Classical Composer Reacts to Lines in the Sand (Dream Theater) | The Daily Doug (Episode 572) 

The guest vocalist is Doug Pinnick from King's X. A band I really hope you tackle in the near future!

"Trial of Tears" is the very best song, not only on this album, but the best that DT wrote when Portnoy was still there. I'll be honest. It is my very favorite song of all time. It's in my will that it be played at my funeral. Peruvian Skies is hypnotic, and beautiful.

You are about to hear my favorite Petrucci solo and that's saying something. Definitely one of DT's best songs.

Falling Into Infinity is highly underrated. The stories told are brilliant and the music is incredible. A DT favorite for sure!

The track before it - Hells Kitchen - is a perfect introduction to the Lines… maybe you could squeeze it in 😊😊 You wont regret it.

Living comes much easier once we admit we are dying. One of my favorite song lyrics

Derek Sherinian is a very underrated keyboardist. He had his own personalised tone, style, and feel as had the other two DT keyboardists. He was let go because he simply didn't have the chops for DT's preferred direction, but that isn't to say he had NO chops whatsoever, the man certainly has, having been a session keyboardist prior and following his time in DT, working with artists such as Alice Cooper, Yngwie Malmsteen, Billy Idol, and plenty more! He would also rejoin Mike Portnoy with the Sons Of Apollo supergroup which is still active to this day!

Dereks synth sound is one of a kind

The background singer is the great singer, bassist Dug Pinnick of King's X, KXM, Poundhhound

Petrucci's tone in this era was so good !

One of Petrucci's best solo's ever imo. Combination of his own style, a bit of Pink Floyd, etc. Marvelous

I played in a DT tribute band for a number of years and this solo was easily my favorite one to play. There's just so much feel to it as it continues to build. The song itself is fantastic and the highlight of the album for me. Cheers!

The mix is amazing, Myungs bass is top shelf!

New Millennium, Peruvian Skies, Hell's Kitchen and Trial of Tears are the tunes from the albums which you will definitely dig. They are really cool and progressive! The other songs are more on the commercial side, or are a mix between prog and more mainstream approach. Hollow Years is special as you HAVE TO listen to a live version of it, SPECIFICALLY the Live at Budokan 2004 version. It has an extended guitar solo that the studio version lacks, and John is just having such a BLAST with his guitar that you MUST give a listen to. This was THE song that sold the band to me... and John's solo stole my pants.

This is my second favourite song by DT (first is Trial of Tears). Never thought I'd see it here. Thank you for feauturing this song, as it is my birthday today and this is a treat for sure

Lines in the sand is easily one of DT’s top songs. It’s really different than the standard DT sound and really shows their range of styles they can pull off. Also JP’s solo is iconic.

Doug Pinnick's backing vocals just adds so much color to this tune. Perfect choice for a guest singer. I haven't heard this one in years. Shame on me! lol

Even if this album didn't deliver back in the day it has some of the most beautiful songs by the band

This sits near the top of my favourite Dream Theater albums. The open, organic sound of this album is incredible.

YYYEESSSSSSS!!! This is one of my favorite Dream Theater songs. Such a cool groove, and a different sound for them. As obnoxious as Derek Sherinian's keyboards are in the beginning, it all ties together beautifully. Thanks for doing this one!!! FYI, along with Derek Sherinian being an unusual suspect in this song, you also have Doug Pinnick, bassist and singer of King's X, for backing vocals, adding a cool flavor in the refrain.

If you’d like to hear more of Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy I would HIGHLY Recommend giving Sons of Apollo a listen. The band also features bassist extraordinaire Billy Sheehan, Ron “Bumblefoot”’Thal on guitar, and Jeff Scott Soto on vocals. Amazing song writing 🤘🏻🤘🏻

DT recently re - released the Falling into Infinity Demos, and man...this era and albums are criminaly underrrated! Thank you for reacting to this song!

DT is the best Prog band of all time and this just closes the deal for me. This album is G-O-L-D.

I've been waiting to this for a very long time. The middle section with the guitar solo, quite verse and instrumental is my fav DT "song" of all time, so much emotion! One of DT's top 10 songs.

Trial of Tears of Falling into Infinity is also excellent. As other comments have said, Hell's Kitchen is a great instrumental introduction to Lines in the Sand, and the live version of Hollow Years from the Budokan concert is also really good too.

The live album Once in a Livetime from the Falling Into Infinity tour was a formative musical experience for me. I was too young, the Internet was just really kicking off and I had no way of hearing the criticisms so I just went along and loved the ever living crap out of it. I also put Awake in my top 3 so I’m in the minority of DT fans 😂 Still listening to them 30 years after first hearing them though

Since you’ve heard Lines in the Sand now, you’ve gotta hear Trial of Tears, it is truly beautiful. This album is made much better when you listen to the demos of all the cut tracks along with it. Raise the Knife is another criminally underrated song that kicks ass.

Listening to music with you is like hearing it for the first time again, love your content!

Dang, I love Sherinian's tone, very consistent from A Change of Seasons down to songs in Sons of Apollo 🤘

Definitely one of my favorite DT tracks. The live version from Once in a Livetime is freaking awesome! Has an incredible solo by Sherinian that leads into the beautiful synth intro of the song

Doug Pinnick from King's X also singing.

Special guest backing vocal from dUg Pinnick of King’s X.

Absolutely love the song! Thanks for your reaction, Doug!

An absolutely epic song! Saw them live on the tour for this album. Kings X was the opening act.

Please listen to it with Hell's Kitchen as the introduction to Lines in the sand next time! The two pieces segue into one another perfectly!

Trial of tears is also from that album and on of their best songs ever Imo along with lines in the sand. It’s an epic!

If you enjoyed this, check out Sons Of Apollo. It's Mike Portnoy reuniting with Derek Sherinian and features Billy Sheehan on bass, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal on guitar, and Jeff Scott Soto on vocals. Off their first album, I recommend "Alive", "Coming Home" or "God Of The Sun".

What a damn fine way to relax on the evening before I get married. One of my favourite songs ever. The bass line in the 1st verse inspired me to learn this instrument. Cheers Doug!!

The background singer is Dug Pinnick from King's X, whom you need to feature at some point. I had the great pleasure to open for this band 17 years ago.

that piano part 7:58 never ever gets old, it's even better when you listen to the isolated stem for it, it goes super hard towards the end of that whole section

Listening to DT music makes time go by in the blink of an eye. Lines in the Sand is also one of my favorites.

Doug Pinnick adding the extra vocal in the pre chorus. You need to go check out some of the material of his band Kings X, there's another brilliant rabbit hole to go down!

Doug, your content is so awesome! The fact that you do these DT ones often, it's AMAZING! Cheers!

Derek was an amazing match for the band stylistically. Wish he stuck around longer

One of my most favorite DT songs! It's basically a masterpiece. Thank you Doug.

So skilled across the board at Jazz , Blues , etc. can play anything!

The best solo ever !!

Dug Pinnick is the backing vocalist on this track. His band is Kin'gs X. That is a band I think you would enjoy. One of my favorites from Dream Theater happens to be on this album. Peruvian Skies.

Hi Doug! While Falling into Infinity is the only Dream Theater's studio album to feature Derek Sherinian on keyboard, you actually have heard of (and reacted to) another DT tune featuring Derek on keys before: "A Change of Seasons". That song was released in an EP of the same name in 1995, and was not part of any studio album.

It must have changed since Sunday, when it was Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood for this Wednesday.

Hells Kitchen and Lines in the Sand are my two favorites off this album! This definitely has a David Gilmore style solo and feel.

Lines In The Sand aka "Sounds From My Trinity" :D Love it

Definitely one of the best DT songs ever. Such an underrated album. Listen to the falling into infinity demos to get some unreleased songs - The Way it Used to Be, is excellent!!!

nice era of DT, love old petrucci and derek sherinian input was amazing!

Trial of Tears is by far one of my favorite Dream Theater songs of all

Bass lines in this album is pure gold! My bassist having a blast listening this the first time.

The bass riff in this song is my favorite of all of Myung's that he's played on all the albums. If you do another song from Falling Into Infinity, check out Trial of Tears.

Everything about this track rings of “tastefully done”….one of my favourite DT tracks ever…

one of my favorite albums!

Pertrucci gave sampling of this song during a guitar clinic before the album came out at House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. Still have my autographed CD covers from that day. It was so awesome to meet him.

That is guitar solo is one of my favorites! Soooo good! 👌

You must listen it with "Hell's kitchen", which is a great instrumental introduction to "Lines in the sand" itself! 🙂

One of my favorite bass lines from Myung! 🤘🔥

my all time favorite song!! Id also highly reccomend cheking the live version in Bucharest for this song. Maybe their best live performance ever!

Trial of Tears, from the same record, is one of my personal favorites. Brilliant lyrics as well.

Now I just miss a Doug's reaction on "Space dye vest" and "Hell's kitchen" always from Dream Theater, and then I may die happy😅🤟

Definitely a great song from an underrated album! I'd like to offer something different - Communion and the Oracle by Symphony X, I feel you'd get a good kick out of that with the subtle modulations and time signature changes, a masterclass in composition in my opinion!

Love that they featured DuG Pinnick from the mighty band,KingsX!

Fall into Infinity is such an underrated album, IMO. There are some of my favorite tunes by them: Lines in the Sand, Trial of Tears, Hell's Kitchen, New Millennium... If Raise the Knife wasn't cut this would be surely my favorite album

I always thought's it's an interesting idea to construct the lyrics to a song completely from idioms - sayings we don't usually even think of any more when using them, then placing them in a different context where you do think about them and where they take on new meaning.

You nailed it. The spacing. The new DT stuff is missing that.

hell yes! ive beenw aiting for this one doug! love your break downs helps me learn more about theory through my favorite music

One of the top 10 from them.

The background singer is Dug Pinnick from King's X - a band you should check out, in particular the albums Gretchen Goes to Nebraska and Faith, Hope, Love.

This my very well be my favourite guitar solo ever. The phrasing in this is phenomenal.

Yes! Falling Into Infinity is a lovely album

In the Presence of Enemies PT 1 & 2 (All together) is another great 20+ minute DT epic.

The other voice during the chorus is Doug Pinnick of the band King's X.

Great song! One of my favorite guitar solos by John Petrucci!

Doug Pinnick also on vocals - and absolutely killing it.

An epic trip!! 🎸 🎶

Very good choice, for me the most beautiful solo of john petrucci !

"Other singer" - Doug Pinnick of King's X, the MOST underrated band (trio) EVER!!!!

I'm glad you reviewed "Lines"! Ir's one of my favorite Dream Theater songs, and a highlight of "Falling Into Infinity," which, as you mentioned is a transition album for the band, with original keyboards guy Kevin Moore leaving, really, while or just after the band recorded "Awake" (Sherinian also performed on the "A Change of Seasons" EP in 1995, the titular suite taking up one side of the cassette, live material on the other side), and before Jordan Rudess became available. On "Falling..." is the band's attempt at a (in album rock circles) a "hit single" in "You Not Me", but "Lines In The Sand," "Trial of Tears," the instrumental "Hell's Kitchen" stand out to me. You mentioned "Take Away My Pain," as John Petrucci's song in dealing with the grief of losing his father, that you alluded to in reviewing "Images and Words". I enjoyed your take on "Lines In the Sand".

It's Doug Pinnick of King's X on the backing vocals Doug!

Man, I really love when you do DT stuff. Awesome!.

My favourite DT album.. Well balanced between technicity and musicality.. I think Sherinian's contribution was a major one. Portniy's back vocals are very appropriate..

Great choice!

This album is way more, and not in a bad way, accessible than the rest of their catalog. My wife can certainly attest to that. It's has the Dream Theater sound, but a lot more easily digestible songs, which was the "in thing" at the time. The label was digging their hooks into the band and nearly tore than band apart. But there are some classics on here: New Millennium, Trial of Tears, Under Peruvian Skies and of course Lines in the Sand. Been loving this channel and the appreciation for the prog artists/bands 😊

"Living comes much easier once we admit we're dying". John Fkn Petrucci.

Never knew that was Doug..amazing! Would have loved a verse from him. I always overlooked this album despite owning it for decades…must give it a blast later.

One of Petrucci's top 5 best solos

There are so many great elements to this tune. I had forgotten about it....thanks for reminding me!

You might know this by now, but the additional voice in the chorus is dUg Pinnick from Kings X!

my god, i've been listening to this tune non stop recently, as a nostalgic tbt, and now this! AWESOME!

I love the drums in the intro (and the rest of the song). This album is underrated!

One of my favorite songs from them. This one and Awake are their best albums in my opinion. 🖤

One of my favourite Dream Theater tracks.

Doug, your reactions/analysis are pure gold!!! Thank you so much. I highly highly highly recommend THE CURTAIN from SNARKY PUPPY (pretty sure you know them). This one is absolutely amazing. No regrets 😉

Love your videos Doug. This is one of my favourite Dream Theater songs. Love the overall musicianship especially JP's guitar solo.