July 1992 — Dream Theater — “Images and Words”
Is it Metallica? or Triumph? or Rush? Although “Images and Words” was their second studio album, the addition of James LaBrie as front man makes this album feel like the first complete outing for Dream Theater. While they only have one “hit” in the repertoire, this group is a giant in the progressive rock genre. The musicality of each member of the group gives Dream Theater an ability to take a variety of styles from driving thrash metal to soft ballads to an almost orchestral “wall of sound.” This album is their most commercially successful to date and gives a good sense of their diversity.
“Friend of the Show” John Lynch joins us in Brian's absence as we delve into this prog rock gem from 1992.
“Pull Me Under”
This is the hit off the album. Clocking in at over 8 minutes, a scaled down version hit MTV and gave Dream Theater some exposure to a larger audience. You can see elements of Metallica and Queensryche in this gritty piece.
“Another Day ”
Guitarist John Petrucci wrote this piece while his father was battling cancer. The soprano sax is provided by Jay Beckenstein, co-founder of Spyro Gyra. This is the first piece that attracted Bruce to Dream Theater.
“Surrounded”
Keyboardist Kevin Moore contributed this piece, and you can sense the synthesizer lead pretty strongly. Complex meters typical of prog rock come through, but it's still an accessible piece.
“Wait for Sleep”
This short, beautiful ballad features LaBrie's vocals and Moore's piano work.
“Birth of a Penguin” from “Batman Returns” by Danny Elfman
The film “Batman Returns” came out in the summer of 1992, and featured a cast of stars including Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Danny DeVito as the Penguin.
“Pretend We’re Dead” by L-7
Wayne brings us this all-female punk rock group who dropped this tune on their third and most successful album release. They have quite a past....
“November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses
Rob continues Bruce's bent toward long tracks -- bringing us the longest single that ever made it in the Billboard top 10 - at over 8 minutes! Axl Rose came up with this song in 1983 (apparently what he would play anytime a piano was in front of him) - and it became an epic, multi-layered song in 1992.
“Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Friend of the Show John Lynch picks one of his favorite band -- showcasing the single that truly put the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the map. The song is about Los Angeles - the city of Angels.
“The Church of Logic, Sin, and Love” by The Men
Bruce's staff pick focuses on a one-hit wonder with a largely spoken word composition. We had to go to YouTube to find it in a video — which epitomizes many of the stereotypes of the early nineties, including the goatee... and televisions in swimming pools.
“Kashmire” by Dixie Dregs
This week's instrumental track returns to a well-known progressive rock theme covered by a strongly talented band with Southern roots. This one was recorded live at Center Stage in Atlanta.
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