This is purely hypothetical, because there is nothing to indicate that Live would ever try to return to any of their old styles again.

However, I have heard some discussion on this board in the past about Live returning to their "roots," and it got me thinking about what specific roots I would most like to see Live return to. Clearly, their first four albums were incredibly different stylistically from one to the next, so it would be hard to pinpoint any specific "style" of the band's early albums.

So, out of the four albums listed, which style would you most like to see Live return to someday?

(By the way, I cut it off with Secret Samadhi because, although I think TDTH is brilliant, I feel that it is their first record that is more a blending of previous styles than a new style altogether.)

Go with what worked and do something similar to Throwing Copper. I think they are going to need some harder rocks songs on their next release.

The devil is wearing ice skates now since I agree with Nick.

I loved SS Live! I love that artsy feeling that I am too dumb to understand their genius. The Freaks Video and the Turn My head Video are so confusing... Even the LJ one was too! The more complex and dramatic the band, the better. Pop Trash where the song title explains the song sucks. Who the Fuck knows what a song called "Heropsychodreamer" is going to be about??

I also think it would fare better commercially. If they can just market it correctly, which I doubt they could, consumers would flock to it like roaches to a fallen Cheeto....

It's not so much about returning to their roots as it is getting an executive producer with a spine that will kick their asses and steer them in the appropriate direction.

The band also needs to collaborate more directly as a band.

Jerry Harrison wasn't the band's buddy and really pushed them to their limits to produce three of their best albums (MJ, TC and TDTH). I don't think that's a coincidence. "Secret Samadhi" had some strong songs but too dark a production and very questionable lyrics (uhhh Ed, you've got a great song but can you find something to rhyme with crisis other then armpits).... it was produced by one of their buddies from the Public Affection days. V was self-produced....'nuff said.

I think their more recent albums have also not been as successful because Ed has done not only the lyrics but the music to most tracks. Some of the exceptions where multiple band members have been credited have been some of the standout songs of their respective albums ("Like I Do" is one that comes to mind at the moment).

Well, Executive Producers don't really (usually!) have anything to do with the project, creatively; they fund it, and take care of business aspects. You're referring to a Producer.

And Jerry was obviously good for the band; whether he would still push Live to results as good as those he had in the past is questionable. I don't know whether Live still have it in them to be honest.

And what do you mean by 'too dark a production'? Secret Samadhi, mix/production wise, is my favourite sounding Live album.

Ditto on that, and I do think the band needs to take some control from Ed. Lighthouse had input from the other members didn't it? That song was decent. Maybe Ed is arrogant... he certainly has an ego about controlling the band.

I personally feel that TDTH featured everything they had reached up to it to create a new and genuine style. I do not vote. I really want something like TDTH.

Nick, you know my respect to you, but this is a total bs. Ffs howcome do you think that Something that worked 15 years ago will work now? I hardly can see them back in the post-grungy roots to gain a bigger audience. They can only re-gain those who left after or during V era.

Absolutely seconded on every word.


Bs. When friends get together, there always is one leader. More than this, he is really needed in a gang. Taking control away from Ed would mean a disband I guess. Have you ever thought that he writes everything as others do not feel like doing it?

The ebst thing to do now is, indeed, point out which kind of production they want, and not just decide: let's make a TCII, or a SSII or whatever.
I think asking Jerry again would be a good idea, but anno 2008 it won't mean a return to MJ,TC,SS or THTH. but! It can work into something good with at least more passion and original ideas than SFBM. By that I would also like to see Chad T producing the cd (but that can only be when they go for a rocksound). Maybe Jerry + Chad prioducing would be the best .

Btw, to convince ervyone there won't be a second SFBM: this album was made for a big, commercial label, and when the recording was finished they signed Sony. Now they are free and don't have to make a pop sounding album to sell to a label.
I go for a new BoP, but with a better producer than Jim Wirt. If that's the case, we can get at least the best since...well TDTH (but that isn't very hard to do )

I went SS. I don't really want to hear them get political now because it'll just end up with Obama dick sucking and Bush bashing (No I don't like Bush either, but really it's been done to death). I'd be happy with a TC sounding album too but SS pips it. I'd rather hear an album where I once again don't really know what in the world Ed is singing about and am forced to come up with my own meanings to the songs rather than being slapped in the face with what in the world some girl's "Mystery" is that keeps turning him on. As Alex has said, I love the SS sound (production) so much as well, it was the most gritty of the albums, it had such a great edge to it.

On the topic of producers, I'd love to see what would happen with another Live/Jerry H album, if they did that and it managed to blow us all away with how amazing it is would we seriously have to consider how much of their success is attributed to him? And if it still sucked ass do we then just assume that Live is unsavable? (insavable?)

It was pretty hard to pick between Throwing Copper and Secret Samadhi and even though Throwing Copper is my favorite Live album, I would love them to return to the mysterious, dark, cryptive rock of Secret Samadhi. Damn, I would love them to make another amazing piece of art like Ghost!!

I think Throwing Copper is the best of the four albums mentioned in the poll. If they can regain a portion of the fanbase that they had in the mid-90's, I think Live would in pretty good shape as an indie band. I'm hoping for their next single to be released to rock radio, regardless.

Hmmm...

I want ROCK with MEANING, I guess.

Lyrics that seem to be one thing on the surface but are much more in layers of depth.

I want the music to make me FEEL and then later PONDER, too.

I don't want LiVE to remake any of their previous albums, but I hope the next one is not overly sentimental pop.

Does that make sense to anyone other than me?

lol

You are correct about the executive producer essentially controlling the purse strings, I meant to say producer.

I wasn't specifically commenting on the mix/production of Secret Samadhi, more the content.
Secret Samadhi was a darker album then what came before and what came after. The overall tone of the album was a bit more downbeat in terms of the song content, like the band was writing about the end of the world and it wasn't a happy ending. Throwing Copper and TDTH were much more balanced in this respect.

I want to emphasize that I really like Secret Samadhi for what it is, a good album, just not a great album. However, I can't help but think of the lost oppurtunities they had with the band swelling their audience and becoming _THE_ next big band which everyone was predicting after the 1-2 punch of MJ and TC.

I remember being so psyched for SS since it had been nearly 3 years since TC and then hearing Lakini's Juice on the radio and thinking how pretentious it was with the string arrangement. Could never get into that song. Freaks is also another novelty song that they probably hoped would be a "Shit Towne" type of track, yet should have been left as a b-side when it was wisely left off TC.

I don't know what your basis of judgement is on SS not being a 'great' album. Relatatively, in comparison to MJ and TC, it has a similar balance of strong/weak songs, and it works just as cohesively as an album. The lyrics might not be to everyones tastes, but they're much more about the sound of the words in a musical form than a literary accomplishment.

And I don't think that many people even knew of Mental Jewelry after Live got big with TC. I've heard TC referred to as Lives first album more than once, and many people have had surprised reactions in the past when I've mentioned Lives first album.



I think 'pretentious' is a rather redundant term for the description of music... especially in this case. Prententious (and who is anyone to claim that a song is based on pretence...) music is often synomous with overblown, or 'self-indulgent' music (another pretty ridiculous term that's become hip to swing around...).

Lakini's Juice, though I'd definitely describe it as a 'big' song, is hardly pretentious. It, personally, is probably my favourite Live song. I connect with it more than I do a lot of Live's material; and the lyrics play little part in that. I love the string arrangement, and wish Live would do more of that style.

I can see what you mean with the comparison of Freaks to Shit Towne. For me though, the strength of the vocal melody and the somewhat unusual bridge/chorus brings Freaks to a level above that of Shit Towne. The production of Secret Samadhi kind of erases the jokey/novelty sound of it for me anyway.