Awake
Studio album by Dream Theater
Released	October 4, 1994
Recorded	May – July 1994 One On One studios Devonshire studios
Genre	Progressive metal
Length	75:01
Label	EastWest
Producer(s)	John Purdell and Duane Baron
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Dream Theater chronology
Images and Words: Live in Tokyo (1993) Awake (1994) A Change of Seasons (1995)

Awake is the third studio album from progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released in 1994, this album is much darker and heavier than the band's previous full-lengths, and is the last album to feature keyboardist Kevin Moore.^[1] Often criticized for its heavier sound by fans who were drawn to the band by Images and Words, it nonetheless is a fan favorite with several of the songs remaining concert staples to this day. In addition, many consider it to be the band's finest hour, citing more concise and mature songwriting mixed with the increasingly proficient technical abilities of the instrumentalists. Cover of Dream Theaters Awake album. ... A studio album is a collection of previously unreleased, studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in 1985. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music which blends the powerful, guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing of progressive rock. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... John Purdell was a musician and record producer who is credited on such albums as the 1991 Ozzy Osbourne heavy metal album No More Tears and Dream Theaters 1994 album Awake. ... Duane Baron is a record producer who is credited on albums such as the 1991 Ozzy Osbourne heavy metal album No More Tears. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in 1985. ... A Change of Seasons is a 1995 EP by progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music which blends the powerful, guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing of progressive rock. ... Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in 1985. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... Kevin Moore promotional photo Kevin Moore (born May 26, 1967) is a keyboardist, composer and original member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... Images and Words is the second album by progressive metal band Dream Theater. ...

Moore's departure

When the band was finishing the recording of the album, Kevin Moore announced his leaving of Dream Theater, which, according to John Petrucci, was unexpected.^[2] Moore was thus excluded from the rest of the album-making process (such as mixing),^[3] and doesn't appear in the two music videos produced from the album.

The band has never performed the final song "Space-Dye Vest" live; Mike Portnoy has said on the matter that the band is not willing to do it without Kevin Moore insisting that "it's his song", and furthermore that they would not have included the song on the album had they known that Moore had wanted to leave the band.^[4]

Track listing

All music composed by Dream Theater except where noted.

1. "6:00" – 5:31 (lyrics by Moore)
2. "Caught in a Web" – 5:28 (Petrucci / LaBrie)
3. "Innocence Faded" – 5:43 (Petrucci)
4. A Mind Beside Itself: I. "Erotomania" – 6:45 (Dream Theater, instrumental)
5. A Mind Beside Itself: II. "Voices" – 9:53 (Petrucci)
6. A Mind Beside Itself: III. "The Silent Man" – 3:48 (music and lyrics by Petrucci)
7. "The Mirror" – 6:45 (Portnoy)
8. "Lie" – 6:34 (Moore)
9. "Lifting Shadows off a Dream" – 6:05 (Myung)
10. "Scarred" – 11:00 (Petrucci)
11. "Space-Dye Vest" – 7:29 (music and lyrics by Moore)

Tracks 4-6 form a three-part suite titled A Mind Beside Itself. They are labelled 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, been played together (back to back) in concert. 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. A Mind Beside Itself is a twenty minute, twenty-eight second-long song by progressive metal band Dream Theater, off the album Awake. ... The Silent Man is the sixth song and the second single from the Dream Theater album Awake. ... The Mirror is the seventh song off of Dream Theaters 1994 album, Awake. ... Lie is the eighth song and the first single from the Dream Theater album Awake. ... It has been suggested that Suite_de_Danses be merged into this article or section. ... A Mind Beside Itself is a twenty minute, twenty-eight second-long song by progressive metal band Dream Theater, off the album Awake. ... Live Scenes From New York is a 3CD live album by progressive metal band Dream Theater, recorded on August 30, 2000, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. ...

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.

The samples in "6:00" are taken from the John Huston film adaptation (the last film he made before he died) of James Joyce's The Dead. John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. ... James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish Séamus Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish expatriate writer, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ... The Dead is a 1987 film directed by John Huston, starring his daughter Anjelica Huston. ...

The samples in "Space Dye Vest" are from the 1986 film, A Room with a View. A Room with a View is a 1986 Merchant Ivory Productions Academy Award-winning feature film, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. ...

There is a sample from "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" in "Space-Dye Vest."

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 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: The YtseJam Records logo YtseJam Records is a semi-independent record label set up by Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy in 2003. ...

• "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"

Images and Words: Live in Tokyo is the first home video release from American progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... Once in a LIVEtime is a 2CD live album by progressive metal band Dream Theater, recorded at the Bataclan in France and released in 1998. ...

Credits

• James LaBrie — vocals
• Kevin Moore — keyboards
• John Myung — bass
• John Petrucci — guitars
• Mike Portnoy — drums

• John Purdell — producer / engineer / mixer
• Duane Baron — producer / engineer / mixer

Kevin James LaBrie (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian vocalist who is best known for being the lead singer in progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... A singer is a musician who uses his or her voice to produce music. ... Kevin Moore promotional photo Kevin Moore (born May 26, 1967) is a keyboardist, composer and original member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... John Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist best known as a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Michael Stephen Mike Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American drummer primarily known for his work with the progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ... John Purdell was a musician and record producer who is credited on such albums as the 1991 Ozzy Osbourne heavy metal album No More Tears and Dream Theaters 1994 album Awake. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of sound through mechanical and electronic means. ... The production sound mixer is the member of a film crew responsible for recording all sound on set during the photography of a motion picture. ... Duane Baron is a record producer who is credited on albums such as the 1991 Ozzy Osbourne heavy metal album No More Tears. ...

Chart performance

Albums^[5][6]

Singles^[7] The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ...

References