An amazing
alternative/
rock group, the name is usually in all capital letters though, ie:
LIVE. They hit it big with
Throwing Copper a long time ago, especially due to songs such as
Lightning Crashes,
I Alone,
Selling the Drama,
All Over You, and so on.
They also have a bunch of other albums, starting with "
Four Songs" which was released in 1991, followed by "
Mental Jewelry" in the same year. After that came "
Throwing Copper" in '94, and "
Secret Samadhi" in '97. Their latest is "
The Distance to Here", released just this year. "Mental Jewelry" was well received thanks to songs like 'Operation Spirit' and 'Pain lies on the riverside'. "
Secret Samadhi" wasn't nearly as popular, though it did feature a few good tracks, such as
Turn My Head,
Freaks,
Lakini's Juice, and a couple others which may or may not be liked, depending on one's feelings for the band.
In 2002, the band released a new album, an interesting collection that I can't say too much about at this point, except that it is different, and that it is called "
V". The only thing I can note is that
Overcome, a track off of this album, is a very intense, moving song. The beautiful aching piano, the video (which features mostly footage from 9/11), the entire thing. I'll try to remember to throw more in here when I've actually given the rest of the album a fair listen.
Among their record labels are
Universal International,
MCA,
Radioactive, and the first they signed with,
Giant Records. They started out in
Pennsylvania but moved to
New York early on, playing clubs wherever they could in order to gain
exposure.
They went through a couple of names before actually sticking with
LIVE, a few of which include
First Aid, before Ed came along, and
Public Affection after he was enlisted.
Members of the group include:
Edward Kowalczyk - Lead Vocals & Guitar
Chad Taylor - Guitar & Background Vocals
Patrick Dahlheimer - Bass
Chad Gracey - Drums & Background Vocals
The vocals are at times
infinitely potent, and the music is undoubtedly some of the most moving, and completely
enthralling that I've ever heard. I have to say that
Throwing Copper is definitely their best, and the
cover art is also quite neat. There is something about Kowalcyzk's
voice that will capture your soul and grip it tightly.. you can
feel his words, the music. Listening to them is an
experience for me, one that hasn't been matched by anyone or anything in
a very long time. Throwing Copper was one of the first albums I could listen to all the way through, liking every single song for different reasons, feeling so many
intense emotions. Just one of those bands that I'm completely
enamoured with, in case you hadn't picked up on it. Here are some various quotes that I happen to
really like..
"the greatest of teachers won't hesitate to leave you there, by yourself,
chained to fate"
"
warm bodies, I sense, are not machines that can only make money"
"
today we lived a thousand years,
all we have is now"
See also:
Truths from Live
I love these guys, I really do,
Pillar of Davidson,
Lightning Crashes, some of the most
thought-provoking, mind-numbingly
amazing songs I've ever heard.