It was 1991. I was 16 years old, in 10th grade, and attending Central Dauphin High School in a suburb of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. One of my best friends - Kristin Reed gave me a mixed tape with Live's Mental Jewelry. It was one of my most played tapes at the time. Mixed tapes...those were the days...
Live was from our area, so they were well-known with the alternative/college-radio kids. It was cool to have them as a hometown band--especially since Poison was considered one as well. Live was so likeable, and they had this genuineness where you wanted to root for them--you wanted them to do well.
So that's where it all began for me. And now, 14 years later I'm still a fan.
Awake contains all the released singles, a previously unreleased track, 'We Deal in Dreams' from the Throwing Copper sessions, a cover of Johnny Cash's 'I Walk the Line', all the videos, a few live performances, and a 30 minute interview commentary with Ed Kowalczyk. The packaging includes a booklet of photos spanning their career and commentary on each album from Kowalczyk.
Tracks on Disc One include:
1. Operation Spirit (The Tyranny Of Tradition)
2. Pain Lies On The Riverside
3. The Beauty Of Gray
4. Selling The Drama
5. I Alone
6. Lightning Crashes
7. All Over You
8. Pillar Of Davidson
9. We Deal In Dreams
10. Lakini's Juice
11. Turn My Head
12. The Dolphin's Cry
13. Run To The Water
14. Dance With You
15. Overcome
16. Nobody Knows
17. Heaven
18. Run Away
19. I Walk The Line
Awake is a very solid 'best of' album, covering all of Live's recording history. There are only a few songs that probably should have made it on that didn't (in my humble opinion) - 'The Dam at Otter Creek' (one of my personal favorite Live songs), 'Discussion', and 'Freaks' (the latter 2 not favorites of mine, but were popular for those who followed them via modern rock radio).
As much as I enjoyed both Mental Jewelry and Throwing Copper, my favorite Live songs are from the '97 release of Secret Samadhi and the '99 release of The Distance To Here. 'Lakini's Juice' is still one of my favorite songs to blast with my convertible top down. Lyrically and melodically 'Run to the Water' is probably my favorite Live song.
Ed Kowalczyk remains one of the most underrated musicians (again, in my humble opinion). His lyrics are deep without ever being trite. He has a sincerity and intensity in both his lyrics and performance--both vocally and physically, that is rare. They are an amazing band to see in concert. I will never forget seeing them perform one summer in Hershey, PA during the Throwing Copper Tour. Mr. Kowalczyk gave one of the most passionate performances I've ever seen--and his eyes... He has these wild and crazed eyes that still totally fascinate me. By the way, I hate using the word passionate.
This release is a definite must have for any fan of Live. There's enough bonus material (the interview commentary and live video versions of the early days especially) to make it worth getting. It was fun watching those Live boys grow up all over again.
3/4
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