Best Album Ever Survivor: Somewhere In Time wins

Vote for your least favourite album

  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .
+1 for U2, Purple Rain, BITUSA*

* I'm disowning myself from you guys if BITUSA gets further than Born to Run. :p I adore BITUSA, but it's a bit like comparing Wasted Years to Alexander the Great.

Regarding James, I think mckindog is actually right on the money. I was trying to figure it out for awhile since I honestly believe my dislike for his voice is completely irrational (he sounds like most of my favorite singers). James has a great voice, but there's not enough behind that great voice, and consequentially, it falls flat and even comes off as weak (even though he's technically brilliant).

I voted against Who's Next because I don't remember half of it. :( It's okay, though, because I plan on making sure Quadrophenia makes at least top 5.
 
@ Foro

You say you became disinterested in the rest of the album after hearing LaBrie's vocals on that soft song. Scenes from a Memory's best part is the second part and it's not even a question. Home, The Dance of Eternity, Finally Free etc.
 
Well, you won't like Dance of Eternity because it's something of a show-offy instrumental (what, like 100+ time changes?). But yeah, The Flash is right that the second half is the best half. Home IS the handbook on how to write a 13 minute song for a concept album, and the last two tracks (The Spirit Carries On, Finally Free) are a beautiful conclusion. But I'm assuming the soft song you're talking about is Through Her Eyes. The lyrics to that song are by John Petrucci, and therefore he is presumably responsible for the vocal melody. This is, of course, unless you were referring to disliking the entirely melody. The thing about DT is that they do actually have pop influences that show up occasionally. The covered a Journey song in The Big Medley on the A Change of Seasons EP. However, I reject the notion that a ballad is necessarily "shitty pop".

I won't say that Dream Theater has never done a show-off instrumental part (The Dance of Eternity walks the line and Endless Sacrifice maybe crosses it), but I'm not sure if you're referring to one on the first half of Scenes? Could you point one out on this album?
 
425 said:
This is, of course, unless you were referring to disliking the entirely melody. The thing about DT is that they do actually have pop influences that show up occasionally. The covered a Journey song in The Big Medley on the A Change of Seasons EP. However, I reject the notion that a ballad is necessarily "shitty pop".
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I was listening to Journey at full volume yesterday. I don't know why but something just clicked and I suddenly found myself liking the arena rock, the guitars and Steve Perrys amazing voice. That dude has some pipes!


As for Dream Theater; sure they have exaggerated show-off parts, but I feel they are such a collective of talented musicians, that stuff like that is inevitable because they play off each other. The good thing about Dream Theater is that their stuff is usually pretty heavy and varied so I can appreciate their exaggeration more (when it does happen) than generic power metal which is ALL exaggeration with musicianship that doesn't even come close to DT.

For Cheese LaBrie, I just find him boring to listen to.
 
Dream Theater has done A LOT of show-off instrumental parts, especially in 21st century. Most of Train of Thought and Systematic Chaos are show off/wanking songs, they're featured exhaustingly often on Black Clouds & Silver Linings, too.

I actually hate show off music, one of the biggest reasons why I don't consider DT's great work as wanking or showing off. I DON'T like it when they show off. I disagree The Dance of Eternity is a show off song by the way, it's the most technical song the band has ever done, but is a musical masterwork. It screams creativity.
 
When I think of show off I think of guitar shred albums, that is the epitome of show off. I don't feel that most of Train of Thought is full on show-off, there is some really strong tracks on that album.
 
I didn't deny that. But This Dying Soul, Endless Sacrifice, Honor Thy Father feature boring long show off sections.
 
Show off is a bad term to use in music anyways. Pretty pointless. When is something show off? Everything in Jazz is show off? Is the only non show off music the standard 12 bar blues?Doesn't Dave and Adrian show off their chops on Maiden albums?
 
I mean, if "look what we can do" was a negative thing we wouldn't have seen many masterpieces like many of the Pink Floyd albums, Beatles albums, Jazz albums, Heavy Metal albums etc etc all the progressive rock....actually we would be left with music that hadn't gone nowhere since the delta blues...

The problem is when "we" becomes "i" in music. When band members are OK" with playing second fiddle to one guy in the spotlight. Yngwie Malmsteen, now that is show off ;)
 
I don't think anybody uses the term show off as a positive thing, though. Show off in music industry means pointless showings of skill. None of those bands did it pointless so noone refers to them as show offs.

I disagree with your second fiddle point, though. There are fantastic albums on which guitarist is the lead and the other instruments are just supporters. The Land of the Midnight Sun by Al Di Meola springs to my mind.
 
The Flash said:
I don't think anybody uses the term show off as a positive thing, though. Show off in music industry means pointless showings of skill. None of those bands did it pointless so noone refers to them as show offs.
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Yeah but if one band has a technical or complex instrumental to any song who decides when that is pointless wankery? is every rock and metal solo not a showcase of some form of skill? I believe many musicians were born with a "show-off" gene. If Dave Murray didn't want to be Jimi Hendrix he wouldn't have picked up a guitar. If many of those eccentric guitar stars of the 70's weren't so eccentric - we wouldn't have seen many great songs and solos. Many musicians want to show off what they can do, that's my point. But there is a difference between doing that in a band and doing it like Al Di Meola and Yngwie Malmsteen.

The Flash said:
I disagree with your second fiddle point, though. There are fantastic albums on which guitarist is the lead and the other instruments are just supporters. The Land of the Midnight Sun by Al Di Meola springs to my mind.
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I'm not saying they are not fantastic albums but that is what show off albums are to me. Guitar shred albums. Not one single instrumental section in an otherwise strong song. For DT that might be the case though but now I'm talking a bit more in general ;)
 
Generalizing "guitar shred albums" doesn't help this discussion one bit. Yngwie Malmsteen is a pretentious, boring, tasteless guitarist while Al Di Meola is a creative, progressive and top quality one. His albums don't even sound close to wankery. You say who decides it's pointless wankery then generalize the whole shred style as showing off. This is quite a stretch.

You can always come up with fast, technical stuff even if you have no inspiration and creativity if you have the talent. If it does feature inspiration and creativity, it has a point. If not, it doesn't. Simple as said.
 
Well, it is isn't it...It is albums meant to showcase one particular guy? In other words Al Di Meola showing off what he can do? I didn't say it was bad though, I love Meola :)
 
I don't know if there are many of those fast technical passages in Dream Theater that are completely void of inspiration and creativity but maybe you are right...
 
I think you missed my point, "showing off" shouldn't be considered a positive thing. Showing off is only about talent, not musicianship. It's a silly argument we're having anyway, more about the words than meanings they have.

DT's best work are some of the most creative and inspired work I've ever heard (the reason why they're one of my favorite bands) but their bad stuff are really really tough to listen to.
 
Looks I do not like the first 20 minutes of Scenes. I like the first 11 minutes.
425 said:
But I'm assuming the soft song you're talking about is Through Her Eyes. The lyrics to that song are by John Petrucci, and therefore he is presumably responsible for the vocal melody. This is, of course, unless you were referring to disliking the entirely melody.
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No. The calm parts in these songs:
10:56 - 11:57 / Through Her Words
11:58 - 18:46 / Fatal Tragedy
18:47 - 30:08 / Beyond This Life
425 said:
The thing about DT is that they do actually have pop influences that show up occasionally. The covered a Journey song in The Big Medley on the A Change of Seasons EP. However, I reject the notion that a ballad is necessarily "shitty pop".
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I never said a ballad is necessarily shitty pop. I don't mind ballads in general. I don't mind pop music in general. But this stuff I dislike. I dislike the vocal melodies and sound in the harder parts of Fatal Tragedy as well.
425 said:
I won't say that Dream Theater has never done a show-off instrumental part (The Dance of Eternity walks the line and Endless Sacrifice maybe crosses it), but I'm not sure if you're referring to one on the first half of Scenes? Could you point one out on this album?
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Beyond this Life has this not very likable ever repeated motive. Boring music and again annoying vocals.
22:49 has unpleasant vocals. Then at 24.10 I need a bucket.

So I like the first three tracks. Then dislike the next three. I will pick up the album at track seven "Through Her Eyes" and will tell later what I think of it.
 
I don't like that part either, but the rest of the song is gold.
 
So, Foro, you like Overture 1928 and Strange Deja Vu. The songs I like the most from the first part of the album. I don't like Beyond This Life, Through My Words is a cheesy song, Fatal Tragedy is very good but I don't like the part you talk about either.

But like I've said before, the second part crushes the first part, it really isn't fair to talk about Scenes without hearing the gems.
 
The whole thing should be listened to in one sitting anyway. Also, it helps to be familiar with Metropolis (the song). I remember first listening to Scenes and loving all the references to it.
 
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