Dream Theater (excerpt)

“What? Dream Theater? You know, the song ‘Pull Me Under’...”

Yeah, that’s them. Obviously, however, there is a lot more to Dream Theater than those three words. This quintet is becoming more difficult to overlook all the time. Hardcore progressive metal fans have been familiar with the band since the late ‘80s when an ambitious tune, ‘Only a Matter of Time,’ turned up on a compilation CD released by the College Music Journal, Moshin’ CMJ Volume 1. That song was from a Theater blueprint named Majesty. Soon thereafter, their named switched to the current, the group released their debut on Mechanic Records. That LP, When Dream and Day Unite, began a following and paved the way for Images and Words, the summer of ’92 release. And ___ the buzz is undeniable. To get a bit inside this _____ group, I spoke with guitarist John Petrucci about the tour, the big single, the past and the future.

On the road almost non-stop since September, Theater’s ___

I wonder how widespread the reaction was.

“Actually, it is getting quite well everywhere,” _____ Petrucci, obviously overjoyed by that fact. “We’re selling out pretty much all of the places now and we’re starting to move up to playing theaters and out of clubs.”

Much of this notoriety (which will even find the five traveling to Europe in the spring), it would seem, would be due to having a song embraced by radio and television in the way that ‘Pull Me Under’ has ____.

“Oh my God,” he affirmed, laughing. “It’s like everything. It’s incredible. I can’t believe it because out of all the songs we were considering for single, it’s like the least accessible or commercial, I think. Y’know, it’s a heavier song. But it’s ____ ____ I think it has a lot to do, because the fact that we’re touring our asses off, with the attendance ____ record sales.”

Indeed. Odds are all involved, from the band members themselves up to the top executives of Atco Records are surprised at the popularity of such a strange and lengthy single, from the 8:11 original, the radio edit clocks in at around 6:00 in duration. The unorthodoxy doesn’t stop there. What comes in next, in its full form, is 8:21.

“’Take the Time’ is the single and video which we’ll be shooting in LA. [‘Pull Me Under’] didn’t really come out exactly the way we wanted. As far as the conceptual stuff goes,” Petrucci continued, “we were going back and forth with the director and the record company in hotels and it was really hard trying to communicate what we wanted to get across. But it was a limited budget and it was our first video. It was more of a street-level type of feel. We just kind of went with it.”

As an intense Dream Theater devotee, I wanted Petrucci to elucidate some nagging points (to which some similarly affects readers may relate) before getting on with a discussion of the band’s rearing. As it turns out, the first mystery, that of the meaning of the title ‘Ytse Jam’ (from the Dream and Day album), is actually too obvious. Simply reverse the band’s previous moniker. Makes you want to say “duh” doesn’t it? More recently, those curious about the Italian blurb in the middle of that new release (‘...Time’) can rest. That is an appropriate translation of the vocal which precedes it, “I can see much clearer now I’m blind,” and it comes from the film Cinema Paradiso. Whew...

Often examining a band’s influences proves to be very insightful. Of course Dream Theater didn’t spring fully developed from their Long Island homes, but just what did go into their sound? I had some hunches. It seemed a good place to start would be the _____ Canadian power trio Rush.

“Absolutely. I mean those guys... one band if we had to name a favorite band, everybody would name the same one.”

English progressives, Yes?

“To me, out of all our influences, I think they influenced us on the writing level. Our formula, because of the musicians, the keys, the guitar, and their arrangements, the way they write, I think that’s the biggest writing influence.”

Early Genesis?

“Personally, I’ve always loved them, but it was never a major influence until recently. The last few years when people started to say, ‘You sound like Genesis,’ then I started to investigate.”

And everyone’s favorite Midwestern progressive rockers, Kansas?

“That’s another example of the same thing. You know, I love them. They’re amazing. When I was growing up, getting influences, I, for whatever reason, overlooked Kansas. But then when we put our first album out, everyone’s like, ‘You guys sound like early Kansas,’ I’m like ‘What are you talkin’ about?’ So I had to go back and listen to them.”

Petrucci also mentioned the likes of Iron Maiden and southern instrumental wizards The Dregs, wondering if Theater themselves would ever get to “that level,” a refreshing lack of attitude.

As our conversation continued through Dream Theater history, we came to the subject of singers. I found it curious that there wasn’t so much as “goodbye” let alone “good luck” in the current liner notes to ex-vocalist Charlie Dominici. The guitarist elaborated: “We kind of knew that he wasn’t the guy all along. We started to recognize the signs when we were playing live; his performance wasn’t cutting it. So far as image, he just didn’t fit at all with the band, he was considerably older. After a while, we were like, ‘Guys, we gotta do it.’”

Much of the lapse between albums was spent searching for the right singer whom they found in James LaBrie. Rumors were that there were as many as a hundred potential frontmen trying out.

“We didn’t actually audition that many, so far as live auditions. It was the amount of tapes that we went through. There were at least a couple hundred. But out of those, maybe it was a dozen [live].”

As far as the band’s current and future situation, it appears that Atco/EastWest Records is a fine home. Both parties are surely happy. “Oh absolutely, man. Right now, especially. They’re right behind us. We’re really fortunate because the circle of people that we have that are on our side are really into it. The whole reason we got signed is because [Atco A&R man] Derek Oliver is a fan of the band. So we have real key people working for us. That’s really important.”

Whether or not “progressive” music is now or becomes vogue, Dream Theater on the strength of their melodic and interesting approach seems now to be heading into a bright future.

—Troy Van Horn

Dream Theater

February 4, 1993

Backstage

Overland Park, KS

I want more! Dream Theater on February 4th brought the Backstage the best show it has ever seen. The sold-out crowd rocked and sand along with the powerful 1½ how show with an enthusiasm not usually present at Backstage.

These expert songwriters and musicians came to Backstage to promote their latest album, Images And Words on the Atlantic label. All songs from their latest album, except for _____ _____ which you might classify along the lines of Dixie Dregs meet Yes while Surfing With The Alien.

The entire show was 100% real rocking _____ that

compound drum beats, on and on, my music ____ nightmare. Good arrangement of songs and occasional power ballads, such as ‘Surrounded’ or ‘Wait For Sleep,’ but the one song that showcases the range of musical talent was ‘Metropolis.’

The whole band was tight and professional, but drummer Mike Portnoy shined like a star, _____ all the _____ and complex time changes reminiscent of early Iron Maiden. Even having the hardest ____ in the band, he was Gonzo. Bassist John Myung performed unlike any other I’ve seen. His fingers flew over the frets ____ strong bass chord ____ and lead melodies. He _____ no limits.

Their strong harmony, power delivery and expert comprehension of their instruments made a fabulous show, but it would have been difficult to maintain that music for a much longer set. What a let down when the show ended. I had to go home and feed my cat.

—Casandra

Submytion was the opener, they did most if not all original material from their tape that was mentioned during their set. This local band seems to be a good opener for national acts. I was glad I arrived early.

Ever since I’ve obtained a copy of their Atco release Images And Words six months ago, I’ve wanted to see the band live. Dream Theater did ten songs in eighty minutes. Starting off with ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Under A Glass Moon,’ the band did so much jamming that vocalist James LaBrie had several chances to step aside for a brief time. The sold-out crowd also dug ‘Surrounded,’ ‘Another Day,’ and ‘Take The Time.’ I should mention that I just about shit my knickers during their ripping version of ‘Pull Me Under.’ They did encores of ‘Wait For Sleep’ and ‘Learning To Live.’

—Love Beast