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All rights reserved.Mental Jewelry - Live (CD 1991)
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A Jewel!Review created: 03/10/08
by:
An underrated album overall; however Ed's voice is a bit lacking on this one..he got better as the band progressed. The songwriting is excellent but may be too Christian sounding for some.
Review ID: 10000000006129347
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review of Mental Jewelry by Livethe cd was put out possibally before they became so famous. some of the words in the song reminded me of creed, but it is a good cd.
Review ID: 10000000002055454
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A Hidden GemReview created: 07/08/03
by: PacManY2J-- a member of Epinions and Top Reviewer in Music
Pros:
powerful, uplifting rock
powerful, uplifting rock
Cons:
slightly underproduced; doesn't show enough of Live's dark side
slightly underproduced; doesn't show enough of Live's dark side
It was Throwing Copper that introduced the majority of rock fans to Live, but their 1991 debut Mental Jewelry is not one to pass up. While it doesn't have much of the haunting style that helped Throwing Copper to classic status, it contains the same strong messages delivered in a hard rockin' form. The album opens with Pain Lies on the Riverside. Pushed along by Chad Gracey s drumming, this song encourages us all to learn to swim all over again and cleanse our souls so that we can live until no end. Lead singer Ed Kowalczyk s delivery is highly emphatic as he encourages us all to join him in..
Review ID: 10000000000224583
Live's loving, lukewarm laborReview created: 10/27/03
by: Stairway2Drew-- a member of Epinions and Advisor in Music
Pros:
Shows potential; "Pain Lies on the Riverside" rocks my socks
Shows potential; "Pain Lies on the Riverside" rocks my socks
Cons:
stale, indistinguishable, overwrought, repetitive.
stale, indistinguishable, overwrought, repetitive.
One spin of Live's debut Mental Jewelry, and the listener can immediately point out those elements that made the Pennsylvania foursome a remarkable musical force in the mid-90s. The band is tight, with the rhythm section - drummer Chad Gracey and bassist Patrick Dahlheimer - taking center stage. Lead singer Ed Kowalczyk waxes passionate about fun stuff like inner peace, and Mother Earth. Overall, it sounds remarkably like later Live albums - so what, really, is wrong with Mental Jewelry? Is that I just don't like Live? Nah. Their brand of over-zealous arena rock hasn't aged well, but when...
Review ID: 10000000000224585
Live, Love And Spirit Part 1: finding a voice, planting a seedReview created: 09/20/05
by: blackstar40 -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
A thought-provoking gem that is fairly raw but also shockingly honest
A thought-provoking gem that is fairly raw but also shockingly honest
Cons:
Sloppy production throws several arrangements off balance
Sloppy production throws several arrangements off balance
A single drum solo to open 'Pain Lies on the Riverside' was to give Live the kickstart they needed to make it big in the music world for over a decade. At the time Live were barely older than eighteen, but Mental Jewelry displays the strength of character the fourpiece had even then. It's a straight-faced 12-track release of not anti-war themes but rather tracks which appear to ask on a grand scale: 'What is the purpose of conflict?' particularly evident in tracks like 'You Are The World.' It also seems to have an awareness of nature lyrically, especially on 'Pain Lies on the Riverside' and ..
Review ID: 10000000000224599
+LIVE+ Mental Jewelry is music for your soul!Review created: 10/22/01
by: cindymairi -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Music & lyrics are unique, full of heart, and very moving
Music & lyrics are unique, full of heart, and very moving
Cons:
the dang CD keeps wearing out
the dang CD keeps wearing out
Note: I originally reviewed this album in my first week of writing and quite frankly, it stank! SO, I've put some heart into it this time and deleted the old one. OK, so this wasn't LIVE's very first album, if you consider "Four Songs" which was a maxi-single released soon before Mental Jewelry. Or if you consider "Death of a Dictionary" from the guys' pre-LIVE days. Only a song or two received much radio play at the time, but thank goodness I happened across it at the record store, because it quickly became a treasured piece of my music collection. The music seems to be more than just...
Review ID: 10000000000224587
Mental Jewelry - great title, but...Review created: 07/05/03
by: ninelives353 -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
A couple of promising tunes, some interesting lyrics...
A couple of promising tunes, some interesting lyrics...
Cons:
...and some overly-vacuous lyrics that don't fit, bland songs, lack of melody and hooks.
...and some overly-vacuous lyrics that don't fit, bland songs, lack of melody and hooks.
Best-known in the USA, Pennsylvanian four-piece, Live, have been on the music scene for quite some time. Their debut release, "Mental Jewelry", was an alternative/folk-rock album that became a solid starting-point for the chord-driven anthemic rock they would refine over the following decade and more. Sounding somewhat like late-eighties REM, 'Pain Lies on the Riverside' opens up the album rather disappointingly. The formulaic rhythm leads into a slowly improving chorus that is lifted only by lead-singer Ed Kowalcyzk's searing vocals. But sadly the lyrics get bogged down in the whole "soul...
Review ID: 10000000000224600
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