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Topic ClosedIs DT's "A Change of Seasons" an EP?

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Raff View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Is DT's "A Change of Seasons" an EP?
    Posted: February 13 2010 at 18:01
A few minutes ago I was looking at Dream Theater's entry page here, and was surprised to see that A Change of Seasons is listed as a Promo/Single/EP, instead of as a full-length album. True, the only original track is the titular suite (almost 24 minutes long), but with the covers included the disc easily reaches the normal length of an album (I know, I own it). Since most of the recording listed in that section for DT are either official bootlegs or other fan-based material, I wonder if it would not be better to move A Change of Seasons to the album section. What do the DT experts have to say in this case?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2010 at 18:10
Its listed as an EP on it's Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Change_of_Seasons) and also on the band's homepage's discography (http://www.dreamtheater.net/disco_dreamtheater.php). Since this site is first and foremost a database, I think it should stay in Singles/EP's.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2010 at 18:15
Thanks, JoelSmile! I didn't know it was officially listed as an EP, and now I understand why it is in that section. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2010 at 18:29
No problem Raff!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 01:27
Hmm, interesting. I wasn't aware that the band considers Live at the Marquee an EP too. On their hope page it says Live EP. Perhaps they've changed it after releasing the other live albums that are all three or four times as long...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 09:26
It is an oddity though isn't it? It's actually longer than many full length albums, and than virtually all pre-CD albums. I do agree though it is correct that it be listed as an EP.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 09:39
If the band wish to consider it an EP, I believe their wishes should be respected, as odd as it may seem. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 09:48

it's an EP plus bonus material....Big smile

Which made it hard to review. If it were just the title song, it's among DT's best. But the rest is indeed just extra stuff, fun for fans, but not really up with their original material.
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 10:09
Originally posted by Negoba Negoba wrote:

it's an EP plus bonus material....Big smile

Which made it hard to review. If it were just the title song, it's among DT's best. But the rest is indeed just extra stuff, fun for fans, but not really up with their original material.
 
 
 
I agree. I rate it 4 stars however, just taking in consideration of the title track.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 10:13
Yes, the covers may be fun, but they're nothing out of the ordinary - "Perfect Strangers" is a bit on the cheesy side, IMHOWink. However, as a non-DT fan, I agree that the title-track is one of their best compositions, and, incidentally, one of the very first things by DT I ever heard (my introduction to them was the Once in a LiveTime album).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 13:20
Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

It is an oddity though isn't it? It's actually longer than many full length albums, and than virtually all pre-CD albums. I do agree though it is correct that it be listed as an EP.


Well Portnoy (I believe) has said they used the "EP" label to set it apart from their regular studio work, and that makes sense, given that only 23 minutes of music is original and the rest consists of live covers (bonus material, if you will).

I have more of an issue with bands who put out 76 minutes of completely original studio music and call it an EP.  Confused  As I said here, that's kind of like writing a 100,000 word work of fiction and calling it a short story.

I think that Prog Archives is spot on in our lumping together "
Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo" because I think that bands that do certain albums feeling they shouldn't be considered a part of their main canon of work (i.e., studio albums) can be brought under this umbrella.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2010 at 14:21
Simple - just count from 'When Dream And Day Unite' to 'Octavarium'. If you reach eight without counting 'Seasons' then it's an EP. Wink
What?
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