A Change of Seasons | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | September 19, 1995 | |||
Recorded | January 31, 1995 (live tracks) May 1995 | |||
Venue | Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club (London) | |||
Studio | BearTracks Studios (Suffern, New York) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 57:30 | |||
Label | EastWest | |||
Producer | David Prater, Dream Theater | |||
Dream Theater chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10 [2] |
A Change of Seasons is the first EP by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, first released on September 19, 1995, through East West Records. It comprises the 23-minute title track and a collection of live cover songs performed at a fan club concert on January 31, 1995, at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.
The title track was recorded at BearTracks Studios in New York and was originally slated to be released on the 1992 album Images and Words , but was instead re-recorded and released as an EP. [3] Although the song includes audio samples from the 1989 film Dead Poets Society (as well as quotes from the 1648 Robert Herrick poem, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time ), [4] the lyrics, written by drummer Mike Portnoy, were not inspired by the film. Instead, "it's about the cycle of life. Basically, I took a lot of personal incidents, like losing my mother and a couple of things that happened in my life, and I wrote them into the lyrics." [5] The back cover has a calendar displaying the date November 16, the date Portnoy's mother died. A Change of Seasons was also the first Dream Theater release featuring Derek Sherinian on keyboards.
Excerpts from the title track were used by NBC in a segment on downhill skiing during the 2002 Winter Olympics. [6]
Although the record is labeled as an EP, its running time of 57:30 makes it significantly longer than a standard EP, and even many LPs, including Dream Theater's first two albums. According to Portnoy, "It was important for us and the label for it not to be perceived as the latest studio record. That's why we tagged it an EP." [7]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "A Change of Seasons"
| Mike Portnoy | Dream Theater | 23:09 |
2. | "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (Elton John cover) | Bernie Taupin | Elton John | 10:46 |
3. | "Perfect Strangers" (Deep Purple cover) | Ian Gillan | Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover | 5:33 |
4. | "The Rover" / "Achilles Last Stand" / "The Song Remains the Same" (Led Zeppelin cover) | Robert Plant | Jimmy Page | 7:30 |
5. | "The Big Medley"
|
|
| 10:32
|
Total length: | 57:30 |
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] | 39 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [9] | 17 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [8] | 50 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [10] | 13 |
US Billboard 200 [11] | 58 |
UK Albums (OCC) [12] | 88 |
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards).
Liquid Tension Experiment (LTE) is an American instrumental progressive metal supergroup founded by Mike Portnoy, in 1997. The band initially released two albums, between 1998 and 1999. An extension of their second regular album, with the absence of John Petrucci was released in 2007 under the name "Liquid Trio Experiment".
Michael Stephen Portnoy is an American musician who is primarily known as the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departure from Dream Theater after 25 years, with Mike Mangini taking his place as drummer of the band. In October 2023, 13 years after his departure, the band announced his return. During his time out of Dream Theater, Portnoy remained active, with a variety of bands and projects, including Adrenaline Mob, Avenged Sevenfold, Transatlantic, Yellow Matter Custard, Flying Colors, The Winery Dogs, Liquid Tension Experiment, Metal Allegiance, Sons of Apollo, the Neal Morse Band, and BPMD.
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