Editing Dream Theater (section)

=== Addition of James LaBrie and ''Images and Words'' (1991–1993) ===
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|{{listen|filename=Dream Theater - Pull Me Under.ogg|title="Pull Me Under"|description="Pull Me Under" from ''[[Images and Words]]''.}}
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[[File:James LaBrie 2.jpg|thumb|James LaBrie has been the vocalist since January 1991.]]
Following Dominici's departure, Dream Theater fought successfully to be released from their contract with Mechanic and set about auditioning singers and writing material for their next album. In their search for a new singer, they auditioned over 200 people, among them former [[Fates Warning]] frontman [[John Arch]]. Arch ultimately decided that his commitments were more important and he opted not to join the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fateswarning.com/Media/Interviews/1995/19950101.aspx |title=John Arch Interview by Jeff Wagner (1995) |publisher=Fateswarning.com |access-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref> On June 9, 1990, at a gig at Sundance in Bay Shore, New York, Dream Theater introduced Steve Stone as their new singer after playing half the set as an instrumental band. Stone had successfully recorded demos with Dream Theater, but he was fired following a single, ill-fated live performance. According to Mike Portnoy, Stone moved around the stage in a rather odd manner, seemingly doing a bad impression of [[Bruce Dickinson]]. Additionally, he shouted "Scream for me Long Beach!" several times throughout the show (Dickinson can be heard saying this on Iron Maiden's live album ''[[Live After Death]]''), although they were performing in Bay Shore.<ref name="steve stone">{{cite web |url=http://www.mikeportnoy.com/dates/MPTourography/ShowInfo.aspx?showId=29 |title=Mike Portnoy.com The Official Website |website=Mikeportnoy.com |access-date=January 30, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022550/http://www.mikeportnoy.com/dates/MPTourography/ShowInfo.aspx?showId=29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The audience was immediately turned off by the new singer.  It was five months before Dream Theater played another show, this time all-instrumental (under the name YtseJam). Until 1991, the band remained focused in an attempt to hire another singer and writing additional music.<ref name="topography" /> It was during this period that they wrote the majority of what would become ''Images and Words'' (1992).

In January 1991, the band received a demo tape from [[James LaBrie|Kevin James LaBrie]], of [[glam metal]] band Winter Rose.<ref name="Larkin2011">{{cite book|author=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&pg=PA2006-IA1908|date=May 27, 2011|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|pages=2006–}}</ref> The band had received the tape just before they were about to commit to another singer. The band was so impressed by his demo that he was flown from Canada to New York for an audition. LaBrie jammed on three songs with the band and was immediately hired to fill the vocalist position. Once recruited, LaBrie decided to drop his first name to avoid confusion with the other Kevin in the band. For the next few months, the band returned to playing live shows (still mostly around New York City), while working on vocal parts for the music written before acquiring LaBrie. [[Derek Shulman]] and [[Atco Records|ATCO Records]] (now [[East West Records|East West]]), a division of [[Elektra Records]], signed Dream Theater to a seven-album contract based on a three-song demo (later made available as "The Atco Demos" through the Dream Theater [[fan club]]).

The first album to be recorded under their new record contract was ''[[Images and Words]]'' (1992). For promotion, the label released a CD single and [[music video|video clip]] for the song "[[Another Day (Dream Theater song)|Another Day]]", but neither made significant commercial impact. The song "[[Pull Me Under]]", however, managed to garner a high level of radio airplay without any organized promotion from the band or their label. In response, ATCO produced a video clip for "Pull Me Under", which saw heavy rotation on [[MTV]]. A third video clip was produced for "[[Take the Time]]", but it was not nearly as successful as "Pull Me Under".

The success of "Pull Me Under", combined with relentless touring throughout the U.S. and [[Japan]], caused ''Images and Words'' to achieve gold record certification in the States and platinum status in Japan. A tour of [[Europe]] followed in 1993, which included a show at [[London]]'s famed [[Marquee Club]]. This show was recorded and released as ''[[Live at the Marquee (Dream Theater album)|Live at the Marquee]]'', Dream Theater's first official live album. Additionally, a video compilation of their Japanese concerts (mixed in with documentary-style footage of the off-stage portion of the tour) was released as ''Images and Words: Live in Tokyo''.