| The Ytse Jam | |
| When Dream and Day Unite | |
| Length | 5:46 |
| Working title | (Unknown) |
| Release date | March 16th, 1989 |
| Lyrics | N/A |
| Music | Dream Theater |
| First live performance | Stage Door, Deer Park, NY, USA on Oct. 25, 1986 |
| Total live plays | 307 |
| Recorded | Kajem/Victory Studios |
| Other appearances | Images and Words: Live in Tokyo, Once in a LIVEtime, Live at Budokan, When Dream and Day Unite Demos, When Dream and Day Reunite |
| Previous song | Status Seeker |
| Next song | The Killing Hand |
The Ytse Jam is a song by Dream Theater. It is the third track on their first album, When Dream and Day Unite, and the only instrumental on the album. It is the most popular song on the album, and is a staple of the band's live shows.
Personnel[]
- Mike Portnoy - Drums
- John Petrucci - Guitar
- John Myung - Bass
- Kevin Moore - Keyboards
Notes[]
Ytse Jam's name comes from the band's original name "Majesty" which was reversed and broken into two words. It is pronounced "Yit Say Jam". The song has lent its name to a variety of things related to Dream Theater, such as YtseJam Records. Some fans refer to themselves as "Ytsejammers". A fan sequenced piano version of the song was made and featured on the credits to Metropolis 2000.
The track has its origins in the founding members tenure at Berklee, where they initially developed the famous opening riff before shelving the piece to work on it later. The band played an early version of Ytse Jam at the last concert with Chris Collins, similar to the first demo of the piece found on the "When Dream and Day Unite Demos" Official Boot CD.
Live Performances[]
Out of all the songs from When Dream and Day Unite, Ytse Jam receives easily the most plays live, often with the band extending the solo sections greatly. Some versions of Ytse Jam will include full solos from Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung, and instrumental snippets of other songs have been known to appear. Some live versions of Ytse Jam can last nearly 20 minutes, the band usually using this as a way to fit in various solos within the context of a song.
Appearances[]
| Year | Recording Type | Release | Release Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Studio | When Dream and Day Unite | Studio Album |
| 1989 | Studio | Status Seeker | Promotional Single |
| 1993 | Live | Images and Words: Live in Tokyo | Video Album |
| 1998 | Live | Once in a LIVEtime | Live Album |
| 2003 | Demo | The Majesty Demos 1985-1986 | Official Bootleg |
| 2003 | Live | Los Angeles, California 5/18/98 | Official Bootleg |
| 2004 | Demo | When Dream and Day Unite Demos 1987-1989 | Official Bootleg |
| 2004 | Live | Live at Budokan | Live Album |
| 2005 | Live | When Dream and Day Reunite | Official Bootleg |
| 2006 | Live | Old Bridge, New Jersey 12/14/96 | Official Bootleg |
| 2007 | Live | New York City 3/4/93 | Official Bootleg |
| 2013 | Live | Happy Holidays 2013 | Fanclub |
| 2021 | Live | When Dream and Day Reunite (Live) | Official Bootleg |
| 2021 | Live | A Dramatic Tour of Events - Select Board Mixes | Official Bootleg |
| 2022 | Live | Old Bridge, New Jersey (1996) | Official Bootleg |