Rank 'Em: Dream Theater

[Sir Exar Kun]

OK, what the hell..... Been a long time since anyone did one of these, and since the BC&SL thread seems to be headed there, why not start a new one???? Rank the DT albums!!!

For me:

1) Awake - Perfect combination of complexity and melody for me. This remains not only my favorite DT release, but my single favorite disc of all time PERIOD.

2) Train of Thought - The "balls and chunk" album from the catalogue. "In the Name of God" is one of my all time favorites.

3) Images & Words - What can be said that hasn't already? The defining album of the genre.

4) Scenes from a Memory - The perfect comeback album following a very disappointing FII. Welcome to the fold, Jordan!

5) Systematic Chaos - I love the sandwich method of folding the album in between the two halves of "Presence of Enemies". I could do without "Dark Eternal Night", however.....

6) Black Clouds & Silver Linings - Despite being 75 minutes, somehow this album never quite feels like a "complete" album to me. I think its the "Shattered Fortress", which makes it feel like a best of.

7) Octavarium - Possibly the album that took the longest to grow on me, especially following up ToT which was an instant gem. "Sacrificed Sons" just clicked one night, and the rest followed soon thereafter.

When Dream and Day Unite - Raw and unpolished in so many ways, but still able to produce classics out of the gate like "Killing Hand".

9) Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Flashes of brilliance, but also long periods of dolldrum. Songs like "Glass Prison" shine, but then songs like "Misunderstood" just plain drag. The 45 minute "opus" still feels more like 3.5 minute song snippets strung together, instead of one cohesive song (like ACoS or Tuscany).

10) Falling into Infinity - Sad part is, if you take the DEMOS version of this album, including the three or four unreleased tracks, this moves up two or three spots for me. Nevertheless, this was a VERY disappointing album out of the gate, and to this day I find no desire to revisit the studio release itself.

Thoughts?
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[Man Of Much Metal]

I'm not sure I qualify to rank DT albums as I tend to only dip in and out of them very occasionaly due to lack of time, too much other new stuff to listen to, work etc, etc.

However, I'd rate Images and Words my number 1 and then probably the new one, Dark Clouds, as number 2. Following that, I reckon Awake rounds out my top 3.

On the subject of Six Degrees, I agree that it is very patchy, but I will admit to loving the song "Misunderstood". In fact, for me, it's one of the few highlights on the album.

What this thread has done though, is to fire my enthusiasm and makes me want to go away and really listen to all the DT albums...properly!
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Matt
The Man of Much Metal

[BenMech]

I&W
Awake
Live Scenes
WD&DU
ACofS ep
L@tM (both versions)
FII
SFAM
OiALt
Octa
SC

big drop

Black Clouds
some of those live albums from the 00s I never bothered to hear
big drop



6 Doit and Tot are both equally bad.
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yada yada yada

[George]

Scenes From a Memory
Images and Words
Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Awake
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
When Dream and Day Unite
Systematic Chaos

big drop

I guess I regard Octavarium, Train of Thought and Falling into Infinity equally, in that I rarely if ever spin any of them. They all have a couple good tracks and plenty of boring filler. Completely superfluous if you have the rest of them

[FrancoTAU]

1) Awake, it was the heaviest and most melodic and I guess that touched more into my 80's Thrash roots
2) I&W, the best blend of complexity and song writing
3) SFaM
4) BC
5) ACoS, I probably like it better than 3/4 but it's short
6) FII, yeah it's a little "dumbed" down but it's catchy
7) 6DoIT, It's a great album that got stretched out into decent double album
WD&DU, good not great but has its moments

BIG Drop off
9,10,11) Oct, SC and ToT. Too much jamming and not enough song writing. i don't think I've listened to any of these past the first month I had them
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-Kevin

[Ty Kwando]

[Captain Harlock]

1. Awake (this one really got me into them)
2. Scenes from a Memory
3. Images and Words
4. A Change of Seasons
5. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

The rest I just don't like. Haven't purchased an album of theirs since Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. James LaBrie's solo stuff seems to be more of the Dream Theater I like than Dream Theater themselves.


James LaBrie is coming out with a new solo album:
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=143627

[LarryD]

1) Images and Words
2) Scenes from a Memory
3) Black Clouds & Silver Linings
4) Awake
5) Train of Thought
6) Octavarium
7) Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Systematic Chaos
9) Falling Into Infinity
10) When Dream & Day Unite

If we were counting the live discs --- "Score" would be in the Top 5, probably after Black Clouds.......
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[Sir Exar Kun]

[Ascension]

I&W
BC&SL
Awake
SFaM
ACoS
6DoIT
SC
Octavarium
WDDU
ToT
FII

[The_Gleeman]

Just because I am a true DT whore I feel I must add a little reply to this one :

1: Images & Words
2: Scenes From A Memory
3: Black Clouds & Silver Linings
4: Awake
5: Systematic Chaos
6: Train Of Thought
7: Octavarium
8: Falling Into Infinity
9: Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
10: When Dream & Day Unite
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Without Music Life Would Be A Mistake

[T'ski]

1. Awake
2. Images & Words
3. WDaDU - I'm always surprised to see this low on peoples lists

4. SFAM
5. Six Degrees
6. Octavarium
7. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
8. Train of Thought
9. Falling into Infinity

10. Systematic Chaos

Guess its safe to say I prefer the Kevin Moore era.

I can't remember the last time I listened to Systematic Chaos. I don't think I could name one song on the album.

[Mindcrime]

10 pts
1) Awake
2) I&W
3) Scenes

9 pts
4) WDADU
5) ToT

8 pts
6) Black Clouds
7) Octavarium
Systematic

and the DT albums I don't listen anymore
9) Six Degrees / Falling

[Psychotic Symphony]

I&W
Awake
SFAM
ACOS
BC&SL
ToT
WDADU
SC
6DoIT
FIF
8VRM
I really do like them all. ToT took fucking forever to grow on me, but now I love it. I really have a hard time getting into 8vrm.
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So -that's- where the humidifier went.

[Mike-CLOUDSCAPE]

Without any explanations etc...

1) Images and Words
2) Awake
3) Black Clouds & Silver Linings
4) Octavarium
5) Scenes from a memory
6) Six degrees of inner turbulence
7) When dream and day unite
Train of thoughts
9) Systematic Chaos
10) A change of seasons (I adore the title track but, don't bother for the rest of the cover songs)
11) Falling Into Infinity

Skål
Idon't think DT have produced a bad album but, the "least good" is FII;)
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