A Change of Seasons

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.

This article is about the album. It is not to be confused with the film.
For the Hall & Oates album, see Change of Season.

A Change of Seasons
EP by
Dream Theater
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1995 (1995-09-19)
RecordedJanuary 31, 1995 (live tracks)
May 1995
VenueRonnie Scott's Jazz Club (London)
StudioBearTracks Studios (Suffern, New York)
Genre
Length57:30
LabelEastWest
ProducerDavid Prater, Dream Theater
Dream Theater chronology
Awake
(1994)		 A Change of Seasons
(1995)		 Falling into Infinity
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

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.[2] 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),[3] 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."[4] 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.[5]

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."[6]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."A Change of Seasons"
  • "I. The Crimson Sunrise" (instrumental)
  • "II. Innocence"
  • "III. Carpe Diem"
  • "IV. The Darkest of Winters" (instrumental)
  • "V. Another World"
  • "VI. The Inevitable Summer" (instrumental)
  • "VII. The Crimson Sunset"
Mike PortnoyDream Theater23:09
2."Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (Elton John cover)Bernie TaupinElton John10:46
3."Perfect Strangers" (Deep Purple cover)Ian GillanRitchie Blackmore, Roger Glover5:33
4."The Rover" / "Achilles Last Stand" / "The Song Remains the Same" (Led Zeppelin cover)Robert PlantJimmy Page7:30
5."The Big Medley"     10:32
  • 2:25
  • 2:10
  • 1:25
  • 2:07
  • 1:03
  • 1:23
Total length:57:30

Credits

Dream Theater

Production
  • David Prater – producer, mixing
  • Doug Oberkircher – engineer (track 1), mixing
  • Andy Scarth – engineer (tracks 2-5)
  • Robert Siciliano – assistant engineer
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound, NYC
  • Mike Portnoy – cover concept
  • Larry Freemantle – art direction
  • Joseph Cultice – photography

Chart performance
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] 39
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 17
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 50
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 13
US Billboard 200[10] 58
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 88

References
  1. Carter, Phil. "A Change of Seasons – Dream Theater". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  2. Portnoy, Mike. "A change of Seasons in Images and Words". About Mike – FAQ. Mikeportnoy.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  3. "Robert Herrick. To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time. ["Gather ye rosebuds while ye may"]".
  4. Portnoy, Mike. "Did the movie Dead Poet's Society influence the song A Change of Seasons?". About Mike – FAQ. Mikeportnoy.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. YouTube.com
  6. Portnoy, Mike. "Dream Theater – A Change of Seasons EP". About Mike – FAQ. Mikeportnoy.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dream Theater – A Change Of Seasons" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  8. "Dream Theater: A Change Of Seasons" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  9. "Swedishcharts.com – Dream Theater – A Change Of Seasons". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  10. "A Change of Seasons – Dream Theater | Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  11. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
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