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Live - Awake - The Best Of Live

 I have liked the sound of Live since the beginning. Songs like Lightning Crashes, I Alone and Selling The Drama really skyrocketed the career of the band. I remember the first time I heard LIVE, I knew it was something special. A kind of unplanned mix of U2 and R.E.M. lyrics combined, more of a nod to them than actually trying to accomplish the feat. Ed Kowalczyk's vocals are not only unique and powerful, they also help define the band, give LIVE their own personality and charisma. 

From the beginning, LIVE put forth some FM Rock radio staples that were always memorable, and immediately recognizable. The guitar work also helps brand the LIVE sound with influences both European and American. Awake - The Best of LIVE is a mixture of all the songs that made the band who they are. LIVE completely own their sound, I have heard bands try and cover LIVE, but have never really heard any do the chosen track complete justice, LIVE's music is as much about feeling as it is about the sound while remaining intelligent enough. LIVE is one band that doesn't write their songs thinking their fans wouldn't understand, no sugar coating, more like thought provoking, and no worries of talking down to you.

Six incredible studio albums to their credit gave the band more than enough material to choose from. Mental Jewelry, Throwing Copper, Secret Samadhi, The Distance to Here, "V", and Birds of Pray are all represented on both the CD and in Video form on the DVD. The complete set consists of 19 Audio tracks (CD) and 21 Video Tracks (DVD). Some of the tracks on the DVD offer you a live version, and a concept video version. The DVD also has Interview Commentary with Ed Kowalczyk.

There may be a few reasons to own Awake - The Best Of Live. Let's start with the LIVE fans, not only do you get all the videos, but hey, you will get Runaway (Duet with Shelby Lynne) and a spirited version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line". The previously unreleased track We Deal In Dreams has all the magic you'd come to expect, The LIVE version of the CASH hit completely brings the track into the new millennium, sounding as fresh as the day it was written. The third and final reason is if you don't own all these tracks already, the complete albums are good, but just to have all these tracks in one place is wicked, the transition from track to track is seamless. Truly Awake really is the Best Of LIVE.

( 5 Stars out of 6 )

Play MP3 Clip of LIVE "Lightning Crashes"

Play MP3 Clip of LIVE - "Run Away"