YTSEJAM Digest 480 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Articles from DT "official" WWW pages by Michael Burstin 2) Bach and Improvising by email_address_removed (Ken Bibb) 3) Re: by "Alan J. Mallery" 4) Re: YTSEJAM digest 477 by email_address_removed 5) Re: YTSEJAM digest 477 by "James Studnicki (HON)" 6) Re: Zebra by email_address_removed (Ken Bibb) 7) Lie1.wav by "Doug Slauson" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Topic No. 1 Date: Sun, 7 Aug 1994 21:40:59 -0500 (EDT) From: Michael Burstin To: email_address_removed (Ytsejam SERVER) Subject: Articles from DT "official" WWW pages Message-ID: Hi alll... I jsut found these articles from the "official" DT WWW page... (I have the address here somewhere... but I forget it at the moment... I will post it later on, if it hasn't already been done by the time that I get tomorrow's digest)... Some cool stuff here... although there are some idiots who do write for these things... (Check out "Hold Me Under" as named by the idiot from the last article) LIVEWIRE June/July 1993 Progressive Mosh Power By Jennifer Rose The name Dream Theater was brought to my attention at a Pantera party last year, when I was handed an advance cassette of the band. I first met drummer Mike Portnoy that same night. Not only are Pantera and Dream Theater labelmates, but Phil Anseimo and Mike Portnoy share an affinity for boxing. Both are diehard boxing fans. I'll admit, I wasn't instantly swept off my feet by DM's music, but their "Pull Me Under" video on MTV grabbed my attention. I heard the infamous music biz buzz on the band, but that's typical, it goes along with the territory. I'm not one to jump on a band wagon, just 'cause everyone else is. I'm my own judge and jury- but to each his own. Music is a personal interpretation. But like I said, the video lured me in, and then I found myself bodies deep in a crowd at NYC's Limelight, dodging the occasional Doc Marten flying overhead. My initial reaction upon hearing the music was, I wondered if The Doc had knocked me out, or what. I was some what stunned, because this band sounded different than their tape. This is one of those moments where the live show outweighs the studio product. The reactions from the crowd ranged from "The sound like Rush," to "They sound like Queensryche!" The outlying similarities are palpable, but only to a certain degree. Formed in 1985, drummer Mike Portnoy, guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung crossed paths at Berkeley College of Music in Boston. That fateful meeting of the minds turned out to be a match made in heaven for the threesome, who, on top of that were all from Long Island. Mike recalls, "It was kind of a strange coincidence because there's people from all around the world up a Berkeley. And to find two people that love the same music that I did, and they were musically on the same level when it came to their playing, and what they were into, and what kind of music they wanted to write, it was incredible." Returning home after two semesters, they recruited another school buddy, keyboardist Kevin Moore, along with a singer, and recorded a demo under the name Majesty. More changes followed with another singer, a record deal and the release of their first album. Having reached a stalemate, the band re-evaluated their situation, "cleaned house," and rebuilt the unit. That included replacing their singer with Canadian born James LaBrie, which took a year and a half, and 200 tapes. "He got along with us great," Mike says of James. "We went out drinking to see if he was cool. We hung out and saw how he reacted to other people, which was important. Actually, he was quite silly the first night we took him out drinking. We're like, 'Oh my God, this guy is a Canadian lush.' He was strolling around all drunk and everything but he was fun and we had a great time, and it just worded out." Within two days, James was recruited and the ball started rolling again and another deal was inked, resulting in their second record, Images and Words. The common bond that drew them together in the beginning was Rush. "That was the band that we all totally loved," says Mike. I grew up in high school learning all of Neil Peart's drum parts, and the same with the other guys. Back then, the common interest was Rush, and Iron Maiden, and Black Sabbath, and Yes. It was a combination of old progressive bands and the pioneers of heavy metal at that point." All of those combinations are elements within their music, but not entirely. Mike attributes part of this as "being the basis of our music. Throughout the years it's developed into different areas." Comparatively linked to the aforementioned bands, Dream Theater have been dubbed a progressive rock band. Aware of the band's labeling, Mike negated, "People say that because we have long instrumental sections, and there's a lot of time changes. I think the focus for us is on the musicianship. We're not living in the past. We have a lot of sounds or elements like Yes or Rush but I don't think any of those bands were really as heavy as what we're doing. We're coming from the '90s point of view, they were coming from the '70s point of view." It was Mike's father who coined the name Dream Theater, after the band learned that their previous name Majesty was already trademarked. "We couldn't come up with a name," explained Mike. "but my dad happens to love the band. He's a huge fan of the music. He suggested Dream Theater from a movie theater out in California, where he lives. I've been to this theater many times, and it's artsy, and an old fashioned theater, but they play cult movies like Rocky Horror and (Pink Floyd's) The Wall. He suggested it, and it perfectly fit the music. Dream Theater was wide open to a lot of different styles, and you can sit there and come up with a lot of different images." Not only was Mike's father responsible in naming the band, but he was also influential to his son in another aspect. "My father, he's the reason I love music," Mike says proudly. "The minute I came flying out of my mom's womb, he snapped a set of headphones on me and put Sgt. Pepper on. So I grew up listening to The Who, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, literally from when I was one or two years old, He used to be a DJ on the radio, and I used to work with him when I was four or five, actually taking the mike and spinning records. He introduced me to music." RockRag December 24, 1992 Dream Theater at Axis - The ultimate Spine Chill By Timmy McQuade BOSTON - I had listened to Dream Theater's "Images and Words" 26 times before their performance at Axis Dec. 16th. A question lurked in my mind, "Can they pull it off live?" you'll have to wait for the answer, so in the meanwhile, here's a brief album analysis. "Images and Words" equals a one hour mind explosion that will remind you of early Kansas, Rush, Styx, Genesis, The Dregs, and ELP, but with a Metallica type edge and an original style. Ok, end of analysis, now on with the show. The club swarmed with anxious listeners wanting the answer just as badly as I did. We were not let down. Dream Theater opened with the epic "Metrolpolis" and jaws hit the floor. The air soon filled with complex time changes, fired up guitar/keyboard solos, and intensely high vocals supplied by the Canadian James LaBrie. It was amazing to see a band make something sound this good and look so effortless. Bassist John Myung hunched over his six string and played with the grace of a classical pianist gone mad. John Petrucci mixed Steve Via with Neil Schon and produced metal wire masterpieces. His interplay with keyboardist Kevin Moore was reminiscent of Yngwie and Jens dueling in Rising Force, but with a more interesting melodic content. Drummer Mike Portnoy woke the dead and played with the same intensity that Neil Peart had during the Hemispheres/Permanent Waves era. "Pull Me Under", the first hit of the album, created a moshed zjugg(a term coined by Joe Hacking), and had the crown singing along to the refrain. An instrumental segue was introduced halfway into the show for "the people ate Berklee" and was unnecessary. Solos are cool, but every tune had massive solo interludes and this segment could have been left out. Otherwise, the bands overall performance was phenomenal. Dream Theater was formed by Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung while they ware studying tat the Berklee College of Music. Moore, an old school friend, was drafted into the project. After auditioning over 200 lead vocalists, a last minute tape was sent by James LaBrie, formerly of Coney Hatch. The dream then became a reality. As far as writing songs together, Petrucci states, "there are no boundaries when it comes to writing songs. What ever we want to bring into the music we'll bring in. It's not like were a 'hard rock' band that has to stick to a certain formula. What ever happens, happens." On plans for the future he adds," We're just gonna tour 'till we drop dead." Rock Island Argus May 29, 1993 Dream Theater too much for radio By Jenni VanDeVoorde What can I say about a band like Dream Theater? Their second album "Images and Words," displays their true talent with it's complex musical arrangements and powerful vocals. Although "Images And Words" has only eight songs, there is almost a full hour of music on it. Half of the songs, including the first single, "Pull Me Under," are over eight minutes long. So it's not likely that you will be hearing Dream Theater on our local radio stations anytime soon. The video for "Pull Me Under" is in very light rotation on MTV and can usually be seen around 2 or 3 in the morning. While Dream Theater's music isn't at all like what is "popular" today, I think that a broad range of people could be able to find something they could like about Dream Theater. The band consists of vocalist James LaBrie, keyboardist Kevin Moore, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci, and drummer Mike Portnoy. Recently I say Dream Theater perform live and they put on an excellent show. They will be touring through most of the year, so if you have the chance try and check them out. If you are looking for music that's slightly more intelligent than some of the fluff that is out there right now, pick up a copy of "Images and Words." I think you'll enjoy it. Billboard July 24, 1993 Dream Theater "Images & Words"(EastWest/AG). Entered Heatseekers at No. 38 on 11/14/92. Impact was 1/30/93, when it jumped from 118 to 82 on The Billboard 200. First Rumblings : "I had been in touch with a lot of tastemakers and music journalist friends, and they were all raving about the record in the fanzines magazines," says Derek Oliver, senior director of A&R. "Specialist college metal shows were banging the hell out of it." Breakthrough : Album rock radio "sort of discovered how great a reaction track 'Pull Me Under' was, despite it's outrageous length. Secondly, we decided very early on that Dream Theater would tour like crazy. No huge advances, fancy tour buses or money-mad stage shows. The band really put their heart into it, and they won a huge fan base immediately." Leader Post June 14, 1994 What's on albums How talent soars beyond mere genre By Gerry Krochak Yeah, yeah, we know, we know. We're a little late with this one. But so was everyone else, including radio programmers and music buyers. Images And Words sold a relatively paltry 15,000 copies early on, but in recent weeks that figure has soared to 350,000; the album will be gold by summer, according to Billboard magazine. What's the reason? Well, aside from people waking up, the song "Hold Me under" was released to radio in the U.S., and people immediately stared to notice this unique group. But never mind why it took so long for the group to get the credit it was due. The important thing is that Dream Theater has put out the most impressive progressive hard rock album since Queensryche's Operation : Mindcrime. The aforementioned single "Hold me Under" will make you an instant believer in Dream Theater's unique style. The song features the brilliant vocals of Toronto native James LaBrie and a gorgeous, complex arrangement that shows off the immense talent of all five members of the band. Next up is "Another Day," which will be likely be the song that puts Dream Theater at the top of progressive heap. LaBrie soars on this track, and somehow the band's complexity gives way to a more accessible sound that has made this some the album's new single. After that is "Take The Time." which combines the band's songwriting skills with characteristically complex, wonderfully textured instrumentation. The song opens with spoken rap into before sliding into some propulsive rhythms from bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Portnoy, as well as some sizzling guitar work from John Petrucci. You'll have to listen hard - but it's worth it. Side two opens with the progressive epic "Metropolis - part 1('The Miracle And The Sleeper')," a musically exciting track whose thought provoking lyrics that make the song more of a musical story that once again demand the listener's attention- and once again rewards it. LaBrie sings, "As a child I thought I could live without pain, without sorrow/ As a man I've found that It's all caught up with me'm asleep yet I'm so afraid." This track as well as the classically influenced ballad "Wait for Sleep" and "Under a Glass Moon" make it clear that Images And Words is a collection of music for the thinking person - a must for fans of Pink Floyd, Rush and Queensryche and a damn good idea for anyone with and open mind, a curiosity about great music regardless of genre, and a willingness to invest a little time and attention. To put it another way, if you write this album off as "some heavy metal thing," you'll be cheating yourself. Dream Theater is a hard rock band, but one that proves how talent can always lift a band and an album beyond any genre. And overwhelming listen. -- +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Caught In A Web | | Numb from the world | | Hanging on by a thread | | Scared of the life that fights in my head | | Dream Theater Caught In A Web Awake | | release date for Dream Theater's Awake: October 4, 1994 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Michael Burstin Brandeis University | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ For info about Dream Theater, finger email_address_removed ------------------------------ Topic No. 2 Date: Sun, 7 Aug 1994 20:16:31 +0800 From: email_address_removed (Ken Bibb) To: ytsejam Subject: Bach and Improvising Message-ID: Forward from email_address_removed follows. ------ Hey... there were a great many composers such as Bach who couldn't improvise... -The Doc ------ This is most definitely incorrect. Bach improvised 'Musical Offering' for King Frederick; a six part fugue. I have read that to create a six part fugue is very difficult, and could be likened to playing sixty simultaneous blindfold games of chess and winning them all. Now THAT's improvising. Just thought I'd point that out... jason email_address_removed ----- End Included Message ----- ------------------------------ Topic No. 3 Date: Mon, 8 Aug 1994 07:40:58 -0600 (MDT) From: "Alan J. Mallery" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: Message-ID: "Haven't heard them -- is this the same Randy Jackson of the one-man MIDI band fame who endorses that guitar/keyboard instrument they call The Key? I'd like to check that out." Probably. I know he did some one man shows. Also for the DT connection, Zebra is one of the bands they thank on I&W. I believe they are from Long Island as well, so they probably know each other.. Alan ______________________________________________________________________________ Alan Mallery | (email_address_removed) | (insert quote here) (email_address_removed) | ------------------------------ Topic No. 4 Date: Mon, 08 Aug 1994 09:23:55 -0500 (CDT) From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 477 Message-ID: >Lets not forget that when DT writes songs, they start by jamming or >improvising... Perhaps John Petrucci is used to playing with musiaicns >who posess greater skill than those found at a guitar clinic... YES YES YES!!!!! Exactly!!! How am I supposed to believe that some guitarist I've never heared of can play on par with the abilities of Kevin Moore and John Myung! Pettrucci just couldn't find his niche with these sub-par players. Also, I hear JP is moving to a seven string guitar. Is this true? That might explain some of the heaviness on the upcoming album. Scott ------------------------------ Topic No. 5 Date: Mon, 8 Aug 1994 15:24:41 -0400 (EDT) From: "James Studnicki (HON)" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 477 Message-ID: On Mon, 8 Aug 1994 email_address_removed wrote: > YES YES YES!!!!! Exactly!!! How am I supposed to believe that some > guitarist I've never heared of can play on par with the abilities of > Kevin Moore and John Myung! Pettrucci just couldn't find his niche with > these sub-par players. I'm sorry, I thought I was the only one on the list that attended the clinic in question. Ah, I get it -- you must have been sitting in the 1st row. I was only in the 2nd row. I assure you, there was nothing "sub-par" about any of the players in question. If you think anyone who teaches at NGSW is a "sub-par" player, I encourage you to go up and teach them how to play. Come on, guys, raging on the other musicians at the clinic is really a stupid thing to do. It's great that you're really dedicated to John P. (I still think some of his solos are really good), but some of the comments posted as of late (Bach couldn't improvise?) are truly desperate bordering on shamelessly ignorant. Don't open your mouth if your foot is automatically going to fly into it. Jim Studnicki email_address_removed University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, USA ------------------------------ Topic No. 6 Date: Mon, 8 Aug 1994 16:27:11 +0800 From: email_address_removed (Ken Bibb) To: ytsejam Subject: Re: Zebra Message-ID: Forward from email_address_removed follows. .. > Currently just their first studio album (with the great song "Who's > Behind the Door") and live album are available on CD. The live disc is a > great introduction, which has most of their best tunes along with a cover > of Zep's "The Ocean". Singer/Guitar player Randy Jackson sings > frequently in a Plant-like falsetto. The also use some keyboards to get > some lushness which is absent from many other hard rock type groups. Oh no....not another "Kingdom Clone"!!! Later! Greg. ------------------------------ Topic No. 7 Date: Mon, 8 Aug 1994 19:22:53 CST From: "Doug Slauson" To: email_address_removed Subject: Lie1.wav Message-ID: Hello DT fans. I found an ftp address that has the *.wav file of the new single "Lie" off _Awake_ ftp.music.net /pub/music/dt/lie1.wav It is almost 20 megs so be forewarned. I let my machine at work crank on it for a few hours with no results; hopefully some of you others will have better luck. Oh, BTW, the address for the WWW page is http:\\www.music.net It has some neat stuff, interviews, lyrics; check it out. Douglas ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Rebellion is your pestilence I'll never be confined Forever you shall yield to me ANARCHY DIVINE! -Fates Warning oooooooooooo email_address_removed oooooooooooo ------------------------------ End of YTSEJAM Digest 480 *************************