A Change of Seasons

For the 1980 film of the same name, see A Change of Seasons (film). For the Hall & Oates album, see Change of Season

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A Change of Seasons is an EP by 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 bonus live covers performed at a fan club concert at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London, England.

The title track, which was recorded at BearTracks Studios in New York, includes audio samples from the 1989 film Dead Poets Society and quotes from the 1648 Robert Herrick poem, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, was originally to be released on the 1992 album Images and Words. The lyrics, written by the band's then-drummer Mike Portnoy, were not inspired by the movie but rather the death of his mother. 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.

Although the record is labeled as an EP, at 57:30, it is much longer than a standard EP, or, indeed, 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."

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"A Change of Seasons" "I. The Crimson Sunrise" "II. Innocence" "III. Carpe Diem" "IV. The Darkest of Winters" "V. Another World" "VI. The Inevitable Summer" "VII. The Crimson Sunset"	Mike Portnoy	Dream Theater	23:09 3:50 3:04 3:14 2:53 3:58 3:13 2:54
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" "In the Flesh?" (Pink Floyd cover) "Carry On Wayward Son" (Kansas cover) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen cover) "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" (Journey cover) "Cruise Control" (Dixie Dregs cover) "Turn It On Again" (Genesis cover)"	Roger Waters Kerry Livgren Freddie Mercury Steve Perry (instrumental) Mike Rutherford	Waters Livgren Mercury Perry Steve Morse Rutherford, Tony Banks, Phil Collins	10:32 2:25 2:10 1:25 2:07 1:03 1:23
Total length:				57:30

Credits

• James LaBrie – vocals
• John Myung – bass
• John Petrucci – guitar
• Mike Portnoy – drums
• Derek Sherinian – keyboards

Chart performance

Year	Chart	Position
1995	Billboard 200	58
1995	UK Albums Chart	88