Revisiting Live’s 1991 Mental Jewelry

This alternative rock gem was released on 12/31/91

***This article first appeared in my blog, Generation Riff***

There’s a new section, written today, at the end of the original piece.

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As with most people, musicians tend to take it easy at the end of the calendar year as they contemplate how to attack the upcoming one. Album releases seem to be few and far between during this transition. On New Year's Eve 1991 however, a little known band of four friends from York, PA dropped Mental Jewelry (their first under the name Live, they released The Death Of A Dictionary under the name Public Affection in 1989) which helped to usher in a decade of what would come to be called Alternative music.

I first discovered Live on MTV's 120 Minutes. This was back when MTV not only played music but actually ruled the industry in terms of which bands and artists broke into the big time. Now, the network is a shell of itself and needs to go off the air. Perhaps I should've become a program director or television executive, I digress.

"Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" starts without any build up whatsoever as the words "did you give it up"along with a rolling, tribal drum beat pairs with a matching, funk-infused bass line, and the song is off and running. The video is as chaotic as the music with quick edits of the band playing the song at night around a fire, running frantically on a beach (mostly shirtless for some reason), and back to playing again. The sound was distinct and different. It had purpose and meaning behind it. These guys cared and so did I.

I cannot remember when, but I bought the album based on this song alone and immediately fell in love with it. It wasn't hard rock, metal, or punk. It wasn't rap. Those were the genres I was listening to without fail and this wasn't any of that. It reminded me of R.E.M. (who also doesn't fit any of the genres mentioned) but funkier and angrier. The album sounded mystical. The lyrics were philosophical, sarcastic as times, but always seemingly uplifting. The band wrote the music together (Ed Kowalczyk- lead vocals, rhythm guitar, Chad Taylor-lead guitar, backing vocals, Patrick Dahlheimer-bass, and Chad Gracey-drums) and Ed wrote the lyrics. His style, in addition to what I mentioned previously, had an inquisitive and challenging aspect to it. As an angry and inquisitive 18-year-old at the time, I was drawn to lyrics that challenged conventional wisdom. My favorite passage from Operation Spirit is a perfect example of this:

"Heard a lot of talk about this Jesus A man of love and a man of strength But what a man was two thousand years ago Means nothing at all to me today

He could have been Telling me about my higher self But he only lives inside my prayer So what he was may have been beautiful But the pain is right now and right here"

I knew right then and there that this band had something to offer me that I wasn't getting from too many other bands at that time.

Sonically, Mental Jewelry is heavy on rhythm (thanks to the funk-inspired playing of one of the most underrated bass players of that entire generation, Patrick Dahlheimer, and the tireless and groove-laden drumming of Chad Gracey) and atmosphere. The album was produced and guided by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads fame and his input is as responsible for the record's unique and "alternative" sound as the band are songs are. Speaking about Harrison in 1994, drummer Chad Gracey said:

“The main thing he brought to us for Mental Jewelry is arrangement. Putting the songs together and making them as strong as they could be on a record. And he understands that because he’s made plenty of them.”

Looking back 30 years is never an easy task, but with music it's a bit easier because if you're like me, you remember moments because of music. 1991 was a watershed year for music and culture. EVERYTHING changed that year and it's important to look back and understand why. Live has sold over 20 million albums to date, but they sometimes seem to fall through the cracks when discussing the bands who shaped music and culture in the 90s. They've endured inner turmoil throughout the years, Ed left and came back, sales dipped, and some fans moved on. No matter how you slice it though, Live deserves their place in the history of one of the greatest years for album releases with Mental Jewelry in 1991 and overall in the decade of the 90s, especially with their 1994 massive follow-up, Throwing Copper.

Thanks for joining me on this journey back in time.

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***That was the original piece from 2022***

The following was added on 12/31/24:

Since the release of Mental Jewelry, Live has had a complicated, if not odd, career. As mentioned in the original article, the band hit its apex on 1994’s Throwing Copper.

With hits such as “Selling the Drama”, “I Alone”, “All Over You”, “Iris”, and the ubiquitous, “Lightning Crashes”, Live solidified itself as one of the most popular bands of the 90s.

After that, things took a bit of a left turn.

Although the band would remain relevant (to varying degrees) throughout the rest of the 90s and into the first half of the 2000s, the wheels came off in 2009 when co-founder and lead singer, Ed Kowalczyk left Live after an announced band hiatus.

In 2012, Live hired singer, Chris Shinn, formerly of Unified Theory. That band was formed when surviving Blind Melon members, Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn wanted to continue to play music together after the untimely death of that band’s lead singer, Shannon Hoon.

Unified Theory would release two spectacular albums (Unified Theory and Cinematic) before disbanding in 2001.

Shinn’s time with Live was highlighted by the outstanding album, The Turn, released on October 28, 2014. The record has since been scrubbed from Live’s catalog because, you know, chaos and jealousy, but it can be found on YouTube. I suggest you give it a listen and thank me later.

The drama that ensued is enough to fill an entirely new article but essentially, Ed came back to the band in the Fall of 2016 but no announcements were made. The band’s and Kowalczyk’s Facebook pages with new logos and pictures of the original lineup.

After playing shows in 2017 and releasing an EP, Local 717, 2018, and by 2022, three of the four original members not named Ed Kowalczyk had been fired from the band. Kowalczyk continues to tour under the band’s name as the only original member.

Anyway, all the chaos aside, this is still the anniversary of one of my favorite albums from the 90s which I will be listening to on high volume today!

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If you like 90s music and culture content, please check out my book, SLACKER - 1991, Teen Spirit Angst, and the Generation It Created (Inspired By You Books 2024)