Discord & Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Discord and Rhyme is a podcast where we discuss the albums we love, song by song.

030 (feat. Shivam Bhatt): Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory (1999)

We were coming off of a really difficult period for the band, and that album was like do or die. We felt like we had a lot to prove and if we didn’t prove it, then it would’ve been the end.”

—Mike Portnoy

Progessive metal titans Dream Theater are one of those “love them or hate them” bands that everybody seems to have an opinion on. Phil firmly falls into the “love them” category. On this episode, he and the crew take on one of Dream Theater’s most well-known albums, 1999’s “Metropolis Pt. 2 - Scenes From A Memory”, and get into the nitty gritty about what they like about it and what they don’t like about it. There’s a lot more discord on this episode of Discord And Rhyme than average, as the crew ranges from lovers (Phil) to the more skeptical (everyone else).

Miscellany

  • The full 8-bit style cover of this album that we mentioned in the episode is available here.

  • The “what English sounds like to people who don’t speak English” video that John mentioned in the episode is available here.

  • The original demo version of Metropolis Part 2, featuring Derek Sherinian on keyboards from the Falling Into Infinity sessions, isn’t on Spotify, but is available on YouTube here. Derek Sherinian actually left a comment on it!

  • Rich mentioned how metal bands would seem more likely to be inspired by stuff like The Shining as opposed to Dead Again. Black Sabbath *did*, in fact, record a song inspired by The Shining on their somewhat underrated 1987 LP “The Eternal Idol”.

  • Dan made a comment about a “hidden guitar solo” on the (non-existent) 8-track version of this album after mentioning “Pigs On The Wing” by Pink Floyd. There is indeed a guitar solo on this track that only exists on the 8-track release of Animals.

  • It’s not on Spotify, but the “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World” overture that Rich mentions is available here.

  • Rich’s reference to how the Famicom version of the music from Castlevania 3 sounds better is due to a specialized chip in the Famicom release of the game that was not present in the American version, resulting in much richer music being available on the Famicom version.

  • Rich was correct - Dream Theater did, in fact, record a ten-plus-minute song about stem cell research. It’s called “The Great Debate” and it can be found on the “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence” LP.

Other links

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call

  • Phil Maddox (host)

  • Rich Bunnell (moderator)

  • John McFerrin

  • Dan Watkins

  • Shivam Bhatt (special guest)

Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory tracklist

  1. Scene One: Regression

  2. Scene Two: I. Overture 1928

  3. Scene Two: II. Strange Deja Vu

  4. Scene Three: I. Through My Words

  5. Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy

  6. Scene Four: Beyond This Life

  7. Scene Five: Through Her Eyes

  8. Scene Six: Home

  9. Scene Seven: I. The Dance of Eternity

  10. Scene Seven: II. One Last Time

  11. Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On

  12. Scene Nine: Finally Free

Other clips used

Dream Theater:

  • Ytse Jam

  • “Pull Me Under”

  • “Metropolis - Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper”

  • “The Count Of Tuscany”

  • “A Nightmare To Remember”

Others:

  • The Moody Blues - “Lunch Break: Peak Hour”

  • Castlevania 3 - “Clockwork” (Famicom version)

  • Keith Mansfield - “Funky Fanfare”

  • Symphony X - “The Odyssey”

Songs we mentioned but didn’t clip

Dream Theater:

  • “Another Day”

  • “A Change Of Seasons”

  • “Metropolis Part 2” (original demo version from the Falling Into Infinity sessions)

  • “The Glass Prison”

  • “Through Her Eyes” (from Live Scenes From New York)

  • “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence”

  • “The Great Debate”

Others:

  • Rush - “YYZ”

  • Aerosmith - “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”

  • Aerosmith - “Dude Looks Like A Lady”

  • Pink Floyd - “Pigs On The Wing 1”

  • Pink Floyd - “Pigs On The Wing 2”

  • Mack David and Ernest Gold - Overture to “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World”

  • Cream - “Strange Brew”

  • Pantera - “Cowboys From Hell”

  • Yes - “I’ve Seen All Good People”

  • Stevie Wonder - “Contusion”

  • Frank Zappa - “Fifty-Fifty”

  • Black Sabbath - “Neon Knights”

  • Train - “Drops Of Jupiter”

  • Tool - “Forty Six & 2”

  • XTC - “Making Plans For Nigel”

  • Led Zeppelin - “Kashmir”

  • Yes - “Changes”

  • Daft Punk - “One More Time”

  • Pink Floyd - “Brain Damage/Eclipse”

  • Mystery Science Theater 3000 - “Mighty Science Theater” (AKA the end credits theme from Mystery Science Theater 3000)

  • Jethro Tull - “Thick As A Brick”

Band/album personnel

  • John Petrucci - guitar

  • James LaBrie - vocals

  • John Myung - bass

  • Jordan Rudess - keyboards

  • Mike Portnoy - drums

With:

  • Theresa Thomason - additional vocals on “Through Her Eyes” and “The Spirit Carries On”

Credits

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of: 

  • Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste

  • The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...

  • Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

  • Herbie Hancock - Hornets

  • Kraftwerk - Autobahn

  • Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen

  • Dream Theater - Overture 1928 (this episode only) 

You can buy or stream Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory and other albums by Dream Theater at the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon [affiliate link]. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Follow Phil @pamaddox, Rich @zonetrope, John @tarkus1980, Dan @DanSWatkins, and Shivam @elektrotal. Special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and editing. See you next album, and be ever wonderful.

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