If Live Returned To Their Roots for the Next Album..., ...What "Roots" Should They Return To? Options

[edstipe]

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.)

[Senghe]

I'm not even sure if Live are capable of capturing the zeitgeist like they did on TC, SS and TDTH any more. Not without slapping Ed's solar system sized ego down to size and kicking Chad Taylor's lazy, complacent ass into gear. He's never been the most exciting guitarist, but he's just been turgid and predictable on the last three albums. The whole band give me the feeling they're just coasting. They also need a decent producer as the last album sounded like it had been mixed in a plastic bucket. It's a shame, because you occasionally glimpse a spark of the old passion and brilliance, then it fizzles out again.

I'd put it down to them being in their 30s but hell, Jared Leto's older than Ed and to be honest, the last 30 Seconds To Mars album was far more exciting and passionate than any album Live have done in a decade and I would in no way class myself as a 30STM fan.