I picked up A Change Of Seasons quite early in my ventures into the back catalogue of Dream Theater.
I always thought they were simply a Heavy Metal band who happened to write songs that went on for
20 minutes but weren't really Prog so I unfairly dismissed them as garbage. As a huge Rush fan it was
inevitable I would cross paths with Dream Theater again though and it happened one day while I was
browsing YouTube for Rush videos. I stumbled upon a cover of The Necromancer by them and thought
I might as well give it a try. Although I wouldn't dare draw a comparison to the brilliance of the original
there was certainly something there than kept me interested and I started building a collection of D.T.
albums. When I came across A Change Of Seasons I knew I had to hear it. I had since also heard the
band's version of Time, originally by Pink Floyd and impressed by that too decided the band had a
talent for covering other people's songs.
Probably the most unusual thing here is the Elton John medley. Although I'm not a fan of John's I was
quite aware that Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is considered his epic. Yet when Dream
Theater get a hold of it they twist it into their own masterpiece. Although there are hints that yes this is
an Elton John song, particularly on Love Lies Bleeding D.T. have really gone to work on this and formed
their own interpretation which works extremely well. This song in particuar might be a good one for
anyone who thinks all guitarist John Petrucci is about is fretboard wankery. His playing comes across as
extremely emotional and his David Gilmour influence really shines through. I do have to wonder though
if a lot of the fans who turned up for the gig would have instantly recognised this song as an Elton John
original and if they did would they have felt as impressed as I do with the effort?
The rest of the live covers are far less ambitious but that's not to be considered a negative point. Deep
Purple's Perfect Strangers is a tune that fits Dream Theater perfectly. The hard and heavy
Kashmiresque riff demands attention from the listener and is a step up from even the meaty feel of the
orignal. Although once again from the crowd's reaction (Or lack of reaction) during a slight break in the
organ noodling in the intro there's a suggestion that this one goes over too many fans' heads as well.
As a big Led Zeppelin fan I remain very impressed with the choice of songs they use in the Zepp
medley. I know I keep bringing it up but once again there's a feeling that certain members of the
audience are getting more and more uncomfortable as LaBrie and co. tear through The Rover, Achilles
Last Stand and The Song Remains The Same rather than more established numbers like Stairway To
Heaven, Whole Lotta Love or Kashmir. That said I am a huge Led Zeppelin fan and their decision to go
for something a little different certainy wears off positively on me.
The last track on A Change Of Seasons is the awfully titled The Big Medley. However the awful part
stops with the name. Without individually analysing each and every section of the medley I will say all
of them come off really well although I was quite disappointed at the amount of time dedicated to
certain songs. I would have loved to hear LaBrie try to coax the crowd into singing the Na na na! part
of Journey's Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' or perhaps the guys in the band demonstrating their talent as
Opera singers on Bohemain Rhapsody! I do feel that D.T.'s version of Pink Floyd's In The Flesh? which
opens the medley turns out exceptionally although finishing with Genesis' Turn It On Again is a bit of an
odd move, personally I would have said something from an earlier Genesis album would have suited
them better but they seem to be having fun and it sounds good so I won't dwell on it.
I believe at the concert they performed more songs but for whatever reason they decided not to
include them all on the EP. So moving onto the studio song... A Change Of Seasons is one of Dream
Theater's trademark Prog-Metal epics at just over 23 minute long and is held in high regards by many
fans. The song is quite emotional in places (Drummer and lyricist Mike Portnoy expressing in an
interview it was inspired by the death of his mother) yet it does hold up as a definite Prog-Metal piece
with the emphasis on Metal especially on the section titled Carpe Diem. A Change Of Seasons is
literally a musical journey through life and as one of the longer tracks of Dream Theater's career it
certainly holds up as the best of them. Portnoy's lyrics are one of my favourite elements of the song,
the opening line 'I remember a time, my frail virgin mind watched the crimson sunrise...' being a
favourite of mine as far as Dream Theater lyrics go.
A Change Of Seasons is a brilliant album if you're already a fan of the songs that they cover on the live
section of the EP. If however this is your first time hearing In The Flesh? or The Rover I would imagine
you'd be left unmoved by the covers. However if you enjoy a lot of the bands Dream Theater pay
tribute to here I'm sure you'll agree that they don't 'butcher' anything at all. A Change Of Seasons is
also the first release to feature Derek Sherinian on keyboards. I quite enjoy his accenting of the songs
and as I'm not really a huge fan of Jordan Rudess' technique of using the synth like a lead guitar I like
what I hear from Sherinian much more than I do Rudess' playing on Scenes From A Memory.
I always thought they were simply a Heavy Metal band who happened to write songs that went on for
20 minutes but weren't really Prog so I unfairly dismissed them as garbage. As a huge Rush fan it was
inevitable I would cross paths with Dream Theater again though and it happened one day while I was
browsing YouTube for Rush videos. I stumbled upon a cover of The Necromancer by them and thought
I might as well give it a try. Although I wouldn't dare draw a comparison to the brilliance of the original
there was certainly something there than kept me interested and I started building a collection of D.T.
albums. When I came across A Change Of Seasons I knew I had to hear it. I had since also heard the
band's version of Time, originally by Pink Floyd and impressed by that too decided the band had a
talent for covering other people's songs.
Probably the most unusual thing here is the Elton John medley. Although I'm not a fan of John's I was
quite aware that Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is considered his epic. Yet when Dream
Theater get a hold of it they twist it into their own masterpiece. Although there are hints that yes this is
an Elton John song, particularly on Love Lies Bleeding D.T. have really gone to work on this and formed
their own interpretation which works extremely well. This song in particuar might be a good one for
anyone who thinks all guitarist John Petrucci is about is fretboard wankery. His playing comes across as
extremely emotional and his David Gilmour influence really shines through. I do have to wonder though
if a lot of the fans who turned up for the gig would have instantly recognised this song as an Elton John
original and if they did would they have felt as impressed as I do with the effort?
The rest of the live covers are far less ambitious but that's not to be considered a negative point. Deep
Purple's Perfect Strangers is a tune that fits Dream Theater perfectly. The hard and heavy
Kashmiresque riff demands attention from the listener and is a step up from even the meaty feel of the
orignal. Although once again from the crowd's reaction (Or lack of reaction) during a slight break in the
organ noodling in the intro there's a suggestion that this one goes over too many fans' heads as well.
As a big Led Zeppelin fan I remain very impressed with the choice of songs they use in the Zepp
medley. I know I keep bringing it up but once again there's a feeling that certain members of the
audience are getting more and more uncomfortable as LaBrie and co. tear through The Rover, Achilles
Last Stand and The Song Remains The Same rather than more established numbers like Stairway To
Heaven, Whole Lotta Love or Kashmir. That said I am a huge Led Zeppelin fan and their decision to go
for something a little different certainy wears off positively on me.
The last track on A Change Of Seasons is the awfully titled The Big Medley. However the awful part
stops with the name. Without individually analysing each and every section of the medley I will say all
of them come off really well although I was quite disappointed at the amount of time dedicated to
certain songs. I would have loved to hear LaBrie try to coax the crowd into singing the Na na na! part
of Journey's Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' or perhaps the guys in the band demonstrating their talent as
Opera singers on Bohemain Rhapsody! I do feel that D.T.'s version of Pink Floyd's In The Flesh? which
opens the medley turns out exceptionally although finishing with Genesis' Turn It On Again is a bit of an
odd move, personally I would have said something from an earlier Genesis album would have suited
them better but they seem to be having fun and it sounds good so I won't dwell on it.
I believe at the concert they performed more songs but for whatever reason they decided not to
include them all on the EP. So moving onto the studio song... A Change Of Seasons is one of Dream
Theater's trademark Prog-Metal epics at just over 23 minute long and is held in high regards by many
fans. The song is quite emotional in places (Drummer and lyricist Mike Portnoy expressing in an
interview it was inspired by the death of his mother) yet it does hold up as a definite Prog-Metal piece
with the emphasis on Metal especially on the section titled Carpe Diem. A Change Of Seasons is
literally a musical journey through life and as one of the longer tracks of Dream Theater's career it
certainly holds up as the best of them. Portnoy's lyrics are one of my favourite elements of the song,
the opening line 'I remember a time, my frail virgin mind watched the crimson sunrise...' being a
favourite of mine as far as Dream Theater lyrics go.
A Change Of Seasons is a brilliant album if you're already a fan of the songs that they cover on the live
section of the EP. If however this is your first time hearing In The Flesh? or The Rover I would imagine
you'd be left unmoved by the covers. However if you enjoy a lot of the bands Dream Theater pay
tribute to here I'm sure you'll agree that they don't 'butcher' anything at all. A Change Of Seasons is
also the first release to feature Derek Sherinian on keyboards. I quite enjoy his accenting of the songs
and as I'm not really a huge fan of Jordan Rudess' technique of using the synth like a lead guitar I like
what I hear from Sherinian much more than I do Rudess' playing on Scenes From A Memory.
