Enough - I ranked at 92. The Muse influence was extremely jarring to me at the time but it never stopped me from liking the song. A solid tune and cool instrumental section.

Wither - I ranked at 100! Just made it and just missed the consensus. On another day this song could have been ranked a bit higher or possibly missed my top 100 but I'm happy to see it here.

The Gift of Music - not ranked and absolutely no chance.

How many of us are in this countdown? I know there is a list of names at the start of the thread but would be handy to know (too lazy to count). I think Kev would usually post xx out of xx for how many lists a song made. Great work though Reaper.