Should Live Call It Quits?, Is it time? Options

[Hoodstock]

I am a huge Live fan. I have enjoyed every CD (except V, which I can't even listen to except for Simple Creed) but I'm finding that the band has lost originality. I tried making a CD of my favorite songs recently and had trouble placing songs in order since every song is about love or includes water in it in some way. I miss the fun songs like Waitress and Shit Towne, they are lacking from newer live CD's. Instead we get songs that include earth elements, are about love over and over again, and sorry attempts to protest the war in some way. I would appreciate a new live CD that did not include songs about love, and had nothing to do with water (streams, rivers, ect.) or the sun, and did not mention the war (those songs especially never even seem to be very good at all) (p.s. I am not stating this as any type of comment on the war). Unless Ed can come up with lyrics on original topics that are radio worthy in the U.S., or that make me want to turn up Live and rock my speakers again , maybe live should hang up their hat and do greatest hits tours ever so often.

The newer Live seems stale and old before I even replay the CD.

[mrmcpheezy]

A less used form of writing??? It doesn't 'sit as tightly'?

How the hell is the formulaic bullshit that the last 2 albums consist of a 'less used form of writing'? ANYONE that has a knowledge of music and that can seperate enjoyment from objectivity can say what is well written and what is not. As music is by far the biggest part of my life, and I've been studying it for 14 years, I know that I myself can judge music writing.
It's not fucking opinion. You keep missing the point. Yes, SOME people connect with, and find Lives recent offerings pleasant and enjoy it (though I still fail to see how- it's all so cheesy...)
Sure, Live may be expressing themselves and the music and lyrics may reflect their current state of mind. But the resulting sound is certainly nothing original. In my opinion, it's far harder to write music that leans towards 'happier' aspects of life, without coming off as cheesy or uninspired. That doesn't mean it can't be done, but you can hardly claim that SFBM achieves it.

Music has been about structure, and the right sounds 'etc etc etc' for MANY years. Surely that is the main point? Surely artists should go out of their way to try and achieve a perfectly written song every time they compose? Classical music was originally very structured, and whilst over many years instrumentation, timbre, dynamics, ornamentation, and structure changed, composers that are still widely recognized today knew the rules before breaking them. Though I certainly can't claim to know anything about the history of art, I'm fairly sure I remember reading that Picasso's earliest works did follow the conventions of the time. (I'm not entirely sure though). Since I know nothing about it, I don't really want to compare the two.

I don't know what your point was about rap music. It's hardly like Live have created a controversial fan-spiltter of an album due to being unique and original- quite the opposite. And clearly we have different definitions of an open mind. The fact that you were insulting 'opera' music which you don't appear to know anything about proves that.

Very well put.