Live & Lost is an album by the American Southern rock band, Copperhead. The album was released on January 29, 2002, via Eastwinds Records.[5] Live & Lost contains 8 previously unreleased studio tracks from the recording sessions of their 1992 debut album Copperhead released by Mercury Records along with four live tracks recorded during their 1992 tour. The album marked the band's final release in wake of Carswell's death in January 2024.[6]
Live & Lost consists of eight studio tracks and four live recordings. The studio material was recorded during the same sessions as the band’s 1992 self-titled debut album that was produced by Tom Dowd and engineered and mixed by Rodney Mills, the same recording sessions that marked the first time Dowd and Mills had collaborated on an album together since Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1977 album Street Survivors and that sparked the interest of Donnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd who frequently visited the studio during the album’s recording and production, just to witness Dowd and Mills working together.[7][8]
The four live tracks featured on the album were recorded during Copperhead's 1992 tour in support of their debut album that featured setlists of songs from their debut, along with various cover songs such as ZZ Top’s “Whiskey'n Mama” and Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away,” both of which appear in live form on the album. The live tracks were from various different tour dates where the band shared the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot, Molly Hatchet, 38 Special, Foreigner, and The Kentucky Headhunters.[9]
In a 2006 interview with Sweet Home Music, Carswell stated that the band had originally considered releasing a full live album from the 1992 tour, as many performances had been professionally recorded using a mobile recording unit. However, the group disbanded in 1995 before the project could be finalized. As a result, in 2001 a hybrid release combining 8 previously unreleased studio tracks along with four previously unreleased live tracks was assembled in the years after their disbandment by Eastwind Records whom acquired the rights to the previously unreleased and live tracks from Copperhead’s former label, Mercury Records which inspired the title Live & Lost referring to the live recordings and “lost” being a metaphor for the previously unreleased songs that were left off the band's first album.[10]
Although a reunion had not occurred at the time of the interview in 2006, Carswell expressed potential interest in the idea if all the other original Copperhead members agreed. However, in the years following the breakup, former members Jon Byrd and Tony Hawkins formed a new band, “A Course of Action” and Carswell launched a solo career. Any hopes of an eventual Copperhead reunion was abandoned after Neil Carswell died in January 2024, making Live & Lost the last Copperhead release indefinitely.[11]
Promotion
Live & Lost received very little promotion by the band and the label. As of its release in 2002, the band had been broken up for seven years, and all its members moved on with news bands and projects in the Artimus Pyle Band, Elijah Prophet, and A Course of Action and had not reconciled or gotten over their differences that lead to the band's breakup in 1995.[12] The label who released the album, Eastwind Records, was an recently established independent label that went defunct in 2006 after only a handful of releases in its catalogue primarily by artists in the North Carolina region.[13]
Reception
Live & Lost received positive reviews from Southern rock and hard rock critics. Jimmy Williams of Swampland.com praised the album’s blend of "old-school metal with a Southern attitude," and highlighted Neil Carswell's vocal range and Jon Byrd’s performance on “Drift Away.”[14]
Keith Hannaleck of Enjoy the Music described the album as "a newly found and treasured piece of rock history," commending its energy, Carswell’s commanding vocals, and Brad Durden’s keyboards, particularly on tracks like “Voices in the Night.”[15]
RockTimes called the live version of "Whiskey" the "ultimate song about the beloved spirit of the Southern rock movement," and praised "I'll Get By" as the studio highlight for its blend of acoustic guitar, gospel organ, and slide solos.[16]
Uli Nepicks of MusicReviews.de wrote that "Whiskey" stood out as "pure, five-star Southern rock," and called "Voices in the Night" the highlight of the album's second half.[17]
Legacy
Live & Lost gained a cult-like following in the years and decades after its release amongst fans of the southern rock and classic rock genres.[18]
Born Loser is a 1993 extended play (EP) by American Southern rock band Copperhead. It was released via Mercury Records and included a mix of studio outtakes, unreleased tracks, and a live version of the band’s fan-favorite title track “Born Loser.” The EP was issued following the conclusion of promotional efforts for their self-titled debut album.[20]
Background
The Born Loser EP served as a stopgap release while the band was between major touring cycles and planning future projects. Although Copperhead never released a second full-length album through Mercury, the EP gave fans additional content and featured some of the band’s edgier material. The title track “Born Loser” had become a staple of their live shows and was often praised for its raw emotional delivery and southern rock swagger.
The EP was recorded across sessions in 1992 and early 1993, with production handled by Tom Dowd, longtime engineer Rodney Mills, and the band themselves. It includes a live version of “Born Loser” alternate mixes, and two unreleased tracks not featured on the 1992 album.[21]
Though not widely promoted by Mercury Records, Born Loser was well-received by fans and regional rock press. Critics praised the title track and called the EP “a gritty and honest snapshot of a band that never got the full exposure it deserved.” The EP did not chart nationally but became a collector’s item among southern rock enthusiasts in the years after Copperhead disbanded.
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