IMAGES AND WORDS

Ok where do i start, maybe when i got started in prog. My first real contact with prog came via Yes, i saw them in 2003 in mex city and i was just blown away by the abilities and music of this group as the years passed i got into Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Rush, Genesis, King Crimson and ELP, by the time i was 16 i was a true diehard progmaniac and i was very strict about which groups were admited by my ears, besides prog i also like The Who, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and many rock giants but always considered prog as the greatest genre so it was really hard to start listening to any new groups; but one day as in return of a favor i was given a cd called Images & Words I pushed play and i was blown away by the music, the singing, the virtuosity, everything. The Tracks Pull Me Under: even though it was the bands greatest hit it's probably the not so eargasmic song in the album that don't mean it's bad it's a hard cachty tune (thats a say because being 8 min long can't be radio friendly is it?)great drumming great structure and Labrie singing here is probably the less imposible one of the album. Another Day: ufff excellent song really really emotive , it's about Petrucci's father fight with cancer and is in this song where we meet the emotional and sensitive feel the band can capture and the man that steals the spotlight of this record MR James Labrie ,of course all the guys play like gods in this cd but labrie is another thing, plus great guitar solo and sax Take the Time: a classic the first track in the album where we hear them play all out-,insane intro, the second verse is imposible to sing, the instrumental section in the middle is awesome and to kill it the eargasmic keyboard solo by Moore. Just perfect Surrounded: ooohh yes the intro is so calm and mellow but so emotional, the drums enter with a 9/8 signature and it reminds me of yes for moments, again Labrie steals the show specially in the part the shadows slowly fading from the wall and throughout the end Metropolis: if there are 50 or so perfect songs in history this is for one for sure. The lyrics, bass solo, drum fills,the unisons between Moore and Petrucci and the cherry on top of the cake: the singing it's too good to write so just hear it Under a Glass Moon: the theater won't stop so they attack one more time with this one: great double bass drumming and fatalist environment at the begining, Labrie comes in and it just breaks loose, the song brings out the best of Mike and later of Moore but this one is for Petrucci giving us one of the best solos ever Wait For Sleep: a short interlude to catch our breath between glass moon and the monster that is to come, but this is not only a filler, Moore and Labrie keep it flowing very nicely very very calm and the main theme of this song will be heard again in ... Learning To Live: a great epic, the best moment of the album(along with Metropolis) the begining gives us a little preview of whats coming, the first verse comes, the tension begings to rise, the second verse enters, the lyrics are about AIDS very squeakly presented by Myung, the metal riffs begin, now comes the rally good stuff, Moore smoothes the feel a little bit before Mike flips out, yet another change now with classical guitar and great drumming, labrie adds some singing in the back just to add more pressure, guitar shifts to electric again with bass as a suport, the tension rise as Labrie comes with a 3 high pitched screams only to break when the eargasmic guitar solo enters, another shift now Moore has the control, wait for sleep appears courtesy of Myung and Moore's Piano, the theme at the begining of the song comes in but with more power until the last verse and chorus are sung and then when you think it's over Myung keeps it coming and Petrucci enters to make the perfect ending again with labrie providing good background singing This album is perfect there's no other word for it PS-sorry about repeating some words too many times but since english is not my mother language i must write what i know(what i like in your wardrobe)