Considered the band’s “true debut album,” at least by its frontman Ed Roland, the second full-length by the American post-grunge act, COLLECTIVE SOUL, continued to ride the wave raised by their first major hit “Shine” from the 1993 album, “Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid.” According to the band, the first album was supposed to be a demo but the label released it anyway because it was so good. So, when the eponymous, second album came out on Atlantic Records, it hit the ground running. Released on March 14th, 1995, this sophomore effort is sometimes referred to as the “Blue Album” to differentiate it from the band’s second self-titled album released in 2009 (which, in turn, is also known as “Rabbit,” due to its cover art). The post-grunge aesthetic was all the craze in the mid-1990s, so the album was met with a lot of enthusiasm; it spent 76 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and scored triple-platinum. The band’s secret to success was their wise-to-the-world storytelling charged with a touch of Southern grit. One Reddit comment posted about a year ago was rather spot on, dubbing COLLECTIVE SOUL a band from which you know that one song – except that, if you started thinking about it, you would realize they had a few more hits you’d heard over the years but thought half of them were CANDLEBOX songs… In Finland, neither of these 1990s bands ever really made it big, for some reason, so I did not actually find out about them until years later, in the early 2000s. It’s kind of a shame, really, because this album, in particular, still slaps pretty hard in its somewhat soft, Americana way.
The album kicks into gear right off the bat with the funky, uptempo rocker, “Simple.” The guitar riff is pretty decent, recalling some of the funkiest bangers by the Boston hard-rockers, EXTREME. Here and there, Roland‘s attempts at tougher vocals almost resonate with the air of John Lydon‘s contributions to SEX PISTOLS. The song isn’t very memorable, though, and paints a somewhat clichéd picture of a typical 1990s alternative-rock outfit throwing punches, locked in the funk mode, which was in popular demand at the time. Next up, “Untitled” sports better riffs and alternates between those riffs and softer sections rather well.
One of the album’s biggest hits, “The World I Know,” unfolds as a moody, acoustic ballad enriched with orchestral flourishes. Roland told in an interview, 25 years later, that the song was inspired by New York City of the time when Times Square was not yet the “Disneyland” it is now and when you could sense a different sort of grit, dirt, and sadness about the city. So, the song is basically about someone being very close to stepping over the edge but realizing he cannot throw away the only world he knows; it’s about compassion and finding perspective, realizing that we cannot take our good fortune for granted, and that, no matter what, “hope still lingers on.” Curiously enough, Roland did not think much of the song, at first, and nearly re-wrote it. Then, Atlantic Records wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with the song, either, but the song was eventually released as a single. Against all odds, it became a hit, even though it swings in a rather dark, acoustic mood. In the song’s atmosphere, there is something similar to the GOOGOO DOLLS blockbuster, “Iris,” that rocked the world a few years later, although this 1995 hit proved a slightly lighter affair. This song isn’t even representative of the band’s typical blend of grunge and mainstream pop, to be honest, but it is easily among the band’s best three songs ever.
“December” is another hit from the album. It is a pretty obvious breakup song, with brooding emotions galore in the lyrics. Here, the heartbreak is delivered with an instantly recognizable guitar riff – a trait not too often put into good use with these types of songs. While the band’s rise to fame had been rooted in grassroots support from college radio, their first few albums do showcase such sublime songwriting that it would have been something rather out of the ordinary not to get mainstream recognition, eventually. “December” is a fine example; the song is structured around the same chord progression that repeats over and over but each section still sounds different – there are three different themes and melodies stacked on top of each other. Simple and highly effective!
“Smashing Young Man” was written about Billy Corgan after he sued COLLECTIVE SOUL, claiming the band had sampled parts of their breakthrough hit “Shine” from THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. the charges were dismissed, however, when COLLECTIVE SOUL were able to show that the demos of the song were almost from a decade earlier. The verses are pretty bland but the chorus slaps. On occasion, Roland‘s vocals resonate with perhaps a tad too thick aura of Steven Tyler for my taste, so I feel tempted to skip this track more often than not.
That said, while the first half of the album is mostly decent, if not even great, the latter half is another thing completely. “Collection of Goods” is a nice cross between THE OASIS and SPIN DOCTORS, and “Bleed” is strangely appealing, although there isn’t that much happening in the song, musically. The rest of the tracks aren’t exactly rewarding unless somewhat country-tinted exercises in boredom are something you would fancy, especially. Then again, we’re talking about the vinyl era, here, so you could have easily savored the A side only without too much of a hassle.
Although being pretty far from groundbreaking in originality, unlike the grunge movement from which this Georgia quintet drew heavily, COLLECTIVE SOUL churned out a good few memorable songs during their 15 minutes of rockstar fame – and most of them happen to be on this sophomore “Blue Album.” The last single, “Where the River Flows,” became a hit as well. When it comes to riffs, this song was THE shit in this selection! Placed precisely in the middle of the tracklist, the song marked the divide between the good stuff and the not-so-good songs. So, while COLLECTIVE SOUL cannot be dubbed a one-hit wonder, exactly, their albums have had a habit of being somewhat incoherent from day one. This eponymous “debut” from 1995 is by far one of the band’s least incoherent affairs, so if there is one studio album to get from this post-grunge bunch, it is this one.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Simple
- Untitled
- The World I Know
- Smashing Young Man
- December
- Where the River Flows
- Gel
- She Gathers Rain
- When the Water Falls
- Collection of Goods
- Bleed
- Reunion
Lineup
Ed Roland – lead vocals, guitars, production
Ross Childress – lead guitars, backing vocals
Dean Roland – rhythm guitars
Will Turpin – bass, backing vocals
Shane Evans – drums
Additional musicians:
Jackie Johnson – backing vocals
Bertram Brown – backing vocals
Becky Russell – backing vocals
Steven Sigurdson – cello
David Chappell – viola
Geremy Miller – violin
John DiPuccio – violin
Janet Clippard – contrabass
Luis Enrique – percussion
Label
Atlantic Records
