Customer Reviews

Dosage

5 star:		(214)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I guess I could call Collective Soul something of a guilty pleasure - straight-ahead pop, catchy hooks, singable choruses, simple melodies, everything that a music-snob like me is supposed to hate. But I'll admit it. I like a well-done pop tune too, and CS has a supply of 'em seemingly as inexhaustible as Ben Folds's bag of witty one-liners. Sometimes it's nothing more than two-line verses and a quick chorus repeated a couple times, as on "Tremble For My Beloved." Yet, in the middle of it all they've got a great knack for a melody and they can crank up an addictive beat that's hard to let go. And hey, at least the songs aren't as utterly simplistic and tossed-off as Weezer's (which I also listen to).

Dosage, although sporting the weirdest of all their mediocre album covers, was Collective Soul's most accomplished recording at the time. (Haven't heard Blender, so I can't compare.) Underneath the usual ear-candy songcraft there are more keyboards, better production/mixing and more electronic touches than ever before. "Tremble" rides on waves of wah-wah guitars. "Slow" builds a wall of sound big enough to fill your whole listening space. "Crown" slides through to the disc's finish (almost) in a low-key haze of dreamy ambience. Aha, and there's an extra treat - the hidden "She Said" at the end, which floats on a bed of gorgeous strings and another of those excellent choruses. It's an absolute gem.

They're essentially nothing more than a catchy rock band, but Collective Soul has a compelling energy and a talent for strong songs that should keep them going for a while. Those who aren't looking for anything more should be well satisfied.

I'm probably one of Collective Soul's older fans, having been in high school when Zep's "Physical Graffiti" came out, and my tastes have expanded to encompass everything from Celtic music to Finnish pop. Having said that, I'm a sucker for a rock and roll song with a great hook and some thoughtful lyrics, and that's why I love Collective Soul. Ed Roland's lyrics (and I have to say I don't know what the People magazine reviewer was thinking when he/she called Ed's lyric's "hollow") are as relevant to me as I'm sure they are to people 20 years younger than me. "Run" is gorgeous, "Heavy" is the perfect car-driving song, "Tremble for My Beloved," "No More, No Less," and "Needs" are lyrically mind-blowing, and there isn't one dud on this CD. If you listened to Zeppelin when you were in high school, buy "Dosage." It will take 20 years off your life!

Between Collective Soul's 1995 Collective Soul and 1999's Dosage, it's difficult to decide which it the better of the two. I think Dosage is the place to start becuase it contains the great songs "Run", "Generate", "Compliment", "No More, No Less", "Needs", "Slow" and "Dandy Life." I don't think there's a bad track on Dosage. I'm glad radio didn't get the picture last year and overplay this great cd. I like to think of Collective Soul as similar to Rush, U2 and R.E.M. in that they have a strong fan base but don't need to have radio play in order to sell cds. Dosage and 1995's Collective Soul are must haves for any rock collector.

Collective Soul seems to appeal to me every other album. True,this album is mostly fluff, but it is some dang good fluff. Most ofthe songs are similar to each other, but they are well written and catchy with nice orchestral arrangments in the backround. Only a small handful of songs deviate from this style. The hidden song is nice and Crown is an unusual, but very good song. But it was Heavy that really sold me on this one. All and all, I'm very happy with Dosage and I would recomend it to anyone who likes their pop on a higher level.

I bought this album because I heard "Run" on the radio and had to have it. Then I found other songs I loved too. Add this to your collection...you'll love it. I'm in my 50's and as an old rocker, I enjoy it very much.

This record is going to fly right over the heads of a lot of people, and especially of all professional reviewers. It is blazingly creative, as good as Beatle albums were at their peak.

But it does not have any of the cliches that ring the bells of record reviewers, and that is yet one more reason to like it.

These guys are still the most disciplined and accurate players in the business, still among the most energetic. And now they've systematized their songwriting (yes, you'll hear little thefts and references) so that every song on the disc is good. And you know how very, very good a good Collective Soul song is.

I've listened to everything, good and bad, from the mid-60's to present...played and did sound in the 70's, you name it. I really hadn't heard much Collective Soul music until DOSAGE, but the name was always out there. THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM I'VE HEARD IN MANY, MANY YEARS. The last album I can remember so laden with unforgettable songs, each worth playing over and over and over again, was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!! Every track on this album is musically inventive, distinctive, and emotionally honest...what a treat.

I'm truly in awe; CS have the potential to be the Beatles of the new millenium. These guys are young... if they continue their quantum leaps into musical maturity, they should have the world at their feet!

Still in love with the music, PORTLAND, OR

I have all of Collective soul's albums to date and I can honestly say they have not written a bad song in their career. This album continues that tradition in giving us 11 more great songs. This band just can't go wrong. In my opinion Collective Soul does not get nearly enough recognition for thier talent and song-writing ability. All of the songs on this album are good but the ones that really stand out are Heavy, Needs, Slow, Run, and the incredible ending song Crown. It also has a bonus track of She Said, which is also a good tune. I would recomend this album to any moderate rock fan. Just another great release.

Wow, how can these guys keep churning out all these good songs and raising the bar of their artistic abilities with each release? I don't know how they do it, but I'm glad they do! Dosage is yet another incredible release of rocking tunes and thoughtful ballads. I loved "Tremble for my Beloved" right off the bat - so short on lyrics, but so full of energy!! "Heavy" was a big hit almost everyone knows. "No More No Less" is one of my favorites on this disc - just because it has very intriguing music and its lyrically strong. On my first few listens, "Dandy Life" seemed boring to me, but after many listens it's actually one of my favorite songs here. Everyone has heard "Run" - especially if you watched ABC a few years ago - they used that song a lot in their programming commercials. What I don't understand is why the mass public bought the self-titled CD "Collective Soul", but ignored "Disciplined Breakdown" and "Dosage"?? These two CDs are in my opinion the best of Collective Soul!! Well, it's their loss!!

Collective Soul has always had a few good songs and they've always had discipline. Their playing is more purely accurate and perfectly executed than any other band in the business--and is still above average in energy.

This time, when they should be running out of songs by now, they're applying discipline to songwriting, using analyses of other bands's sounds to inspire their own creativity. There never was a heavy song like Heavy, or a failed romance song like Not The One, but you'll hear references, I assure you.

As for that few songs, if you've been waiting for a Collective Soul album that is pretty much all great songs, this -is- the one. I've been playing this record for a long time now. It is very good.