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Dream Theater: Score-20th Anniversary Celebration (CD)

This triple CD set was released as a direct companion to the double DVD bearing the same name, continues the commemoration celebration of Dream Theater's sold-out performance at Radio City Music Hall in April 2006. The concert featured would be the last night of the bands touring which began with appearances on Gigantour 2005, and concluded with them featuring a large amount of material from their latest album Octavarium. There is little point in trying to explain to the novice what an experience Dream Theater is in concert and its better left at advising them to see them in person to appreciate them the best. However since not everyone has the luxury of being able to attend concerts, the band makes sure to deliver a healthy amount of live performance CD's. Their studio recordings are always interesting explorations into the paths that one can take when mixing genres around, and with this live album the band shows how effectively Metal, Progressive and Classical can be used at the same time. The end result is quite fantastic. Leave it to Dream Theater to make sure to give the listener the entire concert where others might edit out a song or two. It's a better practice if at all possible since those who attended are totally immersed in the show once again while the ones that wish they were there can feel the energy through their speakers. On this 3 CD Set, the first disk contains the first portion of the show while the second two find the band performing with a 30 piece Orchestra. Disk one is also special since it includes the first song ever written by the band "Another Won" and even a track from their debut album with "Afterlife".

When I heard that the band was going to release the CD as a separate item I was a little annoyed but in truth there are people out there who don't like the video releases and prefer to just own the CD. Given its special celebration, I almost expected a super-deluxe edition to be issued with both items in one place. With this particular item I think the direction to go is for the DVD and then if you are the Dream Theater completist you can (and most likely will) purchase the CD. A fully loaded booklet with information and photos from the show is included for the listener to review as the CD plays. It is sure to bring a little of the performance right into their living room as they do.


Track Listing
1. The Root Of All Evil
2. I Walk Beside You
3. Another Won
4. Afterlife
5. Under A Glass Moon
6. Innocence Faded
7. Raise The Knife
8. The Spirit Carries On
9. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
10. Vacant
11. The Answer Lies Within
12. Sacrificed Sons
13. Octavarium
14. Metropolis

Added: October 16th 2006
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Dream Theater Website
Hits: 6279
Language: english

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Dream Theater: Score-20th Anniversary Celebration (CD)
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-10-16 14:34:05
My Score:

As live albums go, it doesn't get much better. To celebrate Dream Theater's 20th Anniversary, they have released the 3 CD set Score, recorded at New York's Radio City Music Hall. It was a grand event, and for fans who were not able to be in attendance, it's all captured here (and on the companion DVD piece) to be cherished for the ages. Instead of running through a "greatest hits" set, the band instead chose pieces from each era of the band, many rarities as well as songs not played in some time. Plus, the band had the Octavarium Orchestra with them for the second half of the set, which gave epic tracks like "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" and "Octavarium" that extra symphonic feel. Who else but Dream Theater would play two monster pieces like these in the same set? That's over 60 minutes for two songs! Dusting off old pieces like "Another Won" and "Afterlife", from the pre-Dream Theater days as Majesty and from the very first album, as well as classic yet rarely played material like "Innocence Faded", "Sacrificed Sons", "Under a Glass Moon", and "Raise the Knife", was all aimed at the longtime listener, not the casual fan. Forget "Pull Me Under", or the more well known songs from Train of Thought, Awake, and Scenes From a Memory-this was all about making this night as special as possible for the true fan.

So sit back and enjoy some prime live Dream Theater. It's grand, it's epic, but most of all it's different from their other live sets, and that makes it all the more special.



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