THROUGH HER EYES

Releasing singles to promote concept albums is always going to be tough. I mean, most often the songs are a small part of a larger narrative, but need to be able to work in the context of a single track. Dream Theater's 'Through Her Eyes' does this well.

It seems a bit of an odd choice for a single to promote the phenomenal 'Scenes From a Memory' album, but the soft, gospel-inspired ballad is a catchy and emotional piece. This EP release comes with two different versions of the track, with an alternate mix having a more soulful feel to it. However, the track as a whole is actually probably one of the more subtle and possibly weaker moments from the record it's promoting.

Then there are two live tracks, both of which come close to the 15-minute mark in duration. Now, Dream Theater are one of my favourite bands, but these recordings are pretty weak, and fairly poorly mixed, and coming at a time when James LaBrie's vocals were suffering from a previous injury he'd sustained, they don't really do justice to the band. A medley of moments from their first two albums, 'When Images and Words Unite' sounds like it should be an interesting nugget for fans, but it's actually really not all that inspired.

Overall, 'Scenes From a Memory' is an absolute masterpiece, and is a highly regarded and highly recommended album, but 'Through Her Eyes' is definitely one for collectors.