Hailing from York, Pennsylvania, the group is comprised of Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals & guitar), Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums). Since approximately 1999, Live has toured with Ed’s younger brother, Adam Kowalczyk as a rhythm guitarist, and, previously, British keyboardist Michael “Railo” Railton.
Kowalczyk, Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey first came together for a middle-school talent show in the Pennsylvania blue-collar town of York. The group remained together throughout high school, going through a handful of band names and new-wave covers before settling on the moniker Public Affection and recording a self-released cassette of originals, The Death of a Dictionary, in 1989. Frequent trips into New York to play at CBGB helped net the band a deal with Radioactive Records in 1991. With the new name Live, the band entered the studio with former Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison that year and began recording the EP Four Songs. The single “Operation spirit (the tyranny of tradition)” went to #9 on the Modern Rock chart, and paved the way for the band’s Harrison-produced, full-length debut, 1991’s Mental Jewelry (#73). The album lyrics, penned by Kowalczyk, were heavily inspired by Indian guru Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Fueled by heavy touring (including billing at Woodstock ‘94 and Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD tour) and a string of hit singles (“I Alone”, “All Over You” and the #1 Modern Rock hits “Selling the drama” and “Lightning crashes”), their next album, Throwing Copper, went to #1 in 1994. It is their best-selling, and often most highly regarded by fans and critics, album to date. The band was even asked to perform on Saturday Night Live where they performed their hits “I Alone” and “Selling the Drama” and to this day, they are the only band to receive a standing ovation at the party after the broadcast.[citation needed]
The momentum continued long enough to help 1997’s Secret Samadhi (coproduced by the band and Jay Healey) debut at #1. Deriving its name from a state of Hindu meditation, the album spawned four Modern Rock hit singles, but failed to match its predecessor’s success, with sales topping off at 2 million. The band performed “lakini’s juice” and “Heropsychodreamer” from this album on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Harrison came back on board as coproducer for 1999’s The Distance to Here, which debuted at #4 and featured the minor US hit single “The Dolphin’s Cry.”
In September 2001, the more experimental V (originally scheduled to be titled “Ecstatic Fanatic”) was issued to mixed reviews, preceded by “Simple creed” as the first single. However, with the events of 9/11—which occurred a week before V ‘s release—the melancholic “Overcome” began receiving significant airplay, superseding “Simple Creed” and becoming V’s selling point. Unfortunately, Live’s commercial stock—compounded by their petering radio airplay—had fallen further since The Distance to Here, with V merely reaching #22 at home, failing to reach gold status.
Birds of Pray appeared in May 2003, bolstered by the unexpected success of “Heaven”, Live’s first US Hot 100-placing since “The Dolphin’s Cry.” Reaching #28, Birds of Pray ultimately outsold V, although it too received mixed reviews and failed to reach gold status.
In November 2004, Live released Awake: The Best of Live, a career-spanning compilation that included “We deal in dreams”, a previously unreleased song from the Throwing Copper sessions, and a cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line”, as well as Birds of Pray’s “Run Away”, re-imagined with Shelby Lynne on co-lead vocals.
In 2005, Live signed with Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s Epic label, and released a new album entitled Songs From Black Mountain in June 2006, preceded by “The river” as lead single. Thus far, while the album has achieved international success, it has proven Live’s lowest-seller yet domestically, only reaching #52 in the US before quickly disappearing from the charts.
While Live remain only moderately popular in terms of record sales in the United States, much of their current sales come from places in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Ed Kowalczyk has said that “Holland is the center of the Live universe” [citation needed].
The group made news in January 2006 as three band members (Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and touring rhythm guitar Adam Kowalczyk) and two members of the band’s road crew were on a United Airlines flight when smoke filled the cabin, requiring the pilot to make an emergency landing.
On season 5 of American Idol, finalist Chris Daughtry was accused of performing Live’s rendition of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” and calling it his own. This angered some Live fans, but one week later Daughtry acknowledged it was not his own rendition, even saying Live was one of his favorite bands. In May 2006, Live appeared on The Howard Stern Show and addressed this issue.
On May 24, 2006, the band and Chris Daughtry performed “Mystery” on the season finale of American Idol, and on June 7, a new version of “Mystery” was released on the Friends of Live website featuring Chris Daughtry on guest vocals.
The members of Live announced in June 2009 that the band would be taking a two-year hiatus as they work on other projects. On November 30, 2009, guitarist Chad Taylor confirmed that the hiatus of the band was most likely a permanent rift. See the Wikipedia page for more. During the first European tour of the new band of Taylor, Gracey and Dahlheimer (The Gracious Few), Taylor commented both on stage and in post-show discussions that he believes Live may still come back together, though he also stated that the chances of Kowalczyk joining them in this effort may be very small. In an exclusive blogpost[1] on website The Comet, Taylor confirmed that the remaining members of the band would be working on new material for Live in Nashville early July 2011.
The band returned from their nearly three-year hiatus on March 12, 2012, with Chris Shinn, formerly of Unified Theory, as their new lead singer. The new line-up performed before an invited audience at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York. The band performed as a six-piece with The Gracious Few's Sean Hennesy on guitar and Alexander Lefever on keyboards
[1]: http://thecomet.com/posts/exclusive_blog_chad_taylor_talks_the_gracious_few_and_live
There's another band with the same name:
2. Live was a 70s-era Progressive Rock group from Germany. Formed in 1971, the outfit appeared to be a strangely named band indeed.
In October 1972 their guitarist Martin Knaden went to Curly Curve. Throughout their history only one member has remained, the multi-talented keyboards and flute player Norbert Aufmhof. Although in existence for a decade Live never got to record a proper studio album, or gain a contract, which surely they should have. Maybe the band name was a bit of a jinx?!
Their earlier history was originally just documented by a single. Only more recently did an LP surface collecting 1974 recordings. Quite obviously a collection of rehearsal session tapes, the LP reveals a band with promise albeit rather grottily recorded with often barely understandable muffled lyrics in English. Musically, there are nods to early Satin Whale and Jane, but with lots of classical touches, notably Grieg and Bach, and a penchant to meander rather nicely during the instrumentals.
Based on the ROCK OFFERS track "Sea Fever", they had blossomed and changed focus somewhat, as a much more sophisticated symphonic progressive of the Pancake and Jane type, typical of the mid/late-1970's.
In all, during their history, three different versions of Live existed, but eventually the band split in 1976. A full history of the band is included in the GEVELSBERG CD, which documents other oddments, sessions, and a live recording!
Freaks
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you run and tell Geraldo
If the mother bears your children without tears
Without the usual costs of labor
If the mother goes to bed with you
Will you run and tell the neighbors
Will you hide behind that get up that you wear
Or will you take the first ear that comes into contact with you blade
Will you call her a freak?
Will you call them freaks?
If the mother goes to bed with you
Will you run and tell the papers
How she picked you from a line up in downtown Philadelphia
With a cigarette hangin' out of your mouth and Henry Miller in your
Back pocket
You little fucker
If the mother goes to bed with you
In the bowels of the cathedral
Will you render her asunder with what she really needs
Or will you crash that beautiful silence with some talk about
Finding yourself in your mother's arms
Will you call her a freak
Will you call them freaks
Or will you call the gods
Will you call them freaks
You know your sperm is weak
You never looked, so high
To ever find him, so low
You did not have to go, that far
Now you know they're gonna come for you
And drag your silly name into the mud
If the mother bears your children without tears
And the usual cost of labor (labor, labor, labor)
Will you call her a freak
Will you call them freaks
Or will you call the gods
Will you call them freaks
You know your sperm is weak
You never looked, so high
To ever find him, so low
You did not have to go, that far
To show you were, show you were a man
To show you were her man, baby, baby, ah, ooh
The lyrics of Live's song Freaks tell the story of a man's encounter with a mother who is willing to have a sexual relationship with him, potentially without any emotional attachment. The questions that the song asks reveal the complicated and controversial nature of such a scenario. The opening lines ask if the man would tell others about sleeping with the mother, despite the possible judgment and consequences that could follow. The lyrics go on to describe the potential reactions of society, including the labeling of both parties as "freaks." The lyrics also ask if the man would take advantage of the mother or treat her with respect, alluding to the power dynamic at play in such a relationship.
The song continues to ask if the man would call upon higher powers or deities to justify his actions and absolve himself of guilt, or if he would take responsibility for his choices. The lyrics suggest that the man may be seeking validation for his masculinity by participating in this taboo relationship, but that he did not have to stoop that low to prove himself as a man.
Overall, the song Freaks delves into the themes of power, morality, and societal judgment. It presents a scenario that challenges traditional notions of respectability and ethics and forces the listener to contemplate their own beliefs on the matter.
Line by Line Meaning
If the mother goes to sleep with you
If you have sex with a woman
Will you run and tell Geraldo
Will you gossip and share intimate details about her with others
If the mother bears your children without tears
If a woman has your children without any complications or emotional distress
Without the usual costs of labor
Without any expenses or difficulty during childbirth
Will you run and tell the neighbors
Will you gossip about her with other people who live nearby
Will you hide behind that get up that you wear
Will you use your clothes or appearance as a shield to protect yourself from judgment or criticism
Or will you take the first ear that comes into contact with you blade
Or will you lash out and harm the first person who tries to criticize or confront you
Like peter did on the hill
Referencing the Biblical story of Peter cutting off the ear of a man who tried to arrest Jesus
Will you call her a freak?
Will you insult or belittle her for her choices or behavior
Will you call them freaks?
Will you insult or belittle people who are different or do not conform to societal norms
Will you run and tell the papers
Will you share intimate details or gossip with the media
How she picked you from a line up in downtown Philadelphia
How a woman chose you as her partner or lover
With a cigarette hangin' out of your mouth and Henry Miller in your back pocket
With a casual and confident demeanor
You little fucker
An aggressive and insulting statement
In the bowels of the cathedral
In a private and intimate setting
Will you render her asunder with what she really needs
Will you satisfy her needs and desires fully and completely
Or will you crash that beautiful silence with some talk about Finding yourself in your mother's arms
Or will you ruin the moment with inappropriate or offensive conversation
Will you call the gods
Will you seek divine intervention or guidance
You know your sperm is weak
A statement suggesting infertility or impotence
You never looked, so high
You never aimed for greatness or excellence
To ever find him, so low
To ever find humility or acceptance
You did not have to go, that far
You did not have to behave so recklessly or irresponsibly
Now you know they're gonna come for you
Now you know that people will criticize or attack you for your actions
And drag your silly name into the mud
And ruin your reputation or credibility
To show you were, show you were a man
To prove your masculinity or strength
To show you were her man, baby, baby, ah, ooh
To prove your commitment and loyalty to your partner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHAD ALAN GRACEY, CHAD DAVID TAYLOR, EDWARD JOEL KOWALCZYK, PATRICK DAHLHEIMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@milfordcivic6755
So every comment that says "Live was underrrated", I have a rebuttal: They were not underrated. It's just that you were all not alive or too young. They were all over the radio in the mid-late 90s. Beats the hell out of the trash they call music today.
@jordynwilson4632
Couldn't agree more, born in 92 and the radio cranked all the time still a favorite of mine
@roadbeef
Totally. Loved the days where one could call in during a radio request hour and get Heropsychodreamer and Freaks played back to back. Nostalgia!
@nathanwaibel454
So..
@of_the_how_or_why_of_me__t8685
Had mental jewelry playing a lot .
@carlosrincon6017
Perhaps Live was underhyped, but hardly underrated.
@travvypoo
Live is underrated. The songs were good and composed well.
@CassieK1985
SO underrated!! One of my all time favorite bands ever
@SebastianPerezG
The drummer is a beast ...
@ecgodsmack86
Actually the 1st album I ever owned. Even though I dove into heavy metal and late 60s and 70s rock. Live led me to fear Factory, slayer, metallica.