Awake (Dream Theater album)

Infobox Album | Name = Awake
Type = studio
Artist = Dream Theater


Released = October 4 1994
Recorded = May – July 1994 One On One studios Devonshire studios
Genre = Progressive metal
Length = 75:00
Label = EastWest
Producer = John Purdell and Duane Baron
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:58q4g4jntv1z link]
* Sea of Tranquility Rating|5|5 [http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=2354 link]
* Metal Archives 97% [http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=131 link]
* The Metal Observer (9/10) [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=2850 link]
* Sputnikmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=1500 link]
Last album = "Live at the Marquee" (1993)
This album = "Awake" (1994)
Next album = "A Change of Seasons" (1995)|

"Awake" is the third studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released in 1994. The record holds the distinction of being the last Dream Theater album to feature keyboardist Kevin Moore, and is the band's second-highest selling effort to date behind 1992's "Images and Words" Fact|date=July 2008.

History

After the relative commercial success of "Images and Words", the band went back to the studio in 1994 with the first timetable and most pressure they had experienced going into recording. To shake things up a bit, the band recorded the album in Devonshire, England. The band wanted to expand their horizons and influence with their third release, which in result created the darker, heavier, and more abrasive sound found on "Awake". This was also the first album for the band in which the band collaborated as a working unit with each other, thus the more varied sound of the album.

Shortly before the album's mixing, keyboardist Kevin Moore decided to quit the band to follow his own musical endeavors. Fans were outraged, and the band was left shocked at his decision to leave the band. The band went on a hunt for a new keyboardist to replace Moore for the upcoming tour, and discovered Derek Sherinian, who offered to play keyboards for the band's upcoming tour.

Unfortunately, more occurrences affected the upcoming tour, such as when LaBrie suffered a terrible case of food poisoning and ruptured his vocal cords while vomiting. Doctors advised LaBrie to rest his voice for a few months so he could regain his vocal abilities, but against their wishes he took part on the tour. Much criticism surfaced surrounding his voice as fans and critics alike noticed a much dramatic change in the tone and range of his voice. He would never fully recover his voice until later tours.

Reception

"Awake" has garnered overwhelmingly positive critical and fan acclaim. As of July 2, 2008, heavy metal database The Metal Archives ranks "Awake" as Dream Theater's best album with a 96% rating based on 17 fan reviews [http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=131] . Murat Batmaz of the popular progressive rock/metal review website Sea of Tranquility called "Awake" "one of [the band's] most amazing, profound and timeless masterpieces ever" and "perfect" [http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=2354] .

The record is currently ranked #21 on Digital Dream Door's list of the top 100 progressive metal albums of all time [http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_metal-prog-alb.html] .

Album Structure

Tracks 4-6 form a three-part suite titled "A Mind Beside Itself". They are labeled as such inside the CD booklet; however, the back of the album cover lists them individually, with no mention of the phrase "A Mind Beside Itself." Each song is a separate index on the CD, and Dream Theater often treats them as individual songs at live concerts. They have, however, performed the suite 117 times live as of Osaka, Japan in 2004. They were released on the live album "Live Scenes from New York" and are listed under the title "A Mind Beside Itself" parts I, II and III" there.

Similarly, "The Mirror" and "Lie" can be said to be parts of a single song broken in half. They flow coherently into each other and have a very similar mood with the interlude in "The Mirror" repeating in an altered state as a solo section in "Lie". Despite each part being written by a different member, they share similar themes of betrayal, trust and loss of control. Additionally, the main piano melody of "Space Dye Vest" is featured in "The Mirror."

The samples in "6:00" are taken from the John Huston film "The Dead".

The samples in "Space Dye Vest" are from the 1986 film, "A Room with a View", "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", and from a news report following the O.J. Simpson freeway chase.

The track "Scarred" is not featured on the cassette version of the album.

Track listing

tracklist
lyrics_credits = yes
music_credits = yes

title1 = 6:00
lyrics1 = Kevin Moore
music1 = Dream Theater
length1 = 5:31

title2 = Caught in a Web
lyrics2 = James LaBrie, John Petrucci
music2 = Dream Theater
length2 = 5:28

title3 = Innocence Faded
lyrics3 = Petrucci
music3 = Dream Theater
length3 = 5:43

title4 =
lyrics4 = (instrumental)
music4 = Dream Theater
length4 = 6:45

title5 = "A Mind Beside Itself:" II. Voices
lyrics5 = Petrucci
music5 = Dream Theater
length5 = 9:53

title6 = "A Mind Beside Itself:" III. The Silent Man
lyrics6 = Petrucci
music6 = Petrucci
length6 = 3:48

title7 = The Mirror
lyrics7 = Mike Portnoy
music7 = Dream Theater
length7 = 6:45

title8 = Lie
lyrics8 = Moore
music8 = Dream Theater
length8 = 6:34

title9 = Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
lyrics9 = John Myung
music9 = Dream Theater
length9 = 6:05

title10 = Scarred
lyrics10 = Petrucci
music10 = Dream Theater
length10 = 11:00

title11 = Space-Dye Vest
lyrics11 = Moore
music11 = Moore
length11 = 7:29

Bonus track (Japanese release)

The Japanese edition of the album featured a bonus track of a B-side to the "The Silent Man" single.

tracklist
lyrics_credits = yes
music_credits = yes

title12 = Eve
lyrics12 = (instrumental)
music12 = Moore
length12 = 5:11

Chart performance

Albums [cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3gjueat24xa7~T3 | work = All Music Guide | accessdate = 2007-01-29 | title = Charts & awards - Billboard albums] [cite web | url = http://www.rockdetector.com/discography,2769.sm#recordings17310 | work = Rock Detector | accessdate = 2007-01-29 | title = Dream Theater - Discography]

Singles [cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3srz28ot051a~T31 | work = All Music Guide | accessdate = 2007-01-29 | title = Charts & awards - Billboard singles]

Credits

Band

*James LaBrie — Vocals
*Kevin Moore — Keyboards
*John Myung — Bass
*John Petrucci — Guitar
*Mike Portnoy — Drums & Percussion

Cover art references

Although not confirmed by the band to be an intentional effort, some elements on the cover art represent some of the tracks. Examples:

*Hour and minute on the moon, representing the song "6:00"
*The spider web beside the mirror, representing the song "Caught in a Web"
*The big mirror on the ground, representing the song "The Mirror"
*The false reflection seen on the mirror, representing the song "Lie"
*The mirror's reflection in colour, representing "Lifting Shadows Off A Dream", and also the video of "The Silent Man"
*The old man, as shown on the music video, representing the song "The Silent Man"
*The night sky with the planet, representing the song "Space Dye Vest"

Demo version

According to the liner notes of the Awake demo CD released through Ytsejam Records, some of these songs had different working titles, which are used for the band members to reference while recording and were never intended to remain as such on the final album. Those that were changed were originally titled as follows:

*"6:00" was called "Beachhouse Reality"
*"Caught in a Web" was called "Squid"
*"Innocence Faded" was called "Fresca"
*"The Mirror" was called "Puppies on Acid" (the early version of this song, consisting of the introduction up to where the vocals come in, appears on "Live in Tokyo" and "Once in a LIVEtime")
*"Lie" was called "Kittens on Crack"
*"Lifting Shadows Off a Dream" was called "Blowfish"
*"Scarred" was called "The Keymaster"

References