The good old days
I just got the new Live album, Songs from Black Mountain. I am a huge Live fan, but their latest efforts of V, Birds of Pray, and Songs from Black Mountain are huge come downs for me from what go me turned on to them, Throwing Copper. It’s bad enough that when I popped the latest into Media Player and it was automatically categorized as POP, but I should not be seeing them on American Idol. I’m not the only one who feels this way as can be seen:
I got an advance of Songs to review and we started to listen to it together. We got four songs into it and she was pretty depressed. Ed was happy and it was killing the music. Live had gotten soft. She officially abandoned all hope when the band appeared on American Idol’s season finale last month. It was the final nail.
They are no longer on the must buy list. Another review from an admitted fan is at sokabs.com, and he seems to like it for the same reason that I don’t as much:
The River: This first track is the current single from the album, released in the USA on January 31st. It features a highly infectious groove, which Kowalczyk has described as probably “the most memorable melody we’ve ever recorded.” I would have to concur with this statement. It’s a great song, which I find reminiscent of the sound from The Distance to Here and Birds of Pray. “La da da daa, La da da da da” starts the song out, and I can’t help but sing along with this part — my 3 kids have even been singing this part all weekend. As far as radio play and hit-factor, “The River” should prove to be this album’s greatest commercial success. I certainly have Live songs which I prefer over this one, but it’s solid and will satisfy any Live fan and probably help the band catch some new ones.
It’s a kids radio song that is the best on the album. I got into Live when they were unhappy and it showed, them and Soundgarden got me through high school. Getting married and having kids may have been good for Kowalczyk & co., but it killed one of my favorite bands. It’s official, I’m old now as even my regular bands can’t measure up to the “olden days.”
It’s frustrating, isn’t it? I hate Clearchannel with a passion because IMO, they help to push this thinking that you have to appeal to the masses. No one is allowed to think outside the box or have a different sound/opinion.
My favorite radio station as a teen was a college run station that began playing alternative when no other radio station would. It had a very weak signal and sometimes you just couldn’t pick it up.
In my early 20’s, it was bought out by an independant station, but they changed nothing other than more commercials and a stronger signal. My favorite DJ was known for having local talents and unknowns come sit for an hour or more while playing their own tunes.
In my late 20’s ClearChannel bought them out. Slowly, they killed the station. First, by limiting what the DJ’s could do. No more unknowns. Then by closing down their “classic rock” (ie old metallic, ac/dc, etc) station and working their stuff into the playlists. Then, axing the morning show and replacing them with some rude guys that spend hours taking calls and giving advice – all of which is handed out with snarky and seksist comments. Not the way I want to spend my mornings.
I so want XM radio or some such. I’d like to hear some real Indy music again from people that know not everyone is a drone.
Oh, and I quit buying albums long ago. It’s extremely rare that I buy one because these days they only have one or two good songs on them. They’d rather stretch out their good songs over 5 albums with gobs of junk as filler. Another thing I contribute to the labels who assume consumers will buy anything.
Remember buying albums like George Micheal’s Faith, Chicago 17, 2 Live Crew’s As Nasty As They Wanna Be, Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill, & U2’s The Joshua Tree? They had more than one hit on them. What a concept. An album everyone wants to own. Now a days, you have to be stupid to purchase the entire album for $15 rather than just DL that one good song from iTunes for $0.99.
/rant off