Birds of Pray

Last updated

Birds of Pray
Livebirds.jpg
Studio album by
Live
ReleasedMay 20, 2003 (2003-05-20)
RecordedThe Village, Los Angeles, CA;
4th Street Recording, Santa Monica, CA
Genre Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock
Length44:20
Label Radioactive
Producer Jim Wirt
Live chronology
V
(2001)		Birds of Pray
(2003)		 Awake: The Best of Live
(2004)
Singles from Birds of Pray
  1. "Heaven"
    Released: April 7, 2003
  2. "Run Away"
    Released: September 29, 2003 [1]
  3. "Sweet Release"
    Released: October 6, 2003

Birds of Pray is the seventh studio album by Live, released in 2003. The first single, "Heaven" became the band's most successful single in several years, reaching number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. Birds of Pray was Live's final release on Radioactive/MCA. They signed with Epic in 2005. [2]

Contents

Background

Ed Kowalczyk's lyrics on this album return to the spiritual territory of The Distance to Here . Guitarist Chad Taylor explained that the tensions between Kowalczyk and the other three members that eventually caused the band to split from him surfaced in 1999, and had grown worse during the album's recording sessions. "I wasn't sure how our rocker fanbase would feel about the lyrics." He expressed his frustration with the album by adding, "Jim Wirt (producer) worked really hard to fashion a contemporary album, but it never felt like the Live I loved." [3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 50/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Alternative Addiction Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Entertainment Weekly C [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Stylus Magazine F [9]

Birds of Pray debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200, selling over 37,000 copies in its first week of release. [10] By August 2005 it had sold 273,000 copies in the US. [2] The album failed to reach gold status in the US, although it outsold 2001's V . The album received mixed reviews from critics and has a rating of 50 out of 100 on Metacritic. [4]

AllMusic disliked Kowalczyk's lyrics, claiming they were "Either too literal or bewilderingly obtuse" and said that the album was, "Still recognizably Live...big, big guitars, sweeping anthemic choruses, earnest ballads, mildly histrionic vocals...but it's a little more subdued and a little more serious and quite streamlined...The biggest problem with the record is that the eye is on the big picture...to the extent that the individual moments aren't all that memorable, clearly lacking singles as forceful as those that fueled Throwing Copper ." AllMusic concluded by claiming that, "Live is growing up and settling down, turning into a solid thirty-something rock band." [5]

Track listing

All songs written by Ed Kowalczyk except where noted.

  1. "Heaven" – 3:49
  2. "She" – 2:40
  3. "The Sanctity of Dreams" – 3:33
  4. "Run Away" – 3:53
  5. "Life Marches On" – 2:53
  6. "Like I Do" (Kowalczyk, Patrick Dahlheimer, Chad Taylor) – 4:14
  7. "Sweet Release" – 3:02
  8. "Everytime I See Your Face" – 3:16
  9. "Lighthouse" (Kowalczyk, Taylor) – 3:08
  10. "River Town" – 4:09
  11. "Out to Dry" – 3:20
  12. "Bring the People Together" – 3:02
  13. "What Are We Fighting For?" – 3:21
British bonus tracks
  2. "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" (Egyptian Dreams Remix) – 4:07
  3. "Overcome" (Live from Philadelphia) – 4:23
Special edition bonus DVD
Live tracks recorded during the 2002 Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands.
  1. "Selling the Drama"
  2. "Voodoo Lady"
  3. "Nobody Knows"
  4. "White Discussion"

Personnel

Live
Additional musicians
Technical personnel

Charts

Singles

SongPeak chart positions
US US (M.R.) AUS BEL (FL) NED NZ
"Heaven" [26] [27] 593319— [A] 3016
"Sweet Release"——————
"Run Away" [28] ————41—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [29] Platinum70,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [30] Gold40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [31] Gold7,500^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live (band)</span> American rock band

Live, often typeset as Līve, LĪVE, or +LĪVE+, is an American rock band formed in York, Pennsylvania, in 1984 by Ed Kowalczyk, Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), Chad Gracey (drums), and Chad Taylor (guitars). As of 2022, Kowalczyk is the only remaining member of the original lineup.

<i>The Distance to Here</i> 1999 studio album by Live

The Distance to Here is the fifth studio album by the band Live, released in 1999. It debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, selling 138,000 copies in its first week and was certified Platinum by the RIAA on November 19, 1999.

<i>Throwing Copper</i> 1994 album by Live

Throwing Copper is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Live, released on April 26, 1994, on former MCA Records subsidiary Radioactive Records. It was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and was recorded at Pachyderm Recording Studio. Throwing Copper has generally been regarded as Live's best album, having sold over 8 million copies and certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>V</i> (Live album) 2001 studio album by Live

V is the sixth studio album by the band Live, released in 2001. It featured the singles "Simple Creed" and "Overcome", the latter of which received significant exposure following the September 11 attacks.

<i>Secret Samadhi</i> 1997 studio album by Live

Secret Samadhi is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Live. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release on February 18, 1997. It includes the singles "Lakini's Juice", "Rattlesnake", "Turn My Head", and "Freaks". The album was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA on July 8, 1999.

<i>Awake: The Best of Live</i> 2004 greatest hits album by Live

Awake: The Best of Live is a greatest hits album by Live, released in 2004. The 19-track compilation includes songs from Live's first six studio albums as well as "We Deal in Dreams", an unreleased track from the Throwing Copper sessions, and a cover of "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash, recorded for the 2001 compilation Good Rockin' Tonight – The Legacy of Sun Records. The deluxe edition includes a DVD containing 22 music videos and a 30-minute interview with lead singer Ed Kowalczyk. The liner notes were written by Kowalczyk and Ken Wilber and the cover features a still from the video for the song "Lightning Crashes".

<i>Songs from Black Mountain</i> 2006 studio album by Live

Songs from Black Mountain is the eighth studio album by Live. It was released in most countries on April 10, 2006, but was released on May 9 in Canada, May 29 in the UK and June 6 in the US. It was their only release through Epic Records. The first single, "The River", was released on March 21, 2006. It is the last album to feature lead vocalist Ed Kowalczyk before his departure from the band in 2009. It is also the final studio album to feature the original lineup. Kowalcyzk rejoined in 2016, but Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey were all fired from the band by the end of 2022.

<i>All the Roadrunning</i> 2006 studio album by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris

All the Roadrunning is a collaboration between British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler and American singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris, released on 24 April 2006 by Mercury Records and Universal Music internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album received favorable reviews, and reached the number one position on album charts in Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland. The album peaked at number eight in the United Kingdom, and number 17 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The title track, which actually was released the year before as a new track on the compilation album Private Investigations, was released as a single and reached number 8 in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">They Stood Up for Love</span> 2000 single by Live

"They Stood Up for Love" is a song by alternative rock group Live, which was released as the third and final single from their 1999 album, The Distance to Here. The song was released in the United States on June 26, 2000, and reached number 31 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 24 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also peaked at number 88 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Release</span> 2003 single by Live

"Sweet Release" is a song by alternative rock group Live, which was released as the second single from their 2003 album, Birds of Pray. It was only released in Australia, where it peaked at #61 and spent 11 weeks in the ARIA top 100 singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run Away (Live song)</span> 2003 single by Live

"Run Away" is a song by alternative rock group Live, which was released as a single from their 2003 album, Birds of Pray.

<i>Live at the Paradiso – Amsterdam</i> 2008 live album by Live

Live at the Paradiso – Amsterdam is Live's first live concert album and DVD.

<i>Siren Charms</i> 2014 studio album by In Flames

Siren Charms is the eleventh studio album by Swedish heavy metal band In Flames. It was released on 5 September 2014 and 9 September in the United States via Sony Music Entertainment. Siren Charms is the first album to feature guitarist Niclas Engelin and the last album to feature long time drummer Daniel Svensson before his departure in 2015.

<i>Bloodstone & Diamonds</i> 2014 studio album by Machine Head

Bloodstone & Diamonds is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head, released via Nuclear Blast on November 7, 2014. It is the first album to feature Jared MacEachern who replaced founding bassist Adam Duce in 2013. Although the album does not have a title track, the album gets its name from a lyric from "Now We Die".

<i>The Turn</i> (Live album) 2014 studio album by Live

The Turn is the ninth studio album by American rock band Live, released on October 28, 2014. It is their only release with lead singer Chris Shinn and is their final album with guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer, and drummer Chad Gracey who were all fired from the band in 2022.

<i>Hydrograd</i> 2017 studio album by Stone Sour

Hydrograd is the sixth studio album by American rock band Stone Sour. Recorded at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles, it is the follow-up to the band's 2012–2013 double concept album, House of Gold & Bones Part 1 and 2. It was released worldwide on June 30, 2017 via Roadrunner Records.

<i>III</i> (The Lumineers album) 2019 studio album by the Lumineers

III is the third studio album by American indie folk band the Lumineers, released by Dualtone on September 13, 2019. The album was accompanied by a feature-length film directed by Kevin Phillips.

<i>Heaven or Hell</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Don Toliver

Heaven or Hell is the debut studio album by American singer and rapper Don Toliver. It was released on March 13, 2020, by Cactus Jack Records, Atlantic Records and We Run It Entertainment. The album features guest appearances by Travis Scott, Kaash Paige, Quavo and Offset from Migos, and Sheck Wes. It also contains production from high-profile record producers, mainly from WondaGurl and Mike Dean, as well as Sonny Digital, Frank Dukes, and Cubeatz, among others.

<i>CMFT</i> 2020 debut solo album by Corey Taylor

CMFT is the debut solo album by American musician Corey Taylor. It was released on October 2, 2020, by Roadrunner Records.

<i>Way Down in the Rust Bucket</i> 2021 live album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Way Down in the Rust Bucket is a live album and concert film from Canadian-American rock musician Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse, released on February 26, 2021. It is Volume 11.5 in the Performance Series of Neil Young Archives.

References

  1. ↑ "Live singles".
  2. 1 2 Chad, "Live Makes Epic Move". Alternative Addiction, August 29, 2005.
  3. ↑ "Chad Taylor posts a comprehensive Live recording history blog". allthingschadtaylorm July 19, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Critic Reviews for Birds Of Pray". Metacritic . Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Birds of Pray - Live". AllMusic.
  6. ↑ Chad, "Alternative Addiction Review" Archived December 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . Alternative Addiction.
  7. ↑ Greer, Jim (May 23, 2003). "Birds of Pray Review". Entertainment Weekly . p. 76. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  8. ↑ Edwards, Gavin (May 6, 2003). "Live: Birds of Pray : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  9. ↑ Southall, Nick (September 1, 2003). "Live – Birds of Pray – Review". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  10. ↑ D'Angelo, Joe "Staind Marked For #1 on Billboard Albums Chart". MTV News, May 28, 2003.
  11. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Live – Birds Of Pray". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Live – Birds Of Pray" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Live – Birds Of Pray" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Live – Birds Of Pray" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Live – Birds Of Pray". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Live – Birds Of Pray" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Live – Birds Of Pray" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Charts.nz – Live – Birds Of Pray". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Live – Birds Of Pray". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Live – Birds Of Pray". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Live – Birds Of Pray". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Chart Log UK entry for Live". Chart Log UK.
  23. ↑ "Live Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  24. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2003". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Birds Of Pray > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". AllMusic.
  27. ↑ "Ultratop entry for Heaven". Ultratop.
  28. ↑ "Ultratop entry for Run Away". Ultratop.
  29. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Live – Birds of Pray" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers . Retrieved April 28, 2022.Enter Birds of Pray in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2003 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  31. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Live – Birds of Pray". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved November 20, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.