YTSEJAM Digest 3027 Today's Topics: 1) Re: Possibilities by "Christopher R. Merlo" 2) RE: The blind guys speaks about FII by Damon Fibraio 3) FII a week later by "Andrea Fabris" 4) FII by Nicolas Drouin 5) something different... Fates/Phish connection by email_address_removed (Ernesto Schnack) 6) Howdee/FII by "Brown, Neal Patrick" 7) Re: No, no, NO!!!!!!! by Albert Balkiewicz 8) And now for something totally different, and a little DT by "Braun, Randall (CAP, ITS, US)" 9) I coulda had a Mars Bar, but I bit into a Clark instead (NDTC) by Kevin Madden 10) re: Guitar settings by "Chung Ng" 11) Seven Wonders... by "Rob Doyle" 12) instructions by email_address_removed 13) FII-review no. 91,352,251... by email_address_removed.il 14) Re: instructions by "Christopher R. Merlo" 15) Re: Howdee/FII by Albert Balkiewicz 16) Re: instructions by Albert Balkiewicz ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 16:00:45 -0400 From: "Christopher R. Merlo" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: Possibilities Message-ID: > These sort of questions pop up often. Sticks, 7-strings, vibraslaps, > anything "atypical". Is there a possibility of this ever becomming a > section in the FAQ? This is absolutely possible. Once I figure out where JM used the stick, it's there. Anyone that has suggestions for an entry like this, please let me know. > Hey, I'm just brimming with helpful hints. Hand me some meat tenderizer > and call me Martha Stewart... I think you're sharing too much now, Brian. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Digital Man \|/ ____ \|/ "640 K ought to be enough email_address_removed "@'/ ,. \`@" memory for everyone." -Gates email_address_removed /_| \__/ |_\ "He won't need a bed http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo \__U_/ He's a digital man" -Peart ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maintainer of the Official Dream Theater Frequently Asked Questions List http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/dtfaq.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 15:57:45 -0400 (EDT) From: Damon Fibraio To: James Bennett Subject: RE: The blind guys speaks about FII Message-ID: James. I was just observing. I tseems that there is a trend in progressive rock circles. Band X does something, builds a fan base. Band X changes something, and segment Y of fan base spits on the band. Yes is the most dramatic, but look at others. Rush has been accused of selling out. Genesis fans blame Phil Collins for the band's lack of progressiveness. Van Halen fans are bitterly divided between David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, to the point where I had to get out of the newsgroup because it made me sick. Is their mailing list better? Even Pink Floyd fans argue over whether or not Roger Waters is God or not and whether or not Post Roger Water Pink Floyd is real pink floyd. Yes? Let's not even begin. Trevor Raben is satan for all everyone knows in there. And now, it's happening in the Ytsejam and dream Theater circles. FII is a sellout? That depends on you. I love reading constructive opinions, but this mailing list is starting to sound like alt.music.van-halen. I never thought I'd see the day. Reach Damon Fibraio at email_address_removed keyboardist, vocalist, radio personality Deviant of Reality All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars All of us do time in the gutter, dreamers turn to look at the cars. Neil Peart of Rush ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 22:08:30 +0200 From: "Andrea Fabris" To: "Dream Theater ml" Subject: FII a week later Message-ID: Sorry guys (n gals) but after a week, all my doubts about FII remain. As I said FII contains songs (NM, PS, HK, LitS and ToT) that r masterpieces and that r far far better than the best song in Awake but.... As an italian dreamer said "I don't understand why songs like Hollow Years and Lines in the Sand have to be in the same cd" (or something like this). I noticed that a new game started in the list: "this song of FII sounds like...." And this is the problem: I don't want DT to sound like other, I want DT to sound like DT. And this means DT *have to* sound original. Now, the three ballads are *really* easy to listen to: in fact the "game" involves mostlly "Hollow Years", "Take Away My Pain" and "Anna Lee". "You not Me" and "Burning my Soul" have a good base but silly chorus. "Let Me Breath"... I've to get in it: I don't think it's a bad song but it doesn't give me the creeps. Time ago someone said that it would not be so important the length of the new cd. Now, IMHO it would be better a 50-60 minutes lp than this ~80 minutes mix of "crap" (but better than the best part of the music being actually published) and materpieces. Qapla' Andrea Fabris e-mail: ea00628@flashnet.it ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------- "... lo spazio si comporta come il tempo ed il tempo come lo spazio.Lo spazio scorre, mentre il tempo e' chiuso cioe' ciclico. Fenomeni passati, dunque, si ripresentano in continuazione.." -"Cherudek" di Valerio Evangelisti ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 16:23:28 -0400 (EDT) From: Nicolas Drouin To: email_address_removed Subject: FII Message-ID: FII is growing on me, my favorites are NM,HK,TOT,LITS. The others are good too! Cant wait for Metropolis 2 since it'lbe in the likes of A change of seasons (A long prog masterpiece!). FII is more commercial oriented but met2 shall be for us, the time signature freaks! Now listening to FII & now anxiously waiting for Keys to Ascension 2 by YES Nick ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 14:02:24 -0400 From: email_address_removed (Ernesto Schnack) To: Subject: something different... Fates/Phish connection Message-ID: Now I'm not a great Phish authority, so I'm just guessing here. But I just got Rift, which, if I understand correctly, is a concept album (or something similiar), and it reminds me of APSOG. Not the music of course, it's totally different. But it seems more less to be about the same thing. I guy lying in bed thinking about his relationship. Of course, Phish lyrics are quite trippy and hard to figure out, like "I'd like to cut your head off so I can weigh it, whaddaya say? 5 pounds? 6 pounds? 7 pounds?" :) But the first song starts "Last night in the moments my thoughts were adrift, and coasting a terrace approaching a rift" and there's a 'theme' that's repeated twice on the CD that goes: "When your there, I sleep lenghtwise, and when your gone, I sleep diagonal in my bed" That sung under the sound of a clock ticking and breathing (as in someone lying in bed not being able to sleep) Any Phish heads on the list that can verify this? Ernesto ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 15:28:31 CDT From: "Brown, Neal Patrick" To: Subject: Howdee/FII Message-ID: Hey there...I've been a DT fan since I&W came out (I heard the 4-minute version of "Pull Me Under" and was freaked out when it was twice that long on the tape =) ) but I just subscribed to Ytsejam last night, and I already have three digests (!). I've been on the King Crimson list for a while and ET sends out a digest every couple days....jeez...just had to get that outta the way. (P.S. Crimson is still *the* prog band, and I think a whole bunch of you would really love their 73-74 output. And Tony Levin will be doing an album with Portnoy and Petrucci, which I am going to line up in front of the store three hours before it opens to buy!) Anyway, I got FII three days ago and I think I've listened to it ten times already. I'll admit that I hoping for something like Seasons...an updated, crunchier, even more complicated version of I&W, although I figured it would resemble Awake more. Which it does. The album seems to be "organized" into the cerebral I&W-type songs surrounding the poppier Awake-like songs. New Millenium, Lines In The Sand, and Trial of Tears are att the beginning, middle and end. These three tracks are incredible. The New Millenium theme sounds a bit like the theme to Crimson's "Neal And Jack And Me," but it develops much differently. Line s in the Sand is terrific--great intro--but the call-and-answer refrains don't seem to fit, although it does sound good by itself (if LaBrie and Pinnick were singing in unison, like with the fourth line, I think it would sound even better). Lines is the only place I'm sure that Myung is on the Stick--listen at about 10:00. when that very quiet theme returns after the solos. There are some *really* weird sounds going on there, and I think Myung is making them, but they sure don't sound like a regular bass. Speaking of Myung, I think that he is batting 1.000 with lyrics....Learning To Live, Lifting Shadows, and Trial are all awesome; just wish he could contribute more! Burning My Soul/Hell's Kitchen and Just Let Me Breathe are definitely great (I love those runs in the middle and end of JLMB--wowie!!). But with You Not Me, Hollow Years, and Take Away My Pain, I think the band is exploring a style better left to others. (Peruvian Skies I still haven't made up my mind on yet. What on earth is that song about anyway?) Not that these are bad tracks, they just do not compete with the others on FII, to my ear. Notes on sound/production: LaBrie is singing with a straight tone almost the entire album--what's up with that? I happen to love the vibrato, but I guess he wants to sound less like Geoff Tate and more like Geddy Lee or, as someone mentioned last issue, Dave Mustaine (!). I really like the added vocal harmonies, but I miss the vibrato. I really don't like Portnoy's snare...maybe it'll grow on me, but it bothers me. Also, I'm not too keen on his hihats--he leaves them open for too much of the album. Myung and Derek sound awesome, however--I think I like Derek better than Kevin, because he's more in-your-face about it, and he doesn't double Petrucci ad nauseum. Sorry this is such a long post, but I'm wrapping up (promise!). Overall, I really like this album as a whole, although I don't think I'll ever get used to Hollow Years and Take Away My Pain (they do not resemble the band's other ballads--not even Another Day!--to my ears). Some of these tracks are among DT's best--the very contrapuntal New Millenium comes readily to mind. I'm not the type who likes to tell bands what to do--if a band puts out an album that doesn't sound like what they did before I don't throw it out the window without giving it a fair chance or two (Metallica's last two albums notwithstanding ;) ). But I digress (often)...anyway, I hope the fifth album isn't a rehash of I&W just to keep the fans happy, but rather a new direction--the band has been moving towards alt-rock/grunge with Awake and now FII, away from the very abstract metal towards a very concrete style. I hope this new direc tion is more in the abstract and less in the concrete, although I think these guys can pull damn near anything off! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 16:38:17 -0400 (EDT) From: Albert Balkiewicz To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: No, no, NO!!!!!!! Message-ID: > > > > I can't really pick a song off FII that I like the best. After every > > > listen to the cd I have a new favorite FII song... > > > > > > Current FII favorite:Hollow Years (something about those vocals...) > > > > > > > I'm tellin' y'all, it's the lack of vibrato in his voice...... > > It actually hurts me to hear him sing on most of this album. I > listen to him sing and I can hear him suppress the NATURAL VIBRATO in his > voice. Read carefully: vibrato is a characteristic of a healthy, You motherfucker shirtlifter poofter! I'll flatten you like a fuckin' pancake, beeeee-yotch! You suck shit and tweak sweaty nipples! How DARE you refute anythingthat *I* say....do you not know who I am! ooh, I am *SO* angry right now that I feel like taking the jar of KevMo's testicles and throwing it against my DT shrine! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRghhghhh......! > > No flamage intended, Al. ohh......ummm.......*blush*.........sorry bout that..... :P > > Steve Z > Actually, I agree to an extent to what Steve has to say. I think it sucks that an artist is somewhat "persuaded" to sway from their natural talents and tendencies. It bothers me to hear what you say about his use of improper technique as well to get that lack of vibrato. Nevertheless, I think that this lack of vibrato (looking at the big picture and putting the above facts in the back of your head) improves the feel of the song. I personally think that this lack of vibrato brings an added positive dimension to the song, that wouldn't be there if the vibrato was........... That's speaking as a listener, rather than a singer, which I know you are....Speaking as a singer (or a pseudo-singer), I agree with your points. I just disagree to its effect in the overall feel of the song......hell, we all have opinions..... it's jsut that mine are better than everyone else's...... :P TGIF, Al -- ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ I inhale the sun...........I exhale the absence of light I am the number One..........burning. ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^ email: email_address_removed email_address_removed HOMEPAGE:http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/9280/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 15:17:50 -0500 From: "Braun, Randall (CAP, ITS, US)" To: "'email_address_removed'" Subject: And now for something totally different, and a little DT Message-ID: An initial observation on FII: While I agree that this forum is not an appropriate place to discuss religious issues apart from the music, it'd be hard NOT to mention the strong references to Christian symbolism on FII. This is especially 'Lines in the Sand', emphasized by King's X guest vocalist Doug Pinnick. a band with it's own Christian origins. DP's appearance further solidifies the somewhat curious (to me at least) link between DT & bands like KX and the Galactic Cowboys (which I listen to as well). I recently purchased Angra's 'Angel's Cry' (already have 'Holy Land'). I found it rather interesting that the middle instrumental section of the title song is another of the many 'variations' on the 24th variation of Paganini's 24 violin caprices, opus 1. For those Y'Jammers with a classical music background, this is the theme of Rachmaninoff's well-known 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini', opus 43 and the 'rather difficult to play' Paganini variations, opus 35, for piano by Brahms. On a more prog level, in the 1970's, Andrew Lloyd Webber formulated his own 'Variations' on this theme for cello (Julian Lloyd Webber) and rock band (which included guitarist extraordinaire Gary Moore and early prog keyboard wizard Rod Argent. The Marv Albert prog connection: Yes, the now infamous back-biting (ex)-sports commentator made a guest appearance as a--sport's commentator--on Roger Water's 'Amused to Death' (which features some very good guitar work by Jeff Beck). Incidentally, on ATD, RW throws a few good lyrical pommels at the (theatrical) productions of the aforementioned Andrew Lloyd Webber. -Randall email: email_address_removed **"Falling Into Infinity, and Maybe Beyond: Black Holes and Time Travel. (Is There a Past in Your Future? If not yesterday, then perhaps tomorrow...)"** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 16:48:27 -0400 From: Kevin Madden To: email_address_removed Subject: I coulda had a Mars Bar, but I bit into a Clark instead (NDTC) Message-ID: Clark griped: >I don't usually post stuff like that, but at least it got a response. >I tried to post some intelligent comments a few weeks ago, but no one cared. >Throw a few "you fucking idiots" into a post, and people read it. Am I proud >of that? No. Does that really justify writing what I did? Maybe, maybe not. Uh...does anyone see this guy coming to work on Halloween dressed as a disgruntled potal worker, complete with Ak-47? "YOU NEVER LISTENED TO ME BEFORE, BUT NOW, MOTHERFUCKERS, YOU *WILL*!!!!" Hey, as Black Sabbath once sang, it's all right. CD of the Day: Iced Earth - Days of Purgatory (disc 1) Green Bay Packers - The Quest to Repeat 3-1 This Week: at Detroit Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 97 16:49:07 EDT From: "Chung Ng" To: Subject: re: Guitar settings Message-ID: >low 8 , mid: 1or 2 and high 7... kinda like >James Hetfield I love that sound. When i practice in my garage (no effects), I keep my low and high on 9.5 and the mid on 0 (and reverb on 7). Have any of you tried any of those "thrash" or "metal" effects pedals? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 16:04:21 -0500 From: "Rob Doyle" To: Subject: Seven Wonders... Message-ID: Ok folks... I know that for some reason, not everyone on this list has gotten SEVEN WONDERS, and I realize that some people have a bunch of the Mike Bahr Cds, but this thing is a MUST!! It sounds great! Since they're bootlegs, obviously it's not studio-quality all the time- but this is the best thing I've bought since.. well... since Falling Into Infinity- and no, I'm not trying to plug this for Ryan's sake or anything, I'm saying that EVERY DT FAN SHOULD HAVE THIS!! ok, that's enough.. . but I think we should all thank Mike and Ryan for putting these together- and by the way, Ryan- excellent job on the liners- I was mucho impressed ;) if you guys want to order the last few cds from Ryan, his email is: email_address_removed visit the web page to check out stuff about the CD- www.geocities.com/soho/2236 (sorry to Ryan if you didn't want me posting your email) _Rob Doyle ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 16:03:06 -0500 From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: instructions Message-ID: Instructions for awl yawl that dis the record: 1. BREAK THE CD INTO 4 PARTS 2. GRASP THEM FIRMLY WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND 3. JAM IT HARD UP YOUR ASS WHOLE ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 97 23:11:13 PDT From: email_address_removed.il To: email_address_removed Subject: FII-review no. 91,352,251... Message-ID: ok,fellow ytsejamers, this is another review of FII,as you suspected... well... in the general idea,the album is pretty good,and i can say that i like it without regreting it later... BUT!(here it comes) i think that DT has changed too damn much,and some songs HAVE to be removed from the DT song list,like take away my pain,anna lee & of course you not me! i see here a BIG,HUGH AND UN-NOTICE-UBLE SELL OUT in these three titles,and if someone wanna argue with me on this one,better read the Kevin James LaBrie interview that goes like:"we wanna sell as many albums as we can,blah blah blah...." but this is not only a bad review of the album,i think that a new millennium is a great song,a DT original,great keyboard work by derek,lines in the sands GREAT song! i love the main riff like hell! and great solo by JP!!!! the member i was imprresed by was john myung,he realy stunt me!!! i thought that he just play what he's being told to play by kevin and JP,but the man has hugh feel and a great control on the fretless bass guitar!! i am sure that this album will sell alot LESS than the other albums,this is the LOAD case ALL OVER AGAIN !!!! i like the album,but not as a dream theater album,as something else... you know why?? LISTEN AND LISTEN GOOD: DREAM THEATER WITHOUT KEVIN MOORE ISN'T DREAM THEATER!!!! argue if you want becuase I'M right.... the truth hurts,doesn't it? omer-ISRAEL ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 17:52:47 -0400 From: "Christopher R. Merlo" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: instructions Message-ID: > Instructions for awl yawl that dis the record: > > 1. BREAK THE CD INTO 4 PARTS > 2. GRASP THEM FIRMLY WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND > 3. JAM IT HARD UP YOUR ASS WHOLE But if it's already broken into parts, how can one jam it whole? Oh, I'm so confused... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Digital Man \|/ ____ \|/ "640 K ought to be enough email_address_removed "@'/ ,. \`@" memory for everyone." -Gates email_address_removed /_| \__/ |_\ "He won't need a bed http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo \__U_/ He's a digital man" -Peart ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maintainer of the Official Dream Theater Frequently Asked Questions List http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/dtfaq.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 18:03:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Albert Balkiewicz To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: Howdee/FII Message-ID: Neil the Newbie wrote: > > > Hey there...I've been a DT fan since I&W came out (I heard the 4-minute > version of "Pull Me Under" and was freaked out when it was twice that > long on the tape =) ) but I just subscribed to Ytsejam last night, and I This may be the epitome of what an FII review should look like..... informative, not blatant "this sucks" stuff.......man, you've definitely been here only a day........... Ytsejam will assimilate you.....resistance is futile..... (I hate Star Trek by the way) -Al -- ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ I inhale the sun...........I exhale the absence of light I am the number One..........burning. ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^ email: email_address_removed email_address_removed HOMEPAGE:http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/9280/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 18:06:16 -0400 (EDT) From: Albert Balkiewicz To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: instructions Message-ID: > > > > Instructions for awl yawl that dis the record: > > > > 1. BREAK THE CD INTO 4 PARTS > > 2. GRASP THEM FIRMLY WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND > > 3. JAM IT HARD UP YOUR ASS WHOLE > > But if it's already broken into parts, how can one jam it whole? Oh, I'm so > confused... > > D-man just lives for imposters.......... :P - Al ------------------------------ End of YTSEJAM Digest 3027 **************************