NovemMBER
      19,
      2004
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mark
      Cameron
     
     
      Contributor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Alt-rockers
      Live
      are
      one
      of
     
     
      those
      bands
      you
      either
      like
      or
      don’t
      .
     
     
      I’ve
      liked
      them
      since
      the
      first
      time
      I
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Alive
      And
      Awake:
      The
      Best
      Of
      Live
     
    
   
   
    
     
      heard
      “Lightening
      Crashes”
      all
      the
     
     
      way
      back
      in
      1995,
      yet,
      just
      last
      year,
     
     
      Blender
      magazine
      called
      them
      “one
      of
     
     
      the
      worst
      bands
      of
      the
      last
      twenty
     
     
      years.”
      (Go
      figure.)
      Still,
      they
      were
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      headline
      attractions
      at
     
     
      Charlottetown’s
      Festival
      of
      Lights
     
     
      last
      summer,
      and
      for
      close
      to
      two
      hours
     
     
      the
      band
      (
      consisting
      of
      lead
      singer
      Ed
     
     
      Kowalczyk,
      guitarist
      Chad
      Taylor,
     
     
      bassist
      Patrick
      Dahlheimer
      and
      drummer
     
     
      Chad
      Gracey)
      put
      on
      a
      wicked
      show,
     
     
      playing
      various
      material
      from
      their
      ten
     
     
      plus
      year
      career.
      Talking
      to
      some
     
     
      people
      after
      the
      concert,
      it
      seemed
     
     
      hardcore
      Live
      fans
      loved
      it,
      but
      the
     
     
      consensus
      among
      casual
      fans
      was
      that
     
     
      while
      the
      band
      was
      ‘okay’
      they
      didn’t
     
     
      know
      any
      of
      the
      songs
      except
      for
     
     
      “Lightening
      Crashes”,
      “Heaven”
      and
     
     
      “Selling
      the
      Drama”’.
      That’s
      too
      bad,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      but
      what
      are
      ya
      going
      to
      do?
      Live
      hit
     
     
      their
      peak
      in
      popularity
      in
      1996
      after
     
     
      “Lightening
      Crashes”
      and
      _
      their
     
     
      audience
      slowly
      dwindled
      away;
      they
     
     
      became
      like
      a
      lot
      of
      bands
      of
      that
     
     
      period
      -
      they
      get
      lost
      in
      the
      endless
     
     
      shuffle
      of
      other
      artists.
      Even
      so,
      they’ve
     
     
      put
      out
      some
      consistently
      good
      singles
     
     
      and
      they
      arenow
      showcased
      on
      “Alive
     
     
      and
      Awake:
      The
      Best
      of
      Live”
      -
     
     
      seventeen
      of
      their
      best
      songs,
      plus
      two
     
     
      new
      ones,
      “We
      Deal
      In
      Dreams”
      and
     
     
      acover
      of
      Johnny
      Cash’s
      “/
      Walk
      The
     
     
      Line”.
      The
      CD
      spans
      the.
      group’s
     
     
      entire
      catalogue
      from
      “Mental
     
     
      Jewelry”
      to
      last
      year’s
      “Birds
      of
     
     
      Pray”.
      The
      best
      material
      on
      the
      CD
     
     
      are
      from
      their
      first
      three
      albums,
     
     
      “Mental
      Jewelry”
      (1991),
      “Throwing
     
     
      Copper”
      (1995)
      and
      “Secret
     
     
      Samadi”
      (1997).
      Songs
      like
      “The
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      @
      8
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pain
      Lies
      on
      The
      Riverside”,
      “Selling
     
     
      the
      Drama”,
      “I
      Alone”,
      “Likini’s
     
     
      Juice”,
      “All
      Over
      You”
      and
     
     
      “Lightening
      Crashes”
      have
      the
      band
     
     
      at
      their
      most
      accessible
      -
      with
      great
     
     
      rock
      songs
      and
      sing-along
      choruses.
     
     
      That’s
      not
      to
      say
      their
      latter
      singles
     
     
      aren’t
      as
      good;
      songs
      like
      “Dolphin’s
     
     
      Cry”
      and
      “Run
      To
      The
      Water”
      are
     
     
      catchy,
      but
      their
      material
      has
      become
     
     
      mellower
      and
      lacks
      the
      raw
      energy
      that
     
     
      made
      the
      band
      successful
      in
      their
     
     
      younger
      days.
      Still,
      this
      CD
      is
      an
     
     
      excellent
      representation
      of
      how
      good
     
     
      Live
      could
      be
      when
      they
      brought
      their
     
     
      A-game
      and
      the
      new
      songs
      “We
      Deal
     
     
      In
      Dreams”
      and
      “I
      Walk
      The
      Line”
     
     
      show
      that
      the
      band
      still
      has
      potential
      to
     
     
      shake
      things
      up.
      If
      you
      miss
      post-
     
     
      grunge
      rock
      of
      the
      nineties,
      I'd
     
     
      definitely
      recommend
      The
      Best
      of
     
     
      Live;
      if
      you
      don’t,
      I’d
      stay
      away
      from
     
     
      this
      one.