In a bit of a sequel to last year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Triple Play tour, Collective Soul and Live, the credless ’90s revivalists who weren’t quite Pearl Jam and weren’t quite Creed, will again join forces for a summer tour, only this time with Blues Traveler instead of Counting Crows. It’s kind of an ironic switch, seeing as how Blues Traveler once took umbrage with Duritz & Co., but the debate over who did a bad impression of Van Morrison first has probably faded from their minds. While I’m sure many of you might have owned one of these bands’ releases at some point in your life (whether due to genuine enthusiasm or a birthday present from a misguided relative–I myself spent a good part of 1994 almost buying Throwing Copper), I doubt many of you have kept up with the bands’ most recent releases. Here’s a look at the recent present of blowhards past.
The physical manifestation of Collective Soul’s August ‘07 release Afterwords is currently only available at Target. The single, “Hollywood,” is one of those songs about a girl named Hollywood, rather than the actual city, though I’m sure at serves as some sort of metaphor for fame. The last song I ever heard from these guys was 2000’s “Why, Pt. 2,” and I’m mildly impressed to see they’re still working a keyboard-tinged new wave sound rather than reverting back to their yarlier “Shine” days.
Like Collective Soul, Live now has its own label, Action Front, which put out Radiant Sea: A Collection of Bootleg Rarities and Two New Songs last September. Unlike Collective Soul, the band still has all its original members (20 years and running!) and Live’s last full-length, Songs From Black Mountain, was their worst seller yet. Please enjoy Ed Kowalczyk describing an angel “lying there all naked on the floor” who wants to let her lovin’ ease his pain in “The River.”
Blues Traveler does not currently own its own label, but like Live, they are hawking an almost-year-old album of previously released material. 2007’s Cover Yourself offers acoustic renditions of all your favorites, with guest appearances from G. Love and Charlie Sexton. This video finds Blues Traveler offering what would be an acoustic rendition of their 2005 single “Amber Awaits,” if not for a really annoying keyboard.
You can hear these desperate, independently released pleas for female flesh, and all your favorite actual hits, when the tour hits an amphitheater near you later this summer.
Collective Soul, Live, Blues Traveler join forces [LiveDaily]
Hollywood - Collective Soul [YouTube]
Live - Songs from Black Mountain “The River” [YouTube]
Blues Traveler - Amber Awaits [YouTube]
As someone who saw Live in concert four times in my younger days, I can honestly attest that they were at one point a pretty solid band, and that’s coming from a Jewish guy who obviously couldn’t care less about their spiritual agenda. I’d go see them again for old times’ sake (if it didn’t cost too much).
Wow. “Modern Rock”. That was rad, remember?
i remember last year sitting at a bar and a totally drunk lady stood up and stumbled over to the jukebox and really loudly announced “I’m going to play Counting Crows! And Live! And Collective Soul!” and people seemed really excited. and i was really confused, until i saw the ad for the show that was happening in three days and which, sadly, was also the main attraction of a month-long “arts festival.”
What’s wrong with Collective Soul? “Dosage” was really good.
This post reminds me how much I miss Creed.
I’m not even going to front like Counting Crows and Blues Traveler didn’t own me from about 1995-1999.
I may hate myself tomorrow for saying this now, but Ed Roland always knew how to craft a decent hook (listen to Dolly’s cover of “Shine” for proof), and that Collective Soul single sounded pretty good to me. In fact, I suspect that if Fountains of Wayne released that same song we’d all be complaining that it isn’t getting airplay…
@Thierry: I don’t think there’s any version of “This Little Of Light Of Mine” I’d complain isn’t getting enough airplay.
@Anthony Miccio: Okay, let me clarify - I was saying I didn’t hate the video you posted, that it’s obviously in FoW’s ballpark, and that this cover is awesome:
But maybe you got all that and I’m just running on too little sleep.
Collective Soul’s “December” was one of the first songs I downloaded illegally. Memories, baby, memories. . .
Collective Soul sounds like Creed? That’s a new one.
guest appearances from G. Love and Charlie Sexton
This is both horrifying and deeply appropriate.
Hello, I’m Satan. Welcome to Hell. We have a little concert scheduled for you…
Please enjoy Ed Kowalczyk describing an angel “lying there all naked on the floor”
…next to the placenta?
While I’m sure many of you might have owned one of these bands’ releases at some point in your life
Thanks for copping to this. These are the exact types of bands who are designed to do well in this new music economy - release enough singles to justify a greatest hits album, then tour behind the same 8-10 songs for the rest of your life.
-While I learn more and more every day how much Live owes to REM in royalties, Throwing Copper is still chock a block of great, power-anthemy singles.
-Blues Traveler suck, but “Hook” is one of the best songs about writing songs ever. That, plus they’ve got a jamband base ready to go in most any city.
-I actually bought Collective Soul’s Greatest Hits album a while back. I’m not ashamed; it’s pure post-grunge confection.
I saw Popper and Chan doing an acoustic duo thing a few weeks back. Good lord, they were bad. Couldn’t even come close to keeping time until they mercifully brought up a conga player after song #2.
LIVE still puts on a kick-ass show. Even their newer stuff, as boring as it is on the album, it actually not bad in concert. “Like I Do” from 2003’s Birds of Pray is among some of their best work.
A brief history of my favorite bands of all time:
1994-95: Live
1996-98: Blues Traveler
How much are tickets + a time machine?
Blues Traveler used to be really good live. Just sayin’.
Could be worth it to see some gunplay from Popper.
@okiedoke: Funny you should mention it. After the first song (”Hook”) he started bitching about his rented gear, pulled out a large knife and started hacking the mic stand.
A few weeks ago, Blues Traveler played a free concert Friday night after the horse races at Hollywood Park. They do these concerts of 80s and 90s (nostalgia) acts as a way to try to get the “kids” to the track. While I stayed for the concert, it was really the $1 hot dogs and $1 beer that got me there in the first place.
@trojanjustin: However, Birds of Pray is easily one of the worst titles ever.