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!
The Ride
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They can recreate the sound of all and bring us home
I think I'll go there some day
Maybe for a holiday
Maybe just light a candle, take a seat for the ride
And you don't need no money to fly, to truly fly away (recreate the sound of all)
And you don't need no car to truly ride, truly ride away (recreate the sound of all)
In the west we think we're the best
We've shown the whole wide world that money is all we care for
Someday the scientists will see there's no such thing as gravity
They'll all just light a candle, take a seat for the ride
And you don't need no money to fly, to truly fly away (recreate the sound of all)
And you don't need no car to truly ride, truly ride away (recreate the sound of all)
As you ascend in silence, all doubt behind you
You reach the summit my friend and find your destiny
And you don't need no money to fly, to truly fly away (recreate the sound of all)
And you don't need no car to truly ride, truly ride away (recreate the sound of all)
And you don't need no money to fly, to truly fly away (recreate the sound of all)
And you don't need no car to truly ride, truly ride away (recreate the sound of all)
To truly ride away
The lyrics to Live's song "The Ride" seem to touch on themes of spirituality, materialism, and the human desire to escape the constraints of everyday life. The song speaks of different cultural perspectives on life and the ways in which people seek to find a sense of peace or enlightenment.
In the first verse, the lyrics reference meditation and the idea of bringing oneself closer to an ultimate truth or sense of oneness. The line "recreate the sound of all and bring us home" suggests a desire to return to a source or a deeper understanding of the universe. The singer contemplates visiting the East someday and taking part in these practices.
The second verse contrasts this with Western culture, which is portrayed as being focused on money and material success. The line "we've shown the whole wide world that money is all we care for" highlights this theme of greed and the sometimes harmful effects it can have on society. However, the singer remains optimistic that even Western scientists will eventually come to realize the power and importance of spirituality.
The chorus repeats the message that true freedom and enlightenment can be achieved without material possessions. The line "recreate the sound of all" is particularly intriguing, as it suggests a sort of mystical power that can be accessed through spiritual practices.
Overall, "The Ride" is a thoughtful and introspective song that encourages listeners to consider their own values and seek out a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
in the east they can meditate
The Eastern culture practices meditation techniques intended to connect humans to the universe.
They can recreate the sound of all and bring us home
Their meditation practices allow them to channel the universe's energy and bring themselves to a state of inner peace and harmony.
I think I'll go there some day
The singer admires this practice and wishes to experience it someday.
Maybe for a holiday
The artist thinks of this as a vacation, a break from his daily life.
Maybe just light a candle, take a seat for the ride
He is open to the idea of a simpler way of life, without technology or material possessions, to connect with the universe and discover his true self.
And you don't need no money to fly, to truly fly away (recreate the sound of all)
One can achieve spiritual awakening without monetary or material possessions by seeking inner peace and harmony.
And you don't need no car to truly ride, truly ride away (recreate the sound of all)
One can find their destiny without relying on technology or material possessions, but by connecting with the universe and their inner self.
In the west we think we're the best
Western society has a materialistic worldview, believing in the accumulation of wealth and material possessions to be the ultimate goal in life.
We've shown the whole wide world that money is all we care for
The West has become so consumed with materialism and money that it has become the defining characteristic of the culture.
Someday the scientists will see there's no such thing as gravity
The West prioritizes science and technology as the ultimate truth, but there may be things beyond human understanding and explanation.
They'll all just light a candle, take a seat for the ride
Once science has reached its limitations, it may be necessary to connect with the universe on a spiritual level to understand the nature of existence.
As you ascend in silence, all doubt behind you
Through meditation and spiritual practices, one can transcend the burdens of doubt and insecurity, and find inner peace and enlightenment.
You reach the summit my friend and find your destiny
By connecting with the universe and finding inner peace, one can discover their true identity and purpose in life.
And you don't need no money to fly, to truly fly away (recreate the sound of all)
Reiterating that spiritual awakening can be achieved without monetary or material possessions.
And you don't need no car to truly ride, truly ride away (recreate the sound of all)
Reiterating that one can find their destiny by connecting with the universe and themselves, without relying on technology or materialism.
To truly ride away
Emphasizing the idea of finding one's destiny by connecting with the universe and the self, as opposed to relying on external factors like technology or money.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN DYER, ANDRE GRAY (GB), DAVE WILLARD ANTHONY N KELLY, DUFFTON TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind