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!
Vine Street
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Follow us round
Under the bridge
To the little Taj Mahal
Don't be late, don't hesitate
This is our time, this is our day
You blew my mind out so many times
You're alive with love
Pick a little flower from the wayside
Offer it up on your knees
Prepare to give it all
Raise up a glass of bloody wine to your face
In the name of all within we cannot touch it or taste
I'm so sick of the words that you cannot define me
All the laws of love say that you must find me
Cain
You're alive with love
You blow my mind, yes you do
I parked the car (i parked the car)
We were there (we were there)
I followed you in
We ascended the stairs
Like the morning when you spent your night in a terrible dream
You crashed through my mind, woke me up
Like a scream, a scream, a scream!
I'm so sick of the words that you cannot define me, oh no
All the laws of love say that you must find, find me, yeah!
You blew my mind up, yeah!
You blew it up, blew it up, blew it up!
You're alive with love
Cain
You blow my mind
Yes you do
Oh, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah
Take a left on vine street
Follow us round
Under the bridge
To the little Taj Mahal
"Vine Street" by Live is a song that tells a story of a journey, both literal and metaphorical. The lyrics take the listener on a drive down Vine Street, leading to a destination under a bridge, at a place referred to as the "little Taj Mahal". The reference to Taj Mahal alludes to the idea that the location is a special, sacred place; a place of spiritual significance. The singer urges the listener to not be late and to not hesitate, as this is their time and their day.
The lyrics also speak to the transformative power of love, specifically the character Cain. The lines "You blew my mind out so many times / Cain / You're alive with love" suggest a profound impact that the character of Cain has had on the singer. The imagery of picking a flower and offering it up on one's knees, and raising a glass of bloody wine to one's face, adds to this idea of spiritual transformation. The final lines of the song, "You blew my mind up, yeah! / You blew it up, blew it up, blew it up! / You're alive with love", emphasize the notion that Cain and the experience he represents are transcendent and life-changing.
Overall, "Vine Street" is a song that touches on themes of love, spirituality, and transformation. It is evocative and poetic, inviting the listener to go on a journey of their own.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a left on vine street
Let's turn left on Vine Street
Follow us round
Follow us around the corner
Under the bridge
Go under the bridge
To the little Taj Mahal
We're heading to the small Taj Mahal
Don't be late, don't hesitate
We need to be on time, no dilly-dallying
This is our time, this is our day
We must seize the moment, the day is ours
You blew my mind out so many times
You have continually amazed and astonished me
Cain
Possibly a reference to Cain from the Bible who killed his brother Abel
You're alive with love
You embody love and it shows
Pick a little flower from the wayside
Select a tiny flower from the roadside
Offer it up on your knees
Present the flower while on your knees
Prepare to give it all
Be ready to give your all
Raise up a glass of bloody wine to your face
Hold up a glass of red wine to your face
In the name of all within we cannot touch it or taste
Acknowledge those things beyond our grasp
I'm so sick of the words that you cannot define me
I am tired of people trying to label me when I am undefinable
All the laws of love say that you must find me
The principles of love dictate that you must seek me out
I parked the car (i parked the car)
I have parked the car
We were there (we were there)
We have arrived at our destination
I followed you in
I trailed behind you inside
We ascended the stairs
We climbed up the stairs
Like the morning when you spent your night in a terrible dream
Similar to how you feel when you wake up from a scary dream
You crashed through my mind, woke me up
You jolted me awake by invading my thoughts
Like a scream, a scream, a scream!
As if someone were screaming loudly
You blew my mind up, yeah!
You have overwhelmed me completely
You blew it up, blew it up, blew it up!
You have taken my mind to new heights
You're alive with love
You radiate love
Cain
Possibly a reference to Cain from the Bible who killed his brother Abel
You blow my mind
You amaze me
Yes you do
It is undeniable
Oh, yeah, yeah
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm
Take a left on vine street
Let's turn left on Vine Street
Follow us round
Follow us around the corner
Under the bridge
Go under the bridge
To the little Taj Mahal
We're heading to the small Taj Mahal
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHAD ALAN GRACEY, CHAD DAVID TAYLOR, EDWARD JOEL KOWALCZYK, PATRICK DAHLHEIMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TBONE2004
I'm calling it in 2024, for the 25th Anniversary of TDTH. It'll be a two disc set, featuring a bonus CD called "Pilgrimage to the Southern Stars", and on it? The B-sides, the outtakes, and other rarities!
1: Where Fishes Go (Early Version)
2: Vine Street
3: Don't Wait
4: Deeper
5: Still Aroused
6: The Distance (Extended Version)
7: The New City
8: Change
9: They Stood Up For Love (Extended Version)
10: Sparkle (Early Version)
11: Walk Into This Room (featuring Neneh Cherry)
12: I Walk the Line (Johnny Cash cover)
13: Overcome (Early Version)
Nicolas Juncos
One of the best Live's songs !!!
beardan76
beauty!
Andy Easthope Music
I think this is my favourite live song, still cranking it
Heather Itfitzyou
Pure perfection!
vcalblas
Yes me too :) I think it should be on a cd. Maybe LIVE should do something similar as what the band Muse did: making a cd with all the great B-sides and outtakes.
K84
Thanks for putting this up, I think it would have been a great addition to TDTH, thanks man.
Elite S'more
Man I love this song..
Daniel Villasenor
damn, i had this song a long time ago cuz it was available when a fan site for Live was up. Then my computer had a bad virus and it lost it
TBONE2004
I'm calling it in 2024, for the 25th Anniversary of TDTH. It'll be a two disc set, featuring a bonus CD called "Pilgrimage to the Southern Stars", and on it? The B-sides, the outtakes, and other rarities!
1: Where Fishes Go (Early Version)
2: Vine Street
3: Don't Wait
4: Deeper
5: Still Aroused
6: The Distance (Extended Version)
7: The New City
8: Change
9: They Stood Up For Love (Extended Version)
10: Sparkle (Early Version)
11: Walk Into This Room (featuring Neneh Cherry)
12: I Walk the Line (Johnny Cash cover)
13: Overcome (Early Version)
Xolom
Where do you find some of these? I can't find a thing on youtube because "live" brings up a ton of unrelated results.