轉換新東家推出主流廠第七張專輯《Songs From Black Mountain》,請來同時身為搖滾製作人及混音大將的Jim Wirt(Incubus、Hoobastank、L.A. Guns)操盤掌控。首先以吉他輕撥伴隨動人和聲開場的首波單曲〈The River〉,令人訝異於Live轉換內斂搖滾氣流下,深深著迷於順耳耐聽之聲線當中;Acoustic吉他演奏拉出〈Get Ready〉最舒愉聆聽感受,堆疊出的人聲搭腔增添此曲溫暖度;Ed極具爆發力的嗓音完全釋放在一曲中,激昂情緒隨著曲子接近尾聲而不斷上升;有著Live早期抒情搖滾氣勢的,不時利用樂器營造一種瀕臨情緒引爆點的迫切感。Live的蛻變你可以輕易感受到,少了些許狂妄暴戾之氣,多了些自然平實聲感,拉近聆聽者距離,譜唱出感動內心深處的動聽佳音。
英文原文
After earning a rabid local following, in 1989 Public Affection released a cassette, The Death of a Dictionary, on their own Action Front label. After graduating to CBGB and other famed New York clubs, they earned a demo deal with Giant Records which proved unsuccessful; the completed demo earned them a deal with Radioactive, however, and before drawing their new name out of a hat, Live recruited Talking Head Jerry Harrison to produce their 1991 debut, Mental Jewelry. A collection of songs based on the writings of Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, the record made Live one of the key players in the post-Nirvana alternative music scene thanks to singles like "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" and "Pain Lies on the Riverside."
Three years later, Live returned with the muscular Throwing Copper, which lingered a number of months on the charts before pushing the group into the rock mainstream; after a series of popular singles like "Selling the Drama" and "I Alone," the album's slow build climaxed with the funereal "Lightning Crashes," which propelled the album to the top of the charts and paved the way for the hits "White, Discussion" and "All Over You." Secret Samadhi, the third Live LP, followed in early 1997, but failed to match either the commercial or critical success of previous efforts. The band resurfaced two years later with The Distance to Here. Through 2003, the band continually refined their ambitious, spiritual sound; both 2001's V and 2003's Birds of Pray cracked the Billboard Top 30