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Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
Scenes From A Memory
Length 03:37
Working title (Unknown)
Release date 8th June 1999
Lyrics (Instrumental)
Music Dream Theater
First live performance Docks, Hamburg, Germany, on Nov. 8, 1999
Total live plays 337
Recorded BearTracks Studios, New York
Other appearances Metropolis 2000, Live Scenes from New York, The Making of Scenes from a Memory, Distant Memories - Live in London
Previous song Scene One: Regression
Next song Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu

Scene Two: I. Overture 1928 is the second track on Dream Theater's fifth studio album, Scenes from a Memory. It is the first of two instrumentals on the album, and includes many musical similarities to the rest of the album and to its predecessor, Metropolis—Part I: "The Miracle and the Sleeper".

John Petrucci recorded this song using a 6-string guitar in standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E).

Personnel[]

Analysis[]

Overture 1928 has no lyrics, but in the context of the album it describes the over-arching experience of Nicholas' regression therapy, as he settles deeper into the trance and as he comes to terms with the strange dream world around him. It's also during this song that he comes to focus on a girl named Victoria, and the dream world that seems so familiar to him (but he has no idea why).

Tone[]

This is the musical opening to the album, and sets the scene as a return to form to Dream Theater's technical riffage of Images and Words. Out of the four tenets of Dream Theater's sound (progressive, melodic, pop and metal), the progressive element is most evident, with lots of quick note runs by Petrucci and Rudess and many frequent time-signature changes. The metal element is also present with Portnoy's constant double-kick drums and pounding guitar riffs. The pop element is almost entirely absent, whereas most of the guitar solos in the song are very melodic.

Notes[]

There are many musical references in this song, outlined below

  • The keyboard intro to Metropolis, transposed to D (00:00-00:05).
  • The verse riff of Metropolis, also in D (00:05-00:27).
  • The chorus from Strange Déjà Vu and One Last Time (00:45-01:02)
  • The Metropolis verse riff again, in E this time (01:16-01:18).
  • The main riff of Metropolis is used very briefly at 01:35.
  • The melody of the chorus of Metropolis in the form of a guitar solo (01:36-01:52).
  • The solo from One Last Time. (01:53-02:08)
  • The Strange Déjà Vu chorus reprise (02:09-02:26).
  • The intro of One Last Time as a guitar solo (01:52-02:09)
  • The riff in E from The Dance of Eternity, vaguely similar to a riff at 07:16 from the instrumental section of Metropolis (02:58-03:06).
  • The verse riffs of the next track, Strange Déjà Vu, under a keyboard solo (03:08-03:34).
  • The last notes of the song provide a transition into the next track (03:34-03:38).

Appearances []

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