Imagine The Possibilities Options

[Existentialist]

Say Live had decided to rush out The Distance to Here in time for summer 1998. This would have been immediately following their early demo session that is the first known recording session for TDTH. The tracklist likely could have been something along these lines:

Amphibious
Change
Don't Wait
Happy Hour
Sun
To The Great One
Vine Street
New City
Wash The Blood Away
Mallrat
Photograph
Overcome
Still Aroused

Although Mallrat and Photograph are admittedly not TDTH era songs, they could have fit nicely with that album. I think this album would probably have been as commercially successful as TDTH was, with Vine Street being the lead single. Then, let's say in 2000 in time for another big tour, they released their fifth album, let's say called Tat Sundarum. The tracklist could have been something along these lines:

The Dolphin's Cry
The Distance
Sparkle
Run to the Water
Deeper
Face and Ghost
Feel the Quiet River Rage
Meltdown
We Walk in the Dream
Dance With You
I Walk the Line
We Deal in Dreams

This is more similar to what TDTH ended up being and probably would have kept their momentum going through a fifth album instead of pretty much dying right then and there. Whatcha think? Hindsight is 20/20 I guess, but would that not have been a better direction for the band?

[Wambangalang]

wtf is everyone talking about?

anyway in reply to the original post, this clearly would have been a better direction for live. I really dont know why ed decided to make such a radical change with V, something when i watch the interview on the awake dvd is obvious he's not proud of.

I think it's also interesting to note the part 9/11 played in where Live went with BOP. Everyone was kinda expecting live to come out with something intense and provocative, exploring the psychological suffering of mankind, as live tend to do. So did ed realise that this was what everyone was obviousdly going to do, so he went the other way? I think its a significant factor in that decision.