Chad Taylor's thoughts on Live's new album and sound, "its a pop album and we freely admit that" Options

[edstipe]

Chad T just posted a new blog to his myspace account, with some very interesting insights about the new album and the band as a whole. Here's the whole thing, copied and pasted:

OSLO, SLIGHTLY SHOCKING!

The crowds in Oslo the past two nights have been amazing. Great fans here who have supported our band for a very long time. Thank You!

There was an electrical spike or ground lift tonight that shocked the crap out of me during Shit Towne. It hurt like mad but all is well as I'm still breathing.

Were very pleased with the new version of Mystery, Daughtry kicked some butt and Ed was his usual stellar self.

Your kind, heartfelt reviews of Black Mountain have meant a ton to me. The personal sacrifices it has taken to get this album made were huge but it all seems worth while when your music connects the way this album has.

Interesting though, many of the early fans of the darker side of Live don't care for it, thankfully they can listen to Secret Samadhi and Throwing Copper until they go deaf or move on like we did. That's the beauty of recording albums, they live on forever.

The love, light and energy that I freely admit I'm addicted to is all over this album. It's bright and happy and true to our hearts. Its mostly about spreading positive energy in a world gone slightly mad with war and violence (its a pop album and we freely admit that). My job as an artist is to play in the free space not available to the brain. Otherwise what I'm saying is you can't think music, it just is.

The only other time I can recall such divided opinions on one of our albums was Throwing Copper. Yes, the early fans of Mental Jewelry went nuts when the bands sound continued to grow and change. That album went on to sell more than 10 million copies but I still get fan mail wanting us to sound more like Operation Spirit.

In the true spirit of a hardcore LIVE fan, which, I am; I too have had moments where I wasn't happy with the bands direction but my greatest lesson in life has been to lift my heels and let the music carry me in the right direction. Many others could learn from that process.

All my best goes out to each and every person that has supported my musical habit for 22 years, even those that don't quite get it.

Cheers,

CT

[beau99]

Thanks for posting.

This is one of the reasons Chad rocks.

[alexou]

Wow...this guy is great. He knows exactly how to describe his feelings and he is honnest to himself and to us. What a post!

Alex

[sandkind]

makes me wanna puke after reading this and thinking how little he actually had to do with the writing. i support the band and rarely write negative remarks, but CT needs to grow some balls. if he indeed help write the album, he should get the credit instead of ed getting all the credit. sorry, but to me the last 3 cds have been ed featuring live as a backing band.

[alexou]

It's true. CT is not only a part of Live now. He can still like what the band produces. Even if V was different, it has some cool guitar work in it.

Alex

[Pokey]

makes me wanna puke after reading this and thinking how little he actually had to do with the writing. i support the band and rarely write negative remarks, but CT needs to grow some balls. if he indeed help write the album, he should get the credit instead of ed getting all the credit. sorry, but to me the last 3 cds have been ed featuring live as a backing band.

This is the thing, people can say "well you aren't in the studio with them! you don't know what sort of input the rest of the band has!" and that's true, but obviously it's not enough to warrant getting credited on the album sleeves. So we're just left to assume it really Ed featuring Live. But what we can't guess is if they other guys are happy with this, they really might be .. who knows. All I know is that where Live had their biggest shift was between TDTH and V and that's when it seems to become the Ed show. Also when Jim Wirt stepped in I guess and screwed up the production.

I honestly don't count myself a fan of Live's darker side exclusivley.. I love TDTH and that isn't exactly a dark album, but it was written by the band and just yeah .. I dunno.

[sandkind]

yeah, i probably shouldn't be so hard on CT, maybe they are all happy with the arrangement. my guess is the more $$$$, the happier they are. i would be. i still like their music a lot better than most and they sure as shit don't have to answer to me..lol. they are still experienced best live.

[brett]

I've read Chad's letter several times and I keep coming back to two words, "move on".

I assume that means with them or without them.

I'm the former.

[Pokey]

I'm just hanging around to see if Live themselves move on from this stage with their next release or if they're going to settle into a groove now .. that'll be the determining factor for me.

[livefan1999]

instead of ed getting all the credit. sorry, but to me the last 3 cds have been ed featuring live as a backing band.

I don't get this feeling at all. The part about "ed featuring live as a backing band". At least not when they're on stage. When I see them perform, they are a group. Yes, Ed is up there doing the main vocals, but they are always interacting on stage in a manner which makes me think they enjoy being there together. Working together. Performing, creating together. Ed with his arm around Chad, or Adam, or standing by Chad on the drums. Adam and Chad jamming together in the corner.

On credits for cd's, songwriting, etc. Isn't it the norm for perhaps one or two members of a band to "write" the song? The lyrics, the general outline of what the song will be. Then they put it to the band and each musician has a say in how his instrument will fit into the overall mix. I know a number of local bands where that is the case and I'd imagine it's true in many bands. In the end, ultimately the person who gets the major credit on the cd cover and in the articles for the songwriting is the person who actually wrote the song and the lyrics. The band gets the overall credit for the arranging and the playing of the song.

Guess all I'm trying to say is that from my point of view, I'm going to see the band. Live. Not just Ed. And, from what I see on stage, I think that is the way they view it. They're all performing as Live, not just the Ed Show.

This post has been edited by livefan1999: Jun 8 2006, 5:04 am

[Pokey]

I don't get this feeling at all. The part about "ed featuring live as a backing band". At least not when they're on stage. When I see them perform, they are a group. Yes, Ed is up there doing the main vocals, but they are always interacting on stage in a manner which makes me think they enjoy being there together. Working together. Performing, creating together. Ed with his arm around Chad, or Adam, or standing by Chad on the drums. Adam and Chad jamming together in the corner.

On credits for cd's, songwriting, etc. Isn't it the norm for perhaps one or two members of a band to "write" the song? The lyrics, the general outline of what the song will be. Then they put it to the band and each musician has a say in how his instrument will fit into the overall mix. I know a number of local bands where that is the case and I'd imagine it's true in many bands. In the end, ultimately the person who gets the major credit on the cd cover and in the articles for the songwriting is the person who actually wrote the song and the lyrics. The band gets the overall credit for the arranging and the playing of the song.

Guess all I'm trying to say is that from my point of view, I'm going to see the band. Live. Not just Ed. And, from what I see on stage, I think that is the way they view it. They're all performing as Live, not just the Ed Show.

The thing is, if the other guys really had an impact in the writing process these days then their names would appear on the CD like in the olden days but they don't now. And suspeciously ever since that stopped happening has been when the drop in quality of Live's music has happened.
You can't argue with that either, it'd be stupid to say "maybe the other guys don't want any credit!!" I mean, what?
Like I said it's then impossible to say whether they're happy with this or not, they may want it to be all Ed at the moment .. who knows.

[EvilOne]

Wait your missing the most important part.

Chris Daughtry performed with them ???

[ShowalittleLove]

I love CT's honesty. Got to admire that. No matter what they do people will complain about something. It has to be draining to put all this time and effort into something and then read a bunch of negative reviews. Hopefully it's worth all that for some of the positive connections LIVE has made over the years. I know I am one of them. Keep moving on guys, I am all for it!

[Pokey]

Wait your missing the most important part.

Chris Daughtry performed with them ???

Who?

[Rodman91]

"The Darker Side of LIVE", by LIVE

Dam at Otter Creek
I Alone
Iris
TBD
Stage
White, Discussion
Rattlesnake
Lakini's Juice
Voodoo Lady
Fishes
Feel the Quiet River Rage
Forever May Not Be Long Enough
Like I Do

Bonus Cut: Dark Version of Love Shines