Local favorites Live release 25th anniversary of debut
It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since York alternative rock act blew up locally with their debut “Mental Jewelry.” Yet it has, and while all of us can sit for a moment and feel old, the recently reunited original lineup of the band have just released a deluxe edition of the album both physically and digitally.
The record spawned the college rock radio hits “Pain Lies on the Riverside” and “Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)” and the fan favorites “Beauty of Gray” and “Waterboy.” Their popularity led to the group exploding into the mainstream with their next album, ‘Throwing Copper.’
For the package, frontman Ed Kowalczyk, who just returned to the group after seven years away, wrote liner notes about the band’s beginnings including their monthly gigs at CBGB before they were signed to Radioactive Records. “[CBGB owner] Hilly [Kristal] typically didn’t pay bands for showcase type gigs, but he would give us $100 for gas for the three-hours-plus commute from Old York,” he writes.
The newly remastered “Mental Jewelry” features an unreleased studio track called “Born Branded” from the album’s original sessions, a club remix of “Pain Lies On The Riverside” by Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee, two songs from the band’s September 1991 EP “Four Songs” and an unreleased 1992 full concert at The Roxy in Los Angeles.
“It’s really cool that we have this unreleased material from virtually all of the Live studio albums and that the limitations of the various media that we experienced early in our career have vanished with the digital/online revolution,” Kowalczyk added in a statement. “Fans can look forward to more!”
“[Producer] Jerry Harrison deserves a lot of credit for getting so many early songs recorded,” said bassist Chad Taylor. “Radioactive gave the band a budget for 12 masters but Jerry, a veteran recording artist sent a lo-fi demo that included 14 or 15 tracks to the label. He suggested that the label pick the 12 songs that would make the album.”
“Since the album was initially released on vinyl, we were limited by the media format and over time, we simply forgot about the extra songs. Thankfully, this new release really captures the spirit of that era!”
Looking back at the full Roxy show, both Kowalczyk and Taylor have varied thoughts on what advice their current selves might have for their younger selves?
“I’m not sure the younger version of myself would listen to any advice I could offer,” said the latter. “But I would be sure to tell myself to enjoy the ride, and to take care of each other.”
“I really don’t have any advice for Live circa 1992,” Kowalczyk said. “Actually, it’s the reverse in a way; the experience of rediscovering the Roxy show recording is a window through which the sun of that youthful energy has shown on us again, helping to remind us of where we’ve been but more importantly, to inspire the way forward.”
The 25th anniversary release of “Mental Jewelry” is available on colored and standard black vinyl, cassette and the as a two-CD set.