SOUND BITES

Sometimes, a screenshot tells you all you need to know. Presenting my first ever review via text message, sent to my pal Ambrose who, despite the zinger he throws out, is the only person I know who liked Songs From Black Mountain: October 28, 2014 • Think Loud (Willie from 2022 here; I'm going through all my reviews to update links to streaming, and this is usually where you'd find a link to listen to this album. However, it's not available on streaming services, probably due to embarrassment?) 

Of all the bands who achieved massive success in the '90s, few are quite as forgotten as Live. Sure, there are plenty who loudly voice their dislike for Creed, Limp Bizkit, Bush, etc., but where those bands have forged legacies of eye rolling and "I can't believe I bought their records", Live seems to have just faded out of public consciousness, with very few vocal supporters or detractors remaining. It's kind of a shame, but it's also kind of their own fault; in the wake of Throwing Copper 's success, their studio output took "diminishing returns" to a whole new level. Eventually, all but the diehards wrote them off; when they parted ways with singer Ed Kowalczyk and started down the ugly path of legal proceedings, it seemed they'd even written themselves off. These days, Kowalczyk is still trying to make a go of his solo career, while the rest of the band is trying to make a go of Live with a new singer. It's really rather ugly a...