DT Book - Pre Order Details Now Available!

OK
Here’s the situation with the Dream Theater book. Thanks for your patience over the last three years!

The intention is that ‘Lifting Shadows’ will soon available to order in a deluxe, ‘Images And Words’ special edition that includes a free CD of Dream Theater music. This limited edition comprises two hardback books that are held together in a slipcase.

However in order for the book to be published before Christmas, we need to hit a certain level of pre-orders. Currently this is around the 2000 copies mark. Indeed anything significantly less than this, and the project may well need to be adapted due to the high costs involved in producing a book of this type. Rather than ask people to part with their money at this stage, you can now register your interest in pre-ordering the book by entering your name and e-mail address. The benefit of this is that you will be the first to know when the ordering process begins (hopefully in two to three weeks time) and will be able to guarantee yourself a copy. We will e-mail you as soon as this ordering process is available. We hope that we will be able to have the books in our warehouse and ready for shipping before Christmas.

The reason I am having to do thing this way, is that this is a joint venture between myself and a small contract publishing firm. If we did this without a registration process, just asked for payments now and that pre-order bombed (and only 200 people bought the book) the book wouldn’t happen, I’d look like a clown, and have to send all the money back. So this way everyone is a winner.

It is imperative therefore that you register as soon as possible if you want to buy the book, as if the number of people registering is far less than the 2000 mark, the project may be in doubt. Obviously please only register once, as we will be basing the print run on the number of registrations. However well intentioned, if we get a load of dud registrations, we will just be left with a huge bill and a load of books that will get pulped.

Register now at http://www.dreamtheaterbook.com/ and click on the BOOK link

Please note that the book will not be available in stores or at online retailers. The ONLY place you can purchase this book is via www.dreamtheaterbook.com. We will be shipping worldwide in conjunction with our distributors who are based in the UK and USA.

The UK RRP will be £39.99 and $69.99 in the US, plus postage and packing. Please note at this time we do not have the postage costs. It has also not been decided as to whether this book will be re-issued at a later date in another format. Please spread the word among the DT community to ensure that we can maximise the level of those registering for pre-orders to ensure that this project happens!

The first of these books is entitled ‘Images’ and is crammed with colour photos of the band, previously unseen/unused album artwork, letters, press releases and a host of other memorabilia. ‘Images’ is printed on luxury 130gsm art paper, measures 234 x 197mm and has around 192 pages.

The second book, ‘Words’, contains the definitive biography of Dream Theater. It is printed on 80gsm paper, measures 234 x 153mm and has around 384 pages. The book features all new interviews with the band and a host of others who have played their part in the rise of one of prog-metals finest bands. The book’s foreword has been written by Mike Portnoy. The book cover is to be designed by legendary rock artist, Hugh Syme.

CD Tracklisting:

1. ANOTHER WON (1985)
(Original Instrumental Berklee Demo)
Taken from the Ytsejam Records CD "The Majesty Demos 1985-1986"

2. TWO FAR (1986)
(1986 Majesty Demo)
Taken from the Ytsejam Records CD "The Majesty Demos 1985-1986"

3. STATUS SEEKER (1988)
(Radio Remix)
Previously only available as a Mechanic Records Radio Promo CD
Remixed by Terry Brown

4. DON'T LOOK PAST ME (1990)
(Vocalist Audition Demo)
Taken from the 1999 Dream Theater Fan Club CD "Cleaning Out The Closet"
Music originally recorded in Feb 1990
James LaBrie vocal tracks added in Oct 1999
Mixed by Doug Oberkircher

5. UNDER A GLASS MOON (1993)
(Live At The Marquee Outtake)
Previously UnreleasedRecorded at the Marquee - London, England - April 23rd 1993
Mixed by Doug Oberkircher

6. CAUGHT IN A WEB (1995)
(Live on BBC Radio One)
Previously Unreleased
Recorded Live on Bruce Dickinson's BBC Radio One Show - January 30th 1995

7. YOU OR ME (1996)
(1996 Demo)
Taken from the Ytsejam Records CD "Falling Into Infinity Demos 1996-1997"

8. BURNING MY SOUL (1998)
(Once In A LIVEtime Outtake)
Previously only available on the "Five Years In A LIVEtime DVD"
Recorded at Le Bataclan - Paris, France - June 25th 1998
Live Mix by Kevin Shirley

9. THROUGH HER EYES (1999)
(Original "Long Titanic" Arrangement)
Previously only available on the end credits of "Metropolis 2000 - Scenes From New York"

10. YOUR MAJESTY (2002)
(Live in Paris)
Previously UnreleasedRecorded at Mutualite - Paris, France - October 23rd 2002

11. METROPOLIS (2004)
(Live in Los Angeles)
Special Guests: Charlie Dominici and Derek Sherinian
Taken from the Ytsejam Records CD "When Dream And Day Reunite"Recorded at The Pantages Theater - Los Angeles, CA - March 6th 2004


You can register now at http://www.dreamtheaterbook.com/ and click on the "Book" link

Something's Brewing . . .

in the land of the Dream Theater biography. Big news should be coming by the end of the week.

I Am Still Here

Yep, I'm still here. Been a hectic few days as I am trying to rapidly get this final chapter written. Mind you, I say final, but the way things have been going, I might be writing another one in a couple of years! No. Actually things look to be moving. We are just trying to source someone who can take the online pre-orders, warehouse the books once printed, pack and post the things! Sounds simpler than it actually is. I just think it's too much to ask for you good punters to order a book that you won't be getting your paws on for a few months, and expect you to pay me directly. We need a trustworthy third party. Not that I'm not trustworthy of course, but you know what I mean. For all you know, I might spend all your hard earned cash bribing Kevin Moore to speak to me!! I do expect to solve this minor problem in the next few days.

In the meantime, keep 'em peeled. I'll be back soon. And one of days, when you pay a visit to this saga known as my blog, you never know - there might actually be a book you can order.

Newcastle Pics

Caught DT in Newcastle last night. Predictably unpredictable setlist, with the band throwing the entire 'Images And Words' album into the mix. Awesome night. The inclusion of Marillion's 'Sugar Mice' was a wonderful addition too.

And hey! Dontca love just You Tube?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDrve1OxeWY

Tired though, so more blog later. But for now, here are few of my snaps from the gig to be going on with.

Elmer Fudd And Aide Memoire

No updates for an age. Apologies for that. I spent a week away from the PC in Ireland last week, and apart from a quick visit to an internet "cafe" (really a room stacked with PC's, run by a woman who looked like Elmer Fudd) kept away from checking e-emails too. Which of course meant a mountain of stuff to plough through when I got back. But things do seem to be moving on the book front at an alarming rate. I'm still knee deep wading through all the details, but it looks like a pre-order may be up and running in the next few weeks, with a release in November. So the deal would be you order a few months in advance, book yourself a copy and we send it out once it hits the warehouse. Effectively I am self-publishing which means the pre-order is needed to make sure I can pay for the printing. Otherwise, I'll be auctioning a kidney on eBay to raise the funds. That would not be good.

Of course, I realise that many of you are new to this saga, so I thought I'd give a reminder about the book. Basically, the first release of 'Lifting Shadows - The Authorized Story Of Dream Theater' will be the 'Images And Words Limited Edition'. The comprises of two hardback books that are held together in a slipcase. One of the books contains the words - which runs in at a massive 140,000 - and the other 'Images' contains a host of photos, flyers, unseen/ unused album cover drafts, etc etc dating back twenty years. This runs in at around 200 pages. Plus Mike Portnoy has collated a CD of rare DT tracks, some of which are available on releases, some that are rare, and a few that have never before seen the light of day on CD. So that should keep you quiet! Hugh Syme is creating the cover art as I type. Oh, and the paper used is top-quality.

The retail price has yet to be fixed, but I expect it to be about £39.99 UK, $69.99 US with Euro costs about 59.99 plus P+P. Of course this weighs a tonne - actually it's 2kg - so postage charges are a few more £. I will keep you all updated as and when, but I hope to get things finalized in the next 10 days.

It it highly unlikely that it will be available in the stores in this format, so the only place to get it will be via http://www.dreamtheaterbook.com And if you could all pre-order when we start that, I'd be grateful. I am quite fond of my kidney . . .