REPOST - Saturday Rocks - Collective Soul

This was originally posted on November 13, 2009. Since I am on the run this weekend, I thought I would try to offer up this post.




It's the weekend, time to rock! My fondness for @Collective_Soul extends beyond Twitter, as I do have most of their albums, including 7even Year Itch, the greatest hits set, covering 1994-2001. The band consists of Ed Roland, Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Joel Kosche, Will Turpin, and Cheney Brannon. The 13-song album included six #1 and two #2 singles from the US Mainstream Rock charts, as well as 2 previously unreleased songs. It has many of my favorites on it, and now seems like a time to share. I love it when the boys rock it out, like in Shine, which I blogged out earlier, both the Collective Soul version and the one by Dolly Parton. Give me a song with multiple guitars, a blaring bass and driving drums, and I am happy. One such song is Why Pt 2, a 2001 single, the first from Blender.

Why Pt 2

Tino | MySpace Video

And there is Heavy, from the 1999 release, Dosage. Heavy had a more industrial sound, a crisp and tight sound driven by the hard edged guitars and drums.


Watch Collective Soul Heavy in Autos & Vehicles | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Another of my favorites is Better Now, released in 2005 a few years after 7even Year Itch. It is a pop/rock song with a harder edge, and some fantastic guitars.

Better Now

Jiff | MySpace Video

And, of course, there is the amazing vocals from Ed Roland, this brilliant rich voice never failing to use the music as an anchor, yet scale new heights. To catch up more with Collective Soul, visit their website here, or add them on Twitter here.

Saturday Rocks - Collective Soul

It's the weekend, time to rock! My fondness for @Collective_Soul extends beyond Twitter, as I do have most of their albums, including 7even Year Itch, the greatest hits set, covering 1994-2001. The band consists of Ed Roland, Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Joel Kosche, Will Turpin, and Cheney Brannon. The 13-song album included six #1 and two #2 singles from the US Mainstream Rock charts, as well as 2 previously unreleased songs. It has many of my favorites on it, and now seems like a time to share. I love it when the boys rock it out, like in Shine, which I blogged out earlier, both the Collective Soul version and the one by Dolly Parton. Give me a song with multiple guitars, a blaring bass and driving drums, and I am happy. One such song is Why Pt 2, a 2001 single, the first from Blender.

Why Pt 2

Tino | MySpace Video

And there is Heavy, from the 1999 release, Dosage. Heavy had a more industrial sound, a crisp and tight sound driven by the hard edged guitars and drums.


Watch Collective Soul Heavy in Autos & Vehicles | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Another of my favorites is Better Now, released in 2005 a few years after 7even Year Itch. It is a pop/rock song with a harder edge, and some fantastic guitars.

Better Now

Jiff | MySpace Video

And, of course, there is the amazing vocals from Ed Roland, this brilliant rich voice never failing to use the music as an anchor, yet scale new heights. To catch up more with Collective Soul, visit their website here, or add them on Twitter here.

Sunday Worship - Shine

Shine was written by the boys from Collective Soul, the Georgia-based rockers who might not be well known for their gospel tunes, but when put in the hands of Dolly Parton, this song goes from a spiritual rocker to bluegrass gospel. The magnificent Dolly recorded it for her Little Sparrow album.

New Music - Collective Soul

Recently, Collective Soul released their latest CD, a self-titled effort. As is often the case these days, there are a variety of different packages out there, ranging from the core group of 11 songs that make up the CD, to the extras for different versions, including three extra tracks on the iTunes version. The Georgia-based band has put out another great collection I am thrilled to have on my iPod. The first song up is Welcome All Again, the released single. It is a rollicking rock song, practically defining arena rock, and I've already heard it featured on commercials for more than one television show. Here is a fan video of the boys in action recently singing the song.



I will admit I am already a fan of their music, and have most of their CDs. I seem to hear a little something different in this CD, a hint of a retro feel, almost as if lightly seasoned by some of the bands the boys listened to when growing up. Track 2, Fuzzy, has a bit of Lou Reed and Iggy Pop in it, but still maintaining that trademark Collective Soul feel. Dig is next, and there are times in the chorus I hear almost an homage to the Kinks in the guitar sounds, again, just lacing the CS sound. You is pure CS, with the trademark sound and exceptional vocals of Ed Roland. My Days starts out bold with the Dean Roland, Will Turpin and Joel Kosche wielding their guitars with a rougher edge than usual, then taking a bit of the rhythm over from drummer Cheney Brannon. They capture a bit of the flavor of the late 70s/early 80s hard rock bands. Understanding is pure CS, until the chorus, when they pick up with the sound of punk bands of the early 80s, combining the drive of the Ramones and the Undertones. About three minutes into the song, I swear they offer an homage to Pink Floyd. The following is another fan video of CS in concert, singing Dig.



The seventh track, Staring Down, comes out with a soulful feel, Ed's voice practically crooning while the band exhibits a more pop/rock side. This is familiar territory for CS, but good and still fresh. She Does is up next, another mid-tempo number with a more classic pop feel. Lighten Up has the guys coming out strong again, bringing the guitars out front and center, leading the driving beat, again touching on a punkish feel, at times an almost Bowie flavor. For the next track, there is Love, again returning to pure CS form. Hymn For My Father closes out the 11 tracks, opening with a simple piano sound, and Ed singing an obvious tribute. The piano is quite lovely, with almost a gospel/church feel.



I enjoyed this CD a great deal. It has the Collective Soul sound, with some hints and flavors of history thrown in - these boys know what came before them and how to utilize some of their influences without killing their own sound, the feel that makes it their own. They've pulled from the past, and made it all very new, combined in a way to make it their own sound and keep it fresh. I bought it, and am damn glad I did.



Collective Soul has made perhaps the strongest effort I have seen happen in the music industry by a major label act to stay in touch with their fans. There is a band member on their Twitter account [@collective_soul] every day, interacting with them, retweeting comments, answering questions, and at times letting the fan in on backstage life and personal time. Their website is also interactive, and can be found by clicking here. The official fansite is here.

Great News - Tom Goss DLs & More

We all know I love me some Tom Goss, and I just got word that he is dubbing today 'Free Music Fun Day!' So take advantage of his good mood, and click here! There you can download six different songs. If you like what you hear, or know someone who would, pass it along!


JAM on the left, and David on the right.

Also in the news department, two more followers have joined us here. JAM is from Washington state and has a couple of blogs, including G-A-Y.US which can be seen here. David is from Brighton in the UK, and has a blog called David's Daily Dramas, something many of us can identify with. You can check out David's blog here. Welcome JAM & Dave, thanks for your support!

Also, shortly the site will be coming up on 5,000 hits, and words can't describe how much I appreciate you all who time the time to stop by to read and listen to some music. Also, the support from some of the artists who have sent kind words of support. It is greatly appreciated. So much so, I thought for this post I would share Dolly Parton singing Shine, the Collective Soul song I really love. Dolly covered it on her bluegrass album, Little Sparrow. I love Dolly and was going to save this for a Dolly post, but figured it worked here. So thank you everyone, and here is Dolly!

New Music - Collective Soul

I have been a fan of Collective Soul for some time, and they have a new single out, Welcome All Again. But one of the things I truly find fascinating is the way they have embraced the brave new world, and made the internet an intrinsic part of their promotion.

They have a Twitter account, and are most proactive in using it. They promise if you follow them, they will follow you back. Instead of having some record label geek, the band themselves seem to share the load, taking turns hoping on it to give updates, promote the latest music, and set up a fan who will tweet from the live show each night.

This also puts them out in front of the PR curve, as they say what they wanna say. Recently, band member Cheney was wed, and it was not only mentioned on Twitter, but photographs were included. There are updates about Ed & Michaeline upcoming birth plans. Also, there was a small bar brawl in Myrtle Beach, SC, following a show and the band was not shy about talking about it.

If all that doesn't keep fans engaged, I don't know what will. The post or retweet fan pictures, and some twitvid. Clever boys, I tell ya.

Here is an old favorite of mine by Collective Soul, Shine. There was also an amazing cover by Dolly Parton, done in a bluegrass style.

You can find out more about Collective Soul on their website.