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Top 5 Dream Theater Albums
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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This is how the Top 5 looks so far after ten rounds of voting:-

1. Images & Words (31 points)
2. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (27 points)
3. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (25 points)
4. Awake (22 points)
5. Octavarium (14 points)
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Rednight View Drop Down
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I would have preferred a simple poll for best album with all their albums listed. The valued opinions of the P.A. brethren would cut to the heart of the matter for this talented group of musicians. This thread has been useful so far as identifying Images & Words as their best. A future purchase should prove enlightening.

Edited by Rednight - August 06 2022 at 10:39
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1. Systematic Chaos
2. Octavarium
3. Falling Into Infinity
4. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
5. A View From the Top of the World
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Originally posted by Rednight Rednight wrote:

I would have preferred a simple poll for best album with all their albums listed. The valued opinions of the P.A. brethren would cut to the heart of the matter for this talented group of musicians. This thread has been useful so far as identifying Images & Words as their best. A future purchase should prove enlightening.
Paul seems to like doing it this way. If we ignore the Aardvark for the moment, then for comparison with how Paul is counting the votes at this stage, a simple poll where people vote once for their favourite album (no multiple vote allowed), and a simple poll wheee people vote for their five favourite albums (multiple votes allowed, and yes, I’m aware that it is open for abuse, and this is one of the reasons Paul probably does his “polls” in this manner instead):

Simple poll, no multiple vote (one vote = one point)

1. Images and Words (3 votes, 3 points)
2= Awake (2 votes, 2 points)
2= Six Degrees (2 votes, 2 points)
3= Astonishing (1 vote, 1 point)
3= Metropolis (1 vote, 1 point)
3= Octavarium (1 vote, 1 point)

(NB I like Astonishing and Six Degrees more or less equally, so if I had given my vote to Six Degrees, rather than Astonishing, then that album would be in joint first place with I&W.)

Simple poll, multiple votes allowed (one vote = one point)

1. Metropolis SFAM (9 votes, 9 points)
2= Images and Words (7 votes, 7 points)
2= Octavarium (7 votes, 7 points)
4= Awake (6 votes, 6 points)
4= Six Degrees (6 votes, 6 points)

Paul’s poll (one vote ≠ one point)

1. Images and Words (7 votes, 31 points)
2. Metropolis (9 votes, 27 points)
3. Six Degrees (6 votes, 25 points)
4. Awake (6 votes, 22 points)
5. Octavarium (7 votes, 14 points)

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I love this band, and it's among my favourite 5 ones. Yet, somehow I don't happen to love almost any whole album, they always have a few weaker songs (though if I put together all the songs that I like from each album together, most of them would make a good over 50 min album anyway... at least up to the point in which Portnoy left, for I find a good decrease in their quality from that point on). However, I can try to put my favourite albums. First, Train of Thought. Then, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (CD 1 for me is the best disc they have released, but unfortunatley it's a double album, and I don't really enjoy so much the title suite). And then Octavarium, Images and Words, and Metropolis II.
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1 A Change Of Seasons *
2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
3. Awake
4. Octavarium
5. The Astonishing **

* not considered a full blown album release as it includes a live tribute side. However it all works for me.

** ok it may seem like some kind of madness to put this ahead of I&W and SFAM but I've never been a fan of either of those albums. The synthetic drum sound on I&W is horrible (to my ears) and SFAM never resonated with me generally.
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

I love this band, and it's among my favourite 5 ones. Yet, somehow I don't happen to love almost any whole album, they always have a few weaker songs (though if I put together all the songs that I like from each album together, most of them would make a good over 50 min album anyway... at least up to the point in which Portnoy left, for I find a good decrease in their quality from that point on). However, I can try to put my favourite albums. First, Train of Thought. Then, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (CD 1 for me is the best disc they have released, but unfortunatley it's a double album, and I don't really enjoy so much the title suite). And then Octavarium, Images and Words, and Metropolis II.

I'd recommend the double album "Dream Theater's Greatest Hit (and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs)" if you want to hear the best of all of their songs, including Dream Theater's one and only genuine greatest hit, "Pull Me Under". Thumbs Up
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Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

1 A Change Of Seasons *
2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
3. Awake
4. Octavarium
5. The Astonishing **

* not considered a full blown album release as it includes a live tribute side. However it all works for me.

** ok it may seem like some kind of madness to put this ahead of I&W and SFAM but I've never been a fan of either of those albums. The synthetic drum sound on I&W is horrible (to my ears) and SFAM never resonated with me generally.

If it’s madness, it’s one I share - as I find The Astonishing to be a more enjoyable album than both I&W and SFAM, too,

Also, A Change of Seasons is my favourite DT release by a long way. I have never really understood why the band insists on calling it an ep.

I wonder how well Change might have fared, if everyone voting here considered it an album.

This is the current ranking (one vote, one point - rather than using Paul’s method):

1= Metropolis (9 votes)
1= Octavarium (9 votes)
3. Six Degrees (8 votes)
4= Awake (7 votes)
4= Images (7 votes)

6= Black Clouds (3 votes)
6= Change (3 votes)
6= Chaos (3 votes)
6= Train (3 votes)

10= Astonishing (2 votes)
10= Dream and Day (2 votes)
10= Falling (2 votes)

13= Dramatic (1 vote)
13= View (1 vote)

15= Distance (0 votes)
15= Dream Theater (0 votes)

Distance and View are possibly still too new (especially View) to gain many votes, but it doesn’t surprise me in the least that the eponymous album has so few. It’s easily the worst.

Dramatic Turn would have two votes, as I voted for it, too - but as it was my fifth place, then if I include Change of Seasons as the top, then I need to drop it.

To be honest, even if the order of the top five listed here (one vote, one point) is up for debate, it’s hard to deny that these are routinely listed as the five greatest DT albums. They’re not my five, but I can totally understand why they are almost always the top five in any poll on this forum, or anywhere else.
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Top 5 update with ProgAardvark & RichardH's votes added:-

1. Images & Words (31 points)
1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (31 points)
3. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (27 points)
4. Awake (25 points)
5. Octavarium (20 points)

6. Systematic Chaos (13 points)


In A Dramatic Turn of Events, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence has taken the joint lead with Images and Words! Shocked
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nick_h_nz View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Top 5 update with ProgAardvark & RichardH's votes added:-

1. Images & Words (31 points)
1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (31 points)
3. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (27 points)
4. Awake (25 points)
5. Octavarium (20 points)

6. Systematic Chaos (13 points)


In A Dramatic Turn of Events, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence has taken the joint lead with Images and Words! Shocked

Which more or less agrees with what I said in my post, that irrelevant of the order of these five, it tends to always be these five which top any poll of Dream Theater albums. 🤗
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Originally posted by nick_h_nz nick_h_nz wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Top 5 update with ProgAardvark & RichardH's votes added:-

1. Images & Words (31 points)
1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (31 points)
3. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (27 points)
4. Awake (25 points)
5. Octavarium (20 points)

6. Systematic Chaos (13 points)


In A Dramatic Turn of Events, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence has taken the joint lead with Images and Words! Shocked

Which more or less agrees with what I said in my post, that irrelevant of the order of these five, it tends to always be these five which top any poll of Dream Theater albums. 🤗

Four out of five of those albums are in my own personal Top 5 too, which makes a nice change. Big smile
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Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

I love this band, and it's among my favourite 5 ones. Yet, somehow I don't happen to love almost any whole album, they always have a few weaker songs (though if I put together all the songs that I like from each album together, most of them would make a good over 50 min album anyway... at least up to the point in which Portnoy left, for I find a good decrease in their quality from that point on). However, I can try to put my favourite albums. First, Train of Thought. Then, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (CD 1 for me is the best disc they have released, but unfortunatley it's a double album, and I don't really enjoy so much the title suite). And then Octavarium, Images and Words, and Metropolis II.


I'd recommend the double album "Dream Theater's Greatest Hit (and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs)" if you want to hear the best of all of their songs, including Dream Theater's one and only genuine greatest hit, "Pull Me Under". Thumbs Up




Not really... it seems to be just like their studio albums, it's got some songs that I love and some others I don't really care about... though surely I could make a complete album out of the songs that I do like. Also, having many of the songs edited doesn't really help (though I have not actually heard the album, so I don't really know how they are edited out... yet I can guess what is it they cut).
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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^ The nice thing about Dream Theater's Greatest Hit is it's divided into The Dark Side and The Light Side, so if you're not so keen on Dream Theater's heavier songs, then you could just listen to Disc 2, or vice versa. Smile
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Distance Over Time
Images & Worlds
Train of Thoughts
Octavarium
A View From The Top of the World
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Top 5 update with Deadwing's votes added:-

1. Images & Words (35 points)
2. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (31 points)
3. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (27 points)
4. Awake (25 points)
5. Octavarium (22 points)

6. Systematic Chaos (13 points)
7. Train of Thought (11 points)


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - August 09 2022 at 01:45
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Originally posted by Deadwing Deadwing wrote:

Distance Over Time
Images & Worlds
Train of Thoughts
Octavarium
A View From The Top of the World

Notable for three things: The first vote for Distance, and only the second vote for View; and if one vote = one point, rather than using Paul’s method, then your vote for Octavarium pushes it out of first equal, and into outright first position!
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^ Surprised to see Systematic Chaos so high at number 6. I don't get it, I always struggled with this album, I don't understand why it gets so appreciated. Confused
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Originally posted by nick_h_nz nick_h_nz wrote:

Originally posted by Deadwing Deadwing wrote:

Distance Over Time
Images & Worlds
Train of Thoughts
Octavarium
A View From The Top of the World

Notable for three things: The first vote for Distance, and only the second vote for View; and if one vote = one point, rather than using Paul’s method, then your vote for Octavarium pushes it out of first equal, and into outright first position!

Never! As if Octavarium could ever be more popular than the classic Images & Words album. That would throw my poll results into Systematic Chaos! Tongue
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Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

^ Surprised to see Systematic Chaos so high at number 6. I don't get it, I always struggled with this album, I don't understand why it gets so appreciated. Confused

Not a big fan of this one or Black Clouds either haha

TBH the reason why I like so much Distance Over Time is because it is a shorter album and the band focus on song-writing instead of endless instrumental passages that lends nowhere (it's kinda of a crime to complain about this in a progressive board though lol). Same for Images and Words.
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Originally posted by Deadwing Deadwing wrote:

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

^ Surprised to see Systematic Chaos so high at number 6. I don't get it, I always struggled with this album, I don't understand why it gets so appreciated. Confused

Not a big fan of this one or Black Clouds either haha

TBH the reason why I like so much Distance Over Time is because it is a shorter album and the band focus on song-writing instead of endless instrumental passages that lends nowhere (it's kinda of a crime to complain about this in a progressive board though lol). Same for Images and Words.

I agree on Distance Over Time. It was their best work since Octavarium for me. Tongue
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