Dream Theater

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I don't think so, no. A suite is nothing more than an ordered set of musical pieces that are in some way unified (thus, I'm not even sure suite is the right word for describing SDOIT).

My point is, despite it being listed as one song: Each individual part of it is just as separated from the others as are the individual songs on Scenes from a Memory. They share a common theme, and they are glued together, but they are very different in style and not unified by any musical motifs. The overture and finale are the only parts that include motifs that can be found in other songs.

No, I really don't see it as one song.
 
I would say 6DOIT is more unified than 2112, because 2112 actually has patches of silence in it whereas 6DOIT has less of that. Also, I think it determines on the bands intentions. DT intended it to be one song, so I would say it is.
 
The only patch of silence I remember was in between Temples and Discovery.
 
Yeah I guess your right, although just to me 6DOIT seems more "unified" than 2112, I consider them both as one song though.
 
Same here.Also,I prefer 6 Degrees. The overture is beautiful.

Also, something I never mentioned, but I'm disappointed in the artwork for ADTOE. 90% of the stuff posted on the forum was better.
 
Eddies Wingman said:
I don't think so, no. A suite is nothing more than an ordered set of musical pieces that are in some way unified
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No, being unified is not a requirement for a suite. In fact, many suites have very different pieces.

A suite is a bunch of short songs joined together. What is usually called the "Abbey Road medley" is actually a suite.

A true medley is done by joining songs that were originally separate. Some of DT's live medleys like Instrumedley are perfect examples.


Edit for clarification: I mean being musically unified - such as sharing themes between parts of a suite - is not a requirement for a suite, though it does happen.
 
Well, thanks for the clarification on the term suite. You have a good point about some suites being very musically varied. For example, the "Peer Gynt" suite, by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, contains songs as different as "Aase's Death" - a lament over Peer Gynt's dying mother - and "In The Hall of the Mountain King", "Anitra's Dance" and "Morning Mood" are all very different from that.

My point was more that I don't see SDOIT as one song. Whether it is, strictly speaking, a suite or not was not the point. I mean, the individual parts are as different as Paschendale and Journeyman, or Creeping Death and Nothing Else Matters.
 
I think the overture is what unifies the entire thing as one song. It introduces the listener to musical ideas that are present in the different movements. And on the subject of classical suites, one of my favorites is Pines Of Rome. Which is very good at flowing as one piece.
 
Oh I forgot about that one. The Planets is amazing. Especially Mars and Jupiter.
 
The last three shows have had the same setlist. Are they not changing?
 
Eddies Wingman said:
Well, thanks for the clarification on the term suite. You have a good point about some suites being very musically varied. For example, the "Peer Gynt" suite, by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, contains songs as different as "Aase's Death" - a lament over Peer Gynt's dying mother - and "In The Hall of the Mountain King", "Anitra's Dance" and "Morning Mood" are all very different from that.

My point was more that I don't see SDOIT as one song. Whether it is, strictly speaking, a suite or not was not the point. I mean, the individual parts are as different as Paschendale and Journeyman, or Creeping Death and Nothing Else Matters.
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Would you consider ACOS one song then?
 
Pieces like ACOS or 6DOIT with numbered and named sections straddle the song/suite border. However, they're usually called songs. Just like most people think of 2112 or Close To The Edge as songs.
 
What do you think about Mind Beside Itself? I consider it three different songs because they are separated and have almost nothing to do with each other.
 
Petrucci has always claimed it's a suite, and some chords from Silent Man do show up in Erotomania. However: the fans have always referred to the songs individually, and everyone seems to agree on that. Try talking about War Inside My Head as a separate song on DTF, I'm sure you'd get crushed - but people talk about the AMBI songs as separate songs there all the time.

For what it's worth, I believe most live performances have been Erotomania/Voices - that is, the two together like in the suite, but Voices often shortened. It's pretty clear that DT considers those as a pair that belongs together. Silent Man isn't played live often, it was a flop as a single and the band has better ballads.
 
I can agree that Erotomania and Voices go together alright, but Silent Man just seems to be tagged on there. To be honest, I find AMBI to be one of the weaker parts of Awake. I don't get why Erotomania was the highest ranked song in the survivor. Voices is OK but didn't need to be 9 minutes.
 
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