Thank God for TGF Options

[FishOutaWater]

I was listening to the radio in the car over the weekend and I heard Lightening Crashes. Suddenly I realized how fortunate we are to have The Gracious Few. My wife keeps telling me that I must be really devastated about Live breaking up. And I keep thinking to myself that it isn't so bad. I should have been devastated. It wasn't the crushing blow I always thought it would be. Why? That's easy. Thank God for The Gracious Few. Can you imagine what the end of LIve would have been like if the there was nothing but Ed's solo album? If Chad had just moved on to focus on Aurora and everybody went their own way?!?!

The TGF album, the concerts, the whole experience has been better than anything Live hs done for 15 years. Kevin and Sean have become a part of the family. Chad, Chad and Pat have stepped out from behind the curtain - and they are happy and free and creative!

I can't imagine how hard the end of Live would have been if The Gracious Few wasn't there to sweep me off my feet. Thank God for The Gracious Few! Long live The Gracious Few!

[+Ed+]

Fishy, absofuckinglutely! Couple of days ag I was thinking the same thing. You know what, a horrible thought came to my mind... I do not want Live back...

But in a second I realised it was not a horrible thought.

Not a band in the world would ever do so many things to me as Live did during the years I knew of them since 1999.

But shit yes. TGF came in the very right time, when we needed them to do so and the very fucking right way they did it!

because of the fact Ed and CC didnt work together much after 1999.

Has Ed ever worked with Chris Cornell?

[SecretInsomnia]

Has Ed ever worked with Chris Cornell?

haha, ooops! Didnt mean to forget the famous Pat!

This post has been edited by SecretInsomnia: Nov 16 2010, 6:28 am

[itschris]

You know I had a few hours to myself and went to my listening room and pulled Throwing Copper and listened to it beginning to end. It's almost like that Live and the Live from V on are two totally different bands. The aggression was gone. The intensity non-existent.

Concert-wise... you saw the change coming. After TDTH, Ed was a different person. He'd be up there spouting F-this, F-that, Thongs, blah, blah, blah. it was almost embarrassing.

I think here's the bottom line: Once Ed thought of himself as a 'frontman" instead of a member of a band, it all starting going horribly wrong.

TGF are one band, one unifying siound who's desire to make great music is magnified by their synergy. When 1+1+1+1+1=6, it's a great thing. Ed thought he could be greater than the sum all on his own. Clearly we can all judge the wisdom of that decision.

Yet, from the ashes comes TGF. I dig the disc more and more each time I listen to it. I'm not complaining anymore.

[Bremang]

You know I had a few hours to myself and went to my listening room and pulled Throwing Copper and listened to it beginning to end. It's almost like that Live and the Live from V on are two totally different bands. The aggression was gone. The intensity non-existent.

Concert-wise... you saw the change coming. After TDTH, Ed was a different person. He'd be up there spouting F-this, F-that, Thongs, blah, blah, blah. it was almost embarrassing.

I think here's the bottom line: Once Ed thought of himself as a 'frontman" instead of a member of a band, it all starting going horribly wrong.

TGF are one band, one unifying siound who's desire to make great music is magnified by their synergy. When 1+1+1+1+1=6, it's a great thing. Ed thought he could be greater than the sum all on his own. Clearly we can all judge the wisdom of that decision.

Yet, from the ashes comes TGF. I dig the disc more and more each time I listen to it. I'm not complaining anymore.

I think Ed's direction was dictated way more by his declining ability as a singer, and the declining interest in 90's alt rock in the US, than by his own ego. His voice was dying, he needed softer material to sing. Fans were purchasing pop in the late 90's, he geared away from the alt rock genre. I don't think it has to do with his frontman vs. bandmate ideals, he probably thought of himself as the frontman since the beginning. The talents of C,C,P, and their infallible instruments hadn't eroded the way Ed's voice had with age and abuse, so they wanted to uphold their edgy rock standards. Hence the rift.

This post has been edited by Bremang: Nov 17 2010, 8:42 pm

[LiveRoCkS77]

I think Ed's direction was dictated way more by his declining ability as a singer, and the declining interest in 90's alt rock in the US, than by his own ego. His voice was dying, he needed softer material to sing. Fans were purchasing pop in the late 90's, he geared away from the alt rock genre. I don't think it has to do with his frontman vs. bandmate ideals, he probably thought of himself as the frontman since the beginning. The talents of C,C,P, and their infallible instruments hadn't eroded the way Ed's voice had with age and abuse, so they wanted to uphold their edgy rock standards. Hence the rift.

No dude, I can pretty much tell you with great certainty that it was an ego thing. Ed wanted complete control and grew apart from the rest of the guys. They still wanted to be Live and Ed was turning it into something else, hence the rift..

It wasn't the "rock standard" they wanted to up hold, but their integrity. They felt Ed was killing that with his cookie cutter crap and I believe the threats and ideas of Ed not being involved had been going on for almost 5 years prior. Ed separated himself, demanding separate dressing rooms on tour and not hanging out with the guys anymore. The straw that broke the camels back came when Ed sacrificed the ultimate integrity by signing that contract, giving him sole rights to the bands music.

[Bremang]

No dude, I can pretty much tell you with great certainty that it was an ego thing. Ed wanted complete control and grew apart from the rest of the guys. They still wanted to be Live and Ed was turning it into something else, hence the rift..

It wasn't the "rock standard" they wanted to up hold, but their integrity. They felt Ed was killing that with his cookie cutter crap and I believe the threats and ideas of Ed not being involved had been going on for almost 5 years prior. Ed separated himself, demanding separate dressing rooms on tour and not hanging out with the guys anymore. The straw that broke the camels back came when Ed sacrificed the ultimate integrity by signing that contract, giving him sole rights to the bands music.

Wanting control over your music does not necessarily mean that it is an ego thing. Obviously the other guys wanted control over the music as well. I think their rock standard is a better way to describe it, because Ed had been making "cookie cutter" style songs from day one. Verse Chorus Verse, 5 chords in Lightning crashes. Ed separated himself as a reaction to the creative differences. I'm guessing they would keep the same dressing rooms and such if they were all in agreement with the music.