Chaos in Motion, 2007-2008 [CD+DVD, Deluxe Edition, Live]

Dream Theater | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 30, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: CD+DVD, Deluxe Edition, Live
• Label: Roadrunner Records
• ASIN: B001ECE5AO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,549 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Intro/Also Sprach Zarathustra

2. Constant Motion

3. Panic Attack

4. Blind Faith

5. Surrounded

Disc: 2

1. The Dark Eternal Night

2. Jordan Rudess Keyboard Solo

3. Lines in the Sand

4. Scarred

5. Forsaken

6. The Ministry of Lost Souls

Disc: 3

1. Take the Time

2. In the Presence of Enemies

3. Schmedley Wilcox: Trial of Tears/Finally Free/Learning to Live/In the N

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for DT fans. Not the best place to start for the uninitiated, October 13, 2008

By 

Mark Moran (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chaos in Motion, 2007-2008 (Audio CD)

A disclaimer first: I am a really big DT fan. To me, they are the most talented band in the world and by far my favorite. I was traveling in Europe for business the week Chaos in Motion was released, and I was shocked to find the 5-disk edition in an airport electronics store in Italy. As a result, I got to watch it on the flight back.

DT had warned that the video quality would not be as good, so I was prepared for that. Considering the price (less than $40 for two DVDs and three CDs) I think the trade-off of footage from lots of shows instead of cinema-quality from one like the last two DVDs was a good choice by MP, especially when - for a band like Dream Theater - it's all about the music. I find the audio quality to be very good and I really enjoy when they revisit classics - especially the projects from the pre-Jordan days and given them a more current treatment. Throughout all of the songs, the musicianship is nearly flawless, of course.

Looking at the other reviews, what some may not understand about DT fans is that we simply cannot get enough of the band. I really enjoyed the 90 minutes behind the scenes. As one reviewer noted, there are not tons of endearing anecdotes, but it is still a glimpse inside the touring of my favorite band. After the 4th Indiana Jones movie came out, a friend asked what I thought and I said that no matter what, I was happy for another evening with an old friend and that Indy could probably do no wrong for me. Dream Theater is much the same...just thankful for another evening (or set of evenings) with my favorite band. If there is such the things as a casual DT fan, don't start with this one...definitely start with SCORE or Budokan or even Scenes from New York. For those of us that get it, we love the chance to learn more about their personalities and hear them accomplish the impossible live yet again.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars In Motion Sickness Chaos, October 10, 2008

By 

Kramer Drummer "SmartListener" (Mill Creeek, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chaos in Motion, 2007-2008 (Audio CD)

EDIT: For those of you that commented on my review, please... I am a die-hard DT fan. But don't you understand that in our era of huge plasma TVs, amateur and unstable pictures are just too tiring to endure after 5 minutes? They could have put out a "raw" production without carrying cameras fully zoomed in on their shoulders. This DVD is just impossible to watch more than once, unless you're still using a 12" TV and you don't mind AM Radio sound quality.

MY ORIGINAL REVIEW:
It all started with NYPD Blue. Someone had the brilliant idea of tossing away the tripod that held cameras steady. Then, they moved the camera to the shoulder, zoomed in 10x and started walking around while recording.

It's a shame that this "technique" has spilled over Dream Theater's productions. After a DVD like SCORE where the production is good, the cameras are anchored on tripods and the sound was decent, now we have here a bundle of chaos in motion sickness where the viewer has to suffer through various inconsistencies in sound quality and avoid having any food prior due to the roller coaster effect that amateur like image recording can cause.

After enduring through 180 minutes of motion sickness, I was reluctant on watching the DVD #2 but finally I saw something interesting - the story of the unsung heros on the daily routines on the road.

If you are a DT fan yes I recommend this because after all it is another volume for the collection. If you are not a DT fan or just a recent one, don't bother. Buy the Budokan and Score shows.

Two stars because if I wanted to watch a bunch of amateur videos I'd go bootleg. From DT I expect Kevin Shirley to be thrown out off a cliff (worst live mixes ever) and I expect them to buy some tripods for cameras instead of spending 20 grand in starbucks coffee.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Bag, October 13, 2008

By 

Coogs (Great Mills, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chaos in Motion, 2007-2008 (Audio CD)

I'd lean more toward 3.5 stars for this collection. As others have mentioned, the video quality is subpar, though I suspect that was done intentionally to make the DVDs seem "grittier." It sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. As for the audio, there are moments when James LaBrie strains to hit or hold a note. His voice sounds tired at times. The rest of the guys are, as always, pretty much flawless. Particularly worth mentioning is John Petrucci's soaring solo on "Surrounded," which is the must-listen track of the set. Petrucci and the other guys are sometimes accused of being technicians who don't play with emotion, but this solo alone has the power to quiet much of that misguided criticism.

Ultimately, "Chaos in Motion" is probably for hardcore DT fans only, who will enjoy the different takes on songs they know by heart. Casual fans should probably purchase "Score" if they want to know what this band can do live.