Length - 13:08
Tempo - mixture
Intro - slow, pensive
Texture - chamber-ensemble-like, some vocal harmony, polyphony of soloing with backing instruments
Features - different guitar effects for different parts of the song
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Dream Theater formed at Berklee in 1985. The original three members were John Petrucci (guitar) and John Myung (bass), friends from Long Island, and Mike Portnoy (percussion) whom the Johns heard in a practice room and said, "we gotta get that guy". (Something along those lines).
"Black Clouds & Silver Linings" lineup:
John Petrucci - guitar, backing vocals
John Myung - bass
Mike Portnoy - percussion, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals
Jordan Rudess - keyboard, continuum, iPhone app Bebot
James LaBrie - Vocals
Lyrics:
Remember days of yesterday
And how it flew so fast
The two score and a year we had,
I thought would always last
The summer days and west coast dreams,
I wished would never end
A young boy and his father,
Idol and best friend
I'll always remember
Those were the best of times
A lifetime together
I'll never forget
Morning shows on the radio
The case of the missing dog
Lying on the fields at the only twelve
Watching Harold and Maude
Record shops, the stick-ball fields
My home away from home
When we weren't together
The hours on the phone
I'll always remember
Those were the best of times
I'll cherish them forever
The best of times
But then came the call
Our lives changed forever more
You can pray for a change
But prepare for the end
The fleeting winds of time
Flying through each day
All the things I should have done
But time just slipped away
Remember "seize the day"
Life goes by in the blink of an eye
There's so much left to say
These were the best of times
I'll miss these days
Your spirit led my life each day
Thank you for the inspiration
Thank you for the smiles
All the unconditional love
That carried me for miles
It carried me for miles
But most of all thank you for my life
These were the best of times
I'll miss these days
Your spirit led my life each day
My heart is bleeding bad
But I'll be okay
Your spirit guides my life each day
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SPOILERS AND SUBJECTIVITY BELOW: YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS AFTER LISTENING
Words to describe this song:beautiful, yearning, ripping
Stream-of-consciousness thoughts as I listen to " ":Aesthetics are, by nature, subjective, so not everyone will agree with this because some people aren't keen on electric guitar. But if you'll pardon some bleeped profanity, this song is f****** beautiful. The entire damn song is sonic poetry. If you have been following the Share-a-thon from the beginning and aren't quite in love with this band yet, this might be the song that gets you truly intoxicated.
If you'll endulge a brief story?
I'd forgotten about it until my friend Alex reminded me. When I first talked to him about 'Black Clouds, I said, "Alex, I'm scared. This album is so good, I'm scared. I don't know how they can possibly do any better than this. Where can they possibly go from here?"
The next year, after a disagreement about direction, Mike Portnoy left the band. He wanted them to take a few years' hiatus and then come back. The other guys were like, uh, no, this is what we do. So Portnoy left the band, and was replaced.
So, Alex tells me, "Michael, you called it." I was like... whoa... I guess I kinda did. Cuz, the thing is, Black Clouds is peak Dream Theater with Portnoy. It's amazing, beautiful, powerful music. Such a damn good "record", as Alex calls albums.
Thank you for reading, and enjoy!
Michael
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What is the "Dream Theater Share-a-thon"?
I will be posting a link to a song/piece by my favorite band, Dream Theater, hopefully every day until we have successfully enjoyed every original song that they have recorded in-studio. There are many good reasons to do this, but you can probably guess most of the ones that I'm thinking.
No adieu.
We're just gonna do it.
I'm going to try to help you know what to expect a little bit without influencing the way that you experience the song. I want you to have the chance to enjoy the music on your own without any spoilers, just as I did.
I will also tell you that some of the things that Dream Theater does may be quite different than much of the music that you have listened to before. Sometimes it may be so new that it makes you a bit uneasy or just doesn't connect to you at all. If that happens, I encourage you to listen to it a few times, perhaps in different ways... once in the background while you do dishes, once with your eyes closed and your full attention, once hanging upside down like a bat. You get the idea.
You may even want to come back to it later for another listen.
I believe that, if you go on this journey with me, you will find more than a few songs that you enjoy. My mom saw Dream Theater live in K.C. and really enjoyed them, and she usually listens to NPR which I don't think gets to rock and roll that much. Dream Theater truly has something for everyone. Not everything they do may be your thing, but some of it may change your life for the better the way that it did mine.
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~In loving memory of Tim~
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