Dream Theater sounds like Kansas!

I was listening to Leftoverture the other day, and I realized Dream Theater practically mimics Kansas' sound! Kansas' keyboards are ever present, but not at the front, there are long, rocking instrumental interludes, and so on and so forth. Am I just catching up with everyone, or am I a dolt?

I think that Dream Theater sound more like Saga than Kansas - Kansas at least sounded like a Prog Rock band.

I don't think that Dream Theater sound similar to Kansas- nowhere near enough to proclaim DT 'practically mimics' Kansas. There isn't really one song I've lifted my eyebrows over of DT's that approaches Kansas, and the aesthetics of Kansas is not as prominent in DT as they are in Spock's Beard, for example. When it comes down to who DT sound like, it would be Yes, Rush and Pink Floyd (to a lesser extent) imo. Again though, not so I'd call them derivative.

If you want Kansas influence, listen to the last song on Symphony X's "V" album.
Pretty blatant "borrowing" of "Song for America".

YES THEY DO.

Well, some piano and keyboard bits off the Six Deg. of Inner Turbulence album sounded like Kansas.

The Wizard wrote: Two bands I'm not really fond of.

that's fine, but then why'd you comment?

Honestly people, SHUT UP about DT!!! I Don't care what you say, just don't say anything. Even though I am a big fan, we've had enough DT threads to blow the world up several times over. It's just getting old.

The Wizard wrote: Two bands I'm not really fond of.

Ditto. 

But hey, an amusing anecdote...

I was once talking with my pal (UsefulIdiot here on the board) about DT.  And jokingly I said that I had finally figured out what DT reminded me of.... Michael Bolton's ballads.  Bryan then replied that Bolton was in a heavy metal band in the 70's with Bruce Kulick, a fact I already knew.  "What if," I suggested, "Dream Theater really does sound like Bolton's stint as a metal star?"  "Only one way to find out," Bryan said.  I agreed.  So I set out on a quest to track down a Blackjack (Bolton's band) album.  I powered up Soulseek and began the ardous task. Three hours later, I had found only one copy and there was no one in queue for the disc meaning that there was only one other person in the world as masochistic as myself to be searching for and downloading a Blackjack album.  I started downloading.

And an hour later, I had it.  In the name of science, I began my experiment.  Afterall, I needed to know.... did 70's Bolton really influence Dream Theater?  The answer?  No.  Blackjack was an unbareably awful, generic lounge-rock disc and they sounded nothing like Dream Theater.  But at least their songs were more coherently written than those on Scenes From a Memory.

Oh, and don't flame me for that.  I really don't care if you're a DT fan.  Just appreciate the humor.  Laugh a little.  Not everyone's a DT fan, and I've been flamed by DT fans in the past, so I know how rabid you guys can get.


Edited by ResidentAlien - July 25 2006 at 12:28

I think Ghost Rider had it right in that Kansas was an American band and they have influenced a host of Newer American bands as well Spock's Beard, Cryptic Vision, Dream Theater, Kings X, Glass Hammer and so on.  Kansas outside of Zappa was the first band to hit upon the prog scene using more hard rock influences as well as symphonic.  Same goes for Rush another North American band whose existence paralleled Kansas in the 70's. It was a unique sound and I can see why some of these musicians may have its influences in their music. I don't think any of them blatantly 'lift" passages at least not too much.

I like some albums by DT and they have taken "a little" from Kansas but they will never have the soul (Walsh) and compositions (Livgren) of Kansas.