Images and Words

Last updated

Images and Words
Dream Theater - Images and Words.jpg
Studio album by
Dream Theater
ReleasedJuly 7, 1992 (1992-07-07) [1]
RecordedOctober–December 1991
Studio BearTracks Studios, Suffern, New York
The Hit Factory, New York City
Genre Progressive metal [2]
Length57:04
Label ATCO
Producer David Prater
Dream Theater chronology
When Dream and Day Unite
(1989)		Images and Words
(1992)		 Live at the Marquee
(1993)
Singles from Images and Words
  1. "Pull Me Under"
    Released: August 29, 1992
  2. "Another Day"
    Released: July 1993 [3]

Images and Words is the second studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on July 7, 1992, through Atco Records. [1] It is the first Dream Theater release to feature James LaBrie on vocals. Since its release, the album has maintained its position as the band's most commercially successful studio album, and the song "Pull Me Under" has the distinction of being the only Top 10 hit (radio or otherwise) the band has had to date. This particular song has also had more recent success as it has appeared in the 2008 video game Guitar Hero World Tour . [4]

Contents

History

After Charlie Dominici's departure from Dream Theater, the band auditioned nearly 200 individuals across the nation, until James LaBrie, who at that point was part of Canadian glam metal band Winter Rose, sent the band an audition tape. After a short jam session, he was named Dream Theater's new lead singer, and has remained with them ever since.

With LaBrie as the new vocalist, the band was signed to a seven-album contract by Atco Records, and shortly thereafter, they began recording their new album in late 1991. The album's production was marred with tensions, as the band clashed with producer David Prater, including incidents where Prater would lock the band out of the studio while infamously forcing drummer Mike Portnoy to use triggered snare and bass drum samples, with the snare sample being the exact one used on FireHouse's 1992 album Hold Your Fire, another album Prater produced around the same time. [5]

The lead single, "Pull Me Under", gained the band considerable commercial success with its airplay on MTV and radio, garnering them a top 10 hit on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. When the album was released, it sold at a steady pace, helped by an extensive world tour.

Dream Theater originally intended to release a double album, but that plan was rejected by ATCO, causing several songs to be omitted from the album. One of these songs, "A Change of Seasons", would later be re-recorded by the band and released on an EP of the same name in 1995. [6]

The song "Take the Time" includes samples from Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'" ("Hold it now"), Frank Zappa's "Dancin' Fool" ("Wait a minute"), and Public Enemy's "Power to the People", ("Come on"). The song also features a quote from Giuseppe Tornatore's movie Cinema Paradiso: "Ora che ho perso la vista, ci vedo di più" ("Now that I have lost my sight, I see more"), sung and paraphrased by LaBrie shortly before in the song ("I can see much clearer now, I'm blind"). LaBrie had appeared as a guest vocalist on Fates Warning's 1991 album Parallels , for which the band was credited as "Dream Theatre" in the "special thanks" of the album's credits. Dream Theater responded by thanking "Fatez Warning" in the credits of Images and Words.

Images and Words was played in its entirety on several occasions during the European leg of the 2007 "Chaos in Motion" tour, in celebration of its 15th anniversary. [7] On July 7, 2012, at a concert in Austin, Texas, the songs "Pull Me Under", "Another Day", and "Metropolis" were performed as an encore to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary; additionally, "Surrounded" was performed during the main set. In 2017, Dream Theater celebrated the 25th anniversary of the album on the "Images, Words & Beyond" tour in Europe, which started on January 30 at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome, Italy. [8]

In a 2019 interview with Greg Prato in SongFacts, LaBrie listed Images and Words as the Dream Theater album he is most proud of, because "that established what Dream Theater really is. I think it's a phenomenal album from beginning to end." [9]

The album was reissued in 2013 on vinyl as a limited edition 180 gr. double LP. [10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 8/10 [12]
Metal Storm 9.6/10 [13]
Rock Hard 10/10 [14]
Select 2/5 [15]

The album has received acclaim from music critics since its release. The German magazine Rock Hard elected Images and Words Album of the Month and lauded Dream Theater, using "the old [1970s] term 'supergroup '"; according to the reviewer, they set "standards and still perfect them, although they hardly appear to do so" and, even considering the many influences in their music, the "versatility, the linking of different grooves and melody elements within each songs" shows how Dream Theater are "style-transcending like no other band." [14] In another contemporary review, Select gave the album a lower rating, referring to the album as "elaborate, layered prog-metal" and stated that "if this was a book, it'd be for the coffee-table, glossy but not essential." [15] Phil Carter of AllMusic was taken by the band members' "impressive ability on their respective instruments" and by LaBrie's vocal range, writing also that the album is an "excellent mix of progressive metal stylings with heartfelt vocals and thought-provoking lyrics". [11] Metal Storm reviewer calls Images and Words "a masterpiece and also a historical album", because it "brought something totally new to the scene, this famous progressive metal sound that would become Dream Theater's signature". [13] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff in his Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal praised the band's musicianship and "the tricky arrangements", but was not thrilled by the album, which he found "a bit too self-aware and calculated to be in the true spirit of progressive rock." [12]

Images and Words was a moderate commercial hit, reaching number 61 on the US Billboard 200 chart. [16] It is also Dream Theater's only album to be certified gold by the RIAA, [17] and remains their best-selling album to date, selling more than six hundred thousand copies. [18]

Accolades

On April 9, 2013, Images and Words won Loudwire's fan-voted March Metal Madness award for best metal album of all time. [19]

The song "Under a Glass Moon" was awarded the 98th best guitar solo by an About.com guitar expert. [20]

In October 2011, Images and Words was ranked number 7 on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992. [21]

In 2015, the album was ranked first on the website Prog Report's list of the top 50 progressive rock albums of 1990–2015. Four other Dream Theater albums made the list: Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (third), Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (14th), Awake (18th), and Train of Thought (38th). [22]

In 2017, it was ranked 95th at Rolling Stone 's "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". [23]

Track listing

All music is composed by Dream Theater, except "Wait for Sleep" by Kevin Moore

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Pull Me Under" Kevin Moore 8:14
2."Another Day" John Petrucci 4:23
3."Take the Time"Moore, Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, John Myung [24] 8:21
4."Surrounded"Moore5:30
5."Metropolis—Part I: 'The Miracle and the Sleeper' "Petrucci9:32
6."Under a Glass Moon"Petrucci7:03
7."Wait for Sleep"Moore2:31
8."Learning to Live"Myung11:30
Total length:57:04

Personnel

Dream Theater

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [28] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [29] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dream Theater</span> American progressive metal band

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James LaBrie</span> Canadian singer

Kevin James LaBrie is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead singer of American progressive metal band Dream Theater, which he has been fronting since 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Portnoy</span> American drummer

Michael Stephen Portnoy is an American musician who is primarily known as the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater.

<i>Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory</i> 1999 studio album by Dream Theater

Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory is the fifth studio album and first concept album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 26, 1999, through Elektra Records. It was recorded at BearTracks Studios in Suffern, New York, where the band had previously recorded their second studio album, Images and Words (1992), and the EP A Change of Seasons (1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Petrucci</span> American guitarist

John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced all of Dream Theater's albums from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999) to A View from the Top of the World (2021), and has been the sole producer of the band's albums released since A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011). Petrucci has also released two solo albums: Suspended Animation (2005) and Terminal Velocity (2020).

<i>Awake</i> (Dream Theater album) 1994 studio album by Dream Theater

Awake is the third studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 4, 1994, through East West Records. It is the final Dream Theater album to feature original keyboardist Kevin Moore, who announced his decision to leave the band during the mixing process of the album.

<i>A Change of Seasons</i> 1995 EP by Dream Theater

A Change of Seasons is the first EP by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, first released on September 19, 1995, through East West Records. It comprises the 23-minute title track and a collection of live cover songs performed at a fan club concert on January 31, 1995, at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.

<i>When Dream and Day Unite</i> 1989 studio album by Dream Theater

When Dream and Day Unite is the debut studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on March 6, 1989, through Mechanic/MCA Records. The album is composed mostly of material that originally surfaced during the band's early years as Majesty, and it is the only Dream Theater album to be recorded with their full original lineup. James LaBrie replaced Charlie Dominici as the lead vocalist on all subsequent albums.

Charlie Dominici was an American singer, best known as the second vocalist for the progressive metal band Dream Theater, having replaced Chris Collins and later being replaced by James LaBrie. Dominici fronted his own self-named progressive metal band, that released three albums.

<i>Once in a LIVEtime</i> 1998 live album by Dream Theater

Once in a LIVEtime is the second live album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released in 1998. It is their second live release. It was produced and recorded by Kevin Shirley during the European leg of the Touring into Infinity world tour, at the Bataclan theater in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pull Me Under</span> 1992 single by Dream Theater

"Pull Me Under" is the debut single by Dream Theater from their 1992 album Images and Words. It is also featured on the Live at the Marquee CD, Once in a LIVEtime CD, Live at Budokan CD and DVD, the Images and Words: Live in Tokyo VHS and DVD, and the Live at Luna Park DVD. It received positive critical reception and extensive MTV rotation. Widely considered to be Dream Theater's signature song, Rolling Stone ranked it number No. 91 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Day (Dream Theater song)</span> 1993 single by Dream Theater

"Another Day" is a song by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released in their 1992 album Images and Words. It was released as the album's second and final single in 1993.

"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is the sixth song and title track on the album of the same name, written and performed by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Though the song is essentially broken up into eight movements on separate tracks, it lasts 42 minutes in full and takes up the entire second CD of the album. The song was conceived when keyboardist Jordan Rudess wrote what would become the "Overture" section, and the band took various melodies and ideas contained within it and expanded them into segments of the complete piece. The song explores the stories of six individuals suffering from various mental illnesses. Particularly represented are bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, post-partum depression, autism, and dissociative identity disorder.

<i>Systematic Chaos</i> 2007 studio album by Dream Theater

Systematic Chaos is the ninth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released on June 4, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States, Systematic Chaos was the band's first release through Roadrunner Records, which was sold to their previous label Atlantic Records, through which the band had released their previous studio album Octavarium (2005). The album was recorded from September 2006 to February 2007 at Avatar Studios in New York City, after the band's first break from summer touring in ten years. The lyrics of the album were written by John Petrucci, James LaBrie, and Mike Portnoy about fictional, political, and personal topics, respectively.

<i>Greatest Hit (...And 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs)</i> 2008 compilation album by Dream Theater

Greatest Hit is a compilation album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater released in Australia on March 29, 2008, and by Rhino Records in the United States on April 1. The title alludes to their only top 10 radio hit, "Pull Me Under". It features three songs from their breakthrough album Images and Words remixed by Kevin Shirley: "Pull Me Under", "Take the Time", and "Another Day". It also features the song "To Live Forever", an Awake-era re-recording of the song from the Images and Words sessions, which was previously unreleased on a full-length album. Several single edits of popular Dream Theater songs are also featured on this compilation.

"Space-Dye Vest" is the eleventh and final song from American progressive metal band Dream Theater's 1994 album, Awake. The song was written entirely by the keyboardist Kevin Moore, and its demo featured Moore on vocals. It is structured around a dark, brooding duet between Moore playing the piano and vocalist James LaBrie. The rest of the band kick in for a dramatic outro, fading out until Moore ends the song with the piano passage that opened the song. The song is interspersed with samples from A Room with a View, The Fifth Estate, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Trouble With Evan and a news commentary by Jim Hill during the O. J. Simpson freeway chase.

<i>A Dramatic Turn of Events</i> 2011 studio album by Dream Theater

A Dramatic Turn of Events is the eleventh studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released worldwide in September 2011 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first recording to feature drummer Mike Mangini, following the departure of founding member Mike Portnoy in September 2010. The album was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered between January and June 2011 at Cove City Sound Studios in Long Island, New York. It was produced by guitarist John Petrucci and mixed by Andy Wallace. Two singles, "On the Backs of Angels" and "Build Me Up, Break Me Down", were released in promotion of the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolis—Part I: "The Miracle and the Sleeper"</span> 1992 promotional single by Dream Theater

"Metropolis—Part I: 'The Miracle and the Sleeper'" is a song by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, from their 1992 album Images and Words.

<i>Psychotic Symphony</i> 2017 studio album by Sons of Apollo

Psychotic Symphony is the debut studio album by American supergroup Sons of Apollo. It was released on October 20, 2017. The album was produced by drummer Mike Portnoy and keyboardist Derek Sherinian under the name "The Del Fuvio Brothers" a nickname they adopted during their time together in Dream Theater. All band members were involved in the creation of the songs. Portnoy and Sherinian were the main songwriters. The album was released as CD, digital download, vinyl and a special edition containing a bonus disc with instrumental versions of the songs and an alternate mix of "Opus Maximus." The band began touring to promote the album in early 2018.

<i>A View from the Top of the World</i> 2021 studio album by Dream Theater

A View from the Top of the World is the fifteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 22, 2021. This is their first album to be recorded at their own studio, DTHQ as well as their first since Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009) to include fewer than nine tracks, the first since Dream Theater (2013) both to contain a track of at least ten minutes in length and to end with the longest track. A View from the Top of the World is also Dream Theater's last album to feature drummer Mike Mangini, who left the band in October 2023 upon the return of original drummer Mike Portnoy.

References

  1. 1 2 "Images and Words". Dream Theater. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ "THE BEST METAL ALBUMS FROM 40 SUBGENRES". Loudwire . Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Another Day".
  4. ↑ Purchese, Robert (September 12, 2008). "Full Guitar Hero: World Tour set-list". Eurogamer . Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  5. ↑ Martinelli, Roberto (November 2007). "Interview with Dream Theater". Maelstrom. 58– via maelstromzine.com.
  6. ↑ Portnoy, Mike. "A Change of Seasons in Images and Words". About Mike – FAQ. Mike Portnoy.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Dream Theatre News Archive 2007: Dream Theater kick off 2007/2008 World Tour with I&W anniversary performance". Dream Theatre Official Website. June 4, 2007. Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Dream Theater Announce Monumental European Headline Tour". Dream Theater official website. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Songwriter Interviews: James LaBrie of Dream Theater". songfacts.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  10. ↑ Images and Words (LP Sleeve). Dream Theater. Merrick, New York: Enjoy The Ride Records. 2013. ETR-021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. 1 2 Images and Words at AllMusic OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  12. 1 2 Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 128. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  13. 1 2 "Dream Theater - Images and Words". Metal Storm. January 9, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Breusch, Matthias (1992). "Review Album des Monats: Dream Theater – Images and Words". Rock Hard (in German). No. 63. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Blellcock, Marilla (September 1992). "Reviews". Select . p. 89.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dream Theater Awards". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  17. ↑ "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Dream Theater". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Gigantour: Sales Update". Blabbermouth.net . August 4, 2005. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  19. ↑ Hartmann, Graham (April 9, 2013). "Dream Theater's 'Images and Words' Wins March Metal Madness 2013". Loudwire . Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  20. ↑ Cross, Dan. "100 Greatest Guitar Solos". About.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  21. ↑ Grassi, Tony. "Photo Gallery: The Top 10 Guitar Albums of 1992". GuitarWorld.com . Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Top 50 Prog Albums 1990–2015". The Prog Report.com. July 7, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  23. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (June 21, 2017). "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  24. ↑ @MikePortnoy (December 20, 2012). ""@gzarruk: @MikePortnoy who actually..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ↑ "Album – Dream Theater, Images and Words". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts . Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Dream Theater – Images And Words". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  27. ↑ "イメージズ・アンド・ワーズ | ドリーム・シアター" [Images And Words | Dream Theater] (in Japanese). Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – ドリーム・シアター – イメージズ・アンド・ワーズ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved September 16, 2021.Select 1995年10月 on the drop-down menu
  29. ↑ "American album certifications – Dream Theater – Images". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 16, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.