Live to Reissue Deluxe Edition of ‘Mental Jewelry’ for 25th Anniversary
After several years without singer Ed Kowalczyk, Live are back to being the four-piece that recorded most of their major hits and the timing couldn't be better. That's because the band's debut album, Mental Jewelry, has turned 25 and the group is readying a special 25th anniversary reissue that will arrive on Aug. 11.
The updated edition comes with new liner notes from Kowalczyk reflecting about the band's beginnings dating back to their monthly gigs at the legendary CBGB before they were signed to Radioactive Records. You'll also find the original tracks newly remastered and there are a couple of bonus cuts. There's the unreleased studio track "Born Branded," a club remix of "Pain Lies on the Riverside" done by Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee and two songs -- "Negation" and "Heaven Wore a Shirt" -- from their 1991 Four Songs EP.
But the biggest addition to the reissue is a previously unreleased 1992 concert at the Roxy in Los Angeles. Kowalczyk says in a statement, "It's really cool that we have this unreleased material from virtually all of the Live studio albums and that the limitations of the various media that we experienced early in our career have vanished with the digital/online revolution. Fans can look forward to more!"
"Jerry Harrison deserves a lot of credit for getting so many early songs recorded," explains Chad Taylor. "Radioactive [Records] gave the band a budget for 12 masters but Jerry, a veteran recording artist sent a lo-fi demo that included 14 or 15 tracks to the label. He suggested that the label pick the 12 songs that would make the album. Since the album was initially released on vinyl, we were limited by the media format and over time, we simply forgot about the extra songs. Thankfully, this new release really captures the spirit of that era!"
When asked if he had any advice for the band's younger selves after hearing the Roxy show, Kowalczyk stated, "I really don't have any advice for Live circa 1992. Actually, it's the reverse in a way; the experience of rediscovering the Roxy show recording is a window through which the sun of that youthful energy has shown on us again, helping to remind us of where we've been but more importantly, to inspire the way forward."
Taylor adds, "I'm not sure the younger version of myself would listen to any advice I could offer, but I would be sure to tell myself to enjoy the ride, and to take care of each other."
Fans can look for the reissue on colored vinyl, standard vinyl, cassette and as a two-CD set. Pre-orders are being taken at this location and you'll get the live version of "Pain Lies on the Riverside" from the Roxy Show as an instant grat track.
Live, Mental Jewelry 25th Anniversary Reissue Track List
Disc One:
Pain Lies on the Riverside
Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)
The Beauty of Gray
Brothers Unaware
Tired of "Me"
Mirror Song
Waterboy
Take My Anthem
You Are the World
Good Pain
Mother Earth Is a Vicious Crowd
10,000 Years (Peace Is Now)
^Born Branded
* Pain Lies On The Riverside
< Negation
< Heaven Wore A Shirt
^ = previously unreleased
* = Hank Shocklee club remix
< = from 4 Songs EP (September 24, 1991)
Disc Two (Live At The Roxy July 16, 1992):
Show Intro
Waterboy
Take My Anthem
Pain Lies On The Riverside
Susquehanna
Negation
You Are the World
Tired of "Me"
Heaven Wore a Shirt
Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)
Good Pain
The Beauty of Gray
10,000 Years (Peace Is Now)
10 Unforgettable Onstage Reunions