SONIC WAVES…Live/Secret Samadhi

Everybody’s here,puke stinks like beer,this could a city,this could be a graveyard,you stole my idea,you stole my idea….

What a great opening line to the tune Century from the 1997 release by Live titled Secret Samadhi! Live was everywhere with the Throwing Copper release(1994) I mean for me I heard and seen the vids on Muchmusic and heard the tunes on the radio but man when Live cranked out Lakini’s Juice as the first single from the Samadhi album I was hooked and i will tell ya why!

Ed Kowalczyk/Chad Taylor/Patrick Dalheimer and Chad Gracey make what I would call a Gem Of A Album here at Arena Rock!

Throwing Cooper naaaa not with Secret Samadhi more like Throwing Gold!

RATTLESNAKE-talk about dropping a real heater  of a track in Rattlesnake!(ha) I have always been a sucker for real hard rocker album openers that go 180mph  but Live pull of a classic,clever move. They shift gears and the tune that starts Secret Samadhi  off with some eeery,creepy vibe and boom cue huge sounding drums and holy sheeeit the bass sounds mega! Bam I’m hooked! Ed takes over with a laid back vocal in the verses and the chorus shifts into big slow grinding Rock! This track is wickedly awesome! Great album opener making me stand up and take notice! Yes Siree!

LAKANI’S JUICE-you want mega bass! I Do I Do! So this is the song that hooked me line and sinker! It’s off the wall to me it’s not a single but it is! Make sense? I mean it’s a heavy track and I figure out real quick that Ed his lyrics and vocals are off the hook! He has his own style and so do the rest of these cats playing ! Let it ride…..yelps Ed and the sonics carry this track off into crazyville with the drums,bass,guitars that  mash this tune up big time! In other words I love it! Patrick’s bass is kick ass!

GRAZE-some real chill electric strumming and Ed sounds like he’s a chilling and than the chorus picks up and the guitar solo is a keeper it’s distorted,it’s ugly,it’s loud and it fits the Live Meal Deal here at Arena Rock! Hey sometimes life is Shitty,sometimes it ain’t but it can’t always be Heavens On Fire all the time 24/7 no seriously it can’t ! Live are telling me that 3 songs in this album could get a ugly vibe going but in a good way!

CENTURY-dude I shoulda brought the mop as the puke stinks like Beer! This is my fav tune from this record it’s been my fave since 97 and still is in 2015! Love the use of the keyboards like a Hammond B3 in the chorus that along with the drums drives the tune! Ed delivers a great vocal and I love how at the end of the song he says “Ceeeeeeeentureeee! So c’mon c’mon c’mon” just so you know I’m not talking out of my arse you can watch a live audio  video posted! Come to think of it I should start a category called Talking Out Of My Arse! What Ya think of that ? Ummm now that I think of it this whole blog just does that!

GHOST- drums kinda shuffle this tune along and Ed is back in his chill chair and he hits some high octaves here as the chorus builds up and than  goes back to chill ville and Ed says everyone has  a Ghost!

UNSHEATHED- wow Live is slowing the pace down again until the chorus when the band goes beserko with all hands on deck with the drums,bass ,guitars shifting into gear! Eds lyrics tell me he’s tired of Free Love in the world ….tired of hippies and mothertruckers all rolled into this song

INSOMINA AND THE HOLE IN THE UNIVERSE- like so many on this album this song starts off slow and than shifts into a mid tempo kind of groove like a mild boot in the ass! Ed throws down some cool lingo with his words! This album is a slow builder but 18 years later man it’s a classic!

TURN MY HEAD- I think this was a biggie single for this guys! It’s a Live doing a ballad but when I say Live doing a ballad it’s kinda twisted slow groovey kinda Tim Burton Batman twisted meaning out of the norm of ballady avenue! This is a good song big time and it’s ok Eds twisted tighter than a top but he like others on this album he carries the song as well as the drums push it from being tossed into DeKEs wimpdom bin!

HEROPYSCHODREAMER-the band starts on all cyclinders firing! Than the bass and drums carry this tune in the verses with the guitar adding little touches here and there and it rocks out in the chorus! Ed like he does on Secret Samadhi just gives er! (For Ya Aaron) hey and for Gods sake don’t call Ed queer!

FREAKS- is just that …Live shift gears and chills and Ed goes on about going to bed with your mother! Okie dokie Ed! Freaks has psychedelic rhythms cooking in the background courtesy of the 2 Chads and Patrick and the chorus just lifts off! The guitar sounds like it’s cooked by a fuzz box!

MERICA- Crazy kinda tune with a different beat and man I love the production on this album. This song is a good catchy rocker that kicks off at the chorus!

GAS HED GOES WEST- coolest song title on the record hands down! Gas Hed is a moody piece! Than again so is this whole album it’s a moody piece but man its heavy in a different kinda way! The song does ramp up towards the end!

IN CONCLUSION- well for me this is a great moody epic piece of rock! The production on this record done by Live and some dude named Jay Healy should be commended and whoever rigged up the bass sonics on this record! I salute you it’s so friggin good!  After this I did buy a Throwing Copper and the one after Secret Samadhi which to be honest with you I don’t remember and for sure I could have done my homework and googled it but hey I gotta be honest with my reviews here so if I forget shit …you’ll be all the first to know!

Seriously though this record cooks and I still listen to it more than you think I would! I mean Rattlesnake and Century are friggin Gems in my book! Now Ed does that puke really stink like beer?