|
Black Clouds & Silver Linings [2 LP 180g Vinyl] | ![Black Clouds & Silver Linings [2 LP 180g Vinyl]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MdJjcYMFL._SL500_.jpg) | Artist: Dream Theater
Label: Roadrunner Records
Category: Music
List Price: $29.98
Buy New: $22.96
as of 2/10/2010 06:45 EST details
You Save: $7.02 (23%)
New (15) from $22.96
Seller: imprintmusic
Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 142160
Media: Vinyl
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 12.1 x 12.1 x 0.4
UPC: 016861788315
EAN: 0016861788315
ASIN: B00288KO76
Release Date: June 23, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | A Nightmare To Remember | | • | A Rite Of Passage | | • | The Shattered Fortress |
Disc 2
| • | Wither | | • | The Best Of Times | | • | The Count Of Tuscany |
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
'This album's a musical and emotional rollercoaster, but most of our albums are,' Mike Portnoy says of Black Clouds & Silver Linings, Dream Theater's tenth studio album and second Roadrunner release. Black Clouds & Silver Linings marks another milestone on Dream Theater's iconoclastic musical journey,
which began two and a half decades ago and now encompasses a hugely impressive body of music that's established the durable progressive metal outfit as a one-of-a-kind creative force with a fiercely devoted international fan base. The new album - produced by band members Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, who also serve as the group's main lyricists - offers a vibrant manifestation of the world-class musicianship, vivid lyrical scenarios and ambitious, multi-leveled
compositions that have established Dream Theater as a uniquely compelling creative force.
Album Description
Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 2009 release, the 10th album from Progressive Metal legends Dream Theater. Black Clouds & Silver Linings marks another milestone on Dream Theater's iconoclastic musical journey, which began two and a half decades ago and now encompasses a hugely impressive body of music that's established the durable Prog Metal outfit as a one-of-a-kind creative force with a fiercely devoted international fan base. This album - produced by band members Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, who also serve as the group's main lyricists- offers a vibrant manifestation of the world-class musicianship, vivid lyrical scenarios and ambitious, multi-leveled compositions that have established Dream Theater as a uniquely compelling creative force. Six tracks.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 72
 Cancel the John & Mike Show February 9, 2010
Rol (New Jersey)
I had high hopes for this album. The first single, "A Rite of Passage", rocked solidly and I hoped the rest of the CD would follow suit. Instead, it turned out to be the best of a shaky collection of tracks. Musically, it's all still Dream Theater, but nothing really stands out here like "These Walls" and "Never Enough" did on Octavarium, "Endless Sacrifice" and "Vacant/Stream of Consciousness" on Train of Thought, or pretty much any track on Awake. As many reviewers here have stated, the weakness is the lyric writing. Maybe some DT fans can excuse it and concentrate on the instrumental bits, but I take my music as a whole, and if the lyrics are weak, it drags the entire song down (see: "Nightmare to Remember", "Count of Tuscany").
I gather John Petrucci had a bout of writer's block when this album was written (see "Wither"), to which I say: if you can't write anything good, DON'T WRITE! I'd rather listen to instrumental tracks than Petrucci grasping at straws with stories about a non-fatal car crash and a creepy European gentleman. Next time, let James Labrie and John Myung write some lyrics. I read in an interview that John & Mike stopped taking lyrics from Myung because he didn't approach them with a substantial song to go with them. I advise them to work with him, because even if it took longer to put music to his words, Myung's written some of the most poetic material in the DT catalogue. There's little poetry here.
I feel that Dream Theater's been on auto-pilot for the last five years or more, with John & Mike writing and producing the bulk of the material. I wasn't impressed with Systematic Chaos and I'm downright disappointed with Black Clouds. It's time they listened to someone outside their two-man clique. Bands need outside producers because they challenge artists, rein in excess and refine the whole production. My favorite DT album remains Awake, and while having someone else produce may have made the recording process less fun, it yielded a classic album. John & Mike brought Dream Theater back to form with Scenes from a Memory, Six Degrees... and Train of Thought. The last three albums have been a mixed bag. It's time to check their egos at the door and let someone else run the show.
 Classic Sounds On Classic Medium February 1, 2010
John J. Betz (Narvon, PA United States)
If you're a fan of Dream Theater this album is a superb addition to their line up. It's a masterpiece in their tradition of hard rock sounds written to a classical style of music theory.
The music itself is outstanding, but add the fact that this is on high grade vinyl, and it just can't be beat.
 Oh well, maybe next time January 5, 2010
Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Here we go again with another new Dream Theater album that roughly half of the band's fans love and that the other half hates. Unfortunately, I'm in the latter camp when it comes to 2009's Black Clouds & Silver Linings. I seem to enjoy every other Dream Theater album (loved Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory, Train of Thought and Systematic Chaos, didn't love Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence or Octavarium), and no matter how many times I spin it I just can't get into this album.
Everything just seems tired and/or recycled on this one. The melodies seem borrowed from previous albums and the songwriting is bloated and self-indulgent (and not in a good way). Of course the musicianship is awesome; it is a Dream Theater album after all. Mike Portnoy's drumming is insane and John Petrucci is still a force of nature. It just seems like they all did whatever they wanted and halfheartedly stapled the results together and called them songs. I miss the tight, focused (and yes, heavy) song-oriented direction of Train of Thought, and have to wonder that the best songs on Black Clouds are "A Rite of Passage" and the serene "Wither" - the album's shortest songs.
And then there are the vocals. I'm a big fan of James LaBrie's vocals (I know I'm in the minority there), but when you give him such laughable lyrics to work with of course he's going to end up looking like the weakest link. They really need to turn a greater share of the lyric writing over to James and let him shine. Anyone who has heard his solo work knows he's quite capable, and really, can he really do any worse than "The Count of Tuscany?" It doesn't help matters that Portnoy continues to take a larger role on vocals. I'm not saying this as some kind of "hater" or anything, but the man just can't sing.
I'm not abandoning the Dream Theater ship. If anything, I'll probably be back here in 2011 raving over their next album. Still, I have to say I was disappointed with Black Clouds & Silver Linings, and really can't see myself coming back to it all that often.
One song CD January 1, 2010
DRETHE
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I feel bad saying anything against these guys at all.They are, one of my favorite bands.I have owned this CD for a while and I think I have listened to it twice.The only song I listen to often is The Count Of Tuscany.
A band with this much talent will have their times where they experiment musically and try different things.
With this band's following, which is made up of musicians and people that are are NOT fly-by-night radio listeners, this Band can afford to experiment. Lets face it, there is always something there that is worth your money, and with their track record, I will gladly be the guinea pig.
These guys are Top-Notch musicians.They are heavily involved in music (and with their side projects-very heavily involved). I am almost 50 years old and I can say, there are things I listen to now that I thought was mediocre years ago. What I am trying to say is, keep this CD, listen to it now and then, maybe one day......we'll get it.
Good music, horrificly terrible lyrics December 27, 2009
Vic R. Rigacci (Ky)
Ok, I've only given this album one listen so far, but I really don't know if I can make it through this over-blown production a second time. I've been a DT fan since the beginning and have all their major releases, and have always enjoyed their work. But, the lyrics on this effort are so inane, childish, and bereft of thought that it really mars the integrity of the entire piece. A Nightmare to Remember - the retelling of a childhood tragedy in which the protagonist's parents are seriously injured - really uplifting stuff here. The whole plot could have been told in about 1/3 the time but instead gets stretched out for 16 minutes and just seems repetitive and overdone. Then toward the end comes Portnoy growling a stanza of lyrics, which, by the way is just horrendous, especially when you have a top notch vocalist like LaBrie. Portnoy wants to be Phil Anselmo, but needs to stay behind the drums. The theme of the song just seems too thin. Yes, everyone has tragedy that befalls them and changes them - so what. How we bounce back is what matters. This song just leaves the listener hanging and very unfulfilled.
It's somewhat ironic that the only song on here with decent lyrics is Best Of Times which was penned by the aforementioned growler, Portnoy. This song is very heartfelt and the lyrics touch on a subject very poignant to us all, the loss of a parent and coming to terms with this emotional void while also cherishing the wisdom and advice imparted by the deceased. This is the lone bright spot on the disc. The other songs in between are not even worth commenting on. But then there's the ridiculously inept Count of Tuscany which is just so obtuse it has to be mentioned. The concept of this albatros is the story of a young man who is conveyed by the Count to a mansion in the countryside where supposed horrible fates befell soldiers during a war. Apparently they were somehow lured there as if by a siren, drugged with alcohol, and buried in wine casks. While the young man learns of this tale of terror he worries that the same fate may soon befall him. But alas, the Count ensures him that he is free to leave and should tell everyone that he meets that the horror stories are untrue and he should make everyone he meets aware of the truth. So basically, it takes 20 minutes to tell a pointless story in which nothing ever really happened and now this person should go around the country side telling everyone this meaningless tale of nonsense. Seriously, my four year old daughter could tell me a better story. The only thing that I can conceive that Petrucci is trying to say here is, 'don't judge a book by its cover'. But it didn't need to take 20 minutes to say it, and it sure as hell didn't have to be hidden within such a shoddy story line.
Anyway, I can't believe that at this point in time this is the best that DT has to offer. Pitiful. I award two stars based upon musicianship and skill level but can go no higher due to the terrible lyrical content of the songs. It just makes the whole effort seem preposterous. I should have burned the lyric sheet!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 72
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Proud member of the Celebrity Pro Network. Make sure you check out these other great sites:
Lyrics Database
Celebrity Blog
Celebrity Thing
Celebrity PC
Latest Celebrity Photos
Web Portal
Travel Photos
Quotes
Flash Games
|
Is there a better
price available?
Find out:
|
|
|
|
