Originally published in Guitar World magazine · July 2014
The Album That Changed My Life
ArticleJohn Petrucci3 min read
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John Petrucci of Dream Theater
2112 – Rush (1976)
“If I had to pick a favorite band of all time, it would be Rush. As a teenager, I was already familiar with the group and its albums like Moving Pictures and Signals. But once I discovered 2112, it opened me up to this whole concept that rock music could be bigger than just a tune—that it could be used as a vehicle to tell a story or to transport you to some other world. The idea of a big piece like that being broken down into numbered sections like they were chapters in a book was just unbelievable to me, and it’s a technique that I continue to use to this day.
“I have so much respect for [Rush drummer] Neil Peart, especially as a lyricist. And 2112 was the first time I heard something where, lyrically, it didn’t have to just be about the typical rock and roll topics, that it could be about something more heady or esoteric, something that makes you think. That really influenced me as a lyricist.
“I was also blown away by how a three-piece band could sound so majestic and huge and play in a style that’s inherently rock and roll yet still pushes the boundaries of what they’re doing musically—this idea of being experimental, using different time signatures and not really being concerned about song length and traditional constraints. I can’t tell you how huge of an impact that had on me. 2112 basically set the course for my musical career and how I approached Dream Theater.”
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Misha Mansoor of Periphery
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory – Dream Theater (1999)
“This is the album that got me into progressive music and made me think differently about guitar. It’s the most formative album for me in deciding I was going to be a musician and take guitar seriously. Before hearing Scenes From A Memory, I was mostly a drummer. I was probably 15 or 16 when my friend from high school played it for me. I had heard the name Dream Theater before, but I didn’t pay attention because sometimes the word prog gets a bad rap, so I kinda wrote them off. But my friend lent me the album along with their DVD, Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York, where they play the album live. The combination of hearing the record and also seeing that they could actually play that stuff live was amazing. They nail it. I didn’t even know it was possible, and it rocked my world.
“Before that, I played guitar a little bit, but it was mostly about playing drop-D power chords. Nothing serious. But the possibilities of what music could be expanded so much after I heard Scenes From A Memory. It was a mind fuck. I stopped playing drums and took guitar seriously. I sat down and learned as much of the solos and riffs on that album as I could. That’s how I started developing my chops.
“The beauty of John Petrucci is that he’s the whole package. Shredders are a dime a dozen, but this guy writes some of the sickest riffs and best songs ever. I wanted to emulate him and absorb as much of his music as possible. I didn’t even want to be original. Dude, I wanted to straight up be John Petrucci! Scenes From A Memory was my introduction to Dream Theater, and it’s still my favorite record by them. It has so much sentimental value for me because it had such a big impact on my guitar playing.”