Our Lady Peace Album: “Live”

I think that if you want to truly know the talent of a band, you need to hear them live. And Our Lady Peace passes that test. Being an avid OLP fan, I have to warn you I am a little biased, but I will try to be honest. So here goes.

1. All For You- While this is one of my favorite songs in studio, it isn't quite as good live. Raine goes a little quicker with his vocals, and it doesn't have the same effect. All the same, it's a great intro to the albumn.

2. Superman's Dead- Nice, simple, acoustic sounding beginning- just a few chord strums before heading into the song. I like how he pauses and talks the audience into singing, "Doesn't anybody ever know that the world's a subway?".

3. Not Enough- Excellent song, heavier on this albumn.

4. Naveed/Life- I love the intro to Naveed, and they drag it out here. It's a nice combination of the two songs.

5. Innocent- Surprising beginning, very good.

6. Bring Back the Sun- This is not an extraordinary song, in studio or here, but I never skip it. It's just a different sound- mellower, muter, and beautiful. Not extraordinary, but still great.

7. One Man Army- This is such an invigorating song.

8. Is Anybody Home?- Not that different from the studio version, but of course that's not bad.

9. Our Time Is Fading- I'm anxious to hear the recorded version, because I think that the guitar got a little muffled and doesn't sound as good as it could. The chorus is awesome though.

10. Are You Sad?- I never really appreciated this song until I heard Raine talk about it on this albumn. I think we have all wanted to help someone in this sort of situation, or been that person who has needed the help.

11. Whatever- This is the first time I heard this song, and I am pleased with it. It has a different sound to it, kind of like "Our Time is Fading".

12. Clumsy- Of course, a classic OLP encouragement song.

13. Starseed- This song just excells compared to its recorded version. The musicality is genius, it's gives you a rush of adrenaline everytime Raine screams, "Yeah yeah yea-ee!". But the best part is before the song actually starts. He's singing, "It's my way out" over and over, like he's trying to convince himself. But my favorite part on this CD, on any CD is around 1 minute 42 seconds when he yells. It gave me shivers about the first eight times I heard it.

14. Somewhere Out There- Ah, of course. That summer hit that everyone loves, no matter how elitist you are. This a soft, pretty song, and it sounds just as great live as recorded.

Well, there you go. Buy it.

Our Lady Peave live is an experience in of itself, and I hoped that the CD CD would capture the depth and intensity of many of their shows. Unfortunately, the songs on the CD, otherwise well-chosen and performed,

sound muddled and uninspired. Steve Mazur is a great guitarist and addition to the band, no doubt, but his tone rarely rises above the general noise of the drums, bass, and audience. Some of OLP's best songs,

such as "Starseed" and "One Man Army" don't rise to the level that they often do during the shows. In fact, I found the version of "Starseed" on this album so bland and lacking in intensity that I would rate it as one of the worst possible choices for the album. I was also dissapointed that "4am", which is often one of their most compelling songs live, was not included on the CD. I love OLP, and I have enjoyed their live shows. Unfortunately, I think to pass the time between "Gravity" and their next possible album, they put out a live album that cheats the band of most of its power. The guy who mixed this should be fired.

As a long time fan of OLP, I've been wanting them to release a live CD for years. If you've seen one of their shows, you'll know they're at their best when on stage. This CD captures that perfectly!! Included in the CD are a good mix of hits and rarer songs to please everyone from the casual fan to the die hard. They've done a beautiful job mixing together the songs Naveed and Life (if you like U2 you'll love this version, I half expected them to break into "Pride"). New lyrics were added to Is Anybody Home (different at each show) and the intro to Starseed is absolutely amazing!! Bring Back the Sun is incredible! I just can't say enough good things about this CD. Even if you have every studio release, buy this as well, you won't be disappointed. It is NOT just the same songs all over again! You haven't heard OLP until you've heard them live. The only thing I wish is that they would have included the song "Do you like it". It was always played after "All for you" on this tour with no break between the two songs. I got so used to hearing the two together that it's strange to have one missing. (If you've seen enough shows that you would notice this, and that it would annoy you, then I'm sure you already have this CD!).

This long-awaited live release from Canadian sensation Our Lady Peace is finally here. After waiting anxiously for several weeks, I picked up my copy the day before its official release date. I've listened to it twice, all the way through, and I am quite impressed. There are better live albums out there, but this album is definitely a must for any OLP fan. It captures the feeling of seeing a live show rather well, and includes an (until now) unreleased track titled "Our Time is Fading." For those of you who have been awaiting this album's release, you may buy with confidence; however, if you are new to the OLP scene, I recommend starting with some of the better-known albums such as Clumsy and Gravity, since those albums paint a more accurate picture of the band's style and musical talent.

First off I've been to a OLP concert and this cd does captivate the intensity and enregy that is but into each concert they do. I thought the song selection was choosen very well minus a few tracks but that's expected. I really though "are you Sad" and "Naveed/Life" were the standout tracks on this album. The only thing that I didn't care for was some of the crowd singing and remaking of certain songs. If you're looking for a better Live candaian band album look no further than the Tragically Hips "Live Between Us" cd probally one of the best cds I own and one of the most entertaining bands in the country, but that's just one mans opinion.