Dream Theater (1 Viewer)

[Brian Dobbs]

Anyone like Dream Theater? I'd have to say that their level of music production is a step above most.

 

[Brian Perry]

I'd have to say that their level of music production is a step above most.

That's an understatement!
I'm one of DT's biggest fans. I can't wait for their new album, due in January. The only thing I'm afraid of is that they are hinting that the new album will be heavier than the last one (SFAM). It sounds like it will be closer to some of the Liquid Tension Experiment material, which is okay but a little too spontaneous for me.
I also read that Mike Portnoy's Liquid Drum video will be released on DVD in the fall, complete with commentary from Mike. Excellent!

 

[John_Bonner]

Brian,
Any specs on the Liquid Drum Theater DVD?
-Anamorphic?
-Dolby Digital?
-Extras? (Besides Mike's commentary)
I have the VHS version of this and love it.
The audio mix is great since Mike plays "on top of" the studio tracks so the drums really stand out (I am a drummer BTW). I ran the audio out of my VCR to my sound card's audio in and made WAV files of the songs which I burned onto a CD so I can listen to my own remix with the hyped-up drums.
I have the Metropolis 2000 DVD and love that also but I have to admit that I was disappointed with the specs. I didn't mind too much that it wasn't anamorphic because they did a real nice job with the full frame but I was really looking forward to a 5.1 channel mix. Not to be.

A week or so before the DVD arrived I rented The Eagles "When Hell Freezes Over" DVD which was recorded in 5.1 and the sound was truly awesome. Instruments and vocals coming from discrete channels really gave you the feeling of being immersed in the concert. And I thought with Mike P being a big film buff and having a huge DVD collection we would be treated to a 5.1 version but it wasn't recorded that way. Damn!
Oh well, I'm sure I'll still buy the LDT DVD no matter what the specs and I'll pick up the new CD as well. IMO these guys are the best band out there today period!
------------------
JB
"This is Chuck reminding Bill to shut up!"

 

[Brian Perry]

John,
Unfortunately I don't know any more details about the LTD DVD.
I do agree that the VHS version is excellent. Like you, I'm a drummer (just a hobby) and noticed the increased presence of Mike's drums compared to the SFAM CD. Even better, the LDT mix seems to bring out Jordan's piano much more (for example, listen to "Home").

 

[John_Bonner]

Even better, the LDT mix seems to bring out Jordan's piano much more (for example, listen to "Home")

Agreed. When watching the VHS I was hearing keyboard/piano parts that are hard to decipher on SFAM ("Home" is a good example).
What are your impressions of the M2000 DVD?
------------------
JB
"This is Chuck reminding Bill to shut up!"

 

[Brian Dobbs]

The DVD was great of course, just a little low in volume, not in 5.1 and the upper frequencies weren't there. I have an equalizer right before my amp so i can boost em. Nice to hear that we have some fans here. I saw G3 2 days ago.

 

[Jim_C]

>>I can't wait for their new album, due in January

 

[Nathan A]

About time someone mentioned a good band here!!!
They came to Dallas twice on their M2000 tour and I went to both shows (the first show I waited in line over 12 hours for the front row). DT is bar none the greatest band I have ever heard. What amazes me is that each player of their instrument. Some are close calls (Steve Vai vs. John Petrucci.....), but I think they all edge out everyone else.
Aside from being able to switch camera angles, I don't know anything about the LDT DVD.
I posted a topic about the G3 tour a few days ago and had zero responses. The show was very, very cool. My brother caught a Mike P. drumstick!! Stu Hamm threw me a bass pick!! Can't wait for the new album.

 

[John_Bonner]

Nathan,
What songs did Petrucci, Portnoy, Hamm do?
------------------
JB
"This is Chuck reminding Bill to shut up!"

 

[TheLongshot]

What songs did Petrucci, Portnoy, Hamm do?

Well, first off, Hamm played with Satriani, not with Petrucci. Dave LaRue, of the Dixie Dregs, was their bass player.
Most of the stuff he did was original material. Paradigm Shift was thrown in at the end. It was a great show. Petrucci was the only guitarist that night that my girlfriend was impressed with.
Jason
------------------
My DVD Collection

 

[Nathan A]

John-
John P. did 3 original songs and some LTE to finish it off. His original songs were even better than I was hoping for. He played for 45 minutes total.
Stu did play for Satriani. I'm not a Satriani fan, so I couldn't tell you what songs he played (one of them was from the first G3, though); and he did play 1 or 2 that I actually liked.

 

[Kevin Potts]

I absolutely love Dream Theater. Ever since I saw the video for "Pull Me Under", I've been hooked. To this day Images and Words is still my most played CD. It really is too bad that they never caught on with the masses. However, it is understandable. I don't think most people, mainly non-musicians, could ever fully understand or appreciate their ability to write mind boggling masterpieces.
A guitarist friend of mine heard a rumor that the reason they all left Berkely, was because they became so good at their respective instruments that there wasn't anything left for them to learn there. Pretty damned amazing if that's true.
------------------

"See the world on the wings of rock and roll"

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

A guitarist friend of mine heard a rumor that the reason they all left Berkely, was because they became so good at their respective instruments that there wasn't anything left for them to learn there. Pretty damned amazing if that's true.

Looks like an urban myth. (sniff sniff) smells like an urban myth.
I too love DT, but find them a little cold sometimes. Too much musical mechanics and not enough soul. That said, Images and Words, their most mechanical album, is one of my favorite prog-rock discs.
Anyone who like DT would be well-served to check out Kansas' latest album, Somewhere to Elsewhere to see how golden-age art-rockers do it.
------------------
Andrew Hamm's new album Link Removed is available now!

 

[John_Bonner]

It really is too bad that they never caught on with the masses.

Kevin:
I see what you're saying but I'm sort of glad they never caught on with the masses. I hate it when a band I've followed from the beginning is suddenly thrust into the world of MTV, Top 40 Zoo radio stations and TigerBeat magazine covers. Then when you want to see them live you have to go to your local Enormodome with 25,000 "fans" who couldn't name one song from the band's first album and think that Mesa Boogie is a new dance.
Dream Theater has always been "personal" music to me. Like you said, most people don't "get it" especially non-musicians. To me it is music that I can get lost in. I can put on a pair of headphones and hear something new each time I listen. I can play their music in the car and try to mentally figure out what Mike P. is doing during a certain part. Queensryche used to do that for me (in the '80s). My brother calls it "thinking man's metal". Thankfully Dream Theater picked up the torch from Queensryche somewhere around 1992 and they haven't stopped running with it full steam. Maybe it's sort of selfish but I hope that they are successful enough to want to stay together and create masterful music, but not too successful that they have to bow to record company pressure and "dumb-down" their music for the masses.
------------------
JB
"These go to eleven" - Nigel Tufnel

 

[Brian Perry]

Anyone who like DT would be well-served to check out Kansas' latest album, Somewhere to Elsewhere to see how golden-age art-rockers do it.

Ange,
While I love Kansas, I can't say I liked STE. However, on a side note, your new album is quite good. (Calling Me Back is excellent. Is it just you and Phil?) Maybe you can take the torch from Kansas...

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I hope that they are successful enough to want to stay together and create masterful music, but not too successful that they have to bow to record company pressure and "dumb-down" their music for the masses.

All I can say is that being in a band that creates niche music requires a lot of support from the fans. Keep buying their albums, get the T-shirts and stay away from the bootleg product and file sharing.
The best way to keep them doing what they do now is to support them financially. We all need to eat, and creating high quality product is expensive, and hard to justify to your financers if your sales aren't solid.
------------------
Link Removed | Burt Lancaster is Link Removed | dOc

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

quote: Ange,
While I love Kansas, I can't say I liked STE. However, on a side note, your new album is quite good. (Calling Me Back is excellent. Is it just you and Phil?) Maybe you can take the torch from Kansas...[/quote]
Thanks, man. I was wondering what you thought of the album.
It's astonishing to me how many Kansas fans I have spoken to who hate STE I just can't understand it. To me, it represents everything that was great about Kansas 20 years ago mixed with the maturity that 20 years of age have provided. "Icarus II," "Byzantium," and especially "Distant Vision" are immediately among my favorite Kansas songs. But to each his own.
My brother Patrick plays guitar on "Calling Me Back," and he's responsible for a lot of that song's character. He also helped me mix it. Pat also did the website. An interesting side note about "CMB:" Stephanie Moore, who sings on "Dancing in the Rain" and "Forever God," has 2 little kids who love the album. Her oldest, Aaron, likes to sing along: "From Your eyes, Your light / The rainbow of Your fly." It's hilarious.
Phil's bass work is all OVER the CD, and it is always excellent. I love working with him; he just seems to have an innate sense of what is best for my music. He's going to play on my next album, which I'll start work on this fall, as well.
I'm a little disappointed that more HTFers haven't expressed interest in the CD, but what are you gonna do.
------------------
Andrew Hamm's new album Link Removed is available now!
[Edited last by Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm on July 31, 2001 at 08:36 AM]

 

[Larry_M]

G3 was amazing, i have now 4 bootlegs from the tour, can't get enough, i really hope they release a dvd or cd of the tour, anyone hear the transatlantic stuff from mike portnoy?, great stuff, new live cd is hot, Larry

 

[Larry_M]

btw nathan, i did post a reply on the g3 post