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.)

[Alex]

Easy.

Put down the acoustic.

No falsetto.

Don't put the album's single as the first song. (The River, Heaven). You need a rocker or dramatic/show-opener-type-song to set the album's mood.

Who cares what the lyrics/sound/producer is, if they followed these three rules they would make their best album since TDTH...

Their best album since TDTH?

Carefully avoiding the fact that TDTH has The Dolphins Cry as the first song, contains a fair amount of falsetto, and definitely features the acoustic guitar.

It's bullshit anyway. There're no rules for making a good album, especially since in the end we're hoping for work that the old Live fan base will subjectively enjoy, regardless of artistic merit. (Though the old material was more original and better written, so perhaps subconciously they go hand in hand..)

And I completely disagree with needing a 'rocker' song to open the album. The vital element we're missing from Live's music isn't rock. It's passion. Live clearly doesn't rank high on the individual members priorities. Perhaps if it did; if they still felt they could induce change with their music, if Ed stepped aside from his parental 'look at my daughters!' mindset, if they set out to make their best work yet... for themselves, then maybe we would receive what most of the Live community wants.

Of course this is conjecture, but I feel it's more accurate than a few simple rules for making their best work post TDTH.

[LiveRoCkS77]

Their best album since TDTH?

Carefully avoiding the fact that TDTH has The Dolphins Cry as the first song, contains a fair amount of falsetto, and definitely features the acoustic guitar.

It's bullshit anyway. There're no rules for making a good album, especially since in the end we're hoping for work that the old Live fan base will subjectively enjoy, regardless of artistic merit. (Though the old material was more original and better written, so perhaps subconciously they go hand in hand..)

And I completely disagree with needing a 'rocker' song to open the album. The vital element we're missing from Live's music isn't rock. It's passion. Live clearly doesn't rank high on the individual members priorities. Perhaps if it did; if they still felt they could induce change with their music, if Ed stepped aside from his parental 'look at my daughters!' mindset, if they set out to make their best work yet... for themselves, then maybe we would receive what most of the Live community wants.

Of course this is conjecture, but I feel it's more accurate than a few simple rules for making their best work post TDTH.

I respectfully disagree with you almost 100 percent. The passion is still there, but the effort required for artistic integrity isn't.

Also, I thinik there are several rules for making a great album. Live broke most of them with SFBM. Most great albums require a fair amount of collaborative creativity, from all of the bands members....ala SS and TC. Also, as far as creativity is concerned, when is the last time you heard a bridge inserted into a LIVE song? Like I Do was the last I heard and about the only one I've heard since TDTH, where some of the most powerful music contained that one specific ingredient. Even TSUFL has the subtle bridge where Ed sings "we made, it to the moon, but we can't make it home" and ends it with "to the one," which gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

Also, in my opinion, a great album requires some decent guitar work. That has been pretty rare in Live songs past but weère getting smacked now with 3 chord acoustic melodies that to be honest, I could write. I think some good solid rock where the guitars get let go similar to that of White Discussion would be beneficial. Fuck hearing Ed sing, I've heard enough out of his skinny ass. I would like an album where a good portion of the time, the guitars are singing and the bass can be heard. Pat is good at his craft and he's being underused.

So maybe I agree with you somewhat with inclusion of all members of the band, but disagree with you saying there are no rules for making a good album. Those rules may not be specific, but it doesn't mean they aren't there. I think they are. I think those rules were broken with V and everything afterwards. All the subsequent albums are missing those ingredients I mentioned and then some.

Personally, I don't think Ed's ego will allow for this ever again. I'm just going to enjoy music past because I don't think this guy has anyhwere near what it takes to make anything near what MJ, TC or SS was creatively. They're done.

[SJN1279]

Also, as far as creativity is concerned, when is the last time you heard a bridge inserted into a LIVE song? Like I Do was the last I heard and about the only one I've heard since TDTH, where some of the most powerful music contained that one specific ingredient. Even TSUFL has the subtle bridge where Ed sings "we made, it to the moon, but we can't make it home" and ends it with "to the one," which gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

I thought Mystery had a pretty cool bridge, but that's just me.

[LiveRoCkS77]

I thought Mystery had a pretty cool bridge, but that's just me.

Actually, Mystery has no bridge whatsoever. The only song on SFBM that does is Sofia and I don't even think that was meant as a bridge.

[SJN1279]

Actually, Mystery has no bridge whatsoever. The only song on SFBM that does is Sofia and I don't even think that was meant as a bridge.

What technically constitutes a bridge?

[LiveRoCkS77]

What technically constitutes a bridge?

A bridge is a contrasting part of a song that breaks its monotony from the simple chorus verse, chorus verse structure. It also prepares the listener for a climactic point of any given song. For example in Like I do where the song breaks and Ed sings "don't leave" and the songs is in a kind of pause mode with instrumentation not really common to the rest of the song. If you notice in Like I Do, the bridge ends with a guitar lick and blast into an even faster chorus, climaxing with a mash of frantic guitar and drums leading to the end.

In The Dolphins Cry where Ed sings "and all these wars are over...over....la lala la laaa...come to me, come to me." Then blasts into an even harder and more urgent chorus.

That is a bridge.

[+Ed+]

A bridge is a contrasting part of a song that breaks its monotony from the simple chorus verse, chorus verse structure. It also prepares the listener for a climactic point of any given song. For example in Like I do where the song breaks and Ed sings "don't leave" and the songs is in a kind of pause mode with instrumentation not really common to the rest of the song. If you notice in Like I Do, the bridge ends with a guitar lick and blast into an even faster chorus, climaxing with a mash of frantic guitar and drums leading to the end.

In The Dolphins Cry where Ed sings "and all these wars are over...over....la lala la laaa...come to me, come to me." Then blasts into an even harder and more urgent chorus.

That is a bridge.

Isn't "When suddenly out of the blue she's singing" part in The River actually a bridge, Luke? I always thought it was smth that appears over and over in one song.