I'm going to go with
Live here. As much praise is heaped on Nirvana for their ushering in of a new age of music, I find Ed Kowalchyk and co. to be just as influential, and better music, honestly. I've seen them 'live" thrice, and each has been a helluva experience. While their later music was watered down and became more "radio friendly", their earlier music was some of the best stuff written in the alternative era.
1. Throwing Copper(1994):
It's the obvious choice, but it's the right one. Everyone is familiar with
Sellling the Drama,
I Alone,
'All Over You', and their biggest hit,
'Lighting Crashes', this album is loaded with great stuff.
'Sh*t Towne' created a great deal of controversy because the band oppenly admitted it was about their hometown of York, PA, but as someone who lives less then two hours from York, they were on base. It lead the mayor of York banning them from playing there for awhile, but it's a nice comedic song in an otherwise very serious album.
'Stage' discusses Ed Kowalcyk's failed relationship with the woman he loves because performing was his first true love, and 'Iris' is a valiant attempt to understand a relationship with a woman he just can't see eye to eye with, yet mistakes his feelings for love. Still, the best of the bunch is 'Lighting Crashes', so it gets the play.
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2. Mental Jewelry(1991):
Their first studio album, but it's Live at their finest. On their live album 'Live at The Paradiso, Kowalcyk changed the lyrics to the albums best song,
'Operation Spirit' changing his view from doubting God to one of faith. Both are great songs.
'The Beauty of Grey' mocks people who don't take a side on important issues in order to maintain order, and the opener,
'Pain Lies On The Riverside' shows how we can't avoid problems regardless of where we go.
Mother Earth is a Vicious Crowd and 'Peace is Now' are amazing songs as well, and
Mental Jewelry overall is one of the best debut albums from a band I've ever listened to.
Operation Spirit is the best of a very good lot of songs.
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3. The Distance To Here(1999):
An exestential album if there ever was one. Live both asks and answers spiritual questions while leaving it up to the listener to make up their own mind on their beliefs, not only faith, but regarding love, politics, and priorities.
The Dolphins Cry is the biggest song from the album, but the titular track
'The Distance',
'They Stood Up For Love',
We Walk In The Dream, and
Dance With You are all amazing displays of the band's range both musically and lyrically. Still, the standout song on this album is
Run To The Water.
[YOUTUBE]TB1zPYKQCCY[/YOUTUBE]
4. V(2001):
It was an experimental album, including bringing in rapper
Tricky for the song
Simple Creed, which was simply about loving others. Adam Duritz from Counting Crows provides great backing vocals on
Flow, and
Forever May Not Be Long Enough was used as the theme song for
The Mommy Returns, I believe, and is an excellent song as well. Still, the best of the bunch is
Overcome, which was used as a tribute/theme song to the 9/11 attacks. It strayed somewhat from what they did musically, but was brilliantly written.
[YOUTUBE]jpCa7Ay596M[/YOUTUBE]
5. Birds Of Prey: (2003)
There isn't a track on the album I truly dislike, but there aren't any, unlike their previous albums, that I
love either. It's a strong album that returns to their existential roots, railing at times against war and a little too preachy about love, but there's alot of solid stuff here.
Run Away is a song about doing anything to be with the one you love,
Sweet Release is a hopeful song that speaks of better times to come, and
What Are We Fighting For correctly denounces people fighting others in the name of religion for having different beliefs. Heaven, however, is far and away the best song on the album, as it affirms Ed Kowalcyks' faith in God and an afterlife, based simply on the birth of his daughter.
[YOUTUBE]z_nImUzRv0w[/YOUTUBE]
6. Secret Samadhi
1999)
A huge disappointment of an album for a Live fan like me. Their third album is much more polished then their first two, and their sound shows great improvement. Unfortunately, it's lyrically a step back from their first two albums, and it's like their reach exceeds their grasp in many ways. Much of the album is pretentious, and they're trying to be deep, but rarely succeed. Only
'Turn My Head',
Ghost Rattlesnake, and Lakini's Juice really hit home as songs that work, as the rest of the album is laced with poorly constructed lyrics and disappointing hooks. Still,
Lakini's Juice is worth a dozen listens for any
Live fan.
[YOUTUBE]tnFKaU8H4v8[/YOUTUBE]
7. Songs From Black Mountain2006)
Their seventh, and final, studio album with Ed Kowalcyk as lead singer. There's some good stuff here, such as a decent cover of Johnny Cash's
'I Walk The Line' and
Love Shines, but much of the album feels thrown together quickly, and poorly. The album plunged headfirst into spiritual themes, with few hitting the mark.
The River is an exception, an outstanding song both musically and lyrically. It's a bit soft, and ventures into indie rock territory, but it's a beautiful song.
[YOUTUBE]EmHW5KcHQoc[/YOUTUBE]
Live was once my favorite band, and some of my favorite songs to this day are from the band. Like any band, they produced some crap, but the good overall heavily outweighs the bad. Other then the final two I listed, their albums are ones I can listen to and not skip songs, which is the mark of a great band. They took a lot of chances lyrically and musically from beginning to end, and found great success as a result. Their live performances are second to none, and I was disappointed when they broke up, as I aimed to hear them in person at least once more. Still, they're a phenomenal, ground-breaking band that count amongst my favorites.
