Review Summary: An album full of good pain, we go back to when the band Live was known as Public Affection. We will put the fear in anybody who hasn't listened to Public Affection's only release: 1989's The Death Of A Dictionary.
The band Live is one of the most underrated bands in history. An band that has really carved a path in the Post-Grunge / Alternative Rock genres. They have put out such classics as 1994's Throwing Copper, 1997's Secret Samadhi, and 2003's Bird Of Prey.
But, we're not going to talk about that today. Instead, we are going to go back to a time period, when Live wasn't even called Live. That's right, they were called Public Affection, and they were playing music very similar, if not identical to what they would do with Live.
They put out their debut, and in fact, ONLY album under the name Public Affection in June of 1989. Of course as we all know, two years later in 1991, Mental Jewelry was the first of 8 albums under the band name Live (the latest being The Turn in 2014).
This is an album that definitely saw what was what was brewing at the time and translated it into their own little piece of art. This is a superb release and one that definitely sounds ahead of this time.
Since I'm the only person on this entire website who has reviewed this album (at the time of writing this review), I will notify this to you: DO NOT bother trying to find this album because 1: It was ONLY released on cassette and has been out of print for decades and 2: Good luck finding one, because they were only limited to about 1,000 copies. I know I sound mean right now, but that's the truth, ladies and gentlemen. If you ever DO find one, treat it with respect and put it away somewhere nicely, so it doesn't get damaged. Because this is a bonefied collector's item.
The music itself is somewhat innovative and is definitely much better than another debut album from another band of that year of that same genre, and that's Nirvana's Bleach. You guys gotta remember that Grunge and Alternative Rock was only in it's infancy and will not become a prominent force in music until only a couple of years later in 1991.
The production is not exactly Throwing Copper production, but it still has that 80's sound to it. Especially in the bass area. The bass has this really funky sort of vibe going on that REALLY reminds you of those 80's new wave bands such as Duran Duran or even some pop artists, with that funk-filled bass, creating a fun and groovy atmosphere. The guitars and drums are pretty good, but Ed Kowalczyk's vocals are the highlight of not only this album, but the highlight of this band in general. Ed's vocals are really, really hard to reincarnate, and that's something that can be only a good thing. It's very unique and it's something that is very alluring about this band.
This album is filled with great, great songs that I think have stood the test of time. There are some really catchy songs such as 'Who Put The Fear In Here?' and 'Morning Humor'. There songs such as 'Paper Flowers' and 'Sister' that just have weird and out-there concepts. 'Ball And Chain' is a more aggressive track and 'The Hands Of A Teacher' is almost a love song.
But the two tracks that really stand out to me are 'Good Pain' and 'Libra'. 'Good Pain' is just one of those sings you would expect to find of Throwing Copper and Secret Samadhi. In fact, 'Good Pain' was re-recorded for the Mental Jewelry album, however I don't think it was performed as good as the original. 'Good Pain' has an amazing hook, and it is very well crafted as well as being very dynamic. 'Libra' on the other hand, is a very straight forward, short, and an almost ballad with minimal instruments. In fact, I think it's after half-way through the song with the instruments finally start to kick in. I think the highlight of this song is Ed Kowalczyk's vocals; the song is beautifully sung, and there is a moment when he holds his voice out for a few seconds, which helps prove my point about Ed's dynamic and unique vocal style and voice.
Overall, this album is terrific and definitely worthy of your time and energy. One that really showcases this true potential of this band and what they would do with Live, even though they were called Public Affection. As I am the only person at the time of writing this review has has reviewed this album, I hope I taught you guys something and I hope I turned you guys onto a new album. In fact, I'll leave you a YT link to a playlist containing the full album so you guys can listen to it (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA86AC73577B407FF). Even though this album sold only 1,000 copies and all of them were on cassette, if you ever DO find one, DO NOT let it out of your hands.
BEST SONG/S:
Good Pain
Libra
Who Put The Fear In Here?
Morning Humor
MY YOUTUBE REVIEW ON THE ALBUM:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX12uS0LW-M
