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

[MirrorMask]

I wonder when we'll eventually "lose hope" for some of the songs in our lists, but not on the overall ranking so far.

For example, at the bottom of my top 100 (90 and 98) I have two FII tracks that are generally regarded as being among the lesser ones. I can't imagine them being ranked from 79 upwards. Anything is possibile but I guess it's safe to say they didn't make the cut.

I also have at 93 one of the least favored songs with Mangini, again I can't imagine it topping at least 20 other songs if even I, who always tolerated and enjoyed the song, had it at 93.

[Mladen]

I've already made peace with the fact that some of the songs that I almost put in my top fifty won't make it in the overall top eighty. 

[ReaperKK]

The next update will be coming in later today, had to go to work early today!

[Indiscipline]

The more I see huge discrepancies in takes and rankings, the more I celebrate DT's catalogue.

[twosuitsluke]

The next update will be coming in later today, had to go to work early today!

No worries dude, I'll just sit here hitting refresh until then.

[jingle.boy]

Although I adore The Astonishing

You sure about that?? 

not rankend: #6 The Gift of Music / Vacant / Our New World / A New Beginning / This Is the Life / New Millennium

[twosuitsluke]

Although I adore The Astonishing

You sure about that?? 

not rankend: #6 The Gift of Music / Vacant / Our New World / A New Beginning / This Is the Life / New Millennium

Obviously has the NOMACS in their Top 10.

[Animal]

The lyrics always, always, always remind me of the Footprints in the Sand poem.

Which, as a christian, is a really beautiful thing to me.

This is the second time the discussion in this thread compelled me to look up lyrics for the song I have heard many times but had no idea what it was about (the first was Behind the Veil). And both times, it made me like the song in question better than before. Which is surprising, considering the inconsistent quality of DT lyrics.

[Animal]

Another testimony to the quality of DT output:
 For countdowns, when I have a chance, I always re-listen to the songs that are revealed on any given day. And almost every single time, my first thought after the listening is "Yeah, I definitely should have ranked this one higher."

[twosuitsluke]

Another testimony to the quality of DT output:
 For countdowns, when I have a chance, I always re-listen to the songs that are revealed on any given day. And almost every single time, my first thought after the listening is "Yeah, I definitely should have ranked this one higher."

That's what I've been doing. I haven't often disagreed with my ranking, but I definitely did with Awaken the Master yesterday.

[Wim Kruithof]

Although I adore The Astonishing

You sure about that?? 

not rankend: #6 The Gift of Music / Vacant / Our New World / A New Beginning / This Is the Life / New Millennium

 

The Astonishing is so much greater than the sum of its parts, to me. I only have two songs included, one at #98 and one on #75. And even that song is somehow uplifted by the ranking machine, but I do consider songs better (or even great, to say the least), that are lower on the list. Many of the songs on The Astonishing are either cut too soon or split in half, amongst the tracklist. But I do really love the story, the whole concept and many musical moments grab me each time I hear them.

But, although I really love The Astonishing, I still consider it in the low tier, if I should rank the albums. I love it, but Dream Theater has so many more songs to love (even more).

This is the second time the discussion in this thread compelled me to look up lyrics for the song I have heard many times but had no idea what it was about (the first was Behind the Veil). And both times, it made me like the song in question better than before. Which is surprising, considering the inconsistent quality of DT lyrics.

That's very nice to read.

[DragonAttack]

88.   This Is The Life (#14) goosebump time from ‘our gift divine’ til the end
87.   New Millennium (NR) there’s something, baby, that just kind of annoys me, baby…
86.   Constant Motion (#32) I feel like I’m swirling and going ‘round and round during this, in a good way
85.   Sleeping Giant (NR) there’s so many good parts of every ‘View’ song, but they don’t ‘grab’ me from start to finish
83t.  The Enemy Inside (#44) good, concise, straight ahead rocker.
83t.  Surrender To Reason (NR) so many different parts that it easily could have fit onto TA
82.   Only A Matter Of Time (#88)
81.   Awaken The Master (NR) see ‘Sleeping Giant’
80.   I Walk Beside You (#24) love that ending chorus

13/21

[Awaken]

88.   This Is The Life (#14) goosebump time from ‘our gift divine’ til the end
87.   New Millennium (NR) there’s something, baby, that just kind of annoys me, baby…
86.   Constant Motion (#32) I feel like I’m swirling and going ‘round and round during this, in a good way
85.   Sleeping Giant (NR) there’s so many good parts of every ‘View’ song, but they don’t ‘grab’ me from start to finish
83t.  The Enemy Inside (#44) good, concise, straight ahead rocker.
83t.  Surrender To Reason (NR) so many different parts that it easily could have fit onto TA
82.   Only A Matter Of Time (#88)
81.   Awaken The Master (NR) see ‘Sleeping Giant’
80.   I Walk Beside You (#24) love that ending chorus

13/21

 

[MoraWintersoul]

I had OATM somewhere in the low eighties and IWBY marks the halfway point for me. Quite a high ranking for that song for me, in fact, I don't remember it ever being that high!

[Lonk]

The next update will be coming in later today, had to go to work early today!

What is up with you people, putting your job ahead of more important things.

[pg1067]

I wonder when we'll eventually "lose hope" for some of the songs in our lists, but not on the overall ranking so far.

For example, at the bottom of my top 100 (90 and 98) I have two FII tracks that are generally regarded as being among the lesser ones. I can't imagine them being ranked from 79 upwards. Anything is possibile but I guess it's safe to say they didn't make the cut.

I also have at 93 one of the least favored songs with Mangini, again I can't imagine it topping at least 20 other songs if even I, who always tolerated and enjoyed the song, had it at 93.

Well...

I'm guessing my #50 song won't make the countdown, but that doesn't surprise me at all, so I had little hope going in.  I don't see any appreciable chance that any of my #1-49 won't make the list (7 have already made it).  Out of songs 51-70, I think there are three that aren't likely to make it.  After that, it's a bit of a crap shoot.  I have some highly regarded songs in my 71-100 range and plenty of poorly regarded songs that squeaked in (I'm guessing your #93 song might be my #91 song).

[twosuitsluke]

I think my highest ranked song that might not make the cut is #26. The highest the DEFINITELY won't make the cut is #38.

[geeeemo]

82. Only A Matter Of Time - not in top 100. Just never could get into WDaDU. Some with James are pretty decent, but I based my ranking on the original recordings

81. Awaken The Master - 66 - It was the hardest one to get into. Like many DT songs, you just can't skip because you aren't getting into it at the beginning.

80. I Walk Beside You -  not in top 100.  I like it ok. My girlfriend who I turned on to DT, has it as her ringtone for me.  .  I think of God, as some other have said when I listen. But it is slow and a bit boring.

[ReaperKK]

Afternoon update today!

79. The Shattered Fortress
Highest Finish: 16 (NoFred, WimKruithof)
Number of Lists appeared on: 51 (Adami, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, Dittomist, Dream Team, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

Bottom tier of the 12-suite for me, tied with The Root Of All Evil. I like the idea of the song but I don't really like how it was executed.

78. A Fortune In Lies
Highest Finish: 15 (Animal, jingle.boy)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, jingle.boy, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, TAC, The Realm, Trav86, Vmadera00, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

Only A Matter Of Time and A Fortune In Lies were my initial favorites when I heard WDADU. Unlike OAMOT A Fortune In Lies didn't age as well, it's still one of the two songs I go to the rare times I listen to WDADU.

77. The Best Of Times
Highest Finish: 10 (Revenge319)
Number of Lists appeared on: 40 (Adami, Awaken, axeman90210, CanuckChum, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, Dittomist, Dream Team, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lucasembarbosa, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, nobloodyname, NoFred, Peter Mc, PixelDream, ReaperKK, Revenge319, Stadler, TAC, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

I expected this song to be placed higher, especially with the lyrics and the solo from JP. I didn't like this song the first time I heard it, it's grown on me over the years but it's still not a favorite from BCSL.

[Zydar]

For comparison - this is how the songs listed so far ranked in the previous countdown from December 2021.

100. Never Enough (#99) - highest ranker then was DragonAttack at #8

99. Wither (#119)

98. The Gift Of Music (#83) - highest ranker then was TAC at #37

97. Vacant (#89) - highest ranker then was 425 at #15

96. Afterlife (#96) - highest rankers then was Dream Team and wolfking at #26

95. Forsaken (#95) - highest ranker then was ZirconBlue at #29

94. S2N (#70) - highest ranker then was bosk at #16

93. Our New World (#97) - highest ranker then was Dream Team at #33

92. The Looking Glass (#92) - highest ranker then was devieira73 at #40

91. A New Beginning (#68) - highest ranker then was devieira73 at #19

90. Transcending Time (-)

89. Behind The Veil (#64) - highest ranker then was wolfking at #12

88. This Is The Life (#74) - highest ranker then was DragonAttack at #14

87. New Millennium (#90) - highest ranker then was devieira73 at #16

86. Constant Motion (#82) - highest ranker then was Laughingplace56 at #22

85. Sleeping Giant (-)

84. The Enemy Inside (#56) - highest rankers then was Laughingplace56 and erciccio at #18

83. Surrender To Reason (#58) - highest ranker then was Laughingplace56 at #6

82. Only A Matter Of Time (#75) - highest ranker then was Dream Team at #4

81. Awaken The Master (-)

80. I Walk Beside You (#93) - highest ranker then was DragonAttack at #22

79. The Shattered Fortress (#62) - highest ranker then was Wim Kruithof at #12

78. A Fortune In Lies (#76) - highest ranker then was ZirconBlue at #12

77. The Best Of Times (#77) - highest ranker then was Revenge319 at #3

[ReaperKK]

Funny that TBOT landed at the exact same spot.

[Lonk]

TSF: #83. Fine track, but I think it is the weakest of the 12 step suite. Still enjoyable.

AFIL: #76. Great opened to the debut album. If it had a more modern production this would be a top 15 song. The version from WDADR sounds so much better.

TBOT: #NR. I used to really like this songs when it came out, but over the years it dropped off a lot. The final solo is still great though.

[MirrorMask]

The Shattered Fortress was my 87. A nice conclusion to the AA saga, even though it was a bit too heavy on all the reprises rather than being its own song. The ending is great.

A Fortune in Lies ended at 68 in my list. Solid track and one of the best of the debut.

The Best of Times was 78 for me, basically the same of the ranking. I remember the big smile on my face when I first heard the song, a melanchonic slow intro 'cause of course a song about a father's death has to be sad and then the actual song starts and it's uplifting with those Images and Words vibes. Lyrics are a bit too personal to relate, but overall a good song.

[HOF]

Only one of these I really know is A Fortune In Lies, and it's not one of the WDADU songs that I particularly like. The Best of Times I seem to recall having a nice intro (guitar solo maybe?) before going a bit off the rails (only heard it once or twice).

[CharlesPL]

TSF: none

AFIL: #47

TBOT: none

[Evermind]

97. Vacant (#89) - highest ranker then was 425 at #15

Nice, can definitely relate.

The Shattered Fortress - #87 - my least favourite track from BC&SL. There are some solid moments ("I am responsible" is a really good section) but the track lacks fresh ideas.

A Fortune in Lies - not ranked - as I said, I'm not that fond of WDADU.

The Best of Times - #76 - almost in tune with the actual list. Gorgeous intro, but then it's really questionable. I don't like the verses very much, I think the lyrics are very mundane and uninspired (probably just my impression), JP's solo on the other hand is gold. This song is very uneven but I kinda like it anyway.

[jingle.boy]

TSF ... 62.  Very good tune, one of the better ones on BCSL.  One of James' last truly incredible vocal deliveries... "I am responsible..."

AFIL ... 15.  My top rating from WDADU.  When you listen past the weak production, this is a great tune.  Good lyrics, good musicianship, killer guitar solo, good keyboard work by KM, and JM slays as usual.  As far as track 1 on album 1 of a band's career, this is pretty damned sweet.  Of course, it helps that it was one of the first DT songs I ever heard.  The machine gun segment of the snare/guitar/base starting at 3:10 is pure bliss, imo.  Lyrically, it's pretty good as well.  I'm not really sure which 'live' rendition with James I like best - certainly all of them up to WDADRU are great.  Luna Park on the other hand ... I'd rather listen to Charlie singing, thanks.

TBOT ... Overall, my fave song from BCSL - and it would rate higher than 57 if not for some of the cringey lyrics.  I get the personal nature of them, and it tells a good story - and I'm surely not going to slam them.  But they're still kinda cringey at times.  But the outro solo ... God Tier.  Top 5, probably Top 3 solo from JP in the catalogue.

[Indiscipline]

The Shattered Fortress: Didn't make the cut. I need my hand to be there and I need more original content in that vein besides the reprises in order to rank it higher.

A Fortune in Lies: 97. The definition of a solid tune.

The Best of Time: 27. Loved it even before I could relate to it, then it just skyrocketed. And the solo is the substance friendship is made of.


The Score so far:

21 - A New Beginning
27 - The Best of Times
33 - Surrender to Reason
36 - This Is the Life
45 - Vacant
46 - The Gift of Music
68 - Our New World
71 - Behind the Veil
72 - The Looking Glass
97 - A Fortune in Lies

Not Rated: Never Enough, Wither, Afterlife, Forsaken, S2N, Transcending Time, New Millennium, Constant Motion, Sleeping Giant, The Enemy Inside, Only a Matter if Time, Awaken the Master, I Walk Beside You, The Shattered Fortress.

[pg1067]

79. The Shattered Fortress

78. A Fortune In Lies

77. The Best Of Times

TBOT is dreck that I didn't even consider for my countdown and likely wouldn't make my top 150.  People keep telling me that the guitar solo is something great, but it does nothing for me (and a great guitar solo can't save an otherwise bad song).  It finished in exactly the same place on the prior countdown.

I like TSF because it somewhat concisely summarizes the prior 12SS songs.  I had it at #68.  It came in at #62 on the prior countdown, so this is a decent drop.

AFIL seems to be one of the better liked WDADU songs, but I have it as the #6 song on the album, and it came in at #75 on my list.  It came in at #76 on the prior countdown, so only the slightest of drops this time.

[Lonk]

AFIL ... 15.  My top rating from WDADU.  When you listen past the weak production, this is a great tune.

This is where I stand. It really is a great track, but the dated production is hard to ignore.

[twosuitsluke]

Two out of today's three. Unsurprisingly it's the WDaDU song that never made the cut.

I had A Fortune in Lies at #114 and that seems about appropriate to be honest. An OK song from an OK album.

The Shattered Fortress came in at #31, and unlike Reap, I had this ranked second highest out of all the 12 Step Suite songs. It has it's flaws but I still kinda love it. The best bit is obviously "Keep all of me, the desires...", the riff that follows it AND the solo that bit makes up for some of the more lacklustre sections.

Lastly, The Best of Times. Yea it's kinda corny and overlong, but it has some great bits, which obviously include that outro solo.


My ranking so far:

13. Wither
20. Never Enough
27. The Best of Times
29. Constant Motion
30. A New Beginning
31. The Shattered Fortress
35. The Enemy Inside
36. I Walk Beside You
45. The Looking Glass
49. Forsaken
55. Behind the Veil
62. Surrender to Reason
83. This is the Life
86. Our New World
100. New Millennium

Not ranked:

109. Vacant
112. Only a Matter of Time
113. Afterlife
114. A Fortune in Lies
119. Sleeping Giant
121. Awaken the Master
123. Transcending Time
125. S2N
140. The Gift of Music

(and a great guitar solo can't save an otherwise bad song). 

It absolutely can!

@HOF, you only listened to The Best of Times once or twice? Did you hate Black Clouds that much?

[jingle.boy]

Here's the thing about TBOT.... the lyrics are obviously one-man's relationship with his father.  But every time I play this song, I remember a lot of my own childhood memories and experiences as I listen.  The hokey-ness of "two score and the year we had" ... and "lying on the pillows at the old 812" are dwarfed by "young boy and his father; idol and best friend" ... "thank you for the inspiration; thank you for the smiles".  Many of those lines get me right in the feelz most times.

I really hope this is one of the tunes they finally play live on the first tour back.

[pg1067]

(and a great guitar solo can't save an otherwise bad song). 

It absolutely can!

Not for me.  It's the same as with lyrics.  Shitty lyrics can ruin an otherwise great song, but the best lyrics can't save an otherwise lousy song.

[HOF]

@HOF, you only listened to The Best of Times once or twice? Did you hate Black Clouds that much?

No, I just never bought it and have only sampled a few bits of it here and there. I think I heard TBOT for the first time the last time we did a DT song countdown.

[nobloodyname]

Here's the thing about TBOT.... the lyrics are obviously one-man's relationship with his father.  But every time I play this song, I remember a lot of my own childhood memories and experiences as I listen.  The hokey-ness of "two score and the year we had" ... and "lying on the pillows at the old 812" are dwarfed by "young boy and his father; idol and best friend" ... "thank you for the inspiration; thank you for the smiles".  Many of those lines get me right in the feelz most times.

I really hope this is one of the tunes they finally play live on the first tour back.

I'm really not sure it will be. Only a few days ago, on the anniversary of his father's death, MP was saying how he can still barely listen to the song because of the feelings it evokes in him.

On another note, I get people not liking songs but to dismiss them as "dreck"? I don't know. I don't feel comfortable with that. Maybe it's another American English vs British English thing.