Jerry Harrison says TDTH had too many songs, big mistake "The Distance" wasn't a single. Options

[Fool_By_The_River]

Jerry Harrison has something to say about TDTH.
Taken from a recent interview.


Full Interview Here, although this (above) is all he says about LIVE:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/sounddieg...-393312171.html

This post has been edited by Fool_By_The_River: Nov 5 2016, 11:45 pm

[Hoodstock]

So I was in college when this album came out and I recall how the situation played out pretty well. Making The Dolphins Cry the lead single really did damage to Live's rep and hurt this album. Nobody made the connection between the lyrics and sex. That song took Live from an edgy band to pansy for a lot of people. A few comments I recall hearing more than once were "that song is gay" or "who the hell sings about dolphins / crying dolphins?". It was a metaphore that just didnt connect. Really, you're listening to that dolphins crying song?

That song, specifically the refrain, killed that album and hurt the perception of the band. I actually like the song but I remember hearing it only twice on my favorite radio station. It didn't get played on there after the first week.

With that being said, the album still did well and so did the song. It was new from Live and they were still main stream and huge at the time.

Dolphins Cry, if it were going to be a single though, should have been a 3rd or 4th single off that album. It might have worked in Europe (I don't know) but it didn't translate well to the masses and the casual fans here. TDTH needed to be established with a few other songs for that single to really resonate with their target age group at the time.

A better lead single at the time would have been The Distance or Sparkle, but I personally think They Stood Up For Love would have been The best choice to launch in the US. Sure, you can argue some of these are not singles today, but in 1999 they would have worked.

I like talking tracks because I actually think this album has one of the two the most botched songs in Live's catalogue, Sun. This song is a rocker, and if done right, could have carried this album as the lead single. Problem is the band fucked it up.

What was wrong?

sun sun merciful one
sun sun
sun sun won't you lay down your light on us
sun sun

Is this a song for the Aztecs? Totally cheesy and sounds bad. They could have just edited that part out and I think they have a huge rock 1999 song on their hands.

TDTH was a good album that did well but I always wonder how big it could have been had they reorderd the release of singles and not ruined Sun.

[Costakoui]

So I was in college when this album came out and I recall how the situation played out pretty well. Making The Dolphins Cry the lead single really did damage to Live's rep and hurt this album. Nobody made the connection between the lyrics and sex. That song took Live from an edgy band to pansy for a lot of people. A few comments I recall hearing more than once were "that song is gay" or "who the hell sings about dolphins / crying dolphins?". It was a metaphore that just didnt connect. Really, you're listening to that dolphins crying song?

This is the first time i am reading such interpretation about TDC. I completely disagree. TDC was the best choice as the lead single and it was a hit. TDTH singles were generally ok. Live’s big mistake was not with TDTH singles but with SS’s. Lakini’s Juice was a bad choice as a lead single because it was such a great departure from TC sound. It should be the last single, not the first one. It is like having White Discussion as the lead single instead of Selling the drama. SS’s singles, IMHO, should be: 1. Insomnia, 2. Herospychodreaner, 3. Gas Hed, 4. Ghost of Lakini’s Juice.

[mattyeagles]

This is the first time i am reading such interpretation about TDC. I completely disagree. TDC was the best choice as the lead single and it was a hit. TDTH singles were generally ok. Live’s big mistake was not with TDTH singles but with SS’s. Lakini’s Juice was a bad choice as a lead single because it was such a great departure from TC sound. It should be the last single, not the first one. It is like having White Discussion as the lead single instead of Selling the drama. SS’s singles, IMHO, should be: 1. Insomnia, 2. Herospychodreaner, 3. Gas Hed, 4. Ghost of Lakini’s Juice.

Turn my Head should've been First SS single