If "Alive" Was A Live Album Options

[LiveFan92]

Forget all of the recent crap for a moment... If "Alive" was a Live album and all of the boys had played their parts, etc... where would you rank it? Obviously not in the band's top 4, but what about in comparison to the post 2000 stuff? Better? Worse? The same?

[Aitkens]

On par with SFBM.

[OutToDry]

SFBM no less

[Merica]

Better than SFBM as a whole. Below BOP and V though.

[ItchyTriggerFinger]

Forget all of the recent crap for a moment... If "Alive" was a Live album and all of the boys had played their parts, etc... where would you rank it? Obviously not in the band's top 4, but what about in comparison to the post 2000 stuff? Better? Worse? The same?

I'd have to rate it as worse just because of the number of songs on it that I simply can't stand. There are probably three or four tracks that I'd swap out in a heartbeat for the two bonus tracks that aren't on the U.S. released CD. With those changes, I'd put it on part with SFBM. And I'm on record as not hating SFBM.

The one issue I'd have would be the same issue I had with SFBM and was put best by a friend of mine. Both albums lack that song or set of songs that makes me want to test just how high my car stereo can go while barreling down a highway.

[Hoodstock]

Forget all of the recent crap for a moment... If "Alive" was a Live album and all of the boys had played their parts, etc... where would you rank it? Obviously not in the band's top 4, but what about in comparison to the post 2000 stuff? Better? Worse? The same?

First of all don't kid yourself. This basically is a Live album (post TDTH). "The boys" have been fill in musicians for Ed since that time.

I'd rank it above V, SFBM, and BOP. I really enjoy the first 4 songs, Zion, and A New World - which is probably equal to the amount of songs I enjoy on the three albums I mentioned combined.

This post has been edited by Hoodstock: Jul 28 2010, 4:53 pm

[Infrequent Poster]

Eh, hard to say where it ranks. Below V and BoP for sure but deciding whether it ranks above or below SFBM is hard. SFBM had higher high points but also lower low points. Alive is a more consistent experience. I could listen to Alive straight through and only skip one song, whereas I'd skip three or four on SFBM. However, Sofia, Show and Night of Nights were (in my opinion) very good songs and only Grace compares well to those.

I think I'd have to rank SFBM slightly higher if only because Sofia is a great song and it carries the weaker songs. Regardless, if Alive was a Live album I'd have probably left the band behind. It comes off better as an EK solo experience then it would have if it had the Live name on it.

[Merica]

Eh, hard to say where it ranks. Below V and BoP for sure but deciding whether it ranks above or below SFBM is hard. SFBM had higher high points but also lower low points. Alive is a more consistent experience. I could listen to Alive straight through and only skip one song, whereas I'd skip three or four on SFBM. However, Sofia, Show and Night of Nights were (in my opinion) very good songs and only Grace compares well to those.

+ Zioooooooooooon. Zion is on par with Grace, possible maybe better.

I think the difference between SFBM and Alive's high points are negligible. Also, the lowest point of both albums is the opening line to Just In Time. Or whichever song it is where he talks about "in the form of my two kids." That's just cringeworthy to the absolute max. Horrible clunky wording and far too upfront.

I think if you mix the two together you have a decent adult contemporary album. Apart, they're both a little bit half baked.

[TheBeacon]

Forget all of the recent crap for a moment... If "Alive" was a Live album and all of the boys had played their parts, etc... where would you rank it? Obviously not in the band's top 4, but what about in comparison to the post 2000 stuff? Better? Worse? The same?

I think if the band was allowed to contribute to a few songs and you would have to add Believe to the tracklist because that would have been on the album if it was a LIVE release then it would have equaled BOP. It would have been better than what it is now and for sure way better than SBFM. It would have been looked as a step in the right direction after SBFM garbage but I also think it would not have much commercial success unless they were signed by a major label. If signed, Grace would have had some promotion and probably received some good airplay. Zion, Believe, Soul Whispers, and Great Beyond would have been highlights of the album as well.

Also, we have no idea what material was in the works last year as well. We got to hear Believe but there may been some more TGF songs that ended up on the LIVE album as well.

Add Believe, Appetite, Crying Time, Eat Your Love, New World, and get rid of In Your Light, Just In Time. Tone down the I love god lyrics a bit and add some Chad Taylor guitar work and you have a really good 14 track album.

This post has been edited by TheBeacon: Jul 28 2010, 5:38 pm

[Sakhmet2]

First of all don't kid yourself. This basically is a Live album (post TDTH). "The boys" have been fill in musicians for Ed since that time.

I'd rank it above V, SFBM, and BOP. I really enjoy the first 4 songs, Zion, and A New World - which is probably equal to the amount of songs I enjoy on the three albums I mentioned combined.

I'd put it equal to V, above some of BOP and all of SFBM

(I have a weakness for parts of V. Deplorable, I know)

This post has been edited by Sakhmet2: Jul 28 2010, 8:23 pm

[ItchyTriggerFinger]

However, Sofia, Show and Night of Nights were (in my opinion) very good songs and only Grace compares well to those.

Apparently we share the same 3 favorite songs from SFBM. Though I do have a slight quibble with Night of Nights which is enough for it to be pushed to #3 for me. It's the way the timing of the songs seems to slow down when they get to the chorus. Every single time I hear it, I keep thinking "Man, if they had just cut loose right there." But, it's a minor quibble.

[ItchyTriggerFinger]

I'd put it equal to V, above some of BOP and all of SFBM

(I have a weakness for parts of V. Deplorable, I know)

I will unabashedly admit to enjoy parts of V. Some of it is definitely cheesy, but then, the fact that the album seems to be something of a goof is part of its charm to me.

Simple Creed ranks highly with me by any measure.

[Infrequent Poster]

+ Zioooooooooooon. Zion is on par with Grace, possible maybe better.

I think the difference between SFBM and Alive's high points are negligible. Also, the lowest point of both albums is the opening line to Just In Time. Or whichever song it is where he talks about "in the form of my two kids." That's just cringeworthy to the absolute max. Horrible clunky wording and far too upfront.

I think if you mix the two together you have a decent adult contemporary album. Apart, they're both a little bit half baked.

Agreed for the most part, though the more I listened to album Zion the more I liked acoustic Zion better. Something didn't jam right in the full band version for me. It's a good song, don't get me wrong, but it's not a "gotta listen to it!" like Grace is. The acoustic clip on youtube I think is just the definitive version of it. That's a song I can spin often.

Apparently we share the same 3 favorite songs from SFBM. Though I do have a slight quibble with Night of Nights which is enough for it to be pushed to #3 for me. It's the way the timing of the songs seems to slow down when they get to the chorus. Every single time I hear it, I keep thinking "Man, if they had just cut loose right there." But, it's a minor quibble.

I like the drop in tempo for the chorus, it makes the song more interesting when juxtaposed with the more driving verses. However, having listened to so much TGF recently I wish Live would have done what TGF does and flip the song not once but twice. As in, you'd have the driving verse, then the slow down chorus, then flip it up to a wicked instrumental heavy bridge/solo lead.

[Pokey]

Probably on par with SFBM. It would be the biggest "live is selling out" album to me.
More so than any feelings people had with V.

[ItchyTriggerFinger]

I like the drop in tempo for the chorus, it makes the song more interesting when juxtaposed with the more driving verses. However, having listened to so much TGF recently I wish Live would have done what TGF does and flip the song not once but twice. As in, you'd have the driving verse, then the slow down chorus, then flip it up to a wicked instrumental heavy bridge/solo lead.

Ooooh, yeah, I could get behind that idea. My issue with the chorus, as is, is that the tempo change almost makes it seem anti-climactic.