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Birds of Pray (Bonus DVD)

Live - Birds of Pray (Bonus DVD) Audio CD

A fair review of the Live "Birds of Pray (Bonus DVD)" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Live reviews here, or go back to the Live tabs.

Band: Live
Title: Birds of Pray (Bonus DVD)
Rating:

Release Date: 2003-05-20
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Heaven 2: She 3: Sanctity of Dreams 4: Run Away 5: Life Marches On 6: Like I Do 7: Sweet Release 8: Everytime I See Your Face 9: Lighthouse 10: River Town 11: Out to Dry 12: Bring the People Together 13: What Are We Fighting For? 14: Selling the Drama [Limited Edition DVD] 15: Voodoo Lady [Limited Edition DVD] 16: Nobody Knows [Limited Edition DVD] 17: White, Discussion [Limited Edition DVD]

Excellent !!!!
I heard one song of theirs The Dolphin's Cry and it sent me on a whirlwind to find and hear the rest of what they have to offer !! I'd love to see them live - up close and personal :)
. This group is amazing in my opinion - I own every CD they have !!! Of course its my own opinion.

Wish the DVD had more songs!
Bonus DVD is unique, all be it a bit short. Best Live Album since Throwing Copper! Awesome songs, great lyrics. The performance of WhiteDiscussion will blow your mind! .

LIVE; you never know what's going to come up!
I enjoyed this album as I do all LIVE albums, though it is my least favourite offering so far, if only because some of the songs sounded like they were trying too hard to be 'LIVE-like'. . and because unlike most LIVE albums, this one does not read like a book; a progression of songs from one end to the other that tells a consistent story. Instead it seems more like a haphazard collection of songs written while on tour. However it is growing on me, song by song; or rather some of the songs are growing on me at different paces, unlike with, say,'V',where I dismissed the whole first half of the album at first blush, only to have it explode in my consciousness as a whole two listens later as a cohesive narrative of confusion and anger fading to hopeful Love.

For me, 'Pray's progression was of standouts like the powerful 'SHE' and the haunting indictment 'What Are We Fighting For?', then the creepers; the haunting ballad to Jesus, 'River Town' first crawled up into my psyche like a determined mouse and then ate away at my resistance bit by bit (I now absolutely ADORE this song!), then 'Sweet Release' struck me as wonderful. 'Run Away' was already a good road song, only improving with Shelby Lynne's backup/duo vocals n the Best Of version. 'Out To Dry', 'Like I Do', 'Lighthouse', 'Everytime I See Your Face' and 'Sanctity of Dreams' took a little longer, but I've found something to love in them as well, in that order. On the other hand, 'Heaven' has always seemed too radio-friendly to me, and the frantic 'Life Marches On', and overwrought 'Bring the People Together' were the ones that felt like they were trying too hard. . . the lyrics and melody just never seemed to match up in my mind. This inconsistency for me was the reason this could never be my favourite LIVE album; but then Ed calls it 'the sound of a band restarting its engines'. . . so here's hoping the progressionwill be smoother in 'Songs From Black Mountain'; an album that already sounds like it will have its commercialised aspects, but also flashes of the old introspective/spiritually inquisitive LIVE I love and treasure.

The bonus DVD of live songs was a wonderful sugar on the cake; at first I enjoyed this far more than the CD, since I have not had the opportunity to enjoy my favourite act live; and seeing Ed's connection with the Dutch fans makes me understand better why it is that he loves playing to them so much. US fans may not 'get' his lyrics because they aren't selling out enough, Brits may not 'get' the lack of razor-sharp sarcastic wit in the music and ethos; but the Dutch seem to 'get' both lyrics and music, and to appreciate both band and message as they are. Maybe I'm a Dutch LIVE fan in spirit, misplaced to the US by some cosmic accident, LOL.

A lot of people (read: critics) slam this band for,(A) having an 'inconsistent recording history' (a criticism that only holds up in 'Birds of Pray' in my lexicon), or (B) being from the grunge era.

My rebuttal to (A) is: Too many folk in the music business can't seem to get past the biggest selling album disease; they compare all later efforts to the one that broke the charts. I personally wouldn't have remained a LIVE fan of this degree throughout the years if all they had done was release a 'Throwing Copper' clone every couple of years. I happen to LIKE the fact that LIVE gives the money-driven industry the finger and goes on growing and evolving--and letting their music evolve WITH their lives and ideas--without regard to trying to duplicate the public success of their best known effort. This rather punk ethos (for a solid rock band anyway) is called 'not pandering to the moneymen' and 'artistic integrity over public consumption'. The subsequent albums have sold well, though they haven't had the lucky timing that 'Throwing Copper' had to fit so well into what was happening in popular music at the time. Only jaded critics who care only about numbers would call these modest successes 'failures' only because they weren't 'Throwing Copper's with different covers. Far too many bands and artists have been murdered by their labels forcing or pressuring them to recycle, rerecord, and play the same stuff that won them accolades in their breakthrough efforts, regardless of whether they had since grown or changed; in the process losing that edge of anger or wonder or whatever it was that first captured the public imagination. LIVE has chosen to be comfortable with the fans that 'get' them rather than allowing someone to force them into an artistically stultifying mould for the sake of sales alone; this is called 'not selling out', and for taking that risk I applaud them.

As for (B): Though they happened to have emerged into the public eye in the same era as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, et al, LIVE never really fit the grunge model with anything but a tendency to ignore the interview and paparazzi angle of business (ie they refused to whore themselves out to the media, instead preferring to concentrate on the MUSIC, shocking though that may be!), and a wonderful sort of ambivalent anger at the socio-religious status quo. This anger was the reason many folk loved 'Throwing Copper', and dislike later albums, in which the anger has faded to a message of Hope and Unconditonal Love. If consistent anger without growth is what these folk are looking for, then obviously a band that grows and changes is not for them. And for those who call lead singer Ed Kowalczyk a Kurt Cobain wannabe; they have obviously never listened for a moment to the lyrics and melodic spirit of his songs anyway.

Which brings me to another main criticism of LIVE. Some folk are turned off by the overt spirituality of Ed's lyrics, calling it 'preachy'. Critics also slam LIVE for their lyrics, saying "if we wanted preaching, we'd go to church". But EddieK is not preaching; he neverdoes. What he is doing is sharing the most intimate moments of his life: the moments when the Spirit touched him and made him whole; and in knowing how that feels, how uplifting it is in a moment of confusion, I find these lyrics inspiring.

As a long-term Live fan, I find them life-altering; and in fact, this fourth album, 'Distance to Here', quite literally saved my life. Many I've spoken to feel the same way; for though Live as a band name is hard to 'google', the FriendsofLive are out there and being uplifted daily by the work the band, and EddieK with his lyrics in particular, do. They make the world better just by being in it. . . and by being willing to SHARE! If communication and understanding can save the world, then Live are right on the avant guarde, with U2, the Indigo Girls, and a few others.

So all I can say for those critical minds who find Live's lyrics 'pretentious and sentimental' and 'drippy softcore preachery'. . . for them I can feel only pity, for as far as I am concerned, the message of Love is one for everyone, if we can but let it in. If the lyrics don't speak to these people, fine; but they do speak to some of us; so deeply that they bring tears to our eyes. So the fact that these critics are arrogant enough tell everyone they meet not to bother listening long enough to make their own decision/connection (or not) with the music, to me, is a sin. Just because they got nothing out of it, doesn't mean we are all alike. . . thank God! Yes, we are all different. . . but Love is Love.
Thank you EddieK and Live, for lifting me up.

Yay!!!! Another +Live+ masterpiece!!!!!
I love how through this amazing band's 13 year career, they always change, but in some ways, haven't changed since "Mental Jewelry". Live rocks, and so does this album. The lyrics, oh the lyrics, in this album are amazing. Every song is crafted like a pop song (V1, Ch, V2, Ch,Bridge, Ch) but so perfectly. You won't even care. Every one of the musicians play excuisitly. The guitars are loud, bass is catchy, and the drums are never predictable. . . Just like all their other cds. These songs are just plain fun to listen to. You'll listen as much as their others. I was very pleastly surprised by it. I thought that it would be a pathetic attempt to fit in with the stuff coming out in '03, but it isn't. Live stay true to their fans, and have come out with great music and pefect song writing.
I highly recommend this album.
3rd best one.

Very enjoyable album
With the exception of "V", all of Live's records have been great and also different! No, it may not be as good as Throwing Copper, but I think it is unfair to expect a masterpiece like that to be replicated. Can we stop comparing albums to other albums? A great band not only creates great music consistently, but evolves over time. Secret Samadhi has several excellent songs (Heropsychodreamer, Gas Hed Goes West, etc. ) but also had some very boring tunes. Birds of Pray, on the other hand, is enjoyable from front to back. It says something that the lone single from the album is one of its weaker tracks.

I can't say there are many great songs on the cd, but every single one is good. Nothing groundbreaking is done here - There are no incredible drawn out guitar solos, the songs rarely depart from the traditional pop song structure (verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus), and nothing is shocking or controversial about it. What it is, however, is a collection of very catchy, often thoughtful, enjoyable songs that will tempt you to sing along and push the repeat button. It is an album to be listened to in the car, at home alone, at a party, when you are happy or depressed.

The heavy Lighthouse, political What are We Fighting For?, and Sanctity of Dreams are some of the most memorable songs in my opinion. Out to Dry is probably my favorite track. Short and sweet, it has possibly the catchiest chorus of any Live song ever.

I believe that most great albums grow better and better with each listen, and that it often takes time to truly realize and appreciate their greatness. However, if you are impatient and don't like to wait for music to grow on you, Birds of Pray would be a good investment. It's good from the first listen.

You can see a complete list of all Live discography, or go back to the Live tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.