Collective Soul - Collective Soul (12 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

One of the most solid albums of the 1990's

Eddie Lancekick | Pacific Northwest | 02/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sophomore releases tend to disappoint, or sometimes worse, if you loved the first album, the next one seems like it comes less from the bands vision and more from overall industry pressure to "fit in" with whatever the latest fad is.

In 1995, Collective Soul released their blue covered, self titled album. The result was not a downward spiral, but a catapult into the stratosphere. To this day it is one of my favorite all time albums.

This album's songs have some various themes to them but what really stands out is the FEELING and EMOTION that is put into every track. We have the usual blend of stadium, foot tapping rockers but they are brought down a notch to have added to them extremely concise structure in rythyme, songwriting, and balance.

The rockers that come to mind are "Gel" "December" and "Where the River Flows". All three are powerful tunes and also are carried by a strong vocal performance by lead singer Ed Roland. Want some dreamy, melodic rock? Then look no further than tracks "The world I know" "Smashing young man" and the bluesy "She gathers rain". There isn't a bad or "filler" song on this album. An album that covers a wide landscape of music enough so that you could listen to any number of the songs here at any given time, in any given place, and never get tired of it. During 1995 we were seeing a slew of one hit wonders and bands trying to be the next grunge star or pop hit, those bands no longer are around, but Collective Soul is. Maybe they should have taken a lesson or two from Ed Roland and the crew."

Jim DeRogatis...Amazon's Editor?

Ahsan K. Bajwa | Fresno, CA | 04/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was apalled to read the review first by Amazon's, Editor Jim DeRogatis, about the "Collective Soul", and then the reviews by all your buyers.It appears as they are talking about 2 entirely different things. In my opinion DeRogatis is ignorant, when it comes to music. I would'nt go as far as one of the reviewer suggested about having a "Proctological Exam" to find Jim's head, but seriously, I think he should have his head examined. I was not a "Collective Soul" fan untill 3 months ago when I got CD "Blender" as a gift, and now I have their entire collection and I love them. The moral of the story is that review should be honest, unbiased and not misleading, because of your dislike or ignorance. I really believe that "Collective Soul"is one of the top ten best bands, and i own thousands of Rock cds. Most of the people buy cds after reading editorial reviews(including myself)and this dude is hurting your business."

Phenominal mid-1990s rock album

Brad | CT | 04/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are several bands and artists that helped rock music survive grunge, but none more than this great band with this classic album. This is the perfect hybrid of modern and classic rock. With 5 (count 'em, 5!) rock radio hits, this album and band made a huge splash on the rock music landscape at a time it was really needed.Need I rave about such hit tracks as the rockers "Gel" and "Smashing Young Man" or the slower tracks "December" and the absolutely stunning "The World I Know"? These tracks are all modern classics in my book. However, I also have to rave about such tracks as the rocking opener "Simple" (one listen to that when I first played this CD and I knew I was in for a special treat). Another fav is the second to last track "Bleed", a slightly above mid-tempo track with a killer bass line.Another reviewer referred to this album as progressive rock with an edge. I couldn't agree more. For sure this album stands up as one of the classics of the 1990s decade. Both commercially and musically, this album is a winner."

Collective Soul at their best!

The Wickerman | Austin, TX | 03/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Beatles put out the White Album, Metallica put out the Black Album, and then Collective Soul put out the Blue Album. In short, self-titled, monochromatic albums will never let you down. How can anyone not love this album? This is one of the first albums I ever bought, and it still sounds fresh each time I listen to it. It's kind of hard to classify, it's too heavy to be considered alternative, yet it's not quite metal. Maybe, alternative hard rock? Well, whatever it is, it is good stuff. Fans of both alternative and metal alike should enjoy it. Highlights are...everything! There is not a bad moment on this album. Ross Childress is an incredible soloist, and Ed Roland is a very soulful, versatile vocalist. The first time I heard "December", I could have sworn there were two or three guys singing lead, and that it couldn't possibly be one guy. But, it is! You've got a wide variety of songs here, from hard rock ("Simple", "Where the River Flows") to melodic ("The World I Know", "When the Water Falls") to just unusual ("Gel", "Collection of Goods"). And, if that ride wasn't exciting enough, the album ends in a soft, gospel-type song called "Reunion", with what appears to be a church choir backing the band. At the end, you're just thinking, "man, that was good!". I recommend this album to anyone. It will never get old. This is the second best alt-rock type album I've ever heard, right behind Live's "Throwing Copper". I was hoping for another album like this in "Blender" after the very mediocre "Dosage", but no such luck. You can buy those albums if you want, but this is the definitive Collective Soul album."

Definite Classic

John | United States | 11/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From beginning to end Ed Roland and his band crank out hit after hit on this album from soft ballads ("The World I Know") to more powerful hitters ("Untitled" and "Where the River Flows"). The hit single "December" delivers on all accounts with an amazing guitar beat plus lyrics that shine. The very up-beat fast tempo song "Gel" is another great cut. More of the softer ballads come when we get to "When the water falls" and "Reunion", which are more amazing tracks. Reunion sounds a little like December, in which, they use the same guitar line, which is not a bad thing of course. "Bleed", another one of my favorites, hit on all cylinders with the stellar drum loops and guitars. The only flaw in the album, if you can really call it a flaw, was "Collection of Goods". I'm not sure what they were trying to do with this track because the music sounds a bit garbled. Maybe they decided to experiment with a new sound for one track. But in all essesences, with an album that is chock full of hits, it is difficult to choose a favorite. I recommend this album to music fans of all tastes. You will not be disappointed."

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