30 Years Ago, Dream Theater Found Their Voice and Validation with Images and Words
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The post 30 Years Ago, Dream Theater Found Their Voice and Validation with Images and Words appeared first on Consequence.
Although it demonstrated an enjoyable and quite innovative blend of 1980s heavy metal and 1970s progressive rock, Dream Theater’s debut LP — 1989’s When Dream and Day Unite — didn’t exactly set the world aflame.
As discussed in Rich Wilson’s book Lifting Shadows: The Authorized Biography of Dream Theater, the main reasons for its lackluster reception and sales were poor production, poor marketing from Mechanic/MCA Records, and the incongruous nature of vocalist Charlie Dominici.
“[He] was 37 years old, kind of short and stocky with short curly hair, just didn’t look like one of us . . . it was always like trying to have Billy Joel sing with Queensrÿche or Iron Maiden. It just didn’t work,” founding drummer Mike Portnoy told Wilson.
Thankfully, a few bold but necessary changes (moving to ATCO Records, bringing on producer David Prater, and most importantly, replacing Dominici with James LaBrie) yielded a far more commercially and creatively lucrative follow-up: Images and Words.
Thirty years later, the LP is rightly regarded as one of their most rewarding and impactful works. With its superb songwriting and delightfully vibrant and refined instrumentation, it paved the way not only for their consequent records but for the trajectory of modern progressive metal in general.
Delving further into the addition of LaBrie, roughly 200 singers (including Fates Warning’s John Arch) were auditioned before the remaining members landed on him. After spending a few days testing out their professional and personal chemistries, LaBrie’s towering vocal range and acquiescent personality made him the clear pick.
In a 2017 interview with the Official Dream Theater Fan Club, LaBrie revealed that he was initially hesitant to fly to New York to meet the troupe, as well as hesitant to potentially leave his current band, Winter Rose.
Luckily, LaBrie expounded, his wife gave him the necessary pep talk: “You’re gonna get your ass down there [and] you are gonna jam with these guys … you’re gonna show them what you’ve got.”
Having already tried out a few songs together — such as “Learning to Live” and “Take the Time” — as well as signing with ATCO (which was run by Gentle Giant frontman Derek Shulman), the revised quintet was all set to ready to record Images and Words during the final months of 1991.
Despite a few contentious incidents with producer David Prater (primarily concerning his unsolicited input on Dream Theater’s recording techniques, Wilson reports), the sessions were quite fruitful. In fact, they wanted to put out a double album but ATCO insisted that they cut several songs (most famously, side-long suite “A Change of Seasons,” which would come out as its own EP in 1995). Ultimately, guitarist John Petrucci admitted to Prog Sphere in 2017, that it was “the right decision.”
Likewise, bringing on designer Larry Freemantle — who’d previously done artwork for Yes, Pantera, Led Zeppelin, and ELP — to do the cover was a keen choice. “The concept … came from the band,” he explained to PROG in 2015. “It was a collage of engravings and illustrations” meant to resemble “an old painting” that featured visual references to each of the eight tracks. Today, the image is synonymous with both the band and the genre.
While Images and Words was clearly a huge improvement artistically, it didn’t immediately topple When Dream and Day Unite in terms of commercial performance and critical awareness. However, that changed once a shortened version of the Hamlet-inspired opener, “Pull Me Under,” was issued as a single during the summer of 1992.
Aside from numerous radio stations giving it attention, the accompanying music video (their first) was a huge hit on MTV’s Headbangers Ball. Eventually, it reached No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and — as Petrucci told Gitarre & Bass a few years ago — essentially launched their career.
To his point, Images and Words itself ended up selling over 600,000 copies, being certified gold by the RIAA, and peaking at No. 61 on the Billboard 200. Decades later, it’s still often ranked by fans and applicable press outlets as either their best or — if 1999’s masterful Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory takes the lead — second-best collection.
It’s easy to hear why, too. Naturally, “Pull Me Under” is a powerful and catchy starter, with Portnoy and bassist John Myung providing typically hyperactive and dynamic rhythms around Petrucci’s iconic lead guitarwork, keyboardist Kevin Moore’s wistful coatings, and LaBrie’s soaring melodies. It’s an anthemic gem that, in several ways, serves as the true introduction to Dream Theater.
“Under a Glass Moon” and “Take the Time” — which samples Frank Zappa, Kurtis Blow, Public Enemy, and Cinema Paradiso — pack parallel aggression into their flamboyantly funky multipart arrangements. In contrast, “Another Day” is a lovingly decorated ode that’s highlighted by Jay Beckenstein’s peppy saxophone solo, whereas “Surrounded” is an irresistibly quirky indication of the group’s ability to continually shuffle between — as LaBrie sings — “light to dark / dark to light.” Of course, piano ballad “Wait for Sleep” is a testament to the power of stunning simplicity, as its relative minimalism enhances gorgeous production, singing, and lyricism.
That said, the epic “Metropolis—Part I: ‘The Miracle and the Sleeper’” and closer “Learning to Live” are the two greatest pieces here. Both exemplify Dream Theater’s knack for traditional prog rock intricacy and eccentricity, with the former’s imaginative storytelling and sophisticated instrumentation necessitating a full-length sequel seven years later. Similarly, the latter recalls the warm peculiarities of early ’70s era Jethro Tull and Genesis prior to ingeniously reprising the main motif of “Wait for Sleep.” It’s extraordinary.
As their recent Grammy win proves, Dream Theater are perhaps the biggest pure progressive metal band around, and none of their later victories would’ve happened without Images and Words. Beyond showcasing their monumental growth, it exhibited the greatest potential yet for the marriage of its main styles, and it’s rarely been outdone (by Dream Theater or another act) in the years since.
Like Metropolis itself, Images and Words will keep us watching and thoughtfully smiling forever.
Images and Words Album Artwork:
30 Years Ago, Dream Theater Found Their Voice and Validation with Images and Words
Jordan Blum
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