Songs from Black Mountain explained

Songs from Black Mountain
Type:studio
Artist:Live
Cover:LiveSongsFromBlackMountain.jpg
Recorded:May 2005
Genre:Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock
Label:Epic
Producer:Jim Wirt
Prev Year:2004
Next Year:2007

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.[1] 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 (Kowalczyk, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer, Chad Gracey). Kowalcyzk rejoined in 2016, but Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey were all fired from the band by the end of 2022.[2]

Although the album had some international success, including reaching number 1 in the Netherlands, it had the lowest US sales of any of Live's studio albums since their first album, Mental Jewelry, peaking at number 52 on the Billboard 200.

Background

Live signed with Epic Records in 2005, having left Radioactive after the release of their 2003 album, Birds of Pray.[1] Singer Ed Kowalczyk explained that Songs from Black Mountain is in the same vein as Birds of Pray: "The album itself kind of took its lead from where we were with Birds of Pray, which was just a really basic, stripped [approach]...It's just amazing. It's just a great album and the excitement level of [Epic] and the band, everybody is just really pretty blown away by it."[3]

Personnel

Live

Additional personnel

Charts

Singles

SongPeak chart positions
AUSBEL (FL)NED
"The River"[5] 334915
"Mystery"
"Wings"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Notes and References

  1. Chad, "Live Makes Epic Move" Alternative Addiction - August 29, 2005
  2. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/live-alt-rock-band-crime-lawsuits-1234677011/amp/
  3. Chad, "Live Goes Back to Basics for Epic Debut". Alternative Addiction, September 29, 2005.
  4. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 2006. dutchcharts.nl. August 11, 2020.
  5. https://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/2fd63/Live-The-River "Ultratop entry for The River"