Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Music / LiquidTensionExperiment

Go To

1[[quoteright:360:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4cc61380f54c4e8337c26080698514c4.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:360: Clockwise from Top Left: [[Music/DreamTheater John Petrucci]], [[Music/KingCrimson Tony Levin]], Mike Portnoy, and Music/JordanRudess]]
3
4->''"CAUTION: "Three Minute Warning" is not for the musically faint-hearted, impatient, or critics of extreme self-indulgence. If you fall into any of the above categories, please hit the stop button on your CD player after track # 8"''
5-->-- '''Despite being a warning for one song, [[EpicRocking this more or less describes the band as a whole.]]'''
6
7Sometime near the end of TheNineties, Music/DreamTheater's drummer, Mike Portnoy, was asked by his company to form a ProgressiveRock[=/=][[ProgressiveMetal Metal]] supergroup. Said group was composed by Portnoy, his Dream Theater comrade John Petrucci on guitar, the legendary bassist Tony Levin and a then-not-so-notable keyboardist named Jordan Rudess. Thus, the seeds for Liquid Tension Experiment were planted.
8
9The band released only two albums before Rudess' definitive incorporation to Dream Theater and the obvious disbandment, at least for studio recordings, since three-quarters of the band were composed by Dream Theater members. It didn't stop Portnoy from releasing several other albums [live recordings] via his own label, [[SdrawkcabName Ytsejam]] Records. In 2020, a reunion was announced with, with a third album released in 2021, and possible plans for a fourth album.
10
11There was a spinoff of this band, called Liquid Trio Experiment, which was composed of the same members, except one of them, who happened to be Petrucci in the first album, ''Spontaneous Combustion'', and Rudess in the second, ''When the Keyboard Breaks''.
12
13----
14!!Discography:
15
16As '''Liquid Tension Experiment''':
17* ''Liquid Tension Experiment'' (1998)
18* ''Liquid Tension Experiment 2'' (1999)
19* ''Liquid Tension Experiment Live 2008'' - Limited Edition Boxset (2009)
20* ''Liquid Tension Experiment Live in NYC'' (2009)
21* ''Liquid Tension Experiment Live in LA'' (2009)
22* ''Liquid Tension Experiment 3'' (2021)
23
24As '''Liquid Trio Experiment''':
25* ''Spontaneous Combustion'' (2007)
26
27As '''Liquid Trio Experiment 2''':
28* ''When the Keyboard Breaks: Live in Chicago'' (2009, with [[Music/{{Anthrax}} Charlie Benante]] as guest drummer)
29
30----
31!!The Band:
32* John Petrucci - guitars
33* Music/JordanRudess - keyboards
34* Tony Levin - bass
35* Mike Portnoy - drums
36
37----
38!! Both bands provide examples of:
39* AccidentalMisnaming: The story behind the name of "Chris and Kevin's Excellent Adventure", where a photographer kept calling Mike Portnoy "Chris" and Tony Levin "Kevin". "Chris and Kevin's Bogus Journey" is, of course, a sequel.
40* BohemianParody: A band photo for ''Liquid Tension Experiment 3'' is in this style, made more ominous by their hooded apparel (and facial expressions that evoke Music/{{Cardiacs}}' take from their ''Sing to God'' album).
41* CallBack:
42** Liquid Trio Experiment 2's album, ''When the Keyboard Breaks'' is a reference to the track "When the Water Breaks", from ''Liquid Tension Experiment 2''.
43** "Chris and Kevin's Bogus Journey", on ''Spontaneous Combustion'', to "Chris and Kevin's Excellent Journey", on ''Liquid Tension Experiment''. ''Liquid Tension Experiment 3'' also includes "Chris and Kevin's Amazing Odyssey".
44* ContentWarnings: Done for humorous effect, as shown in the page quote.
45* CoverVersion: In some of their live shows, they did a ProgressiveMetal arrangement of Music/GeorgeGershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". ''Liquid Tension Experiment 3'' includes a studio recording of it as well.
46* EpicRocking: Aside of some exceptions, each and every single of their remaining songs break the 5-minute barrier. The longest, of course, is the twenty-eight-and-a-half-minute "Three Minute Warning".
47* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The track that became "When the Water Breaks" was being recorded at the time when John Petrucci's wife went into labour and Petrucci had to leave the studio in the middle of the session. The band even [[ThrowItIn included]] samples of a baby's first cry within the track.
48* GenreMashup: Music/DreamTheater-esque ProgressiveRock/[[ProgressiveMetal Metal]], mixed in with some Jazz Fusion, a fair amount of [[Music/FrankZappa Zappaisms]], a dash of classical-infused piano, and a teaspoon of electronic music.
49* {{Improv}}: "Three Minute Warning" and the entire bonus disc of ''Liquid Tension Experiment 3'' are improvised.
50* {{Instrumentals}}: Everything this supergroup has ever done, may it be Tension or Trio, is this.
51* LastNoteHilarity: "When the Water Breaks", which is an epic and ultimately very serious instrumental, ends with a quirky piano solo in the last minute or so.
52* MinisculeRocking: "The Stretch" and "Chris and Kevin's Excellent Adventure"
53* NonIndicativeName: "Three Minute Warning", which is a 27-minute improvised jam recorded entirely in a single take. It's so long that the band's primary recording equipment actually ''ran out of space'' and left off the last three or so minutes. The name came from Tony Levin wanting to just play and have fun while the rest of the band wanted to get the structured recording out of the way before they started jamming. He threatened to quit and leave if they "didn't start jamming in three minutes."
54* PunBasedTitle:
55** "Biaxident", which is a play on "by accident" and the medicine "Biaxin", which John Petrucci was taking at the time.
56** "When the Water Breaks" may be a PunBasedTitle on the song "When the Levee Breaks", most famous in Music/LedZeppelin's version on their [[Music/LedZeppelinIV untitled fourth album]]. Then, of course, that was mutated to "When the Keyboard Breaks" when, well, Rudess' keyboard broke.
57%%* RuleOfCool
58%%* SelfTitledAlbum
59* SerialEscalation: Set the standard for many newer progressive bands. It can't be more technically challenging than this. "Paradigm Shift" and "Another Dimension" are both fine examples of this.
60* ShoutOut:
61** The Liquid Trio Experiment song "Jazz Odyssey" is a reference to ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap''.
62** "Chris and Kevin's Excellent Adventure" and "Chris and Kevin's Bogus Journey" are a mix of AccidentalMisnaming and references to ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'' and ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'', respectively.
63** Liquid Tension Experiment 2 contains a song titled [[Franchise/StarWars "Chewbacca"]].
64* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Levin-Minnemann-Rudess'', a 2013 album featuring half of LTE with Marco Minnemann on drums, a very similar type of project.
65* StudioChatter: At the end of "Three Minute Warning" and "Another Dimension".
66* {{Supergroup}}: Two members from Music/DreamTheater, a future member of the same band who has previously played with many other acts, (Music/DavidBowie among them!!!) and a bassist who has played with Music/KingCrimson, Music/PeterGabriel, and Music/{{Yes}}.
67%%* UncommonTime
68%%* WordSaladTitle

Top