Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Kyeoul

Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Kyeoul (Hangul: 봄여름가을겨울; lit. Spring Summer Autumn Winter), also known as SSAW, was a jazz-rock fusion band from South Korea. The band debuted in 1988 and is known for the hit songs, "Bravo, My Life," and "Somebody's Dream." The band was disbanded on December 28, 2018, following the death of member Tae-gwan.

1980s

In 1986, Jong-jin Kim, Tae-kwan Jeon, Jae-ha Yoo, and Ki-ho Jang formed a group named Hyeon-shik Kim and Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Kyeoul (meaning "spring, summer, fall, winter" in Korea) with the late Kim Hyun-sik. Jae-ha Yoo left the group, Seong-shik Park joined, and they released a record, “Hyeon-shik Kim and Bom Yeo-reum Gaeul Kyeo-ul” . The album carries a song “Lonely afternoon,” which was written and composed by Jong-jin Kim.

In 1988, Jong-jin Kim and Tae-kwan Jeon split off and released their first record as Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Kyeoul, again named for their group. 3 songs of the 10 in "Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Kyeoul" were instrumental works. Especially, since they were the first singers to make an instrumental work a title song in Korea, it created a sensation. As for well-known songs in this album, there are "Everyone is likely to change" and “All-the-time happy people.”

In 1989, the group released its 2nd record, titled “What if my beautiful song could make your heart pure.” The songs like “Somebody’s dream," “Seventeen and twenty four,” and “Being in my arms” ranked No 1 in the underground chart.

1990s

In 1991, the group released Korea's first true live album, titled “Bom Yeo-reum Gaeul Kyeo-ul Live.” With its successful sales amounting to over 1 million, this album opened a new chapter for a live album in the Korean music industry. Among the new songs listed in this album, "I can walk alone though feeling lonely” and “It’s Fall” are most well known.

In 1992, the group worked with the 3rd album, “Joke, lie, and truth” in the US throughout its whole production process, which was done so for the first time among Korean singers. This album showed SSaW's transformation and sophisticated finish in their music style. It also had a 10-page spread jacket containing photographer Jung-man Kim's photos in New York. “Opening the 10 year ago diary” and “An outsider” are the most representative songs included in this album.

In 1993, the group released the 4th album, “I Photograph to Remember” which was produced in the US just as the 3rd record. If we can say that the sounds of the 3rd album were public-friendly, the 4th album can be said to convey perfect sounds in terms of musical style. “About eternity” and “The past story about the lost bicycle” included in this album were loved by many people.

In 1994, the 5th record “Mystery” was released, which contained 15 songs. The album begins with a Morse signal conveying a message, “we wanna go back to the past,” which reveals a shift in the group's musical taste and direction. As representative songs of this album, we can pick “The beauty” which was a remade song sung by Jung-hyeon Shin originally and “2:05 am.”

In 1996, the 6th record, “Banana Shake” was released in celebration of the group's 10th anniversary which came out with a canned case. It was the first attempt to make a CD case in a can-like look in Korea. Also, one more CD was included in this album, giving this record an enhanced quality in that the group worked hard not only for the songs but also other details. Younger singers such as Hae-cheol Shin, Hyeon-do Lee, Ju-no Lee, and So-ra Lee participated in this album as well. The most widely known songs in this album are “Banana shake” and “When things are not going well.”

In 1998, the group released its best album, “Best of the Best.” This album is composed of 2 CDs: one is a compilation of songs; the other is that of instrumental works which had been released through the past records. “Bom Yeo-reum Gaeul Kyeo-ul” and “All-the-time happy people” were remade by a new arrangement. And the album includes a new song “Always, it’s winter.”

2000s

In 2000, the group released a “SSaW LIVE!” a video of a limited edition, producing only 2000 copies. The video was a recording of the live concert held in the round rotating stage at the Culture & Sports Complex on December 31, 1999.

In 2002, its 7th official record, “Bravo, My Life!” was released. While the 6th record gave a gloomy mood arising from the end of a century, this album gives a hopeful sentiment as encountering a new millennium. On the Internet, “Too old to rock'n'roll, too young to die” and “Come back to me” were released as a hidden track. Other singers like Hee-yeol Yoo, Hyeong-cheol Kim, Sang Yoon, and Jeok Lee participated in this album. “Bravo, My Life!” and “Conciliatory sonata” in this album were most widely loved by many people.

In 2003, the best album, “Best of the Best” which had been sold out was re-released in a form of photo album by Jung-man Kim, renamed as “BEST OF THE BEST BOM YEO-REUM GAEUL KYEO-UL SONGS, INSTRUMENTAL AND THEIR STORY.” In September, the CD having songs and the one having instrumental works were released separately.

In 2005, a video album “I am Ssaw Dizzy,” recording the wine concert held at Club Cosmo in November 2004 was released. Since releasing this album, the group began to work with a wine & music series. This album has a 3-member group's rock style, which was very far from the typical music style of Bom Yeo-Reum Gaeul Kyeo-ul.

In 2006, the group released “Oh, Happy Day!,” the 2nd live video album of the “wine & music series” recording the 2nd wine concert held at Club Agua in November 2005. This album contains the previous songs of SSaW which were arranged in a Latin & Reggae style.

In 2007, the group released “Feel SsaW Good,” the 3rd live video album of the “wine & music series” recording the 3rd wine concert held at Casa del Vino in November 2006. This album contains the previous songs of SSaW, which were arranged in an urban jazz style.

In 2008, as a result of the 3-year-long lawsuit on copyright, the group obtained the copyright for the abovementioned records on and offline and offline compilation as well.

On December 28, 2018, it was announced that Tae Kwan had died after a 6-year battle with cancer, effectively ending the band.