Nuggets on Octavarium

"Home again" -- Pink Floyd lyric from Side 1 of Dark Side of the Moon ("Home, home again, I like to be here when I can")
 
And Get Back is definitely not a stretch, given the section and how much Mike loves T3h B347l3ZZ~!
 
I love this section of the song; thanks for pointing out a couple of references I didn't get!

I also like how the album has three "sides" (three sides to every story?) of about 24-25 minutes each.  Not only that, but the sides are thematic in general (Side 1 = positive, Side 2 = negative, Side 3 = balance and reference).  Side One is tracks 1-4, Side Two is 5-7, and Side Three is 8.  Additionally, if you wanna get *real* freaky, each side is about the length of a Genesis album side, maybe referencing Three Sides Live.

ORIGINAL: BigDrahma

I also like how the album has three "sides" (three sides to every story?) of about 24-25 minutes each.  Not only that, but the sides are thematic in general (Side 1 = positive, Side 2 = negative, Side 3 = balance and reference).  Side One is tracks 1-4, Side Two is 5-7, and Side Three is 8.  Additionally, if you wanna get *real* freaky, each side is about the length of a Genesis album side, maybe referencing Three Sides Live.

neo/any keanu character: "Woah".

ORIGINAL: Mr.Petrucci

Ah, got it!
It's his Continuum, but from 2:44 on JR plays the Lap Steel Guitar, right?

CHEERZ!

I believe JR plays on the Lap Steel Guitar,  while there's no band joining him...  and then he moves to the Continuum,  as the band members join him!

check out the EQ on the end of Panic Attack.

Knight Rider anyone?

Holy elderberries batman..
I was looking up album covers, and on the 6 degrees cover is a circle devided into eight parts with 2 shaded in...
 
http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/Look-Inside/covers/WB-0678B.jpg
 
draw your own conclusions

ORIGINAL: Three

Holy elderberries batman..
I was looking up album covers, and on the 6 degrees cover is a circle devided into eight parts with 2 shaded in...

http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/Look-Inside/covers/WB-0678B.jpg

draw your own conclusions

 
Hmm I think this COULD be pulling at a few non-ended strings

ORIGINAL: MtGoTenalp

ORIGINAL: Mike_mccabe

8 balls on the front - 5 birds

The balls and birds are also in order of the piano on the back with each ball representing each song and there root notes in order (F to F) and the birds representing sharps.

 
HAHA This keeps getting better and better

I'm sorry if this has been mentioned before, but there are many threads about 8v and i couldn't read all of them.
 
Is there a 'making of ' section like the ToT had on this one?

ORIGINAL: Monk

check out the EQ on the end of Panic Attack.

Knight Rider anyone?

Nevermind... this is something with Winamp. Weird. It's doing it again on Octavarium.

Not yet mentioned, but in keeping with the 'never ending story' - 'starts where it ends' - 'back to the beginning' references is the fact that the section titles in the song Octavarium, (the end), go from I (1) to V (5) and the section titles in TRoAE, (the start), are VI (6) and VII (7).
 
That itself is strange because it's only 7, not 8 like everything else about the album is.
 
The diagram of the Octavarium is in 5:8 scale and is labeled as fig. 8.
 
P.S. With all of this talk of numbers, 5 points to anyone who can place this reference:
"That's it! 25 is the highest number! If anyone says anything else about it, I'll shoot him."

ORIGINAL: BigDrahma

I also like how the album has three "sides" (three sides to every story?) of about 24-25 minutes each.  Not only that, but the sides are thematic in general (Side 1 = positive, Side 2 = negative, Side 3 = balance and reference).  Side One is tracks 1-4, Side Two is 5-7, and Side Three is 8.  Additionally, if you wanna get *real* freaky, each side is about the length of a Genesis album side, maybe referencing Three Sides Live.

Dude... that's incredible.
I was wondering why I couldn't split the album in two, now it occurs to me that the album is indeed in three parts.
 
You're right, though - the choruses of each of the first four tracks are positive, tracks 5-7 choruses are rather negative.

ORIGINAL: Mr.Petrucci

ORIGINAL: T8H3X11

ORIGINAL: Mr.Petrucci

In the intro of 8V the song I first thought that it's JP playing...
But after looking into the booklet I'd say that this would be JR on Lap Steel guitar?!

CHEERZ!

No, it's on his new Continuum.

Na, I mean the 4-minute intro...that's definately some sort of string-instrument!

CHEERZ!

Nope, that deffinantly is his continum, have you seen the video of him playing on it?

ORIGINAL: enchantgy

Did anyone notice that there is something wrong with the right ball on the cover of the album? 

Not sure if this is intentional or not but...  the string is too short.  (the ball is hanging too high)

Maybe I need to explain...
The strings of the balls are mounted at equal distance on a bar. If you put a protractor where the ball is mounted (slightly above the edge of the booklet) and traced the middle of the swinging ball back to the other balls, it would hit the far-right stationary ball above center...

come on not this shit again, it is just going to lead to some arguement, so people arent perfect, deal with it

These probably aren't very significant, but just figured I'd mention:
This is regarding the first and last pages, the boy listening to the 'wired can' on the first page and speaking into it on the last page. Apart from the obvious implication of him listening/speaking to himself (as far as I can tell it's the same boy), I think you could give it the following meaning: First you listen to the album (and flip through the booklet while you're at it, I suppose), and at the end you talk about the album, reflect on it, etc.
 
Also, I couldn't figure why the Octavarium figure is labelled fig. 8, but here's one way it can make sense: If you start with the last page of the booklet (boy speaking) being #1, then the inside cover (with that \m/ female on the left) is #2, the front cover is #3, the first page (boy listening) is #4, the Answer Lies Within artwork (domino) is #5, the spider in the maze is #6, the octopus is #7... And that makes the Octavarium figure #8.
 
No, I don't feel bad about these far-fetched suggestions... The album just came out today, remember?

ORIGINAL: Matt100fly

ORIGINAL: Mr.Petrucci

ORIGINAL: T8H3X11

ORIGINAL: Mr.Petrucci

In the intro of 8V the song I first thought that it's JP playing...
But after looking into the booklet I'd say that this would be JR on Lap Steel guitar?!

CHEERZ!

As said somewhere above:
He first uses the continuum, then plays on the lap steel and as the band enters he again plays the continuum!
 
CHEERZ!
No, it's on his new Continuum.

Na, I mean the 4-minute intro...that's definately some sort of string-instrument!

CHEERZ!

Nope, that deffinantly is his continum, have you seen the video of him playing on it?

Maybe not a nugget, but what the hey:

I'd like to point out that the 8 balls perfectly represent the number of balls actually in the band.






BAZING!

ok, so I fail at comedy...

^^
LOL!!!
Tasteless, but funny... But yeah, let's just leave it at that. Let's not elaborate on the 'explanation' being a particular band member or a pair of band members or anything.

at 17:47 of 8vm they play jingle bells for a measure

heh...The heart beating at the end of "These walls" is beating at 58bpm..
 
 
Steve

ORIGINAL: mikeseligman

at 17:47 of 8vm they play jingle bells for a measure

 
noticed that, its great.
 
Maybe a reference to the DTIFC Christmas CDS. OMG!!!!!!!!!!
 
jim

Well, the first thing I noticed in the booklet were the time signatures for each song:

The Root Of All Evil = Ab
The Answer Lies Within = Bb
These Walls = C
I Walk Beside You = D
Panic Attack = Eb
Never Enough = F
Sacrificed Sons = G
Octavarium = Ab

Now, if we were to take these as note values (as opposed as key signatures and disregard major/minor for the time being), this scale would be Ab Mixolydian, or the fifth mode of Eb Major. Not sure what the significance is, and I haven't even listened to the album yet, so I don't know what the actual keys are in these songs.

But the drawing of the Octavarium further complicates this. It goes from F to F with no accidentals (making this F Lydian, or the fourth mode of C Major). There is no correspondence between the drawing of the Octavarium and the key signatures presented for each song.

Interesting. I really think that there is some kind of message here. Something we should be paying attention to that we're missing. All these ideas and motifs of beginnings and endings, trapped with no way out, 5 and 8. There's something underneath that is really, really intriguing. Can't wait until I can get to work and pop this in. Don't want to listen to it at home, won't be able to concentrate on it.

there is a connection. going from F to F in a minor mode with give you the key signatures you see next to the songs. Ab=F minor, Bb=G minor.......
 
jim

ORIGINAL: SDOIT

there is a connection. going from F to F in a minor mode with give you the key signatures you see next to the songs. Ab=F minor, Bb=G minor.......

jim

C = A minor
D = B minor
Eb = C minor
F = D minor
G = E minor
Ab = F minor

Holy shit, you're right! I knew there had to be a connection there. Can't believe I missed it! Thanks!

James

ORIGINAL: faizoff

Some more that were posted on voices

moliver777

EVERY SONG IS IN THE KEY OF ITS NOTE ON THE KEYBOARD ON THE BACK COVER!!!!

AWESOME!!!

F - TROAE
G - TALW
A - TW
B - IWBY
C - PA
D - NE
E - SS
F - 8VM

NUGGETS! NUGGETS! NUGGETS!



CerealsRULE
not only 8V (the track) ends with the same note as it begins, but that same note is the first piano note of TROAE and there is also the same sound effect (kinda a heart bit) so if you push the repeatbutton on your cd player you can endlessy listen to the album as the end of the last song perfectly blends in withthe beginning of the 1st one... PERFECT CIRCLE


Salmacis

Octavarium - Wayyyy too much to say about this one so I will just include the notes I jotted down as I listened for the second and third time:

00:00 - 03:48 - Floyd's "Shine On"-meets-Tangerine Dream-meets:
03:49 - Spock's Beard theme!
04:33 - Änglagård flute “Godfather” theme similarities
12:15 - Marillion keyboards with Wakeman flourishes
17:47 - Jordan’s Jingle Bells
17:55 - Spock's Beard/Neal Morse acoustic guitar break.
18:42 - Mustaine vocals with "Forgotten Sons" prayer feel
19:55 - “Godfather” theme reprise

wrong about IWBY- the song is in D, B is the Relative Minor
 J/k, its the same!

Been having fun with the cover art all day, dizzy with fives & eights.
 
5 layers in the maze, 8-legged spider, etc.
 
I think we've found a new DT tattoo with the octa-pentacle.

I thought that JP's lap-steel guitar was the very first part of Panic Attack.

I dunno if someone mentioned ..
 
The very intro of TROAE reminds me of Welcome to the Machine for Pink Floyd, as well as the album cover to Wish you were Here album cover ... don't ask me why !!
 
The piano intro of TALW reminds me of the movie "The Ring"
 
on track 8 Octavarium at 10:49 - 10:53 .. is that another morse code from MP ?
 
at 20:42 and Petrucci's solo is too much 6DOIT
 
and no one mentioned the clock ticks at the beginning of IWBY which are taken from SFAM
 
I LOVE THIS ALBUM! .. Octavarium

not sure if it's been mentioned yet or not...
but im pretty sure the 5:8 thing relates to..

8 white keys and 5 black keys in a chromatic scale...
look at the full cover, the way the birds are, its set up like a piano(birds being black notes).
also the back of the cd.

Does anyone else get the feeling that Mike wrote Never Enough about the forum users?

is their anything more to the length of the wires on the outside balls (both sides of the book) being shorter?

maybe I didn't read anyone'd nugget theory on this yet as I haven't had time to read every post.

Kyle

ORIGINAL: thebeave10

Does anyone else get the feeling that Mike wrote Never Enough about the forum users?

Yes. He wrote it about you because you never posted. Now that you've posted, you're forgiven.

Is it just me, or does the kid look a lot like a very young James... is Chance LaBrie a boy? Or maybe it's a nephew... or a photoshop gone weird?

You guys have WAAAY too much time on your hands!

I forgot to add ....
 
forgive me James ... but on Panic Attack at 3:52 he sounds like Gwen Steffany

ORIGINAL: Danzoc01

I believe JR plays on the Lap Steel Guitar,  while there's no band joining him...  and then he moves to the Continuum,  as the band members join him!

The lap steel is at 2:40 through 4:22.  When the band comes in, Jordan puts guitar distortion on it.  The Continuum is the guitar-like synth lead prior to 2:40.

ORIGINAL: Blitz44

I thought that JP's lap-steel guitar was the very first part of Panic Attack.

That is JM's bass...

This has sort of been touched on early in the thread, but:

Look at the picture of the maze and the spider.  Try to find the way out ... you can't!  He's trapped inside .. this .. octava .. ri .. um. 

That "Trapped Inside This Octavarium" part reminds me of when Maynard screams on the song Third Eye from the Aenima cd "Prying Open My Third Eye".

I tried posting this once, but I don't see it anywhere on the forum so I hope that I forgot to post it. Does anyone notice that on the top of each song in the booklet, it lists the key signatures for each song. Song 1-F minor and it goes through until Song 8-F minor. Full Circle and part of Octavarium is called Full Circle. Hmmmm...

ORIGINAL: D3nZ

That "Trapped Inside This Octavarium" part reminds me of when Maynard screams on the song Third Eye from the Aenima cd "Prying Open My Third Eye".

TOTALLY! I love that part!