Stick With The Albums
'Greatest Hit' is a confusing Dream Theater release. It's not via Road Runner records and doesn't contain any material from their latest album 'Systematic Chaos'. However, it's an official release because it contains remixed versions of three songs from 'Images And Words'. I usually despise greatest hits albums. They're such a debasement of a usually quality packed discography. They're not brimming with the band's greatest hits and they're usually spun once then filed in the record collection to gather dust. In Dream Theater's case this isn't a greatest hits package, it's their greatest hit, a joking reference to their song 'Pull Me Under' which is arguably their only significant 'hit'. But this IS a greatest hits double album that also doesn't shy away from those 'remixes' and 'new edits' to spice up an otherwise unnecessary release.
The twenty-one songs are split into two discs, the dark side and the light side. Disc one contains the heavier side of the prog masters. Songs such as 'Lie,' 'Home,' and 'As I Am' keep the down-tuned guitars coming and the metal fans happy. The underrated 'Peruvian Skies' and 'Endless Sacrifice' make welcome appearances because it's easy to forget about Dream Theater songs amidst the prolific eighty-minute albums. The new mixes of 'Pull Me Under' and 'Take The Time' could be a cause for contention amongst fans. 'Images And Words' is the cornerstone of Dream Theater's history. Its riffs, music and production are etched into the minds of fans throughout the world. The re-recording and twiddling knobs is usually an irritation to the fans no matter how much the original annoys the members. The new versions have had their sound slightly updated to be more akin to 'Scenes From A Memory'. I don't think an improvement has been made with these new mixes, but they've certainly not lost any of their magic, they're just different.
What really annoys this Dream Theater fan is the inclusion of the edited versions as if they're special editions, or worthy of owning. The reason Dream Theater is loved is because of the progressive nature of the music, the long songs and the outstanding musicianship. By editing songs (usually by cutting out huge chunks) the whole identity of the band has been ripped apart. They maybe useful for radio play but when did Dream Theater ever care about that? They're a highly unsatisfying experience and the skip track button is regularly pressed whenever they hit the speakers.
Disc two is the 'lighter side' of Dream Theater. 'Hollow Years,' 'Lifting Shadows Off A Dream,' and 'Through Her Eyes' are classic songs, although too much of the lighter side does make you crave for a bit of grit every once in a while. In hindsight, it would've been a better idea to mix the songs rather than having a dark and light side. The first disc has had far more repeated plays than the lighter side of the band because it satisfies the metal fan within. This 'Greatest Hit' is an needless release, but it's perfectly timed for those new Dream Theater fans picked up by the excellent 'Systematic Chaos'. It'll give those fans a chance to sample the band's brilliant back catalogue in a hope they'll go and investigate their discography further, which is no bad thing. If you want my advice, forget this and pick up ALL of DT's albums, you wont regret it.