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Awake
 
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Awake

Dream Theater
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (219 customer reviews) | More about this product
List Price: $11.98
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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. 6:00 5:31$0.99 Buy Track
listen  2. Caught In A Web 5:28$0.99 Buy Track
listen  3. Innocence Faded 5:42$0.99 Buy Track
listen  4. Erotomania 6:44$0.99 Buy Track
listen  5. Voices 9:53$0.99 Buy Track
listen  6. The Silent Man 3:47$0.99 Buy Track
listen  7. The Mirror 6:45$0.99 Buy Track
listen  8. Lie 6:33$0.99 Buy Track
listen  9. Lifting Shadows Off A Dream 6:05$0.99 Buy Track
listen10. Scarred10:59Album Only
listen11. Space-Dye Vest 7:29$0.99 Buy Track

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Awake + Images and Words + Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory
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  • This item: Awake ~ Dream Theater

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  • Images and Words ~ Dream Theater

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (October 4, 1994)
  • Original Release Date: October 4, 1994
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Atlantic / Wea
  • ASIN: B000002JKA
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (219 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,331 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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    #53 in  Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Progressive Metal

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Editorial Reviews

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Some rock & roll purists consider the term "progressive rock" an oxymoron. After all, rock & roll is supposed to be about feeling, not thinking. Prog rock bands miss the point by taking the soul out of a musical form that's purposely crass and anti-intellectual. All the precise, long-winded arrangements, keyboard flourishes, wailing vocals, and overorchestration of groups like Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and, to a degree, Rush suck the soul out of something that should be less head and more body. Dream Theater, though they possess many of the same characteristics as these bands, still manage to maintain a human element in their music. Awake is at times self-indulgent and pompous, but songs like "Lie," a passionate crusher that finds guitarist John Petrucci launching riff after thunderous riff in a cacophonous volley of crunch, ring true with real passion and base emotion. It's the depth and tonality his guitar brings to the music that keeps Dream Theater from falling into the Styx-isms they often veer dangerously close to. A very solid record for those who don't mind thinking while rocking. --Adem Tepedelen


Product Description

Japanese only SHM Pressing. The SHM-CD [Super High Material CD] format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players. Warner. 2009. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews

219 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (219 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A dark, overlooked MASTERPIECE., December 9, 2003
By Barry Dejasu "the_otherness" (Rehoboth, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This Dream Theater album was my first from them, and it was enough to get me hooked. As time progressed, however, I realized that this was not exactly the right album for a beginner such as myself to get into this fabulous band. It is far darker and heavier than most of their other albums (except for SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE and TRAIN OF THOUGHT, which are exceptionally heavy). James LaBrie's voice is a rather vicious snarl on many of the songs (namely "6:00," "Caught in a Web," and "The Mirror" and "Lie"), and while he frequently has sung this tone before, it is not his usual, marvelous singing that has become his trademark. John Petrucci's guitars chug with a well-performed metal sense, and holy COW, Mike Portnoy's drumming is insanely complex, but with frequent bouts of crashing and booming like thunder. John Myung's bass keeps a steady rumble throughout, and Kevin Moore (on his last DT recording) has rather icy (but frequently warm and beautiful) keyboarding.

Songs such as the aforementioned four are especially heavy, and somewhat short by DT's standards. As well, the first song in the A Mind Beside Itself trilogy, "Erotomania," makes an extremely heavy prologue to the other two songs, the far quieter "Voices," and the acoustic "The Silent Man." Other songs, such as "Innocence Faded" and "Space-Dye Vest" have more of a "traditional" DT sound (but there really can't be such a thing, because this IS progressive music, after all), and this makes for a very eclectic, but well-organized, album.

Lyrically, some of the songs are almost frightening in their contrast to Dream Theater's normally more mystical (but not exactly "cheerful") writing. Take, for instance, the lyrics to "6:00": "So many ways to drown a man/ So many ways to drag him down/ Some of them are fast and others take years and years." Wow. This is definitely Dream Theater's heavier pinnacle in their earlier years that established them as progressive METAL.

Then there are the lighter songs, such as "Innocence Faded." This song is especially marvelous. It is highly melodic, and carries the listener on a gentle stellar breeze. Just listen to the keyboard-laden pre-chorus and be taken away. And just LISTEN to James LaBrie sing those higher notes in the second verse...what notes he hits! And John Petrucci's outro picking is just fabulous. Marvelous song. As well, "Voices" is epic, sweeping, and yes, fairly heavy. Definitely one of my favorite DT songs.

As I said before, this is not a Dream Theater album for beginners, because of how heavy it is, but even if it is a first, you may might like it in the end. It was, after all, my first, and now they're one of my favorite bands. Regardless, this is a must for any Dream Theater fan. A dark, overlooked masterpiece.

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars No middle ground., July 8, 1999
By A Customer
If you're new to Dream Theater and reading these reviews, you're probably getting more than a little confused by the rankings and comments they receive. From my experience, a person's reaction to Dream Theater can be easily predicted based on their other musical interests. 1) Pop rock fans: You won't like DT unless you tend towards complex melodies and harmonies. DT are not terribly accessible. The only truly accessible song on this album is "Space-Dye Vest", written by then keyboardist Kevin Moore. Other than that, you might find the whole album incomprehensible. This isn't the album to start with, however. Try Images and Words or Falling into Infinity first. 2) MetalHeads: You may like DT if you don't mind keyboards with your metal. DT has all the elements of a good metal band, but for purists, the keyboards ruin it all. If you're not a purist, and you aren't into the predictable three-chord school, DT is right up your alley, and this is the album you should start with. 3) Fans of Rush, and progressive bands: If you think Metallica is decent but too repetitive, give DT a listen. If you think Metallica are the antichrist, don't bother. Start with a different album, however. Either you'll love this group, or you'll hate them. There isn't a whole lot of middle ground, but they're worth a shot. You might just wind up with a new favorite band. I did.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Powerful, June 27, 2002
Sorry, I've had to keep re-reviewing this album. It's a bit hard to pin down, it would seem. This album did not grab me as quickly as "Images and Words" or "Scenes from a Memory", but I've stuck with it, and though I still prefer those two albums (and I think the "sellout" album, "Falling into Infinity", may be a bit better as well), this is an excellent piece of music.

There is generally a much darker theme about this album. Lyrics deal with addiction, betrayal, love, hate, a veritable collage of human emotions. This album has some of their heaviest riffs, and some of their most beautiful melodies. "6:00", while not their best song, is one of their most aggressive, and indeed a great way to start off an album like this. "The Mirror" and "Lie" are a great one-two punch of crunchy riffs, and great lyrics and vocals. "Voices" is, I think, somewhat overrated, in that it doesn't hold a great deal of variety for such a long song, but the great lyrics make up for it. John Petrucci is undoubtedly one of the top songwriters. I think my favorite has to be "Lifting Shadows off a Dream". Amazing ballad, with a lot of atmosphere, and a slight U2 vibe (in a good way). "The Silent Man" is a great acoustic song, and "Space Dye Vest" is a delightfully creepy closer (BTW, Houston is definitely not a dry heat, believe you me:).

All in all, this is an excellent album. My only real complaint (other than that it's a bit harder to get into than the rest) is that Mike's drumming doesn't stand out as much as on other albums, but that's a minor complaint for sure. If you like Dream Theater, buy this, it's a thing of beauty.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best albums of all time
Forget Scenes from a Memory. Forget Images and Words. Awake is Dream Theater's best album and one the best albums of all time, period. As a concept it is seamless. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Dooley

5.0 out of 5 stars An early but very good album
My exposure to Dream Theater started two years ago with "Images and Words" and "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence". Liking both of them but preferred 6DoIT. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Roger Berlind

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleased that DT continues to be great!
As the second DT disc with James LaBrie at the microphone, this was the perfect continuation to Images and Words. Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. katharyn Ahart

5.0 out of 5 stars Not much to say.
If you like progressive rock, if you like heavy metal, just buy this record. It speaks for itself. I do recommend the purchase of Images and Words first, just so you can survey... Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. Damon

3.0 out of 5 stars Who is Adem that wrote the Amazon Review for this?
I can't believe that I have ever seen a rant about prog rock, instead of a review for CD before. Who the heck is this Adem dude anyway? "Rock is supposed to be mindless". Read more
Published 15 months ago by Bob Brooks

5.0 out of 5 stars Dream Theater is one of my favorite bands.
I love Erotomania. This is an excellent album. I recommend it to any Dream Theater fans.
Published 16 months ago by Pamela Morgan

5.0 out of 5 stars Heavy stuff here...
Right from the get-go this album doesn't let up until "Silent Man." Arguably, this is one of DT's heaviest productions. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Teslajunior

5.0 out of 5 stars WideAwake
Dream Theater's "Awake" was a little darker and heavier than the previous record "Images & Words" but musically more complex filling more guitar solos and heavier riffs. Read more
Published on October 19, 2007 by Charles

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love Dream Theater!
If you've always loved progressive rock and highly accomplished musicians, Dream Theater is for you. You'll love these guys.
Published on October 15, 2007 by Thom Carey

4.0 out of 5 stars How do you follow up Images and Words?
For the life of me, I can't figure out why I don't absolutely love this album. Dream Theater is my favorite band and I loved the albums released before and after this one, but for... Read more
Published on July 6, 2007 by Justin Gaines

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