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!
Pillars of Davidson
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
are not machines that can only make money
past perfect tense
words for a feeling and all I've discovered
with medicine supposed to designed to
make you high
I'll be along son
with words for a feeling and all I've discovered
old bad eyes
old bad eyes
old bad eyes
on loneliness comes
go see the foreman go see the profiteer
on loneliness drives
we're takin' our time movin' shit for
this holy slime
old, bad eyes
old, bad eyes
old, bad eyes, almighty fear
the shepherd won't leave me alone
he's in my face and I
the shepherd of my days
and I want you here by my heart
and my head, I can't start till I'm dead
The opening line of Live's Pillar Of Davidson, "warm bodies I sense are not machines that can only make money" suggests a feeling of disconnection and disillusionment with society. It seems as though the songwriter believes that people are more than just cogs in a machine that exists to make money, and that there is a deeper human connection that is being missed. The "past perfect tense" references feelings of nostalgia and longing for a time gone by, where perhaps things felt more authentic.
The chorus, "I'll be along son with medicine supposed to make you high, I'll be along son with words for a feeling and all I've discovered" suggests that the singer has found some kind of personal truth or enlightenment, and wants to share it with others. However, the use of the word "medicine" suggests that this truth may come from a place of pain or struggle, and that it is not necessarily an easy path to walk.
The song also features references to loneliness, fear, and a sense of being lost. The line "the shepherd won't leave me alone, he's in my face" could be interpreted as a nod to religion or spirituality, and the idea of a higher power watching over and guiding the singer. Ultimately, the closing lines of the song express a desire for human connection and a feeling of being lost without it - "I want you here by my heart and my head, I can't start till I'm dead."
Line by Line Meaning
warm bodies I sense
I sense the presence of living beings around me
are not machines that can only make money
They are not mere machines capable of just making money, they have emotions and other facets to them
past perfect tense
It refers to a grammatical tense that emphasizes the completion of a task or an event in the past
words for a feeling and all I've discovered
I have found words that can describe feelings and emotions
I'll be along son with medicine supposed to designed to make you high
I will come with medicine that is supposed to get you high
I'll be along son with words for a feeling and all I've discovered
I will come with words that can describe emotions and feelings
old bad eyes
It refers to someone with aged and troubled eyes
on loneliness comes go see the foreman go see the profiteer
When loneliness creeps in, go out and work or try to make money
on loneliness drives we're takin' our time movin' shit for this holy slime
Loneliness drives us to work slowly on meaningless, mundane tasks that are of little to no value
old, bad eyes, almighty fear
The artist is afraid owing to old age, poor eyesight, and other problems
the shepherd won't leave me alone he's in my face and I the shepherd of my days
Metaphorically speaking, the singer is being followed by a shepherd who represents death or fear thereof, and the singer is the shepherd of their remaining days on this earth
and I want you here by my heart and my head, I can't start till I'm dead
The artist wants the person they love to be close to them both physically and mentally, but can't start living fully until they're dead
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHAD ALAN GRACEY, CHAD DAVID TAYLOR, EDWARD JOEL KOWALCZYK, PATRICK DAHLHEIMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SecretCh0rd
Ha! You think that's something, listen carefully to how he closes the song.
>Compares self to Unicorn
>Finds self unworthy
>Envies "pillar of Davidson".... do you know the phrase Davidic lineage?
>Cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon
>Deeper and deeper in love so I hold my head up, cheaper than all the souls he will walk upon. (This will come naturally to the person in question. He won't have to try like Ed does. )
>Pillar of David's Son "feeling too hard to go down".
So he's got a hard on to live up to the Second Coming. But ain't nobody lives up to the Second Coming... but the Second Coming.
Holy Slime indeed.
@TheRiverJordan199
Ria Watmough
Pillar of Davidson is Jesus
The Shepard that won't leave him alone is Jesus as well.
"I can't start till I'm dead" or reborn.
The stallion is satan...
The beginning lyrics represent disenchantment with evangelical/religious organizations subverting or suppressing spiritual awakening.
Old bad eyes then Almighty Fear comes as the awakening begins and the Shepard is staring him in the face unsettling him.
IMO cheaper than all the souls lyric refers to true spiritual awakening costing nothing monetarily speaking, which ties back into the beginning lyrics.
Once he's found the Pillar of Davidson (Jesus being descended from King David, hence David's "son" in a sense) he won't go down.
@kylekellar5063
I really think this is one of the best songs ever written
@eliteteamkiller319
The last minute of this song, with the beautiful counterpoint singing at the end, is an utter masterpiece.
@AmanduhFlawdHog
One of THE MOST underrated bands AND songs in existence. People just don't know unless you MAKE them listen then they love it. AMAZING.
@rodhmu
The joy of listening to an album. Discovering it. Sadly, this experience is virtually lost today.
@capslockcapable1719
I think it had to be a certain place and a certain time, and we were fortunate enough to be there and then. I don't think it translates
@pedrogonzalez2806
That is very true. I made my buddies listen to this album and they loved it as well! cheers!
@lesterine77
This song is amazing. But I don't think live was an underrated band. Maybe I'm wrong bc I've always listened to them.
@azeers1975
@@lesterine77 yes.. they were HIGHLY underrated. This song is a fkn masterpiece!!!
@chumleychumchizer9035
It is my belief that this is one of the last great rock concept albums. Listen from start to finish, don't cheat yourselves kids.
@hodray1
righto grandpa ...geesch