When Dream and Day Unite

When Dream and Day Unite
Studio album by Dream Theater
Released	March 6, 1989
Recorded	July 18 - August 12, 1988 - Kajem/Victory Studios (Gladwyne, PA)
Genre	Progressive metal
Length	51:25
Label	Mechanic
Producer	Terry Date and Dream Theater
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
Dream Theater chronology
The Majesty Demos (1986) When Dream and Day Unite (1989) Images and Words (1992)

When Dream and Day Unite is the debut studio album by influential American progressive metal band Dream Theater. The album is composed mainly of material that originally surfaced during the band's early years as Majesty. It was recorded during the summer of 1988 at Victory Studios in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, and is the only Dream Theater album to feature Charlie Dominici on vocals, as James LaBrie replaced Dominici as the lead vocalist on subsequent albums. It is also the only Dream Theater album not to display their iconic font on the cover besides their 1997 album Falling Into Infinity. It is the only Dream Theater album not to feature a track lasting longer than 10 minutes.

History

The band originally formed in 1985 by founding members John Myung, Mike Portnoy, and John Petrucci under the name Majesty, which was inspired by Portnoy's commentary on the ending of "Bastille Day" by Rush. After the band found a keyboardist in schoolmate Kevin Moore, the band hosted auditions and settled on Chris Collins as the lead vocalist. While touring around New York, Collins left the band, and the band went through many lead singers before settling on the experienced lead vocalist Charlie Dominici.

The band, still titled Majesty, recorded The Majesty Demos between 1985 and 1986, and shortly after was forced to change their name after another band threatened legal action if they did not change their name. Unable to come up with a replacement name for their band, Portnoy's father suggested the name Dream Theater, which was the title of a nearby movie theater for the name of the band. They adopted the name, and eventually signed their first contract to Mechanic Records.

With the relatively warm reception of their original demos, the band expected their debut album to be received with much fanfare and buzz, but the album went largely unnoticed by the music scene, and eventually led to Mechanic Records cutting their contract ties with the band, resulting in a small, club tour for the album only in the New York area. Due to tensions within the band and creative differences, Dominici was fired from the band and they were without a lead singer for the next few years.

15th Anniversary Performance

On the 15th anniversary of the album, the current line-up of Dream Theater performed the album in its entirety in Los Angeles, California, and during two additional songs in the encore special guests Charlie Dominici and Derek Sherinian (both now former Dream Theater members) performed. The entire performance was recorded live and later released on CD and DVD under the title When Dream and Day Reunite through the band's independent label YtseJam Records. The album also featured a live version of "Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper", which was originally from the album Images and Words, and a performance of a b-side called "To Live Forever".

Critical Reception

The album did not receive much attention upon release, but due to Images and Words' commercial success, the album received critical reviews and criticism from many resources. Allmusic attacked the band's ability to actually write songs, despite them agreeing that some of their melodies are quite enjoyable.

Track listing

Credits

• Charlie Dominici – vocals
• Kevin Moore – keyboards
• John Myung – bass
• John Petrucci – guitars
• Mike Portnoy – drums